《The Man Picked Up By the Gods (Reboot)》 Chapter 0 prologue 1 prologue 2 part1 prologue 2 part2 A lone man stood dazed in an empty room. Signs of fatigue could be seen on his face and gray streaks could be seen on his hair; he was most likely in his latter 40s, though his figure seemed to deny that. The man was dressed for sleep, wearing only a simple shirt and a pair of shorts, making it easy to see his figure. Contrary to his aged look, his body was tempered, overflowing with muscles and vigor. ¡°Huh¡­? Where is this?¡± [???] When the man uttered those words, three people appeared before him. ¡°Have you come to?¡± [Old Man] ¡°Is your mind clear now?¡± [Boy] ¡°You know it would be nice if you said something.¡± [Woman] ¡°Umm¡­ Yes. I¡¯m alright now. You suddenly came out of nowhere, so I was taken back a bit. My apologies. Let me introduce myself. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal. Let¡¯s talk over tea.¡± [Old Man] The old man waved his hand, and all of the sudden, a tea table appeared, atop which were cups filled with tea and pillows to sit on along the sides. ¡°Come, take a seat.¡± [Woman] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] The young woman smiled and implored Ryouma to take a seat, which Ryouma promptly took. The others took their seats as well; the woman sat on the right, while the boy sat on the left, and the old man sat opposite Ryouma. When they had all taken their seats, everyone, including Ryouma, took a sip of their tea. ¡°I hope you won¡¯t mind if I ask some questions.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course not. That¡¯s exactly what we¡¯re here for. But I already have an idea what is you want to ask, so how about listening to our story first?¡± [Old Man] ¡°Well, alright.¡± [Ryouma] After Ryouma nodded to show his agreement, the old man began. ¡°We are what you would call ¡®gods¡¯. I am Gayn, the God of Creation. The woman to your right is Rurutia, the Goddess of Love, and the boy to your left is the God of Life, Kufo. We are gods of a different world. You might not know this, but last night, you died. When your soul left your body, we took it and brought it here to the divine realm.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what happened.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma matter-of-factly accepted Gayn¡¯s explanation as he sipped his tea. The three gods were bewildered at his reaction, especially the youngest-looking of them all, Kufo. ¡°Umm, wait, is that it!? Shouldn¡¯t you be panicking a bit more and going ¡®No way!¡¯ ¡®That can¡¯t be!¡¯ ¡®Why did I die?¡¯ or something?¡± [Kufo] ¡°You know¡­ the others before you were all flustered when we talked to them.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, I am surprised, though I do admit that none of this feels real to me right now. Besides, if all this is nothing more than a dream, then I would eventually wake up, but even if it¡¯s not, well¡­ everyone will pass away anyway. And I¡¯ve already expected this to some extent. My work, you see, is really taxing. So taxing that many of my coworkers have had to retire early because their body broke down. Because of that I¡¯ve always believed I would die an early death. Being able to live up to 39 or 40, depending which way you count, is more than plenty, all things considered. Not to mention, as embarrassing as it is to admit considering my age, I¡¯m a huge otaku of games and manga, so I¡¯m quite fond of stories like this. I don¡¯t have any family or relatives anyway, so this turn of events is a lot better than just burning away.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma was truly satisfied from the bottom of his heart, but that only caused the gods even more confusion. ¡°R-Really? Do humans really think like that? Hasn¡¯t anyone ever told you your way of thinking is odd?¡± [Kufo] ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s got anything to do with your hobbies either. There were plenty of people with similar hobbies as you, and they were all really flustered. So flustered, in fact, that some of them wouldn¡¯t even listen. Just meeting someone who wasn¡¯t gloomy was a feat in and of itself.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Well, in any case, this makes things easier for us. Though this also leaves us with too much time on hand. Is there anything else you want to know?¡± [Gayn] Ryouma became thoughtful for a moment before speaking. ¡°How did I die?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re starting there?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything odd about my question though. After all, I don¡¯t have any memory of dying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you did die like that, so of course you don¡¯t remember.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You died from brain hemorrhage after hitting your head.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Huh!? Wasn¡¯t I just sleeping in my room?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, you sure were. But then you sneezed while you were sleeping¡­ A lot, in fact.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You sneezed four times. Each time your pillow slipped and your head slammed into the ground. Unfortunately, your futon was the cheap sort, so it was too thin to cushion your head.¡± [Gayn] ¡°The impact wasn¡¯t enough to wake you up though, so the internal bleeding just kept on going, and when dawn came, you passed.¡± [Kufo] When he heard that, Ryouma¡¯s eyes fell to the ground and he mumbled to himself, then suddenly, he bitterly cried out. ¡°I can¡¯t accept it¡­ Why? Why of all thing did I die from a sneeze!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Kufo, Gayn, Rurutia] ¡°I¡¯ve survived the beer bottles of my boss, the iron pipes of middle-aged men, and even the countless abuse under my dad, and yet after all that, the one thing to actually take my life is a sneeze!?¡± [Ryouma] Filled with grief, Ryouma lost sight of his surroundings as mumbled to himself. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s depressed.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Even though he was perfectly fine after being told he was dead, what an odd kid.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It seems he¡¯s quite proud of his body. Well, he was forcefully trained by his father from a young age and driven right at the edge of death day after day. Hmm¡­ Kufo, Rurutia.¡± [Gayn] ¡°What?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Kufo] ¡°There¡¯s something about this kid bothering me. Come help me out while we wait for him to calm down.¡± [Gayn] Gayn¡¯s expression quickly turned solemn as he spoke, while the other two gods, sensing that something was amiss, answered back in words that couldn¡¯t be heard by a human. Perhaps their efforts were wasted, however, as Ryouma was so depressed he couldn¡¯t hear anything. ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ I lost myself for a moment there.¡± [Ryouma] When Ryouma recovered himself and lifted up his face, the gods were still there drinking tea as calm as ever. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re usually free, and we properly scheduled our time with you, so there¡¯s no rush. Moreover, we¡¯re already used to people losing their minds after dying. After all, human souls are connected to their bodies, so when you cut that connection off, a little bit of instability is to be expected. That instability usually results in one¡¯s emotions going wild. Anyway, the point is we really don¡¯t mind, so don¡¯t sweat it.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Time flows differently here in the divine realm and souls don¡¯t starve. Having to wait four years before a human regains his sanity is pretty normal.¡± [Kufo] ¡°4 years!?¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma was shocked. ¡°We can¡¯t interfere carelessly when humans are panicking, or they might just needlessly put their guards up. Some humans also go crazy while we¡¯re talking, but regardless, we usually just wait until they¡¯re able to calm themselves down. Waiting up to four years is normal, so you¡¯re still alright, Ryouma-kun. Anyway, since you¡¯re back, I hope you won¡¯t mind if we continue.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] Gayn nodded. ¡°Right, well let me explain why we called your soul. If I were to sum up the reason in one word, it would be: Cliche. Do you understand?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Cliche? Ah¡­ I believe I do. You wish for me to live in another world, yes? If so, will I be reincarnated or merely transmigrated?¡± ¡°You really are quick to pick up.¡± [Rurutia] Rurutia was shocked to see Ryouma so easily understand what was going on, but Gayn ignored her and continued. ¡°You¡¯ll be transmigrated, in a sense. I will be creating a new body for you to inhabit in our world, so you won¡¯t have any parents.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Your new body will be much younger, so you could say it¡¯s like being reincarnated. If you have any requests, I could alter your body as you please.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Exactly what age will my new body be?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ll be less than 10 years old. At that age, you should be fine even if you get lost in a forest. You¡¯ll look like a child to others, so they won¡¯t be as suspicious and you¡¯ll be able to safely go into a city. Of course, we¡¯ll have some insurance too to ensure everything goes well. Since you¡¯re going to be an orphan in the otherworld, we¡¯ll be sending you to a country that¡¯s relatively tolerant of social statuses. With that there shouldn¡¯t be any issues for you to live a normal life.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Thank you. For my appearance, just don¡¯t make it weird. Is there anything in particular I need to do in your world? A mission of some sort?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nope. If there¡¯s any, well, you¡¯ve pretty much accomplished it the moment you¡¯re transmigrated, so there¡¯s technically none. You going to the otherworld is your only mission.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Our goal is to transfer mana from your world into our world, which is currently very low on mana.¡± [Kufo] Ryouma nodded upon understanding, but then it occurred to him. ¡°Can¡¯t you just transfer mana by itself?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. Putting it simply, there are walls between different worlds. Normally, mana can¡¯t go past these ¡®walls¡¯, so we have to create a hole first. The problem is that opening the hole and maintaining it both require energy, so if just do it normally, we¡¯ll run out of strength. Fortunately, we have you! You¡¯ll be unconscious during the process, but by stuffing your soul ¨C reinforced by our power ¨C in between the hole, we can keep it from closing while we transfer mana from earth to our world.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Our world relies on magic. If mana dries up, the daily life of the people will be affected, the monsters who feed on magic will die out, and the ecosystem will be destroyed. Earth, on the other hand, does not use magic. They don¡¯t have monsters either. Since they¡¯re not using it, we figured we¡¯d take some of it.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°If there¡¯s no particular reason for mana to dry out, then could it be that the rate production of mana can¡¯t keep up with its usage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, exactly. There are a lot of reasons for it, but humans, in particular, find it very convenient to rely on magic. Because of that magic has experienced a lot of development, and gradually, the consumption of mana is getting bigger and bigger.¡± [Kufo] ¡°It¡¯s not easy to reduce the consumption of mana. Moreover, if you use too much internal mana, your body will fall apart. So in the end it¡¯s a lot easier to use mana from your surroundings. It¡¯s truly a sad thing.¡± [Gayn] As the gods grumbled about the humans, Ryouma alone became excited. ¡°Umm¡­ Can I also use magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Gayn] ¡°You bet.¡± [Kufo] ¡°You can.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Really! Ah, sorry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. When you¡¯re transmigrated, you will have the same body as the native humans, so you¡¯ll also be able to use magic. Of course, everything will depend on your training.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Also, as I mentioned awhile ago, we¡¯ll be reinforcing your soul to keep the hole open, so as a result, some of that power will become a part of you. Even without any talent, you¡¯ll be able to use magic. I¡¯m not sure about becoming the best mage in the world though.¡± [Kufo] Ryouma felt his face grow hot as the gods looked at him with amused expressions, but regardless, he was happy to find that he would be able to use magic. ¡°As for what magic you¡¯ll be able to use¡­ Let¡¯s give you access to all the elemental magic.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Umm¡­ Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit too conspicuous?¡± [Ryouma] The three gods laughed when he said that. ¡°Heh, the humans who come here say that a lot. Especially, the ones who read a lot of light novels.¡± [Kufo] ¡°But the thing is, while it¡¯s not that common, it¡¯s also not that amazing.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The people born with the talent aren¡¯t few, and with enough effort, anyone can become proficient in all elements. In fact, there are about 10 to 20 people in any country¡¯s knight order born with the skill. There¡¯s also the fact that while you might have a lot of elements that you can use, unless you train them all, you¡¯re not going to get good at them. If you do train them all, the progress is pretty slow. Between someone who can cast elementary spells of all elements and someone who can cast advanced spells of a single element, which one do you think is more valued? The latter.¡± [Gayn] ¡°In other words, a jack of all trades and a master of none.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Precisely.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Since there are no downsides to it, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a perfect fit for you who wants to play with magic?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Then in that case, I¡¯ll take it.¡± [Ryouma] After that Ryouma and the gods continued discussing about his would-be abilities. ¡°¡ªGood, with this we¡¯re done. But are you really sure you¡¯re alright with all your bonuses being magic-related? We can also give you some close-combat skills if you want. Being able to use a lot of magic is nice and all, but consequently, you won¡¯t be able to use strong magic right off the bat.¡± [Gayn] ¡°As long as I won¡¯t have any problems living, I¡¯m perfectly happy with what we¡¯ve discussed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. The most important thing is that you¡¯re satisfied. Let¡¯s move on to the last part.¡± [Gayn] Sensing Ryouma¡¯s resolve, Gayn took out a wooden plank on top of which were a sheet of paper and a feather pen and handed it to Ryouma. On the sheet of paper were everything they¡¯ve discussed, and on the bottom-right was a blank space for Ryouma¡¯s name. ¡°Signing a contract after you die is a bit¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t like it?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Not that I don¡¯t like it. It just feels a bit¡­ odd.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, we can just do away with the contract if you want.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s hand paused when he heard Rurutia and Kufo¡¯s remarks. ¡°Actually, we¡¯re just making sure that you¡¯re fine with everything we¡¯ve discussed and that you understand everything perfectly clear. The sign is just one method. If you don¡¯t want to sign, we can just do it orally.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We adjust our methods depending on the person. Oral is usually for little kids, as it¡¯s easier.¡± [Rurutia] After being told that, Ryouma read the contract carefully, and when he was sure everything was ok, he signed. ¡ªThe moment he did, a faint light suddenly wrapped around him. ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Calm down. That¡¯s just a sign that it¡¯s starting. You won¡¯t get hurt.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Unfortunately, these are the rules. After everything¡¯s been decided, you won¡¯t be able to stay long here.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Sigh¡­ I wonder why the annoying ones stick around so long, but the nice ones always leave so quick.¡± [Gayn] Hearing that, Ryouma understood that the time for farewells had come. ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate. But regardless, I won¡¯t forget this act of kindness for the rest of my life.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s your life, so just live as you please. We¡¯ll do our best to send you to a safe forest, so rest assured.¡± [Gayn] ¡°We¡¯ll always be watching over you. And you know¡­ This is the last time, so you can be a bit more selfish. We won¡¯t mind.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You really don¡¯t have to be so formal with your speech.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Won¡¯t you show us your real self?¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡­Right. Thanks for everything. I guess it really wasn¡¯t hard to see through someone when he¡¯s only going through the form.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We are gods. Of course, we¡¯d notice. And there were times when you stumbled on your speech.¡± [Gayn] ¡°You could have just spoken informally from the start.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be polite to speak causally to gods.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, too much is bad, but you¡¯re alright. Besides, my heart is big. I¡¯m a goddess, after all.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Any plans once you arrive at our world?¡± [Gayn] ¡°If there¡¯s anything worrying you, just say it.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°We¡¯ll listen.¡± [Kufo] Ryouma appeared thoughtful for a moment, but not a lot of time passed before he naturally said. ¡°Actually¡­ I¡¯m not good with people. I lived for 39 years, but I never got along well with others. Even if I go to the other world, I¡¯ll still be me. I don¡¯t really think that part of me would change after going to another world. Honestly, I find human relations are exhausting. Maybe I¡¯ll just live alone by myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can do that too if you want. That¡¯s life.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I also think it would be a waste though. I mean it is an otherworld. It would a pity not to travel.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then why don¡¯t you live alone for a while, and then when you feel like it, travel?¡± [Kufo] Ryouma asked if that was really alright. ¡°No matter what, the first place you¡¯ll arrive in is a forest. If we just summoned you in the middle of a city, it would cause a huge commotion. So what you can do is to first live in the forest, and then afterwards go to the city. Besides, I¡¯m sure you want to mess around with your magic, right?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Ah, now that you mention it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just take it slow. You look like the type to diligently go through all the paths laid out before you, but this time, try going through them one at a time. And if in the end, you don¡¯t go through them all, that¡¯s fine.¡± [Rurutia] You¡¯ve already died once, so in one sense, you can really be reborn. You can live a life different from the life you lived on Earth. Especially since you¡¯ll be a child in our world. Aside from things you need to do to protect yourself, you can just play and have fun.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Oh, and let¡¯s not forget that you¡¯ll most likely be fine even if you come across some bandits with your skills.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Just live as I please and go on my own pace, huh. Then in that case, I guess I¡¯ll stay in the forest for a while, and when I¡¯m feeling like it, go out. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you do go to a city, make sure to visit the church. We won¡¯t be able to meet, but if you get the Oracle skill, we¡¯ll at least be able to talk for a short while. The higher the level, the longer and more frequent.¡± [kufo] ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll definitely drop by when I go to town. I don¡¯t know when, but I promise it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good, we¡¯ll be waiting. When you drop by, we¡¯ll talk lots.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°We have a lot of free time, after all. Ho Ho ho!¡± [Gayn] When Gayn laughed the light on Ryouma began expanding. ¡°¡­It¡¯s time.¡± [Kufo] The light gradually grew stronger until it covered Ryouma¡¯s vision. ¡°¡­Everything¡¯s ready, it seems.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Farewell and live happily, alright?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I will¡­ Thank you¡­ Thank you so much!!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now go! We can¡¯t keep the door open forever!¡± [Gayn] ¡°Our blessings are with you.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°May light illuminate your path!¡± [Kufo] ¡°Enjoy your new life!¡± [Gayn, Kufo, Rurutia] After that the light swallowed Ryouma. When the light vanished, Ryouma was gone, and so were the gods. Tl Note: This is the reboot (the author calls it revised) of TMPG. It will be posted monthly. This is the chapter for last month, so there¡¯ll be another chapter at the end of this month. Also, the formal and informal speech the gods were mentioning were just the Japanese formal and informal speech. ¡°Work¡­ Tabuchi-kun, the report is underway¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma woke up under the shade of the trees, deep inside the forest. Just as the gods told him, his body had returned to his tens. When he woke up, he was leaning on a tree with a set of hemp clothes on. Ryouma woke up muttering. As he did, he looked around him, still half-dazed. ¡°A forest? It wasn¡¯t a dream, I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] As the scent of the earth and the wind wafted to Ryouma¡¯s nose, he gradually remembered why he was here. ¡°Oh, right¡­ I¡¯m in another world. Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma noticed a leather bag and a book the size of a notebook placed in front of him. When he looked at the cover of the book, on it were words from a language clearly not Japanese. It read: Letter. The sender seemed to be the three gods who invited him to this world. ¡°Gayn, Kufo, Rurutia¡­¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma read out the names written down, he recalled the gods he met. (They already explained things to me before sending me off. They even gave me knowledge and power. Yet they still went the extra mile and left me this letter. I guess it¡¯s a lot closer to a manual than a letter, though¡­¡±) Turning the book, he saw three things written on the first page. The first thing written was about the world. This world is known as Seiruforu. There is a place known as Gana Forest in the Riforu Kingdom. Monsters are relatively rare here, making it a safer place compared to other forests. The second thing written was about Ryouma¡¯s current situation. Though the forest was safe, it wasn¡¯t perfectly safe, so the gods suggested that Ryouma go to a livable place as soon as possible. The gods included a small map. The last page was bound tight, and on it read: ¡°Read the next page only once you¡¯ve arrived at the designated area.¡± Ryouma smiled at the gods¡¯ graciousness, then Ryouma stood up. When he did, he felt an odd sensation attack him. ¡°My body really has turned into that of a kid¡¯s¡­ Ryouma Takebayashi, 39-years-old, single, occupation: systems engineer. The only thing I have left is my memory. Reminds me of a certain detective.¡± Ryouma might have heard the gods inform him of what will happen beforehand, but he still couldn¡¯t help be shocked when he actually saw his body back to that of a kid¡¯s. When he was sure nothing was off, he started moving his body. Ryouma slowly moved his body, starting with the simple opening and closing of his hands and the bending of his legs, then he started stretching. Gradually, he made more complex movements. When he was finally able to perform the martial feats his father had taught him in his past life, he stopped. Ryouma turned toward a nearby tree, then as his eyes narrowed, he sent a sharp kick toward its trunk. ¡°PI!¡± ¡°Chi chi!¡± An explosive sound resounded throughout the forest as the tree Ryouma kicked easily broke, causing the birds resting on the nearby trees to flee. In the ensuing panic, some of the birds even fell. Meanwhile, Ryouma calmly pondered on what had just happened. (Strange¡­ My current strength is either equal or greater than it once was. It doesn¡¯t make any sense, but for some reason my body moves a lot easier. Of course, the reach has significantly been reduced, but¡­ In any case, it seems the only thing I¡¯ll have to get used to is the reach problem. Walking or running doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll be any trouble, but as for the rest, I¡¯ll have to catch up with my new body first.) With that, Ryouma went back to the tree beneath which he had been sleeping and took a good look at the map. On the map were two locations pinned. One indicated where he currently was, while the other indicated his destination. After gauging the distance, he stored the map into the bag. At the same time, he noticed there was a knife left for him, so he placed it by his waist for easy access, then he walked to the place the gods told him to go. 2 hours later. Along the way, Ryouma came across some ¡°monsters¡±, living organisms that didn¡¯t exist on Earth, but they were all weak and ran away on their own, so Ryouma just ignored them. With his small legs, it would take him a considerable amount of time to traverse the distance he needed, but thanks to the knowledge the gods had given him, he was able to identify the herbal and edible plants along the way, making things that much more convenient for him. After walking through the dimly lit forest, Ryouma finally arrived at its depths. As the trees opened up and bare rocks were revealed, Ryouma was greeted by a cliff. When he was certain that he was safe, he put down his belongings and did as the letter instructed him. ¡°Oh? There¡¯s a river nearby? This should be a good place to settle down.¡± Ryouma would mutter to himself from time to time as he read his letter. He wasn¡¯t even thinking of going out of the forest, as he was intending to live in the forest first just as he had discussed with the gods. ¡°There seems to be a tent provided, but I think a cave would be better considering there are monsters and all.¡± With a tent, even a big animal would be enough to cause Ryouma trouble, so he approached the cliff and placed his index finger on the surface of the rock while he read the letter. On the page of the letter were instructions regarding the usage of ¡°magic¡±. ¡°The first step is to calm down, then one is to gather inside his body¡­ Like this? ¡­My body fills like it¡¯s being filled with water like a balloon or something, ugh¡­¡± Though Ryouma complained with his mouth, he was still somewhat happy and excited, so he couldn¡¯t help but smile. However, while he might have indulged himself with otaku hobbies like light novels and games, and while he might have imagined himself using magic countless times during break, Ryouma has never actually used magic. ¡°Umm¡­ After sensing magic in the body, I am to¡­ move it by imagining it moving, and I am supposed to direct it outside. There.¡± Ryouma read the instructions aloud as he tried to follow them, giving off an atmosphere akin to that of an old man struggling with technology. As he imagined magic flowing out of his fingertips, magic power began to flow out. Magic has 12 elements. They are: Neutral, Fire, Water, Wind, Earth. Ice, Electricity, Wood, Poison. Light, Darkness, Space. Mages are able to change the element of their magic power according to the image within their mind, and then invocate a spell with a chant. When Ryouma read that part, he chose the earth spell out of the many spells listed in the letter. ¡°Magic power shall flow into the cliff and the crumbling rocks shall¡­ ¡®Break Rock¡¯.¡± With a clear image, Ryouma chanted those last two words, and suddenly, though only a little, a small hole was hollowed in the part of the cliff he was touching. It was only small enough for about three index fingers to fit in, making it more like a dent than an actual hole, but when Ryouma saw the spell take effect, he couldn¡¯t help but laugh to himself. (How long has it been since I last enjoyed myself? I was always pulling all-nighters and overtimes and accompanying my boss to drink¡­ It¡¯s not like I never had any time for leisure, but¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s been awhile, hasn¡¯t it? Since I last felt like this.) Though Ryouma kept a tight watch on his surroundings, he casted Break Rock after Break Rock with a foolish expression on his face. After casting spell after spell for a while, Ryouma muttered to himself. ¡°This isn¡¯t very efficient.¡± [Ryouma] (I¡¯ve finally started to get the hang of it, but at this rate, I won¡¯t finish before the sun sets. Besides, there should be a limit to the number of times I can use magic.) As Ryouma thought that, he decided to take a break and draw water from the river. When he came back, he opened the letter again. (It would be great if there¡¯s something I can use, but in the worst case, I¡¯ll just have to use that tent. I¡¯ve slept some in one back on Earth, so it should be no problem¡­ Ah.) While Ryouma was looking for a solution to his predicament, he came across a page that showed his status. (Status, huh. Well, this should be convenient. At the very least, I¡¯ll be able to understand exactly what I can and can¡¯t do.) When he looked at the page again, it read: Name: Ryouma Takebayashi Gender: Male Age: 8 Race: Human (My name and gender is the same as in my past life. I don¡¯t really remember what sort of kid I was back then though. All I remember is that my dad beat everything into me. Anyway, moving on¡­) HP: 10,486 MP: 102,300 Note: For an average person, their HP would normally be around 1000, while an adventurer, a soldier, or a trained person would normally have theirs between 2,000 to 3,000. ¡°What kind of freak am I supposed to be then?¡± [Ryouma] (I mean, sure, I might have worked out a bit more than most young people or those bigwigs with their bulging stomachs, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s enough to make such a big difference. The magic power makes sense since the gods said my magic power would naturally increase as a side effect of their procedure, but that shouldn¡¯t apply to HP.) MP had a note under it just like HP. Normal people had 100 MP. Warriors that bolstered their fighting abilities with magic ranged from 500 ¨C 700 MP. A normal mage ranged from 1,000 ¨C 5,000 MP, and a royal court magician ranged from 10,000 to 50,000. (Well, more won¡¯t hurt. Now about those skills¡­) Domestic Skills Domestic Chores LV10 Etiquette LV7 Musical Instrument LV3 Singing LV3 Calculation LV5 Battle Skills Close-Combat Mastery LV7 Sword Mastery LV7 Knife Mastery LV6 Hidden Weapons Mastery LV7 Spear Mastery LV4 Bow Mastery LV6 Staff Mastery LV6 Weight Control LV4 Throwing Weapons Mastery LV7 Stealth Mastery LV7 Traps LV6 Body Control LV6 Spirit Cultivation LV5 Magic Skills Familiar Magic LV1 Barrier Magic LV1 Healing Magic LV1 Alchemy LV1 Fire Magic LV1 Water Magic LV1 Wind Magic LV1 Earth Magic LV1 Neutral Magic LV1 Electric Magic LV1 Ice Magic LV1 Poison Magic LV1 Wood Magic LV1 Light Magic LV1 Dark Magic LV1 Space Magic LV1 Magic Perception LV1 Magic Manipulation LV1 Increased MP Recovery LV1 Production Skills Pharmacy LV6 Smithing LV1 Architecture LV2 Woodworking LV2 Molding LV4 Drawing LV4 Resistance Skills Physical Pain Resistance LV8 Mental Resistance LV9 Health LV7 Special Skills Survival Skills LV3 Focused Mind LV5 Greater Vitality LV3 Greater Stamina LV6 Greater Regeneration LV3 Titles Usurper One Who has Lived Through Misfortune Favored Child of the Gods Disciple of the Sage Disciple of the Martial God Blessings Blessing of Gayn, the God of Creation Blessing of Kufo, the God of Life Blessing of Rurutia, the God of Love (Regarding skills, a level 1 means that one has learned the basics. A level 2 indicates that one is an apprentice, while a level 3 indicates that one is learned. 4 indicates proficiency, while a 5 means first-class. From 6 beyond is the mark of an expert. I guess the 39 years I spent wasn¡¯t for nothing. A lot of the skills seem to have taken inspiration from the things I learned in work and school. Stuff like programming which isn¡¯t relevant to this world aren¡¯t written, though. Titles and blessings don¡¯t really seem like they¡¯ll be much use right now. Now, what to do?) Ryouma turned to the next page and read the explanations written about various skills. 10 minutes later, one skill caught his eyes. Spirit Cultivation, a skill that strengthens one¡¯s life force. By sensing one¡¯s ki beneath the stomach and by letting it flow throughout the body like one does with magic, one¡¯s physical faculties are heightened. By allowing the ki to course through one¡¯s weapons, the sharpness of the weapon increases, making it much more powerful. The use of Spirit Cultivation can become second-nature after regular use, so there are cases when its practitioners use it unaware. (This is probably the reason why I moved so much awhile ago. I should be able to use it well once I understand it. Now, where is that earth spell¡­ Ah, found it.) The elementary earth spell, Rock. A spell that hardens soil and transforms it into either rock or stone. The shape can be molded according to the will of the mage. ¡°¡®Rock¡¯¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma used the spell on the crumbled parts of the cliff, the earth and sand quickly turned into stones. ¡°Good. ¡®Rock¡¯. ¡®Rock¡¯. ¡ª¡± [Ryouma] Using the same spell several times, Ryouma created a short stone rod. Using Break Rock, Ryouma thinned its end, creating a shape akin to that of a beast¡¯s fang. After completion, Ryouma held his newly made rod with a backhand grip as he walked toward the cliff. Ryouma took a deep breath as he circulated ki from his right arm to his rod, then he slammed it down onto the cliff. ¡°Ha!¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s hardened rod slammed into the cliff, boring a hole deep enough for half his finger to enter. When Ryouma saw his rod take effect, he slammed the cliff again, boring holes faster than when he just chanted spells. ¡°Tch! It broke! ¡®Rock¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Whenever Ryouma¡¯s rod broke, he would fix it and begin digging again. By the time the sun had set, Ryouma had only managed to dig out a hole big enough for him to store his belongings. Despite that, because Ryouma had to use Spirit Cultivation and Magic, which he was unfamiliar with, a wave of exhaustion hit him. (This is it for the day, I suppose.) When Ryouma walked away from the cliff to get the food and water he¡¯d gathered, he suddenly found himself staring at the scenery. ¡°Amazing¡­¡± [Ryouma] Before Ryouma knew it, the world outside had been dyed in the color of the setting sun. The trees and the leaves reflected the red of the sun onto the leaves and plants outside of its reach. Ryouma was speechless at the beauty of that sight. As the red sky began to fade, a resplendent starry sky filled its place. (There¡¯s so many stars. How beautiful. How long has it been since I last saw so many stars? In fact, how long has it been since I last had the opportunity to take in my surroundings?) No one answered Ryouma¡¯s questions, but regardless, Ryouma was satisfied. And with a face full of satisfaction, he took his belongings and carried them into his cave. Ryouma took a blanket from his bag and spread it over the ground, creating a place for him to rest, then as he leaned onto the wall, he took a mouthful of food. He¡¯d only gathered fruits and herbs he could eat raw, so there weren¡¯t much, but he was still able to fill his belly, while still leaving about half of everything he¡¯d gathered. (I¡¯ll eat the rest tomorrow. I should sleep now. I have to gather ingredients and things I can use in my day-to-day life tomorrow. There¡¯s a lot to do, but there¡¯s also a lot to gain.) After eating his fill, Ryouma blocked the entrance of his cave. ¡°Gayn, Kufo, Rurutia, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your kindness¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s busy legs finally stopped, taking refuge in the embrace of the soft blanket around him. As his words vanished into the dark of the cave, the sound of snoring could be heard not long after. Meanwhile, in the divine realm, three gods were peeping at Ryouma. These gods were ¨C of course ¨C none other than Gayn, Kufo, and Rurutia, the gods who sent Ryouma to Seiruforu. ¡°Everything seems to be going well.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yes, we have also managed to bestow him power without any difficulties.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°He¡¯s managed to find a place to live in as well. It should be smooth sailing from here.¡± [Kufo] The three gods expressed their relief in the blank white space. ¡°Indeed, but let¡¯s keep watching him for now. We might have made a deal with him, but it would ache my heart to see him happen into some unfortunate accident. And besides, he¡¯s piqued my interest.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Sure, Gayn.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I agree, let¡¯s keep watching. That aside, just what on Earth is the earth god thinking? I can¡¯t believe he actually meddled with the destiny of a living person.¡± [Rurutia] After showing their approval to Gayn¡¯s proposal, Rurutia suddenly spat her disgust for the Earth God. ¡°Calm down, Rurutia. Grumbling here won¡¯t do any of us any good.¡± [Gayn] ¡°But I¡¯m concerned. You are too, right, Gayn?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Well, yes. Even if it¡¯s not always with malicious intention, there aren¡¯t a lot of people whose destiny has been tampered with. To begin with, the fact that gods aren¡¯t supposed to so easily tamper with a person¡¯s destiny is common sense. And stealing a person¡¯s fortune is just incorrigible.¡± [Gayn] ¡°He even went as far as to use ¡®Trials¡¯. I can¡¯t believe he would actually have some reason behind all this.¡± [Rurutia] Trials are a kind of opportunity the gods can give to the people living in the mortal world to help them; usually it is given when a great danger is looming over a great multitude, though ultimately, when it is given is completely up to the gods¡¯ discretion. When a trial is passed, the people who have undertaken the trial are given great power as reward. ¡°That god might have intended to hurt him, but in the end, a trial is a trial. If you can live through it, you can gain power.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°And though the trials were suppressed to little misfortunes in his everyday life, after so many, the effect is bound to accumulate.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Even a little trash here and there can one day form a mountain, in other words. Though the power he gained never benefited him in his work or luck, his body ended up becoming freakishly strong. It¡¯s fortunate though, because otherwise¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s because of that that we noticed. And from looking at his memories, it seems even his father¡ª¡± [Kufo] While Ryouma slept, the gods chattered among themselves about matters he did not understand. Chapter 1 Chapter 1 part1 Chapter 1 part2 Ryouma Takebayashi isolated himself within the Forest of Gana, training in the arts of both magic and close combat. Three years later, it was time to¡ª ¡ªEat. Leaving the forest was the last thing in his mind. ¡°Today¡¯s breakfast is really delicious¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s once shabby cave was now bigger and safer. By using earth magic, he was able to make more space within the cave, and by setting up a barrier by the entrance, Ryouma was able to make the cave much safer. The cave was also now furnished with furniture made from earth magic. As for food, Ryouma got it from the forest. Thanks to the knowledge the gods had given him and the neutral magic, ¡®Identify¡¯, Ryouma could easily pick out what was edible and what was not. Yet despite living such an uncomfortable lifestyle out here in the middle of nowhere, where one had to hunt or forage to procure food and none of the convenience of a functioning society was present, Ryouma had never once thought of leaving the forest; instead, he spent his days doing hobbies that he had no time for back in his previous life. One particular hobby Ryouma had grown fond of was ¡®Slime¡¯ research. At first, Ryouma just wanted to try out the branch of magic known as Familiar Magic, so he caught a slime from the forest. For half a year, he raised it as a pet, then suddenly, on one fine morning, he woke up to see that the slime had changed colors. At first, he thought it was sick, but after using ¡®Monster Identify¡¯, one of the spells under the branch of Familiar Magic, he found out that the slime had evolved into a sticky slime. From then on, Ryouma became deeply interested in why the slime evolved, so he spent his days observing the slimes. The first thing Ryouma understood was that the wild slimes were at the bottom of the food chain. The slimes had no power to prey on other creatures, so they had no choice but to live like a pauper and get by what little they had. Ryouma¡¯s own slime, however, lived like a king, as he would feed it green caterpillars everyday, ensuring that it was always full. Incidentally, the green caterpillars themselves had the ability to spit out sticky threads made from their own bodily fluids. Because of that Ryouma hypothesized that a green caterpillar diet might have caused the evolution. To test his hypothesis, Ryouma caught a new batch of slimes and fed them green caterpillars everyday. 2 months later, the slimes all evolved into sticky slimes; however, it still wasn¡¯t clear whether it was simple nourishment or the green caterpillar diet that caused the sticky slime evolution, so to clarify things, Ryouma caught a new batch of slimes and fed them something different. In the end, the second batch of slimes all evolved into a different slime. From here on, Ryouma¡¯s interest in the slimes grew deeper and deeper, until eventually, Ryouma had a staggering number of slimes. After catching and trying out various diets on the slimes, Ryouma¡¯s current ooze of slimes had turned into this: Slime x13 A monster that can be found anywhere. It is considered the weakest monster. It is omnivorous and its body has an average diameter of 20 centimeters. Its jelly-like body houses a nucleus, which when destroyed, kills the slime. Upon death, the slime¡¯s body vanishes into nothingness. it is a mysterious creature, to say the least. Skills: Digest Lv2 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv1 Sticky Slime x153 Physically, the sticky slime is no bigger than a normal slime, but it is able to produce a highly adhesive liquid within its body. It can spit out this liquid or use it to trap other beasts to prey on them. Skills: Sticky Liquid Lv4 Hardening Liquid Lv1 String Shot Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv3 At fist, sticky slime only knew Sticky Liquid, Digest, Absorb, and Split. It wasn¡¯t until later that it learned Hardening Liquid and Jump. Because of that Ryouma learned that monsters were able to acquire skills through maturity or training. As for String Shot, when Ryouma found out through his experiments that he could mix hardening liquid and sticky liquid together, he had the slimes mix them within their body. When they succeeded, they learned the skill, String Shot. Acid Slime x100 An evolution resulting from the need to digest food that is difficult to digest, such as the bones of beasts. This slime variation has a powerful digestive system. Their current numbers are a byproduct of Ryouma¡¯s research and reproduction through Split. Skills: Produce Acid Lv3 Acid Resistance Lv3 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv4 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv2 Poison Slime x188 An evolution resulting from the constant consumption of poisonous herbs. A lot of slimes die during the process, but those that survive, evolve to become poison slimes. Their current numbers are a result of Split. Skills: Produce Poison Lv3 Poison Resistance Lv3 Produce Paralyzing Agent Lv3 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv3 Cleaner Slime x11 Slimes frequently drink water, but there are some who prefer to drink the water from Ryouma¡¯s bath. Thinking it wouldn¡¯t harm them, Ryouma allowed these slimes to drink as they pleased. In the end, they evolved into cleaner slimes. Skills: Clean Lv4 Deodorize Lv6 Deodorizing Liquid Lv4 Disease Resistance Lv5 Poison Resistance Lv5 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv1 Scavenger Slimes x457 Ryouma wasn¡¯t happy with the fumes coming out from the toilet and the garbage inside the cave, so when he remembered how some slimes showed interest toward rotting corpses, he caught a new batch of slimes and threw them at the toilet and the garbage. As a result, the slimes evolved into scavenger slimes. These slimes eat garbage and turn them into fertilizer. A special trait of this variation is that they are able to reproduce more rapidly compared to other variants. Skills: Disease Resistance Lv5 Poison Resistance Lv5 Lead Belly Lv5 Clean Lv6 Deodorize Lv6 Deodorizing Liquid Lv4 Stench Lv4 Produce Fertilizer Lv3 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv6 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv6 As Ryouma was getting into his slime research, he decided to put an emphasis on properly rearing the slimes, causing him to only have so many variations, but as a result, their total numbers broke past 900. Ryouma had always been good at simple but repetitive tasks, so with no one to stop him, Ryouma just kept on going and going, and in the end, the slimes ended up where they are today. That kind of lifestyle had a healing effect on Ryouma¡¯s tired soul, and despite sometimes happening upon some bandit or large beast, which Ryouma promptly took care of with his own strength and his staggering ooze of slimes, Ryouma was able to live happily. It was in this way that Ryouma passed his days, forever and ever¡­ Or at least Ryouma might have had if not for a change that occurred one day. While hunting in the forest, Ryouma came across four people dressed in armor. (That¡¯s a rare sight¡­ Their equipment are all the same, so they¡¯re probably not bandits¡­ I think this is my first time seeing people other than bandit. It seems like someone is hurt.) As Ryouma watched the group of men from the thickets, he noted that one of the five men had bandages on and was being carried. ¡°U, Uu¡­¡± [???] ¡°Stay with me, Hyuzu!¡± [???] ¡°Camil, how¡¯s your magic?¡± [???] ¡°Sorry, it hasn¡¯t recovered yet¡­¡± [Camil] (They seem to be in pretty bad shape¡­ They don¡¯t look like bandits. I should at least give them a place to rest. Even if they do turn out to be the bandits, I think I¡¯ll be fine.) Ryouma stood up from the thickets and was about to call out to them when it suddenly occurred to him. (How am I suppose to call out to them? Good day? No, that kind of cheerful greeting doesn¡¯t fit the situation. Hey, you bastards! ¡­No, that would just make them wary. What am I going to do!?) Ryouma thought of helping, but after three years with no human contact, Ryouma was at a lost what to say, and he found himself standing still. Because of that the group of men noticed him before he could say anything. ¡°Who goes there!?¡± [???] ¡°Wait. [???] The man at the forefront of the group immediately pointed his sword at Ryouma, but the man behind him stopped him and stepped forward. ¡°Sorry for suddenly pointing a sword at you. By the way¡­ what is a child like you doing out here? This isn¡¯t a place for children. Are you lost?¡± [???] The man asked, but Ryouma couldn¡¯t respond well. ¡°I was, hunting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hunting? You?¡± [Important-looking Man man] Ryouma nodded faster than he could speak. ¡°I think this forest is a bit too dangerous, but¡­ Was there something you wanted with us?¡± [Important-looking Man man] Ryouma pointed to the injured person. ¡°There¡¯s someone, injured¡± [Ryouma] And then he offered his leather bag with one of his hands. Unfortunately, the other man was wary of Ryouma, and he stepped out to protect the man Ryouma was talking to. Ryouma finally realized his blunder. Keeping his leather bag by his waist much like the knife by his waist must have alerted the man, so Ryouma jumped back to get some distance and took out a medicine to show that he had no ill will. ¡°¡­Is that medicine?¡± [Swordsman] The sword-wielding man asked, to which Ryouma nodded. ¡°Medicine, for¡­ the injured.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯d let us use that?¡± [Swordsman] ¡°Hurry.¡± [Ryouma] The group of men looked at each other for a moment, then the man named Camil cautiously accepted Ryouma¡¯s medicine. When they noted that the injured person¡¯s countenance had turned for the better, their caution toward Ryouma finally lessened. ¡°Thank you. This should keep Hyuzu up for a while longer.¡± [Important-looking Man man] ¡°How about, rest, resting, at my house? (This is pathetic.)¡± [Ryouma] Though it took awhile, Ryouma successfully managed to say the words and invite the people to his house. It would take them quite a while to reach Ryouma¡¯s place, however, due to the injured person with the group of armored men. ¡°Why is a child like that in a place like this?¡± [Important-looking Man] ¡°He¡¯s obviously still very young¡­¡± [Swordsman] (Well, I am an 11 year-old child. It¡¯s only natural for people to be suspicious to see a child out here deep in the forest. It¡¯s not a good feeling though. I¡¯d appreciate it if they could stop being so suspicious already. Hmm¡­ How about I try talking with them a bit? On second thought, I probably shouldn¡¯t. I have the background the gods gave me, but with my poor speaking skills, I might end up just digging my own grave.) ¡°Is there really somewhere we can rest out here?¡± [Swordsman] ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the potion he gave did work, so at the very least, he doesn¡¯t seem to be hostile.¡± [Important-looking Man] ¡°Hunters are known to make a safe place for themselves in the forest. There might be a camp out here or something.¡± [???] (Exactly. As long as you don¡¯t attack me first, I won¡¯t hurt you. Speaking of which, how about collecting the spoils from the traps along the way? That way I¡¯ll also be able to feed that injured person. If I do that much, a decent person would surely not attack me, right?) Ryouma suddenly stopped and called his sticky slimes over through the familiar contract. The people following him was alerted at that, however, and they asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± [Important-looking Man] ¡°Trap¡­ Caught some prey¡­ Will come soon.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma nonchalantly said as he looked at the man that asked that question. (This person is probably the most important one. Everyone else seems to listen to him and the other people look like guards.) As Ryouma was thinking that, the grasses shook, and then a sticky slime came out with a dead horn rabbit. Unfortunately, the people with him didn¡¯t know that it was Ryouma¡¯s slime, and the important-looking man drew his sword. (Stop!) Immediately, Ryouma jumped in front of the man and picked up the slime and the dead rabbit. ¡°¡­Is that slime your familiar?¡± [Important-looking Man] The important-looking man seems to have picked up that the slime was Ryouma¡¯s familiar. Ryouma vehemently nodded at the man, and the man sheathed his sword. ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t know it was your familiar.¡± (As long as we¡¯ve cleared it up, it¡¯s all good. I should have been more specific.) Slimes were monsters, after all, so it was only natural that they would be wary when they saw one out here in the forest. Ryouma hid the slime and the dead rabbit in his bag, and then they started moving again. ¡°This sure brings me back. My first familiar was also a slime.¡± [Important-looking Man] ¡°¡­Tamer?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Former tamer. After my monster stopped being able to fight, I haven¡¯t formed a new contract since. I had a red horse and a blizzard ape.¡± [Important-looking Man] ¡°¡­Strong?¡­ (I¡¯m asking because I have no idea what those are¡­)¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I come from a long line of tamers, so I¡¯ve been taught from a young age. Unfortunately, I¡¯m not that good at magic. I¡¯m quite confident in my sword arm, though.¡± [Important-looking Man] (A family of tamers and a group of armed men for escorts, he must be a noble. If not, then at least someone influential with plenty of money or someone similar. Calm down, me. This country is supposed to be relatively lenient when it comes to the difference between noble and commoner. The gods specifically picked this country out for me, after all. And they also haven¡¯t reacted negatively to my behavior so far, so it should be fine. Right, I should just treat him like I did my bosses during parties when they would tell me not to mind rank¡­ I still feel nervous, though.) Though somewhat panicking, Ryouma continued along, picking up the captured prey as they made their way, until eventually, Ryouma and the group of men finally arrived at his cave. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 part1 Chapter 2 part2 ¡°Please wait for a moment.¡± [Boy] The boy said when we reached the cliff. There wasn¡¯t anything around, so I thought he was waiting for another of his slimes, but to my surprise, the boy instead used ¡®Break Rock¡¯ on the cliff up ahead to open a path. ¡°Here¡­¡± [Boy] So this is the home the boy was talking about. It is indeed a sturdy cave that could shelter against beasts and monsters. When we entered the cave, the boy put up a barrier behind us, making the cave even safer. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d know barrier magic. It¡¯s useful but it¡¯s not something just anyone could use. In fact, Camil himself pointed that out. ¡°Is that barrier magic? You sure know some strange magic, boy. The effect of this barrier is concealment, right?¡± [Camil] ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ You¡¯ll be able to¡­ run anytime.¡± [Boy] ¡°I see¡­ Thanks.¡± [Camil] The boy nodded curtly, then he passed us and went deep into the cave. ¡°He¡¯s pretty considerate.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Indeed, Master Reinhart.¡± [Jill] ¡°Hey, you¡¯re going to get left behind.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Ahh, we¡¯re going, we¡¯re going.¡± [Jill] When we entered the cave, we immediately noted that the walls and the floor had been properly leveled. The whole place was even furnished with furniture made of stone and wood, while magic stones set onto the walls illuminated the area. ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Jill] ¡°This is more homely than I thought.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The wounded, lay him down, here¡­¡± [Boy] ¡°Sorry, Hyuzu. We¡¯re gonna have to put you down for a bit.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°R¡­Right¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Wait¡­ I¡¯ll bring¡­ potion¡­¡± [Boy] After laying Hyuzu on the bed, I watched the boy as he went deeper into the cave. ¡°Well, in any case, with this we can finally relax a bit.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The place is a lot better than expected. Hyuzu should be able to rest well.¡± [JIll] ¡°We owe him one.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­¡± [Zeff] Zeff had a grim look on his face as he examined the surroundings. Zeff was the most knowledgeable among the escorts when it came to stealth and traps, so he¡¯s been assigned as the scout. The fact that he was making a grim face could only mean¡­ ¡°Zeff, is something wrong?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Don¡¯t you think there¡¯s something odd about this place? I¡¯m not talking about traps. I¡¯m saying it feels like someone has been living in this place for a long time depsite there only being enough furniture for one person.¡± [Zeff] It was normal for a camp to have little furnishing, but a map could be seen laid out on one of the walls here. There were even drawings of the different animals and a musical instrument at the corner of the room. Although the room looked dreary, it felt just like a kid¡¯s room. Moreover, just as Zeff had mentioned, there¡¯s only enough furnishing for one person. It¡¯s strange indeed. ¡°Is that boy living here all by himself?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°No way. Sure, I was surprised to see him use familiar magic, barrier magic, and even earth magic, but no child could normally live by himself out here in a forest like this. There¡¯s probably someone else here.¡± [Camil] ¡°Or he could be older than he looks. For example, if he were an elf¡­¡± [Jill] As Camil and Jill conversed, the boy came back with a slime carrying a lot of potions. ¡°Potions.¡± [Boy] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll definitely repay this debt one day.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Don¡¯t mind¡­ I can make them, so¡­ Take as much¡­ as you need.¡± [Boy] When the boy said that, we all looked at each other in silent shock. The first to exclaim out loud was Camil. ¡°You made these!?¡± [Camil] The boy flinched for a moment at Camil¡¯s sudden outburst, but he quickly nodded his head to answer. Camil¡¯s reaction was a bit over the top, but the boy¡¯s potion was indeed comparable to the ones sold in the stores. This boy is getting more mysterious by the second. ¡°Water.¡± [Boy] While I was thinking to myself, the boy offered me a stone cup. It was filled with water generated through magic. It was chilled just right. ¡°Thanks.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Jill] ¡°Thanks, boy.¡± [Camil] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Oh¡­¡± [Boy] ¡°Hmm? Something wrong?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Name¡­ Ryouma¡­¡± [Boy] Oh, right. We haven¡¯t introduced ourselves yet. ¡°So your name is Ryouma. Please excuse my belated introduction, I am Reinhart Jamil, the feudal lord of the Ducal Household of Jamil. I thank you for aiding me during my subordinate¡¯s difficult period.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Duca-!? Please excuse my manners!¡± [Ryouma] I tried to speak as gently as possible to avoid scaring him, but the moment I named myself, he stiffened up and bowed deeply. What was surprising was that his movements were much more refined despite his difficulty in talking. ¡°Please stand up. You are my benefactor. You don¡¯t have to be formal with me.¡± [Reinhart] It seems he didn¡¯t know I was from a duke¡¯s household. He lifted up his face just as I asked him, but unfortunately, he stopped talking. I don¡¯t really mind, though; good grief¡­ ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m Camil. I¡¯m a magician employed by Master Reinhart to protect him. Nice to meet you. And really, thank you for helping us. I was out of mana and couldn¡¯t heal, so if you hadn¡¯t come then, Hyuzu might have¡­ Ah, Hyuzu is the name of the guy sleeping. You really don¡¯t have to worry about how you talk. Master Reinhart isn¡¯t someone who¡¯d care about that sort of stuff.¡± [Camil] ¡°In fact, he doesn¡¯t even mind people like us. I¡¯m Zeff by the way. I¡¯m the scout of the group. Nice to meet you, kid.¡± [Zeff] ¡°I¡¯m Jill. Sorry for pointing my sword at you awhile ago.¡± [Jill] ¡°It¡¯s ok¡­ It¡¯s normal¡­ to be on guard.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks for understanding. I¡¯m also a noble, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with the way you¡¯ve been behaving. Master Reinhart is a generous person, so you can just act normal around him.¡± [Jill] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Camil, Zeff, and even Jill, who wasn¡¯t used to kids, softened their voices as much as they could to not scare the boy. The boy thought for a moment, then he spoke. Though his face was still a little grim, his countenance has improved. He still talks a bit stiff, but at least he¡¯s a lot more relaxed now. ¡°I¡¯m the one who should be thanking you. After all, you gave us a place to rest and even treated my guard.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°No problem, but why?¡± [Ryouma] Is he asking me why Hyuzu was injured? Or is he asking me why we came to the forest? Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t explained anything, have I? ¡°We were supposed to go to the town of Gaunago, where my house is, but along the way, near this forest, we were attacked by some bandits.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Suffered much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, there were quite a bit of them, but they weren¡¯t particularly strong. They must¡¯ve thought they could overpower us because of their numberis, but what they didn¡¯t know is that my guards weren¡¯t pushovers. What did Hyuzu in was a black bear that came out during the battle.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Hyuzu¡¯s bad luck had him attacked in the middle of a melee.¡± [Jill] ¡°We managed to defeat it in the end, but the horses ran away. Hyuzu¡¯s wounds were also a lot worse than expected, so we tried to get to the village as quickly as possible. Normally, we would go around the forest, but with things as they were, we figured we¡¯d just go through it.¡± [Camil] Everyone nodded as we explained our predicament. Since the conversation has progressed like this, I think I¡¯ll take this opportunity to ask my own questions. ¡°Speaking of which, what is a boy like you doing living here? I heard you mention that you were hunting, but it seems to me that you¡¯ve been living in this house for quite a while. Moreover, the fact that you¡¯re able to hunt at your age, use various magic, and even make potions is really not normal. Quite frankly, it¡¯s shocking.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I learned from¡­ grandparents¡­ Former adventurers.¡± [Ryouma] Oh? So, his grandparents were adventurers. ¡°They¡­ passed away.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s been¡­ 3 years¡­ already.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°3 years!?¡± [Reinhart and Co.] ¡°How long have you been living here!?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I left¡­ village 3 years ago¡­ I am¡­ an outsider, so they¡­ hated me.¡± [Ryouma] Was he at an exclusive village? I know some places can be really cruel, but still¡­ ¡°Before they died¡­ grandparents told me¡­ to go to another town¡­¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, he wasn¡¯t good at dealing with other people, so he wandered by himself, relying only on the skills he learned from his grandparents, until one day, he happened upon this forest. Since then he hasn¡¯t exited this forest once. Meaning he hasn¡¯t talked to another person for three years. ¡°I understand the situation now, but I can¡¯t recommend this sort of lifestyle. There are strong beasts and monsters living in the forest. Even if you say you have the ability to survive, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s ok. I survived¡­ for 3 years.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I know! Wait just one moment!¡± [Camil] Camil suddenly interjected, then he took out a small crystal from his bag. ¡°Found it! Look!¡± [Camil] ¡°What¡­ is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is a small crystal of evaluation! If we use this, we¡¯ll be able to find out your identity and your four highest skills. Moreover, a person who¡¯s committed a crime will make this crystal turn red, otherwise, the crystal will shine a blue light. After the light comes out, the name, race, and the four skills will be shown. If you have a high level combat skill, then I won¡¯t say any more.¡± [Camil] I see, so he¡¯s going the persuade him by showing him that he¡¯s lacking. ¡°Al¡­right.¡± [Ryouma] As he said that, he reached for the crystal ball, but before he could touch it, he suddenly asked. ¡°I was attacked¡­ by bandits, so¡­ I killed them¡­ is that a crime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If those were really bandits, then there won¡¯t be any problem.¡± [Camil] At that, the boy finally touched the crystal, and a blue light shone from it. The crystal wasn¡¯t really meant to distinguish between criminals, but seeing that the boy is innocent puts my heart at ease. As I thought that, I glanced at Camil, but for some reason, his countenance had gone pale. ¡°W-What is this?¡± [Camil] ¡°What¡¯s wro¡­!?¡± [Jill] Jill took a peek at the crystal from behind. As soon as he did, he gulped. Curious, me and Zeff took a peek at the crystal ourselves. The problem was the listed skills. Shown Skills: Domestic Chores Lv10 Mental Resistance Lv9 Physical Resistance Lv8 Health Lv7 What¡¯s with those levels!? The ¡®Domestic Chores¡¯ skill is ok, since there¡¯ve been plenty of precedents before this one, but he actually has mental res., physical res., and health, and every one of them is at least Lv7 up? What hell of a life has this boy been living to get these so high? He¡¯s 11 years-old, isn¡¯t he? That would mean he was 8 years-old when he started living here. ¡°Something¡­ wrong?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A-Ah¡­ Unfortunately, no combat skill showed up¡­¡± [Camil] Is that the problem!? I thought, almost yelling it out. When I glanced at Camil, I noticed that the other guards had the same reaction. A battle of stares commenced between us, but in the end, no one was willing to pursue the subject. The reason behind our reaction was of course because of the fact that pain resistance was something one could only learn through pain. The fact that his level of resistance was so high meant that he must¡¯ve suffered through unimaginable pain. I¡¯m sure there are a lot of things he doesn¡¯t want to remember. If we broach the subject poorly, we¡¯ll just cause the boy more pain. There are a lot of questions left, but I think we¡¯ll stop here for now. ¡°Sorry, can I borrow your toilet?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯d like to go too.¡± [Jill] ¡°Me too.¡± [Zeff] ¡°The toilet is inside¡­ There are a lot¡­ of slimes¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡­ They won¡¯t attack¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m a former tamer too. I won¡¯t hurt your familiars.¡± [Reinhart] Like this we left Camil to take care of Hyuzu, but who would¡¯ve thought that by ¡®slimes¡¯ he meant this? ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Zeff] ¡°You said it¡­ I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen so many slimes in one place.¡± [Jill] Countless slimes crept freely in the hallway. Ryouma had to order them to make way for us, as otherwise we wouldn¡¯t be able to pass without stepping on one. The number of familiars one could contract varied from person to person. The stronger the monster, the less one could normally control. Slime is the weakest monster, so following that logic, it should stand to reason that one would be able to contract a respectable number of slimes, but this¡­ Did he actually contract all these? ¡°Ryouma-kun, are all of these slimes your familiars?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. They¡¯re¡­ for research.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Research?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Slime evolution.¡± [Ryouma] Come to think of it, the slimes creeping in the area aren¡¯t just normal slimes. There are sticky slimes, poison slimes, and those are probably acid slimes¡­ As for those two, I don¡¯t even know what kind of slime they are. They must be a higher variation too. Slimes live everywhere, so I¡¯m sure you could find these variants somewhere, but there has never been any reports of such sightings in this forest. Just as Jill said, I have also never seen this many slimes in one place. ¡°Monster evolution is an important topic to conjurers and monster tamers alike, and the fact that you¡¯re doing such research at you¡¯re age is nothing short of extraordinary, but it¡¯s a pity that they¡¯re all slimes.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Are slimes¡­ no good?¡± [Ryouma] Personally, I hold his abilities in high esteem. The fact that he was able to gather so many advanced classes and contract them all speaks of his abilities, but unfortunately, the world doesn¡¯t look kindly to slimes. ¡°Frankly speaking, slimes are weak even after evolution. Monster tamers and conjurers mainly use them to study the basic, and aside from that, they don¡¯t have any value. Which is why most monster tamers throw them away after learning the basics. Usually, they would contract a horn rabbit next. At the very least, horn rabbits are cute, so they can at least be treated like a pet.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The world is a cruel place¡­¡± [Ryouma] Is that soemthing an 11-year-old would say? ¡°Of course, not all monster tamers think the same way. At the very least, no one can make light of a poison slime¡¯s poison or an acid slime¡¯s acid. Those are even stronger than a horn rabbit.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Slimes¡­ Convenient¡­ useful¡­¡± [Ryouma] I thought he¡¯d feel down after telling him how little the world thought of slimes, but he doesn¡¯t seem to mind at all. Normally, children his age want to be recognized by others. His lineage is a mystery, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s dangerous. If anything, he¡¯s a good kid. After all, he helped us in our time of need. He¡¯s definitely not a normal kid, though. But in any case, I want to help him. Chapter 3 Volume 1 Chapter 3 ¡°U¡­! Haa, haa¡­.¡± [Hyuzu] After Ryouma and the others came back and chatted, Hyuzu¡¯s condition worsened. ¡°Hyuzu!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Get yourself together!¡± [Jill] ¡°The potion and healing magic has stopped the bleeding, but now he has a fever. It¡¯s pretty high too¡­¡± [Camil] ¡°I have, medicine.¡± [Ryouma] Hyuzu¡¯s face was red with fever as he groaned and perspired. When Ryouma heard what Camil said, he immediately ran inside. ¡°Meeting that kid was really our good fortune, huh, Boss.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Yeah, if we hadn¡¯t met him, we definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to save Hyuzu.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Hyuzu isn¡¯t safe yet, but even if we had somehow managed to use healing magic, we still wouldn¡¯t have been able to save him. After all, healing magic doesn¡¯t work on fevers.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Well it might work normally, but certainly not when you¡¯ve lost a lot of blood¡­¡± [Reinhart] When they stopped talking about Hyuzu, the topic moved to Ryouma. ¡°What are we going to do about that kid? We can¡¯t possibly leave him here all by himself.¡± [Camil] ¡°He¡¯s been living here for 3 years already. I¡¯m sure he knows how dangerous it is.¡± [Jill] ¡°He¡¯s survived all these years and he has those resistance skills¡­ He must have lived a horrible life back at his village. Who knows if we can even convince him that the town is safer. Fortunately, he¡¯s not so far gone so as to lash at people the moment he sees one.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Ah, come to think of it, there was that person who made a scene.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Reinhart-sama, as a father of one yourself, don¡¯t you have some idea?¡±[Zeff] ¡°You¡¯re the only one with a kid here, Boss. People like us don¡¯t haven¡¯t the slightest clue what to do at times like these.¡± ¡°I¡¯m clueless too. We can¡¯t leave him alone, but we can¡¯t force him to go with us either. In any case, we need to go back first. I¡¯ll talk to my dad and Elize about this.¡± [Reinhart] After that they ran out of topics to talk about and silence filled the room. A few minutes later, Ryouma came back with a slime carrying a vase full of water and a medicine. Ryouma himself was carrying a monster pelt under his arms. ¡°Umm, thank you.¡± [Camil] ¡°Treatment first.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that he covered Hyuzu with the pelt he brought and Camil poured the water into a cup. ¡°Incline his head. Make him drink.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that, Camil made Hyuzu drink. ¡°¡­He seems to have drank everything.¡± [Zeff] When Ryouma heard that he handed the medicine. ¡°Medicine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Reinhart] As Reinhart said that he made Hyuzu drink the medicine. After one hour, Hyuzu¡¯s condition finally improved. Reinhart and his party heaved a sigh of relief. It was getting dark, so Ryouma proposed for Reinhart and his party to stay over. Seeing that Ryouma was not hostile and after considering Hyuzu¡¯s situation, Reinhart decided to accept Ryouma¡¯s proposal. Ryouma showed off his homemade cooking for supper. It was a simple dish, nothing more than stir-fried bean sprouts and rabbit meat soup, but nevertheless, Reinhart and his party were happy. The next day. Hyuzu had already recovered and could stand by himself. Reinhart and his party didn¡¯t leave immediately, however, and they stayed until the afternoon to ensure Hyuzu was up to health. ¡°Man, I thought I was a goner for sure. Thanks a lot, kid!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Are you really¡­ ok?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why? You worried? I heard you didn¡¯t want to go to the village, so I thought you hated people.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Can at least, worry about the sick¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°GAHAHA! I see! I see! Sorry about that! Whoops¡­¡± [Hyuzu] As Hyuzu was laughing, he suddenly tottered. Reinhart and Camil immediately went to support him. ¡°Hyuzu, you ok?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Just a little dizzy, Boss. Nothing to worry about.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°You just got better, so please be careful.¡± [Camil] When Ryouma saw that, he took out the medicine he prepared beforehand. ¡°Drink.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s inside the bottle?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Medicine for blood. You lack blood.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so? Thanks. Then I¡¯ll just go and drink¡ª Ughk!? What in the blazes!?¡± [Hyuzu] The smell of the combination of herbs and green caterpillars wafted out from the bottle. Hyuzu wasn¡¯t the only one to be put off by the smell, even Jill and Zeff couldn¡¯t help but grimace at it. ¡°It stinks, but¡­ I can guarantee, it works.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you heard the boy. Bottoms up.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°W-Wait a moment!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°We¡¯d be troubled if you suddenly fainted along the way.¡± [Jill] ¡°We¡¯re worried too, you know.¡± [Zeff] Jill and Zeff grabbed Hyuzu by the shoulders, keeping him from running.¡± ¡°Forgive me!¡± [Camil] Camil took the bottle and emptied its contents into Hyuzu¡¯s mouth. ¡°%¡¯$¡¯%$¡±!!!!¡± [Hyuzu] Incomprehensible mutterings spat out of Hyuzu¡¯s mouth as he convulsed several times. Hyuzu¡¯s pitiful appearance as he leaned onto a wall made it seem like what he drank was not medicine but poison. For the record, that was indeed an effective medicine, it just stank really bad. ¡°Y-You guys¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Good medicine tastes bad, Hyuzu.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this kid¡¯s medicines are effective.¡± [Jill] ¡°The potions he used to treat you were high-class stuff too.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Damn it. Ahh¡­ I thought I would die¡­ Uppu¡­¡± [Hyuzu] The stench of the medicine wafting from the pith of his stomach made Hyuzu sick. He looked like he was about to throw up, so Ryouma gave him another glass of water. ¡°Do you have¡­ armor?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fuu, hmm? Ah, my armor got done in by that bear, so, no, I don¡¯t got any. No weapons too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I have some¡­ Wait.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would help a lot, but you sure you ok giving us your stuff?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma went inside and came back with some slimes carrying five spears and 3 pieces of armor all-in-all. ¡°Here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°These are some pretty good stuff for bandits. You sure you ok handing them to Hyuzu?¡± [Jill] ¡°Weapons are made, to be used¡­ If you don¡¯t take them, no one will use, them¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This spears would go for five small gold coins, you know?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Take them.¡± [Ryouma] When Jill and Hyuzu saw how good the equipments were, they asked Ryouma repeatedly if he was sure about giving them away. In the end, the first to fold was Hyuzu himself. ¡°¡­In that case, I¡¯ll happily take them off you. But I can¡¯t stand just taking stuff for free. I don¡¯t have anything to give, but if you¡¯re ever in need, just give me a call and I¡¯ll be there. You can easily contact me by giving the guards at Gaunago Town my name. Don¡¯t hold back, alright?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Got it.¡± [Ryouma] Like this the party of five finished their preparations and departed. After 3 years in the otherworld Ryouma has finally met the people of this world. Ryouma was exhausted after conversing with someone for the first time in a long while, but regardless, he still hunted as usual. What Ryouma didn¡¯t know, however, was that this simple meeting would greatly change his life. Chapter 4 Volume 1 Chapter 4 Two weeks after the duke left, Ryouma has been spending his days hunting and taking care of the slimes. One day, four people suddenly appeared before his house. ¡°Hey! Ryouma! Open up! It¡¯s me! Hyuzu! We¡¯re not enemies!¡± [Hyuzu] Yelling out from in front of Ryouma¡¯s house was none other than the person he took care of. Jill, Camil, and Zeff were with him. The path to Ryouma¡¯s house was blocked by a boulder, so they had to call out in a loud voice to be heard. Only, Ryouma was actually in a thicket behind them. ¡°I¡¯ll, open it, now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Woah!? You were outside?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Went out to, hunt¡­ Why did you, come?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wanted to thank you again for your help last time. We brought some gifts with us¡­ There¡¯s quite a bit, so we had to store them away via dimension magic. There¡¯s a butler who can use it in the Jamil family. He¡¯s currently waiting for us with two other maids and Reinhart-samas¡¯s family. They have some business in the forest, so we went together. If you¡¯re not busy, I could bring them now.¡± [Hyuzu] Ryouma became thoughtful for a moment, and after realizing he didn¡¯t really have any pressing matters to pursue, he decided to let Hyuzu call them over. Besides, he wasn¡¯t really about to chase away some people who went out their way to visit him. The four guards left to call Reinhart and his family. Meanwhile, Ryouma decided to call back his slimes that he sent hunting and prepared to receive guests. 30 minutes later Ryouma had finished his preparations and a horde of almost 1000 slimes could be seen sunbathing in front of his house. That horde jostled about as they waited for Ryouma¡¯s guests. After awhile Reinhart-sama and his entourage arrived. When the slimes noticed a large group of people approaching, their bodies began to shake. Ryouma straightened his clothes and watched the forest, and very soon he noted some people approaching. There were 11 people all in all. There was a beautiful woman and a beautiful girl behind Reinhart, as well as a dignified muscular old man. Behind them were two maids and a butler just as Hyuzu had mentioned. The four guards, Hyuzu and Co., walked in front. (Judging from the way they¡¯re dressed, those people behind Reinhart-san must be his family. The butler aside, those maid outfits sure stand out. Isn¡¯t it hard to move in them?) ¡°¡­Is it him?¡± [Maid 1] ¡°That¡¯s a lot of slimes¡­¡± [Maid 2] ¡°Ho? I heard he¡¯s tamed a lot of slimes, but I didn¡¯t think he would actually tame so many.¡± [Old Muscle Man] ¡°They might only be slimes, but it¡¯s still commendable to have tamed so many.¡± [Beautiful Woman] ¡°Even though the more familiars one has the harder it is to tame new monsters.¡± [Beautiful Girl] Reinhart¡¯s group approached Ryouma while he wondered about the practically of maid uniforms. When the maids saw the large group of slimes, they couldn¡¯t help but find their face cramping. Reinhart¡¯s whole family except for himself looked on at the large group of slimes with amazement. When they had finally arrived at the entrance of the house, the first to talk to Ryouma was Reinhart. ¡°Ryouma-kun, it¡¯s been 2 weeks since our last meeting. We¡¯ve come to thank you for your help back then. We¡¯ve brought some gifts.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it, they¡¯re just some goods we had lying around.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Dear, before that how about introducing us?¡± [Beautiful Woman] Reinhart introduced his family. ¡°Let me introduce you. These here is my father, Reinbach, and this beautiful woman here is my wife, Elize. And this here is our lovely young daughter, Elialia.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯m Reinbach Jamil of the Jamil Household, the former master of the family. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯m Elize Jamil. Thank you for helping my husband and subordinates.¡± [Elize] ¡°My name is Elialia Jamil. I¡¯m happy to make your acquaintance.¡± [Elialia] ¡°The pleasure is mine¡­ I am, Ryouma Takebayashi¡­ I come from, a distant land¡­ It¡¯s not much, but please let me offer you, my hospitality.¡± [Ryouma] Though Ryouma would pause from time to time and could not speak straight, his words were still polite. That alone was enough to stupefy Reinhart¡¯s family and their entourage. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so formal. Just talk to us as you normally would. To begin with, we¡¯re the ones troubling you for coming here so suddenly.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you. Well then, please¡­ Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma was about to lead the people into his house when it suddenly occurred to him that the entrance was being blocked by all the slimes, so he had to first order them to go inside. ¡°Seeing them in a bright place, I have to say that¡¯s one impressive group of slimes you have there. By the way, is it just me or are there more of them now?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°They multiplied¡­ After everyone left.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s slimes current numbered as follows: Sticky Slime x 364 Poison Slime x323 Acid Slime x211 Cleaner Slime x11 Scavenger Slime x730 Heal Slime x2 (NEW) Skills Heal Lv1; Increased Vitality Lv1; Photosynthesis Lv3; Digest Lv1; Absorb Lv1; Split Lv2 Frankly, after the slimes multiplied Ryouma found them too numerous, and he finally had troubles feeding them. Moreover, he also started to worry about the longterm effects of the slimes on the ecosystem. For the meantime, Ryouma decided to just feed the slimes enough to sustain them, not feeding them a meal more to meet evolution conditions or increase their numbers. If that didn¡¯t work Ryouma had prepared himself to thin out the slimes, but fortunately, he found a new goblin village two weeks ago, which he wiped out. The goblin village didn¡¯t just provide Ryouma with food, it also gave him an unexpected boon, for when Ryouma tried to heal the slimes injured during the battle, two of the slimes evolved into heal slimes, a new kind of slime that could use healing magic. Seeing a new kind of slime appear lit Ryouma¡¯s fire once more, but fortunately, he managed to hold himself back after considering the circumstances. ¡°Can all that actually fit inside?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯ll be¡­ fine¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°This.¡± [Ryouma] As Reinhart asked that question, Ryouma gave a command to the slimes. Space was certainly an issue after the slimes multiplied, but three days after the fact, that issue was coincidentally solved. And the solution came from a mere question. When the slimes had grown too numerous to fit in their room, they started to spill into Ryouma¡¯s bedroom, and so, wondering what to do, Ryouma muttered to himself. Can¡¯t these slimes fuse or something? You know like Do*kue? In that instant, the slimes vigorously shook, and those of the same type fused together to form one slime. Panicked, Ryouma quickly checked their status. Big Sticky Slime x1 Skills Sticky Liquid Lv5 Hardening Liquid Lv4 Sticky String Shot Lv3 Physical Attack Resist Lv1 Enlarge Lv2 Shrink Lv4 Jump Lv2 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Big Poison Slimex1 Skills Produce Poison Lv4 Poison Resist Lv4 Produce Paralyzing Agent Lv4 Physical Attack Resist Lv1 Enlarge Lv2 Shrink Lv4 Jump Lv2 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Big Acid Slime x1 Skills Produce Acid Lv5 Acid Resist Lv4 Physical Attack Resist Lv1 Enlarge Lv2 Shrink Lv4 Jump Lv2 Digest Lv4 Absorb Lv3 Huge Scavenger Slime x1 Skills Disease Resist Lv5 Poison Resist Lv5 Lead Belly Lv6 Clean Lv6 Deodorize Lv6 Deodorizing Liquid Lv4 Stench Lv5 Produce Fertilizer Lv4 Physical Attack resist Lv2 Enlarge Lv3 Shrink Lv5 JumpLv2 Digest Lv6 Absorb Lv3 To Ryouma¡¯s good fortune, the combined slimes had an ability called ¡®Shrink¡¯, which allowed them to shrink their normally humongous bodies. The bigger slime variants ate several times more than their smaller counterparts but effectively consumed less when compared to the food consumption of a hundred slimes. To put things into perspective, the bigger variants consumed about 20 to 50 percent less than their uncombined form. In other words, the issue of space and food had been largely dealt with. Seeing how the slimes had a solution for the very problem that was bothering him, Ryouma couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was some sort of self-defense mechanism that the slimes had to keep them from endangering themselves from eating up all the food or other overpopulation issues. There needed to be at least 100 slimes to form a big slime and they all had to be of the same type. Upon fusion the slimes lose the ¡®Split¡¯ skill, responsible for slime reproduction. It was a mystery where all the mass goes upon invoking ¡®Shrink¡¯, but in any case, Ryouma was happy to see the space and food problem solved. Ryouma figured showing to be easier than explaining, so he ordered the slimes to fuse. When they fused in front of Reinhart and the others, they couldn¡¯t help but open their eyes wide in shock, many of them speechless as they stared at the big slimes. ¡°Big Slime!?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Impossible!?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°No, there¡¯s no doubt about it. This is definitely a big slime? You managed to tame a big slime?¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­Is that, strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No one has ever managed to tame a big slime before.¡± [Elize] ¡°Eh?¡± [Ryouma] This time around the one to be shocked was Ryouma. When Reinbach noticed that, he explained. ¡°The contract doesn¡¯t work on big slimes. Many have tried, and some still do from time to time, but no one has ever succeeded.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°But, of course¡­ Contract¡­ Meaningless.¡± [Ryouma] All eyes gathered on Ryouma as he explained. ¡°Big slime is¡­ a gathering of many, slimes; therefore, contract conditions can¡¯t, be met. The contract, only works on one monster. Contracting, several at the same time, is impossible. Contracting one out of, one hundred, is also impossible. Because there, is only one nucleus¡­ So, the contract won¡¯t, work. I succeeded, because I contracted, many slimes individually, and then gathered them together.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 5 Volume 1 Chapter 5 ~Side Ryouma~ ¡­What¡¯s wrong? For some reason, after I answered their question, everyone ¨C especially the Jamil family ¨C looked at me with scary eyes. Did I do something bad? ¡°Magnificent.¡± [Reinbach] Huh? What¡¯s magnificent? ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Ryouma-kun! You¡¯ve actually solved a mystery that has been plaguing monster tamers for ages!¡± [Elize] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] What¡¯s wrong with these people!? Their eyes are sparkling and they¡¯re way too enthusiastic for some reason¡­ This is actually scary! ¡°Madam, Reinbach-sama, please calm down. You¡¯re scaring Ryouma-sama.¡± [Butler] ¡°Ah! Sorry about that, dear. I didn¡¯t mean to scare you.¡± [Elize] ¡°Sorry. I got a lil too excited there.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let me explain what has these two so excited. The explanation you gave us just now regarding why monster tamers couldn¡¯t tame a big slime happens to be one of the mysteries that has been plaguing monster tamers. Big slimes aren¡¯t strong, but they¡¯re hard to fight, so there were a lot of people who tried to tame one. In fact, you still see some people trying from time to time, but of course, no one¡¯s ever succeeded.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Out of pride, many monster tamers tried to uncover the reason preventing the contract from working, but they couldn¡¯t get any results. In the end, their research labs were cut, and though there are still those who research them to this day, no one has managed to succeed¡­ At least, until you, anyway.¡± [Reinbach] Uwaah¡­ This has unexpectedly turned into something crazy. ¡°Mu~, what a weak reaction¡­ Let me put it this way. The research on big slimes has been going on since roughly the very same day the arts of monster taming spread through the world. It¡¯s an unsolvable mystery so unsolvable that people don¡¯t expect anyone to get results. In fact, it¡¯s treated by research labs as a waste of time. And yet that supposedly unsolvable mystery that has made many researchers surrender was solved by you! Can you still remain so calm knowing this!?¡± [Elize] You¡¯re kidding, right? This was just a coincidence. Damn, this looks like trouble. What to do? ¡°What should I do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave a record in the tamer guild and announce your findings!¡± [Elize] Ah~ So they had an organization that gathered information on this sort of stuff. Judging from the reactions of these people, it looks like it¡¯ll get me a lot of attention if I announce it though. Oh, but this might be a good opportunity to leave the forest¡­ ¡°Town, huh¡­¡± [Ryouma] When those words slipped out of my mouth, the people of the Jamil Family and the servants reacted. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I forgot you don¡¯t like towns¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°We won¡¯t force you to record and announce your findings, but this is really one hell of a find, kid. I just want you to know that.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I, understand. Ah¡­¡± [Ryouma] After the slimes fused and entered, the path was finally traversable. ¡°In any, case, let¡¯s enter, first.¡± [Ryouma] There are beasts prowling outside, it wouldn¡¯t do to stay out here for too long. I led everyone into the house, then I left to prepare black tea for everyone. The black tea I had were looted from the bandits that attacked me in the past. They had a lot of the same brand, so it¡¯s probably stolen goods. I only found out I had them when I went to look for a spear to give to Hyuzu-san. I didn¡¯t know since I¡¯d already forgotten about the bandits¡¯ stuff. I had no need for money and I wasn¡¯t fond of stolen goods, so I just left them alone, but¡­ If I¡¯d known there were tea among the loots, I would have brought them out sooner. Anyway, I brought out the best-looking tea leaves. They don¡¯t seem to have expired yet, so it should be fine. The only problem were the cups and the chairs. I didn¡¯t have enough for 12 people, so I had to quickly make some with earth magic. I made the tea with the ingredients I got two days ago. One ingredient was the honey I got from a bee¡¯s nest, and the other was a ginger I treated with lemon-style syrup. They were all I had to substitute sugar with, so I hope the guests like them. ¡°Sorry to¡­ keep you waiting. Please have, some black tea.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, my. Thank you.¡± [Elize] ¡°That¡¯s a good smell.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Hmm¡­ You seem to have some good tea leaves with you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s from the bandits¡­ who attacked me. I have a lot, more of them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s good.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Elize] ¡°You¡¯ve really managed to bring out the aroma of the tea leaves too. Ryouma-sama, where did you learn to make your tea?¡± [Butler] ¡®From another world¡¯ is not something I could obviously say. ¡°Grandma¡­ Taught me.¡± [Ryouma] Grandparents = Omnipotent. I really have to thank the gods for them. If I had to make up a lie on my own, I would surely be found out. I was often called ¡®stupid honest¡¯ back in my previous life ¨C not that I agree with them. But, in any case, since all I¡¯m doing now is using the setting that the gods prepared for me beforehand ¨C a setting they prepared by summoning the souls of my grandparents and getting their permission ¨C I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m lying at all. I¡¯m really thankful for it. ¡°There¡¯s more, honey, if you¡¯d like¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Elize] ¡°Let me have some too. Honey is a luxury, so it¡¯s a pretty rare occasion to get to taste it.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Wait a moment, Hyuzu-san!¡± [Camil] ¡°I got the honey from, a bee¡¯s nest two days ago. It¡¯s free, anyway, so¡­ Camil-san, please have, some.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh, really? Then in that case, I¡¯ll have a little.¡± [Camil] ¡°Heh, you¡¯re not so different from me, are ya?¡± [Hyuzu] Around that time the young lady of the Jamil Family ¨C Elialia I believe ¨C noticed something as she drank her tea. ¡°Oh? It seems it¡¯s not only honey. There¡¯s something else mixed in.¡± [Elialia] The butler immediately went to check. I wonder if they don¡¯t like the jija (ginger) and the lamon (lemon-like fruit). ¡°I can taste the juice of lamon. It¡¯s a refreshing taste, however, that¡¯s not all.¡± [Butler] Fortunately, they don¡¯t think it¡¯s poison. I decided to reveal the mystery. After all, it wasn¡¯t like I added poison or anything. ¡°I also added, jija root.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so this is jija. I thought it was just a salty vegetable. Who knew it could be used to draw the flavor out like this?¡± [Elialia] ¡°¡­Jija can be, used in cooking¡­ Can remove the odor, of meat and fish¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That is good information. Thank you, Ryouma-sama. I shall inform the master chef as soon as we return.¡± [Butler] ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now then ¨C before I completely forget ¨C we came here to thank you for your help last time. Please accept our gifts. Sebasu.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Reinhart-sama. ¡®Item Box¡¯.¡± [Sebasu] When Reinhart-san mentioned about the gifts, the butler behind him stood up and invoked a spell. Suddenly, an empty circle appeared from thin air. The butler, Sebasu, extended his hand inside and took out something. Item Box As the name implies, it¡¯s a dimensional-type spell that creates a new dimension to store items in. It¡¯s a difficult spell but also one of the basics of dimension magic. I can use it too, but I can¡¯t put that many items in mine. On the desk in front of me, upon which was a bucket full of fruits, came falling down countless rolls of paper and cloth. ¡°That¡¯s, a lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t know what would make you happy, so I brought various goods. Please accept them.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart said as he opened the rolls. Inside the rolls were preserved food, clothes, writing tools, magic stones for lighting, clocks that moved via magic power¡­ all sorts of things, each and every single one of which were piratical things that my house lacked. It seems he took his time considering what my house was lacking. ¡°I just eye-balled the clothes, so try them out first. If they¡¯re too big¡­ Arone, Lilian.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes.¡± [Arone, Lilian] ¡°You can ask these two to help you.¡± [Reinhart] I was wondering why they would bring their maids with them to a place like this, as it turns out, they¡¯re here to ensure the clothes fit. I felt kind of bad, so it was fortunate that the clothes didn¡¯t need much changes. I should thank them. ¡°Thank you, very much. You brought, so much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. They¡¯re not that expensive, and besides, we also have something to do around these parts.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Something, to do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Remember when I said that we¡¯re a family of monster tamers? My daughter, Elia, has been studying all this time. Now that she¡¯s of age, she needs to tame her first monster, a slime.¡± [Reinhart] Her first monster, huh. Since he mentioned ¡®age¡¯ that must mean that she hasn¡¯t been permitted to until now. Well, monsters are alive, so she would have to take care of it and it¡¯s also a little dangerous. It¡¯s only natural her parents wouldn¡¯t allow her until she¡¯s old enough. ¡°Congratulations.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the young lady drinking tea smiled and said ¡®thank you¡¯. Since she¡¯s yet to tame her first monster, I might as well lend her a hand. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking all this time, but we¡¯ve yet to find a single slime.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Slimes are monsters too, they¡¯re living beings. There are times when you just can¡¯t find one.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°¡­Then, how about, here.¡± [Ryouma] I stood up and pointed on the map of the forest on the wall. ¡°River. There should be, lots of slimes, here.¡± [Ryouma] It was a river not too far from the house. It¡¯s where I get my water from, and in fact so do the wild slimes. If they look around it, they should be able to find a couple. For the record, when I went to get water once, I managed to catch 14 slimes. Of course, that was only a one-time thing. When I said that, the young lady¡¯s face beamed, and after getting her parents¡¯ permission, she asked me something. ¡°Can I call you Ryouma-san?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then Ryouma-san, if it¡¯s no trouble, could you teach me which slime to pick.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Which, to pick?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I only need one slime, but there¡¯s probably a lot out there. I¡¯m not so sure which one I should tame.¡± [Elialia] Ah, so that¡¯s what she meant. There¡¯s no good or bad slime, though¡­ ¡°In that case¡­ You should pick out your slime, according to what kind you, want it to evolve into. It will, take a lot of time, though¡­. If you want strength, a different monster, would be preferable. If you don¡¯t have want to raise, the slime for long, you don¡¯t need to think, too much¡­ Do you, still want a slime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, it will be my first monster, so I intend to treasure it forever.¡± [Elialia] What a pure face. Well, if it¡¯s her, she probably will treasure it. I should help her. Hmm? Why do I think she would treasure it if it¡¯s her? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever thought like this before. Am I being fooled? Could I be interested in her? A mentally-wise over 40-years-old uncle like me? Stop. Let¡¯s not think too much. ¡°Umm, is it not possible?¡± [Elialia] I don¡¯t mind teaching her, but the way I¡¯m talking right now sure is a pain. It would be great if I could talk smoother. ¡°If you¡¯re alright with me, sure, but¡­ Only 3 types, can be currently chosen.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why only 3?¡± [Elialia] ¡°One of the evolution conditions is, unknown; the other one, I don¡¯t have enough food; the other one, doesn¡¯t suit, women¡­ That last one would, actually be the best ability-wise, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can I have a moment?¡± [Elize] While I was talking with the young lady of the Jamil Household, the madam interjected. She had a serious look on her face. ¡°Mother, I am currently talking with Ryouma-san. This is important for my first contract, so please don¡¯t interfere.¡± [Elialia] ¡°I know that but there¡¯s something bothering me. Ryouma-kun, if I¡¯ve been hearing correctly, it seems you actually know the evolution conditions for the slimes?¡± [Elize] ¡°More or less.¡± [Ryouma] As I thought, the madam muttered, then she turned to Reinhart-san, who promptly lightly shook his head. (I didn¡¯t hear about this!) (I only heard he was researching!) Well, that¡¯s probably what they were saying with their gestures. ¡°Could it be, this is another mystery, like the big slime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Slimes can be found anywhere, but no one actually knows anything about them. You should be more careful who you teach those conditions to.¡±[Elize] I thought it was fairly simple though. But then again, even Japan has its own share of mysteries. If I ever get the opportunity, I would like to talk to those slime researchers. But that¡¯s still in the future. I need to figure out what to do with the present first. Chapter 6 Volume 1 Chapter 6 What should I do? I wondered. My answer? I¡¯ll tell them. To me the process is more important than the result. I started researching slimes because I was interested in them and because I enjoyed the process. I didn¡¯t really care about the result; and besides, I¡¯ve already told them. It¡¯s a bit too late to try and be secretive now. ¡°It¡¯s alright¡­ The conditions for evolution is, diet. Different diets, result in different variations. Green caterpillars, lead to sticky slimes. Poisonous herbs, lead to poison slimes. Slimes have, preferences. If you feed them, what they prefer, they¡¯ll eventually evolve. If you don¡¯t give them, what they prefer, they might still evolve, but slower; alternatively, they might die¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how slimes evolve.¡± [Elia] Seeing the young lady nod interestedly, I nodded and continued. ¡°More food, will make the slime evolve faster. You can pick from, poisonous herbs, green caterpillars, and the washed bones of monsters¡­ Those three can give you, poison slime, sticky slime, or acid slime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Which type did you say I couldn¡¯t pick?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Cleaner slime, scavenger slime, heal slime. Their abilities are, the real thing, though.¡± [Ryouma] The four members of the ducal family did not know of the slimes I mentioned except for the heal slimes, so they couldn¡¯t help but glance at each other. ¡°What kind of slimes are the cleaner and scavenger slimes?¡± [Elize] ¡°They have the clean, and deodorize, skills.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Clean and deodorize? I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve heard of those before.¡± [Elize] ¡°I can guess what deodorize does, but what about clean?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­It would be faster, if you saw it, for yourselves¡­ Please wait, a moment.¡± [Ryouma] I left the guests for a moment and went to the kitchen. There I took a cloth and dipped it in rabbit blood. I took that cloth back with me along with one cleaner slime. ¡°Sorry to keep, you waiting¡­ This is a cleaner, slime. Please, look.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A blood-stained cloth? What are you going to do with that?¡± [Elize] ¡°This.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slime mentally. As soon as I did, it took the cloth in my hands and took it into its body. The cloth spun around the nucleus of the slime. I¡¯ve seen this scene countless times, but no matter how many times I see it, I can¡¯t help but be reminded of a washing machine. 10 seconds later. The slime stretched out a part of its body and handed the cloth to me. I spread that cloth open for the others to see. When the four members of the duke¡¯s household saw it, they looked at it with inquisitive eyes. The butler and the two maids in particular where quite taken. ¡°The blood is gone, huh. The color¡¯s changed too. Was it digested?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It was sucked by the slime, right? Is that it?¡± [Elize] ¡°No, madam. That¡¯s not all.¡± [Maid] ¡°Arone?¡± The one who answered their questions was one of the maids, a middle-aged woman by the name of Arone. ¡°Ryouma-sama, I believe that slime has the ability to eat ¡®filth¡¯. Am I understanding this correctly?¡± [Arone] ¡°It is as you, say.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What does that mean?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That cloth wasn¡¯t just filthy with blood. There were other substances mixed in. Its current color is its original color.¡± When you don¡¯t wash dirty things, the filth piles up, until eventually, its no longer possible to easily remove them. In some cases, the original color is lost forever. So, in other words, the ¡®clean¡¯ skill is a skill that can clean even the filthiest things! Am I correct?¡± [Arone] ¡°You are¡­ However, it¡¯s not just, non-living things.¡± [Ryouma] I mentally ordered my slime, and in the next moment, it took my hand and the cloth into its body. ¡°Wha!?¡± [Elize] ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± [Ryouma] Slimes would normally digest anything they put inside their bodies, so it was understandable why the members of the duke¡¯s household cried out when they saw my hand enter the slime. In fact, it wasn¡¯t just them. Every person in the room made a stiff face when they saw my hand enter the slime. Five seconds later, I took out my hand. ¡°Are you ok?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The cleaner slime, only digests filth¡­ They won¡¯t digest human, or animal meat, unless ordered to.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought there would be a slime like that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Please don¡¯t do that again. It¡¯s bad for the heart.¡± [Elize] ¡°My apologies¡­ I¡¯ve already gotten used to it, and¡­ I really didn¡¯t want to touch, this cloth if possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it certainly wasn¡¯t very clean awhile ago.¡± [Elize] ¡°It used to be a goblin¡¯s loin cloth, after all.¡± [Ryouma] Everyone¡¯s face twitched when I said that, but the maids became even more interested. Apparently, that was because a goblin¡¯s loincloth was considered to be the filthiest thing in this world. ¡°With this slime no matter how dirty or how disgusting something is you can make it as good as new¡­ Moreover, you normally can¡¯t, take a bath while traveling, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, at most I can just wipe myself. This was my first trip, actually. It feels so wrong not being able to take a bath at least once a day.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Rest assured then, with this slime¡­ All your problems can, be solved.¡± [Ryouma] After I said that, the young lady of the duke¡¯s household looked at me with lasers coming out of her eyes. Eek! I thought. This is really scary! For various reasons! To make things worse, the madam and her 2 maids¡¯ eyes also magnified. ¡°Because, this slime, can eat filth, bad odor, all the dirty things.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s the one! I want that slime! Please help me get a cleaner slime!¡± [Elialia] ¡­Oops. Didn¡¯t I just say she couldn¡¯t pick this? Why oh why did I pitch it to her then? Not to mention this was the worst of them all! Ahh, damn it! I lose myself too easily when it comes to slimes¡­ At the very least, I should have pitched the scavenger instead! ¡°This is no goo-¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How could you say that after showing me such a wonderful thing? How cruel!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ryouma-sama, I am a maid of the Jamil Household from a family who¡¯s served for generations. I too have studied the basics of monster taming. If it¡¯s no trouble, may I also know the methods of acquiring a cleaner slime?¡± [Arone] ¡°I¡¯d like to know too~¡± [Elize] The women seemed to go mad after being pitched such a wonderful slime. Their zeal was so great that the men actually faltered; the guards too¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun, please don¡¯t excite the women any more than this.¡± [Camil] ¡°The method is, hard to say to women¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can¡¯t teach women?¡± [Camil] ¡°I don¡¯t mind teaching, it¡¯s just hard, to say.¡± [ryouma] ¡°They want to know, though.¡± [Camil] Camil-san decided to help me out by leading most of the men and I to a corner of the room. ¡°¡­I get you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought it would be something like that.¡± [Camil] ¡°That¡¯s certainly not something you can say to a woman.¡± [Zeff] ¡°I think not even other women could easily say it.¡± [Jill] ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll sort itself out.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san, however, did not share our sentiments. He turned around without a care for the world, and¡ª ¡°Ojousama! Madam! Arone! I know the method!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡ªhe proclaimed it with a huge smile on his face. What is he doing!? Does he know of a good way to say it? ¡°Really!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Yeah! You just have to bathe and use the water as bait!¡± [Hyuzu] He said it!! He said it super directly!! Ah¡­ There goes the slap. When the women had finally calmed down, Reinhart-san explained the details. If you put used water alongside clean water, most slimes would go to the clean one. For some reason, however, some slimes would prefer the used water. Those are the slimes that have the inclination to become cleaner slimes. After picking out the slimes with talent, all that¡¯s left is to feed them nothing but water and filth. Sebum and sweat would probably work best. ¡°I can¡¯t believe such a slime actually exists.¡± [Elize] ¡°Sorry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm, it¡¯s not your fault, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°I think it¡¯s¡­ not easy for¡­ women to catch cleaner slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think¡­ I¡¯ll go with a cleaner slime, after all.¡± [Elialia] It seems the young lady hasn¡¯t given up just yet. ¡°Then which of the guards¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. I may only be an apprentice, but I¡¯m going to be a monster tamer from here on. I can¡¯t possibly rely on others for this.¡± [Elialia] ¡°¡­You don¡¯t need¡­ to do everything, by yourself¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even then, I believe I should take the first step on my own.¡± [Elialia] ¡°¡­Your call¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I-I¡­ I¡¯ll do it! Can I have some water please?¡± [Elialia] Everyone teared up at the young lady¡¯s speech. Her face was beet red, but she endured it. She doesn¡¯t really have to go so far. What¡¯s with the atmosphere, though? It¡¯s almost as if a protagonist has just made a life-changing decision. Anyway, it felt bad just bringing out some water, so I decided to suggest she use the bath. As a former Japanese, there are times when I really want to go for a dip, so I built a bath when I was building my house. Who would¡¯ve thought it¡¯d be used for something like this, though? ¡°There¡¯s, a bath here. Please use it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You have one? Thank you so much!¡± [Elialia] I filled the bath with water magic and heated it with fire magic. When the water was at the right temperature, I called the young lady over. The entire preparation took just a few minutes. Magic¡¯s seriously convenient. After the young lady came with the two maids, I went back to where the others were. ¡°Ouch! Man, they really glared at me.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°You deserved it.¡± [Camil] ¡°It¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have any of ¡®that¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] By ¡®that¡¯ I was obviously referring to delicacy. I was often told I didn¡¯t have any back on in my previous life, but even I wasn¡¯t as bad as him¡­ Or at least, I think I wasn¡¯t. I mean¡­ When I grew up I had to watch my mouth, or risk getting accused of sexual harassment. It would have been social suicide if I wasn¡¯t careful. ¡°Ah, Ryouma-kun. Welcome back.¡± [Elize] ¡°Umm¡­ Madam, I¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t mind it. She¡¯s made her decision and it¡¯s not like you lied, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then that¡¯s that. Besides, I¡¯m happy to see she¡¯s serious about becoming a monster tamer. That being said, she could¡¯ve just gotten the cleaner slime by asking one from you, though.¡± [Elize] ¡­What did she say? ¡°What?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I said she could have just gotten one from you. That didn¡¯t cross your mind?¡± [Elize] Ha, ha ha ha¡­ Why didn¡¯t I realize something so simple. If I¡¯d realized that earlier, we wouldn¡¯t have had to go through all this mess. Maybe being here in the forest all this time has finally taken its toll on me. It¡¯s been three years since I started living here, after all. ¡°Good grief¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, well it was interesting in any case. I thought ¡®that¡¯s youth for you¡¯, or something. Anyway, I¡¯m glad to see my daughter¡¯s resolve.¡± [Elize] ¡°Is that so¡­¡± [Ryouma] I feel so tired for some reason¡­ After the young lady left the bath, she took the water and searched the river for slimes. Meanwhile, I consulted the maids on the fitting of my new clothes. The young lady¡¯s luck seemed to be good, as she came back early, about the same time when I was done talking to the maids. The young lady brought the slime with her and contracted it in front of everyone. By then it was already dark, so I suggested for everyone to stay the night. I let them use the bath and cooked supper for them. The butler and the 2 maids offered to help, but I rejected their offer. I¡¯m happy for the offer, but the kitchen is too small. We wouldn¡¯t be able to fit with 3 more adults. Not to mention, everything was built for a kid to use, so if they¡¯re unlucky, they might just end up breaking their hips. Incidentally, our menu for supper was fried beast meat with grated jija, my otherworld version of pork fried with ginger. Reinhart-san seemed to enjoy himself, and the others praised me too. It was a weird taste for a Japanese like myself, though. Of course, I¡¯ve gotten used to it by now. It¡¯s a pity but it can¡¯t be helped since there¡¯s not a lot of rock salt to get from the cliff, and I even have to use alchemy to purify it because it¡¯s a mishmash of various minerals. If it weren¡¯t for alchemy, I probably wouldn¡¯t have stayed here for 3 years. The ingredients here in the forest are enough to live off of, but they¡¯re not enough to satiate my Japanese stomach. Well, at least they¡¯re happy. Chapter 7 Volume 1 Chapter 7 After supper everyone chatted over tea. ¡°Ryouma-kun, what are you planning to do from here on?¡± [Madam] ¡°¡­To be honest, I¡¯m not really sure, but I¡¯m, thinking of moving¡­¡± [Ryouma] My research has already reached a point where I could take a break and the slimes are starting to get too many for the house to handle. Moreover, I¡¯ve also started to yearn for people¡¯s company and I also need more seasonings and foodstuff. Because of that I started considering going around the world, but I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. After all, a kid who¡¯s been isolated his whole life couldn¡¯t possibly just go and say ¡®I want to see the world!¡¯ all of the sudden, right? That would be just too unnatural. In the end, I decided to make use of my all-powerful grandparents. ¡°¡­My grandparents¡­ told me to live happily¡­ in town. My current¡­ lifestyle is no good¡­ I think. I don¡¯t think¡­ my grandparents would be happy to know¡­ I live here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun¡­¡± [Madam] As the atmosphere in the room went solemn, Reinbach-sama closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then he spoke. ¡°How about leaving with us then?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Huh? What is he saying? Isn¡¯t this our first meeting? ¡°We are a ducal family, you know? We can at least take care of one person¡¯s necessities without problem. And besides, I think it¡¯s a waste for a skilled monster tamer like yourself to be secluding himself deep in the forest. I know you don¡¯t like towns, but¡­ How about it? Won¡¯t you try going out for a bit?¡± [Reinbach] ¡­I never thought he would propose something like that. The other people seemed to be in agreement too what with those eyes that seemed to say ¡®it¡¯s alright¡¯¡­ Everyone here is so nice¡­ It¡¯s enough to make my heart ache. ¡°We¡¯ll be going to Gimuru starting tomorrow. Once we¡¯re done with our errands, we will be going home. We¡¯ll pass by here again, so¡­ How about it? Do you want to travel with us?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Travel¡­¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know anything about this world¡­ The gods taught me some basic knowledge, but I¡¯ve never seen anything in person. In fact, I didn¡¯t even know how big of a deal my slime research was until they told me. I¡¯m sure there must be a lot more things I don¡¯t know. ¡°R-Right¡­ I think I might just get¡­ in your way¡­ But if it¡¯s not too much trouble, will you let¡­ me travel with you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! So you¡¯re coming!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve also started thinking¡­ of leaving the forest, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, I see¡­ You¡¯ll have to prepare your belongings then. We can extend our departure time to tomorrow afternoon. Will that be enough time for you to get ready?¡± [Reinbach[ ¡°I¡¯ll be ready by morning. I can bring everything with me with my Item Box, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh my, you can use Item Box at your age? That¡¯s amazing!¡± [Madam] Really? I thought a lot of people could use Item Box? ¡°Grandma said it was, convenient, so I learned, it. I heard¡­ a lot of people could, use it, though?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly an elementary level magic and a lot of people could use it, but the fact that you could use it while still being so young is a feat indeed.¡± [Madam] ¡°I think it¡¯ll be a pleasure studying with Ryouma-san.¡± [Elia] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After thanking the Jamil family, the young lady, the maids, and the guards offered to help me pack, so I decided to start with the most troublesome room. ¡°Whoa, what¡¯s with this room?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It¡¯s filled to the brim with weapons and armor.¡± [Elia] ¡°Picking out what to bring from all these won¡¯t be easy.¡± [Arone] ¡°Is that a pelt at the end of the room I see?¡± [Lilian] ¡°What¡¯s with those pile of bags at the corner that looks like trash?¡± [Hyuzu] The place I brought them to was none other than the storage room. All my loots from the bandits I¡¯ve subjugated in the past three years are gathered here. I would sometimes come here to do maintenance on the weapons, but other than that, almost everything else has been stored away. ¡°I will be, putting everything into my, Item Box. That bag there, contains the bandits¡¯ belongings.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Specifically?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Don¡¯t know¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t know? You didn¡¯t bother to check? If you don¡¯t check your spoils properly after a battle, isn¡¯t that the same as risking your life for nothing?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It wasn¡¯t interested, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] I answered Hyuzu-san¡¯s question curtly, but there were actually several reasons. One, most of the bandits¡¯ belongings stank to high heavens, and two, there were rarely anything noteworthy. In one particularly bad case, I even ended up pulling out rotten meat; literally trash loot. The money was irrelevant to me too. After all, I never went to town. What would I need them for? In the end, searching through the bags was just a hassle, so I stopped bothering and just threw them to the corner after having the slimes clean them up. ¡°Then should we check the contents first?¡± [Arone] ¡°Good, let¡¯s go with that. If the contents turn out to be junk, we¡¯ll throw it away. Let¡¯s split the work of putting away and identifying the contents, so we can get things done faster. What do you think?¡± [Jill] I nodded. At that, we left identifying the contents to the young lady and the two maids, while we took on the role of putting the things away. For a while, we continued with my group just throwing things into that black hole, but along the way, they noticed that some of the equipment and the pelt could be sold for a good price. But what most unexpected was that among the bandits¡¯ belongings I¡¯ve ignored until now was a bag of coins with a large sum of money. 40 medium gold coins, to be exact. Even I know the value of 40 medium gold coins, so it was truly a fortuitous find for someone like me who¡¯s at long last decided to go to town. But¡­ After that matter with the slimes, I¡¯m concerned about the accuracy of my knowledge regarding this world. To be safe I should inquire the price of commodities. I thought that to myself as we cleaned out the storage room as well as the other rooms. When we¡¯d cleared out everything, I called the cleaner slimes and scavenger slimes and had them add the finishing touches. When everything was sparkling clean, I suggested for the ducal family and the guards to use the newly cleaned rooms. ¡°You sure? If there¡¯s work to be done, we don¡¯t mind helping.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright. I can do the rest by myself¡­ Only food, and medicinal, ingredients are left, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Medicine, huh¡­ That¡¯s certainly not something amateurs should be handling. Alright then, but if there¡¯s anything else we can do, be sure to call us.¡± [Camil] ¡°Thank You, Camil-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Thanks for the room too. Honestly, any room with four walls would suit me just fine, so this is really a big help.¡± [Camil] After chatting a little and giving my thanks I left Now then¡­ All that¡¯s left are the starter items I got from the gods¡­ Oh, right¡­ I wonder if I can take the slimes with me? I can¡¯t just leave them here. I should ask. They should still be awake. ¡°Reinhart-san, Reinbach-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something the matter, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Can I¡­ bring my slimes¡­ with me? There¡¯ll be 17, slimes all in all¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, go ahead. It¡¯s only natural for a monster tamer to take his monsters with him.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°The carriage has plenty of space, so it¡¯s no problem at all.¡± [Reinhart] I see, that¡¯s good to hear. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, they replied with a smile, saying, ¡®it¡¯s fine.¡¯ They¡¯re really good-hearted people. If this were in Japan, the equivalent situation would be me hitchhiking and asking, ¡°By the way, I have 17 pets with me. Can I take them too?¡± I don¡¯t know about others, but I definitely wouldn¡¯t agree to it. One or two maybe, but 17? In the first place, I don¡¯t even have a license, so¡­ I really can¡¯t overstate how grateful I am to the Jamil household. Oh, come to think of it, since I¡¯ll be going out, I might as well say a word or two to them. As I thought that, I went to the deepest room in the house. It was really nothing more than a wide-open space, but inside, at the front wall, was a hollowed out area wherein the statues of the gods were enshrined. The religions of this world don¡¯t prohibit idol worship, so sculpting a statue of a deity isn¡¯t a problem. In fact, there are adherents who buy small idols as models, so they could sculpt their own. They usually do it while praying in an area recommended by their church. Personally, I did just that and created the idols, allowing me to both thank the gods and practice my earth magic. After making the idols, I enshrined them at my training grounds and reported to them daily. But first, to keep others from seeing me, I¡¯m going to block the entrance with earth magic¡­ ¡­ There. Done. I sat in the lotus position before the idols. After a few minutes of meditation, I opened my eyes and spoke. ¡°Today ended safely too. You¡¯re gods, so I¡¯m sure you know, but some guests came today. I¡¯ll be traveling with them for some time, so I won¡¯t be able to visit for a while. I¡¯m finally leaving the forest. I think I¡¯ll be able to keep that promise about visiting the church now. It¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to come back, so I¡¯ve decided to take all my belongings with me. If I decide not to come back here again, then I¡¯ll make new statues in my new home. Anyway¡­ Until next time.¡± After that I stood up, opened the entrance, and left. Speaking of which, it seems I only have a hard time when I¡¯m talking with humans. Huh¡­ Well, I¡¯ve never talked to the idols before, so I never noticed, but¡­ I guess the stammering is because of nerves, after all. Well, whatever¡­ With this I¡¯ve settled everything that needed to be done. All that¡¯s left is for me to leave with the slimes. Let¡¯s sleep. Like that I went to bed, but¡ª I wonder what the town is like. ¡ªI couldn¡¯t stop thinking of the town. Sleeping was harder than usual. Chapter 8 Volume 1 Chapter 8 The next day. Hmm? When I woke up, the room felt different. As for what, I wasn¡¯t really sure. There was a magic stone for light by the bedside, though its brightness was lowered so it was dim, but other than that there wasn¡¯t much in the room. Huh? And then it clicked. The furniture was gone. Oh, right. I packed my stuff yesterday, didn¡¯t I? Wait, no¡­ Something¡¯s off. Turning up the brightness of the magic stone with mana, I looked around me and saw that there was virtually nothing in the room. I did place some of my stuff in my Item Box, but I¡¯m sure I didn¡¯t touch the tables, chairs, or shelves. I didn¡¯t break them either, so where are they? I don¡¯t see them anywhere. Actually, now that my head¡¯s a bit clearer, even my bed is gone. What¡¯s going on? Surely, I wasn¡¯t robbed, right? I mean if some burglar had broken in I would surely have noticed it, and the slimes would have made a ruckus too. The duke stayed over, but there¡¯s no way they¡¯d steal my stuff. Those things wouldn¡¯t sell for much, having been made with earth magic and all. And besides, what kind of burglar would even think there¡¯s something to be stolen from caves? The spoils I got from the bandits could be worth a pretty penny, but I¡¯ve already stored them in my Item Box. That leaves only the slimes¡­ Hmm? The slimes? Oh no! ¡°Uoo!?¡± Normally, there¡¯d be at least a cleaner slime in the room, but even that wasn¡¯t around. As I tried to get myself out of bed, all of the sudden, it felt like I was floating, and then in the next moment, pain greeted me. ¡°Huh?¡± When I got up, the room became dim again. I turned up the lights, and the room was back to normal. The chairs, the desks, and the rest of the furniture were back in place. Apparently I¡¯d fallen off my bed. ¡°I was dreaming?¡± After calming down, I looked up the bed. Lo and behold, the slime was there, bending down a little as it stared at me. I could confirm that the other slimes were in the cave too. Good grief, please don¡¯t scare me like that, or so I wanted to say, but I guess it¡¯s not really applicable in a situation like this. How long did I sleep for? If I recall correctly, it should still be on the desk¡­ ¡°¡­Ah, found it.¡± When I looked up at the desk, a magic tool that functioned as a clock was there. The timepiece of the clock was a round, thin, gold plate with two long pins. That timepiece stood on a round pedestal that was supported by a y-shaped metal stand. All the parts of the clock from the timepiece to the stand were of high quality, but the mechanisms that normally made a clock was nowhere to be found, making the whole thing look like a mirror. But that wasn¡¯t exactly wrong since it was polished well enough that it could be used as one. The clock had the numbers 1 to 12 just like in Earth. A full revolution was 12 hours, and two revolution was 24 hours or 1 day. In other words, it read just like a clock from Earth, so it was easy for me to use. Looking closely though, there¡¯s a slight difference in the seconds of this world and Earth¡¯s. But I¡¯ve been living on this world for three years already and I¡¯ve yet to notice any difference in the length of days, so maybe it¡¯s just my internal clock being messed up. Anyway, from looking at that clock, I could tell that it was currently half past five. The clock doesn¡¯t have an am or a pm, but obviously it¡¯s am. If it were pm that would make me one hell of a sleeper. I could sleep again, but I don¡¯t really feel like it. As I was thinking that, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching. ¡°Sebasu¡­san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] When I turned to the direction the sound was coming from, I saw the ducal family¡¯s butler walking. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I thought I heard an odd sound a while ago, and then I saw the hallway lit, so¡­¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Oh, did I¡­ wake you up?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all. We servants are normally up around this time. Arone and Lilian are already up too, but the others are still asleep.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Well, in any case, the sun¡¯s up, so I might as well go draw some water. It¡¯d be waste if I were to just loiter around here, and I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll just get in people¡¯s way. When I told Sebasu my plans, he looked puzzled. ¡°Can¡¯t we just get water with magic?¡± he asked. I did a little walking and some light training before leaving, then I told Sebasu and the others to use the facilities as they pleased and left. ¡°Fuu.¡± When I left the house, the peaceful atmosphere of the morn and the forest caressed my skin. I immersed myself in it as I took a deep breath. The sun had already started to rise in the distant sky, so there was enough light to easily walk the road. As I stepped on the grass wet from morning dew, I leisurely walked through the familiar road. I¡¯ve walked this road to the river countless times. As I was starting to get sentimental, I suddenly realized that the dream this morning was about the house when I first came to this world. It¡¯s been awhile, so it wasn¡¯t a perfect representation, but in the past, it wasn¡¯t just the furniture missing, I also didn¡¯t have that map on the wall or that path that led deeper in. When I was just starting out, all I did was dig and procure food and water. The dream this morning was about a time not long after I¡¯d dug enough space to live a little. Oh, this is it. In front of me was the river I always drew water from. The deepest part only reached up my knees, so it wasn¡¯t very deep, but it was fairly wide, so it was convenient to draw water from. ¡± ¡®Rock¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] I made a water jug with earth magic. After getting used to magic I¡¯ve started to rely on it more and more, but in the past, I definitely drew water here every morning. I also bathed, did my laundry, and trained by this river back then. Most of my time was spent here. One day, when my house was finally a little bigger, I went here to draw water, but then I happened upon a slime that had been washed away. It wasn¡¯t the first time that I saw a slime being carried downstream, but that time it was at an arm¡¯s length, so on a whim, I picked it up and brought it back home. That was when I first learned how to tame monsters. The basics of monster taming, also known as the contract, required one to weave a thread from mana and use that to connect one¡¯s self with a monster. Once the contract was in place, the practitioner could command the monster or understand its intention to some extent. It is also possible for the practitioner to know its position. When I completed my first contract, the vague emotion I felt from the slime was fear. When I saw it shaking, I decided to call it ¡®Tabuchi-kun¡¯ because it reminded me of my first meeting with a former subordinate. At first, Tabuchi-kun was weak due to having been washed away, so it moved fairly slow. Even when I reached out for it, all it did was shake a little, but it didn¡¯t try to run away. When I gave it green caterpillar to eat, they managed to run away twice out of the five times I tried to feed it. It couldn¡¯t catch up to them. It tried to drink water from the river, but the downstream took Tabuchi-kun away again. I was wondering why the slimes were being washed away. Apparently, that was why. I continued feeding and training them, and after getting one to evolve, I began my research¡­ And that¡¯s basically how I got to where I am today. How nostalgic¡­ It¡¯s a pity Tabuchi-kun is no longer with us, but¡­ I still have his nucleus. ¡­I wonder how my subordinate, Tabuchi-kun, is doing. He was a chubby otakuish man who joined our company right after graduation. I had a lot of years under my belt, so I was tasked to show him the ropes. He quivered when he saw my body in my past life. I know I shouldn¡¯t be saying this, but he got along pretty bad with others too. He was never late though, and he always explained how to do something when asked. He would also always feel sorry whenever he did something wrong regardless of if the person-in-question knew or not. We both shared otaku hobbies, so although our direction and generation was different, we still talked some. He had some difficulties with communication, but he got a little better before I died. I saw him working before I died. Skill-wise there¡¯s no problem, but it would really be best if he just resigned and found a better company. Thinking back, I had my fair share of troubles with him, but he was definitely one of the better subordinates I had. If not for that, I wouldn¡¯t have named a slime after him. Ahh, what am I doing? It¡¯s no fun recalling a no-good boss and a no-good subordinate. The slimes have gotten too many, so I don¡¯t name them anymore, but I can still distinguish them and call them individually thanks to the contract. It¡¯s really convenient. ¡°Oops, what time is it?¡± Lost myself in nostalgia there. Seeing the sun reflecting over the water and how bright the surrounding area is, I don¡¯t think I have any time left for training. I should go back or I¡¯ll miss our schedule. I filled the water jug I made with water and carried it on my shoulders back home. When I got back, Jill-san and Zeff-san were standing in front of the house. They were shocked to see me carrying a jug bigger than myself, but we exchanged greetings, and then I went into the house. The clock was already pointing to 7 by the time I came back. Time sure flies. Oops. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re back. Good morning.¡± [Reinhart] I saw Reinhart approaching. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°No, problem.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good to hear.¡± [Reinhart] After that I was invited to eat breakfast, and then I passed the rest of the time feeding the slimes. When the time to leave came, I ate with the ducal family, and then I took the slimes with me and left the house. I should block the entrance with earth magic¡­ There. Alright, now it¡¯s time to start our journey!¡± Shaking away all the nostalgia from these past three years, I turned around. There, the 11 people I would be traveling with were standing. ¡°Are you ready?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s go then.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go! Ojousama, Ryouma, if anything happens be sure to say it!¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu was the first to walk, and then we followed from behind. Like this I took my first step toward a new beginning. Chapter 9 Volume 1 Chapter 9 After walking 2 hours through the forest, the path opened up, revealing the plains and the bare earth. As we continued our way, a group of guards dressed in armor just like Hyuzu and the rest came to view. When they noticed our group approaching, they placed a hand on their chest and greeted us. These people were probably acquainted with the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Those people are?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They are members of the Jamil Household¡¯s private army. They regularly patrol the region to ensure the roads are safe.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Today they¡¯re here to escort us. Yesterday I had them investigate the forest.¡± Ojousama and Reinbach-sama said, but what did he mean by ¡®investigate¡¯? ¡°Ryouma-kun, did you know? These past few years, more and more reports of monster sighting and casualties have been coming.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­? No, this is my first time hearing it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. There are highs and lows when it comes to monster waves, but lately, the trend has been leaning toward the highs, so we have to increase the frequency of the patrols to ensure the citizens¡¯ safety. The reports from this forest are few as usual, but a few days ago, I heard about you.¡± [Reinhart] Me? ¡°When I found out that you lived here and that you defeated the strongest monster in this forest, the black bear, I figured you might have accidentally culled the monster population. So just to be sure, yesterday, I asked the nearby village to investigate.¡± Oh, so there was something like that¡­ Is that the reason why he gave me so many gifts? When I was about to ask that to Reinhart-san, a man dressed in an armor more extravagant than the others stepped out. He was probably the representative of the group. At that, Reinhart-san left with Sebasu-san and received the man¡¯s report. We didn¡¯t want to get in the way of their work, so we distanced ourselves from them. Eventually, I saw Sebasu-san pull out a carriage out of nowhere with his dimension magic. I knew they had a carriage, but who would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d actually stored it in his dimension space. I mean, you can actually store something that big? As I peeked into the hole created by Sebasu-san¡¯s dimension magic, I figured he was probably using the intermediate spell, Dimension Home. It¡¯s compatible with the Item Box and is a league above it in terms of space. You can even live inside it. I¡¯ve heard about it from the gods, but this is my first time seeing one in person. As I was thinking that, Sebasu-san pulled out one carriage after another. Just how much space does that magic have? While I was being surprised, the ojousama seemed satisfied at my reaction and laughed. ¡°Those are only the carriages we will be riding on, you know? The ones for our luggage are still in Sebasu¡¯s dimension home.¡± There¡¯s more!? I yelled internally as I did a self-tsukkomi. After that the madam took my hand and we rode the carriage with the rest of the duke¡¯s family. All-in-all there were 6 of us inside. There were four from the Jamil family + me, and after waiting a little, Sebasu-san rode too, which brought our numbers to six. As for the slimes, they were placed on the tray on the carriage¡¯s roof. Apparently, that was something usually used for liquor and snacks. After ensuring that there was nothing wrong with the slimes on the roof and that everything was ready, we departed. We were riding on the same carriage anyway, so I took this as an opportunity to ask Sebasu-san about the magic he used awhile ago. Apparently, Sebasu-san specialized in water and dimension magic, and was in fact, one of the leading magicians within the kingdom. When I heard he could use advanced dimension magic, I asked him a question. ¡°Can you also use¡­ ¡®Another World¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Sebasu-san looked at me with admiration. ¡°Oho, so you know even a magic like that?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Tamed monsters, can still scare the villagers, so¡­ I asked my grandmother about dimension magic, wondering¡­ if I could use it in place of conjuration.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can dimension magic be used to teleport monsters?¡± [Elialia] ¡°It¡¯s possible indeed, as monsters can live within the Dimension Home. The same is true for Another World. If you store your monsters there, they won¡¯t be able to scare the villagers.¡± [Sebasu] Thank goodness.. It would be really troubling if they couldn¡¯t live inside. In this world, there is a magic just like the magic I use to tame monsters, it¡¯s called Conjuration. It¡¯s a magic tree that contracts monsters just like Monster Taming, but the monsters are only summoned when needed. Because of that it¡¯s a lot more convenient than Monster Taming, garnering it greater popularity. Currently, it is more mainstream than Monster Taming, but that doesn¡¯t really matter. I chose Monster Taming because I figured it should be possible to use Dimension Magic to summon monsters like Conjuration does. Though another reason is because I would be able to pick another kind of magic if I chose Monster Taming instead. ¡°Though it depends on the place, being a monster tamers does have a lot of inconvenient parts to it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s also a problem with using Dimension Magic as an alternative. One, you have at least use an intermediate spell. Two, only a magician who can use dimension magic can take out the stored monster. Even if you hire a magician who can use dimension magic, if that magician dies, you¡¯ll never be able to get your magic back regardless of whether it¡¯s still alive or not. You also won¡¯t be able to call your monster out if the magician can¡¯t use his magic for some other reason. This holds true for all Dimension Magic spells regardless of class. In the end, some tamers see dimension magic as useful, while some don¡¯t because of the risks.¡± ¡­Come to think of it, I also ended up discussing this with the gods when I brought up the subject¡­ ¡°Now, regarding your question, I can indeed use Another World, but it¡¯s not a magic I can use as I please. It¡¯s the most difficult spell of the Dimension Magic tree, so magicians who can use it are considered to be at the apex and are given much prestige¡­ But that¡¯s about it.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s inconvenient. If I were to explain it in steps, Another World requires three steps to invoke. First, one must create a big space. The space will decide how big one¡¯s Another World will be, but it¡¯s completely reliant on one¡¯s mana pool.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°¡­In other words, if you have a lot of mana¡­ you can make a big world, but¡­ if you don¡¯t have much, you can only¡­ make a small one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Precisely. Moreover, the first step would exhaust all of the caster¡¯s mana, leaving him asleep for several days. And should the caster fail, he would have to do everything again.¡± [Sebasu] So, if you fail, all of your efforts will go down the drain, huh. ¡°If you do succeed, the second step requires you to create an entrance where you are and connect it to the space you created. This would also take a lot of mana, and again, if you fail, you start over. Everything up to the second stage is preparatory for the third stage, where you finally open the entrance you made. Generally, opening the gate would consume anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 mana points. 10,000 mana points is the minimum required pool for someone to become a royal court mage. That¡¯s enough to make even the best magicians of the country to faint after just one cast. So Another World really isn¡¯t something you can just pull out whenever you want. Moreover, having to go through so much trouble to create such a huge space also leaves one with the question of what to put in it.¡± After reaching this point, the ojousama asked a question. ¡°What does that mean? Since there¡¯s a lot of space, wouldn¡¯t you just put whatever you want in it?¡± [Elialia] ¡°You could put your belongings in, but normally, the intermediate, Dimension Home, is enough for normal furniture and one¡¯s belongings. The only things you¡¯d need Another World for would be something on the scale of palaces or fortresses. At that level, the bigger question would be how to make something so big fit inside. In the end, there¡¯s really not much point to making such a big space. It¡¯s just a waste of mana.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Elialia] Well, it certainly has its cons¡­ But the small matters aside, I should first focus on being able to cast Dimension Home. My monsters are slimes anyway. As I was thinking that, Sebasu-san spoke. ¡°If you have large-sized monsters, then there are some as big as castles. If you have those, then you might find Another World useful.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see¡­ Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s no problem. If you have any similar questions, just feel free to ask.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°By the way, Ryouma-san, what kinds of magic can you use? I heard you could use earth and dimension, and I also heard you heated the bath, so I guess you must have water and fire too?¡± [Elialia] Telling them the attributes I can use should be fine. I honestly answered her question. ¡°Grandma says I can use, all attributes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All attributes, huh. That¡¯s rare. Is there anything you specialize in?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Earth and dimension mainly¡­ Then fire and water¡­ I¡¯m mostly focusing on the ones I need for¡­ my lifestyle, so¡­ there¡¯s no real specialization, I guess.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Hmm¡­ And on top of that, you still have Barrier Magic and Monster Taming. Those with all attributes tend to become jack-of-all-trades. Be careful.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I will.¡± [Ryouma] Come to think of it, the gods said the same thing, didn¡¯t they? ¡°¡­Did I say something strange?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you were smiling just now.¡± [Elialia] Huh, I guess it showed on my face. ¡°My grandma said the same thing, before¡­ Especially, since I tried my hand at healing magic, and alchemy too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, I thought it¡¯s because I said something strange.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°But still¡­ Alchemy, huh. That sure is another strange hobby you have there.¡± [Reinbach] Now that he mentions it, there sure is little information regarding alchemy. ¡°Is it that odd?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You won¡¯t find a lot of alchemists these days. In the past, there were a lot who scammed people, saying they could make gold, so it¡¯s become an unpopular profession. It is said that there was once a man known as the Alchemy King who made a killing through alchemy, but other than him, no one else has succeeded.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°One reason is because the Alchemy King used the original version of alchemy, while present-day alchemy is nothing more than something profiteers came up with in hopes of striking it rich. Unfortunately, their version of alchemy is greatly inferior to the Alchemy King¡¯s, and with it being used mainly for scams, both the art and the profession have found themselves in a precarious situation.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Alchemists are secretive too, so they have a ghastly reputation. The other guilds are secretive in their own right, but the alchemist are in their own league.¡± [Elialia] It seems the alchemists don¡¯t have a good image. Well, it¡¯s not that different from earth¡¯s alchemists in the past. ¡°Would it be better¡­ not to tell people I study¡­ alchemy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would probably be for the best.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the ojousama asked. ¡°Ryouma-san, what do alchemists do?¡± [Elialia] Well¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know about the others¡­ but in my case¡­ the most I can do is purify rock salt.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Rock salt? There should be some that could be mined near the forest, but it was deemed useless due to having poison mixed in. Can you make something out of that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The rock salt there has a lot of minerals¡­ so it¡¯s poisonous to humans¡­ As long as you remove the minerals¡­ It can be consumed¡­ I use alchemy to¡­ purify the rock salt from there¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can do that!?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. The food we ate at my house¡­ all used the rock salt from there¡­ I got it from the cliff.¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart became excited when he heard that, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to calm down. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! If you can do that, then you can sell th¡­ Ah, no. It¡¯s no good. Word of the salt from there being bad has been spread for years now, so no one will buy it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, in the past, there were adventurers who happened upon it and tried to sell rock salt without reporting the mine. You can hunt and forage as you please save for certain designated places, but when it comes to rock salt, some nobles lose their bearings and try to monopolize it. I¡¯m sure those adventurers didn¡¯t want that to happen, so they tried to profit off of it themselves, but people started getting sick when they sold it, so they were arrested and executed. It was a huge incident, so everyone in the country already knows that the rock salt from the Jamil Territory¡¯s Forest of Gana is poisonous. Well, we never had any salt to begin with anyway, so it didn¡¯t really affect us, but still¡­¡± I guess even otherworlds have counterfeit goods¡­ ¡°That cliff isn¡¯t very big anyway¡­ So you can¡¯t get much salt from it¡­ anyway¡­ Even if you sell it into the market¡­ I think it¡¯ll just lose out to other safer and more abundant sources¡­ But if it¡¯s just the village nearby¡­ or the Jamil Household, I¡¯m sure it would be useful¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± [Reinhart] After that I got more information regarding the world. I enjoyed the swaying of the carriage as I chatted with the others. Chapter 10 Volume 1 Chapter 10 The carriage continued along its way, only stopping from time to time take a break. Around the time when the sun was about to set¡­ In front of me were 10 coins. Of those 10 coins, 9 were in my hands. 3 were copper, 3 were silver, and 3 were were gold. They varied in size, the smallest being about the size of a 1 yen coin, while the next biggest was as big as a 100 yen coin, and the biggest was as big as a 500 yen coin. The remaining coin on the madam¡¯s hand was a platinum coin about the size of a 1 yen coin. ¡°We¡¯re lacking two more, but right now, we have copper coins, silver coins, gold coins, and this platinum coin I have here. Each type of coin has three sizes, totaling to 12 different coins. A small copper coin is 1 suit, a medium copper coin is 10 suits, and a big copper coin is 10 times the size of the medium coin making it 100 suits. The value of the coins from silver onwards is a bit different. A small silver coin is 5 times the worth of a big copper coin, making it 500 suits, while the medium is twice that, being 1000 suits. From there on, you can just multiply by 5, and then by 2 on the next coin to get the values. The platinum coins are 10 times each, however.¡± [Elize] ¡°A commoner¡¯s normal daily expenses would amount to about 100 suits, so copper coin is usually what¡¯s used. Silver coins are usually used for savings or for small stores. Gold coins are mainly used by large stores. It is also the coin most frequently by nobles. As for this platinum coin here, it¡¯s rarely used. When it does get used, it¡¯s only for big purchases or for dealings between nations.¡± [Elize] Alright, I think I¡¯ve more or less grasped how coins work here. While I was gathering my thoughts, the coachman called out to us. ¡°Everyone, we¡¯re almost at our destination. You should be seeing the Town of Kereban soon.¡± Oh, looks like we¡¯ve made it to our stopover. And here I thought we¡¯d be camping for sure¡­ Wait a second, I don¡¯t think I have any identification. ¡°Umm¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I have¡­ no identification¡­ Is that ok?¡± [Ryouma] Calm down me! Wasn¡¯t I doing just fine two weeks ago!? If I panic, I¡¯ll start stammering again¡­ ¡°Please rest assured, a temporary one will be given to those without. They¡¯ll have to conduct a simple investigation first, but it¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± [Sebasu] Ahh, thank goodness¡­ It would be nice if I could do something about this speech problem already, though¡­ As I was thinking that, I unconsciously sighed, causing the madam to worry for me. ¡°Are you ok? You really don¡¯t need to worry, you know. No matter what happens, I¡¯ll be sure to protect you. The town isn¡¯t a scary place.¡± [Madam] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Ryouma] I think she¡¯s misunderstanding, I better correct her. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not worried, about the, town.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Then what¡¯s the matter?¡± [Madam] ¡°It¡¯s the way¡­ I talk. It¡¯s weird, right? I¡­ This¡­ Way of talking¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­True¡­¡± [Madam] ¡°I haven¡¯t talked¡­ to anyone in 3 years¡­ It was only¡­ when Reinhart-san came 2 weeks ago¡­ That I started talking again¡­ So the words can¡¯t come out right¡­ I¡¯m surprised¡­ myself actually¡­ I¡¯ve been talking to the slimes¡­ since then to pratice¡­ And while it¡¯s come back¡­ to some extent¡­ It¡¯s still weird. I just can¡¯t seem to fix¨C!?¡± What¡¯s happening!? Madam!? Why are you hugging me!!? ¡°It¡¯ll be alright! Ryouma-kun! Just take your time, take your time¡­ *SNIFF¡­ You¡¯re no longer alone, so¡­¡± [Madam] She¡¯s crying!? ¡­Actually, it doesn¡¯t seem to be just her. The ojousama and even the guys are¡­ crying!? Why? ¡­Ah, I see. From another person¡¯s perspective, I must sound like a really lonely guy, huh. Not talking to anyone else for 3 years, and then when I finally meet someone, I can¡¯t even talk, so I go and talk to some slimes instead. ¡°It¡¯s ok! ¡­After all¡­ I¡¯m the one who decided to¡­ live in the forest¡­¡± [Ryouma] After that, I kept trying to tell her it¡¯s ok, but it wasn¡¯t effective. The madam hugged me until the very last moment when we reached the gates. When we reached the gates, Sebasu-san and Reinhart-san got down the carriage. Apparently, they had to talk to the guards about my identification. After that, the madam and the others accompanied me to visit the guard house. Actually, I would have been fine by myself, but the madam was worried, so she came with me. Because of that the guards and the other people in charge of the process became very nervous. I¡¯m really sorry, people I don¡¯t know¡­ For getting you caught up in this. ¡°T-T-T-T-Then could you p-p-please touch this crystal.¡± [Gatekeeper] This guy is way too nervous, not that I¡¯m in any position to talk myself. ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] I meekly followed and touched the crystal. When I did, a blue light shone from the crystal. When the gatekeeper in front of me saw that, he looked alternatingly between me and the crystal. ¡°C-Can you f-follow me inside for a second?¡± [Gatekeeper] Did something happen? If I recall correctly, blue means innocent, but¡­ ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°The light is blue. Everything should be fine, no?¡± [Madam] ¡°I-I-Indeed, the light is blue! But! A reward must be given! There is a record of of d-d-d-defeating a named bandit. So we must confirm and give reward!¡± [Gatekeeper] When the madam and Sebasu heard that, they calmed down, but the man didn¡¯t bring me away anymore and did the entire procedure within an earshot of the madam and Sebasu. ¡°T-Then let me ask you, young man. Did you by any chance defeat a bandit this year?¡± [Gatekeeper] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The crystal says you defeated Melzen of the Red Spear. Is this true?¡± [Gatekeeper] Melzen? Who¡¯s that? ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ that person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He carries a red spear and is donned in a red armor. Doesn¡¯t ring a bell?¡± [Gatekeeper] When he described the man, an image flashed through my mind. Now that he mentions it, there actually was such a guy. His spear was really good, so I immediately stored it in my Item Box. ¡°I remember now. I stored his spear in my item box¡­ Can that serve as proof?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Show me.¡± [Gatekeeper] I took out the spear. When the person-in-charge saw that, he examined the whole spear and wielded it. When I felt the presence of mana coursing through the spear, red flames suddenly spouted out from the tip of the spear. What!? That spear can do that!? I had no idea. I¡¯m gonna try that next time. ¡°No doubt about it. This is a red spear and a magic weapon, it¡¯s definitely Melzen¡¯s weapon. I¡¯ll prepare your reward now.¡± [Gatekeeper] As the man handed out orders to the soldiers, they hurriedly moved out. As the man watched them leave, he spoke to me. ¡°I have to say¡­ It¡¯s pretty amazing that you were able to take down Melzen. That man has gotten away from many adventurers and knights, he¡¯s definitely no slouch. If you don¡¯t mind, can you tell me how you beat him?¡± [Gatekeeper] ¡°I was attacked by bandits¡­ After I beat them, they told me before they died¡­ that they were betrayed¡­ So I searched the area¡­ and found Melzen and his men drinking in¡­ a cave.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s when you attacked?¡± [Gatekeeper] ¡°No. I am a monster tamer¡­ I told my poison slime¡­ to go inside the wine barrel.¡± ¡°Ahh, I see, so that¡¯s how¡­ Thank you for defeating him.¡± [Gatekeeper] After that, the soldiers brought the reward money, I stored it and my identification away in my Item Box. The guards of the Jamil family were ordered to go ahead to the lodging, so they were no longer with us by the time we finished. It was also decided that we would be walking to the inn, so the ojousama would have a chance to sightsee. Incidentally, the reward for Melzen was 700 small gold coins. All of the sudden, I¡¯m rich. I can¡¯t think of a way to use it, though. Anyway, I should follow the others and thank them. ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine~ You don¡¯t have to be so reserved with us.¡± [Elize] ¡°Still¡­ it¡¯s pretty impressive that you actually beat that Melzen.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Rather than that, can we please go see the town already!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Calm down, Elia.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But this is my first time walking in such a big town like this!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Like I said yesterday, this is my first time going out. There aren¡¯t any places like this town here where I¡¯m from, and besides, this is the biggest merchant town in the Jamil Territory. You won¡¯t find many towns with more people than this!¡± [Elialia] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] There was indeed a lot of people, but it was still relatively empty for someone who has been to Tokyo. After all, when compared to Tokyo¡¯s packed trains, the Town of Keraban was a whole league empty. Huh, come to think it, isn¡¯t this my first time visiting an otherworld town? Not as exciting as I thought it would be. The old buildings are a rare sight, but they¡¯re not really something to fuss about. There are no beastmen or elves either¡­ Wait, Ojousama! You¡¯re too excited! The crowd of people going to and fro wasn¡¯t that big, but the ojousama was being too conspicuous. It was clear as day that it was her first time in town. It seemed dangerous, so I caught up to her. ¡°Ojousama, over here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°T-Thank you. There sure are a lot of people. I feel like it¡¯s so easy to bump someone.¡± [Elialia] This ojousama would stop at a weird place as soon as something catches her eye. That conspicuous behavior of hers was basically announcing that she knew nothing of the world. Thanks to that, some annoying people came. A girl was walking along a course that was sure to hit ojousama, so I pulled ojousama¡¯s arm to get her out of the way. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oops¡­ Tch¡­¡± [Girl] After pulling the ojousama away, I saw the girl clicking her tongue as she withdrew. So she really was a pickpocket. ¡°Oh dear, thank you. Oh my, What is that?¡± [Elialia] This time it was a man walking from the alley. I pulled the ojousama out of the way before they could collide. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous to jump out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Uoh!?¡± [Man] Because I pulled the ojousama out of the way, the man missed his timing and tumbled onto the ground. ¡°There are people coming out of the alley¡­ be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°T-Thank you¡­¡± [Elialia] After speaking to ojousama, I approached the man. ¡°Are you alright? You¡¯re not injured, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This little br¡ª!?¡± [Man] The man tried to grab the nape of my neck with his left hand, but I lightly parried his hand up with my right hand and grabbed it. At the same time, I placed my left hand behind his elbow. Like this I twisted his arm and broke his posture without letting the ojousama notice. The man was planning to say something, but when he realized he was falling, he stopped. I stopped him before he could completely fall, though, then I looked him in the eye and spoke. ¡°You¡¯re not injured, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ Sorry about that. Thanks for lending me a hand¡­¡± [Man] ¡°Please be careful.¡± [Ryouma] Good grief, don¡¯t lash out on a kid just because you failed¡­ I¡¯m actually an uncle deep inside, though. Lately, I¡¯ve been forgetting whether I¡¯m a kid or an uncle. ¡°Ryouma-san! Let¡¯s go there!¡± [Elialia] You¡¯re still planning to sightsee!? And how far are you criminals planning to follow us!!? After that I worked myself to the bone, protecting ojousama from pickpockets, extortionists, and kidnappers. For some reason, the Jamil family seems to have left everything to me. That aside, though, is this town really alright? Isn¡¯t its public order too chaotic? Chapter 11 Volume 1 Chapter 11 Ryouma ended up accompanying Elialia as her guard until Sebasu called them over to the inn. Presently, they were already at the inn confirming their reservation, but¡­ ¡°Oww¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Are you alright, Ojousama?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, my feet are just a little tired. Are you not affected by the carriage, Ryouma-san?¡± [Elialia] ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems with them.¡± [Ryouma] A little butt ache wasn¡¯t really going to affect someone like Ryouma who possessed both a stupid amount of stamina and level 8 pain resistance. But Elialia was a little down after hearing Ryouma¡¯s response. He was a kid her age, and yet he was perfectly fine. Seeing that, one of the maids called out to her. ¡°The first time hurts for everyone, Ojousama.¡± [Arone] ¡°Arone?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Once you¡¯ve gotten used to riding, the pain will also cease. Ryouma-sama, you seem to be fine despite the long trip, could you possibly have some experience with horses?¡± [Arone] ¡°No, this is¡­ my first time too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? I thought for sure you had experience with how well you took it.¡± [Arone] ¡°I¡¯ve never ridden one before, but¡­ I have ran alongside, one while pulling a carriage.¡± [Ryouma] In Ryouma¡¯s school days, part of his running routine was to run alongside a horse while pulling a rickshaw. He¡¯s actually quite fast too, being able to outrun a horse several times. Because of that he was scouted by a rickshaw man, and he started working part time as one. Ryouma reminisced about those times as he said that last sentence, but unfortunately, from the perspective of Elialia and Arone, they could only take Ryouma¡¯s story as him being abused and made into a horse¡¯s replacement. Because of that misunderstanding, the conversation abruptly stopped and the air quickly became grim. (¡­What¡¯s wrong with everyone? Did I say something strange?¡­) The odds of getting found out increased in proportion with how much he talked about his past, so he intentionally muddied his statement, but because of that thoughtless remark of his just now, Arone and Elialia have suddenly found themselves with a grim expression. Ryouma himself didn¡¯t know that he was the cause for the sudden change in the atmosphere, but he tried changing the topic anyway. ¡°Umm¡­ Ojousama, have you never gone out¡­ until now? It seems, you¡¯re not used, to carriages.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yes. I¡¯ve gone out before, but only to the nearby towns when there was something that needed to be done. I also rode with either my mother or my grandfather¡¯s familiars, so¡­ And while I have ridden a carriage before, but in the end, that was only for short periods of time, so it doesn¡¯t really count.¡± [Elialia] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma, who was an over forty-old failure at social interactions, did not have any techniques in the art of talking. After forcefully changing the topic, he had nothing to add, and silence filled the air once more. That silence was only broken when Reinhart came back after finishing his discussion with the others regarding the guards and the plans for tomorrow. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard today, Elia. This time we¡¯re staying at an inn, so make sure to get a lot of rest.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, father.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ryouma-kun, I¡¯m sorry about this, but we couldn¡¯t get you the same room as ours, so you¡¯ll just have to stay with the servants.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s more than enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a big room, but Sebasu¡¯s the one working on the papers, so you should be able to stay in the same room as Zeff and the others. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be easier if you can stay with someone you know.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After a while, Sebasu came back, and everyone went to their respective rooms. ~Duke¡¯s Room~ As the four members of the Jamil household made themselves comfortable at a corner of their room, Reinhart suddenly asked Elialia a question. ¡°Elia, what were you talking with Ryouma-kun in the lobby? The atmosphere was pretty odd.¡± [Reinhart] When Elialia heard the topic of his question, she quivered with a jolt. ¡°A-Actually, I accidentally touched Ryouma¡¯s past.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Really?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Ryouma-san seemed ok despite having ridden the carriage for so long, so I thought he was used to it, but as it turns out, it was a first for him too. As it turns out, he¡¯s never ridden one before, but he has ridden alongside one while pulling a carriage¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°I see¡­ But it didn¡¯t seem like he minded. He seemed normal when I spoke to him, so Elia, you shouldn¡¯t mind it either.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Just have fun. Didn¡¯t you pull him wherever you want until you reached the inn? Just keep doing that.¡± [Elize] When Elialia heard her mother say that, her face reddened. ¡°Umm, that¡¯s¡­ That was really embarrassing now that I think about it¡­ I was too excited.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You were a little too excited indeed.¡± [Elize] ¡°AUu¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ho ho, it¡¯s good to be lively. Elia, you¡¯re still a kid, so it¡¯s fine to have fun. But remember, you can¡¯t be careless. If you act like that, you¡¯ll end up a target of ruffians, you know. Make sure to pay attention to your surroundings.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Anyway, you should go take a bath and retire for the day. We¡¯ll be moving tomorrow and be camping again, so make sure to make the most of tonight.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I understand, goodnight, mother, father, grandfather.¡± [Elialia] As Elialia said that, she left the room. After confirming that she was indeed gone, the remaining three members of the Jamil family and Sebasu changed the topic. ¡°Hmm¡­ What do you think of Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I told Elialia not to worry about him, but honestly, there¡¯s a lot to be concerned about.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He¡¯s not a bad kid though. Besides, if he were actually scheming something, he¡¯d act more normal.¡± [Elize] ¡°I agree, but it still begs that question¡­ What kind of life do you have to live to end up like that? He said he used a poison slime to kill the bandits, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s all. Ryouma-kun himself is undoubtedly strong. The fact he was able to easily protect Elia while being dragged by her proves that.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Even putting aside the fact those ruffians were amateurs who couldn¡¯t even notice that we were prepared for them, there¡¯s no denying Ryouma-sama¡¯s feats. He really made our lives easier.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Reinbach] As Reinbach said that, he looked down on his right hand. The small head of a snake peeked out of his sleeves. The snake slithered onto his palm and peeked through the gap between his index finger and middle finger, while he petted it with his thumb. That snake was a B Rank monster known as Assassin Snake. It was small but it moved quickly and was always wary of its surroundings. Reinbach had been using it to monitor the ruffians while Elia was walking around the city. Even if Ryouma didn¡¯t do anything, Elialia would never have actually fallen into actual danger. ¡°If he¡¯s that skilled despite being so young, then¡­ Could it be?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Let¡¯s not concern ourselves about that now. Just let him be. All we need to do is to watch over him.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Though it sure is sad seeing him react like that despite coming to a town.¡± [Elize] ¡°Indeed. It doesn¡¯t have to be as pronounced as Elia¡¯s, but children should be more excited with things like these.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He was completely unfazed by the crowd of people. He looked at them like he was looking at some rock by the roadside.¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach¡¯s observation wasn¡¯t wrong, but his interpretation of why Ryouma was making that face was. Ryouma was indeed looking at the crowd without any expression, but that was only because he came from Tokyo, which was always jam-packed with people. Naturally, someone who was used to seeing an even greater crowd going wouldn¡¯t be shocked when greeted by a smaller crowd. It couldn¡¯t be helped then that his eyes were completely expressionless. Unfortunately, these people ended up interpreting his expression as that of a soulless person¡¯s. ¡°What a glum thing it is to witness such a talented youth with eyes so dead¡­¡± On this day, the needless misunderstandings regarding Ryouma increased. ~Servant¡¯s Room~ Ryouma was brought by Sebasu to the room he would be staying at. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sorry to disturb.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma entered the room, he saw Jill, Zeff, Camil, and Hyuzu already in the room. The room was a simple one with beds and 6 tables lined up along each other. ¡°You came!¡± [Jill] ¡°Well done.¡± [Zeff] ¡°It¡¯ll only be one night, but let¡¯s get along.¡± [Camil] ¡°That bed over there¡¯s free.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Thank you for having me.¡± [Ryouma] After they greeted each other, the five of them started chatting. Ryouma was mostly answering their questions though. ¡°By the way, what do you normally do?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In our case, we normally eat out and drink ourselves dead, but you live in the forest, yeah?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ahh¡­ Normally, I research slimes¡­ or practice my magic or train my body.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­That¡¯s it?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t that boring?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Magic and slime research is¡­ fun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s your idea of fun? Looks like you have the aptitude to be a scholar.¡± [Camil] ¡°That sorta stuff is impossible for me though.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Come to think of it, Ryouma-sama, you do sometimes blurt out advanced knowledge or well-mannered speech. Did you study somewhere?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I learned from my grandma. She thought me both academics and¡­ how to behave myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your grandmother sounds like a wonderful person.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°She can do everything, except fight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho, then what about your gramps?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°The exact opposite¡­ A person who can¡¯t do anything but make weapons and fight¡­ But he¡¯s really good. Even the weapons¡­ he makes are first class. I can¡¯t beat him¡­ in either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? You can smith?¡± [Zeff] ¡°I helped out, so¡­ I at least know the basics. I didn¡¯t learn, properly though¡­ I also haven¡¯t used, it in three years, so I can¡¯t make anything decent right now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you certainly can¡¯t find any decent material or tool inside that forest.¡± [Camil] ¡°You¡¯ve finally left the forest after all these years, so you should go ahead and buy the things you need. If there¡¯s anything you want to do, you can walk around until supper.¡± [Hyuzu] When he was asked that, Ryouma said this. ¡°Then can I ask where the church is?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The church? Unfortunately, it¡¯s already closed around this time.¡± [Camil] ¡°There¡¯s a lot of bad people in this town, so they close their gates early. This town has the churches of the god of creation and the god of light. Which god do you follow?¡± [Jill] ¡°The god of creation.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but you won¡¯t be able to get in today. If it were the god of light¡¯s church, you¡¯d be able to get in with a generous bribe.¡± [Jill] ¡°really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The church of the god of light is big, but there¡¯s also a lot of unscrupulous people among them who would do anything for some donation.¡± [Camil] ¡°There are even adherents who believe in their god but don¡¯t trust the deacons or the priests. All the donation-grubbers are with the god of light, so it¡¯s frequently said that only the pious ones are left in the god of creation¡¯s church.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°The gods worshiped are the same, so there¡¯s not much of a difference in their doctrines. Most people just pike their church based on the scale of the church and the personality of the adherents.¡± [Camil] ¡°I didn¡¯t know that¡­ Thank You.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No problem. Sure is odd though that you¡¯d ask where the church is as soon as you hear you can go out. You that pious?¡± [Camil] ¡°Is it that odd?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I¡¯m also a follower of the god of creation¡¯s church, but I only go once a month. I rarely attend worship.¡± [Camil] ¡°Ryouma-kun, did you go to the church a lot before you started living in the forest?¡± [Zeff] ¡°Only once since I was born¡­ I just pray to the stone idol at my house¡­ I have one at the house in the forest too. I made it¡­ with earth magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go ahead and buy some stone instead? This inn is fairly luxurious, so you should be able to ask for some stones to make idols.¡± [Sebasu] Ryouma then bought three building stones from the inn just as Sebasu had suggested. The stones that could be bought from the inn were too high-class, however, and they cost him 1 small gold coin for all three pieces. After that, he came back to the room and created an idol by shaving away the rocks with earth magic. The statues were so elaborate that Camil was taken aback. Ryouma was even able to earn Sebasu¡¯s stamp of approval. Incidentally, the reason Ryouma¡¯s work was so detailed was because he had already personally met the gods, so he had a good idea how they looked like. On top of that, he had the Mana Control skill, which allowed him control his earth magic with precision, and back in earth, making figurines was one of his hobbies, so he was already used to this sort of work. Like that Ryouma sculpted the three sculptures, and after Ryouma prayed to them, it was time for supper. When supper ended, Ryouma retired for the day to prepare for tomorrow¡¯s trip. &nbps; Chapter 12 Chapter 12 part1 Chapter 12 part2 The next day. In the end, I couldn¡¯t go to the church in Kereban. There¡¯s another one at our destination, Gimuru, so I think I¡¯ll just visit that one. Until then I¡¯ll pray to the stone idols I sculpted yesterday. And so, we continued on our leisurely trip, or so that¡¯s what I thought would happen, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a bit cold, huh¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, it is raining.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Even though rain is so rare in this season.¡± [Elia] ¡°Our luck sure is bad, huh, Elia.¡± [Reinhart] A few hours after we left town, rain suddenly started pouring. The carriage had difficulty traversing the muddied road, so there was a lot of shaking for the passengers. We also moved a lot slower than before. My luck has turned for the better since coming to this world, and it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve had such bad luck. But then again, considering how I¡¯m inside a carriage while it pours, I guess my luck can still be considered good. Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking when suddenly the carriage stopped and one of the escorts approached us. ¡°My lord, it seems there¡¯s been a landslide. We¡¯ve confirmed that the road up ahead has been blocked.¡± [Escort] ¡°What did you say? Is that true?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, the road is completely blocked. A big stone and tree has fallen, so we won¡¯t be able to pass for a while.¡± [Escort] ¡°Can¡¯t we go around it?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It would be a long way around if we tried. Moreover, while we¡¯ve yet to confirm this, we believe there¡¯s a fairly large group of bandits should we try and go around. According to a person with the Weather Forecast skill, the rain should be stopping in a few hours. I recommend making camp and waiting out the rain. After that we can remove the blockage and be on our way. I believe this should allow us to reach our goal the fastest. My lord, please decide.¡± [Escort] ¡°A long trip would be harsh on Elia, and I¡¯d like to avoid a dangerous road¡­ Let¡¯s go with your suggestion.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯ll get to work as soon as possible.¡± [Escort] After that the carriage started moving again. Apparently, there¡¯s a tree we could use to take shelter from the rain just up ahead. Personally, I find it a bad idea to stay near a tree when it¡¯s pouring so heavily, but then again I haven¡¯t heard any thunder, so I guess it¡¯s fine? Just to be safe, I should stay at least 2 meters away from the tree. That should at least make it safer for me in case lightning strikes. 5 minutes later, the carriage stopped, and Arone-san entered the carriage hurriedly. ¡°We¡¯re preparing the camp as fast as we can, please wait a moment.¡± [Arone] Arone said with a smile, but I was more concerned about the escorts working behind her while completely drenched. As a former employee of a sweatshop back in Earth, I know full well that helping another person when he¡¯s slacking off or trying to help someone despite knowing nothing is a recipe for disaster, but I still want to help. If I recall correctly, there should be a barrier magic spell to ward off the rain. I haven¡¯t used it in a while, so I¡¯ve forgotten already, but that should allow me to help them without getting in their way. ¡°Mind if I, use barrier magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why all of the sudden?¡¯ [Reinhart] Not good, that was too sudden. If I say that out of the blue without any explanation, there¡¯s no they would understand. ¡°The people outside, are wet¡­ I can use, a barrier to, ward off the rain. That should, make their work easier.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, that would help out a lot. Thank you.¡± [Reinhart] After getting permission, I took out a coat made from pelt and wore it. The outer part of its cloth has been dried like a resin with the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid, allowing it to repel the rain. My days hunting have gotten a lot easier ever since I made this thing. I quickly wore it, approached a crowded place, and just as quickly casted the barrier magic. Cover them and protect them from the rain ¡®Rain Shelter¡¯ As I chanted the spell, a dome-shaped barrier protected the people from the rain. Neither barrier nor mana could be seen by the human eye, so for a moment, the workers were shocked, but Camil-san was quick to pick up, and he waved his hands to thank me. The other people thanked me too, but I just waved my hand in return and quickly went to my next target. I couldn¡¯t cover everyone with one barrier, so I still needed to cast the spell in four more places. I went to the next closest one first. Incidentally, I¡¯m also going to put a barrier up around the horses and the carriage, so I went back to the carriage. ¡°Good work, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Thank you¡­ ¡®Wave¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I took off my raincoat while replying to the Ojousama and Sebasu-san, then I expelled the water off my outfit with a basic water spell to avoid dirtying the carriage. When I got back to my seat, there was a warm cup of tea and a new set of clothes prepared. The conversation naturally shifted to my raincoat. ¡°That rain gear of yours¡­ I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve seen it before. Did you make it yourself, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I noticed it was very effective at repelling water. Was there a beast in the Forest of Gana that could repel water so well?¡± [Elialia] ¡°I just treated it with the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid¡­ and dried it. Water can¡¯t get through it, so it can repel the rain.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid has such an effect?¡± [Elialia] Huh? She didn¡¯t know that? ¡°You didn¡¯t know about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All I know is that it can be used as an adhesive.¡± [Elialia] Really? For some reason, Reinbach-sama and the madam¡¯s eyes are sparkling. Is this a new discovery too!? Just how little were slimes researched? ¡°Can I try that rain gear of yours a little?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°If you just, want to test it¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out several sheets of cloth from my Item Box. ¡°These cloths have already been treated. They¡¯re thin and water can¡¯t pass through them¡­ They¡¯re also worn out, but after the cleaner slimes treated them, they¡¯re no longer dirty.¡± [Ryouma] These were originally from bandits or the loincloths used by goblins, so please excuse them being all worn out. When I handed out the cloths, it wasn¡¯t just Reinbach-sama and the madam who took them, but Reinhart-sama and Sebasu-san also joined in. They wrapped the cloths around their hands, and then they extended their hands outside the window to touch the rain flowing along the barrier. ¡°Ohh! It really can repel water!¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯m not getting wet at all.¡± [Elize] ¡°it still feels a little cold, but that shouldn¡¯t be any problem so long as a pelt is added inside Ryouma-sama¡¯s rain gear.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ryouma-kun, why don¡¯t you work with us and announce this rain gear of yours as a new product¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Excuse me¡­ Did you need me for something?¡± [Arone] While the four adults were busy testing the water repelling abilities of my sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid treated cloth, Arone-san suddenly opened the door to the carriage. Apparently, the helpers normally sat at the back, and extending one¡¯s hand out the window was the sign used to indicate when their help was needed. ¡°Oh, there¡¯s nothing actually. Ryouma was just showing us his newly developed rain gear.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Is that so? In that case, I shall excuse myself then.¡± [Arone] When Arone-san was about to close the door, it occurred to me that her clothes were wet. She must¡¯ve been working somewhere outside of the barrier too. I called out to her in a panic and took out a treated curtain made from one of the cloths I looted off the bandits. ¡°Wait¡­ Arone-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, how may I help you?¡± [Arone] ¡°This, can repel, water.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can borrow this?¡± [Arone] ¡°You¡¯ll get cold if you get wet¡­ so please wear it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll be borrowing this then.¡± Arone-san thanked me with a smile and left, leaving the rest of us to discuss the wonders of the water-repelling cloth. Apparently, this world mainly uses leather to make their water-resistant products, making bigger products such as tents significantly heavier. Compared to that, a cloth that has simply been treated with a sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid is much lighter. Moreover, rainwear tend to get dirty easily. Using a material like leather would make the rainwear more likely to stain, and on top of that, there¡¯s also the possibility of mold growing. To avoid that, one would have to expend a lot of effort from rubbing off the filth to coating with oil, and then finally, drying. Compared to that, a sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid treated cloth could be washed with water and it would also be less prone to getting dirty. In fact, I myself only use the water spell, Wave, to wash off the dirt from my rainwear. After that all that¡¯s left is to dry it. I¡¯ve never had any problems. After explaining that the conversation shifted to what kind of products we could make, and I suggested well-known modern products such as raincoats and umbrellas. Hearing about this world¡¯s rainwear has finally given me that feeling of being in another world. Still, it feels a little odd that my cheat seems to be heading toward the domestic affairs route. I¡¯m pretty sure the power I received was supposed to be my magic, but somehow my modern earth knowledge is actually proving to be so useful. While we were talking, the servants finally finished preparing the tents¡­ I¡¯ve already forgotten about that, actually. ¡°Thanks for waiting, the tents are ready now. Oh, and thanks to you too for helping us out.¡± [Zeff] ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How long will the rain be pouring?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The guy with the weather forecast skill says it should continue for a few more hours. We¡¯ll begin clearing out the rubble once the rain has stopped.¡± [Zeff] ¡°In that case, you rest until then. Especially, the earth mages. They¡¯ll be using a lot of their mana later, so make sure they rest up lots.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Loud and clear, boss.¡± [Zeff] After that Zeff-san saw us to the tent. To my surprise, the tent was really spacious with 4 small rooms inside. What a big and amazing tent. ¡°The carriage shook a lot more today, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯re tired. Rest up.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll rest up now¡­ and then do my best later.¡± [Ryouma] They didn¡¯t just let me ride with them for free, they even covered my lodging. I have to do something for them. It¡¯ll be good training too, so all the more. Reinbach was confused when I said I would do my best, though. ¡°Do your best? At what?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Earth magic¡­ I can help clear, the rubble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just let the guards take care of that. You just rest, ok?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You¡¯ve taken care of me so much already¡­ Please let me do it. It¡¯ll¡­ do me some good too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ If you¡¯re going to say that much, then I suppose you can. But, you definitely have to rest when you¡¯re feeling tired, ok? You¡¯ve already put up a barrier, so you better make sure you don¡¯t run out of mana, or it¡¯ll hurt.¡± [Reinbach] Ah, so that¡¯s what he¡¯s worried about. I¡¯m grateful. ¡°Thank you very much, I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] After that a few hours passed. The rain stopped as expected and the guards that could use earth magic were split into several groups to clear out the rubble. I worked on the area where most of the earth mages were focusing their attention to. I used Break Rock to cause a big rock to collapse, then I used ¡®Rock¡¯ to harden the soil and sand, so that I could clear them out more efficiently. I also used Create Block, a magic born from synthesizing Break Rock and Rock, to change the soil and the rocks into brick-sized building stones simultaneously. After which, I had the slimes carry them away. Unlike the others who were working on only one area ¨C either the soil or the rocks ¨C I was working on both at the same time. Because of that I was able to progress much faster. On top of that, the slimes were carrying the blocks I made through a bucket relay, making the whole process even faster, as it allowed me to put almost all of my attention on magic alone. I was making progress at a frightening rate. When the guards saw me doing that, one of them approached me. ¡°Can I have a sec?¡± [Guard] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, right? How do you use that magic? I can use earth magic, but I¡¯m originally a swordsman, so I don¡¯t know much¡­ but I¡¯ve definitely never seen a spell that could deal with soil and rocks at the same time like the one you¡¯re using. Could you teach it to me too?¡± [Guard] ¡°This spell is called Create Block¡­ If you can use Break Rock and Rock, then you can probably also use it¡­ You use Break Rock to turn rocks into soil, and Rock to turn soil into rocks, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Guard] ¡°Then just imagine the process of turning rock into soil and soil into rock into as one process as you invoke your mana. That way, rocks will turn to soil, while soil remains soil, and then everything can be turned into rock. You should decide beforehand what size of rock you want to turn your target into¡­ In my case, I make them just big enough for the slimes to carry.¡± [Ryouma] When the man tried it out on a nearby rock, the resulting size was a bit of a mess, but he still managed to successfully transform soil and rocks into transportable rocks simultaneously. ¡°Oh! I did it! I still need to work on the uniformity of the size and the number of rocks made at a time, but I still did it. With this I should be able to consume less magic. Thanks, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Guard] ¡°As long as it was of use to you.¡± [Ryouma] He asked me if he could teach it to the others too, and since there wasn¡¯t really a big difference whether one or two people learned it, I agreed. I went back to work, and after a while, the sun was about to set. When the signal to stop working was given, I went back to the tent. ¡°Ryouma-kun, welcome home.¡± [Madam] The madam came out to welcome me, but¡­ ¡°FUGA!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You worked hard! Ryouma-kun!¡± [Madam] ¡°L-Let me go¡­ please¡­¡± [Ryouma] Just when I was about to greet her, she suddenly embraced me. Can¡¯t breathe! I¡¯m being choked by her chest! I beg you, let go¡­ ¡°Madam! You¡¯re choking him! Please release him!¡± [Lilian] ¡°Huh? Ah!¡± [Madam] ¡°*COUGH! Haa¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sorry! Are you alright!?¡± [Madam] ¡°Haa¡­ Yes, I¡¯m alright. Umm¡­ Lilian-san?.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes!?¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you. You saved me¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. By the way, will you be having supper now?¡± [Lilian] ¡°Yes, please.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Lilian led me to the dining table. ¡°Hey, Ryouma-kun. Looks like you worked up quite a sweat.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Can you eat? Don¡¯t force yourself, ok?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my body is perfectly fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho? I¡¯m pretty sure you used a lot of magic, though.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, it was amazing. What was that spell called? Create Block?¡± [Madam] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks to Ryouma-kun and his slimes, and him teaching the guards that spell, it seems the rubble will be cleared out a lot faster.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, by the time we wrapped up for the day, there was one person who was able to completely learn the spell and three others who were able to use it a fairly high level. Because of that progress greatly sped up. Incidentally, the person who learned the spell completely was Gorche-san, the person I spoke to before. Around this time the food was finally brought over and we all started to dig in. Suddenly, Elialia asked me a question. ¡°Ryouma-san, how big is your mana pool?¡± [Elialia] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Come to think of it, how much mana do I have anyway? I¡¯ve been casting one spell after another, so it should have increased¡­ ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Elialia] ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ how much mana I have.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh!? Didn¡¯t you go to the church when you were 10? ¡­Oh, right, you were cooped up in the forest, but in that case, how do you tell when you have enough mana left?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Based on feeling and my body¡¯s condition.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that ok?¡± [Elialia] ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as you get used to it. So, people get their mana pool checked at the age of 10?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, upon turning 10, a normal family would go to the church to get their child¡¯s status checked. They will also be able to know whether their child can be a mage or not in the future depending on how much mana he has. We nobles get checked at the age of 5, so we can start training as soon as possible. Since you¡¯re able to cast so many spells without running out of mana, you must have quite a bit.¡± [Reinbach] After that we talked about the city we¡¯re headed to and the various things to do after reaching it. After supper I was given a room in the tent. With everything that needed doing already done and with all the work to do tomorrow, I decided to go to bed early, but there was one thing bothering me. When we were talking about my mana pool, for some reason, the ojousama kept looking at me. What was that about? I noticed her looking intermittently, but I have no idea what it means. We only talked a little, but now that I think about, it does feel like the topic was changed quickly. Did I say something bad? It¡¯s worrying, but I missed the timing to ask. I should ask when I get the chance. I should ask as nonchalantly as possible, but if I can¡¯t, then it might be better to ask when we¡¯re closer. How long have I been thinking like this? My eyes are so heavy. No longer in the mood to go against the call of slumber, I went to sleep. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 part1 Chapter 13 part2 Chapter 13 part3 3 days later. Aside for that one landslide, our trip went smoothly. And because there was always someone with me around the clock, I gradually learned to talk normally. I¡¯m still a bit stiff when talking, but people can at least understand me now. Today, we finally reached our destination: Gimuru Town. ¡°We¡¯re here, the Town of Gimuru.¡± [Elize] ¡°So this is Gimuru¡­¡± [Ryouma] A quiet town surrounded by high walls and greeneries, that was my first impression of it. It was smaller compared to Kereban, the town we stopped by last, but because of that it appeared more stable. I¡¯ve heard it specializes in iron and steel because of a nearby mine, so I was expecting it to be a bit rowdier, but this is good too. Along the way, however, Reinhart-san mentioned that the production of iron has been declining, and this year it has finally reached the point where they might have to close the mine down due to lack of profit. Seeing the state of the mine is actually one of the reasons the Jamil Household came here. That being said, it seems they¡¯ve already made their mind to abandon it. ¡°There¡¯s more than one mine, so it shouldn¡¯t pose too big of a problem if we close one down,¡± Reinhart-san said. So they¡¯re definitely expecting to close it down. It¡¯s not really a topic to discuss with a kid though, so he might have left out some details. The acquisition rate from that one mine has been mostly zero these past 3 years, so unless they find a new vein, they¡¯re closing it for good. On top of that, the miners have already stopped working there since last year. Not that it¡¯s surprising or anything, after all, I¡¯m sure anyone would prefer to do work that actually gets results. When it affects your income, all the more. ¡°We¡¯ll leave our luggage at the inn, and then we¡¯ll drop by the tamer guild to register.¡± The tamer guild is the guild in charge of monster tamers and conjurers. Its main function is to introduce jobs and gather information. It also introduces its members to lodging that they can stay at with their familiars, as well as provide feed for cheap. In other words, it acts as a support to affiliated members. Other guilds also exist, such as the adventurer guild, the mage guild, and the merchant guild, but the tamer guild has the least members. Due to many people finding familiars scary, monster tamer as a profession is relatively unpopular. As such, the scope of the tamer guild is a lot smaller than others, and it also has fewer branches. Gimuru Town happens to have a mine nearby, so there¡¯s a branch here due to the abundance of cargo work. ¡­I heard most of that from the madam, though. The madam is in high spirits today, so much so that she pulled me and the ojousama along as she hummed¡­ But there was something bothering me, so I asked her a question. ¡°How much information should I give to the guild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sharing information is up to the discretion of the discoverer, so it¡¯s up to you to decide how much would be fine.¡± [Elize] I see, then¡­ ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll register the information regarding the slime evolution conditions and the method to tame a big slime. I¡¯ll also register the 2 new slime variants.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re keeping the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid¡¯s usage a secret?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes since doing so would raise the odds for counterfeit products appearing once waterproof cloths are introduced into the market.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± [Elize] We were originally planning to go straight to the tamer guild, but then Reinbach-sama said this. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯ve never gone to the church before, right? In that case, I think it would be better if we go there first to get your status examined.¡± [Reinbach] When he said that, Reinhart-san and the madam both made an ¡®Oh, right!¡¯ face. Apparently, one will receive a status board after getting his status checked at the church, a magic tool that allows one to show his status. Having one would make registering in the guild easier, so it was advisable to get one first. For example, if there was a requirement to know Monster Taming or Conjuration to register, so long as one has a status board, all he would have to do to prove he¡¯s met said conditions is to show the column where his skills are located and he¡¯ll immediately be able to register. Without one, one would have to wait for a while, as the clerk in charge would have to prepare a slime, so that the applicant may attempt a contract to prove that he¡¯s met said conditions. As such, we decided to change our plans and go to the Church of World Creation first. Also, we left the slimes to watch our lodging while we¡¯re gone. We could have brought them if we were just going to the tamer guild, but it can¡¯t be helped. When we got to the church, the person who greeted us was an elderly woman dressed in religious garment. ¡°Welcome, are you here to attend the chapel?¡± [Nun] ¡°We¡¯re here to get this child¡¯s status board. Due to some circumstances, he hasn¡¯t gotten his status board yet.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Greetings.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, follow me then. I will lead you to the baptism hall.¡± [Nun] I had to follow the woman dressed in religious garment alone, as only people receiving the baptism could enter. ¡°Please enter.¡± [Nun] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] The room she led me to had a crystal ball and pedestal just like the one I saw back at Kereban at the guard house. Everything looked exactly the same except for the vertical rectangular depression about as big as one¡¯s hand on the pedestal. ¡°This plate will become your status board. We¡¯ll place this here in the depressed spot, and as soon as you touch the crystal ball, the baptism will end. The crystal ball will emit a powerful light upon touching it, but please don¡¯t be alarmed.¡± [Nun] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] The woman said as she showed me a transparent plate. After setting it inside the depressed spot, she urged me to touch the crystal. ¡°Please touch the crystal.¡± [Nun] ¡°Ok.¡± [Ryouma] While feeling a little excited, I slowly approached the crystal and touched it. In that instant, a blinding light illuminated from the crystal. It was just like when I came to this world for the first time. The light was so strong that I was forced to close my eyes. In fact it was so strong that it was not eigengrau that greeted me upon closing my eyes but a red color that gradually grew weaker as the light became fainter. ¡°U¡­? !?¡± When the blinding light was gone, I opened my eyes, and what greeted me next was a space completely different from the earlier baptism hall. This is the gods¡¯¡­ ¡°Hey! Ryouma-kun!¡± [Kufo] ¡°Over here!¡± [Gayn] ¡°Behind you!¡± [Rurutia] Dazed, I turned around, and there I saw the three gods that sent me to the world of Sailfall standing. If they¡¯re here, then that must mean that I really am in that place. ¡°Gayn, Kufo, Rurutia¡­ Did I die again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no, not at all. We just stopped the time in Sailfall a little and pulled your soul here.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d actually meet like this again, but who would¡¯ve thought you would actually pray everyday to that statue you made in the forest.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Remember how you did nothing for three years but train, research, and pray? On top of which you ate only enough to fill yourself? That¡¯s actually just like a clergyman¡¯s training.¡± [Rurutia] Really? ¡°Because you¡¯ve met us before you were able to believe from the bottom of your heart that we truly existed. And after praying to us everyday for three years, you¡¯ve cleared more than enough conditions to receive the Oracle skill. Going to the baptism hall just woke it up, and in fact, once you return to your body, you¡¯ll realize that you¡¯ve learned a new skill called ¡®Oracle¡¯. It should be about level 2 or 3.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I see¡­ In any case, I¡¯m happy to be able to meet you again.¡± [Ryouma] There was a lot to digest even with just this short exchange, but everything was happening so suddenly that I couldn¡¯t process them all. ¡°We¡¯re happy too. Especially, since you came to church.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It looks like you¡¯re enjoying your new life. We¡¯re always watching you, you know? And from what we¡¯ve seen, it seems you¡¯re always doing one interesting after another.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I never expected you to coop up in the forest for 3 years. It¡¯s a short time to us, but it¡¯s fairly long for you humans. To begin with, while that forest is relatively safe, it¡¯s not completely free of danger. At most, we thought you¡¯d stay there for one year¡­¡± [Gayn] The three gods happily talked like that, but it felt like they were wearing a faint wry smile. ¡°Did you know? You actually managed to make quite the luxurious home with just your magic and skills.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°That house of yours might look simple, but it¡¯s actually really amazing considering where it¡¯s located. I mean despite being in the middle of a forest, it¡¯s safe, it¡¯s big, it¡¯s clean, and it has a lot of facilities. Especially that bath of yours, which is actually a luxury in this world. On top of that, I think you¡¯re actually the only one in this world with a toilet that clean.¡± [Kufo] ¡°You making that much progress with your slime research was also a surprise. There¡¯s not a lot of people who research it to begin with¡­ I was especially surprised by those two new variants you produced: the cleaner slime and the scavenger slime.[Gayn] ¡°¡­Ah, ahh. So they really are new. I thought that might be the case after hearing someone from a monster tamer family say that they¡¯ve never heard of them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I created the slimes, but all I did was give it the ability to adapt to its environment and reproduce. Because of that its possibilities are endless. Unfortunately, it¡¯s too weak, so it just gets preyed upon by other animals, and its numbers don¡¯t increase much after birth.¡± The slimes are born differently depending on the environment, so even I forgot about their potential. So, I say, you did a really good job!¡± [Gayn] ¡°You must be the first person to research slimes that much.¡± [Rurutia] Did people ignore slimes that much? ¡°Well, I made the slimes and even I forgot about them¡­ In fact, I think you might even know about them than I do.¡± [Gayn] ¡°So the possibilities of slimes go beyond even a god¡¯s knowledge?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, there are still a lot of things you have in mind regarding slimes, right? I took a peek at your research, and you just kept coming up with ideas I could never even dream of. To begin with, I may be a god, but I¡¯m not all-powerful. We gods each have our own specialties and things we¡¯re bad at. There are times when the creatures we created do things that surprise us too.¡± [Gayn] ¡°For example, humans normally can¡¯t hurt us because we¡¯re gods, but if you were to try and beat us up now, you¡¯d easily be able to. After all, we don¡¯t have any combat abilities. We could use our divine powers to make it so that you can¡¯t touch us, but we can¡¯t win against you in terms of skills. Ah, but a god that specializes in combat won¡¯t lose.¡± [Kufo} ¡°R-¡­ I see.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Well, humans do tend to think of gods as all-powerful. But in any case, it¡¯s good to see you having fun. Moreover, you actually made contact with that family.¡± [Rurutia] Hmm? The gods know of the Jamil Household? Oh, but their gods, that shouldn¡¯t be a strange thing. ¡°Is there anything special about them? Not societally, but from the gods¡¯ standpoint?¡± [Ryouma] The one who answered my question was Rurutia. ¡°Their ancestor was an otherworlder we brought over from Earth.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, she was a really good kid~ She wanted to become an animal trainer, but because of some circumstances, she couldn¡¯t become one, so she asked us for the power to tame animals.¡± ¡°Could it be that¡¯s the origin of Monster Taming?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re half-right. Actually, there was a similar technique at the time, which she studied too. After combining that with the power we gave her, she created Monster Taming. After completing it, she went on to gain various achievements, gained a noble title, and ended up marrying a noble. She was pretty and fairly popular, you see. Oh, and it was a love marriage. After that, her lineage passed down her techniques and they became the official line of monster tamers.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°The current Jamil Household has also received many divine protections. Reinbach has mine, Reinhart has Kufo¡¯s, and Elize¡¯s has Rurutia¡¯s. Their daughter Elia has also deeply inherited the blood of her otherworlder ancestor, so naturally, we know them well.¡± [Gayn] ¡°We watch them the most after you.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Hmm¡­ Then the ojousama is very talented in Monster Taming?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Talented, yes, but that¡¯s something she inherited from her father¡¯s side. The otherworlder blood she inherited actually comes from her mother¡¯s side, a different otherworlder. That otherworlder was your stereotypical otaku. He hated exercise and did not want to learn martial arts, so he asked to be made peerless in magic instead. Unlike you, he asked to be given more mana. As a result, he ended up with a powerful magic that could be cast repeatedly. It did take him a while to learn various magic, though.¡± [Gayn] ¡°It¡¯s because he didn¡¯t know how to take care of himself~¡± [Kufo] ¡°He¡¯s a coward with no guts, so it¡¯s already fortunate that he didn¡¯t do anything bad. I was wondering what would happen after we bestowed him his powers, but he was paranoid to the very end.¡± [Rurutia] Just how amazing was that otherworlder? Still¡­ ¡°It seems there are a lot of otherworlders, huh. Will I also meet one in my travels?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°One gets brought over every time we take mana from Earth, so of course, there¡¯s a lot. But as for there being several otherworlders at the same time, it¡¯s fairly rare. After all, there¡¯s usually a 200 year gap between otherworlders, and that¡¯s considered short.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Although there are times when mana consumption goes up ¨C mainly because of war ¨C and we have to bring more people than normal from Earth, but normally, more than one otherworlder at a time doesn¡¯t happen. Presently, there¡¯s no big war, so I think you¡¯ll probably be the only one while you¡¯re alive.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°If you want to know more about otherworlders, you should read books. Most of them have powers and skills similar to that of gods, so there are a lot of legends and fairytales about them. There are epics too. For example, Elialia-chan¡¯s matriarchal side¡¯s peerless mage ancestor was summoned during wartime. That otherworlder came to be renowned as a brave warrior and a hero. There are also¡­ Stories wherein the otherworlders get too arrogant and end up being treated like the demon king, causing other people to kill them. You¡¯ve heard of the Alchemy King, right?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Yes, is he an otherworlder too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. He was a reeeeeeeally annoying person though!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°He wanted to use alchemy, but when we told him there was no alchemy in the world, he said ¡®Go make it then!¡¯ He was really arrogant too, such that he had his subordinates call him ¡®Alchemy King¡¯ and had them spread word.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped, so I had to figure out what alchemy was from him and from that I put something together halfheartedly.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Halfheartedly? Could that be why it¡¯s so easy to use?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I knew it! Write a simple magic formation, place the ingredients on top, apply mana¡­ I thought it was a bit too easy, so that¡¯s why! I found it strange because it didn¡¯t need the careful balance of mana that the other schools of magic required.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t want to waste time because of his selfishness, you see. I may have too much free time, but I¡¯d rather that than be annoyed.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I agree with you there, but¡­ How to put it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even then, alchemy is still difficult for the people of this world. This world doesn¡¯t have any knowledge of Chemistry, after all. The Alchemy King could use it easily because of his earthling knowledge, which allowed him to make a killing, but after that, no one else could use alchemy. The most people could do was separate some objects into their components. The Alchemy King was obsessed with money, so because he didn¡¯t want to have anyone taking away his profits, he never passed down his knowledge and abilities. The secretive nature of current alchemists is also due to his influence.¡± [Gayn] ¡°So that happened, huh¡­¡± [Ryouma] He sure did whatever he pleased, that otherworlder¡­ ¡°You¡¯re actually really docile compared to the otherworlders until now¡­ It may seem like you¡¯re just being swept by others, but that¡¯s not actually the case. You can make decisions for yourself, you follow rules you¡¯ve set, and you try out various things. To us and to Sailfall, you are the best kind of otherworlder.¡± [Kufo] ¡°What¡¯s this all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fuffu~n, we may act like this, but we¡¯re still gods. Gotta act the part from time to time.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Ahh, I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t have to think too hard about it. Even if you just go with the flow like you did in your previous world, you won¡¯t end up like last time. Besides, it¡¯s not that bad to just go with the flow.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s enough to enjoy life, no?¡± [Gayn] ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Yeah. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mind it, we are gods, after all. The least we can do is give advice.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Consider it as thanks for making our lives more eventful.¡± [Kufo] ¡°¡­We¡¯ve almost reached the time limit. I¡¯ll give some advice before our time is up.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I¡¯ve lost the words I knew in my past life, so this is all I can say for now, but¡­ Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s because everyone is watching over me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, the other gods have also been recently watching you.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Huh, other gods?¡± [Ryouma] I opened my eyes wide at that sudden drop. ¡°The god of war and the god of magic both have their attention on you. It¡¯s rare since they usually hate otherworlders.¡± [Gayn] ¡°You¡¯ve only met us so far, but you¡¯ll meet the other gods too when the time comes.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I never heard anything about that¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to ask you to do something. Ah, but it seems the God of Art and Craftsmen has already given you his blessing. It¡¯s not a bad thing, so don¡¯t worry.¡± [Kufo] ¡°He said it¡¯s because he likes the way you drank liquor in your past life. That guy is also the God of Liquor, and while you may not have drunk happily in the past, being able to drink that much is still worthy of admiration. He also mentioned that he¡¯d like to see your Drunken Fist once.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Drunken Fist? You mean that thing I copied from the movies in the forest? He was watching that? Who would¡¯ve thought someone would like that stuff¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You never know what¡¯ll happen in life. And with your grandpa who supposedly raised you in this world being a dwarf, well, Tekun, the God of Liquor, also happens to be mainly worshiped by the dwarves.¡± [Gayn] ¡°That does make sense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyway, we really are out of time now, so we have to go.¡± [Gayn] Eh!? Ah, right¡­ I just went along with the flow and chatted, but before I knew it, our time is already up. That light started to glow around me again. ¡°It was nice seeing each other again¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°Don¡¯t make such a glum face. We¡¯ll be able to talk again when you drop by the church. Although, we honestly weren¡¯t expecting this.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°¡­ I see. Then, until next time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, until next time.¡± [Kufo] ¡°You really are an interesting person. I eagerly await the day we meet again. I¡¯ll watch over you throughout your days.¡± [Gayn] As Gayn said that, a soft light flowed out, and when the light ceased, I could see the woman in religious clothing again. ¡°Wow, that was an amazing light. The brighter the light, the more the gods love you, so you might one day receive a blessing from the gods. Check it with your status board later, ok?¡± Looks like the time here really did stop just like Gayn said. Maybe I should ask about blessings? ¡°Thank you very much. Is there anything I should know regarding blessings?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A blessing is something a god bestows on you. No one has the right to say anything about it except you and your god. I¡¯ll answer if you have any questions, but I won¡¯t ask you anything. Also, it¡¯s normal to show your name, age, and race on your status card, but you should hide everything else. That¡¯s private information, after all. You can hide or show information by thinking about it. Try it.¡± [Nun] When she said that, I looked at the information shown on my status board. Chapter 14 Volume 1 Chapter 14 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 14 part2 Name: Ryouma Takebayashi Gender: Male Age: 11 Race: Human HP: 11,052 MP: 198,000 Domestic Skills Domestic Chores Lv10 Etiquette Lv7 Musical Instrument Lv3 Singing Lv3 Calculation Lv5 Battle Skills Close-Combat Mastery Lv7 Sword Mastery Lv7 Knife Mastery Lv6 Hidden Weapons Mastery Lv7 Spear Mastery Lv4 Bow Mastery Lv6 Staff Mastery Lv6 Weight Control Lv4 Throwing Weapons Mastery Lv7 Stealth Mastery Lv7 Traps Lv6 Body Control Lv6 Spirit Cultivation Lv5 Magic Skills (Note: All levels in this section were previously Lv1.) Monster Taming Lv2 Barrier Magic Lv2 Healing Magic Lv1 Alchemy Lv2 Fire Magic Lv3 Water Magic Lv3 Wind Magic Lv2 Earth Magic Lv4 Neutral Magic Lv3 Electric Magic Lv1 Ice Magic Lv2 Poison Magic Lv2 Wood Magic Lv3 Light Magic Lv2 Dark Magic Lv1 Space Magic Lv3 Magic Perception Lv3 Magic Manipulation Lv4 Increased MP Recovery Lv2 Production Skills Pharmacy Lv6 Smithing Lv1 Architecture Lv3 Woodworking Lv3 Molding Lv4 Drawing Lv4 Resistance Skills Physical Pain Resistance Lv8 Mental Resistance Lv9 Health Lv7 Stench Resistance Lv3 (NEW) Special Skills Survival Skills Lv3 Focused Mind Lv5 Greater vitality Lv3 Greater Stamina Lv6 Super Regeneration Lv3 (TL change only. No change in raws. Previously, Greater Regeneration.) Titles Usurper One Who has Lived Through Misfortune Favored Child of the Gods Disciple of the Sage Disciple of the Martial God Blessings Blessing of Gayn, the God of Creation Blessing of Kufo, the God of Life Blessing of Rurutia, the God of Love Blessing of Tekun, the God of Liquor Well, the mana is about as expected. I was told beforehand that it would increase as long as I keep using magic, so there¡¯s no surprise there. The skills, on the other hand¡­ A lot sure have leveled up. Not to mention, that¡¯s a lot of magic skills¡­ Hmm? What¡¯s with this disciple stuff? Oh, this must be the setting the gods provided to ensure that there¡¯s nothing suspicious about my high skill levels. There¡¯re also the blessings from Gayn¡¯s group and the Liquor God. Anyway, let¡¯s hide everything else except for the name, age, and gender just like I was told. ¡°Done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll lead you to where your chaperons are waiting then. I suggest asking them if you want a more comprehensive answer to your questions.¡± [Nun] When we left the baptism hall, I heard the sound of children coming from outside. ¡°Wait!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°Ahahaha! Over here!¡± [Kid 2] I turned toward the source of that sound, and there I saw children dressed in old clothes playing. ¡°They are children under the care of this church. They¡¯re always so lively, so after finishing their chores, they would go out and play just like that.¡± [Nun] Not sure if they¡¯re orphans or children who simply don¡¯t know their own family, though. ¡°Please follow me.¡± [Nun] I followed after the woman to a room in the church where Reinhart-san, the madam, Reinbach-sama, and the ojousama were eagerly waiting. ¡°The baptism has ended without any problems.¡± [Nun] ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± [Reinhart] After Reinhart-san said that, the woman immediately excused herself. ¡°I¡¯ll be excusing myself now then. Please feel free to use this room until you leave.¡± [Nun] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Reinhart] I also thanked her. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Well then¡­¡± [Nun] I saw the woman off as she left the room, then I turned to Reinhart-san with a puzzled expression. ¡°She seemed to be in a hurry¡­ Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The information within the status board is private information, so she¡¯s being considerate.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°This room has also been prepared so that the baptized and his relatives may be able to talk among themselves away from prying ears.¡± [Madam] ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s best not to speak needlessly of one status, after all. Hiding one¡¯s status board in the past was illegal, but because of that there were a lot of people who used that information for evil. As such, it¡¯s currently common practice to hide it.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Revealing one¡¯s status information reveals one¡¯s fighting style and abilities, not to mention HP, MP, and other battle-related stuff, so it¡¯s usually only revealed to people one can trust. Blessings aren¡¯t revealed for the same reason. Normally, only one¡¯s name, age, race, and ¨C depending on the person ¨C titles are shown.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Which is why, Ryouma-kun, you should make sure to hide your information, ok? You can ask us if you have any questions, but if you don¡¯t want to reveal something, you don¡¯t have to.¡± [Madam] These people really are so kind¡­ I¡¯ll figure out later what to show. ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, Reinbach-sama nodded in satisfaction, then he spoke with a serious face. ¡°Now that you have a status board, there¡¯s something I have to tell you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What is it?¡¯ [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s about your abilities. From what I¡¯ve seen so far, your abilities should be extremely high compared to other children your age. Because of that I¡¯m sure a lot of people up to no good will approach you. If you don¡¯t want that to happen, you should hide your skills, and gain a position to protect yourself. The problem is you¡¯re too skilled, so it won¡¯t be easy to keep a low profile; therefore, I think it would be best if you register at a guild as soon as possible and get a good position, or more specifically, a high rank. If anything happens, I¡¯ll help out, but you should still exercise caution.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Your abilities don¡¯t match up with your age, so anyone can immediately tell that you¡¯ve received a blessing from a god, but depending what kind of blessing it is, your life can seriously be in danger, so be careful.¡± [Reinhart] ¡­It¡¯s true I haven¡¯t really been holding myself back that much, but have I really done anything odd? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve given my all or anything¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­?¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, it occurred to me that the ojousama was looking at me oddly like last time. I haven¡¯t really done anything in particular this time, so I wonder if there¡¯s anything she wants to ask?¡¯ ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°I thought there might be something you wanted to ask.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Elialia] When I said that, the ojousama started speaking honestly. ¡°Actually, I¡¯m a bit curious about how much mana you have.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Mana?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Ryouma-san, last time you used a lot of magic, but you never ran out of mana. According to father, the amount of mana you used that time was enough to make a normal person faint, so I was wondering how much you actually had.¡± [Elialia] Mana, huh. It¡¯ll probably be fine even if I tell these people. Especially, since they¡¯ve already seen me use enough mana to make a normal person faint. I was only using it like I did back when I was living at the forest, though¡­ Ah! That must be why I was told to hide my abilities. Now, I get it. ¡°Ah¡­ I just checked awhile ago, and it seems I have 198,000MP.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that the people of the ducal family all opened their eyes wide and the ojousama looked at me with a complicated gaze, but that was all. Huh? Isn¡¯t their reaction a bit lacking? ¡°198,000MP, and yet you could cast so many spells.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Well, the bigger your mana pool is, the more spells you can cast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh? O-Oh, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean you¡¯re able to use magic properly.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Properly?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°H-Huh? D-Did I say anything odd?¡± [Elialia] For some reason, the conversation was running completely parallel. The ojousama was starting to be troubled, so Sebasu-san interjected. ¡°Ryouma-sama, could it be that you don¡¯t have any difficulties using magic?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Difficulties? Is that supposed to happen?¡± [Ryouma] When I replied like that, everyone was taken aback. Apparently, while a bigger mana pool gives a big advantage, it also makes it very difficult to control it, making it difficult to learn spells. Trying to release a small amount of mana, for example, would usually result in mana gushing forth like a broken faucet or something. Because of that, people with huge mana pools need to train more extensively on control compared to those with smaller mana pools. ¡­I think I have a clue why I¡¯m like this. When I first came to this world, the first spell I used was Break Rock. At that time, the most I could do was to open a hole just big enough for my finger to get into. It was my first time, so I didn¡¯t realize it then, but I certainly did fail to control the mana I released, causing much of it to disperse. When that happens, the spell cast won¡¯t have any effect. In other words, I was soiling myself with mana, and I was just using a tiny bit of the mana I had. As I continued to use magic, that problem became apparent. And after more practice, I started to be able to control it better. Better control meant less mana consumption and more effective spells. Three years later, I¡¯d improved greatly, and the result were those spells I used when the road was blocked. Although it¡¯s the same spell, my current earth magic is leagues above that when I first came here. From my perspective, it¡¯s normal not to be able to use magic, so I didn¡¯t find anything odd about it. I just thought I¡¯d grown a bit, but it seems, this was a bigger deal than expected. From the perspective of this world, someone who is able to control a vast amount of mana is a skilled person who¡¯s gone through harsh training. ¡­It feels a bit weird calling myself skilled, but anyway, I get it now. ¡°I never had anyone to compare myself to, so I never noticed. Sorry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-san, don¡¯t you know how amazing you are for being able to use magic so easily? I¡¯m the same age, and yet I can¡¯t use magic at all.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Actually, my mana pool is at 200,000MP¡± [Elialia] ¡°200,000!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°200,000!?¡± That¡¯s more than me! So that¡¯s why the adults¡¯ response was so lackluster! Gayn and the others were right. Elialia has definitely inherited much of her ancestor otherworlder¡¯s blood. She was probably looking at me oddly because she thought I had a huge mana pool and was wondering how I could use magic well. ¡°I think I understand the situation now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. It¡¯s my first time meeting someone with a mana pool comparable to mine. To be honest, I¡¯m also curious to what extent you can use magic and how you learned it, but I won¡¯t ask¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°It¡¯s ok. I can show you the magic section of my status board. I¡¯m curious too, anyway.¡± [Ryouma] I called out my status board and showed the column on magic. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see you¡¯ve learned many different schools of magic. The levels are also relatively high considering your age. You did mention that you could use all attributes, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually be able to use them to this extent.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°All the beginner spells are at least level 2, and you even have level 2 or 3 intermediate spells.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Your earth and space magic, in particular, are quite high. You¡¯ve done well considering space magic is said to be one of the harder schools to level up.¡± [Elize] ¡°I believe it isn¡¯t too much to say that you might surpass even me. To think you even possess Magic Manipulation, Magic Perception, and Increased MP Recovery.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°It¡¯s because I used magic a lot back in the forest¡­ Water and fire spells were used for cooking and bathing, while I used the earth and space spells for hunting, so I was using them pretty much everyday.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm, did you use offensive magic?¡± [Elize] ¡°No, I mostly rely on archery and trapping for hunting. I could use the fireball spell, but it would leave the meat charred and the parts I could consume would be less. As for Earth Needle, I used it to fill my pitfalls.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. So you were able to improve your magic this much by using them daily. In that case, you should start studying offensive magic. There¡¯s no harm in learning them, and there are monsters immune to physical attack.¡± [Sebasu] Oh, right! There were monsters like that. Or I mean, it¡¯s only a given monsters like that would exist in this world. Any fantasy light novel would say so! I really shouldn¡¯t have forgotten, but I was cooped up in my little space for so long that I actually forgot. I should start practicing offensive magic from now on. ¡°I would like to try it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The beginner spells are relatively easy, so you should be able to learn up to the intermediate spells with a little training. You have a lot of mana, so you might even be able to learn the advanced spells of the earth school.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°You have Magic Manipulation on top of your huge mana pool, after all. Coupled with your Increased MP Recovery, you¡¯ll be able to train a lot in a day.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Those gifts of yours are very convenient as a mage. Don¡¯t waste them, ok?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] While I was starting to understand how unique my skills were outside the forest, the Ojousama, who was staring wordlessly at my status board, suddenly spoke. ¡°So Ryouma-san trained by using his spells in his day-to-day life¡­ Then maybe if I do the same thing, I¡¯ll also¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°You don¡¯t have to use it for trivial things alone. You could also play with it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Play with magic?¡± [Elialia] She looked like she wanted to improve, so I told her of the things I did in the forest, but for some reason, she looked at me with a strange face. ¡°You¡¯ve never messed around with the basic beginner spells?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. I¡¯ve always been practicing my magic according to my curriculum.¡± [Elialia] ¡°A person¡¯s skill in magic heavily influences his income regardless of whether he is a noble or not, so you won¡¯t hear a lot of people fooling around with magic.¡± [Elize] ¡°For example, fire magic can be used in places that require strong heat like a smithery. Ice magic or space magic can be used to transport food. Earth magic or wood magic can be used for construction or farming. There are all sorts, but the demand is there. Which is why the more skilled one is, the less difficulty he¡¯ll have finding work. Or at the very least, have more options that a non-mage.¡± [Reinhart] I see. So it¡¯s not that playing with magic has been forbidden by religion, but that people have always looked at it as a means to put food on the table. As such, the people of this world treat playing with magic as the same as wasting mana. So, I guess she can¡¯t use this method then? But just as I was thinking that, the three adults started supporting me. ¡°Playing with magic¡­ That¡¯s not something you hear often, but Elia, if you¡¯re interested, you should give it a try.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You have 200,000MP, after all. You should still have plenty left over even if you fool around a little.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It would make for a good breather too.¡± [Reinbach] I asked if that was really alright, and they said that the ojousama has plenty of mana to spare. A little bit wouldn¡¯t hurt. Besides, it was something a skilled mage (me) suggested, so they figured they might as well give it a shot. Then I guess I¡¯ll teach the ojousama how to play with magic. Or so I was thinking, but we¡¯re borrowing a room from the church right now. It wouldn¡¯t be a good idea to do it here. ¡°Then I¡¯ll teach you when there¡¯s an opportunity.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!? I¡¯ll be waiting then!¡± [Elialia] The ojousama was so happy that she took my hands. It¡¯s a simple beginner spell that any actual mage could use, but seeing her this happy makes me happy too. ¡°Now then, I believe we should be going soon. We¡¯ve already talked about what needed to be talked about and we still have other errands to run.¡± [Reinhart] Just as Reinhart-san said, we still had to register at the guild. Remembering that, we all left the church and went to the tamer guild. Chapter 15 Volume 1 Chapter 15 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 15 part2 As I went with the others to the tamer guild, the first thing that came to view was tram stop where the monster pulling wagons were. This is a mining town, so transport jobs are naturally the most popular jobs around here. Following that logic, there¡¯s a lot of large-sized monsters, most of which either look like a cow or a horse. There are also some boar-like ones. It seems small monsters can be taken inside the guild without any problem, so I could bring the slimes with us as long I have them use the shrink skill. It was mostly humans inside the guild, but there were some goblins here and there carrying luggage. Reinhart-san led us to a counter. ¡°Welcome to the Tamer Guild Gimuru Branch. How may I help you?¡± [Clerk] ¡°We will be registering my daughter and this child. We will also be submitting new information.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Very well. Please follow me.¡± [Clerk] The person manning the counter led us to a room and served us tea. A few minutes later, a man dressed in clothes better than the other staff members came with carrying some writing implements. The man had a hair of red and white in a ratio of 8:2, arranged properly as if he had taken the time to get it done. He looked fairly old. Light reflected off his hair as he looked toward us through his golden-rimmed glasses. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Reinbach. I see the young lad, Reinhart, and Elize¡¯s daughter is well.¡± [Well-Attired Old Man] ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± [Elize] ¡°You seem to be doing well, Taylor.¡± [Reinbach] Apparently, he¡¯s an acquaintance of the ducal family. ¡°Not bad, anyway. As for the two of you, this will be our first time meeting. I am Taylor Smith, the man in charge of the Tamer Guild Gimuru Branch. By the way, Reinbach, since when did you have two grandchildren? I¡¯ve heard of your granddaughter, I¡¯m sure, but lately I¡¯ve been forgetting things, so do forgive me if I¡¯m mistaken.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Elialia is my only grandchild. This boy here is Ryouma-kun. By some stroke of fate, we met him a few days ago. We would like to register both him and my granddaughter to the tamer guild, and I would like you to raise his rank as soon as possible.¡± [Reinbach] Can you really ask something like that!? I yelled inwardly. When I glanced at Reinbach-sama¡¯s face, he said this. ¡°Ryouma-kun, Taylor is an old friend of mine, he¡¯s a man you can trust. There won¡¯t be any problems.¡± [Reinbach[ When Reinbach-sama said that, the branch head, Taylor, spoke as if nothing at all was amiss. ¡°I can accommodate him to some extent since you¡¯re the one introducing him, but a quick rank up will require that he has the skill for it.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, in the first place, the reason I¡¯m asking this is because Ryouma-kun is far too skilled for his age.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°So you want a position that will prevent some strange people from messing with him, I see¡­ I¡¯d love to sit down and hear about his situation, but for now, let¡¯s go ahead and proceed with the registration.¡± [Taylor] Taylor took out two sheets of paper from the bundle of paper he was carrying by his armpit and handed them to me and Elialia. ¡°Fill in the necessary blanks. Ryouma-kun, will you be needing an amanuensis?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Thank you, but I can write a little, so I¡¯ll fill the blanks in myself.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly filled in the blanks and submitted the paper to Taylor. The necessary blanks were name, age, race, and how long I¡¯ve known Monster Taming or Conjuration. ¡°¡­So the young lady completed her first contract just a few days ago. Congratulations.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Taylor smiled at Elialia, then he glanced at the paper I submitted. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you completed your first contract 3 years ago. What familiars do you have with you now?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Slimes.¡± [Ryouma] When I said all I had were slimes, Taylor made a difficult face. ¡°If all you have are slimes, I¡¯m afraid it will be difficult to raise your rank¡­ The jobs in this town revolve mainly around transporting goods or luggage. You need to at least have a goblin or a kobold if I¡¯m to introduce you to a job. I can¡¯t just give you work you¡¯re unsuited to, after all. To raise your rank, the first thing needed is a merit of some sort. That¡¯s something you can normally build up by fulfilling one job after another. In other words, a person who can¡¯t work can¡¯t gain merit.¡± [Taylor] Well, yeah. After all, if the guild can¡¯t get any work done, no one will trust them. Should I talk about my research here? As I thought that, I looked to Reinbach-sama and the others for confirmation. When I saw them nod, I went ahead and explained about the 2 new slimes I discovered, as well as my findings on the method to tame the Big Slime. Taylor didn¡¯t show much of a reaction to the two new variants, but as soon as I mentioned the taming methods of the Big Slime, he quickly hushed me before I could even say anything. After that he made a difficult face and fell silent. ¡°Hmm¡­ If you¡¯ve really figured out the method to tame the Big Slime that would indeed be a big achievement, but¡­¡± [Taylor] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Taylor made a face that looked like he¡¯d eaten a bug. ¡°There¡¯s a current trend among Monster Tamers wherein only those who can tame powerful monsters are considered excellent.¡± [Taylor] ¡°That¡¯s nothing new. Those people were around even when we were still children ourselves.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°That¡¯s true, but the trend has been getting stronger lately. People who share those sentiments have increased among the upper brass of the Tamer Guild. I¡¯m in charge of the branch here, so I¡¯m able to keep an eye for any discrimination of the sort, but transport jobs are still the main jobs here, so there are definitely a considerable number of people who share that sentiment. One¡¯s abilities aren¡¯t really meant to be dictated by such meaningless standard, but unfortunately¡­¡± [Taylor] We¡¯ve digressed from the topic a bit, but after asking again, it seems I can indeed raise my rank by submitting my research findings. Only, the details of the promotion would require the details to be sent to the main branch, which will then scrutinize the information I¡¯ve submitted and decide whether I¡¯m worthy of a promotion or not. If they decide I¡¯m unworthy, I¡¯ll end up being investigated and I might even be demoted. Moreover, because of the recent trend, slime-related matters aren¡¯t currently valued, so I might not be promoted even if I hand over the information on the big slime. In that case, I¡¯ll only be calling trouble to myself. I think it¡¯ll be better if I just give up. ¡°A lot has changed since I was active.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It comes with the years. The old retires one by one, and now, even the upper brass are getting younger. Because of that even the opinion on familiars is changing. Ah, forgive me, I¡¯m starting to rant. Anyway, let¡¯s continue with the registration. Once you¡¯ve been registered you¡¯ll be able to purchase feed from the guild at discount and you¡¯ll be able to receive tutoring from your seniors if you wish. There¡¯s nothing amiss with your documents, so all thats left now is to confirm your skills. You can show me the Monster Taming skill on your status board as proof or you can choose to show me your familiar. Up to you.¡± [Taylor] The ojousama and I decided to show him our status board. ¡°No need to do it directly. Just Place your status board on top of this stone plate.¡± [Taylor] The stone plate he presented had a hollowed part on it just like the one at the baptism hall. But this time there was a metal plate inside the hollow part. It seems we were supposed to place our status board on the empty part. The ojousama went first then me. When we inserted our status board a character appeared on the metal plate. ¡°And with that, your registration is complete. We of the Tamer Guild welcome you as our new members.¡± [Taylor] After that the branch head, Taylor, asked me about my circumstances. I told him the same thing I told the ducal family. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you play it long for the tamer guild and register at the Adventurers Guild as well? If you can live in a forest for 3 years alone and even hunt a black bear, then you must be quite the hunter. The Adventurers Guild should be able to accommodate your promotion.¡±[Taylor] ¡°I thought it would be safer to rely on you, so we came here.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see. Sorry for not being able to help.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Well, it¡¯s not your fault. I¡¯m sure Ryouma will do just fine at the Adventurers Guild.¡± [Reinbach] The Adventurers Guild can¡¯t give jobs to people with no abilities either, but the basis of their ranks mainly revolves around one¡¯s survival abilities and battle prowess, so I probably won¡¯t have any problems with them. ¡°Although I couldn¡¯t help you with your rank, feel free to drop by anytime you have a problem. I can at least lend you an ear.¡± [Taylor] I thanked the branch head and went with the others to the Adventurers Guild. Adventurers Guild. We didn¡¯t happen along any thugs or any such clich¨¦ developments along the way. I walked up to the reception desk normally and asked to register. The Adventurers Guild has 8 classes starting from Rank G. Normally, one can only take jobs of the same rank, but it¡¯s also possible to take bigger jobs after forming a party. There are also times when the guild itself will gather several parties to execute a large-scale operation. Doing a job with other people, whether it¡¯s with just one party or with several parties, greatly reduces the difficulty of the job, so it¡¯s possible to take jobs even one or two ranks higher. The minimum age for registration is 10 years old, so I have that covered. Only, since I¡¯m under 14, the guild will have to check my abilities, and I won¡¯t be able to work on jobs even if it¡¯s the same rank as me without the guild¡¯s approval. This rule was implemented to avoid children with no self-control from doing reckless things. That limit is lifted upon turning 14, but at that point, one has to take responsibility for all failure. One would have to pay the penalty for breaking the contract, and there¡¯s also the possibility of losing one¡¯s life. After the reception desk explained that, it was decided that I will be taking the combat examination. ¡°You want me to go all out?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ You should do your best here and show the guild your worth.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°That would be for the best.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°We¡¯ll support you if anything happens.¡± [Elize] ¡°Good luck!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Just relax and do what you normally do.¡± [Reinhart] As everyone encouraged me at the back of the training area, the receptionist from before came with a big burly man with a scary face. ¡°Are you the one taking the test?¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] ¡°Yes, I am Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, and those people are your chaperons?¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] ¡°That would be correct.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Feel free to watch, but please don¡¯t interfere during the test. It won¡¯t be necessary.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] ¡°But of course.¡± [Reinbach] The man turned to me after saying that. ¡°So your choice of weapon is a bow, huh. Alright, let¡¯s start right away. First, shoot those 5 targets from the line. You have 5 arrows. Shoot them one at a time.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] The targets he pointed to were simply lined up along each other. Following his orders, I stood at the line and aimed at the first of the targets. I stood with my legs shoulder-width apart as I nocked an arrow and pulled the bowstring. I executed the entire thing smoothly without halting for even a moment as I shot the first arrow. There was no pause to my movements even as I drew another arrow and shot at the second target. I neither made noise nor panicked. I simply nocked one arrow after another as I quietly shot each target dead center. I was pretty good at archery even back then, but ever since coming to this world, my archery has reached a whole new level thanks to all the hunting I did in the forest. I definitely couldn¡¯t shoot these targets as quickly in my previous life. By the way, the school of archery I study under isn¡¯t Ky¨±d¨­ but Ky¨±jutsu, so there¡¯s no need to stop like the ky¨±d¨­ka (people who practice Ky¨±d¨­) do with their eight stances. I could stop if I want to, but the principle my father taught me was to focus on speed after confirming that the arrow would hit. In the past, my dad would hit me and yell at me if I stopped for even a moment. I started reminiscing after shooting my targets, but I quickly snapped out of it and looked toward the examiner. He was already walking toward the targets. After checking every one of them, he came back. ¡°Everything was hit dead center. They may not have been moving, but that¡¯s still an amazing feat. Not bad. Next up are moving targets. Look at that wall over there.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] The wall the man pointed to with his thick fingers was directly opposite the entrance. There was a pillar standing on one part of it, beside which was a gaping hole. ¡°A long time ago, a magic weapon called shotgun made that hole. It was a projectile weapon made by a famous adventurer called Kengo.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] That¡¯s obviously an otherworlder. What was he thinking bringing a shotgun to a sword and magic world? ¡°It eventually stopped working, though, and his rank stopped at C. But because he was able to come up with this device, he still managed to live affluently. That¡¯s just how useful this device is.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] Stopped working? Did he fail to maintain it or simply ran out of ammo? ¡­He definitely pissed Gayn and the others off! Otherwise, they would have at least given him the ability to maintain and reload it. Besides, I doubt they would have given him such half-hearted support if he¡¯d just properly talked to them. As I was thinking that, the examiner continued. ¡°Targets will come shooting out of that pillar¡¯s hole. Just shoot them as they come. There will be 50 targets all in all, and you¡¯ll also be given 50 arrows. Your grade will depend on how many you can shoot down.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] In other words, he wants me to play clay target shooting with a bow. ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll start at my whistle. Good luck.¡± [Scary-Looking Big Man] The man handed me a quiver and stepped away. I wielded my bow and waited for the signal. Chapter 16 Volume 1 Chapter 16 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 16 part2 After Ryouma shot five targets dead center, Elialia became very excited. Contrast her, however, the 4 adults were speechless. ¡°Amazing! Right!? Father!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯ve always thought archers took their time to aim, but they actually shoot so quickly.¡± [Elialia] Sebasu and Reinbach quickly pointed out Elialia¡¯s misunderstanding. ¡°No, Ojousama, that sort of archery is not normal, but merely a result of Ryouma-sama¡¯s technique. A normal archer could never shoot that fast. An experienced archer might be able to, but even then, only if he were to forget hitting the target.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Elia, don¡¯t use Ryouma as a standard. Handling a bow at that speed and hitting all the targets dead center is impossible for a normal person. You probably won¡¯t find many who could even in the country¡¯s army.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Really? Ryouma-san is amazing!¡± [Elialia] ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°We may have underestimated his actual abilities¡­¡± [Reinhart] Ryouma wasn¡¯t aware of it, but after coupling the training he received in his past life with the live combat experience in this world through hunting, his skill in archery has already reached national levels and could be said to be one of the best in the country. The only help he received from the gods were in regards to his magic; hence, this ability could be said to truly be his own. After the stationary targets came clay target shooting. Ryouma stood at the designated location and drew his bow. The targets would be coming from the opposite wall, so neither Elialia and Co. nor the examiner could see Ryouma¡¯s expression. Raising his concentration to the limits, not even a ripple of impatience could be found within his mind, in fact, there was neither excitement nor enthusiasm. He was as tranquil as a lamb on quiet pastures as he silenced his emotions and looked ahead. Ryouma might appear young on the outside, but he was already a nearly 40 year-old man who has trained his whole life. Because of that he had a heightened ability to concentrate that was often wasted on his day-to-day life, only proving useful when he needed to do a mind-numbing task that needed to repeating. It was only on that aspect that his coworkers, who normally treated him poorly, acknowledged him. They spurred him on as a machine that could take on the annoying jobs. But those jobs never managed to make use of Ryouma¡¯s full concentration prowess. Throughout his whole life, there has always only been one thing that could allow him to demonstrate his concentration prowess to its peak, and that was none other than his martial arts. Ryouma would trace the same stance day after day, executing the techniques as naturally as breathing. It was already at a subconscious level and there were no impediments in his heart; hence, he could execute the techniques to their utmost. That was Ryouma¡¯s true power, a power which he brought with him from his previous life. Back then he had to adapt to his surroundings and put a lid on his abilities; otherwise, the people around him would fear him. But the laws and common sense of Earth no longer had anything to do with him; hence, from this forth onwards, in a place far beyond the reach of the prison that was his former world, Ryouma could at long last unleash his true power. At the whistle of the examiner, one clay target came shooting out of the right pillar. Ryouma predicted where it would go and shot toward it. Immediately after, the clay target fell to the ground, and another one came shooting out, but this time it was from the left pillar. Ryouma did the same as before, and the clay target fell again. Although Ryouma had to figure out from which pillar the target would shoot, what he had to do was the same. Relying on his long training, he simply shot the clay targets as they came. Gradually, the clay targets shot faster and faster, slowly raising the difficulty of the exam, but Ryouma still hit them. When two clay targets appeared at the same time, Ryouma shot one first then he quickly drew another arrow and shot the other clay target before it disappeared in the hole of the other side. For the last part, four targets appeared at the same time. In response, Ryouma took out 4 arrows and shot them all within the span of one breath. When all targets fell, a whistle sounded, signifying the end of the exam. ~Side Ryouma~ Fuu¡­ !! ¡°! ¡®Earth Needle¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] When the whistle signifying the end of the match sounded, I put down the bow and took a breath, only for a knife to suddenly fly toward me. Fortunately, by reflex, I managed to catch it in between my fingers and throw it back to the examiner. As the examiner drew his sword from his waist and cut down the knife, I threw away the bow and used the earth magic, Earth Needle, to create a sharpened rock rod, which I kicked at the base, breaking it, and then wielded as a spear. ¡°Stop! It¡¯s my bad, my bad, ok? The exam is over. You passed with flying colors, so put that scary thing away, will ya?¡± [Scary Big Man] The examiner did not seem to be hostile. Apparently, that knife was also part of the test, so I broke the spear with Break Rock, but I remained wary of him. ¡°Sorry about that. That knife throw is something I use to warn archers taking the exam. Archers have a tendency to ignore everything and focus only their targets, so there are a lot of guys who forget to take heed of their surroundings. That knife throw is me saying, ¡®if this were the forest, you¡¯d be dead already.¡¯ Most of the archers would make an unhappy face saying they were taking an exam, while the others would understand and be grateful, and while there are a few who manage to barely dodge, as far as actually starting a counter attack goes, you¡¯re the first. I don¡¯t have any qualms about your archery, so I won¡¯t put a limit on you. Feel free to take jobs of the same rank as you wish.¡± [Scary Big Man] A closer look at the knife shows that its edges were all rounded, so he¡¯s not lying, but¡­ I think he just likes to pokes his nose into people¡¯s affairs needlessly. In any case, I finally stopped being wary of him and thanked him for the warning. ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, I¡¯ll be expecting lots from you from now on, so do your best without pushing yourself, aight? I¡¯m Wogan, the guild master of the Adventurers Guild Gimuru Branch. Glad to make your acquaintance.¡± [Wogan] He¡¯s the guild master!? ¡°The pleasure is mine. I didn¡¯t think the guild master himself would be overseeing the exam.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? Well, you know¡­¡± [Wogan] The guild master glanced at the members of the Jamil household and said. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could have left you in some greenhorn¡¯s hands when the duke¡¯s family came with you.¡± [Wogan] Well, now that he mentions it. ¡°Good point.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No really, why are they with you?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I happened to meet Reinhart-sama while I was hunting in the forest and was invited 2 weeks later to travel with them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What kinda circumstance is that?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Excuse me for intruding on your conversation, but it seems the exam has already ended, so we would like to know what the result is.¡± [Sebasu] The one who interjected was none other than Sebasu. Ojousama looked nervous as she waited for the results. ¡°Sorry about that. He passed with flying colors, so I won¡¯t be putting any limit on him. There are no problems ability-wise.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see. Congratulations, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Congratulations, Ryouma-san!¡± [Elialia] The ojousama ran toward me and took my arms, then she went round and round around me as if she were dancing¡­ When she¡¯s this happy, I can¡¯t help but be happy too. ¡°Ojousama, please let Ryouma-sama go. Ryouma-sama still has some things to complete.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ah! That¡¯s right¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Thank you, Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] After that we were brought to another room, or more specifically, the guild master¡¯s room, to register. Tl Note: Only Ryouma went to the guild master¡¯s room. ¡°As I¡¯ve told you earlier, I won¡¯t be limiting the jobs you can take, so you¡¯ll be able to take jobs of the same rank as yours. Just make sure to be careful.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Technically, you¡¯re strong enough to start at E Rank, but you¡¯ll stand out too much with your age and might end up being hated by others, so I¡¯ve decided to have you start at G Rank. You¡¯ll have towkr your way up.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I bowed to Wogan-san, but he waved his hands and stopped me. ¡°Ah, stop, stop. You don¡¯t have to use polite speech with me. It¡¯s just a hassle, so don¡¯t. By the way, who taught you how to handle a bow? An elf?¡± [Wogan] ¡°My grandpa did, but he¡¯s a dwarf.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A dwarf, huh¡­ Archer dwarves are rare, but they have do flexible fingers, so I guess they have their share of experts too, although they¡¯re not as renowned as the elves. Anyway, with this your registration is complete. All that¡¯s left is for you to take this.¡± [Wogan] The guild master handed me an envelope. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A letter of introduction to a black smith I know. Judging from the way you acted after deflecting my knife, you can also use a spear, right? That smith has a couple of spears, so why don¡¯t you pick yourself a nice weapon. He also has some armors too, though it¡¯s not his expertise. Anyway, buying from him is better than some cheap store.¡± [Wogan] I should just gratefully accept his kindness here. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go when I need a new weapon.¡± [Ryouma] After thanking the guild master, I left the room. It was already dark out, so after rendezvousing with my companions, we went back to our lodging. It was then that I remembered something. ¡°Sebasu-san, does this inn also sell stones to sculpt idols?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, are you planning to make another one?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Actually, I received the blessing of a god I¡¯ve never prayed to before during the baptism this morning. I want to sculpt his idol.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ If it¡¯s no trouble, could you share what blessing you received?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sure, it was the blessing of the God of Liquor, Tekun, that appeared on my status board.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The God of Liquor, huh? It¡¯s rare for a human to receive his blessing, but Tekun-sama is not only the God of Liquor but also the God of Art and craftsmen. He¡¯s usually worshiped by the dwarves. Do you have any idea why he would give you his blessing?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°My grandpa, who picked me up, was a dwarf. I¡¯ve also helped a little in his smithing.¡± [Ryouma] I gave Sebasu the excuse I prepared with Gayn and Co. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s why. You must have done something that pleased Tekun-sama in the past. It¡¯s curious why he didn¡¯t give the blessing of the God of Crafts instead, though¡­¡± [Sebasu] ¡°The Blessing of the God of Crafts?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tekun-sama is known to bestow two blessings. One is the Blessing of the God of Crafts and the other is that of the God of Liquor. From what I¡¯ve heard, the former allows one to advance quicker as a blacksmith, while the latter prevents one from getting drunk or getting hangovers. Oh, and it also increases the odds of coming across good liquor. The latter blessing is still enviable, but it¡¯s not the kind of blessing that would gain animosity from others.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In any case, if you intend to sculpt Tekun-sama¡¯s idol, then I¡¯m sure this stone should be more than adequate.¡± [Sebasu] As Sebasu-san said that, he took a stone out of his Item Box. It was one of the stones I made from the landslide. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s the stone you created, Ryouma-sama. Money is needed in the city; and this stone is of standard size, so I brought it since I figured it could help cover your living expenses. After all, it seems you don¡¯t intend to rely overly on me or the masters I serve.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you. You actually went out of your way to bring something like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. Now, about Tekun-sama¡¯s idol, word has it that he dislikes gaudy ones and prefers those exquisitely sculpted from the heart. Offering wine to the idol is also a good idea. Tekun-sama¡¯s picture and the liquor can also be purchased along with the stones.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯ll buy it then.¡± [Ryouma] I went Sebasu-san to the employee lodging, and after telling them what we came for, they informed us that a rare expensive liquor, the Tears of Keromi, had just arrived. I didn¡¯t know it¡¯s value, so I only bought 3 bottles, but Sebasu-san¡¯s eyes changed and he immediately bought two barrels. As it turns out, it was Reinbach¡¯s favorite brand, but because its production was limited, it was extremely hard to come by. He told me it was thanks to my blessing that he was able to come across it. Hmm¡­ Doesn¡¯t it seem like he¡¯s also personally interested in it? After that I went back to my room, sculpted the idol, offered wine to it, finished my meal, bathed with the cleaner slimes, and then retired for the day. Like this my first day in Gimuru concluded. Chapter 17 Volume 1 Chapter 17 Volume 1 Chapter 17 part2 The next day. Today I went to the Adventurers Guild by myself. I have my slimes with me, but other than that, I¡¯m alone. I was told during breakfast this morning that they had to meet the prefectural governor, so I decided go on my own today. The madam said I could just stay at the inn if I didn¡¯t want to go alone, but I¡¯d finally registered at the guild, so I decided to take on my first job. How about starting with a simple herb picking job for safety¡¯s sake? With the basket I made in the forest strapped to my back ¨C there¡¯s a slime inside ¨C I took a look at the available G Rank jobs on the bulletin board. There were all sorts of jobs from picking herbs to cleaning to helping out with moving. It was really interesting. At first, I was thinking of taking on the herb picking job, but apparently, I could just take it after securing the herbs. In that case, I might as well just do something else and gather the herbs along the way back home. I searched the bulletin board for another job, and there were 2 posted that caught my interest. One was to help clean a house and the other was to clean the common toilet. Putting the house aside, I could probably clean the common toilet with the scavenger slimes. Let¡¯s ask the receptionist. ¡°Excuse me, can I ask a question?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°welcome, how may I help you?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Can I get the details on these two requests?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Which ones? ¡­Ahh, those. Those have been up for a while now, actually. They might seem like simple cleaning jobs, but those jobs are really dirty and stinky, so no one wants to do them. Not to mention, the scope¡­¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Are the places that big?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very. The house cleaning job comes from someone living right next to a landfill. They¡¯re not really happy about it either, but it was cheap, so they bought the house anyway. Unfortunately, a few months after purchasing the house, the wall separating the house¡¯s basement from the landfill suddenly collapsed, and all that trash came pouring into the basement. Because of that the house has gotten all stuffy, and now, they need someone to do something about it. Cleaning the basement is useless unless the wall is fixed since the trash will just keep pouring in, but then, you can¡¯t really fix the wall with all the trash, so¡­ As for the common toilet, the government was originally supposed to hire the people living in the slums to clean it, but apparently, they haven¡¯t been paying up, so now, the slum people don¡¯t want to work anymore. The latrine pits haven¡¯t been touched for about 3 months already, and the people are already starting to complain. At this rate, the situation will get really bad.¡± [Receptionist] That¡¯s horrible¡­ It¡¯s so horrible you can¡¯t even express it with one word. ¡°An epidemic would probably be a bigger problem than the complaints, though¡­ For both of those jobs¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? You¡¯re well informed. That¡¯s amazing. Just as you¡¯ve said, unclean places make it easier for diseases to spread, so it would be great if someone could take the jobs on already, but unfortunately¡­¡± [Receptionist] ¡°How big exactly are the places?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The house has a 200 square-meter basement and the common toilet is 7m wide and 2km long with 30 latrine pits. The request for the common toilet is meant to be taken one latrine pit at a time.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°What about the trash? Oh, no need to mention the common toilet, that one¡¯s obvious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Most of the trash in the house is kitchen waste and the rest are lumber remnants.¡± [Receptionist] If it¡¯s like that I can have the scavenger slimes eat them. ¡°I see¡­ Can I take the house cleaning job then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh!? You¡¯re taking it!?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Yes, I know a convenient magic for cleaning. Only, it costs quite a bit of mana, so there aren¡¯t many who use it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see~ Take out your guild card then. There¡¯s no time limit, but if you stop midway, you¡¯ll have to pay the penalty fee.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Gotcha.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s simply because there really weren¡¯t any people interested in the job or simply because the receptionist girl was dedicated to her work, but I handed the guild card to her, and she quickly took care of the process. After that I headed to the house I would be cleaning. The client lived in the eastern part of Gimuru in a district filled with cheap houses. Most of the houses were ancient, and in fact, even the house I would be cleaning was a run-down shabby house made of bricks. I knocked at the door. ¡­No one¡¯s coming. I knocked again. ¡­Still not coming. Are they out? I knocked again, but this time I called out. ¡°Excuse me! Is anyone in? I¡¯ve come for the job request you posted in the Adventurers Guild.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, the sound of running footsteps and creaking wood sounded, then the door swung open. ¡°Did you really come to help nyaa!?¡± [Client] The person that came out had cat ears on her head and a tail extending from her waist. It was a cat girl. I knew the beast tribe existed and I¡¯ve even seen them in the guild before, but this is my first time talking to one in person. I¡¯m a little excited, but it¡¯s a pity¡­ My first time meeting a beastman actually had to be accompanied by this terrible stench. But, no! I won¡¯t lose! I¡¯ll show you the power of Japan¡¯s customer service! My smile won¡¯t break with just a little stench! ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi from the Adventurers Guild. Would you happen to be the client?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right, nyaa! Did you really come to help nyaa!? I¡¯d already given up nyaa~!¡± [Client] ¡°Before we start, please confirm the details of the job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, yep! That¡¯s it nyaa! My name is Miya nyaa! Thank you so much for coming nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Please thank me when the job¡¯s done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Uu, UEEeeeeen!¡± [Miya] She¡¯s crying!? I did my best to treat her normally, but she suddenly cried¡­ Now what? ¡°W-Wait a moment! Please calm down, ok?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry¡­ It¡¯s just that I was so happy nyaa¡­ All the adventurers so far were always full of complaints¡­ and they always ended up leaving midway nyaa~ There were even some kids who couldn¡¯t handle the smell from the entrance and left right there and then¡­ You¡¯re the first one who actually looks eager to do the work nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] Couldn¡¯t you have endured a little at least, fellow adventurers? It¡¯s not like you could catch anything just by standing at the entrance¡­ ¡°Anyway, shall we get to work? It¡¯s at the basement, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right nyaa. But what are you going to do nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°I heard most of the trash are kitchen waste and lumber remnants. I have a suitable magic I can use.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Yes, it costs quite a bit of mana, so there aren¡¯t a lot of people who use it. I also brought my familiars with me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re a monster tamer nyaa? ¡­Well, so long as you can clean it up, anything¡¯s fine nyaa. Please take care of it nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Sure. Just to be sure, there are no valuables left at the basement?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyan nyan, I never even used it to store anything, so there¡¯s no problem nyaa. Though even if there were some, after being buried in trash like that, I¡¯d just throw it away anyway, nyaa.¡± [Miya] Well, unless it¡¯s something really important, you¡¯d rarely keep something that¡¯s been buried in kitchen waste for so long. Good then. ¡°I should be able to finish quickly then. You won¡¯t mind if I get rid of everything in the basement, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°I¡¯ll get to work then. Where¡¯s the entrance to the basement?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Over here nyaa.¡± [Miya] Miya-san led me to a flight of stairs extending down. Following that, I found myself before a door, on the other side of which, was a mountain of garbage and a large business of flies. Closing the door for a moment, I let the huge scavenger slime out of the basket strapped to me and ordered it to split inside the basement, turning the huge slime into a colossal colony of slimes that filled the room till its roof, then I ordered it to release some stench to attract the flies, and when they¡¯d gathered, I ordered the slimes to eat them all¡­ The scavenger slimes found them delicious. After that all that was left was to leave the slimes to consume the rest of the trash. If someone were to see me, they might think I¡¯m playing hooky, so to be safe, I put up a Barrier of Concealment to hide myself. 20 minutes later, the scavenger slimes told me that most of the garbage had already been eaten, so I finally entered the basement myself. It¡¯s a lot better now than before, but it still stinks. Moreover, as the receptionist had mentioned, more trash is coming in from the hole. It seems this house was built at the foot of a slope and the landfill is right above, which is why the trash slides down into the basement. Who¡¯s brilliant idea was it to build a house here? To make things worse, because the trash had buried it once before, the ground beyond the wall is unstable. Eh, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll manage so long as the scavenger slimes eat everything. ¡°Miya-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, did something happen nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°The garbage pouring into the basement is to the left of the house, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the landfill, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°I need to keep the trash from pouring in, so I¡¯ll drop by there for a bit. Just call me if something happens.¡± [Ryouma] After leaving a few words with the client, I went outside. This time I¡¯m going to take the slimes to dine at the landfill. ¡°¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°They¡¯re slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed¡­¡± [Miya] She looked at me suspiciously like a long lost relative who happened to be passing by. I should put up a Barrier of Concealment here too. There¡¯s nothing legally wrong with having a slime for a familiar, but there might be some people who have issues with that, so just to be safe. The Barrier of Concealment works because it utilizes dark mana, and it makes it so that people will pass through it unconsciously. When I first learned it, I ended up leading myself astray. I passed by my own house several times before I noticed that the barrier I¡¯d erected was messing with me. While thinking of stuff like that, the scavenger slimes went to work, and one hour later, all of the trash had been eaten. Still, I wonder what¡¯s up with these slimes. They don¡¯t need to eat a lot, but when you feed them, they¡¯ll keep eating until you run out. ¡­In any case, the trash is gone now. The wall is still dirty, but that¡¯s where I come in. I went back to Miya-san¡¯s house and had the scavenger slime and cleaner slime spray the basement with deodorizing liquid. When the stench was all gone, I washed the filth off the walls with water. ¡°¡®Mist Wash¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] By generating water with water magic and compressing it, I was able to spray off the filth from the walls. I came across this spell while trying to cast Water Cutter, a high pressured water cutting spell, and when I failed, this came about. I noticed it was similar to one of the cleaning tools back in my previous life, so I figured I could use it as cleaning magic. Even stubborn filth is worthless in the face of this spell, but it uses a lot of mana, so cleaning an entire room is quite taxing. On the bright side, it can be used as long as there¡¯s enough mana, but it¡¯s only really practical for people with a big mana pool. ¡°And done.¡± [Ryouma] After washing off the filth from the walls, I had the scavenger slimes drink the filthy water. The room is all clean now, but the hole in the wall bothers me¡­ Leaving it like that wouldn¡¯t be good, so I figured I might as well cover it up. Having made up my mind, I used Create Block to turn the dirt outside into brick-sized stones and turned the hole in the wall into a square, then I used the sticky slime¡¯s hardening liquid in place of cement and filled the hole with my brick stones. The slimes helped out too, so the whole thing only took us about 20 minutes. With everything done, I had the cleaner slime clean my body, then I put the slimes back into my basket and went back to Miya-san. ¡°Miya-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyaa!? Ah, you¡¯re dressed like when you came¡­ I-Is something the matter nyaa? C-Could it be you¡¯re going back¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°¡­Yes, I¡¯m done, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡­Nyaa? Huh? What do you mean nyaa?¡± [Miya] Showing would probably be faster, so I took Miya-san and the giant question mark on her head and brought her down to the basement. The moment she saw how clean her basement was, her jaws nearly fell to the ground. ¡°W-What in nyaarnation is going on nyaa!?¡± [Miya] ¡°I cleaned it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Amazing nyaa! You really cleaned it nyaa! It was packed with trash, so everyone¡¯s given up until now, but you actually cleaned it! You even fixed the wall, nyaa!?¡± [Miya] ¡°It would be problematic if trash were to pour in again, so I covered the hole with earth magic. It might be a bit conspicuous though since the I used a different stone than those used with the rest of the walls. If you don¡¯t like it, I can change it back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyo need nyaa! I don¡¯t mind it, and besides, I was planning on having someone fill the hole once the place has been clean up anyway, nyaa. So thank you, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°I see, then the job has been completed, yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, nyaa. You cleaned everything perfectly and you even fixed the walls, so I¡¯ll pay you extra nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Miya-san happily signed the completed column of the request form. With that the job was done, and all that was left was to bring the form to the receptionist and get my pay. Miya-san sent me off with words of thanks. Like that I finished my first job and happily walked back to the guild while feeling a sense of security that I could work even in this world. Chapter 18 Volume 1 Chapter 18 When I got back to the guild, I spoke to the receptionist girl again. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re that kid from this morning.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°It¡¯s done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh? Done? It¡¯s only been 3 hours, are you sure you don¡¯t mean you¡¯re giving up?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Nope, I completed the request.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that I handed the request form. ¡°¡­Wow you really did complete the job. You even got a bonus¡­ Amazing. Although this job isn¡¯t particularly hard, the stench is horrible and most people lose their resolve just from seeing all that trash pouring in endlessly through the hole.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I knew a convenient spell.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good job. Here¡¯s your reward for completing the request: 30 silver coins.¡± [Receptionist] The receptionist girl brought me the reward on a plate. Hmm? That¡¯s a lot more than the request posted for. ¡°I did hear I would be getting a bonus, but isn¡¯t that a bit much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Miya-san has been increasing the reward since everyone kept refusing, and on top of that, you even got a bonus. This much is just right.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By the way, the guild master asked me to call you to his room when you returned. Mind dropping by?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°The guild master?¡± [???] The one who replied to the receptionist wasn¡¯t me but the man on the next counter. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing special, just the usual.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi, by the way.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m Jeff Grange. That old man¡¯s a busy body and just loves to help out young fresh recruits under 13 like you. He helped me too when I was new. He looks more of a bandit than any real bandits, but there¡¯s no need to be afraid.¡± [Jeff] ¡°I see. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± [Jeff] After that a voice called out inside the counter. It was the guild master. ¡°Exactly. You don¡¯t have to thank that guy.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Ah, guild master.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Geh! Old man.¡± [Jeff] ¡°You go ¡®Geh¡¯ after seeing someone¡¯s face!? And whose face looks more like a bandit¡¯s than real bandits, huh!?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yours obviously, old man!¡± [Jeff] ¡°Shut it! It¡¯s not my fault my face is so stiff! And I don¡¯t recall ever making an evil face like some bandit¡¯s!¡± [Wogan] ¡°Don¡¯t Women and children run when they see you in a dark place?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Gu¡­ But the people of this town don¡¯t.¡± [Wogan] ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re already used to it!!¡± [Jeff] ¡°*COUGH! ¡­Enough ¡­Ryouma, come.¡± [Wogan] Seemingly hurt by Jeff-san¡¯s words, the guild master pushed down on his chest called me over as he went back inside. I followed him in after saying my goodbyes to the receptionist and to Jeff-san. The room I was brought to was the same room as yesterday¡¯s, the guild master¡¯s room. ¡°Sit where you like¡­ Is that a basket? You stand out like a sore thumb.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sorry, my familiars are inside.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You were a monster tamer? I thought for sure you were a hunter.¡± [Wogan] ¡°They¡¯re just slimes and I only learned from watching, so at most, you could call me a monster taming hunter. I mainly just use the sticky slimes for traps and the poison slimes to coat my arrows in poison.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master broadly grinned. ¡°¡­That¡¯s a nasty combination you have there.¡± [Wogan] ¡°You think? They¡¯re just slimes, you know.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know this, but don¡¯t look down on advanced slime variants. A lot of adventurers think they¡¯re no different from normal slimes, but they couldn¡¯t be more wrong. Well, ok, a lot of them are still weak, but an acid slime¡¯s acid can spoil armor. Fighting those repeatedly will easily turn new armor into rags. Poison can take your life, and a stick slime is a pain in the ass. After all, if you can¡¯t move, what are you gonna do when another monster shows up? Nothing, you just wait and die. Adventurers who¡¯ve fought with slimes like those will never look down on them.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see¡­ It looks like I¡¯ll have an easier time in the Adventurers Guild then. Actually, I went to the Tamers Guild, but apparently, there¡¯s a current trend of looking down on slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard that story lots from that old guild master. So that¡¯s why you came here, huh.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes. Slimes can¡¯t take on manual labor, so I came here to find some other work.¡± [Ryouma] Wogan nodded several times. ¡°So that¡¯s why¡­ Anyway, on to business. I heard you took on your first job already. From the looks of things, it seems you did well.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, the client was satisfied with my work. I even got a bonus.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho, you were able to do it that well, huh. I heard it was a cleaning job of sort, what job was it?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I cleaned Miya-san¡¯s house.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master¡¯s eyes opened wide. ¡°You cleaned her house?¡± [Wogan] ¡°You know about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, Miya is an adventurer who lives in this town, so yeah. I see her around a lot.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Still, since you were able to complete her request, that must mean you were able to clean her house.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d actually be anyone who could clean her house¡­ So, how did you clean it?¡± [Gowen] ¡°I knew a spell suitable for the job, but it costs a lot of mana, so it¡¯s hard to use and isn¡¯t very popular.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho? In that case, I have another job I¡¯d like you to take.¡± [Wogan] Could it be? ¡°Are you by any chance referring to the common toilet?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? You knew about it?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, I was choosing between that and Miya-san¡¯s house this morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯ll make this quick then. We were tasked by the government office to clean the common toilet, so now we¡¯re being blamed for it. It was originally their fault for not paying the slum residents, but the people are starting to complain.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I heard that from the receptionist, actually. Is that really true?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is. You know the town¡¯s income has been decreasing these past years, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I heard it¡¯s because of the declining mines.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, so the government office cut down on expenses, but their methods mainly revolved around cutting the budget for the town¡¯s management and shifting the problems to the people.¡± [Wogan] The biggest cut was the budget allocated to the slum people. The government office has been gradually cutting down on personnel, until eventually, they didn¡¯t have enough people anymore. When certain jobs couldn¡¯t be finished on time, they shifted the blame onto the workers, saying that it¡¯s only because they weren¡¯t taking it seriously that the job wasn¡¯t done yet, and then forcefully drove down their pay. When the people started to complain, they argued that there¡¯s no point in hiring a large group from the slum people since they won¡¯t take the work seriously. But with the pay provided being essentially zero, it was only natural that the slum people wasn¡¯t interested in working for them. ¡°They may be poor, but if there¡¯s not enough compensation, even the slum people won¡¯t be willing to work. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re asking much either. But if the compensation they receive isn¡¯t even enough to cover their minimum living expenses, then what¡¯s the point of risking getting sick? All that will do is just make their lives worse. It wasn¡¯t worth the risk.¡± [Wogan] I see, so that¡¯s what happened. ¡°Just let me get ready and I¡¯ll do the job. The soonest I can do it is tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll pay you lots, so do a good job.¡± [Wogan] ¡°You can count on me.¡± [Ryouma] I should try talking to Reinhart-san and the others too. They¡¯re the ones with the most authority around here. They¡¯ll be interested to hear what I did today too. Once they¡¯ve been informed, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll take care of it. ¡°¡­What are you thinking?¡± [Wogan] Did it show on my face? ¡°Well, I¡¯m by myself today, but I was thinking of talking to the people who accompanied me yesterday.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master broadly grinned. ¡­No wonder Jeff-san says you look like a bandit. That face¡­ ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you a nice kid? Do you think they¡¯ll help?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll do something about it so long as they¡¯re informed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°On what basis?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Well, I¡¯m an orphan living in the forest, and they just happened to meet me by chance, yet they actually went out of their way to help me out. We were strangers, you know. Of course, it¡¯s impossible for them to do the same for a large group of people like the entire slum, but there¡¯s no way people like that will just sit and do nothing after knowing the situation.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then.¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡­If that¡¯s all, can I go? I need to prepare for tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll leave it to you. I¡¯ll tell them to prioritize you when you drop by, not that it¡¯s really needed since no one wants to take the job on anyway.¡± [Wogan] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± We laughed and I went back to the inn. Along the way I bought some cheap cloth and a set of sewing tools from a cheap shop. I also bought a spool of thread that thread can¡¯t enter. Tl Note: Not really sure what that last line means. I don¡¯t know a lot about sewing other than sticking the needle in, pulling out, and repeating, but anyway, that¡¯s pretty much a literal translation, so if someone could figure out what it¡¯s actually talking about and post it in the comments, that would be nice. Another way to interpret it: a spool of thread that thread hasn¡¯t entered or doesn¡¯t enter. Oh, and reminder to use spoiler tags when discussing or answering questions with information from the previous version. I¡¯m sure there are people who decided not to read it and are solely reading this version (I do recommend reading the old version though). To use them, just put the contents in between these things (no space): [ spoiler ] [ /spoiler ] Comments with spoiler tags might need approval, so just wait for me to approve it. I didn¡¯t set that rule by the way, they just keep getting caught for some reason. Chapter 19 Volume 1 Chapter 19 Within a room in our lodging, I lined up the things I bought and went to work. First, I rubbed the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid on the cloth I bought, then I dried it with the magic, Drier ¨C a magic created by fusing the basic wind magic, Breeze, and the basic fire magic, Fire ¨C and created several waterproof cloths. In the past, I once lost control over dryer and accidentally filled Breeze with Fire. The result was a great flame, and the birth of a spell known as Flamethrower. I can¡¯t lose control now. If I screw up, no one will be laughing. I took extra care to avoid burning the place down, but as a result, it took me until afternoon. It¡¯s easy to fuse two spells of the same attribute, but two spells of two different attributes isn¡¯t. Not that saying that will change anything, though. Next, I had the sticky slime spit out some thread and rolled it around the empty spool I bought. The strength of the resulting string depends on the ratio of the sticky liquid and hardening liquid. A 7:3 ratio of sticky liquid to hardening liquid will result in a soft and beautiful thread that can be used for sewing, while a 6:4 ratio will result in a robust thread. 5:5 results in a pliable thread that can easily snap should a human or a beast pull it, making it perfect for traps. 4:6 results in a strong thread useful for strangling people or animals to death. When I was trying out the various ratios back in the forest, I led a black bear into several layers of 4:6 threads that I¡¯d set up between trees. The black bear could only stand one of those once, and when I examined it, a small wound could be seen on its body. It was then that I realized that the 6:4 thread could be used to create a dangerous trap, so I decided to stop using it. I haven¡¯t used it since then except for that time during the goblin outbreak and when I wanted to make a guitar. The thread wasn¡¯t sharp enough to cut just by touching, so after a little tinkering, it was perfect for the job. I¡¯m sure there are other less dangerous ways of using it too. I just have to look for it. I always remember the past when working on simple stuff like this¡­ And done. The 6:4 thread spool is ready. Next is to cut the waterproof cloths, so I divided them into various parts and cut them. What I¡¯m going to make is an imitation of the jumpsuit and the waders. I¡¯m going to clean the latrine pits tomorrow, so I need to come prepared. The scavenger slimes might be doing most of the work, and the cleaner slimes might be able to clean me afterwards, but I¡¯m still not going there in my normal clothes, so I have to prepare. When I was about finished with my waders, a knock sounded on the door. ¡°Ryouma-sama, I hear you¡¯ve returned. Are you in?¡± [Sebasu] Since it was Sebasu, I went ahead and opened the door. ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing is wrong then?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Nothing in particular.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. The employee of the inn said you left this morning and came back in the afternoon, but have since been cooped up in your room without even having lunch.¡± [Sebasu] Ahh, now that he mentions it, I didn¡¯t have lunch, did I? ¡°Sorry about that, I was a bit overzealous with my work¡­ Did I worry everyone?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it¡¯s no trouble, please do greet everyone, especially the ojousama and the madam. If it¡¯s only sewing, I¡¯m sure you can do that even in their room. The maids will be able to help too.¡± [Sebasu] I wanted to talk to them anyway, so this suits me just fine. I placed the tools and the cloths into my Item Box and went to the duke¡¯s room with my slimes. As soon as we got to the room, the ojousama and the madam approached us. ¡°Are you alright!? Did something happen!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ryouma-kun! Are you alright? You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± [Elize] ¡°Calm down you two.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°If you pester him like that, Ryouma-kun won¡¯t be able to talk.¡± [Reinhart] The two calmed down after being reprimanded by Reinbach-sama and Reinhart-san. ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m truly sorry for worrying you. Nothing in particular happened, I was just a bit overzealous with my work and forgot to eat.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank goodness~¡± [Elize] ¡°Good grief, I thought for sure something had happened.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ho ho ho, isn¡¯t it good nothing happened?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What were you working on?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I was sewing myself a set of waterproof clothes.¡± [Ryouma] I took out the tools from my Item Box and showed them. ¡°Hmm¡­ From the looks of things, these cloths have been given the same waterproof treatment from before.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been working on it since I got back and was just about to make the actual clothes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But why all the sudden?¡± [Reinbach] That was my queue to explain what happened today. They said it was fine to talk while working, so that¡¯s why I did. ¡°¡ªSo in the end, I ended up taking on the cleaning request. It would be bad if an epidemic were to spread, so I was thinking of completing it as soon as possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°MUu¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°So that¡¯s why. We should thank you. Who would¡¯ve thought the government office of this town would do such a thing? ¡­Sebasu.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Go out and gather information. I want to confirm whether the government office really is guilty of those allegations. If they are, then the expenses should be less than the previous year¡¯s, but the report they gave us mentioned no such thing. It¡¯s possible some people may be embezzling money.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san left the room after that. ¡°Thank you, Ryouma-kun. Because of you we might have just uncovered some hidden crimes.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Indeed. Embezzlement in and of itself is unforgivable, but embezzling the very funds meant to help the people and causing problems for them as a result is just absurd. In the first place, the wages of the slum people were decided over a decade ago. Reducing it is unforgivable! They¡¯re putting all my efforts into jeopardy¡­¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama¡¯s efforts? ¡°The construction of the common toilet and the employment of the slum people to clean it was thought up by my father-in-law as a countermeasure to a possible epidemic as well as an aid to the slum people.¡± [Elize] ¡°In the past, I passed a directive to the various prefectural governors to build the facility, but the slum people didn¡¯t believe we¡¯d hire them, so I had to go to the office of the slum manager and negotiate personally. It took a long time before all the construction work and employment work was completed. It pains my heart to know that there are people trying to put all that to waste¡­¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama looked sad as he spoke. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t just a job to him. ¡°In any case, if everything you said turns out to be true, these people won¡¯t be getting off lightly. Even if other people forgive them, the Jamil Household will not.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you, Ryouma-kun. It is fortunate that we caught wind of this while we were here. Something is definitely off, as that request should have never seen the day of light if they simply continued the projects I pressed forward.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let the maids help you with those clothes. Arone, Lilian, help him.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± [Arone and Lilian] Since the two maids will be helping, I divided the work among the three of us. Lilian-san would work on the gloves, Arone-san on the jumpsuit, while I knit the string that will be used for various things. ¡°Ryouma-sama, what thread is this? I¡¯ve never seen such a robust and yet thin, slender, and beautiful thread before.¡± [Arone] ¡°That¡¯s the sticky slime¡¯s thread.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Slimes can make their own threads?¡± [Arone] ¡°Only the sticky slimes, and probably, only my sticky slimes, as I once mixed their sticky liquid and hardening liquid to see if I could make something out of that. The result was a thread-like substance. I had the slimes mix it themselves, and they were able to do it. It was a precious ability to be able to weave clothes back in the forest.¡± [Ryouma] I called the Big Sticky Slime and had it spit out some threads. ¡°It can spit the threads out like this. The strength of the thread can also be changed depending on the ratio of the mixture of the two liquids inside their body.¡± [Ryouma] After having the slime spit various ratios of threads, Arone-san and Lilian-san said they wanted to purchase it. ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly. You¡¯ve already gone out of your way to help me, so the least I could is to give these to you.¡± [Ryouma] The two were overjoyed to hear that. Apparently, the sticky slime¡¯s thread was such a good thread that they had never seen anything like it despite their long years working for the Jamil Household, fixing and tailoring clothes for them. I¡¯ve already gotten used to Earth¡¯s synthetic fibers, so I didn¡¯t think anything odd of it, but it turns out it was actually special. After that I talked with Reinhart-san for a bit, and I decided to put the rainwear and the thread up for sale. Along the conversation, I also found out that because of the Reinhart-sama¡¯s efforts, the towns and villages under their territory have a reputation for being clean. Reinhart-san wanted to make these towns and villages even better by developing their commerce and making them prosper. Because of that the slime products I¡¯ve nonchalantly developed were nothing short of enthralling to him. Reinhart-san bowed his head and said he would like to work together forever [1], and I bowed my head in response and returned the sentiment. The people of Jamil are all good people, so I would love to work with them. I continued to work even while talking with the Jamil family, so as a result, I was able to finish everything. When I tried putting everything on, the size turned out just right, but¡­ When I put on the gloves, fastened the arm cuffs of the jumpsuit with the string I¡¯d knitted, put on the pair of waders that perfectly complemented my jumpsuit, and then fastened it with another string, everyone told me I looked odd. Although they did agree that it was practical as far as work clothes went, so Reinhart-san told me that he would also like me to consider putting this up for sale. [1] ¨C Forever version of yoroshiku tanomu. Chapter 20 Volume 1 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 part2 The next day. With the work clothes in hand and the slimes ready, I let everyone know that I would be going. ¡°I¡¯m going.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good luck.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Take care, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Do your best.¡± [Elize] ¡°We¡¯ll take care of the things on our end too.¡± [Reinhart] As everyone saw me off, I left for the guild. When I got to the guild, I approached the receptionist girl from yesterday. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the kid from yesterday. Ryouma-kun, right? So you came.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Yes, there¡¯s a job I would like to take.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I heard about it. Thanks for taking care of it. We were really at our wits end.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Then please take care of the papers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, no problem¡­ Ok, that should do it. Take this written request with you and head to the western district. Oh, and take this too. It¡¯s the key to the entrance of the latrine pits. Please don¡¯t lose it.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Of course. Now if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care.¡± [Receptionist Girl] I left the guild and went to the westernmost part of the guild just as I was told [1], and when I got there, I used the key to open a door that was affixed to a brick wall. Inside was a shed made out of bricks and another door. I tried to close the first door from inside, but it wasn¡¯t possible. Apparently, the door was made in a way that prevented it from being locked from inside. I¡¯ll just leave it open then. After putting on the jumpsuit and the waders, I opened the entrance to the latrine pits¡ª ¡°ECK!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªAnd promptly closed it. I¡¯m sure you understand. After being left to fester on its own for several months, the stench within has already reached a whole new level. The smell was so strong my eyes actually went teary. The huge scavenger slime didn¡¯t seem to mind, so I let it enter first and ordered it to split and deal with the area. I waited outside while the slimes went to work, but I just couldn¡¯t shake off the shock from that horrid stench. When I finally calmed down, I had the cleaner slime soak a hand towel in deodorizing liquid, then I used that to cover my mouth. My eyes were also affected by the smell, so I ordered the cleaner slime to ride atop my head and cover my eyes like a pair of goggles. The cleaner slime¡¯s body is transparent, so I can still see even with it covering my eyes. Cleaner slimes are really useful. I entered the latrine pits in full gear and went down the stairs to a vast underground tunnel, where filth could be seen piled up on both sides. The scavenger slimes eagerly swarmed through the mountains of filth. Meanwhile, I did my own thing and washed off the filth from the walls and the ceiling with Mist Wash, and then heated the remaining water with my original electric magic, Range, to disinfect it. It was really dirty, so I did what I could to clean it. It seems to have worked, so I used Identify on the ceiling and what was originally this: Unclean Ceiling, a ceiling dotted with filth. Turned into this: Stone Ceiling, the ceiling of one latrine pit of Gimuru Town¡¯s common toilet. It has been cleaned and disinfected through heating and is now clean. The information that appeared changed from Unclean Ceiling into a mere Stone Ceiling. When I took a look at the details, I found out that my attempts to disinfect it via heating was effective. Still, I just can¡¯t help but wonder. Just where is this information coming from? But then again, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s ever fed me wrong info, so I guess I might as well just take advantage of it for now. We continued cleaning like this for a while, and after 5 hours, we finally managed to clean one latrine pit. But we weren¡¯t done yet, and the next event took another 3 hours, as the scavenger slimes had eaten enough to begin splitting more slimes. I can tell because of the familiar contract. Fortunately, no one else will come here, so I can safely have the slimes split here. And considering there¡¯s still another 29 latrine pits, more slimes can only be a good thing. When the scavenger slimes finished splitting, their numbers reached 1464. There were 730 before, but one of them was able to split twice, resulting into 4 slimes in total. I guess that just goes to show how much they ate yesterday and today. All that¡¯s left now is to report to the guild, but unlike in my previous life, no one¡¯s hurrying me, so I decided to take my time and ensure that nothing was off about me or my slimes. Below are the skills before cleaning. [2] Skills: Disease Resist Lv5, Poison Resist Lv5, Lead Belly Lv5, Clean Lv6, Deodorize Lv6, Deodorizing Liquid Lv4, Stench Lv4, Produce Fertilizer Lv3, Jump Lv2, Digest Lv6, Absorb Lv3, Split Lv6 Skills: Disease Resist Lv7, Poison Resist Lv6, Lead Belly Lv6, Clean Lv7, Deodorize Lv7, Deodorizing Liquid Lv5, Stench Lv6, Produce Fertilizer Lv5, Jump Lv3, Digest Lv7, Absorb Lv3, Split Lv6 The skills leveled up across the board. On top of that, Disease Resist leveled up a whopping 2 points. The others are cool too. But since Disease Resist leveled up, I guess that means there¡¯s something here that could cause a disease. In other words¡­¡­¡­. I¡¯m currently within a hot spot!! Do you understand the gravity of this situation? I know that a filthy place like this is bound to be home to several diseases, but the thing is that the scavenger slime had a Disease Resist of level 5, which according to the madam ¨C I asked her before ¨C is sufficient to ignore life-threatening diseases. And yet! That level 5 Disease Resist actually leveled up a whopping 2 points! This is epidemic levels we¡¯re talking here! Fortunately, we were able to deal with it, or else it could¡¯ve really gotten ba¡ª Wait! Could it be the other latrine pits too!? That¡¯s not good, this is really not good! I need to inform people ASAP¡ª No, before that, I have to sterilize myself! It won¡¯t be funny if I end up compromising the whole town!! The sudden turn of events left me panicking, but I did my best to calm myself as I went back to the entrance, then I used Identify on myself and the slimes. Fortunately, we were in the clear. When we got out, I ordered the cleaner slime to give me a thorough cleaning, then I had it work with the scavenger slimes to sterilize the surrounding area. I used the neutral magic, Identify, on all my belongings and the slimes, and after seeing nothing amiss, heaved a sigh of relief. Since everything was labeled ¡®clean¡¯ that must mean that the cleaner slime and scavenger slimes¡¯ cleaning ability is effective. I locked the door and just to be safe, erected a Barrier of Concealment, then I hurried to the guild. [1] ¨C Fun fact. One part of the word for western most is read like satan. ×îÎ÷¶Ë (sai (most) + seitan (western edge) ). ???? [2] ¨C Wasn¡¯t mentioned whose. Obviously it¡¯s the scavenger slimes, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the huge version. It might be. I got a lot of attention along the way to the guild, as I was in too much of a hurry to change, but it doesn¡¯t matter. There¡¯s a more pressing issue now. I need to inform the guild master and the duke¡¯s family ASAP. I ran to the guild, but when I was almost there, it suddenly hit me. If I were to go to the guild this panicked and if by chance word of the epidemic were to spread, the people might just also go into panic. Maybe I should act like a normal boy adventurer first? With my mind made up, I stopped running and walked the rest of the way into the guild. My outfit drew attention as expected, and there were even some who pointed fingers at me and laughed. But I ignored all that and went to the receptionist. Now¡¯s not the time to be worrying about being the butt of a joke. I¡¯m already at my wits end just keeping the panic from showing on my face. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun¡­ What¡¯s with the outfit? You look strange.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°They¡¯re work clothes for cleaning! What do you think? Looks good, right? It¡¯s easy to move in and you won¡¯t have to worry about getting dirty. In fact, it¡¯s difficult to dirty it even while wading through a pool of mud.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now that you mention it¡­¡± [Receptionist Girl] The surrounding people nodded and there were even some who showed interest. ¡°By the way, I just finished my work today and there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to report to the guild master. Would now be a good time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh? The guild master?¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Can I see the guild master? ¡­There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to him about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Well¡­ Sure, but there¡¯s a guest right now, so you might have to wait.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± [Ryouma] The receptionist girl went inside, and then after a while, she came back. ¡°Ryouma-kun, the guild master says you can come in.¡± [Receptionist Girl] Looks like I can meet him as soon as possible. That¡¯s fortunate. But before we could get to the guild master¡¯s office, the receptionist warned me. ¡°By the way, there are some really amazing people inside the guild master¡¯s room right now, so make sure you don¡¯t say anything rude, ok? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to worry about since it¡¯s you, but just in case, ok?¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] When we got to the guild master¡¯s office, the receptionist girl knocked and called out. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯ve brought Ryouma-kun.¡± [Receptionist Girl] ¡°Come in.¡± [Wogan] We entered the room just as the guild master said. Inside were the guild master and the four members of the Jamil Household and Sebasu. ¡°Ryouma-kun, good job out there.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Why is everyone here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We came to hear the story you told us yesterday from the guild master. We¡¯ve also mobilized the guards to gather information.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Unexpected, but this is good! ¡°So? What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I have some important information I need to pass on.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What happened? And what¡¯s up with those clothes. The basket yesterday was one thing, but I feel like your clothes are becoming more unique by the day.¡± [Wogan] ¡°These are work clothes I made for cleaning. It¡¯s made to be functional, so it not a lot of thought has been put in aesthetically¡­ That aside, I cleaned one of the latrine pits of the common toilet today.¡± [Ryouma] It was a little forceful, but I brought the topic back to course. When the guild master and the duke¡¯s family noticed how serious I was, they became serious too. ¡°Right, we talked about that yesterday. What about it?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I use water magic and scavenger slimes in order to clean. Scavenger slimes are slimes that like to eat animal feces and rotten meat and they also possess the cleaning skill. That¡¯s how I clean stuff.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Never heard of that kind of slime before, but I understand that you¡¯re able to clean because of them.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Right, I¡¯ll get to the point. Filth is dirty, so naturally, places with lots of it tends to become breeding grounds for diseases. To deal with that, the scavenger slimes have the Disease Resist skill. And just yesterday, my scavenger slimes had a Disease Resist level of 5, but after cleaning a latrine pit today, that level jumped up to 7.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, voices of shock filled the room and the air immediately tensed. ¡°What!?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Is that true!?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. It would be best to assume that the latrine pits are currently home to a disease terrible enough to raise a Disease Resist skill level of 5 by a whopping 2 points. Fortunately, I noticed it before leaving the latrine pits, so I was able to clean myself and all my belongings with the same skill. I used the neutral magic, Identify, so you can rest assured that I¡¯m clean. I also checked the entrance and the surrounding area, and everything showed up as clean. I¡¯ve also put up some countermeasures to prevent the disease from spreading. And just to be safe, I also locked the entrance and even put up a Barrier of Concealment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, you did well. But still¡­ I can¡¯t believe that a disease demon [1] was actually living there.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Guild master. Fortunately, my slimes can clean the latrine pits, so I suggest banning others from entering until I finish cleaning everything. I think it would also be wise to have someone look out just to be doubly safe.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s do that. But are you really planing on working despite knowing there¡¯s a plague lurking down there?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Aren¡¯t the slimes the ones cleaning, anyway? Ryouma-kun, why don¡¯t you just order the slimes to clean and leave them be?¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous to clean a plague!¡± [Elialia] ¡°We can gather some people to take care of it, so¡­¡± [Reinhart] Everyone tried to stop me, but I really have to take care of this myself. After all, it¡¯s something I can do. It wouldn¡¯t be right to just leave this to others despite knowing that. ¡°Unfortunately, the slimes by themselves can¡¯t get the job done. There¡¯s filth stuck in places hard to reach like the wall or the ceiling, so unless I get rid of those with a water spell, the plague will just infect the area again. I¡¯m happy you¡¯re worried about me, but please leave this to me. Besides, if a lot of people were to go in and out, that would raise the odds of someone accidentally bringing the plague out with them. On that point, it¡¯s much more advantageous to leave everything to just me and my slimes. I¡¯ll be fine, really¡­ I know it¡¯s possible for someone else to do it, but it would be safest if I take care of it myself.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I took out my status board and showed them 4 skills to persuade them. If I don¡¯t use these cheats now, when will I ever use them!? Health Lv7 Vitality UP Lv3 Super Regeneration Lv3 Stamina UP Lv6 When I showed that to them, everyone was shocked, especially the guild master. ¡°Wh¡ª!?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Health level 7, this is a skill that protects against anything harmful to one¡¯s health. At this level, the odds of me getting sick is undoubtedly lower than anyone else. And even if I do get sick, Vitality UP Lv3 and Super Regeneration Lv3 will drastically increase my odds of surviving. Stamina UP will also be helpful, as it will allow me to work a few days without sleep, allowing the job to progress much more quickly. I doubt you¡¯d find anyone more qualified than me. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] Silence filled the room as everyone was left speechless. But it wasn¡¯t because my logic wasn¡¯t sound, but because of their emotions that they found it difficult to let me go. Because of that everyone looked like they¡¯d eaten a fly. The silence continued on for a while before Reinbach-sama broke the silence. ¡°You are certainly¡­¡­¡­ qualified. I¡¯m sorry for asking you to do something so dangerous, please take care of it.¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama stood up from his seat and bowed deeply toward me. ¡°Leave it to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I think it would be worse if a child were to contract a disease, but with all those skills, you¡¯ll probably be fine¡­ Ryouma, leave the look out to me. I¡¯ll pick someone with Disease Resist and a pair of tight lips. When you work, try not to attract attention.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. Fortunately, the common toilet was made firmly, so the disease doesn¡¯t seem to have spread just yet. It¡¯s good we were able to notice it beforehand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You said it. It would have been horrible if a plague had spread.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Incidentally, the cleaner slimes were also in the latrine pits, but their Disease Resist skill never leveled up, so it should be safe to assume that the plague isn¡¯t airborne. Everything will probably be fine once everything is cleaned.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Airborne?¡± [Reinhart] They don¡¯t know? ¡­Come to think of it, this world does have magical medicines that Earth doesn¡¯t, and they¡¯ve been talking about the existence of a disease demon for a while now¡­ I know the disease is simply because of a virus, but even Japan treated measles the same way before, so maybe they¡¯re simply lagging in medical knowledge. ¡°Diseases can spread to a large group of people, right? Well, we refer to disease like that as an infection. And the method by which a disease spreads itself is varied. Sometimes it spreads itself like poison, requiring that others drink or consume it, while others can spread itself simply by being inhaled. We refer to the latter as an air-borne infection. In such a case, the disease will spread quickly and dealing with it will prove difficult. Fortunately, that¡¯s not the case this time around, as the cleaner slime¡¯s Disease Resist skill level did not increase. The disease present in the latrine pits is most likely what we refer to as an infection transmitted through contact, meaning it requires direct contact. Someone would have to touch an infected object, then touch a food or a drink to infect it, and then eat/drink that infected substance to be infected himself. Of course, eating the source directly works too. In any case, this is what we refer to as an orally transmitted infection. Because of the common toilet, the filth immediately falls into the latrine pits, so the odds of one touching them is nil. So long as I take care not to bring the plague out with me, everything should be fine¡­ By the way, I¡¯m not a specialist or anything, so all the information I said now is just the basic.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not a doctor, you know¡­ But this sort of stuff is really common sense back in Earth¡­ Still, I¡¯m glad it¡¯s not airborne! I know I was worrying on my own, but I¡¯m still so happy that I have the scavenger slimes with me! If not for the slimes, I¡¯m not sure what I would¡¯ve done. Burning the filth would have just spread the disease via smoke. We would have to prepare a lot of disinfectants too. Come to think of it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve even seen any disinfectants being sold. ¡°After saying all that it¡¯s still just the basic? I¡¯ve never even heard any of that stuff.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Ryouma-kun, I¡­ No, everyone here thinks so too. Just where did you learn that?¡± [Elize] As expected, they didn¡¯t know anything about diseases. ¡°I studied under my grandma. Granny was always researching medicine, so she knew a lot about diseases. Ah, but it would be better to say that I just learned a little here and there while chatting with her. I wasn¡¯t really officially a student.¡± [Ryouma] For the meantime, that was enough to make everyone understand. Although it seems they never really intended to pursue the subject, and they quickly started talking about what we would be doing after this. After discussing among ourselves, it was decided that I would resume tomorrow, so I went back with the 4 Jamil members to our lodging. I wasn¡¯t absolutely sure that there was zero chance of me spreading anything, so I suggested to change my inn after returning, but all 7, including the maids, firmly refused my proposition. I understand their reasons, but what are they going to do if I do end up spreading something? At the very least, they should put me somewhere where I could be easily monitored and dealt with when necessary. They should at least do that, I said. ¡­In the end, Elialia and the madam scolded me while crying. I gave in in the end, but¡­ Being cared for that much really made me happy Chapter 21 Volume 1 Chapter 21 The next day. 8 adventurers were gathered at the guild¡¯s meeting room. ¡°Wereanna, so your party is here too.¡± [Jeff] ¡°You¡¯re here too, Jeff? ¡­Hey, why do you think we were called today?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Who knows? The other guys haven¡¯t a clue either. Rank, age, race¡­ There¡¯s nothing in common about us at all. Just what criteria did they refer to to pick us, I wonder. Any clues on your side? You¡¯re the only party, after all.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Dunno. The only common trait my party shares is that we¡¯re all beastmen. I doubt that has anything to do with it, though.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Well, yeah. I¡¯m a guy and I¡¯m human too. There¡¯s a dwarf and a dragonewt, but everyone else is human too, so race and gender probably doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it.¡± [Jeff] Another female beastman entered the room. ¡°Good morning, nyaa? Wereanyaa, Mizenyaa, and Syrnyaa are here too, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°You too, Miya?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°That¡¯s right, nyaa. When I came back from work last night, the receptionist told me to be here today, nyaa. I sure didn¡¯t expect to see you three here, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Neither did¡ª Huh? You don¡¯t stink so much anymore. Did you finally leave that trashy house of yours?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I told you so many times to move but you just wouldn¡¯t listen.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Did you finally get sick of it?¡± [Syria] ¡°That¡¯s not it, nyaa. I¡¯m still living there, nyaa. I know it¡¯s not the best place, but I still paid a lot of money for it, nyaa. There¡¯s no way I could just abandon it like that, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Then why don¡¯t you stink so much anymore?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Well, you see, there was a kid who took my cleaning request the other day, nyaa. He cleaned everything, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°That endless hell of stench? He cleaned it up?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe it either, nyaa. But he actually cleaned the basement in less than 2 hours and even closed up the wall, nyaa. Supposedly, he used magic to clean the place and now it¡¯s sparkling clean, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°That¡¯s amazing. Who was it?¡± [Miya] ¡°A newcomer, nyaa. I think he¡¯s still under 13, but he carries a big basket woven from wood and vines on his back, nyaa.¡± [Miya] Jeff reacted when she said that. ¡°Hah? A kid under 13 with a giant basket? You talking about Ryouma?¡± [Jeff] ¡°That¡¯s him, nyaa! I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s what he called himself, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°You know him?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°The old man called him in the other day after finishing his work. He looked like he had no idea why he was being called, so I told him there wasn¡¯t anything to worry about, and that¡¯s it¡¯s just the old man being a busybody as usual. He was a really well-spoken kid, that guy.¡± [Jeff] ¡°He definitely knows his manners, nyaa.¡± [Miya] Around this time, another person entered the room. It was none other than Ryouma. Miya screamed when she saw him. ¡°Excuse me. Is¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah! It¡¯s that kid, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Miya-san? Ah, Miya-san and Jeff-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sup, we met the other day. Looks like you were called too. We were just talking about you, actually.¡± [Jeff] ¡°About me?¡± [Ryouma] Wereanna approached Ryouma and introduced herself. ¡°Nice to meet you. So you¡¯re Ryouma? I¡¯m Wereanna, a member of the dogman tribe. I¡¯ve known Miya for a long time now and we also used to be in the same party. I was really surprised when I heard you cleaned her house. That¡¯s pretty amazing, you know.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Buying a house is good and all, but when the wall broke down, it was a disaster. Of course, you know all about that. Anyway, it was really tough for beastmen tribe members like us whose noses are really sensitive, so I told her to move several times, but she was just too stubborn¡­ Ah, I¡¯m Mizelia by the way, from the tigerman tribe. Nice meeting you.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°I¡¯m Syria, from the rabbitman tribe. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Syria] ¡°I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I used to be in the same party as these three, but when the stench of the house started to stick to me, it became difficult for me to work with them because of their sensitive noses, so I had to leave, nyaa. I just couldn¡¯t abandon that house, nyaa. Well, there were other reasons too, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Miya can be really stubborn sometimes.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°So many people told her not to, but she still insisted on buying that house.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Seriously, I can¡¯t believe you actually lived at a place like that for 5 years.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°You¡¯ve been living there for 5 years? That¡­ must have been difficult.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s face went blank at that, then Jeff asked him a question. ¡°By the way, you have that same basket with you today, yeah? What¡¯s in it?¡± [Jeff] ¡°My familiar. I am a monster tamer, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Heh~ So you¡¯re a monster tamer. What familiar do you have?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Different types of slimes. I¡¯m still just an apprentice. Slimes are kinda slow, so I put them in the basket, so we can get around faster when I¡¯m in a hurry. Besides, it wouldn¡¯t do to scare the townspeople.¡± [Ryouma] Around this time, the guild master finally entered the room. ¡°Good, everyone¡¯s gathered. Sit where you like.¡± [Wogan] Everyone found themselves a seat and listened to what the guild master had to say. ¡°Before I can explain why you were called here today, I need you first to promise not to leak any information. If you can¡¯t do that, then leave. For the record, you don¡¯t have to take the job after hearing the details. You can refuse it so long as you don¡¯t leak the details. There won¡¯t be any penalties either.¡± [Wogan] Everyone nodded without hesitation. ¡°Good, then let¡¯s get to it¡­ But first thing¡¯s first, let me tell you by what criteria you were chosen. First is trust, we needed someone tight-lipped. Second, the skill Disease Resist. Everyone has it, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Disease Resist? Yeah, I have it. I¡¯m sure you know already, old man, but I used to be from the slums. Living there, you¡¯re bound to get 1 or 2 levels in it. Mine¡¯s 5, though.¡± [Jeff] ¡°We also have it due to a town we had to go to for work that was plagued.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Fortunately, the plague wasn¡¯t that bad, and we were able to get back alive. We even got a skill out of it.¡± [Syria] ¡°If I recall correctly, you all have it at level 3.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Mine¡¯s 4 now though, nyaa. I¡¯m not saying this because I¡¯m proud about it or anything, but living at a house full of trash like that¡­ It¡¯s only natural it would go up, nyaa.¡± [Miya] From the flow of the conversation, the experienced male dwarf adventurer was able to guess the contents of the job. When he gave his conjecture out loud, the young adventurers panicked. ¡°Disease Resist¡­ I take it we¡¯re dealing with an epidemic here?¡± [Dwarf Adventurer] ¡°Has it already spread!?¡± [Adventurer] ¡°Calm down, Cher. Gordon¡¯s right about it being an epidemic, but it hasn¡¯t spread yet.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Not yet¡­ I suppose that means one or two have already fallen ill?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°No, we coincidentally found the source of the disease. The person who found it is Ryouma over there. So far no reports of people falling sick have come yet.¡± [Wogan] Everyone turned to Ryouma at that, then the guild master, Wogan, explained how Ryouma was able to find the disease. ¡°¡­And so, with the scavenger slimes¡¯ Disease Skill jumping from a 5 to a 7, it should be safe to assume that a terrible disease the likes of which not even a level 6 Disease Resist could defend against is brewing in the latrine pits of this town¡¯s common toilets. The objective of this job is to stop the epidemic before it spreads. Also, considering how the people will react should word of this were to spread, you¡¯ll have to work in secret.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Are all of us responsible for dealing with the plague¡ª erm, cleaning the latrine pits?¡± [Cher] ¡°No, only Ryouma will be dealing with the latrine pits.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Wait a moment! Are you seriously planning to let a kid do all that by himself!? Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s too much? Kids tend to get sick quickly too, it¡¯s too dangerous!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Besides, it¡¯s ridiculous to ask a single person to clean all of the latrine pits alone.¡± [Jeff] ¡°I share your sentiments, but this is for the best. Ryouma has already managed to clean a latrine pit yesterday in just one day. And the highest level of Disease Resist among you is 5, which belongs to Jeff. Unfortunately, the disease were dealing with here isn¡¯t something that can be dealt with even with a level 6 Disease Resist. The odds of spreading it is simply too high. On that point, Ryouma possesses level 7 health, making him the person least likely to get sick. Moreover, he also has Vitality UP Lv3, Super Regeneration Lv3, and Stamina UP Lv6. Even if he falls sick, Ryouma still has the highest chance of surviving among everyone here.¡± [Wogan] Everyone looked at Ryouma in shock. Syria asked Wogan a question. ¡°¡­I understand he¡¯s suitable, but if that¡¯s the case, then what are we supposed to do?¡± [Syria] ¡°You are to keep watch while he¡¯s working and ensure that no one else enters. We can¡¯t lock the entrance while the latrine pits are being worked on, so we¡¯ll have to rely on you. Also, those among you with the neutral magic, Identify, will have to use that to ensure that Ryouma isn¡¯t infected when he goes out.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Do we really need 9 people to keep watch?¡± [Jeff] ¡°¡­Ryouma can work for a few days without sleeping. His ¡®Health¡¯ skill is a mixture of the Disease Resist, Sleep Resist, and Poison Resist skills. This was confirmed with his status board.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see, so there¡¯s 9 of us, so we can keep watch in shifts. Ryouma, are you really going to be ok?¡± [Jeff] ¡°No problem. Working a few days without sleep is pretty much the norm for me. I¡¯m also working on my own volition, so this much won¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Keep an eye out on him too, to see if he¡¯s really not pushing himself¡­ You have 10 minutes. In some ways, this is more dangerous than a monster subjugation job. You won¡¯t be penalized even if you refuse, so make sure you think hard on this.¡± [Wogan] After Wogan said that, he left the room. Ryouma left too since it was already decided that he would be participating. After the adventurers thought on it for a while, Jeff spoke. ¡°Sigh¡­ What to do?¡± [Jeff] The dwarf adventurer named Gordon answered. ¡°I¡¯ll do it. I was born and raised in this town. I know a lot of people here. I can¡¯t just run away now.¡± [Gordon] Following him, the dragonewt adventurer also express his intent to join, and then another, and another¡­ ¡°This one shall also accept. It is wisest to nip an epidemic in the bud before it can bloom.¡± [Dragonewt Adventurer] ¡°I can¡¯t believe something like that is brewing in this town¡­ I know it¡¯s dangerous, but I can¡¯t just leave a kid like that to fix it all by himself. I have to do it.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°You said it. In the first place, all we¡¯re doing is keeping watch. The one doing the actually dangerous part is that kid. Given conditions like that, I can¡¯t possibly turn tail and run now, can I?¡± [Jeff] Apparently, it didn¡¯t even take 10 minutes for the adventurers to decide, and after Wogan and Ryouma returned, everyone agreed to participate. After that Wogan passed on the knowledge that Ryouma claims he received from his grandmother, and then quickly decided on the groups of the lookouts. Chapter 22 Volume 1 Chapter 22 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 22 part2 ~Side Ryouma~ Preparations complete. I went ahead of the others and made my preparations in front of the latrine pits. My outfit is too conspicuous, so if I¡¯d gone with the others, we would have definitely garnered some attention. Besides, I¡¯m sure they have their own preparations to make, and they might also want to check if the virus really hasn¡¯t spread yet. With my preparations all done, all that¡¯s left is to wait for¡ª Oh, speak of the devil. When the footsteps ceased, the door opened and three people came in. Of the three, one was Miya-san, whom I worked for before, and the other was Jeff-san, who I met after cleaning Miya-san¡¯s place. ¡°Thanks for coming.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, but we haven¡¯t done anything yet.¡± [Jeff] ¡°We met just the other day, but I think we should still introduce ourselves, nyaa. Let me start; I am Miya Cat, nyaa. Call me Miya, nyaa.¡± [Miya] Miya-san¡¯s light brown furry tail swayed while she introduced herself. It was almost as if she was trying to appeal her being a member of the catman tribe. After her introduction Jeff introduced himself. ¡°Like I said before, the name¡¯s Jeff Grange. I was raised poorly, so I¡¯m not fond of manners and etiquettes. You don¡¯t have to be polite with me. Just talk normally.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m not forcing myself or anything.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s fine then. Next is¡­¡± [Jeff] ¡°This one, de gozaru.¡± [3rd Adventurer] The adventurer this time was someone I hadn¡¯t been acquainted with yet. He had shortly cut dark brown hair that was almost black and talked like someone from a historical play. He used a katana too. No, judging from the size, it¡¯s an o-katana (big katana). That¡¯s a first seeing one since coming here. The bandits didn¡¯t have any katana with them. Just who is this guy? ¡°This one¡¯s name is Asagi. I left the dragonewt village and embarked on a journey in hopes of honing my blade. Currently, I have settled in this town and am working as an adventurer. There is fate between us, let it be a pleasant one.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. So you¡¯re a dragonewt.¡± [Ryouma] Dragonewts are also known as the dragonman tribe. Just at the name implies, they are said to look like dragons, but he didn¡¯t look like one at all, so I thought he was a human. Asagi-san noticed that. ¡°Did you just realize that this one is a dragonewt, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Sorry, this is my first time meeting one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is fine. Dragonewt features are not as obvious as other tribes like Miya from the catman tribe. Most have scales in one part of the body, while a very few grow a horn. The rest are no different from humans. With such minute difference that cannot even be seen openly, it is perfectly understandable that you were not able to recognize one, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] While we were talking, it finally occurred to me that there was in fact a scale ¨C the same color as his hair- extending from his neck to his chest. But I was more interested in way he talked and the weapon he carried. ¡°Sorry, do you mind if I ask you something?¡± [Ryouma] I thought it would be a bit strange to ask about his accent right off the bat, so I asked about his hometown first. As it turns out, a person who was most likely an otherworlder was indeed responsible for creating the dragonewt village in a faraway island. ¡°Many of the dragonewt possess greater physical prowess and magic than the human race. That has been the case since long ago, and it is said that it was because of that that we once lorded with hubris over other races. The person who created the dragonewt village was not a dragonewt, however, but a human who possessed a body stronger than even that of the dragonewts. He was also a master of the sword. It is said that that person defeated all the dragonewts that oppressed the humans, but he did not kill them and instead spared their lives. That left a deep impression on the dragonewts then and they came to be his disciples. After that they followed him with the rest of the dragonewts who didn¡¯t oppress others to an uninhabited island and created a village. To this day we carry his soul and techniques as samurai, de gozaru. This is the legend of our village¡¯s origin, a verse from the ¡®exile¡¯.¡± Asagi-san is a descendant of those dragonewt disciples. and his accent is something the dragonewts inherited from that otherworlder. Amusingly enough, it turns out even his name was taken from the color of the kimonos when the samurais first made their appearance. Looks like that otherworlder really liked samurais. ¡­It feels off, though. I don¡¯t know if the story merely changed after all the years, but that otherworlder really feels like a foreigner sorely mistaken about Japanese culture. ¡°¡­Hey, not that there¡¯s anything wrong with your story, but don¡¯t you think we should be getting started soon?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Ah, right.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Time really passes when talking.¡± [Ryouma] Recalling what we were supposed to be doing, we went back to work. ¡°I¡¯ll open the door now, but before that, please take a towel and dip it into this.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the cleaner slime to spit out some deodorizing liquid into a bowl. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± [Jeff] ¡°This is the deodorizing liquid of the slime. It should dilute most of the stench. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not poisonous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Jeff] After seeing me dip a towel in the deodorizing liquid and wrapped it around my face, they followed suit and covered their mouth and nose. ¡°I¡¯ll open it now.¡± [Ryouma] And so, I opened the door¡­ ¡°I¡¯m off¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°UGU! ¡­*COUGH¡­¡± [Asagi] Just when I was about to leave, Asagi-san suddenly choked. ¡°Are you ok?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯d braced myself for the smell when you opened the door, but I didn¡¯t smell anything, so I thought there wasn¡¯t anything to worry about. Putting my guard down was a mistake. Dragonewts have noses as sensitive as the beastmen tribes, de gozaru. The moment I removed the towel this happened.¡± [Asagi] Ahh, so that¡¯s why¡­ I was like that too yesterday. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I was no different yesterday, and I¡¯m human. The smell is so bad it even gets to your eyes. I probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stand it either without the slime. I¡¯ll leave some deodorizing liquid, so feel free to use it as you please. Alright, I¡¯m going now.¡± [Ryouma] After that went in with my slimes. As expected, this latrine pit was in a horrible condition just like the one yesterday. I figured I might as well check if the latrine pit really was diseased before cleaning it, so I used Identify on it. This is what appeared: Idake Virus: A virus that grows in filth. Causes the Idake Disease. Incubation Period: Activates 10 hours after entering the human body. Symptoms: Dizziness, fever, cold, numbness in the limbs, general paralysis, obnubilation (mental cloudiness), cardiac arrest. Prognostic Symptoms: Numbness or paralysis may remain. Infection Method: Oral Infection Note: Weak to heat and lack of moisture. A special medicine exists for this disease. Idake Virus: A virus that grows in filth. Causes the Idake Disease. Incubation Period: Activates 10 hours after entering the human body. Symptoms: Dizziness, fever, cold, numbness in the limbs, general paralysis, obnubilation (mental cloudiness), cardiac arrest. Prognostic Symptoms: Numbness or paralysis may remain. Infection Method: Oral Infection Note: Weak to heat and lack of moisture. A special medicine exists for this disease. So there really was a virus! I couldn¡¯t confirm yesterday as I¡¯d already cleaned everything by the time I¡¯ve thought of it, but it would¡¯ve been great if I was able to check beforehand. That way there wouldn¡¯t have been any room for doubt. Wait a moment, there¡¯s a medicine for it!? The moment I learned the name of the disease, the corresponding medicine and its concoction method appeared in my head as if I were merely remembering something I already knew. Looks like it¡¯s included in the knowledge Gayn and the others gave me. I should share this information with the others too. ¡°Guys, can you hear me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s up, nyaa?¡± [Miya] After cleaning myself and the surrounding area in front of the door, I opened the door a little and called out. Miya-san immediately noticed me. ¡°I thought I¡¯d get some info first before starting, so I used Identify, and as it turns out, the disease is called Idake. Apparently, there¡¯s also a medicine for it. I came back to pass that info.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really, nyaa!?¡± [Miya] ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it. The medicine has a couple of expensive ingredients, so it might be too late already, but can you still tell the guild master about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll inform him now. If we tell him the name of the disease and the fact that there¡¯s a medicine for it, the old man will surely buy enough to cover us even if it¡¯s expensive. I don¡¯t know how long he¡¯ll need, though, so we should get the news to him ASAP.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Wait, tell him the concoction method too. That way he can have someone concoct it immediately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You know the concoction method too!?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Yeah, I recognize the medicine back when my grandma was teaching me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That is most reassuring. Speak and this one shall write it down.¡± [Asagi] As Asagi-san pulled out some writing tools, I immediately told him the formula and concoction method of the medicine. He didn¡¯t understand what the medical jargon meant, but he still managed to write everything down. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t used a brush in forever. I¡¯ve been using nothing but feathered pens since coming here, but then again¡­ It¡¯s not like we used them a lot in the previous world either. At most, brushes were only used to write a New Year¡¯s card. ¡°Done. Will this do?¡± [Asagi] After confirming that the written information was accurate, Jeff-san took the note and ran. I myself went back to the latrine pits. Now that that¡¯s done with, I don¡¯t have business left with the filth, so it¡¯s time to wipe them out. Slimes, eat them all! At my behest, the slimes by my feet inflated like a balloon, filling the staircase to the latrine pits with their body. Their splitting yesterday resulted in their numbers going past 1,000. Because of that they didn¡¯t become a huge scavenger slime after merging but a king scavenger slime. It¡¯s a lot bigger compared to the huge scavenger slime. Also, it may be called king, but it¡¯s still possible to grow into an even bigger version so long as their numbers increase. I don¡¯t know far they can go, but the skills of the king scavenger slime are as follows: King Scavenger Slime x1 Skills: Disease Resist Lv7 Poison Resist Lv7 Lead Belly Lv8 Cleaning Lv8 Deodorize Lv8 Deodorizing Liquid Lv5 Stench Lv7 Produce Fertilizer Lv6 Physical Attack Resist Lv3 Enlarge Lv4 Shrink Lv6 Jump Lv3 Overeat Lv1 The king scavenger slime possessed the Overeat skill in place of Digestion and Absorption. When I tried using it, the king scavenger slime used the Enlarge skill to make itself big enough to reach the ceiling of the latrine pit, then it consumed the surrounding filth with a speed several times faster than before. Moreover, because the slime was now big enough to reach the ceiling, it could clean even places it couldn¡¯t before. Later on I should be able to split the slimes into two king slimes to cover both sides of the latrine pit, while having a couple of scavenger slimes to deal with the middle. With my mind made up, I ordered the slimes to deal with the filth, then I worked on the ceiling and the walls myself. Doubling on the slime numbers really was a big help as expected. I know we¡¯re working without rest, but still¡­ We finished a full 2 hours faster than yesterday. That¡¯s something. After successfully cleaning this latrine pit, I cleaned my clothes and belongings and went outside just like yesterday. When I did¡­ ¡°Oh, did something happen again?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Oh, I¡¯m done here. So I¡¯d like for you to run your checks, so we can proceed to the next one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Already, nyaa!?¡± {Miya] ¡°Didn¡¯t you need a day to clean a latrine pit?¡± [Jeff] Huh? ¡­Ah! I only cleaned one latrine pit yesterday. They were probably told that, so as a result, they think I need a full day to clean one latrine pit. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a misunderstanding. Actually, the scavenger slimes did their splitting yesterday, so I had to form a contract with the new ones. I actually only needed 5 hours to clean the latrine pit yesterday. But it¡¯s even shorter now as the slimes have doubled their numbers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Doubled? Wouldn¡¯t that just give you two slimes? How could two slimes cl¡ª erm, eat that much?¡± [Jeff] Ah, they don¡¯t know about the slimes merging to form the big variations. ¡°This slimes is usually in small form, but it¡¯s actually a king scavenger slime, an advanced variant. Have you heard of the big slime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s a giant slime.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Slime variants of the big class are actually a colony of many slimes of the same type. So while it may look like just one slime on the outside, what you¡¯re seeing is actually an entire colony of slimes.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I ordered the scavenger slimes to split 20 times. ¡°Unyaa!?¡± [Miya] ¡°Woah¡­ Seriously?¡± [Jeff] ¡°This is¡­¡± [Asagi] ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard in the past few days, the slime is rarely researched, so the only ones who know about this are me and my acquaintances. I¡¯ve always been researching slimes, so I tend to forget that it¡¯s not common sense. My apologies.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, so long as you can do your job, it¡¯s fine. By the way, how many scavenger slimes are in that thing?¡± [Jeff] ¡°1464.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°1,000!? *COUGH Excuse me¡­ No wonder you can work so fast.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Please consider the information regarding the slimes confidential too.¡± [Ryouma] After that they ran their checks, and when they were sure everything was clear, we went to the next latrine pit, and then the next¡­ And so on and so forth. Tl Note: First regular chapter of the week. Next chapter on Wed, as I need to translate KmF and GK tomorrow. I was a bit confused with latrine pits, as I had no idea how they functioned ¨C I don¡¯t remember the story anymore, it¡¯s been years¡­ ¨C but as it turns out, there¡¯s only one latrine pit per area that they go to. So just clearing that up since I used the plural, latrine pits, every time Ryouma entered one. I was under the impression there was only one entrance to access all the latrine pits, but looks like that¡¯s not the case. Oh, and it looks like the stats for last time was for the scavenger slimes. One reader pointed that out actually, so kudos to him/her. Chapter 23 Volume 1 Chapter 23 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 23 part2 3 days later. This one¡¯s the last. I¡¯ve barely gotten a wink of sleep these past three days. I would chat with the others from time to time, but for the most part, I was cleaning. When I think about how I¡¯m almost done, I can¡¯t help but think back to everything I¡¯ve done. ¡°This one¡¯s done too. Let¡¯s go to the next one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey, just how long do you think you¡¯ve been working without rest now?¡± [Jeff] ¡°The sun¡¯s already set, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°This makes two already. Why not rest first, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°My stamina and mana are holding up just fine. And besides, I¡¯d like to get this over with as soon as possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You do look like you¡¯ve still got plenty of energy to go.¡± [Jeff] ¡°This one thinks so too.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Same here, so there¡¯s no reason to stop him, nyaa. It would be best if we could get this over with sooner than later anyway, nyaa.¡± [Miya] After cleaning the second latrine pit on the first day, I went to the next pit with the approval of Jeff-san and Co. By the time I was done with the third latrine pit, the people keeping watch had changed. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re out.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°You¡¯re Miya-san¡¯s party members.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s Wereanna.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I¡¯m Syria. We¡¯ve been put in charge of the evening shift. Let¡¯s get along, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Syria] ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get along. I¡¯m done here already, so please run your checks. Also, I heard you have some MP potions on you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We do.¡± [Mizelia] The medicines of this world were largely divided into two categories. Medicines that use medical herbs and stones like those in Earth and magical medicines that use the mana of its ingredients or ingredients whose properties have changed due to the presence of mana. Potions are a kind of magical medicine that take effect instantly. The rabbit girl, Syria-san, used Identify on me and the surroundings, while the tiger girl, Mizelia-san, took a vial out of her large bag and gave it to me. The vial was filled with a deep green liquid. Mizelia-san informed me that the MP potion could recover as much as 2,000 MP. She also warned me to be careful not to take more mana than my body could handle, as that would cause an abnormal status known as Mana Intoxication. After hearing her warnings, I went ahead and emptied 10 MP potions. ¡°Thank you. Let¡¯s go to the next one then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Already? Why don¡¯t you rest a little first?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°I heard you haven¡¯t rested one bit since Maya¡¯s group was on shift. I bet you haven¡¯t eaten either, right? Here.¡± [Wereanna] Wereanna handed me a basket full of sandwiches. ¡°I got it from the client¡¯s butler. I think it would be best if you finish these first before going to the next one.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Butler? You mean Sebasu-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, that¡¯s what he called himself alright. You know him? He said you had a tendency of forgetting to eat when working. He was waiting here up until a while ago, but it seems he had some errands to run and left.¡± [Wereanna] My body¡¯s holding up just fine, but I did actually forget about eating, so I gratefully accepted. Because of that I ended up having more time to interact with these girls. ¡°Has the information on the disease reached the guild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The guild master is getting some concocted through an acquaintance of his. He said he¡¯ll prepare enough for all of us. By the way, are you really planning on working without rest?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I intend to rest, of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you¡¯re not resting enough. There¡¯s nothing wrong with taking a break after every pit, honestly.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m not really sure if you can pull it off. Are you sure you¡¯re not pushing yourself?¡± [Syria] ¡°I¡¯m confident in my stamina. But I can understand why you find it hard to believe considering my age.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are a lot of newbie adventurers who eat more than they can chew, after all.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°True that. If not for the fact you¡¯d shown your status board, I would have protested. If this mission were to fail because of some recently registered adventurer¡¯s unsubstantiated claims, the consequences could reach all the way to the heart of the town¡­ I do think you¡¯re qualified now, though.¡± [Mizelia] Mizelia-san¡¯s words were a bit harsh, but I never expected everyone to trust me just like that on our first meeting. If not for my status board, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if they saw me as just another kid. I mean I really am just a kid right now. We chatted idly like that until we finished eating, then we went back to work. The next break I took was when the sun rose. The people keeping watch was different again. ¡°Excuse me, we¡¯ve come to take our shift.¡± [Cher] ¡°Oh, hello, Cher-kun, Raypin-san, Gordon-san.¡± [Syria] ¡°Hello, Syria. Good job out here.¡± [Cher] ¡°How¡¯s the work going, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Well, from the looks of things, it seems to be progressing a lot faster than expected, but is Ryouma alright?¡± [Gordon] ¡°He¡¯s doing his best and still has plenty of energy to spare. Although, currently we¡¯ve been forced to pause work for a moment.¡± [Syria] ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Gordon] ¡°See for yourself¡­¡± [Mizelia] ¡°What do y¡ª Uwaa!?¡± [Raypin] ¡°What¡¯s with all the slimes? There¡¯s so many there¡¯s no where to walk.¡± [Gordon] ¡°I heard he used slimes. Did a stampede occur or something, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Stampede? Ryouma-kun says the slimes are splitting.¡± [Syria] ¡°Splitting? With these numbers, de aru?¡± [Raypin] I had allowed the slimes to split to further hasten our work, but while they were in the middle of splitting, the new group arrived. ¡°Are you the next group? Let me introduce myself again. I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi. My apologies for the current situation, but the slimes needed to split, so we won¡¯t be able to work until they¡¯re done. In exchange, work should progress even faster later. Please take care not to step on them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, I¡¯m Gordon. Nice to meet you.¡± [Gordon] ¡°I¡¯m Cher.¡± [Cher] Short-statured with thick limbs and a face that was mostly beard. Gordon-san was indeed the very image of a dwarf. As for Cher, he was a human. He looked like a middle or high school student. ¡°Hmm¡­ They don¡¯t look weak, so it¡¯s probably not a stampede then¡­ Hmm? Oh, my apologies. I am Raypin. I¡¯ve become an adventurer in order to research monsters. I have a question I¡¯d like to ask. I hope you don¡¯t mind. This is not a stampede, right, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. I am also researching slimes as a hobby. If I may answer your question with another question, what do you mean by stampede?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A stampede is what you refer to when slimes suddenly start splitting. It happens when slimes are ordered not to split for an extended period. Eventually, they can¡¯t keep it in anymore, and they start splitting like crazy. In that state, they won¡¯t listen to orders and will split beyond their limits. It is said that it¡¯s an instinctual response when the slimes are kept from reproducing. Once a stampede starts, the slimes will split to an insane number, but the resulting slimes will be far weaker than before and will have to supplement their nutritional needs with whatever is available nearby, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Oh? I didn¡¯t know slimes did that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really occur when slimes are left to reproduce normally. And besides, there were plenty of crazy things done in the past to produce research material, so there was probably some negligence on the lab¡¯s part. I¡¯ve never seen a stampede personally, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°So you thought it might be a stampede because of their numbers?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Raypin] After that I told him that there were originally 1,000 slimes. I also told him about the big slime, which caught his interest. I drank MP potions with one hand and formed new contracts with the slimes while chatting with Raypin. By the time I was about done forming contracts with the slimes, Cher-kun and Gordon-san couldn¡¯t keep up with our conversation anymore. ¡­Among other things, Sebasu-san would bring me food once a day. There were times when he would be waiting for me by the door too, but regardless, the food would always be brought in a basket. Once, there was even a letter from the ojousama included, telling me not to worry about the slimes left in the inn as they were taking care of them. A lot of people were looking after me, not just the 9 guards, so I worked and rested nonstop, and as a result, the scavenger slimes split again, bringing their numbers up to 3,033. With that I was able to make 3 king scavenger slimes, each with 1,011 scavenger slimes, and had them line up to fill the entire latrine pit as they went to work. Their skill levels also went up. King Scavenger Slime x3 Skills: Disease Resist Lv7 Poison Resist Lv7 Lead Belly Lv8 Clean Lv8 Deodorize Lv8 Deodorizing Liquid Lv6 Stench Lv8 Produce Fertilizer Lv7 Physical Attack Resist Lv7 Enlarge Lv5 Shrink Lv6 Jump Lv3 Overeat Lv4 Disease Resist never leveled up again, though. It seems level 7 is enough to deal with the Idake Virus. Clean, Deodorize, and Overeat have all gone up most likely because of the work we¡¯ve been doing. I don¡¯t quite understand why Physical Attack Resist went up, though. Could it be because their bodies are rubbing against the walls? Or perhaps it¡¯s because their bodies are rubbing against each other? I¡¯m not really sure, but high skill levels never hurt anyone. I followed after the slimes, disinfecting the walls with a combination of Mist Wash and Range as I went along, until eventually, we were almost done. When we got to the last latrine pit. The slimes ran through the walls and the ceiling once, then I cleaned them a second time with water and heat. I used identify to ensure that everything was clean, and when I saw that it was, the work that I¡¯ve been continuing these past few days was finally concluded. ¡°All done?¡± [Gordon] ¡°Yep, everything¡¯s clean.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great! And with that everything¡¯s been taken care of. Good job.¡± [Gordon] ¡°You really did manage to do everything in one go.¡± [Cher] ¡°The only breaks you ever took was to eat.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Now that you mention it¡­ Ah, Raypin-san, please run your checks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right¡­ Ok, there are no problems. Everything is clean. All that¡¯s left now is to go back and report to the guild, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Thank you. Shall we go?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait. I¡¯ll bring you, de aru. ¡®Warp¡¯.¡± [Raypin] Apparently, Raypin-san could use dimension magic, so he used the intermediate spell, Warp, to bring us to the guild. He may talk arrogantly, but he¡¯s a good guy. As soon as we got to the guild, the receptionist girl sent us to the guild master¡¯s office. ¡°Ryouma, huh. You done?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, all 30 latrine pits of the common toilets have been cleaned. It should be ok now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great! That¡¯s great! All of you should go home and get plenty of rest today! I¡¯ll contact the others. Tomorrow, you can come back here, and the guild will give you your payment. Ryouma, you took care of most of the work this time, so you can expect a handsome reward.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll be going¡ª Oh, right. Guildmaster.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Wogan] ¡°No one¡¯s gotten sick, right? I couldn¡¯t be informed of the goings in town while in the latrine pits, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I called up a well-connected grandma I know to get the medicine, so there should be enough medicine for everyone even if someone does get sick. That being said, no. No one has gotten sick so far¡­ You mentioned it takes 10 hours after entering the body for that Idake Disease to take effect, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what appeared when I used Identify.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then it should be fine. The medicine you mentioned is already underway, so just go home already and sleep. You haven¡¯t had a wink of sleep yet, right? If anyone gets sick, I¡¯ll tell you. Sleepiness and tottering on your feet ain¡¯t helping anyone.¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡­Right. I¡¯ll be on my way then.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I left the guild and the three people that came with me. As I walked the road back home alone against the chilly winds, that nostalgic floating sensation after several sleepless nights hit me. I returned to the lodging with only the pleasant winds for my companion, but when I got back, the members of the ducal family were there to welcome me. ¡°Welcome home! Ryouma-san!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Welcome home, Ryouma-kun!¡± [Elize] ¡°Welcome home.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You look well. That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Welcome home, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Please leave your baggage with me.¡± [Arone] ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± [Lilian] All 7 of them welcomed me back home. What a nostalgic feeling. How long ago was it that I was last welcomed like this? ¡­Was it back when my mother was still alive? No, Elialia and the others have welcomed me so many times, so why¡­ Why do I feel like this? ¡°Ryouma-kun, is something wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?¡± [Elize] ¡°No¡­ My body is fine. I was just reminded of the past a little¡­¡± [Ryouma] Family? Ah, right¡­ It¡¯s that feeling. That¡¯s what they resemble¡­ When I couldn¡¯t do my job well, when I came back home dead tired, when I was fired, when I couldn¡¯t find work, when I was depressed¡­ Each and every time, the one who was always there to welcome me back home was¡­ my mother. ¡°Ryouma-san!? What¡¯s wrong!?¡± [Elialia] It wasn¡¯t until when the ojousama cried out that I realized it. I was crying. Without knowing it, without my permission, my eyes just started leaking on their own. ¡°Ahh¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It¡¯s alright¡­ Really¡­ I just remembered my family a little. For some reason, being welcomed like this reminded me of the past¡­ It¡¯s strange. You don¡¯t even look similar.¡± [Ryouma] My mother wasn¡¯t bad looking, but she did have a normal face with no remarkable features, completely unlike this family of absurdly good looking people. While I was thinking something stupid like that, before I knew it, the madam had taken me into her embrace, Elialia was hugging my arms, Reinhart-san had his hand over my shoulder, Reinbach-sama was patting me on the head, and Sebasu-san and the two maids were looking at me with warm eyes. After that I was taken care of. They fed me, they prepared a bath for me, and then tucked me into a futon. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s simply because I haven¡¯t pulled all-nighters in a while that I can¡¯t think well right now, but¡­ It¡¯s not a bad feeling. The warmth of having someone welcome me and the sense of fulfillment after a day¡¯s hard work that I¡¯m realizing for the first time because someone was actually there to welcome me¡­ All of that filled me with a sense of satisfaction as I allowed the comfort of sleep to take me. Chapter 24 Volume 1 Chapter 24 part1 Volume 1 Chapter 24 part2 The next day. I opened my eyes to the warm sunlight pouring into my room. Ah~¡­ I slept well. It¡¯s been a while since I last pulled off an all-nighter like that¡­ The sun¡¯s already pretty high¡­ Hmm? High?¡­¡­ That¡¯s not good! ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sebasu-san, what time is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s just before noon. It seems you really were exhausted. I hope you were able to have a good night¡¯s rest. Would you like to have your meal now?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you, but I need to go to the guild. I¡¯ll have it when I come back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Sebasu] I quickly did my preparations and went to the guild. What a pain¡­ There¡¯s no time left. ¡­Can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Draw the veil upon this body, ¡°conceal¡± it from prying eyes.¡± I put up a Barrier of Concealment around me, invoked a ¡®Body Reinforcement¡¯ [1] spell, and then ran through the rooftops to get to the guild as soon as possible. Whenever there wasn¡¯t anything to step on, I would use Dimension Magic to teleport me across. Like that I managed to run almost straight to the guild. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] By the time I got to the guild and was brought to the room, the other people were already there. ¡°Ryouma, you came. With that everyone¡¯s present.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sorry for making you wait.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You made it on time, actually. Almost late, but still on time, so don¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s time to hand out the rewards!¡± [Wogan] On top of the 3 medium silver coins I got for taking the latrine pits cleaning job, I also got 30 small gold coins. Everyone else got 10 small gold coins each. ¡°Hold on a minute there, old man. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re getting a bit too spendthrift here?¡± [Jeff] ¡°For real. Not that I¡¯m complaining, of course, but you do realize that all we did was keep a look out, right?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Don¡¯t you think this is too much? I know we could¡¯ve gotten sick, but we didn¡¯t really do anything personally. Just half would¡¯ve been fine, I think.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Nah, that much is just right. As for the reason, that¡¯s because¡­ Ryouma.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You said the disease in the latrine pit is called Idake, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s information from the Identify skill, so it should be accurate.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, well¡­ Apparently, that Idake Disease is some really nasty stuff. An old hag I¡¯m well acquainted with says that it¡¯s so nasty that even if people live through it, they¡¯ll be completely unable to move their limbs, leaving them with no other choice but to die. That reward properly reflects the risks you took. The fatality rate from that Idake Disease is low, sure. But children and the elderly aren¡¯t likely to survive, and for the rest who do, they¡¯ll have to live the rest of their lives unable to work.¡± [Wogan] Everyone drew cold sweat upon that sudden revelation. That¡¯s really bad¡­ Of course, the prognostic syndromes themselves are bad, but not being able to work perpetually is fatal. Because that means no money. If this world had insurances and disability rights, perhaps it could still be somewhat bearable, but as it stands, that¡¯s no different from a death sentence. If you can¡¯t work, then all that¡¯s left is to starve to death. ¡°Thank goodness we stopped things before it got any worse, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°In one sense, it could actually be worse than diseases with a high fatality rate.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°If you catch it and die, you pass on, but if you survive, you¡¯re in hell¡­¡± [Jeff] ¡°Because of this incident, the government office got a good scolding. Word says the boss and his lackeys have been apprehended, and those left behind are pulling their hair out figuring out what to do with the latrine pits from now on.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Can¡¯t they just leave it to the slum people as usual?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s no longer possible. The big wig responsible for refusing to pay them was fired, but even if the government office promises to pay them the old amount, the slum people can¡¯t trust them anymore. Besides, the slum people have already found a new job. Other towns aside, this is a mining town. There¡¯s no shortage of dirty or labor work to be done here. Since they can get money elsewhere, there¡¯s no reason for them to clean the latrine pits. Also, since it¡¯s the government office that¡¯s at fault in the first place, they can¡¯t really tell them to give up their work and clean the latrine pits, so they¡¯ve already given up on them and are currently looking for another solution.¡± [Wogan] ¡°What are they going to do? We¡¯re fortunate this time around cause Ryouma noticed it, but if this happens again, it won¡¯t be funny.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Right, right¡­ Honestly, the only reason we took this job is because the guild pushed it onto us. From here on, the guild might have to turn this job into compulsory work to punish members that fail a lot of missions or break contracts.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°You can leave it to me, I¡¯ll do something about it, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°You make it sound so easy.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Personally, I can take the job while I¡¯m here.¡± [Cher] ¡°That would be a huge help.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Nyaa? Ryouma, did you come from another town, nyaa?¡± [Miya] Come to think of it, I went straight to work, so we didn¡¯t have much opportunities to talk. I explained to them how I ended up in Gimuru. ¡°You lived in a forest all by yourself at 8? What a reckless guy.¡± [Wogan] ¡°You going back to Gana Forest?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I¡¯m wondering about that too¡­ I do have some attachment to the house I lived in for 3 years, but I could also live in a nearby forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re going to be living nearby, then why not just live in town? Does it have to be a forest?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Chores are taken care of with magic and food is taken fresh from the forest via hunting. It¡¯s actually a pretty refreshing life style, you know. Money isn¡¯t needed too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma, this one thinks you might be a bit too young to be a hermit, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°It does feel somewhat like that¡­¡± [Syria] ¡°Well, don¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯d be a load off my back to have you around, but no one¡¯s pressuring you to stay here. Just live as you please. Anyway, the government officials embezzling funds have had their properties forfeited and their subordinates¡¯ salaries reduced. The money from that is being used to cover the maintenance costs of the town. In the worst case, that money can be used to hire enough people to do the job, so it should be fine. ¡­Alright, with that I¡¯ve given you your dues and have informed you of what you need to know. I just have one thing left to tell you. The day after tomorrow there¡¯s going to be a big job. There¡¯s a mine that¡¯s officially going to be abandoned this year, although it¡¯s actually already been defunct since last year¡­ A lot of monsters have taken nest inside it. They¡¯re all small fries, but there¡¯s a lot of them, so the area that needs to be covered is huge. The guild is going to need adventurers to deal with them. If you can participate, that would be a huge help. That¡¯ll be all! Dismissed!¡± [Wogan] [1] Used to be Strengthen Body. After that we all went our ways. When I got back to the lodging, the ojousama and the others were there waiting for me. They were waiting so that we could have lunch together. I thanked them and took a seat, and then the ojousama spoke. ¡°Ryouma-san, might I invite you to train with me?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Why all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll be learning magic from today onwards, so I thought you might be interested too.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Elia¡¯s training is actually a part of our itinerary.¡± [Reinhart] Apparently, the Jamil Household had a custom of sending their children out to travel once they were old enough. Depending on what they wanted, they might even become adventurers. ¡°It is good to widen one¡¯s perspective and learn new things, but before one can set off, one must first gain the power to protect oneself. Going on a journey accompanied by guards is also a choice, of course, but that wouldn¡¯t be very fruitful. Traveling without any of the struggles will only result in half the benefits, which is why we¡¯re having Elia learn how to protect herself.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Even without traveling, one might still be summoned to deal with a monster threat or a group of bandits, so the power to protect oneself is a necessity.¡± [Reinhart] That explanation was a little surprising. ¡°The ojousama too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not just Elia, the bigger the scope, the more likely nobles will have to join the fray. It raises morale and paints a good image, after all. Protecting one¡¯s own fief, there¡¯s few better propaganda than that. But that¡¯s also why power is a necessity.¡± [Reinhart] Oh, right. There¡¯s magic in this world, so there¡¯s not much of a difference strength-wise between men and women. ¡°To that end, I¡¯ll be attending the academy in the capital starting this year to study magic as well as other subjects. But I¡¯d like to have some experience before that.¡± [Elialia] ¡°So that¡¯s why you came here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve been training since this morning and I¡¯ll be training later this afternoon, So, how about it? Won¡¯t you train with me, Ryouma-san?¡± [Elialia] ¡­Sure, why not? It¡¯s a good opportunity and I did promise to teach her how to play with magic, so as long as I won¡¯t be a bother¡­ When I told them that they agreed, and it was decided that we would be going to the training grounds in the afternoon. The training was mostly about magic and the training grounds would be a 20-minute trip on carriage to a rocky area outside town. After lunch. When we got to the designated area, Jill-san was there to meet us. ¡°Ojousama, I¡¯ve been waiting. I see Ryouma is also with you. I hear the last three days have been difficult for you.¡± [Jill] ¡°I could say the same to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well yeah.¡± [Jill] ¡°Come on, you two. Let¡¯s start already!¡± [Elialia] ¡°By the way, Ojousama. What attributes can you use? I can¡¯t teach you how to play with magic without knowing that first.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I specialize at fire and ice. I have a lot of mana, so I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to use lots of powerful spells as long as I practice.¡± [Elialia] Looks like she¡¯ll probably end up specializing on powerful spells. But fire and ice, huh¡­ ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Water and earth are relatively safer, so there¡¯s plenty of ways to play with them. But compared to them fire and ice are a bit¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you certainly can¡¯t play with fire in the middle of the forest.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It won¡¯t be a laughing matter if you start a forest fire, after all.¡± [Jill] Hyuzu-san and Jill remarked as they watched me and the ojousama from a distance. They¡¯re right, though; and in my opinion, the hardest attribute to play with is poison. ¡°This is the only game I can teach you with the fire attribute. ¡®Darkness¡¯ ¡®Little Fire Flower¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] After darkening the area on my hands with the dark magic, Darkness, I made a really small flame at the tip of my index finger and lit up the darkness with its sparks for a few seconds. ¡°How beautiful.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ah, it stopped.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s a little sad seeing it end like that.¡± [Reinhart] Well, it is a toy fireworks. It¡¯s a pretty spell, but that¡¯s it. It has no other use. One day I¡¯d like to turn it into a full-fledged fireworks, but that will have to wait until I¡¯m a little better at magic. As for the ice magic games, all I had were skating and ice sculpting. At first, I had my hands full just maintaining a giant block of ice, but I later managed to turn it into something much bigger. As for ice sculpting, I tried it out because I had experience working part time as an assistant in making them. Ice sculpting takes time, though. It¡¯s not something you can just pick up and do. It takes a lot of stamina because you have to pile up lumps of ice and there¡¯s also a chance everything might collapse, so it¡¯s also dangerous. Because of that it paid pretty well, though. Making ice sculptures and keeping them in the cave sure made hot days that much more bearable. On a small-scale, you could make a magnifying lens with it and heat up stuff too, but it¡¯s only fun until the novelty wears off. If you want to start a flame, it¡¯s quicker to just go use fire magic. How troubling¡­ ¡°What about water? It¡¯s not a specialty of mine, but I can use water too.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Oh, I have lots. For example, ¡®Bubbly Water¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I put my finger tips together to form a circle, and then inside that, I used a water spell to produce water. The water produced wasn¡¯t just water, however, but one that was particularly viscous, so it was able to create a thin film. I blew softly on that thin film, and a bubble the size of a human¡¯s head appeared. That bubble floated under the windless sky with the sky as its backdrop. As sunlight shone upon it, it looked like there were countless dazzling stars reflected on its surface. Before long, however, the bubble popped. ¡°Oh my, that looks like a fun one. It¡¯s like soap bubbles.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s so pretty.¡± [Elialia] The ladies in particular seem to like my bubble magic. This world does know soap, but they¡¯re expensive, so they would never use them for something like this. The guys seem to be enjoying it to some extent too. ¡°We can use water attribute mana to make the water stickier. For example, ¡®Water¡¯, ¡®Wave¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] I used my hands as a container and poured water on it, then I moved the water with another spell. ¡°This ¡®Wave¡¯ is an elementary water spell that can make waves. With it we can create waves using water mana, and after a little practice, we can¡­ do this!¡± I threw the water in my hands upwards. Normally the water would come falling back down because of gravity, but this one didn¡¯t. Everyone looked up at the water ball floating up my head. I¡¯m using a spell that can move water, so naturally the water can float. Everyone knows there¡¯s an offensive spell under the water spell tree called Water Ball, so no one was surprised, but I¡¯m just getting started. Go! As I moved the water a little, its shape changed from that of a ball into that of a small fish, causing voices of exclaim to rise from around me. I¡¯ve been killing time with this spell for three years, so it¡¯s already stupidly detailed to the point that there are even scales on it. That water fish moved through the sky while bending loosely back and forth¡­ ¡°Ah! It¡¯s swimming in the air!¡± [Elialia] ¡°You¡¯re pretty good.¡± [Reinbach] Applause rolled out from around me. That¡¯s a little embarrassing. ¡°Well, something like that. I figured since I could move water, I could probably make it stickier too. The result was that Bubbly Water from before. You could think of it like we¡¯re joining water droplets together.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Like this? ¡®Bubbly Water¡¯¡± [Elialia] After hearing my explanation, the ojousama created a thin film of water in her hand. Unfortunately, it broke when she softly blew on it. ¡°Use a bit more water mana and imagine the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid¡¯s stickiness when making it.¡± [Ryouma] She¡¯d already succeeded, so I just gave her some practical tips. The ojousama excitedly tried out those tips. Mana poured out from her like water gushing out, and then she chanted the name of the spell. ¡°Bubbly Water.¡± [Elialia] The water this time was a lot more viscous, and when she spread it into a circle with her fingers and blew lightly on it, a bubble floated in the air. ¡°I did it!¡± [Elialia] ¡°You can change the size of the bubble with your breath. Once you¡¯ve gotten the hang of it, you¡¯ll also be able to do this.¡± [Ryouma] This time I used more mana to create the bubble. The result was a basketball-sized bubbled floating in the air. I pushed that bubble toward her. ¡°Look.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Elialia] I pushed the bubble but it didn¡¯t break. Instead, it slowly flew over to the ojousama. The ojousama looked at that bubble with eyes full of curiosity as she received it and bobbled it. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t disappear like the one earlier.¡± [Elialia] ¡°The more mana you use the more viscous the water becomes. A bubble like this won¡¯t pop even if you touch it. Of course, if you hit it hard, it¡¯ll break, but if you just leave it be, it¡¯ll eventually pop on its own.¡± [Ryouma] By the way, these bubbles are made purely with water mana, so they can¡¯t harm the human body or the environment. Even a baby accidentally drinking it won¡¯t pose a problem. ¡°It¡¯s just like a slime.¡± [Elialia] The ojousama poked at the bubble, and when it shook, she laughed. I guess it was worth teaching her if she¡¯s having this much fun. When there¡¯s a chance I¡¯d like to show her the other attributes too. Chapter 25 Volume 1 Chapter 25 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 25 part2 ¡°Now then, shall we start?¡± We played with the bubbles a little, but after a while, our training for the day was finally starting. ¡°The ojousama has been practicing her control since this morning. Ryouma-sama, is there anything you would like to study?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Personally, I would love to study the various offensive spells of the different attributes. As I mentioned back at the church, I don¡¯t really know much of offensive spells.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right. In that case¡­¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯ll teach.¡± [Camil] Sebasu-san turned to Camil-san. Looks like he would be the one teaching us. ¡°Seems like you can use all the attributes. As for me, I can use all the lower attributes, as well as lighting and ice. I can¡¯t teach you poison, wood, and the advanced attributes, but I can teach you the elementary spells for everything else.¡± [Camil] ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care, Camil-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Same.¡± [Camil] ¡°Well then, Ryouma-san. I¡¯ll see you later.¡± [Elialia] Apparently, the ojousama would be training away from me. After bidding me goodbye, the others left to see her off. We¡¯re not training in the same place? When I asked Camil that, he answered. ¡°It¡¯s for safety reasons. You know that the ojousama has a lot of mana, right?¡± [Camil] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because of that she can¡¯t control it very well. She¡¯s gotten a lot better recently, but in the past, there were plenty of instances when her spells went a different direction than she¡¯d intended. On top of that, they packed plenty of heat.¡± [Camil] That does sound dangerous¡­ ¡°But don¡¯t worry! That was before. She¡¯s a lot better now. We¡¯re just being safe.¡± [Camil] Camil-san assured me that it would be fine. It¡¯s probably because she¡¯s pretty much his boss. Staying on this topic any further wouldn¡¯t do us any good, so I suggested we start the training. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s start. Ryouma-kun, you said you didn¡¯t know much about offensive spells, but I take it you know a little?¡± [Camil] ¡°Yes, but only the beginner spells.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Show me.¡± [Camil] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] As requested, I turned toward a nearby rock and casted the basic spells of fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, ice, and poison, which were respectively Fireball, Waterball, Wind Cutter, Earth Needle, Stun, Ice Shot, Poison. ¡°Basics are basics, but that¡¯s pretty good. With that you¡¯ll probably learn the next spells easily¡­ I¡¯ll show you some new spells, and you¡¯ll copy them, ok?¡± [Camil] ¡°Got it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s start. First is fire. ¡®Fire Arrow¡¯ ¡± [Camil] As soon as Camil-san recited the chant for the spell, an arrow of fire appeared on the palm of his hands and promptly shot forth in a straight line toward the rock, giving rise to a light sound as the fire burst. ¡°This is the fire attribute¡¯s elementary offensive spell, Fire Arrow. It¡¯s faster than Fireball and has greater piercing strength. It¡¯s the most convenient spell under the fire spell tree, so it¡¯s commonly used. Give it a shot.¡± [Camil] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] As I recalled Camil-san¡¯s Fire Arrow, I did my best to imitate it. I produced fire on the palm of my hands just as I did with Fireball, then I compressed it and imagined an arrow shooting out. ¡± ¡®Fire Arrow¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] As I chanted out loud the words, a spell just like Camil-san¡¯s shot out and hit the rock. ¡°Well done. Since you were able to get it on the first try, you must have a good understanding of magic.¡± [Camil] Uh oh, is he going to get suspicious like people usually do in those clich¨¦ light novels? Maybe I should try misdirecting him a bit. ¡°I¡¯m an archer, so visualizing an arrow is pretty easy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, yeah. There¡¯s that too.¡± [Camil] ¡°That too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From time to time, there are people with high level in magic from using them in their day-to-day lives, but haven¡¯t learned any offensive spells. These people can usually learn offensive spells after a few tries so long as they¡¯re able to visualize the spells.¡± [Camil] Oh, so it¡¯s not that clich¨¦ setting in light novels when the protagonist learns magic too fast¡­ Well, that¡¯s good. Come to think of it, didn¡¯t the ojousama also learn Bubbly Water in two tries? If I¡¯d remembered that I wouldn¡¯t have worried needlessly. After that I also learned the offensive spells Water Shot, Wind Hammer, Rock Bullet, Stun Arrow, and Ice Arrow. I also learned the defensive spells Fire Wall, Water Wall, Wind Shield, and Ice Shield. After that a different problem rose. ¡°Well~ With that I don¡¯t have anything left to teach you¡­ Should we go straight to the intermediate class? We could also just keep working on your elementary spells¡­ Hmm¡­¡± [Camil] Looks like while my learning speed wasn¡¯t abnormal, it was still fast. As a result, everything Camil-san had to teach was exhausted before our time. It was then that Sebasu-san came. ¡°What has you so troubled?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma¡¯s too fast of a learner. He¡¯s already learned all the spells I could teach.¡± [Camil] ¡°Oh, is that so? Then in that case, how about I teach him. I can teach him dimension magic.¡± [Sebasu] Lucky! I get to learn dimension magic from one of the country¡¯s top dimension magicians. ¡°I¡¯ll be excusing myself then. Good luck, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Camil] ¡°Thank you very much, Camil-san. I¡¯ll be in your care, Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked Camil-san and bowed to Sebasu-san. Sebasu-san smiled cheerfully and spoke. ¡°Before we begin, I would like to confirm one thing. Ryouma-sama, do you know any spell under the dimension spell tree other than Item Box?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I can use teleport.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you show me?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Of course. ¡®Teleport!¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ~Side Sebasu~ Ryouma-sama invoked Teleport, and in the next instant, he appeared beside the nearby rock. He invoked it 4 more times after that, appearing and disappearing around me, until the fourth invocation where he appeared in front of me again. Teleport is a spell that instantly changes one¡¯s position, so many beginners lose their footing after casting it, but Ryouma-sama did not lose his footing even once. It was a spectacular Teleport. It may only be a beginner spell, but you can really feel his experience with it from how natural and how quickly he invokes it. He must have spent much time training with it to use it to this extent. ¡°Masterful performance, Ryouma-sama. If you can use it that well then you should also be able to use the intermediate dimension spells, Dimension Magic and Warp.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Ryouma-sama, do you know why dimension magic is the hardest attribute to use among the higher attributes?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°No. Why is it the hardest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you explain how to use dimension magic?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Use mana to interfere with the space and distort it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. But it is that very basic concept of interfering with space that leaves so many boggled. Space is ever present, but only few can truly grasp it.¡± [Sebasu] To make things worse, most of the textbooks teaching dimension magic are filled with exaggerated wording such as ¡®that which envelops all things within the world¡¯, making it difficult for aspiring dimension mages to grasp the proper image. In the end, the image they visualize often ends up poorly, leaving them with nothing more than a shoddy attempt at interference. In actuality, the most important thing is to use mana precisely and grasp it deeply within the space. Unfortunately, that¡¯s not something that could be explained with words. Words alone can only give half the picture. There¡¯s no other way to succeed but to keep on trying until one is able to grasp the sensation. Until then learning intermediate dimension magic or higher will remain but a dream. ¡°This might surprise you, but actually, the lower dimension spells aren¡¯t actually any different from the intermediate spells.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] He he¡­ A fitting reaction. ¡°In the past, dimension magic didn¡¯t have the lower spells it has now. It didn¡¯t have such distinctions. After all, the first step to mastering dimension magic is to grasp space, and those who fail to do that are considered incomplete. With time the people who could use dimension magic grew less and less, until eventually, the standard for dimension magic plummeted and the spells grew weaker. The elementary spells today are none other than the weakened intermediate spells.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°So you¡¯re saying I could use the same image I use for Item Box and Teleport to cast Dimension Home and Warp?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. You¡¯ll need to supplement Dimension Magic with something else, but for Warp, it¡¯s exactly the same image. The casting range of Warp is far greater than Teleport, so as long as you can grasp your destination, you can go as far as your mana permits. Let¡¯s see¡­ How about the top of that rock?¡± [Sebasu] I pointed toward the farthest and biggest rock around. The top of that rock was flat, so there was sufficient foothold. He shouldn¡¯t get hurt even if he falls. ¡°Sure. I¡¯ll give it a shot.¡± [Ryouma] Oh, Ryouma-sama looks quite eager to test his mettle. Students like him are truly worthy of teaching. How many students have I taught just like this? When I was born and it was found out that I possessed an aptitude for dimension magic, I spent all my time training and working as a butler. My magic proved most useful during my travels with the previous lord. When the previous lord stopped traveling, I worked daily as his aide. I believe it was around this time when I was praised as one of the country¡¯s leading dimension mages. The reason behind that was because I often used Dimension Home to carry most of the previous lord¡¯s luggage. There were plenty of times when I appeared in public too. Because of that countless people asked to become my disciple. I ignored all the letters sent to me, but there were some who used their connections with the previous lord to have their sons or retainers taught. Naturally, I couldn¡¯t ignore such people, so I taught them. I know for sure that I¡¯ve taught over a hundred people, but I stopped counting after that, so the actual number is a mystery, but regardless, the number of people who could use intermediate dimension spells by the end of my sessions do not even number 10. Many of the sons from the affluent families refused to listen when I told them that dimension magic couldn¡¯t be explained well with words, and they did nothing but complain, in the end, not getting much of any proper training done. Someone like Ryouma-sama who obediently listens and earnestly trains is the best sort of student to teach. Even more so when he¡¯s talented too. I wonder if there was ever a time when I personally wanted to teach someone? Perhaps there was indeed such a time, but I don¡¯t remember it anymore. While I was thinking that, Ryouma-sama closed his eyes and focused. He was as still as tranquil waters, almost as if he couldn¡¯t hear anything around him. It is remarkable that he is able to concentrate this much at such a young age, but what sort of training did he undergo to reach this state? When I think back to it, from the first time I met Ryouma-sama, he¡¯s always been an unbalanced young boy. He did not have any parents and isolated himself in the forest, but despite all the time spent alone in the forest, his clothes were well kept. He had difficulties speaking at first, but even then, he spoke with courtesy as he invited us to his house and offered us a most luxurious tea accompanied with an equally luxurious honey. His house was simple in design but solid and pleasant. He even had a bath. He lived just like a noble. But the strangest things about him are his knowledge and skill. He researched slimes, which had long been abandoned by other researchers, and bettered his life by discovering cleaner slimes and scavenger slimes. He even invented a thread I¡¯d never seen before and waterproof clothing. Once, he said the salt from Gana Forest could be used so long as the poison was detoxified. Reinhart-sama showed interest there, wanting to sell the salt, but what did he say? There¡¯s not enough to sell. The competition will just drown it out. He must have been raised as a noble, if not, then at least a merchant, or else how could a child his age have such knowledge of business? I still remember how he looked at his first town with empty eyes and how skillfully he protected the ojousama from crooks. And though still young, he has already achieved something by preventing the outbreak of a plague. Every one of these feats would have been impossible for a normal child, but he did them all. From time to time, he seems like an adult, but after opening his heart a little, he¡¯s finally started to act his age. Ryouma-sama is¡­ ¡°Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] Oh, dear¡­ It seems I lost myself in my thoughts there. ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I think I can do it. I¡¯ll try it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Show me.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°¡­ ¡®Warp¡¯¡± [Ryouma] In the next moment, Ryouma-sama disappeared, and in the next moment, he appeared on top of the rock just as I¡¯ve instructed him. I warped to the same spot. ¡°Congratulations, Ryouma-sama. You¡¯ve succeeded at invoking the intermediate dimension spell, Warp.¡± [Sebasau] ¡°I did! I really did it! Thank you so much, Sebasu-san!¡± [Ryouma] He he¡­ So he acts his age when it comes to magic, I see. ¡°In that case, let us move on to Dimension Home. You will be opening a hole and imagining a big room inside just like you do for Item Box. That¡¯s the usual process for Item Box, so I¡¯ve omitted much of the details, but after that is where things change. After going through the initial stages for Item Box, you will now have to imagine the space you¡¯re creating to have the same environment you have around you. This is the reason why it¡¯s possible to live and raise monsters inside Dimension Home. Without this step all you¡¯ll be casting is the elementary spell, Item Box.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma-sama said that, he closed his eyes and focused once more. It was a much more complicated spell than Warp, so it was only natural that Ryouma-sama seemed to be desperately grasping for the spell¡¯s feeling. He chanted several times, but nothing more than a black hole appeared. Again he chanted, again he failed. He repeated that time and time again, one attempt after another followed by one failure after another, and eventually, sweat trickled down him. But despite that, Ryouma-sama continued to concentrate. He would take a breather every now and then, but he continued to proactive even as the hours passed. And after 4 hours of training, Ryouma-sama chanted once more, and¡­ ¡°¡­ ¡®Dimension Home¡¯¡± [Ryouma] In that instant, a white hole appeared before Ryouma-sama. ¡°Congratulations, Ryouma-sama. You¡¯ve succeeded in casting Dimension Home.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Alright! Thank you so much! With this I can finally put my slimes in!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to help. Should you find your Dimension Home too small, you can always cast it again with more mana to make it bigger. Just note that a black hole means failure, and a white hole means success.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯ll remember.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now then, shall we return? It¡¯s already dark.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Eh¡­? Ah!? Wow, it¡¯s this late already?¡± [Ryouma] Looks like he didn¡¯t notice. If he didn¡¯t succeed just now, he might have kept on going. Normally, he¡¯d have long run out of mana, but as expected of someone with a mana pool rivaling that of the ojousama¡¯s, he¡¯s still got plenty to spare. ¡°You were really into it. Well then, let us be on our way. ¡®Warp¡¯.¡± [Sebasu] There are some things I¡¯m concerned about, but for now, let¡¯s just quietly watch over him. Chapter 26 Volume 2 Chapter 26 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 26 part2 ~Side Ryouma~ I was so into the training that I lost track of time¡­ Fortunately, Sebasu-san reminded me of the time and we went to were the others were through his Warp. Apparently, the ojousama was training in an area a lot further from me than I¡¯d thought. ¡°Welcome back, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You sure took your time. How much did you learn today?¡± [Elize] ¡°Did you learn any new spells?¡± [Reinhart] Ojousama and Co. immediately noticed us when we arrived. ¡°Yes, Camil-san and Sebasu-san taught me a lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. You look like you still have mana to spare. Won¡¯t you show us what you¡¯ve learned?¡± [Reinbach] I first showed the spells I learned from Camil-san, then I showed off my Dimension Home. Unfortunately, I needed 10 seconds just to invoke it. Looks like I still need lots of practice. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] Fortunately, it was a success. When the entrance to my Dimension Home opened, it occurred to me that everyone else except for Sebasu-san was frozen solid. Oh, yeah¡­ Using Item Box at my age is already an achievement. I forgot. Oh, well. Sebasu-san knew anyway, so even if I hid it, they¡¯d find out sooner or later. In fact, four of them are already pestering Sebasu-san. They praised me almost immediately after, though. I know it was an amazing feat, but having my head patted is so embarrassing. Later. The sun was already about to set, so we decided to go back. Dimension Magic was best improved by repetition, so I went back with my Warp. Just to be safe, though, Sebasu-san also accompanied me. Along the way, Sebasu-san suddenly remembered something. ¡°Ryouma-sama, we plan to go to the abandoned mine tomorrow to give the ojousama a chance to fight a monster. How about it? Would you like to come too?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°As long as it¡¯s no trouble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not. The ojousama will be delighted to have your company. Can you use weapons other than the bow? The abandoned mine is fairly small inside, so it¡¯s a difficult weapon to recommend. You should also wear some armor.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°How about a short sword? I can fight with my martial arts and magic, but I don¡¯t have any armor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That takes care of the weapons then, not that you would have any problems on that end, anyhow. After all, the monsters are weak, there will be guards accompanying you, and the main purpose is to give the ojousama experience, so¡­¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Right. Anyway, I¡¯ll go with the short sword. As for the armor¡­¡± [Ryouma] I could make the weapons with earth magic to some extent, but a poorly made armor will hinder my movements. ¡­Oh, now that I think about it, didn¡¯t I have a letter of introduction from the guild master? Let¡¯s use that then. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go shopping when we get back to town. I got a letter of introduction from the guild master of the adventurers guild, so I think I¡¯ll use it for our little trip tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That sounds wonderful.¡± [Sebasu] After that we arrived in town and went our separate ways at the gate. Sebasu-san went back to the inn while I looked for the weapon store. When I found the store, I entered it, and a rough-looking man greeted me with a ghastly smile. ¡°Welcome, dear customer. Is there anything that interests you?¡± [Rough-Looking Man With a Ghastly Smile] ¡°E-Erm¡­ I¡¯m looking for a weapon to use in a confined area like the abandoned mines. I think a short sword will do. I also need some armor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you need a short sword, then please refer to this shelf here.¡± [Rough-Looking Man With a Ghastly Smile] ¡°¡­Umm, not to be rude or anything, but aren¡¯t you forcing yourself?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡­You can tell?¡± [Rough-Looking Man With a Ghastly Smile] ¡°¡­It¡¯s obvious.¡± [Ryouma] The smile plastered on his face kept breaking every few seconds, resulting in a very weird face. After I told him that, the man dropped the act and wore a completely unsociable face. ¡°ARGH! I give! I give! Sorry, kid, but an acquaintance of mine told me I¡¯m unsociable, so I was trying to fix it, but it looks like it¡¯s just no good with my personality.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°I see. By the way, is this Digger Arms Shop?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, that¡¯s the place. What about it?¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°I got a letter of introduction from the guild master of the adventurers guild. I was told to bring it here.¡± [Ryouma] I handed the letter of introduction. ¡°From Wogan? Strange things do happen¡­ You a new recruit? My store¡¯s expensive, you know? I can guarantee the quality, but do you have coin on you?¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know the market price of weapons, but I can pay up to 30 small gold coins.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. What have you been using until now?¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°I usually use a bow, but I¡¯m going to the abandoned mines, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Then in that case, let¡¯s go with that short sword you mentioned earlier. You can also go with a short spear or a one-handed sword if you¡¯d like.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°Give me two short swords then. Oh, and would you happen to have throwing knives here?¡± [Ryouma] I have the Throwing Weapons Mastery skill, but I¡¯ve only thrown stones until now. Might as well use this chance to buy something. ¡°10 knives for one small gold coin. Pricey, yes, but I guarantee the quality. So long as you retrieve them after throwing, they¡¯ll last you a long long time.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°Give me ten throwing knives and those two short sword from before then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s 2 small gold coins per short sword, so adding the 10 throwing knives on top, that¡¯ll net you 5 small gold coins all in all. You¡¯ll be needing armor too, right?¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°Yes. I¡¯d like something easy to move in. What do you have?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something easy to move in? Then you¡¯ll want leather armor. Armor made with monster hide can be even stronger than metal, and if you enchant them with magic, you can keep your mobility even with a full-body leather armor. Unfortunately, the latter type isn¡¯t in circulation. I don¡¯t have any in my store.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°Let¡¯s go with the monster hide then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I only have two sets that¡¯ll fit your size, though. A day will be needed for adjustment if you want the other sets. Are you going to look through everything?¡± [Rough-Looking Man] I need it for tomorrow, so I¡¯ll just get what I can buy now. ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the mines tomorrow, so just show me the ones I can buy now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] The man went inside, and when he came back, he had two armor sets with him. ¡°Both armor sets are made from monster hide. One is made with Grellfrog Hide, making it flexible and easy to move in. Ah, but don¡¯t be fooled, it might be flexible, but it¡¯s plenty tough. It costs 4 medium silver coins.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] It¡¯s like rubber. Frog hide, huh. ¡°The other one¡¯s made from Hard Lizard Hide. This one¡¯s more expensive, costing 5 small gold coins.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] ¡°That¡¯s a pretty big difference, no?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because of the material. Hard lizards live in the wasteland, so it¡¯s rare to find one. On top of that, they like to use the neutral magic, Harden, so hunting them is a pain. Half-hearted attack can¡¯t get through their skin, and using magic risks destroying their skin. I know it¡¯s expensive, but this is actually already cheaper than it would normally go for.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] Harden covers the body with a layer of mana. It¡¯s a defensive spell that prevents the body from getting wounded. A monster that uses that would certainly be difficult to hunt. ¡°Taking one down takes luck and skill, but Hard Lizard Hide is not only light, it can also invoke the Harden spell when mana is passed through it. Harden increases the defensive prowess of the armor while leaving it as flexible as it were. It¡¯s already plenty tough without it, but after invocation, it gets even harder. Because of that it¡¯s a hit among people with no stamina like mages. Unfortunately, this was made from the leftovers of another set. And because there weren¡¯t enough materials left, only an armor big enough for a kid could be made. But then it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any kid adventurer out there who could purchase something this expensive. Can¡¯t change the size either since there¡¯s no material. In the end, it¡¯s been left rotting in the shelves for these past 2 years. If you can afford it, it¡¯d really be a load off my back if you could purchase it. This one¡¯s a lot better quality-wise too than the other armor.¡± [Desperate Salesman] Just as he mentioned, this does seem better. This store was recommended by the guild master, so I doubt he¡¯s just trying to make extra coin. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with this then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks, kid. That¡¯ll be 10 small gold coins in total.¡± [Rough-Looking Man] I took out a pouch of small gold coins from my Item Box and paid the man. After confirming the payment, the man handed over the equipment, and I stored them into my Item Box. ¡°Thank you. A bit late for introductions, but my name is Ryouma Takebayashi. I¡¯ll come back if I need anything again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Come back anytime. Name¡¯s Darson Digger. I own this store. That armor should serve you well, so long as you don¡¯t push yourself too hard. Come back and get a new set once you¡¯ve grown out of it. I¡¯ll give you something nice then.¡± [Darson] I thanked him, left the store, and went back to my lodging. The next day. Today we rode the carriage to the abandoned mine. The road became worse as we traveled along, but the weather was great. After 3 hours of traveling, I thought we¡¯d finally reached our destination, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Elialia] For some reason, the ojousama was acting weird beside me. She didn¡¯t say much during breakfast either. I wonder if there¡¯s something on her mind. ¡°Ojousama? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± [Elialia] Well, at least she doesn¡¯t seem to be sick. Maybe she¡¯s nervous? ¡°Is this your first time hunting monsters?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all. I may not have a lot of experience, but¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Relax a bit more, Elia.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Grandfather.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You won¡¯t be convincing anyone like that.¡± [Elize] ¡°Mother too¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°Ha ha ha, well at least you seem to be thinking straight today. We¡¯ll be arriving soon, so let¡¯s review our objectives.¡± [Reinhart] Thinking it better than doing nothing, Reinhart-san started a topic to divert Elialia¡¯s attention. ¡°The place we¡¯re headed to is Gimuru¡¯s Northern Mine. As the name implies, it¡¯s located to the north. It¡¯s already been declared abandoned, so why is that we¡¯re going there?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°We need to investigate the mine before we can send a request to the adventurers guild to clean up the monsters that have taken root in the mines. We have to go anyway, so we¡¯re taking this opportunity to let me gain some experience.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Exactly. Normally, we¡¯d just refer to the regular reports given to the management, but after the investigation on the recent incident, it¡¯s looking likely that the government office might have messed with the management of the northern mines too. So we¡¯re personally going to check the mines out and gather information on the beasts lurking in it. The request to the adventurers guild will depend on the contents of our investigation today.¡± [Reinhart] It¡¯s still unknown how many monsters are lurking within the mines, but it¡¯s already been assumed that it would take at least several days to wipe everything out, so today we¡¯re really just going to investigate the mine and train at the same time. The reports of the government office aren¡¯t exactly credible, but according to them, there haven¡¯t been any sightings of high-ranked monsters, so it should the northern mines should be safe enough for a child to train at. As the nervous ojousama watched the blue skies through the windows, I leisurely allowed myself to sway with the rocking of the carriage. Chapter 27 Volume 2 Chapter 27 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 27 part2 ¡°Is everyone ready?¡± [Jill] ¡°Yes!¡± [Elialia and Ryouma] As soon as we got to the mines, we started our investigation. We were currently standing before the entrance of one tunnel, but judging from how tall the weeds were ¨C they were almost as tall as me! ¨C and the unrestrained ivies that covered the rocks around the tunnel, it would appear that no one has visited this place in quite some time. Accompanying me and the ojousama were Jill and Co. There were also other guards, but they went into a different tunnel to hunt monsters. As for Reinhart-san and the madam, they went into a tunnel together, while Reinbach-sama went into one alone. I asked if that was alright, and Jill-san and Co. said this in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The three of them all once traveled as adventurers. In fact, Reinbach-sama¡¯s achievements were so great that the neighboring countries caught wind of them. People like them won¡¯t get a scratch from the sort of monsters you¡¯d expect from a mine like this.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Actually, they don¡¯t really need us guards. They could just walk by themselves around town. They could take care of themselves, And so long as Sebasu-san is around, they¡¯ll never lack anything. We never showed our face when you were at town, right?¡± [Jill] ¡°Unlike the other nobles, the 4 members of the Jamil Household don¡¯t enjoy the pompous lifestyle. They even told an uncouth guy like me to talk as I normally do.¡± [Hyuzu] Looks like the three of them were quite renowned in the arts of magic and the sword. I kinda thought that would be the case, but I guess it¡¯s fine, right? Letting them go like that. Yep, it¡¯s probably fine. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best too, Ryouma-san!¡± The ojousama normally wore a simple dress made from high-quality cloth that was so high-quality even I could tell it with a glance, but today, she¡¯s wearing nothing more than a shirt and a pair of pants, on top of which was leather armor. Huh, she sure is lively today, isn¡¯t she? I guess this means she¡¯s gotten over her nerves then? While we were talking like that, the madam waved goodbye to us from the entrance of another tunnel. Did she hear the ojousama? We waved back at her, and she waved back more forcefully for a moment before she finally turned around and entered the tunnel with Reinhart-san. After they entered their tunnel, we entered ours. AT the lead were Zeff-san, Jill-san, and Hyuzu-san. In the middle were me and the ojousama. And behind were Camil-san and the slimes. We walked orderly in a line, but the tunnel was dark. Just a few steps in and the light could barely reach us anymore. ¡°Tch, I guess there really aren¡¯t any lamps here.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Weren¡¯t they taken to the eastern mines?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the lamps should¡¯ve still been maintained until it was officially declared as abandoned, but from how bad the tunnel looked outside, I¡¯m guessing the management just didn¡¯t care. Besides, if they took the lamps from here and put them in the eastern mine ahead of steeled, then they would be able to reduce expenses temporarily.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°They¡¯re the sort who likes easy money, I guess.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They certainly give the impression¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°True or not, after what they¡¯ve done, it¡¯s hard to trust them anymore. That¡¯s the curse that will follow those who¡¯ve betrayed the trust of others. Please remember that, Ojousama. ¡®Light¡¯¡± [Jill] As Jill wrapped our short conversation up, he casted the beginner light spell, Light, to shoot out a ball of light. The ball of light floated above our heads and illuminated the surroundings. The light couldn¡¯t reach deeper into the passage, but it was enough to show us our surroundings. ¡°Ojousama, young master, please watch your step. People used to work in these tunnels, so there aren¡¯t any traps, but if this were a labyrinth, there definitely would be. Finding those is the job of a scout like me. We¡¯re just training today, but please do your best not to move ahead needlessly.¡± [Camil] ¡°Yes!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] We continued walking like that for some time when Zeff-san suddenly stopped. When we looked up ahead¡­ ¡°A bug?¡± [Ryouma] For some reason there was a bug just like the praying mantis before us. Unlike the praying mantises I knew, however, this one was as big as me with scythes fit for its size. It¡¯s definitely a monster. ¡­If not, then I feel sorry for all the bug-hating people. This world must be hell for them¡­ ¡°Do you see that, young master? That¡¯s a bug-type monster known as the Cave Mantis. It uses the scythes it has for hands to dig holes. It likes to live in caves or tunnels.¡± [Camil] ¡°Tch! Looks like an annoying one¡¯s taken root here¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Is it strong?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not really. Its scythes aren¡¯t sharp and its carapace is soft, so miners are actually able to deal with them with just their pickaxes. The problem is that they reproduce really fast, so there¡¯s a chance the more advanced variant, the blade mantis, might show up when they¡¯re around. Unfortunately, blade mantises look just like their lesser variant, so it¡¯s hard to tell them apart.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Unlike cave mantises, blade mantises actually have sharp scythes, so if you let your guard down, it could be fatal. Please be careful.¡± [Jill] ¡°How do you tell them apart?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Blade mantises are just a little bigger, but the difference isn¡¯t obvious, so some experience is needed to tell them apart. That one over there is cave mantis. I¡¯ll lure it here, so make sure to get a good look.¡± [Zeff] As Zeff-san said that, he approached the cave mantis alone and led it here. Elia and I watched as he easily received the attacks of the cave mantis with his small buckler. ¡°That¡¯s a cave mantis. Those scythes are pretty fast, so please be careful.¡± [Jill] ¡°Ojou, please take out the cave mantis while Zeff has its attention.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°No fire magic, though. The smoke won¡¯t have anywhere to go.¡± [Jill] ¡°Alright¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever!¡± [Zeff] ¡°Then¡­ ¡®Ice Arrow¡¯! Tsk! ¡®Ice Arrow¡¯!¡± [Elialia] The first Ice Arrow the ojousama casted was dodged, but the second one she casted immediately successfully took down the cave mantis. ¡°There¡¯s no problem with your casting speed, but you should aim more carefully.¡± [Jill] ¡°I understand.¡± [Elialia] After that we continued walking for another two minutes before we happened onto another cave mantis. This time, however, there were 4 of them. ¡°Now what? The ojousama took care of the one before, so I thought we could let Ryouma have a go next, but 4 right out of the blue?¡± [Hyuzu] When I heard that, I told them that I wanted to try. ¡°Be careful.¡± [Hyuzu] Nodding to him, I drew the two short swords sheathed by my waist and invoked Body Reinforcement, then I ran for the cave mantises. One of the cave mantises raised up its right scythe when it noticed me, but I sent a kick flying toward its right leg before it could attack. As its left leg was broken under the might of my kick, the cave mantis lost its balance and fell to the ground, then as my right foot descended onto its head, a nice crunchy sound resounded. At that, two more noticed me and headed my way. Matching the timing of the second cave mantis as it lifted up its scythe, I turned my body counterclockwise 90 degrees, barely dodging its attack, as I cut off its joint with my short sword. Then as my body swung back into place, I lopped off its head with my left short sword that was held in a reverse grip. Behind the second cave mantis was the third one. Shifting grip on my left hand from a reverse grip to a proper grip, I turned my body counterclockwise and parried its attack, then I claimed its head with my left sword. The fourth cave mantis swung its left scythe in hopes of claiming my neck, but I dodged it, received its attack with my right sword, and cut its joint with my left. It swung its right scythe next from the side, but I received it with my left and cut its joint with my right. With both arms gone, the cave mantis no longer had any cards left to play. It could only helplessly watch as I lopped off its head. ¡­Doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯ll be having any problems here. My swords are doing well too, not a single crack on them. ¡°Good job. Looks like you can handle yourself in close combat too. Ojousama, bug-type monsters are tough, so make sure you don¡¯t attempt what Ryouma did and try to lop their heads off.¡± [Zeff] ¡°I understand.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You played it smart invoking a hardening spell there. With that it wouldn¡¯t have mattered even if one of the cave mantis had landed a hit.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°As expected of Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] It¡¯s because I¡¯m already used to bug-type monsters. After all those years living in Gana Forest and hunting those tenacious critters to feed to the slimes, it¡¯s only natural I¡¯d get used to them. As our first battle concluded, we continued along the tunnel. 10 minutes later, I was walking in front while the ojousama followed from behind. Somehow, it was decided that we would be taking care of the monsters we happened across. There were nothing but cave mantises along the way, and the fights were really closer to pest cleaning than a fight, but their numbers were gradually increasing. At one point, we had to deal with 4 or 5 of them at the same time. What¡¯s worse was that the intervals between each battle was getting shorter and shorter. Of course, that meant nothing to me. ¡°Heave¡­ ho.¡± [Ryouma] But not for the ojousama. She¡¯s been casting one ice spell after another at the enemies we¡¯ve encountered to weaken them and reduce their numbers. I¡¯m grateful to have her support, but all that casting has left her exhausted. She¡¯s also using more and more mana with every spell casted. I know the four guards following us will step in when things turn for the worse, but¡­ ¡°¡®Playing Clay¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡± I caught the leg of an attacking cave mantis with earth magic and broke its balance, then I finished it off in a single hit. ¡°Why don¡¯t we rest for a bit?¡± [Ryouma] After that I suggested we take a breather. ¡°Here, dried meat. You¡¯ll feel much better once you¡¯ve eaten.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] And so, a breather we took. Although we were still deep inside the tunnel and couldn¡¯t let our guard down, we sat ourselves on the ground and rested. We had the Light spell for our light, so the area was well lit. There also seemed to be a vent connected somewhere, so it wasn¡¯t hard to breathe. ¡°Are you alright, Ojousama?¡± [Jill] ¡°Thank you for worrying about me, but I still have strength to spare. Mana too. It¡¯s just that for some reason, I feel like I get tired more easily.¡± [Elialia] ¡°That¡¯s normal when fighting in a place you¡¯re not used to. Especially, places like these where we can¡¯t tell the passage of time. Anyway, there¡¯s nothing else to it but to get used to it. It¡¯s that sort of training after all. How about you, Ryouma-kun? Are you alright?¡± [Camil] Camil-san turned to me after advising Elialia, but unlike her, I¡¯m actually used to places like these. ¡°It¡¯s just like my house, so I¡¯m ok.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, right. Now that you mention it¡­¡± [Camil] ¡°Hey, Ryouma. What spell did you use on that cave mantis just now? I know it¡¯s an earth spell, but I don¡¯t recognize it.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°You mean Playing Clay? It¡¯s a spell that temporarily turns soil and stone into clay.¡± [Ryouma] Like Create Rock, which I used back during the landslide, Playing Clay is also a spell made from the combination of Rock and Break Rock. It¡¯s a spell that continuously uses Break Rock to break down the soil to keep the particles connected. It¡¯s also one of the games I used to play back when I had difficulties using magic. It¡¯s literally playing clay. ¡°It¡¯s a spell I created back when I had difficulties using Rock to help myself learn it. You get stones and stuff like this and use magic to knead them into clay. Eventually, you¡¯ll get used to it and you¡¯ll be able to use Rock.¡± [Ryouma] The clay form will only last as long as there¡¯s mana. Once the mana used to invoke the spell is exhausted, the spell will wear off, and the object will go back to its original form. If it used to be soil, then it¡¯ll go back to being soil. If it used to be rock, then it¡¯ll go back to being rock. Because of that it can also be used to fill in gaps between walls or to fill cracks. It can also be used to repaint walls. Of course, I didn¡¯t think all that when I first came up the spell. After explaining the spell, the ojousama and the 4 guards looked at me, dumbfounded. ¡°Oi, Camil, Jill. What do you think? You¡¯re the magic guys from our group.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Coming up with a new spell because you can¡¯t use a beginner spell? Ryouma-kun, the things you do are really¡­ different.¡± [Jill] ¡°I won¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible, but it¡¯s definitely a hassle. I mean it¡¯s one thing if someone else had taught you, but coming up with a new spell just to learn a beginner spell? Usually, it¡¯d be a lot easier to just train normally.¡± [Camil] Like that we chatted and relaxed. While we were doing that, the slimes were behind us eating all the monsters we defeated. We¡¯re not doing anything out of the ordinary, but we¡¯re making great progress in cleaning up the path. Chapter 28 Volume 2 Chapter 28 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 28 part2 ¡°Yup. Nothing beats the outside, alright.¡± [Hyuzu] After completing our task in the mine without any incident, we went back outside. Hyuzu-san was quite pleased to be out of the dark and dreary tunnel. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to enjoy ourselves, Hyuzu. We have to go back and write a report.¡± [Zeff] ¡°I know, but it¡¯ll be afternoon by the time we finish, so just a little bit more and sweet rest will come.¡± [Hyuzu] We were called too. After that we all headed for an area near the entrance of the mine. It¡¯s a wide area that used to be the dropoff for mining tools and other luggages. Because of that it was clean unlike the other areas that were littered with stones. Currently, we¡¯re just using it as a rendezvous point as well as a parking area for our carriage, but in its heyday, it even had a rest area for the employees. ¡°Oh.¡± [Ryouma] As I walked through the tall weeds that reached up my waist, from time to time, a cold gust would blow. It¡¯s because a part of the road had become a cliff. Without anything to block it, the wind was free to blow a chill gust. It¡¯s great since the sun¡¯s rays are really hot. Turning toward the direction the wind blew, I could see the road we used to get here, and consequently, the whole town of Gimuru. Under the perfectly clear blue skies that was without a single cloud, the lone stretch of road that extended out from the vast blankets of green painted a tranquil and relaxing sight. ¡°Young master, be careful. There¡¯s a cliff that way.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Thanks for the warning.¡± [Ryouma] I decided to heed Zeff-san¡¯s warning. He had a point. The weeds were tall and it was hard to see my feet, so it wasn¡¯t far-fetched to say that I might lose my footing. When I looked down I saw a great amount of earth and sand gathered under the cliff. That¡¯s probably a slag heap. This is my first time seeing one. It wasn¡¯t exactly pretty, but seeing a mountain of red soil covered in weed strangely reminded of nature¡¯s vitality. But still¡­ ¡°It sure is a waste¡­¡± [Ryouma] They said this mine doesn¡¯t produce any iron anymore, but isn¡¯t there actually a lot? The red on that soil is the color of iron oxide¡­ in other words, rust. If they used alchemy, they could probably continue to produce iron, but alchemists are ill-reputed around here, so they probably can¡¯t. We walked toward the wide-open area as I thought that. When we got to the place, for some reason, Reinhart-san and the madam seemed to be waiting by the entrance. ¡°Welcome home~¡± [Elize] ¡°How was it?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Mother, father, I defeated lots of cave mantises!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Hmm, seems you did well.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-san started helping me along the way to keep the mantises away, so I was able to cast my spells unhindered. Ryouma defeated even more mantises than me too!¡± [Elialia] ¡°So Ryouma-kun protected you, huh. Thank you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Still¡­ Were there that many cave mantises?¡± [Elize] ¡°Apparently, the tunnel we entered was a nest of cave mantises. There were nothing but cave mantises inside.¡± [Jill] ¡°I see, then how about going into another tunnel this afternoon, but this time with us? I want to see how you and Ryouma-kun fight too.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Really? I¡¯ll do my best!¡± [Elialia] ¡°Oh my, aren¡¯t we excited? But before that let¡¯s have our lunch first. The others will be returning shortly, so until then let¡¯s talk.¡± [Elize] Like that we ate and talked about the details of my adventures with Elialia in the tunnel of cave mantises. After that it was decided that we would be going into another tunnel after lunch. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-san. What was on your mind a while ago?¡± [Elialia] ¡°A while ago?¡± [Ryouma] We ate with the 4 members of the duke¡¯s household, and for most of the time we were talking about either our reflection on the events this morning or Elia¡¯s way of fighting. When that topic was exhausted, however, the ojousama ¨C Elialia ¨C asked me something. Unfortunately, I had no idea what she was talking about. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say, ¡®what a waste,¡¯ when you saw the landscape around here?¡± [Elialia] Ah, so that¡¯s what she was referring to. Unfortunately, while I understand what she¡¯s talking about now, the topic is a bit problematic for me. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t anything important.¡± [Ryouma] I suck at lying. Really. I¡¯m sure even a slime could tell from that last sentence that I¡¯m just trying to pull the wool over her. ¡°Suspicious¡­ Very suspicious.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You sure are a poor liar.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Is it something you can¡¯t say?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If you want to say something, you should just say it.¡± [Elize] Well, I guess if it¡¯s these people, it should be fine. ¡°Do you remember what I told you about along the way to Gimuru? About the salt?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, I see, so that¡¯s what. Don¡¯t worry. There¡¯s no one here except for us, Sebasu, Arone, and Lilian. Arone and Lilian are good at keeping secrets, so you don¡¯t have to worry about word getting out.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right. Anyway, you know I can use alchemy, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± [Reinhart] Although it was Reinhart-san who replied, I was focused on Arone-san and Lilian-san. They looked surprised when they heard the word ¡®alchemy¡¯, but they didn¡¯t show any unpleasant feelings. Heaving a sigh of relief, I continued. ¡°R-Right. And this mine is going to be abandoned, yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. We¡¯re done with the papers too.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What about it?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It might still be possible to acquire iron from this mine¡­ That is with the use of alchemy, anyway.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that everyone else except me stiffened. ¡°Is that true?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. Do you remember what I told you about detoxifying the salt from Gana Forest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I do.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. All I need to do is to take the iron from the soil. I believe that red in the soil is actually the color of iron. Umm¡­ when you put water on a sword and leave it like that, it¡¯ll rust, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Naturally.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°In the same way the iron of a sword can rust, so can the iron inside the soil. That¡¯s why it¡¯s colored red. So long as I use alchemy and extract only the iron from the soil, it should be possible to produce iron. That being said, it would probably be an issue if an abandoned mine suddenly started producing large amounts of iron, so that¡¯s why I think it¡¯s a waste.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ Ryouma-kun, if you think you can do it, why not try? I¡¯m interested in whether it would work or not, and I also have a way to sell them without causing trouble.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I nodded and decided to give it a shot. If using alchemy won¡¯t pose a problem, then there¡¯s no reason to hide it. Gayn did say that he just randomly put something together to create alchemy and fulfill the request of an otherworlder, so it¡¯s actually pretty easy to use. All you really need is an elementary understanding of the chemical elements and science, and you¡¯ll be good to go. Unfortunately, it¡¯s also because of that that alchemy hasn¡¯t taken off in this world. Frankly, if it¡¯s just extracting iron, then¡­ What is iron oxide? That¡¯s rusted iron, of course. What about oxidation? That¡¯s the process when oxygen combines with an element. And in the case of iron oxide, that¡¯s obviously the combination of iron and oxygen. What is oxygen? That¡¯s the air I¡¯m breathing right now. What occurs during alchemy? Oxygen is forcefully removed through the utilization of mana, leaving behind only iron. If I teach them this much, then I¡¯m sure even Reinhart-san and the ojousama will be able to do it. If that¡¯s not enough, then I can teach them about the basic properties of oxygen too. I¡¯m sure even that much won¡¯t take more than an hour to teach. Although, to be honest, I don¡¯t really feel like teaching them that much unless they ask. If they want to learn it or use it for the sake of reviving a dead enterprise, then by all means, go ahead. Gayn and the others may have made alchemy because of an otherworlder¡¯s demands, but in the end, it¡¯s still something that belongs to this world. After lunch. ¡°Ryouma-kun, will this do?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I drew the basic magic formation required by alchemy ¨C a simple square inside a circle ¨C on the ground, then I took a stone bowl full of red soil and placed it on the formation. ¡°Let¡¯s begin. It¡¯s dangerous, so please make sure not to enter the formation.¡± [Ryouma] After warning them, I let my mana course into the formation, and then a bright light dazzled from the formation as a thin film of light was created. None of the spectators uttered a word during this moment. They all watched with rapt attention. Can¡¯t blame them, I had the same reaction on my first time. Nowadays, it feels no different from turning on a computer, though. Then again they¡¯ll probably make an even bigger fuss if they could see a computer turn on. Man, I sure miss computers. Oops, lost myself in my thoughts there for a moment again. Let¡¯s continue¡­ Alchemy has different magic formations for different jobs. This formation is meant for separating. With it I¡¯ll be able to take the oxidized iron alone, and the rest of the soil will naturally float out of the formation. When the light faded, only red-colored grains were left in the bowl. All the soil have already left through the thin layer of light. When I used the neutral magic, Identify, on the red grains, I was able to confirm that they were indeed oxidized iron. I need to do the separation process one more time, but this time, I¡¯ll be removing the oxygen from the iron. After going through the same process as before, all that was left was a sparkling and silvery sand. Leaving it like that would make it too easy for the wind to blow, so I decided to draw another magic formation beside the separation formation. This time, what I drew was a pentagram and a circle, the alchemical formation meant for combining things. One needs the ability to visualize, as well as have knowledge of the substance before and after combination to use this formation, but with it, one can combine things. I¡¯m going to use it to turn this sand of iron into one lump¡­ There. I used Identify once more to confirm that I have indeed succeeded in making a lump of iron. It has a purity of 100%, so there¡¯s no mistaking it. ¡­Of course, the reason I don¡¯t have much of a reaction is because I¡¯m already used to alchemy. When I first used alchemy, I became really excited and thought about a lot of things. The fact that I¡¯m able to act unaffected like this really speaks volumes about how familiar I¡¯ve gotten to alchemy. ¡°Reinhart-san, it¡¯s a success. Please take a look.¡± [Ryouma] While Reinhart-san stared at my lump of iron in my hands, I handed it to him. When I did, he rubbed my lump, slapped it, turn it over and held it up to the light, and then used Identify on it. ¡°Yep, it¡¯s iron, alright¡­ You actually did it ¡­¡­¡­Sorry, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Huh!? Why are you suddenly apologizing!? Please raise your head!¡± [Ryouma] His sudden apology left me bewildered. Did something happen in the short time I was performing alchemy? Reinhart-san raised up his head, but he still continued to apologize. ¡°Umm, you see, alchemists claiming they can make gold is so common it¡¯s basically a stereotype, so when you said you could make iron ¨C of course, I didn¡¯t think you were trying to swindle us ¨C I didn¡¯t really believe it. I doubted you and your claims, for that I apologize.¡± [Reinhart] Ahh, so that¡¯s what he meant. ¡°The fact I asked you to show me your alchemy despite my doubts is¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. I mean it can¡¯t be helped if it¡¯s such a tall tale. Besides, it¡¯s not like I was hurt or anything.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. Still, real alchemy sure is impressive. I can¡¯t believe you were actually able to produce iron from that soil.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°And it¡¯s so pretty too. It¡¯s like silver.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Indeed. Do all things made from alchemy turn out like this?¡± [Elize] ¡°Unfortunately, because of that we can¡¯t sell it. It¡¯s real iron, yes, and Ryouma-sama¡¯s alchemy is indeed amazing, but¡­¡± [Sebasu] Because of alchemy, or rather, because the purity was too high, the lump of iron couldn¡¯t be sold. It was made by magically gathering all of the iron content from the soil into one lump, so of course, the purity is high. Because of that, not only is it soft, it¡¯s also flexible, has a sheen glow to it, and rusts harder than normal iron. Or at least, that¡¯s what I remember from that one news segment back in my previous life that talked about pure iron. Although, even that didn¡¯t discuss 100% pure iron. Well, this one was made with magic, so using my previous life¡¯s standards doesn¡¯t really fit. Anyway, putting that aside¡­ Since I know what the issue is, I can solve it. If the purity is too high, then I¡¯ll just lower it. I drew a six-sided star with a circle around it on the ground, and placed the soil from before on top of it. This six-sided star magic formation is meant for mixing. It can equally mix together various substances of different nature. It doesn¡¯t have a lot of uses compared to the other formations, but it can be used to lower the purity of my iron lump. Gradually, the color of the iron grew less and less lustrous, until eventually, it turned into a blackish hue, no different from your run-of-the-mill iron. That being said, it was still different from iron produced through more normal means. Although it looks just like iron, the impurities mixed into it is different from common iron, which has plenty of carbon at the cost of its viscosity, leading it to become more brittle. Anyway, the point is that I don¡¯t know whether this could actually be used or not. When I told Reinhart-san that, he laughed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll get a merchant I can trust to investigate it. If you want, I can introduce you too.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Really? Then please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, of course¡­ Now, who to go with¡­ Should I pick that guy? Or maybe the blacksmith would be better?¡± [Reinhart] I¡¯m curious about the quality of my iron, so I asked to be introduced, but¡­ After that Reinhart-san became a bit too overzealous in picking out who to bring my lump of iron to that he even skipped out on our monster hunt in the afternoon. And now, the ojousama has her cheeks all puffed up¡­ What to do? Chapter 29 Volume 2 Chapter 29 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 29 part2 Reinhart-san won¡¯t be able to join us in the afternoon training, so our group only consisted of me, the ojousama, the madam, and Reinbach-sama. ¡°Good grief, father always ends up like that when it concerns his work¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°I can¡¯t believe he actually neglected Ryouma-kun and his own daughter.¡± [Elize] ¡°I¡¯m partly responsible for this too¡­ But at least he¡¯s really devoted to his work, right? I mean wouldn¡¯t it be worse if it was the other way around?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Maybe¡­ We¡¯re here.¡± [Elize] As the 2 adults led us, before we knew it, we were right before the entrance. ¡°From here on, the two of you should be the ones to decide how to proceed. Me and grandpa will just quietly follow. We¡¯ll help out when things look bad, but don¡¯t expect us to provide any help other than that.¡± [Elize] ¡°We¡¯re here to help Elia gather experience, after all. Ryouma-kun you already have plenty of experience, so I¡¯ll have to ask you to let Elia make her own decisions.¡± [Reinbach] All of the sudden, the ojousama has her work cut out for her. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Elialia] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] Seeing how the ojousama wasn¡¯t perturbed in the slightest, it seems she¡¯s used to these two suddenly giving her an assignment. We continued into the tunnels without a word of complaint from the ojousama. The tunnel this time was a lot bigger than before, and parts of the walls were covered in moss. We could slip if we¡¯re not careful, so we better watch our step. ¡°It¡¯s dark, so I can¡¯t see very far.¡± [Elialia] I¡¯ve realized this since this morning, but it seems unlike me who¡¯s used to hunting in the night, the ojousama has a hard time seeing in dark places. ¡°Ryouma-san, you have experience hunting in the night, right? Do you use light magic then?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Only if I don¡¯t mind others noticing me. Otherwise, I use the neutral spell, Search. There¡¯s still a chance the target might notice me because of the flow of mana, but the odds are much lower.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can¡¯t use Search very well. How do you do it? I know I¡¯m supposed to spread my consciousness, but I don¡¯t really get it.¡± [Elialia] Search, huh. Well¡­ After thinking a little, I made a vessel out of stone using earth magic, and then filled it with water using water magic. ¡°Please look at this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡± [Elialia] I threw a stone into into the vessel, and ripples rose on the surface of the water. ¡°Think of the center as you and the ripples as the flow of mana. Make yourself the center of the mana flow while you spread it around you, and when a monster shows up¡ª¡± I threw several more pebbles into the vessel, calmed down the ripples with magic, then threw another stone into the center. When I did, ripples appeared again, but the small stones interfered with some of the ripples. ¡°Mana will crash into the monsters just like these ripples. You should treat that as the reaction a monster or a human gives to Search.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That¡¯s a lot easier to understand. Umm¡­ ¡®Search¡¯!¡± [Elialia] When the ojousama invoked the Search spell, a great amount of mana gathered around her. It was an amount I¡¯ve never felt before from anyone else other than myself. It¡¯s amazing how I can feel the mana hitting against me even without focusing, but if there¡¯s an enemy mage present, we¡¯ll definitely be found out. Sensing mana is the most basic of basics, so there¡¯s no such thing as a mage that can¡¯t sense mana. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of something up ahead.¡± [Elialia] ¡°You succeeded. But you should rein in your mana a bit more. If an enemy mage were around, we¡¯d definitely get found out like this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°R-Really? It seems I really do need to practice some more.¡± [Elialia] ¡°For now, let me be in charge of the front and Search. You just focus on your spells just like you did this morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be counting on you, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] I used Search to see what¡¯s up ahead, and just like she said, there were indeed a lot of monsters. But it seemed to be a gathering of many small monsters. ¡°The road opens up up ahead, but there seems to be a lot of something filling up the ceiling there. I think they might be cave bats.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those are probably cave bats, yes.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Could Elia take them all out?¡± [Elize] ¡°That would provide some shooting practice, but if it¡¯s a huge cloud of bats, then it wouldn¡¯t matter if she aimed or not, she¡¯s bound to hit something.¡± [Reinbach] Cave bats are only about as big an adult¡¯s palms and mostly fed on insects. They don¡¯t have a lot of options for attacking, but they do fly around, so they¡¯re ranked F. Even children could beat them, but they can get troublesome when they¡¯re all bunched up. The two adults didn¡¯t look like they wanted to deal with a cloud of cave bats either. ¡°Then how about we try an experiment?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°An experiment?¡± [Reinbach, Elize, Elialia] ¡°Yes. If it goes well, then we might be able to take out all the bats in one go.¡± [Ryouma] I double-checked on the ecology of the cave bats, and as expected, they¡¯re no different from earth bats. In that case, I should be able to knock them out if I cause powerful sound waves to erupt. Stun grenades were a thing in my previous life, so as long as I use my magic, I should manage. Silent, a spell that seizes the oscillations in the air to mute sound, and its opposite, a spell that amplifies the oscillations in the air to make the sound louder, Big Voice. Voice Change, a spell that changes one¡¯s voice like when one sucks in helium, and Whisper, a spell that allows one¡¯s voice to reach greater distances. And lastly, the resulting spell from the fusion of Big Voice and Whisper, Sound Bomb. All of the above are spells I came up with after much experimentation in the forest. I came up with Sound Bomb specifically for situations like these. It¡¯s pretty effective too considering it was able to rupture the eardrums of a black bear and knock it out. I should be able to knock out the bats with it as long as the spell doesn¡¯t fail. Speaking of Whisper, I practiced it a lot before by talking to myself in my room, but I haven¡¯t used it since. Anyway, the possible problems I see with this method is one: the tunnel might collapse; two: there might be other people nearby; and three: cave bats might survive. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about the tunnel. This tunnel has been reinforced with earth magic to prevent it from collapsing, so it¡¯s unlikely you¡¯ll cause it to collapse. As for the people, we¡¯ll check with Search to ensure there¡¯s no one in the area, and in the case you¡¯re not able to kill all the bats¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°¡­How about leaving it to my slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. If that¡¯s still no good, I¡¯ll lend a hand.¡± [Reinbach] And with that our plan was decided. I took out a big sticky slime from my Dimension Home. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the big sticky slime to block the tunnel with its huge body while taking care not to alert the cave bats as it approached them. With that my sticky net was ready. Lastly, I erected a sound-muting barrier to cover us. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re ready too.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Then¡­ ¡®Sound Bomb¡¯¡± [Ryouma] In that instant, a terrifying explosion sounded from outside the barrier. We couldn¡¯t actually hear any of the sounds, but we could still see the shadows falling from the ceiling. ¡°Looks like a success. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] After dispelling the barrier, we continued onwards with the slime net as our shield. Before long we came across a great number of cave bats laid out on the ground. Almost all of the bats were knocked out. Of those that did manage to fly away, they did not number even 10. And yet even then, some of those remaining bats flew in a daze, eventually crashing into a wall. Some of the cave bats did manage to fly toward our direction, but they immediately found themselves within the sticky slime net. ¡°Ho, not bad¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You really took them all down with one spell, huh.¡± [Elize] ¡°That¡¯s amazing, Ryouma-san!¡± [Elialia] ¡°It¡¯s been a while, but it looks like it¡¯s a success. Cave bats have good ears, but that¡¯s also their weak point. Ah, do you mind if I feed these to my slime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re your spoils. Do as you please.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Cave bats don¡¯t have any parts worth selling anyway.¡± [Elize] I ordered the big sticky slime to break up and eat the sleeping cave bats. When I did, 364 sticky slimes treated themselves to an eat-all-you-can cave bat buffet. Oh, it looks like the cave bats can now split again. I¡¯ll have them do it back at the inn. After that I continued to support the ojousama with both action and word of advice as she hunted the remaining monsters in the tunnel for the next hour. ¡°Hey, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] After cleaning up the second tunnel, Reinhart-san was waiting for us at the entrance. ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s about the iron. Can you make me a sample to show to a possible partner? It¡¯d be best if you could make it rectangular like an ingot.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Sure, no problem. Alchemy also has a formation for changing shapes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Then if you could ready one soon, please.¡± [Reinhart] Like that I exchanged places with Reinhart-san and went to work on the ingot. He offered to help too, but it wasn¡¯t necessary, so I suggested he follow after the ojousama instead. It¡¯s not difficult work, after all. As proof of that, I was able to finish making the ingot almost immediately. It barely took longer than walking to that slag heap. ¡°Sebasu-san, the ingot is ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. What will you be doing now, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± [Ryouma] After completing the ingot and handing it over to Sebasu-san, I didn¡¯t have anything left to do, so I was thinking of following after the ojousama to help out with her monster hunting, but they¡¯ve already entered for quite some time. Should I just go ahead and enter a tunnel on my own? But the monsters around here are weak, so there¡¯s not much merit in fighting them, and it¡¯s also questionable whether that¡¯s a good idea considering how much time we have left¡­ Moreover, our main purpose here is to scout out the place. A lot of adventurers are gonna be hired to take care of the monsters here, so there¡¯s no reason to rush. Huh, in that case, I think I¡¯ll just let the slimes split. ¡°I think I¡¯ll just let the slimes split for now. After that I¡¯ll contract them and do some training.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please use the corner over there. It¡¯s open and if something happens, we¡¯ll be able to hear you.¡± [Sebasu] And so, that¡¯s what I did. After the slimes split, I leisurely spent the remaining time training. One hour later. The ojousama and the others came back. They walked over to where me and the slimes were. ¡°Ryouma-san!¡± [Elialia] ¡°O-Ojousama. Are you done with your training?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. We¡¯re done for today. Actually, I have a present for you.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Present?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He he he¡­ I think you¡¯ll like it very much, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] As the ojousama and the madam said that, Reinhart-san came with a box of stone. ¡°Inside is a monster. It¡¯s weak, but you should still be careful when you open it.¡± [Reinbach] When I heard from Reinbach-sama that a monster was inside, I carefully opened the lid. In the next moment, I saw the monster inside. ¡°A slime?¡± [Ryouma] Inside was a dark gray slime, a slime I¡¯d never seen before. It wriggled about inside the stone box as if it were looking for the exit. ¡°It¡¯s one of the many advanced slime variants, a metal slime. We stumbled onto it by coincidence and caught it.¡± [Elize] ¡°I can have this? Really? Thank you so much! I¡¯m so happy! I have another slime variant I can add to my collection.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It may be a slime, but you should still contract with it first.¡± [Reinbach] Oh, right. Just as Reinbach-sama reminded me, I went ahead and formed the contract. After that the metal slime started behaving within the box. When I lifted it up, it was indeed made of metal and was harder than any slime yet. So this is a metal slime. I guess it must feed on metal then. ¡°Reinhart-san, could I get some of the iron soil around here to feed this slime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re going to feed it with soil?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That or the iron from it. I also want to run some experiments with the other slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take as much as you want. Originally, all this soil would have just been treated as trash. If not for you, we would have never looked at it again.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you so much!¡± [Ryouma] It should be fine if I get just enough to fill a corner of the Dimension Home. Will the slime eat iron? Will a slime turn into a metal slime after eating iron? Or will it turn into something else? ¡­I can¡¯t wait to find out. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-san. What were you doing?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Oh, I was letting the slimes split just a while ago, and then after that I thought I¡¯d train them a little¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Train? You mean the slimes?¡± [Elialia] The ojousama could not comprehend. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand. She might understand how convenient slimes are, but I¡¯m sure she still can¡¯t see them as anything but useless in battle. Slimes are weak, after all. I mean they¡¯re G-Ranked monsters that even children can beat. But the truth is that slimes possess a super flexible semi-liquid body that won¡¯t die unless the nucleus is hurt. Slimes can move their nucleus anywhere in their body, so if for example a slime is kicked somewhere, it could simply move its nucleus away to protect it while nullifying the damage with its semi-liquid body. At first, that was just a theory of mine, but after spending a lot of time training with the wild slimes ¨C and I mean a lot of time since at one point I even thought it was hopeless ¨C the slimes became agile. They learned to use basic martial arts, allowing them to dodge an incoming weapon while rushing into the enemy to secure his arm. They learned how to use their semi-liquid body to parry attacks ¨C My teachings focused mainly on defense and evasion ¨C And today, there are even some among them who can extend a part of their body and use it to control a spear or a rod. ¡°That being said, they still can¡¯t beat a goblin one on one. They just really lack the overall strength needed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all! I think it¡¯s plenty amazing that a slime¡¯s actually learned to use weapons.¡± [Elize] ¡°Ryouma-kun, what do you think about attending a short course for beginners at the tamers guild? It might do you good to learn some common sense for once.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Maybe he should be teaching them instead¡­¡± [Reinhart] It looks like they¡¯re starting to get that my slimes are amazing, but¡­ That was uncalled for. The expression on the three adults quickly changed to that of exhaustion as they listened to the crazy things my slimes can do. Before long the ojousama came to ask for help and I went to get my red soil. After that I spent some time until it was time to go back. By the time we left, there was a mountain of red blocks at a corner of my Dimension Home. Chapter 30 Volume 2 Chapter 30 part2 ¡°Are you alright, Ryouma-kun? You look tired.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart asked me on the way back from the mine. ¡°I was hoping we could drop by our partner for your three products, but¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m alright. I just used to much mana.¡± [Ryouma] Creating all those red soil bricks with Create Block brought me near mana exhaustion. It¡¯s been a long while since I last felt like this, but other than that, I¡¯m alright. After all, I didn¡¯t actually exhaust all of my mana. This much discomfort shouldn¡¯t pose a problem. One hour later, our carriage finally reached town. We stopped in front of a certain store. It was not lavish by any means. It was a simple store made out of wood and had a calm feeling to it. I thought for sure we¡¯d be going to a luxurious store considering this was the duke, but it seems that¡¯s not the case. Because of that, however, the store was not intimidating. As soon as we entered the store, we were brought to a huge guest room where paintings lined up the walls and a decorative vase could be seen at one corner. The store was much more luxurious inside than outside. The sofa I sat on was soft, and my body sunk into it. ¡­It¡¯s just a bit more lavish than the reception office for clients in my previous world, but I feel a little out of place¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s just sit and behave beside Sebasu-san for now. As I behaved myself and quietly waited, before long, a well-built man came. He was the person responsible for the store. ¡°My, my, if it isn¡¯t the people of the duke¡¯s household. Welcome.¡± [Well-Built Man] ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Serge.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s been a while, indeed. It would be great if we could meet more frequently, but alas, it seems the opportunities just refuse to show themselves. Regardless, it is good to see that you are all well. I do believe this is our first meeting. Greetings. I am Serge Morgan, president of the Morgan Company.¡± [Serge] Oh, he¡¯s talking to me. ¡°I am Ryouma Takebayashi. I met the Jamil Household by some stroke of fate. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Ryouma] He smiled back at me. I heard he¡¯s someone we can trust, but exactly what sort of person is he, I wonder. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get to business¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Did you bring something new today?¡± [Serge] While I was thinking to myself, the two of them started talking business. Wait? Today? I guess Reinhart-san must¡¯ve brought several things here already. ¡°Before I show you the goods, I want you to promise me that not one word of this will make it out of this room. I trust you. But I want to be sure.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But of course¡­ We value the information of our partners. We would never leak it. And in fact, if you so wish, we could work in such a way that not even the slightest trail would be left. Still, I must say this is unusual for you, Reinhart-sama. I never thought you would say something like this.¡± [Serge] ¡°The goods this time come with some¡­ circumstances. Mark my words, what I bring to you today will bring profits beyond anything I¡¯ve brought you yet.¡± [Reinhart] Really? As far as I¡¯m concerned, a raincoat is about as common as they come, but¡­ Well, I don¡¯t really get it. ¡°Sebasu.¡± [Reinhart] At Reinhart-san¡¯s behest, Sebasu-san took out a waterproof cloth from his Item Box, as well as a slime thread, and the iron ingot I made. ¡°Oh, this cloth has good texture.¡± [Serge] ¡°Texture isn¡¯t all it has going for it. It can also repel water.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± [Serge] ¡°Use Identify or wrap you hands with it and touch water, I don¡¯t mind. That¡¯s a test product, so feel free to experiment with it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Then I¡¯ll do just that¡­¡± [Serge] Serge-san summoned a servant and asked for a bowl of water. Until then he used Identify to examine the cloth. As Serge-san¡¯s eyes began to sparkle, the bowl of water came, and immediately, he wrapped his hand in water, and then soaked it into the bowl. ¡°Reinhart-sama, what a truly wonderful cloth this is!¡± [Serge] ¡°Right? So, do you think rain gear made from it would sell?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But of course! It would definitely!¡± [Serge] Wow, he really likes it! ¡°But that¡¯s not all I brought. Take a look at this thread next.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I shall examine it.¡± [Serge] He took the spool of thread into his hands and examined it by touching it and pulling it. ¡°Was the same material used to make this thread and that cloth?¡± [Serge] He could tell!? Without a single hint, just by touching, he was able to tell!? Reinhart-san smiled and nodded. ¡°As expected of you, Serge. Although there were some slight changes to the process, the thread and the cloth were indeed made with the same material. What do you think? The thread has good quality, no?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, companies specializing in luxurious clothing probably won¡¯t even blink before gobbling all of it up. It¡¯s beautiful, yes, but what¡¯s most remarkable about it is its durability.¡± [Serge] ¡°Actually, we have clothes made from that thread and that cloth.¡± [Reinhart] This time what was taken out was the set of clothes I made for cleaning the latrine pits. Huh? Wait a moment. I have my set with me. When did they make that? ¡°These are clothes meant for working with water or dirty places. The design is a bit¡­ original, but function-wise, it¡¯s excellent.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure laborers will love this. Once word gets out, it¡¯ll sell like hotcakes.¡± [Serge] ¡°We¡¯ll need to do something to make it popular first, but it definitely has a lot of potential. Now, as for the last one¡­¡± [Reinhart] The last thing that was brought out was of course my iron ingot. ¡°Mind if I use Identify?¡± [Serge] ¡°Not at all.¡± [Reinhart] Serge-san identified the ingot with Reinbach¡¯s permission, but afterwards, he was visibly disappointed. ¡°It¡¯s good material, yes, but¡­ If I may be frank, there¡¯s nothing special about it. It¡¯s just an iron ingot.¡± [Serge] ¡°Then what about this one?¡± [Reinhart] Sebasu-sama took out the other ingot (ultrahigh purity iron) and handed it to Serge-san. ¡°Is this silver? No, this weight¡­¡± As he said that, he used Identify on it. In the next moment, he was visibly shocked. He tried to keep his composure, but he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from sweating buckets. ¡°Reinhart-sama, this ingot is¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Amazing, right? We¡¯d probably cause a huge fuss if we sold this thing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Naturally. With a luster enough to be mistaken for silver, anyone would be able to tell that it¡¯s different from the iron we know. People will definitely want to get their hands on the manufacturing method.¡± [Serge] ¡°And because of that we¡¯ll have to settle for that previous ingot. Actually, that ingot used to be just like that, but it was made to be more like normal iron ingot.¡± [Reinhart] Serge-san nodded. ¡°That makes sense, but then it won¡¯t be different from any other ingot. It won¡¯t catch attention. Is that alright?¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s fine. We just want to sell these ingots legally without anyone knowing. These ingots come from the abandoned mine, but we didn¡¯t find a new vein.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see, so you wish to keep the manufacturing method a secret while still selling the ingots?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. To be more precise, I want to export these things to other countries. If we sold it locally, we¡¯d have to indicate where it was made, but if we exported it, it would be enough to just mention our country.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see. Yes. That shouldn¡¯t pose any problems.¡± [Serge] Seriously!? With just that!? ¡°Also, Serge, I want to introduce to you the secret manufacturer behind these ingots.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Serge] ¡°The manufacturer of these ingots is also the developer of all the three products I showed you.¡± [Serge] Oops, this isn¡¯t the time to be shocked. I¡¯m being introduced. ¡°All three products are so amazing, and yet, you¡¯re telling me they were all made by one person? Reinhart-san smiled. ¡°Yes. The one who developed all these is none other than¡­ Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] The moment Reinhart-san spoke my name, Serge-san¡¯s eyes turned into dots, and he looked back and forth between me and Reinhart-san. ¡°W-What did you just say?¡± [Serge] ¡°Ryouma-kun is the developer of all these things. I know it¡¯s hard to believe, but it¡¯s the truth.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You really made all these, Takebayashi-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I told you it¡¯s true, but please keep this a secret¡­ It would cause problems if people were to find out how skilled a researcher he is despite his age. Moreover, he¡¯s also an alchemist.¡± [Reinhart] Serge-san became suspicious as soon as he heard the word ¡®alchemist¡¯. Alchemists really have a bad reputation. ¡°I know, I know, it¡¯s suspicious, but he made that ingot in front of me. It¡¯s definitely not a scam.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see, so you did it right in front of Reinhart-sama. If you don¡¯t mind, could you show it to me too?¡± [Serge] Oh? He¡¯s suspicious, but he¡¯s willing to put aside his prejudice to see if it¡¯s true. Well, the duke did bring me, so it¡¯s not like he could just ignore me. My mana isn¡¯t in the best condition right now, but it looks like I¡¯ll have to do this one more time. ¡°I¡¯ve already used a lot of mana today. Do you mind if I just make something small?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have plenty of mana recovery potions in our store. Please feel free to use them. This much isn¡¯t anything to speak of so long as you could truly show me alchemy.¡± [Serge] Is it really ok if I accept this? Well, alright. In that case, I¡¯ll be able to do this properly. ¡°Then please prepare me a potion, two sheets of paper, and a pen. I need to draw a magic formation, you see.¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san summoned a servant once more and asked for the things I asked. ¡°Will this do?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After thanking him, I took the things I asked for and drew a magic formation, then I took out the red bricks from my Item Box. ¡°This is hardened soil from the mines. It will be used as ingredient for my alchemy. Please take a look.¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san used Identify. ¡°It¡¯s from the mines, indeed.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll be starting then. It¡¯s a bit dangerous, so please refrain from extending your hands into the formation.¡± [Ryouma] Mana coursed through the magic formation just like it did back at the mines. Light shone, and in the next instant, an iron ingot was quickly made. I handed it to Serge-san. ¡°Please examine it.¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san was already wide-eyed from seeing the process, but when he took my iron ingot and used identify on it, in the next moment, he stood up from his sofa and bowed deeply to me. ¡°My deepest apologies!¡± [Serge] ¡°I-It¡¯s fine!! Really! Please. Lift your head. I know alchemists have a poor reputation, so it¡¯s only normal for you to be suspicious, Morgan-sama. If anything, I¡¯d say you treated me well.¡± [Ryouma] The duke might have introduced me, but I¡¯m not even a teenager, I¡¯m a kid. If a person of such high standing were to suddenly apologize to me, I can¡¯t help but want to apologize too. Even though my old boss gave me a stern talking to that it¡¯s better to just keep up relations instead of ignoring someone or acting suspicious¡­ ¡°Thank you. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d actually be the real thing¡­ Could it be you¡¯re not as young as you appear?¡± [Serge] ¡­Huh? ..Eh? No way! ¡­He found out!? ¡°W-What are you saying all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard real alchemists could make medicine that restored one¡¯s youth or gave eternal youth. I thought it was just a hoax because of all the scams, but if you¡¯re the real thing, then¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°I can¡¯t.¡± [Ryouma] So that¡¯s what it was. Sheesh, sure scared the life out of me. I took out my status board and showed my age. ¡°I can¡¯t make a medicine that restores youth or gives perpetual youth. Perhaps there are people that could really make such a thing, but it¡¯s impossible for me. At most, all I can do is put this lump of soil inside a magic formation, and turn it into an ingot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I beg your pardon.¡± [Serge] Reinhart-san interjected here. ¡°Now then, since we¡¯ve made it clear that Ryouma-kun is the real thing, let¡¯s continue. Just as Ryouma-kun has showed you, he came up with all these things with his exceptional abilities and knowledge. But if others were to find out that he¡¯s an alchemist, they will surely think it¡¯s a scam. And even if they do acknowledge his abilities, an 11 year-old child is bound to garner much animosity. There will also be those who would want to pull him over to their side. So I want to propose a deal between you and Ryouma-kun, Serge. He¡¯ll sell his goods to you at a fair price, and in exchange, you¡¯ll keep quiet about his identity.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Very well. That much won¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ryouma-kun, Serge is a trustworthy merchant, so just drop by his store whenever you want to sell something. You can also buy things from here safely.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you. Serge-san, I look forward to working with you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I look forward to working with you too, Ryouma-sama. Please come whenever you can, I will be here to receive you.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ryouma-kun, feel free to use the soil from that mine as you please. You can feed them to the slimes or sell them as ingots, it¡¯s up to you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Are you sure? But what about your profits?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s an abandoned mine. It¡¯s only natural not to make any off of it. Besides, we¡¯ll make some off the taxes when you sell your ingots to Serge. There¡¯s no loss for us. Moreover, I expect a lot of profits to be made from the waterproof cloths. You can sell them here or at any branch of the Morgan Company, right, Serge?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. And Ryouma-sama, if you tell me your address, I can inform a nearby store to purchase from you. Of course, while keeping your secrets.¡± [Serge] I¡¯m grateful, but aren¡¯t these people being too nice? After that I told him I lived in the forest, and he was naturally shocked. I wasn¡¯t sure whether I would be going back to the forest or not, so I decided to just tell Serge-san my address after I make up my mind. For the time being, I would be selling my goods here at the store, but if I do decide to come back, I can sell my goods at a branch store in Gaunago Town. They spoil me so much, I don¡¯t know how to thank them anymore. I think I¡¯ll just make some ingot and threads while I¡¯m in this town. I should be able to make a lot if I use two days¡¯ worth of mana. I got a lot of mana recovery potions from Serge-san as an apology for doubting me, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Still, I¡¯m glad there¡¯s a place I can finally sell my stuff at. Serge-san told me to drop by whenever. If I sell to him, I won¡¯t have to fear getting ripped off. After that, serge-san and a female servant saw us off, and we went back to our lodging. Chapter 31 Volume 2 Chapter 31 The next day. Today the ojousama is at the mines again, putting to practice the things she learned yesterday. As for me, Reinbach-sama asked me to take the monster subjugation request that will be posted at the adventurers guild. I suggested taking the ojousama along, but Reinbach-sama and the madam were against it. I just found out about this yesterday, but it seems there¡¯s actually a big gap in battle experience between me and the ojousama, which translates into an equally huge gap in battle prowess. If the ojousama were to partake in the subjugation quest, not only would she be inefficient, there¡¯s also a high probability that she¡¯d end up relying on me too much. I wouldn¡¯t exactly refuse her were she to ask me for help, so I guess there¡¯s some truth in that. Anyway, because of that I went to the guild, but as soon as I got there, the guild master summoned me to his office. ¡°You¡¯ve come, Ryouma.¡± [Wogan] ¡°You called. Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing special. The duke¡¯s butler just submitted the subjugation request for tomorrow, and there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to confirm. Did you go to the abandoned mine yesterday?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tell me about the monsters you came across. The area too. I got the necessary info from the butler, but the more info the better.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright. The monsters I fought were the cave mantis and the cave bat. I also fought against the small mouse. I hear the ojousama defeated some slimes too. Other than that, there was also a metal slime. The place was overgrown with weeds and messy as if no one¡¯s touched it for years. That being said, the tunnel I entered was firmly built, and I didn¡¯t hear anything about the ground falling or a tunnel caving in from the others either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, even a G Rank should be fine, but¡­ You mentioned there was a metal slime.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes. But I was on my own at the time, and I only saw it when it was given to me as a present. I formed a contract with it right there and then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, yeah. You¡¯ve been gathering slimes, haven¡¯t ya? I hear you have over a thousand of them already.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes, to be more precise, I currently have 728 sticky slimes, 323 poison slimes, 211 acid slimes, 11 cleaner slimes, 3,033 scavenger slimes, 2 heal slimes, 1 metal slime, 1 normal slime, which totals to 4,310 slimes all in all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s way too many.¡± [Wogan] It seems the number was a few times bigger than he¡¯d expected, as he ended up wryly smiling. ¡°The reason I have so many scavenger slimes is because of the previous case. Because of that they ended up surpassing 3,000 in such a short time. Fortunately, slimes only need water to survive, but if these were any other monster, I¡¯d be at my wits end trying to feed them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Oh, right. A request to clean the latrine pits is out again. If you can, please take it.¡± [Wogan] I haven¡¯t decided what to do for today yet, so I don¡¯t mind, but isn¡¯t this a bit too fast? ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It wasn¡¯t cleaned for ages last time, so this time we¡¯re posting the request early! Or at least, there¡¯s a lot of guys who think like that. They even threatened, saying we¡¯re going to be buried in complaints if it¡¯s left for a long time. In the end, the public office wasn¡¯t able to convince the slum people. Some of their people were able to clean the pits a little, but they¡¯re originally an arrogant bunch, so the quality of their work is different from yours.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see¡­ Alright then. How many should I clean today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All 30 of them. Can you do it?¡± [Wogan] ¡°The slimes can deal with the waste a lot quicker now than before, so I think I could manage if I use the entire day. There should also be less waste this time around¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good, then I¡¯ll leave it to you. The people from town are really annoying.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sure, no problem. Ah, what about the monster subjugation request? I haven¡¯t registered for it yet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You can just register for it when you return. There¡¯s no limit to the number of people who can take it, and I¡¯ll be dropping them a note about you too.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Well, alright. In that case, I¡¯ll be on my¡­ Ah!¡± [Ryouma] It suddenly occurred to me that I might be able to purchase the monsters subjugated during the job as feed for the slimes. When I got permission from the guild master, I happily left his office and went to the receptionist girl to have the papers sorted. During the process I found out that the receptionist girl¡¯s name was Maelyn. Also, because I cleaned all the latrine pits last time when one latrine pit equaled one job, I unknowingly fulfilled the 20 job requirement to promote from G Rank to F Rank. As such, from today onwards I will be treated as an F Ranker. The requirements for E Rank is the completion of over 30 jobs and one subjugation job. So once I finish the monster subjugation job tomorrow, I should be an E Ranker. Promoting in a day seemed too fast, so I asked Maelyn-san about it, and this is what she said. ¡°It¡¯s fast, yes, but until E Rank, it¡¯s mostly just the strong picking on the weak even during monster quests. I¡¯m talking about adults, of course. And there¡¯s a lot of jobs that almost anyone can do. Which is why this period is considered to be the observation period. It¡¯s when the guild looks through an adventurer¡¯s records and thinks ¡®oh, this one takes a lot of jobs, but he fails too much¡¯ or ¡®oh, this one doesn¡¯t take many jobs, but he completes them every time.¡¯ Honestly, the job you do doesn¡¯t really matter as long as you take your job seriously. And in your case, Ryouma-kun, you haven¡¯t failed a single job and all your clients were pleased, so you have nothing to worry about.¡± [Maelyn] I heaved a sigh of relief at that. It¡¯s good to know I have a good reputation. As soon as I left the receptionist, she quietly muttered. ¡°Seriously, if they¡¯re just going to take on a job and fail horribly, then they should just take on the miscellaneous jobs like you do instead¡­ Novices are such a pain¡­¡± [Maelyn] I guess the hotblooded youth prefer something more thrilling, huh. I should do those miscellaneous jobs from time to time, so I don¡¯t betray the trust I¡¯ve built up till now. As I decided that in my mind, I left the guild to do my work. The next day. Last night, I was able to successfully clean the latrine pits without any accidents and was able to sleep early. Because of that I woke up earlier than normal. The time is currently 5 AM. For the mean time, I think I¡¯ll go ready my stuff. Unfortunately, I still had a lot of time left over after that. Men generally don¡¯t need long to prepare. If I were a woman, I would have taken longer, but¡­ alas. I killed some time by feeding the slimes after that, and then left the lodging a little later. I walked leisurely toward the adventurers guild, but when I got there, the place was packed with adventurers and several carriages could be seen coming and going. ¡°That¡¯s way more than I expected¡­¡± [Ryouma] All the carriages stopped in front of the guild were for the adventurers participating in the monster subjugation job. The receptionist said I could ride a carriage for free if I show up before 8, but this is way more people than I¡¯d expected. If it¡¯s that crowded, maybe I should just run to the abandoned mine. There¡¯s time anyway. It would serve as my morning exercise, and they did say nothing really mattered as long as I got to the mines by 11¡­ While I was wondering what to do, a voice called out to me. ¡°Hey! Ryouma!¡± [Jeff] ¡°Huh? Ah! Jeff-san!¡± [Ryouma] The person who called out to me was none other than Jeff-san. Raypin-san and Cher-san were with him too. ¡°Good morning, Jeff-san, Raypin-san, Cher-kun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Mornin¡¯.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Cher] ¡°Good morning, de aru. I see you¡¯ve undertaken this quest as well.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Yes. I take it you are too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That old man nominated us, so yeah. We¡¯ll be participating. It¡¯s not just us. Miya and Asagi are coming too. They¡¯ve gone ahead already though.¡± [Jeff] ¡°There¡¯ve been large-scale jobs like this before, but there are a lot of new faces this time around¡­¡± [Jeff] ¡°That can¡¯t be helped, de aru. Today¡¯s job can be taken even by G Rankers. Not to mention, this is a request from the feudal lord himself, so there¡¯s good money in it, on top of which, there¡¯s also the person buying monster corpses.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I wonder who¡¯s buying the corpses. I checked the list of confirmed monsters, but not one of them has anything worth selling. They¡¯re all small fries, you know?¡± [Jeff] ¡°And there¡¯s too many corpses even for research, de aru. I won¡¯t complain since I¡¯m benefiting here, but it does make one curious.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing special. They¡¯re just going to be used as feed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you know something, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Cher] ¡°But of course. After all, I¡¯m the one buying the corpses.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re the one buying the corpses? Ah, but if it¡¯s to feed that massive ooze of slimes of yours, then I suppose it makes sense, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°What do you feed those guys normally anyway?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I know they look like they eat a lot, but familiars are expected to cost a lot of money depending on the race anyway, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] As we chatted idly like that, we rode the carriage. We happened upon each other like this, so I figured I might as well ride with them. A few hours later¡­ When we reached our destination, the coachman informed us that we would have to report to the reception desk that had been set up in front of the entrance of the mine, so we did just that and waited until we could finish our report. When the clock turned 11, we gathered in that spacious area from last time. ¡°There are 264 adventurers participating in today¡¯s quest! For safety¡¯s sake, you are to form parties of six! There will be no scrambling for spoils! Those without a party have been grouped beforehand, so come here and look for your name! Now, go out there and make as much as you can!¡± Voices rose at the guild master¡¯s simple speech, then the adventurers split and entered their respective tunnels. ¡­Huh? Is that it? I can¡¯t dawdle like this, I have to find my group. When I checked my group, I found out that my party¡¯s members were Jeff-san, Miya-san, Wereanna-san, Mizelia-san, and Syria-san. Every one of them was someone I knew. Did the guild master do this? Anyway, I should rendezvous with them. As I looked around me, I noticed Wereanna-san leading the others toward me. ¡°Wereanna-san, it seems we¡¯ll be working together today. It¡¯s a pleasure. Everyone else too. It¡¯s a pleasure to be working with you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Same here, Ryouma.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Same, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Looking forward to working with you.¡± [Syria] ¡°I have to guide you properly as your senpai, after all.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°That might be too difficult for you, Mizelia. It hasn¡¯t been that long since we parted, but yeah, looking forward to working with ya.¡± [Jff] ¡°What did you say, Jeff!? That¡¯s rude, you know!¡± [Mizelia] ¡°You might have some skill, but you¡¯re still way too careless to be teaching someone.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Excuse me!?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°The hell are you two doing? Sheesh. Ryouma, just forget about these two. Anyway, what weapons do you use? The cave bat and the small rat [1] don¡¯t really matter much, but what about the cave mantis? Have any experience with them?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Yes. I normally use the bow, but I can also fight with my short sword. There¡¯s my magic too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then you take care of the flying ones with your magic. There¡¯s no one else here who can use magic, so¡­¡± [Wereanna] ¡°It¡¯s not that we can¡¯t use magic, nyaa. It¡¯s just that we beastmen don¡¯t have a lot of mana, nyaa. So please don¡¯t rely on us when it comes to wizardry and the arcane arts and stuff, nyaa. Ah, but Syria has a relatively big mana pool¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°But I can only use healing magic. Sorry.¡± [Syria] ¡°As for me and Mizelia, we suck at anything related to magic. We¡¯ve abandoned everything but Body Reinforcement and Body Tempering [2]!¡± [Jeff] ¡°Don¡¯t lump me with you! I actually specialize in those two spells!¡± [Mizelia] ¡°¡­It¡¯s the same thing even if you use the word ¡®specialize¡¯, nyaa. Anyway, what attributes can you use, Ryouma, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°I can use all of them, but mainly earth.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All attributes, huh. That¡¯s a rare one, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°But with that we can have more variation when fighting. By earth, I guess you can use earth needle?¡± [Weeranna] ¡°Earth Needle and Rock Bullet. As for the other attributes, the only ones that seem useful in the cave are Ice Arrow and Stun Arrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s more than enough. Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± [Wereanna] Like that our quest began. [1] ¨C Two different monsters it seems. One is a small mouse and the other is a small rat. [2] ¨C Used to be harden. I think Body Tempering is better since it seems related to body reinforcement. Chapter 32 Volume 2 Chapter 32 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 32 part2 ¡°Weak.¡± [Jeff] We entered a new tunnel in high spirits, but the monsters that appeared were so weak, it was as if we were taking a stroll in the park. This tunnel was already our third. ¡°What did you think small rats and slimes were?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°It would be a huge problem if an enemy you didn¡¯t consider weak actually appeared, nyaa. We¡¯ll be fine, of course, but the G Rank and F Ranks will be in danger, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°In the first place, the reason we¡¯re here is to provide backup when needed.¡± [Syria] ¡°But we can¡¯t sit around doing nothing either since that would leave a bad example to the low rankers.¡± [Wereanna] The way they talk, the way they fight¡­ They¡¯re definitely a league above the bandits I fought. They must be fairly high ranked. Why am I with them? ¡°Hmm? Something the matter, Ryouma?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I just thought everyone seems to be a high ranker, so I¡¯m wondering why I was grouped with you guys when I¡¯m only an F Rank. Did the guild master pull some strings? To make it easier since I¡¯m already acquainted with you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s impossible. That old man is a busybody, alright, but he¡¯ll always prioritize ability over everything when it comes to work.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Perhaps, he was worried we wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat a monster that could only be defeated with magic if it were just as 5, though I¡¯m sure he looks highly on your abilities and stamina too.¡± [Syria] ¡°Haven¡¯t you realized, Ryouma-kun? We¡¯ve actually been going at a pretty high pace, you know. A normal F Rank adventurer would normally have a hard time keeping up.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°At first, we were planning to slow down once you started getting tired, but you never did, so we just kept going.¡± [Wereanna] Really? I didn¡¯t notice at all. ¡°Ryouma, there¡¯s absolutely no way your actual ability is just F Rank.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°What¡¯s the strongest monster you¡¯ve defeated until now?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Well, it¡¯s not exactly a monster, but I have beaten a Black Bear back at the Forest of Gana.¡± [Ryouma] When the 5 adventurers heard that, they made an ¡®I knew it¡¯ face. ¡°Black Bear isn¡¯t something an F Rank could beat, nyaa. You¡¯d need at least a group of D Rankers to safely hunt it, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°If you can hunt a black bear alone, then your actual abilities must be at Rank C. The guild master must¡¯ve known that.¡± [Syria] Now that she mentions it¡­ ¡°Well, he was the examiner during my registration.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°No doubt about it. He¡¯s had his eyes on you since then.¡± [Jeff] ¡°So that¡¯s why you were grouped with us. Makes sense.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°If you have the skill, then rank means nothing. You¡¯ll eventually rise up to where we are. It¡¯s just a matter of time.¡± [Jeff] ¡°What is everyone¡¯s rank? I forgot to ask.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We didn¡¯t mention it, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Everyone¡¯s a B Ranker.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°It¡¯s the entry point of a first-rate adventurer.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Speaking of which, nyaa. Of the people who worked with us before, Cher is a D ranker, while Gordon is a B Ranker, nyaa. Asagi and Raypin are both A Rankers, nyaa.¡± [Miya] While we were walking and talking like that, Wereanna-san suddenly turned to the front and started sniffing. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Judging from the smell, there should be a cloud of cave bats up ahead. There¡¯s a lot of them. Way too many. Of course, they¡¯re no threat to us, but with those numbers, some of them are bound to escape during the fight.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°What a pain, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°Are there any people in the area?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t smell any. Do you know a spell that could cover the area by any chance?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Nothing that would kill them outright, but I do know a convenient spell.¡± [Ryouma] I explained to them the Sound Bomb spell I tested yesterday. ¡°Heh~ So you can do something like that.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of such a spell.¡± [Syria] Well, yeah¡­ I mean it¡¯s a spell I came up with using Earth¡¯s knowledge as a basis. ¡°That spell will only knock the cave bats, though. Can we finish them all off before they wake up?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Knocking them out makes our job a hell of a lot easier, but I still don¡¯t think we¡¯ll make it in time.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Then how about getting help from the people behind us?¡± [Ryouma] Everyone understood what I was talking about. ¡°You noticed too?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I lived in the forest for 3 years, so I¡¯m sensitive to others¡¯ presence.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Let¡¯s wait here for a bit then.¡± [Wereanna] 6 people have been following us since we got here. They didn¡¯t seem hostile, so we ignored them up till now, but according to my party, they¡¯re probably E Rankers or lower with poor income who are following us to make money out of the corpses we leave behind. According to Wereanna-san, E Rankers below have low income, so when you take into consideration the living costs and equipment maintenance, it only makes sense that there are many novice adventurers who have financial issues. ¡°Unless they have another source of income, D Rank is where stability starts for adventurers.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Until then there are plenty of unexpected expenses due to injuries and other unforeseen circumstances, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°A lot of people save, but the quality of one¡¯s life before promotion depends on how they do their work. If they mess up a job they¡¯re unsuited for, the odds of promotion become lower and they even have to pay a penalty. It happens a lot, actually.¡± [Jeff] ¡°On the other hand, if you can do D Rank work, then you¡¯ll be making enough to support all living expenses. And once you reach C Rank, you¡¯ll be able to live a comfortable life. That¡¯s also why Miya was able to buy a house. I personally think she was too hasty buying that house, but still¡­ The fact that she was able to buy it in the first place speaks volumes of her income. There aren¡¯t a lot of jobs out there that would allow us to save enough to buy a house at our age, after all. Dangerous work, big rewards¡­ That¡¯s adventurer work for you in a nutshell.¡± [Syria] Now that she mentions it, Miya-san is still in her early twenties. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been since she bought that house, but in Japan, she¡¯d be about as old as your typical college student. Being able to buy her own house at that age is certainly amazing, now that I think about it. All I ever had was a small apartment too¡­ All the way until I died¡­ ¡°The risk shoots up from B Rank onwards, so there are less adventurers, but so do the rewards. From thereon, unless you have issues handling your money, you should never have any problems financially again. On the other end of the spectrum, the ones who take the least risk and make the least money are the G Rankers, the F Rankers, and the E Rankers. And adventurers like those following us from behind will never make it to D Rank.¡± Adventurers keep what they kill, but they can¡¯t carry everything, so they throw away those they don¡¯t need. Throwing away something is the same thing as forfeiting their right to it, so there are adventurers like those following us from behind who try to pick those up and make money off of them. It¡¯s not illegal, per se, but it¡¯s not praiseworthy either, as there¡¯s a chance it could cause trouble in the distant future, so you could say it¡¯s in the gray zone. We rested until the adventurers came close enough to notice us. When they did, they stopped and Wereanna-san called out to them. ¡°Hey, the adventurers who¡¯ve been following us all this time! We know you¡¯re there! Show yourselves!¡± [Wereanna] The 6 adventurers panicked, but they still showed themselves in the end. They had 4 humans and two beastmen, one man, one woman, in their group. I know this sounds rude, but they look shabby. It seems everyone was right, they really were people having financial problems¡­ Still, they sure are young. They¡¯re only a little older than me. ¡°Why were you following us?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°We were picking up the monsters you threw away¡­¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°¡­Well, alright. First off, I want you to know that we didn¡¯t call you out to scold you.¡± [Wereanna] When the 6 adventurers heard that, they heaved a sigh of relief and their countenance turned for the better. ¡°But we do want to know why you¡¯re doing this.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°O-Ok! Actually, we¡¯re just G and F Rankers, so¡­ We¡¯ve been having problems with money and¡­¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°It wasn¡¯t so bad at the start, but after getting some equipment, we ran out of cash.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°And I messed up on a job, so we had to pay the penalty fee¡­¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°We were barely scraping by, and that¡¯s when the posting for this job came. We took it as soon as we saw it, thinking we could finally make some money. The monsters are weak, and we make money by participating and by bringing back monster corpses, so we figured we¡¯d make as much money as we could!¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°But then we happened to see you, and¡­¡± [Adventurer 5] Their reasons were all stuff Jeff and the others mentioned. Looks like it really is a common story. I just quietly listened, but then one of the female human adventurers suddenly stopped. Jeff-san urged her to continue. ¡°And what?¡± [Jeff] ¡°And¡­¡± [Adventurer 5] ¡°While we were following you, we saw that kid. So we figured if you were nice enough to take a kid like that along, then you probably wouldn¡¯t mind if we take the corpses you left behind. I mean a group of adventurers nice enough to bring a kid who¡¯d be nothing but a hindrance must surely be generous, right?¡± [Adventurer 6] The other 5 adventurers made a sour face when they heard that last guy¡¯s words. I mean, yeah, I¡¯m a kid, but still¡­ I¡¯m a member of this group, you know? Normally, you wouldn¡¯t call the member of another group useless. But regardless, whether they actually agreed with him or started following us because they thought so too, no one tried to reprimand the adventurer. ¡°You people really need to know your¡­¡± [Wereanna] Wereanna-san wanted to rebuke them for looking down on me, but I stopped her. There¡¯s no point even if she got involved. ¡°It¡¯s fine, Wereanna-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma, you should tell people like this off firmly.¡± [Jeff] ¡°I don¡¯t think this is something you can change even if you talk to them. Besides, it¡¯s true I look weak on the outside.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Alright. But you know, you guys! If you¡¯re going to do something like that, then don¡¯t you think should ask permission first? Don¡¯t just pick corpses up on your own like a group of bandits!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Sorry!!¡± [6 Adventurers] After apologizing, the six of them tried to give back the corpses they took and leave, but Syria-san and Mizelia-san stopped them. ¡°Wait! We may have reprimanded you for taking the corpses without permission, but we didn¡¯t say we actually minded you gathering them.¡± [Syria] ¡°If you¡¯re having trouble with cash, then just take them.¡± [Mizelia] When the 6 of them heard that, their countenance immediately brightened, and they thanked everyone except for me. Wereanna-san wasn¡¯t happy, but Miya-san suggested to help them as planned. ¡°Actually, there¡¯s another reason we called you guys, nyaa. There¡¯s a huge cloud of cave bats up ahead, but it¡¯s going to take us a while to take them all down, nyaa. So, mind lending us a hand, nyaa? We¡¯ll give you the corpses, nyaa.¡± [Miya] The 6 of them immediately agreed. While I made sure that no one was around with Search, Miya-san gave them a simple explanation. ¡°We¡¯ll go in after Ryouma takes them out with his spell, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Won¡¯t that kid just alert them?¡± [One of the adventurers] When the 6 adventurers visibly showed their anxiety, Wereanna-san yelled, ¡°if you have a problem, then leave!¡± At that, they went quiet, but they continued to mumble among themselves after moving a bit from the group. They¡¯re probably talking about their misgivings toward me, but will go along anyway since they want the money. I ignored them and put up a sound concealing barrier. ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright! Do it, Ryouma. You guys come too!¡± [Jeff] ¡°Let¡¯s go! ¡®Sound Bomb¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] After casting my spell, an explosion occurred within the tunnel, but because of the sound concealing barrier we couldn¡¯t hear it. The 6 thought I¡¯d failed. ¡°Nothing¡¯s happening, though?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°He screwed up, duh.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°It¡¯s a success, actually. It¡¯s a wind spell, so you can¡¯t see it with your eyes.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I went with the group to where the bats were. The 6 adventurers followed us despite their doubts. When we got to where the cave bats were, they looked on in a daze¡­ Because an innumerable number of cave bats were on the floor, fainted. ¡°With this, they¡¯ve all been knocked down. Let¡¯s work together and kill everything as quickly as possible.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I went to work. When all of the cave bats have been dealt with, we left the six adventurers and exited the tunnel. That was the deepest part of the tunnel, so there was nothing more for us to do. We left the disposal to them since that¡¯s what they wanted in the first place. But then Wereanna-san asked me this. ¡°Ryouma, was it really alright not to say anything?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I showed them my skills in magic, so if they still can¡¯t understand with that, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point even if I talked to them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, but¡­¡± [Wereanna] As long as they¡¯re the understanding sort, there shouldn¡¯t be any more problems, but if they¡¯re the type that¡¯s just making up excuses to grumble, then it¡¯s hopeless even if you talk to them. And it doesn¡¯t matter even if they¡¯re the latter type since all I have to do is to ignore them. There are two types of people. Ones you can change given enough time and effort, and ones that you can¡¯t change no matter what you do. ¡°They¡¯re going through some financial difficulties, so let¡¯s just put them off as a group of cheeky kids desperate to make a living.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Cheeky? ¡­Is that something you should be saying when you¡¯re younger than them? I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯re already 15.¡± [Syria] ¡°Are you really 11 years old, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you think, then that¡¯s fine too, nyaa.¡± [Miya] I might look like a kid, but I¡¯m already a 42 year-old uncle. I¡¯m not about to pick a fight with a kid now. Besides, everyone already scolded them and I showed off my magic too. Any more than this will have to depend on their own self-reflection. ¡°Ah, by the way, there is something bothering me. Do I really look that weak?¡± [Ryouma] I lived in the forest for three years alone and fought loads of times with bandits. It¡¯s a bit of a surprise that I actually look weak. ¡°You don¡¯t look like you could even harm a slime.¡± [Jeff] Really? Even though people at work have been gossiping behind my back about the ¡®pressure I exerted just by being present¡¯ even when I was still young? It must be the face. ¡°I know you¡¯re strong after seeing you fight, but normally, I wouldn¡¯t think you¡¯re someone strong at all.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°This might be a bit rude, but, Ryouma-kun, you don¡¯t look strong at all¡­ I knew from our previous job together that you have stamina and I¡¯ve also heard of you being able to hunt, so at most I thought you wouldn¡¯t be a hindrance, but I would have never been able to predict that you¡¯re actually good at fighting¡­¡± [Syria] ¡°Even though part of getting stronger is being able to gauge other people¡¯s strength, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Honestly, even I was shocked when I saw how strong you actually were.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Well, picking up a person¡¯s aura has to do with a person¡¯s senses, so some are more keen to gauging others. We beastmen are usually on the sharper side, but I gotta say, Ryouma-kun, your strength and aura don¡¯t match at all¡­ Could it be you¡¯re actually intentionally hiding it?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Not particularly.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t have to take care like I had to in my previous life, so I¡¯ve just been doing things at my own pace. If there¡¯s any precautions I take, at most it¡¯s just me trying not to be threatening, but that¡¯s not really hiding, is it? That¡¯s just common sense. ¡°Then maybe it¡¯s just a trait of yours. People are like that, aren¡¯t they?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°You think? Even the bandits I met in the forest looked down on me. They did it every time too. Of course, I killed them all, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see where you¡¯re coming from, but¡­ Those bandits sure had bad luck.¡± [Jeff] ¡°They probably thought they were fighting a slime, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°Only to realize the slime¡¯s actually stronger than a bear.¡± [Syria] ¡°Exactly¡­ When you put it that way, isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun a natural trap?¡± [Wereanna] Before I knew it, I was being treated as bandit flypaper. We continued to chat like that, until eventually, it was time to eat lunch, so I went back to that wide-open area. Chapter 33 Volume 2 Chapter 33 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 33 part2 ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± [Ryouma] It was lunch break and I¡¯d just finished eating my meal at a corner of that wide-open area. The other adventurers were still eating, however, and in fact, there were some who¡¯d just started. I tend to eat quickly when I¡¯m by myself. Now what? Jeff-san and the others went to get information and eat with the other adventurers, so I can¡¯t bother them. With nothing to do, I figured I¡¯d take care of the slimes first. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] I called out to the receptionist responsible for handling jobs other than things regarding the subjugation. ¡°Ara, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Hi, Maelyn-san. Do you have some time?¡± [ryouma] ¡°Sure. What is it?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I just want to inform the guild that I¡¯ll be leaving the area to feed the slimes until break ends. Also, have you received any monster corpses yet?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They have, so go ahead and get as much as you want. You¡¯ve already paid in advance, so as long as you show the guild staff your guild card, they¡¯ll hand them over to you. I¡¯ll note your leave, but be careful, alright? And make sure to come back once break ends.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°There¡¯s a roll call per party, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. In the instance, you¡¯re late and are unable to make it to work, you have to report to the reception desk. We¡¯re doing this to prevent people from stealthily leaving their post to commit robbery. If you fail to show up, you will be treated as someone who¡¯s shirked his duties and will not receive pay. This is non-negotiable.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Got it. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] After heeding Maelyn-san¡¯s warning, I left the reception desk, got four portions of monster corpses, and left the area. ¡°Here should be good¡­ ¡®Dimension Home¡¯¡± [Ryouma] After walking for a while and up a steep hill, I managed to find a place with no people. If it¡¯s here, I should be able to immediately tell when a monster or a person approaches. Slimes came out one after another through a white hole and into the hill road, then I gave them the monster corpses to feed on. First, I had the cleaner slimes eat the filth, then divided the remains into four. After that, I placed a giant vessel full of water beside the remains and gave the order for the slimes to eat. When I did, the big or huge variant of the poison, sticky, acid, and scavenger slimes appeared and they feasted on the mountain of food. I had to prepare food for the metal slimes next, so I went to do just that, but while preparing its food, the metal slime started to dig a hole on the ground to eat the soil. Can it eat the iron content within the soil? ¡­But it¡¯s not making any progress digging. Rather than digging, the metal slime actually looked like it was throwing a tantrum for being the only one without food. I hurried myself and quickly put a bowl full of iron powder on the ground. At that, the metal slime stopped trying to dig and hurriedly went to its bowl. The only reason I could tell it was hurrying, however, was because of the contract, but if you just looked at it, it was actually moving very slowly. I guess that iron body must really be weighing it down. As the metal slime sucked in the iron, I sat beside it and watched it eat. It was in this way that I passed the time. Speaking of which, the heal slimes didn¡¯t eat food and instead photosynthesized, so they basked in the sunlight behind me while everyone else ate. After the slimes finished eating, there was something bothering me, so I brought them all back except a poison slime, a sticky slime, and an acid slime. ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] I placed a plate in front of each slime and asked them to spit on it. The poison slime spit poison, the sticky slime spit its sticky liquid, and the acid slime spit acid. The metal slime¡¯s body was hard and it possessed the skill ¡®harden¡¯. I know it¡¯s strong against physical attacks, but I wonder if it can handle poison? I don¡¯t know, so we¡¯re going to find that out now. It¡¯s just me watching its reaction while it approaches the various plates, though. First came poison. ¡°¡­Unaffected, huh.¡± [Ryouma] The metal slime didn¡¯t react even a little. A sticky slime would back off here, but the metal slime didn¡¯t care. It can stand perfectly fine beside the poison slime. Next is the sticky liquid. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine with this one too.¡± [Ryouma] The metal slime had no reaction to the first two, but when acid came, it finally showed a reaction. When it approached the plate of acid, its body squirmed more than normal as if it were melting, and then it gradually backed away. ¡°So, it¡¯s bad with acid¡­ This sure reminds me of a science experiment.¡± [Ryouma] There was an experiment in the past where we had to put hydrochloric acid on a metal foil¡­ How nostalgic. I didn¡¯t want to scare it too much, so I put an end to the experiment there. After I took away the plates and disposed of them, the metal slime calmed down. But because it ran away in a panic, its body was now dirty. I should wipe it. When I tried rubbing it with a towel, its shape contorted according to my touch. Rubbing it gave a mysterious feeling impossible for metal and was really fun. ¡°Good! ¡­I think it¡¯s about time we came back¡­?¡± [Ryouma] After checking the time on the clock that I¡¯d acquired previously, I realized I should be getting back soon, so I invoked Dimension Home to put the metal slime back in, but I dropped it. The metal slime usually took on a warped shape, but the current metal slime was a ball. That ball just made contact with a steep hill. ¡°Dimension Ho¡ª !?¡± [Ryouma] Following the shrill sound with my eyes, I saw a ball rolling down the hill at a terrifying speed. When I looked down to my legs, I saw that the metal slime was gone. ¡°Wait!¡± I was about to chase after it by reflex, but then it occurred to me that there were still 3 slimes left outside. If I leave them here, some other adventurer might come across them, and¡­ So, quickly, I picked up the three slimes and chased after the metal slime that had already rolled a long distance away after just a few seconds. A person would die when hit in the wrong spot, but slimes didn¡¯t even need to be hit in the wrong spot to die. They were fragile creatures. Because of that I couldn¡¯t help but worry despite the iron slime¡¯s hardened body. The metal slime eventually stopped rolling when it crashed into a thicket of weeds. The metal slime was unmoving. ¡°Are you alright?¡± [Ryouma] As I approached the metal slime to check its condition, it gradually stood back up, twisting and warping as it did. Apparently, it was just shocked, but was otherwise unhurt. That sure gave me a scare. When I have the time, I should check how much force the metal slime can take. It should be safe as long as we don¡¯t hit the nucleus¡­ Or, no. I think I should put this off until after the metal slime reproduces. After making up my mind, I picked up the metal slime. ¡°¡­¡­! ¡­¡­¡­?¡± [???] ¡°¡­¡­!!¡± [???] ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] A voice? I focused my attention to it and found that I wasn¡¯t hearing things. It was the voice of a person, several voices, in fact. It should be¡­ somewhere near the wide area. It must be one of the adventurers who took on the job. The voices seem to be quarreling, though? I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re talking about, but it sounds dangerous. ¡°It bothers me¡­ Let¡¯s check it out.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no point even if I go to the guild master and the reception desk now since I¡¯m not even sure if they¡¯re actually arguing. With a sticky slime on head, a poison slime and an acid slime on either shoulder, I walked toward the direction of those voices. Found them! After walking for a while in the direction of the quarreling voices, I found myself near the bottom of the mine, in a place where the light was dim due to all the trees, and there, by the corner, where the red soil was after being thrown from the cliff, were a group of adventurers in gear. There were over 10 of them. I couldn¡¯t see very well because of the shadow of the mountain, but I could tell that they were surrounding someone. ¡°Enough already!¡± [???] ¡°You¡¯re just a buncha thieves only good for stealing other people¡¯s spoils!¡± [???] The surrounding men screamed jeers. Their speech was rough perhaps because of anger or perhaps simply because they were lowbred, but either way, the current situation was grim. Are they fighting? ¡°We¡¯re not thieves!! We got it from someone!!¡± [???] Huh? Haven¡¯t I heard this voice before? Brats who steals other people¡¯s spoils¡­ And a familiar voice. I wrung out my hazy memory to try and recall. ¡­Could they be? Paying careful attention to the direction of the wind as I usually did when hunting, I quietly moved through the trees and grasses and walked behind the men. When I was about 50 meters away, my suspicions were confirmed. On either side were slag heaps, and in front were two groups of men facing each other. Behind one group, which was made up of three young boys, were three young girls, who had their backs to a cliff. Although both the boys and the girls were frightened, they still tried to cover each other. They struck a posture that suggested they were ready to fight the approaching men. Yes, the young boys and girls were indeed the ones I met back at the cave just as I¡¯d suspected. ¡­Huh? W-Which side started this mess? ¡°Don¡¯t look down on us, slum brats!!¡± [Older adventurer] I have no idea how things ended up like this, but the situation looks bad. Fortunately, things haven¡¯t escalated yet, but I can¡¯t exactly just show myself and tell these bandit-like people to stop. Let¡¯s watch first and see how things develop. At first glance, the 10 men look like the bad guys since they¡¯re surrounding a group of 6 kids, but it¡¯s them we¡¯re talking about, so I wonder. Those kids did just wordlessly take our spoils without saying a word, so if they did the same thing to those men, it¡¯d be hard to fault them. Taking unwanted spoils just barely falls outside of larceny, but if those men want an apology, they deserve one. I don¡¯t think pushing the kids into a corner like this is a good idea, though. In our case, everyone in my party but me called out to them and scolded them as a warning, but we didn¡¯t push them to a corner and shouted jeers at them. There¡¯s a big difference between this and back then. The kids aren¡¯t talking anymore. They¡¯re already at the point where they feel they have to make a move. They¡¯re literally one step away from a fight. The best course of action is to call someone who can calm the situation down, but I can¡¯t make it back with a single Warp¡­ Moreover, I¡¯m not capable of taking another person with me when using Warp. Pushing myself and causing an accident is out of the question. And if I ask someone else, we¡¯ll end up taking unnecessary time when they ask for the location. I don¡¯t want to leave those 6 for too long since the other group is made up of either guys who¡¯d willingly lay a hand on them or guys who just flat out don¡¯t care. Of course, I¡¯m also one of the people just watching, but I¡¯m confident I can put a stop to them with force should the need arise. Sigh¡­ What to do? Considering what might happen, staying here might be for the best, but then I won¡¯t be able to call anyone. On on one hand, I could call someone else to handle the situation, but the problem is that would put the kids in danger until I return. ¡­It¡¯s nice to be alone, but times like these are really inconvenient¡­ I¡¯ve never been hurried by anyone back at the forest, so it¡¯s been a while since I was last inconvenienced by not having enough hands. Hmm¡­ The exact number of the men surrounding them is 12. They¡¯re all more or less 20 years-old, but there¡¯s one with a beard who looks like he¡¯s 30. He¡¯s the only one who looks strong. The others aren¡¯t even worth mentioning. But even that bearded guy doesn¡¯t seem to have noticed me. At that level, the bandits I fought before were more dangerous. It doesn¡¯t seem that dangerous, but those 12 are definitely stronger than the kids. Since they have the numerical advantage too, there¡¯s no hope for the kids winning. Self-defense is probably impossible too. ¡°Well, say something!¡± [Older adventurer] ¡­Well, if they stole something, then 10 or 20 punches is about right. Back in my days, corporal punishment was a given be it in school or at home. Of course, the current Japan would make a fuss now if such a thing were to be done, but this is another world. Here, this much is a given to discipline kids. If they stole something, then normally they would have to be handed to the disciplinary office of the adventurers guild, so if anything, a few punches is getting off lightly. It¡¯s true what they did doesn¡¯t completely fall under a crime, but it¡¯s still close enough. And Jeff-san and the others already warned them earlier. So since they refused to take their advice, then I wish they¡¯d clean this mess up on their own. In the first place, there¡¯s not much point to me showing myself when we just met once. Of course, I won¡¯t just sit still if they go overboard. But all this is based on the premise that they did in fact do wrong. If they¡¯re not in the wrong, then there¡¯s no need to be hit. So, is it the 6 at fault or not? In the end, I just came back right where I started like a broken record or something. This isn¡¯t going anywhere. ¡­Yeah, let¡¯s just ask them. I put down the relatively untrained metal slime on the ground and stood up. ¡°Excuse me!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡± [Everyone] ¡°Over there!¡± [Older Adventurer 1] ¡°A-A talking slime!?¡± [Older Adventurer 2] ¡°You fool! Look a little lower! There¡¯s a head underneath the slime!¡± [Older Adventurer 3] ¡°Why the hell does that brat have three slimes on top of him!¡± [Older Adventurer 1] ¡°How long have you been there, you brat!?¡± [Older Adventurer 2] ¡°Sorry to intrude when you¡¯re so busy.¡± [Ryouma] When I left the thickets and revealed myself, the men turned to me with suspicion. The group of kids also saw me, and when they did, one of the girls let out a voice. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s you¡­¡± [Girl Adventurer 1] When the men heard that, they smiled. ¡°What? So you¡¯re one of them too?¡± [Older Adventurer 1] ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just passing by, actually.¡± [Ryouma] The men weren¡¯t buying it, however. ¡°From the looks of things, everyone here is an adventurer participating in the monster subjugation quest, yes? It¡¯s almost the appointed time, so I was on the way back when I suddenly heard some people arguing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really now? These guys seem to know you, though?¡± [Older Adventurer 1] ¡°Aren¡¯t you just a thief too?¡± [Older Adventurer 2] ¡°I mean that¡¯s a nice armor you¡¯re wearing even though you¡¯re just a kid.¡± [Older Adventurer 3] The men started appraising me. Their eyes were all drawn to the armor I wore. ¡°I just happened to meet those 6 in the tunnel this morning. Did they steal something from you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. These twerps¡ª¡± [Older Adventurer 4] ¡°We got the monster corpses from that kid¡¯s group!¡± [Boy Adventurer 5] ¡°We didn¡¯t steal your spoils!¡± [Girl Adventurer 6] ¡°Shut up!¡± [Older Adventurer 7] ¡°Do you have any proof!? You don¡¯t!¡± [Older Adventurer 8] ¡°They¡¯re telling the truth. My group agreed to give them the spoils. If you can¡¯t trust me, then I can let you meet one of our members. Everyone else in my group is an accomplished adventurer, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find their word trustworthy. Anyway, it¡¯s almost time for our roll call. Do you mind?¡± [Ryouma] When I spoke truthfully, the behavior of the adventurers changed. ¡°W-We wouldn¡¯t want to trouble your group¡­¡± [Older Adventurer 9] ¡°This is our problem, after all.¡± [Older Adventurer 10] ¡°You better not just be trying to buy time to destroy evidence!¡± [Older Adventurer 11] ¡°You might be plotting to cry help from someone! We can¡¯t trust you!¡± [Older Adventurer 1] ¡°We don¡¯t want to cause a scene either, you know!¡± [Older Adventurer 2] ¡°If this turns into a huge scandal, those kids will have a hard time getting a job!¡± [Older Adventurer 3] It¡¯s not obvious from their words, but when you look at the way they¡¯re acting, it¡¯s no different from how youngsters act when they try to hide screwing up at work. It seems they don¡¯t want others to know about this. Seeing how the men didn¡¯t want to clarify things, the equal scale within my mind tipped toward the 6 adventurers. After a while, the one adventurer who hadn¡¯t said anything until now finally spoke. ¡°I agree that there¡¯s no point in further talks.¡± [Older Adventurer 12] ¡°Sacchi-san!?¡± [Older Adventurer 1] The man called Sacchi spoke to me. So, he really was their leader. The other men went quiet when he spoke. Well, he does look like the toughest one. ¡°You¡¯ve got guts, brat. Just how did you manage to approach us undetected anyway? You know, I was paying careful attention to our surroundings in case some monster were to approach.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°I may look like this, but I¡¯m still a hunter, so I specialize in hunting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ You guys, any further talk is just a waste of time. Just as the kid says, it¡¯s almost time for the roll call, so¡­ Let¡¯s put an end to this.¡± [Sacchi] Sacchi said the same thing I said before. He said it so decidedly you wouldn¡¯t think he was the leader of these men who were raising up a fuss just a while ago. Those men didn¡¯t look like they were about to defy him either. The men blocking the 6 adventurers¡¯ way snorted, then they drew their weapons. Chapter 34 Volume 2 Chapter 34 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 34 part2 Tl Note: Please don¡¯t put too much thought in the adventurer numbers. It¡¯s really hard to tell which one is which. Volume 2 Chapter 34: ¡°Earth Needle!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Tch!?¡± [Adventurer 2] Suddenly, stone pickets the size of about two adults¡¯ height erected from the ground. As the two groups of adventurers were suddenly separated, one of the men was pulled up along with a stone picket. When the men saw the stone pickets suddenly appear out of nowhere, they went quiet and grew vigilant, then slowly, they backed away from the man who was pulled up. I took that opportunity to walk into the now empty center. It would be problematic if the young adventurers are taken hostage. ¡°W-What the hell happened!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°It¡¯s magic!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Is this your doing!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Well, you drew your weapons, so¡­ reflex. Ah, by the way, this spell is called Earth Fence. It¡¯s a spell that branches out from the earth spell, Earth Needle, to create a fence. Unfortunately, because of that it¡¯s a bit sharp. Fortunately, nothing that would make us throw up our lunch happened.¡± [Ryouma] After giving a brief explanation of my spell, the man who was picked up by one of the pickets along with the rest of his comrades stiffened up a little as they imagined what could¡¯ve happened. Still¡­ This really is a waste of time. It¡¯s almost time for the roll call. I have to put an end to this¡­ They say the same things I say, and yet they mean something completely different. Words sure are difficult! ¡­Well, enough with the jokes. These guys seem used to this sort of thing. When they drew their weapons, they turned toward me, but there were 2 among them who approached the young adventurers. They probably wanted to make hostages out of them. It didn¡¯t look like they arranged something right before Sacchi started talking, so they is either premeditated, or they¡¯ve done this enough times that they know what to do. That bandit-like manner of speech, that violent attitude¡­ That¡¯s not something you learn from hunting monsters. These guys are definitely in the wrong here. Not only that, they¡¯re probably guilty of even more crimes. ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses, idiots.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°Aniki¡­¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°It¡¯s just a brat¡¯s spell. As long as you don¡¯t give him the time to cast it, it¡¯s useless. Are you guys really so weak that you¡¯d run with your tail in between your legs from one little brat? ¡­If so, then I don¡¯t need you. I don¡¯t need comrades like that.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°Psst¡­¡± [Young Adventurer 1] While Sacchi was rebuking his comrades, a small voice called out to me from behind. It was a young boy, the shortest one of the six. The way he grabbed the fence and bent his back reminded me of a prisoner behind bars. I remember him. He¡¯s the boy who bluntly called me dead weight back at the mines. ¡°Run. These guys are serious. No matter how good you are with magic, you can¡¯t fight these many alone.¡± [Young Adventurer 1] So, he acknowledges my magic now, does he? But it seems he still thinks I¡¯m weaker than this frail bunch. ¡°Then you better prepare to run too.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I quietly told him using Whisper, ¡®I¡¯ll remove those bars when I see an opening.¡¯ Unfortunately, you can¡¯t really talk secretly when you¡¯re right in front of the enemy. Especially, when the 6 of them react enough for Sacchi to notice. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t just stand there. Lend us a hand too. That brat looks like he¡¯s good at hiding.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°He he he, thank you, elder brother.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Too bad, huh. If only you hadn¡¯t come here, then you wouldn¡¯t have gotten caught up in this mess.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°It¡¯s a bit late to be saying this, but you know, we would have forgiven you if you just showed us some coin.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°So them stealing your spoils was a lie, after all?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nuh-uh, we actually did think they stole it. I mean they¡¯re slum kids, you know? People troubled with money like that can¡¯t help but find themselves reaching out for other people¡¯s wallets.¡± [Sacchi] ¡°Of course, if you promise to show us some coin, we might be willing to let you go. I mean you look like you have more on ya than all those kids back there.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°With an armor like that, I¡¯m sure you can pay up. Would you like an installment plan? How about getting some coin from your parents?¡± [Sacchi] Sacchi ordered the rest of the men to draw their weapons, and¡­ they did. But they did so with much hubris, sighing as if they were mere spectators. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Annoying. There were bandits who treated me like a kid back then too, but none has pissed me off as much as these guys. This is probably the most I¡±ve been pissed off since coming to this world. I haven¡¯t the slightest clue why I¡¯m so pissed, but are they asking to be killed? My parents from my previous life passed a long time ago, and I have no parents in this world. In one sense, you could say Gayn and the others are my parents. There¡¯s also the parents they decided for me. So. that leaves me¡­ a dead couple, a group of gods, and another dead couple. If you told me, I could meet my parents, regardless of which couple or group it is, I still have to go to the afterlife. Great. The Jamil Household will probably help me if I ask them, but I don¡¯t feel like giving these bastards even a single coin to these. Besides, we can¡¯t meet right now anyway, and I won¡¯t let them pay even if they wanted to. Just as I was about to act against these guys who put too much faith in their strength and numbers¡ª ¡°W-Wait!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡ªsuddenly, one of the spectating adventurers cried out. The surrounding adventurers looked at him coldly, but he was so panicked he didn¡¯t even notice them. ¡­B-But I haven¡¯t done anything yet¡­ ¡°That kid¡­ I-Isn¡¯t he that rumored kid!? W-We can¡¯t touch him!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°¡­Ahh, you mean that rumor about a kid who frequently brings a slime to the guild?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°The kid who walks around town in a weird getup?¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°What¡¯s wrong with touching him?¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°Don¡¯t you just mean you don¡¯t have the guts to touch him yourself?¡± [Adventurer 5] The other adventurers sneered as they drew their weapons, but the young man of an adventurer only paled more. ¡°That kid with a weird getup was seen entering a luxurious inn with the duke¡¯s family! He might be related to them! Do you realize that!?¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°A brat like this?¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°You gotta be kiddin¡¯ me. Why would a guy like that come to a place like this?¡± [Adventurer 5] ¡°¡­W-Wait. Wasn¡¯t this a request from the¡­ duke?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°You¡¯re kidding!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°But it¡¯s true that the duke is staying in Gimuru, and many from the government office was recently laid off¡­¡± So, that¡¯s what he was panicking for. The reason he wasn¡¯t proactive with joining the others is because he was afraid of getting on the duke¡¯s bad side. Unfortunately, it¡¯s a bit too late for that¡­ This is a good opportunity, though. There are 6 enemies on each flank. The appointed area for the roll call is to the left. The 6 young adventurers are¡­ Ready! ¡± ¡®Create Block¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡± [Sacchi] I gathered the pickets into a single lump, then I strengthened it and my body. Sacchi called out, but I ignored him, pulled out the picket-lump, and swept toward the left flank with it. ¡°Stop him!¡± [Sacchi] ¡°GAH!?¡± [Adventurer 1] Like that I sent three men flying with the picket-lump as a dull weapon, then I told the young adventurers to make a run for it. ¡°Run!! Go there!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Young Adventurers] ¡°Don¡¯t let the brats run!!!¡± [Sacchi] ¡°Wait, you brats!!¡± [Adventurer 1] Tl Note: Sorry for cutting here. Was originally planning to finish this in one go, but there were more than a couple of lines that gave me trouble. Idioms and flowery prose, they sound nice, but they give me so much trouble. Don¡¯t worry, I think I figured them out in the end. I¡¯ll post again tomorrow. Also, do you guys play Nioh? I posted a guide for non-living weapon odachi users, but I had to take it down to make some revisions. I should be able to post it again tomorrow. Please look forward to that too! I¡¯ve been working on it for a while now, so I¡¯ll be glad if you can give it a read. This time, a group of adventurers came at me from the right. In response, I swung down with my picket-lump. ¡°Hah!?¡± [Sacchi] ¡°Wai-!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡± ¡± [Adventurer 2] (Tl Note: It¡¯s empty in the raws.) The five men that chased after me were squashed like flies before the might of my picket-lump. The only survivor, Sacchi, brandished his axe, but I threw the slimes on my shoulders to the left. ¡°!?¡± [Adventurer 3] The two men who were able to escape my earlier attack went and attacked the 6 young adventurers. My slimes were aimed at them. In response, they tried to fend for themselves with their swords, but without hitting the nucleus, all physical attacks were meaningless. And in the next moment, the sound of something sticking resounded. The 2 slimes had stuck themselves to their swords. After that, a deafening scream filled the area. ¡°GEH! My! B-Body! Is¡­ My¡­ Legs¡­¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°GYaAAAAH! My arms!! My arms!!¡± [Adventurer 5] The two slimes I¡¯d thrown were poison and acid, and they just released their juices on the men. ¡°This brat!!!¡± [Sacchi] Sacchi swung his axe toward my head, but I dodged him and stepped back. ¡°You sure did us good, bitch!!¡± [Ryouma] Now, where did all that composure go? Sacchi¡¯s face was beet red and popping with veins as he swung his axe. ¡°How long are you bastards planning to sleep!!? Chase after those brats!¡± [Sacchi] The men who had been crushed under the picket lump crawled out and the men I¡¯d sent flying earlier slowly stood up. The only exception was the man who¡¯d been afflicted with poison. ¡°Don¡¯t stop! Run!!¡± [Ryouma] It would make my life easier if the young adventurers got away, so I told them to keep running. They only glanced at me once before continuing to make a run for it. ¡°Damn it! Get those brats or I¡¯ll get your heads for it! As for that brat, he probably doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the duke, but if he tells on us to the guild, we¡¯ll be in trouble! Novices who abandon their missions are everywhere anyway, so catch him and teach him a lesson!¡± [Sacchi] ¡°B-But Sacchi-san¡­ This is really bad!¡± [Adventurer 1] I prioritized securing an escape route for the kids, so the bad adventurers shouldn¡¯t have been hurt much, but for some reason, they weren¡¯t very enthusiastic to follow Sacchi¡¯s orders. Are they the sort that can¡¯t act if they don¡¯t have the advantage? ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll do it. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the duke backing you or whatever, but I¡¯ll beat you so hard you won¡¯t come crying back to your backing. You¡¯ve practiced healing a lot, right?¡± [Sacchi] ¡°But.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Shut up! Just do it! Follow me!¡± [Sacchi] Sacchi bellowed out a war cry, then he raised his axe and closed in on me like a beast. His aim is probably my shoulders. He doesn¡¯t look like he wants to kill me, so he¡¯ll probably hit me with the back of the axe. Still, that¡¯s metal. It¡¯s more than enough to crush the human body. I took a step forward and brushed Sacchi¡¯s right hand with my left arm, diverting the trajectory of his attack. ¡°!?¡± [Sacchi] With his arm extended, I wrapped my right arm around the back of his right elbow, then I kicked him with the back of my knee to break his posture. The moment he fell to his knees, his arms stiffened. In that moment, anger left his face as shock took its place, then a thick sound resounded from his right arm. ¡°GAH!? MMM!¡± [Sacchi] When I let go of his right arm, it dangled about loosely, and his axe fell to the ground. He could not pick it back up. Enduring the pain, Sacchi tried to hit me with the back of his left hand, but it had no power, and I was able to easily take his left arm and step on his yet knelt right foot, then like a twig being snapped, Sacchi¡¯s body shook as I broke his left arm with a karate chop. ¡°¡ª!! ¡ª-!!? GUuU¡­¡± [Sacchi] ¡°¡­Eh?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Elder brother just¡­¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Instant kill¡­?¡± [Adventurer 3] Sacchi groaned and squirmed as he prostrated himself on the ground. With two fractures and one dislocation, the pain should be unbearable, but he was somehow persisting. They probably didn¡¯t expect things to turn out like this. Because when the men following from behind saw Sacchi taken out just like that, they suddenly stopped as their faces cramped. ¡°Who¡¯s next?¡± [Ryouma] I said with a smile. ¡°W-We¡­ Uh¡­¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°!!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Ahh!?¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Hey don¡¯t run off by yourself!¡± [Adventurer 5] ¡°¡®Teleport¡¯¡± [Ryouma] When one of the adventurers tried to run away, I immediately teleported in front of him. ¡°Where are you planning to go?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eek!?¡± [Adventurer 6] ¡°Dimension Magic!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°What is with that kid!?¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Forgive us! We couldn¡¯t go against Sacchi!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Save that kind of talk for the guild master. For the meantime, it would be really troubling if you were to chase the children, so you¡¯ll have to keep me company.¡± [Ryouma] After that, I bound the now disorderly mob of men with my slimes. This surprisingly took a long time. As a result, I¡¯m late for the roll call. Chapter 35 Volume 2 Chapter 35 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 35 part2 ¡°That should do the trick.¡± [Ryouma] After ensuring that the bad adventurers couldn¡¯t escape, I was about to go call someone, but before I could, two people had already arrived. I was wary at first, thinking it might be a new enemy, but that was immediately proven to be a needless fear. ¡°You¡¯ve already taken care of them, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Asagi-san! And Raypin-san too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A group of adventurers ran to us, saying there¡¯s an adventurer who was dealing with a group of bad adventurers on his own.¡± [Asagi] So, the six of them called them. ¡°They said the adventurer had some slimes with him, so I thought it might be you. Looks like I was right. It¡¯s good to see you¡¯re safe, de aru. How about those guys, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°They don¡¯t look dead, but they¡¯re not moving even a little.¡± [Asagi] They said after seeing how tightly bound the bad adventurers were. I couldn¡¯t leave the bad adventurers by themselves, so in order to both heal them and keep them from running, I attached a brace on them along with a cast made out of weeds and the hardening liquid of the sticky slime, then I gagged them with a ball gag with holes for breathing (made out of stone), and then lastly, paralyzed them with the paralyzing poison of the poison slime. Also, it would be a problem if they were attacked by monsters while I was away, so I also had the slimes surround them completely. I admit there might be a bit too many slimes. ¡°You¡¯ve basically buried them, de aru¡­¡± [Raypin] ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll keep watch here, de gozaru. They can¡¯t escape, so take your slimes with you and go to the receptionist desk. Jeff and the rest should be waiting already.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Ah, right! I have to hurry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll go too. I can take you there with my magic, de aru.¡± [Raypin] I took Raypin-san on his offer and hurriedly put my slimes back into my Dimension Home. The both of them were a bit shocked at that, but we hurried back anyway. I¡¯m really late. After explaining everything to the receptionist girl, I was told to go back to work. Apparently, I¡¯d already missed the guild master, so we¡¯ll have to talk about my punishment later. Since that was the case, I went ahead and did what needed to be done first. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for being late!¡± [Ryouma] I apologized to my party for making them wait. Jeff-san and the others weren¡¯t angry at all, however. At most, they just teased me for it. After the job was done, when everyone else was going home, I was summoned by the guild master. ¡°You came¡­ Well, take a seat.¡± [Wogan] The guild master sat before the receptionist desk, looking visibly haggard. No matter what kind of punishment I get, I brought this upon myself¡­ I do hope the punishment isn¡¯t too severe, though. ¡°¡­First things first, you¡¯re not going to be punished, so quit it with that face.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯m acquitted?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You couldn¡¯t call for help because you were worried about those six, right? Moreover, thanks to you, those 6 were safe. Your testimony matches theirs as well, and well¡­ Sacchi and his gang is a bit complicated, but we apprehended them to be safe. I acknowledge you had a good reason to be late, so¡­ No punishment! I¡¯m sure you¡¯re not fond of punishments either.¡± [Wogan] I see, but then why does he look so tired? ¡°Another reason is because of Sacchi and his gang. They¡¯re not particularly trusted, you see.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Did they insist they were innocent?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯ve been on poor behavior until last year.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Until last year?¡± [Ryouma] The way he said that seemed odd. ¡°I know their leader Sacchi might not look it anymore, but he used to be a serious and skilled adventurer.¡± [Wogan] Yep, not one bit. But I didn¡¯t say that out loud and just quietly listened. Apparently, Sacchi¡¯s behavior started to turn for the worse when he became a C Ranker. ¡°Promoting from a C to a B is one of the walls an adventurer has to overcome. That¡¯s the first major hurdle in an adventurer¡¯s career, and unfortunately, Sacchi lost his way after trying to break through that wall repeatedly.¡± [Wogan] Apparently, he grew more and more demanding of his comrades and he even started drinking and getting into fights frequently. ¡°And then all of the sudden he started grouping up with novices, but those were all adventurers with poor behavior too. Only, they started acting more proper, so I thought things were going well, but then today happened. Seeing the bad group clean themselves up and start getting some achievements, at first, I doubted my ears, but gradually, I thought maybe Sacchi finally got himself together and was going to be someone I could trust to raise the novices, but, well¡­ Looks like they just got better at hiding their crimes. That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± [Wogan] I see. He must be feeling down because a subordinate he trusted betrayed his trust. He wouldn¡¯t be feeling sad if he didn¡¯t trust them, after all. Although, I guess one could also develop some attachment after monitoring someone for so long, even if it was originally because he didn¡¯t trust them. In the end, before he knew it, he¡¯d already grown to trust them, only for that trust to be shattered. It¡¯s not an uncommon story, so it¡¯s bound to repeat itself. Unfortunately, it¡¯s not something easy to get used to. ¡°¡­Why are you looking at me like that?¡± [Wogan] One day, you¡¯ll retire, and you¡¯ll feel much better. I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but apparently, it showed on my eyes. ¡°You look like you¡¯re trying to cheer me up, but you know, you¡¯re also one of the reasons why I¡¯m so tired right now. ¡­You got caught up in a mess in the middle of the work, so now I have to report to the duke. I¡¯m not looking forward to this¡­¡± [Wogan] Ah, so he¡¯s also worrying about what he¡¯s superiors are going to say. Guild masters sure don¡¯t have it easy. And the duke¡¯s family are worried about me too. I don¡¯t think they¡¯d get mad at him over something like this, but it¡¯s understandable why he¡¯s so worried. ¡°You¡¯re not even an adult and yet you keep making that face. Did something happen to you in the past?¡± [Wogan] Apparently, he could clearly feel the pity coming out from my eyes. ¡°Anyway, even if we put the duke aside, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re guilty of anything. That¡¯s all. You¡¯re dismissed. If you¡¯re not happy with that, well¡­ Just reflect on you own.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After that I left. I went to where the carriages where, and as it turns out, word of what happened this morning had already spread. Many of the adventurers praised me for my efforts, and there were even some who let me ride first, saying I must¡¯ve been tired. On the way back home, I thought back to what happened this afternoon. I don¡¯t regret defeating Sacchi and his gang, but I was pissed off before I responded with violence. I know the situation called for a beating, but I wonder if the real reason I beat them was because I was pissed. I don¡¯t know, but I can¡¯t deny the possibility. Am I a child? No. My body may be that of a child¡¯s, but I¡¯m already a 42 year-old uncle. I¡¯m an adult who¡¯s supposed to be able to think rationally. Will I hit someone because I don¡¯t like them? Will I hit someone just because they picked a fight with me? ¡­In that case, I¡¯m no different from those delinquent adventurers. My strength and my techniques are fine, but my mind isn¡¯t right. ¡­Since coming to this world, nothing¡¯s really changed. I isolated myself within the forest, avoiding humans because I didn¡¯t like them in my previous life, and from then on, I¡¯ve always been alone¡­ At least, until I met Reinhart-san and the others. If I hadn¡¯t met them, I would¡¯ve lived my whole life in the whole forest. They¡¯ve been taking care of me since our meeting. They gave me a bed to sleep on, cooked food for me, and welcomed me warmly¡­ Am I starting to be spoiled by them? Looking back on what I¡¯ve done since coming to this world, I¡¯ve done nothing but run away from the things I hated and without toiling for anything just played around while being spoiled by the duke¡¯s family¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­This can¡¯t continue. At this rate, I¡¯ll turn into a no good adult. After all, you can¡¯t call a person who¡¯s only good at using reckless violence a good person. I¡¯m grateful to the duke and his family, but I have to leave them. I¡¯ll start training myself again. I can¡¯t keep depending on them. I have to stand on my own feet. I¡¯ve thought countless times how I should thank them, but with how much they¡¯ve given to me, the very thought alone is shameless. I thought of such things until I got back to town. Chapter 36 Volume 2 Chapter 36 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 36 part2 After coming back to the inn, I visited the room of the duke¡¯s family. Arone-san welcomed me and brought me to the 4 Jamil members¡¯ table. ¡°Welcome home, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Welcome back.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Welcome home. Seems you had some trouble today.¡± [Elize] ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± [Reinhart] Looks like they¡¯ve already caught word of what happened this morning. ¡°Thank you, everyone¡­ There¡¯s actually something I want to talk about.¡± [Ryouma] When I said those words, their faces stiffened. ¡°Well, go on. Don¡¯t be shy.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What is it all of the sudden, Ryouma-san?¡± [Elialia] Reinhart spoke with a serious expression, while the Ojousama wore a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯ve made up my mind. You¡¯ve taken care of me all this time, but I think I should be independent from here on.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, the ojousama stood up from her chair and ran up to me. The other three remained on their chairs. ¡°Why!? Why all of the sudden!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Everyone¡¯s spoiling me. At this rate, I think I¡¯ll end up into a no good person. Everyone¡¯s shown me so much kindness these past few weeks, but I think I should leave for a while and retrain myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you just want to retrain yourself, can¡¯t we do it together? There will be plenty of teachers too¡­¡± [Elialia] ¡°If I¡¯m with everyone, I¡¯ll definitely end up spoiled. That¡¯s why I want to leave for now.¡± [Ryouma] It was here that the madam interjected. ¡°¡®For now¡¯, you say. I take it you don¡¯t actually intend on never showing your face to us again, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not leaving because I¡¯m mad or anything, I just want to train myself. Once I¡¯m satisfied, if it¡¯s alright with everyone, then I¡¯d like to come back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course it¡¯s alright! In fact, there¡¯s nothing wrong with being spoiled. You¡¯re only 11, after all. That¡¯s a perfectly normal age to be living with your parents. We¡¯ll welcome you back whenever you want!¡± [Elize] ¡°Mother!? Are you not stopping him?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Elia, it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re going to be separated from Ryouma forever. In the same way that you¡¯ll be going to school, Ryouma-kun will be studying as well. Although, frankly, I don¡¯t really think it¡¯s necessary for you to be do so, Ryouma-kun. If anything, I¡¯d say what you really need is to be a bit more spoiled.¡± [Elize] ¡°Wait a moment, Elize. Haven¡¯t we already talked about this?¡± [Elize] ¡°I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not refusing him. I¡¯m just saying what I think.¡± [Elize] Talked about what? ¡°Umm¡­ What do you mean you¡¯ve talked about this already?¡± [Ryouma] Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san were the ones to answer that question. ¡°Actually, ever since arriving at this town, we¡¯ve already predicted you would eventually bring that up. I¡¯ve been living for a long time already, and I¡¯ve met plenty of people in this long life of mine. Peers, subordinates, enemies¡­ all sorts. And I¡¯ve seen plenty of children like you. I won¡¯t stop you, but you shouldn¡¯t push yourself. Even if you put the work, it¡¯s all meaningless if you don¡¯t know how to rest.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-sama, you might think you were being spoiled, but we don¡¯t think so at all. It¡¯s true we provided you lodging and food, but you registered to the guild in an unfamiliar town and have been working seriously all this time. It¡¯s almost as if such things were a given to you. Which is why, we figured you¡¯d eventually bring this topic up. It¡¯s a bit earlier than expected, though. Reinhart-san added. ¡°When I look at you, I¡¯m sometimes reminded of a close friend of mine. He¡¯s the complete opposite of you. If you¡¯re diligent, then he¡¯s the opposite of diligent. He would always push all of his work onto his subordinates and onto other people. That much is obviously bad, but I think you need to learn a little bit of that. Rest from time to time, rely on other people, just like what my dad and Sebasu always say. And of course, improve. My friend may be like that, but he¡¯s currently doing pretty good for himself.¡± [Reinbach] ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­They¡¯re really good people. I never realized they were this concerned about me. Before I knew, I was tearing up. ¡°Thank¡­ you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. But in exchange, you need to promise us some things. One, you may leave, but you must come back. This world is dangerous. All the more so for adventurers. I¡¯m sure you know this already, but make sure not to die and be sure to show yourself once in a while. The more frequently, the better.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Second, you have to send us letters regularly. Basically, a report of what¡¯s happened. This way we can tell you when you¡¯re pushing yourself needlessly.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°We could also use my dimension magic to meet you in person.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°And third, you must rely on us! This is absolute! You¡¯re smart, you¡¯re good at magic, and you¡¯re strong. In fact, if we were to hire, you could get a good position already, so if anything happens, remember that you can always work for us.¡± [Elize] I don¡¯t know what to say anymore. All I know is that I¡¯m really grateful to these people. It¡¯s a pity my vocabulary isn¡¯t that great; otherwise, I might be able to express my gratitude better. ¡°Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] When the ojousama called out to me, I turned to her. She looked me straight in the eye and said this. ¡°I haven¡¯t had many opportunities to spend time with someone, so I¡¯m a little disappointed, but if you¡¯ve made up your mind, then I¡¯ll respect your decision. However!¡± [Elialia] The ojousama pointed her finger at me and declared. ¡°I will also add a condition!¡± [Elialia] ¡°¡­Condition?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Father, grandfather, and mother have already given three, but I will add one more. We will meet again 3 years later and again 6 years later.¡± [Elialia] ¡°3 years and 6 years?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve told you this before, but I will be going to the academy this year. It will take me 6 years to graduate, but there will be a long break halfway through, so at that time, let¡¯s meet again. Until then I¡¯ll do my best in my studies and in my magic.¡± [Elialia] I see¡­ So that¡¯s what she meant. ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good, I won¡¯t forgive you if you forget, ok?¡± [Elialia] The ojousama said as she glared at me. Now that she mentions it, I do tend to forget stuff when I¡¯m caught up with something. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best not to forget.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At times like this, you¡¯re supposed to say you won¡¯t! Good grief¡­¡± [Elialia] The ojousama made a fed up expression as she said that. Reinhart-san interjected while chuckling. ¡°Ha ha ha, well, it should be fine. By the way, Ryouma, have you decided what you¡¯ll be doing from here on?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I have my slimes, so I was thinking of living somewhere near this town. That way I could work as an adventurer here, continue developing my connections, and train myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, then in that case, there¡¯s a job I would like to entrust to you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What is it? If it¡¯s something I could do, then by all means.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want to leave the management of the mine you¡¯re hunting monsters at right now. A lot of monsters have taken root in it despite having been abandoned for only a year¡­ It¡¯s not good for there to be a monster nest so close to town, so I would like for you to check the mine from time to time and hunt down the monsters. If you need help, you can get some from the guild. I considered just sealing the entrance, but cave mantises could dig their way in, so it¡¯s pointless.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If that¡¯s all, then sure. I¡¯ll do it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. As thanks you can do whatever you want with the mine. If it¡¯s there, you should be able to train or practice your magic without trouble.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] That would be the perfect place for me! There¡¯s enough room to build a house, it¡¯s far enough from other people, and it¡¯s unpopulated so I can train myself and let the slimes roam free. It¡¯s even more valuable than money. ¡°This is a contract. There are many dangerous monsters, and having them create a nest and multiply so close to the town is dangerous. You understand, right? Normally, the public office would send someone to check the mines once in a while, but it seems the public office of this town failed to do even that. So, all I¡¯m doing is hiring someone I believe I can trust. That¡¯s all. If not for you, we would have had to pay someone else, but with this we¡¯re able to get by just by handing the place to you. Not only do we cut down on labor, we also cut down on expenses.¡± [Reinhart] ¡­That¡¯s true, but even I can tell he¡¯s just making excuses. After all, the old officials of the public office have already been fired, so the current administration should be a fresh and healthy batch. While I was thinking that, Reinhart-san made a wry smile and said this. ¡°Good grief, you really are too honest¡­ You care too much about petty things. Let¡¯s do this then. You¡¯ll make ingots there, and we¡¯ll profit off of that. You don¡¯t have to work too hard, though, just make them when you¡¯re available.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­I understand, I¡¯ll work as hard as I can!¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll set a monthly quota and sell them wholesale to Serge-san. I have to do at least this much. ¡°No, like I said, you don¡¯t have to work that hard¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, one more thing. You should stay at the inn while we¡¯re here.¡± [Elize] ¡°Umm, that¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not hearing it. You know I thought we could travel together a little longer, but then you suddenly go and decide on your own. This is final! You¡¯re staying here!¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s just about another month or two. It won¡¯t be too late to start your training then. And this will do you good too since you work too hard.¡± [Reinbach] ¡­If I don¡¯t reject them here, I¡¯ll end up spoiled. ¡°You¡¯re not being spoiled, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] He read my mind!? ¡°Ryouma-kun, it¡¯s been showing on your face all this time, you know?¡± [Elize] ¡°A very easy to read face.¡± [Elialia] Really? ¡°Anyway! You have to stay here at the inn while we¡¯re here! Alright?¡± [Elize] ¡°B-But¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright!?¡± [Elize] ¡°But¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s alright, so it¡¯s alright!¡± [Elize] The madam isn¡¯t go to take no for an answer is she? ¡­Well, fine. Whatever¡­ I wonder if I¡¯ve always been this weak willed¡­ Anyhow, I can¡¯t thank them enough¡­ ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll let myself be spoiled while everyone¡¯s in town.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Glad to hear it~¡± [Elize] In the end, I couldn¡¯t reject them, but having people like this who care about me so much makes me happy too. After that I thanked everyone one more time, and then I went back to my room. Chapter 37 Volume 2 Chapter 37 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 37 part2 Tl Note: A reader requested I put back this note from the old translations for the previous chapter, so here it is. I¡¯m putting it here too, so those who already read the chapter can see it. The ¡®meet¡¯ used by Elia when she says, ¡°Let¡¯s meet again.¡± Uses ·ê¤¦ and not »á¤¦. Meaning it is an emotional meeting. The kind of meeting where you¡¯re going, ¡°My love, my love! Where art thou? Thou hast left mine chest cold. And mine heart in tatters. Ah! If I could fly I would and embrace thee now! Ah I want to meet thee!¡±¡­ ? well something like that. Basically, it¡¯s emotional whereas the other is just routine. We will be hunting monsters at the mine today too. I made up my mind to become independent yesterday, so I should do what I can now. First, I need to provide the basic necessities to live. If I don¡¯t have any clothes, I should buy some from the store. As for my house, I¡¯ll be living at the mines, so that won¡¯t be an issue. As for food, I could look for a new place to hunt, and then buy from town if I need more, but that¡¯ll cost money. I currently have 700 small gold coins from the reward for taking out a bandit, and 40 medium gold coins from the bandits themselves. I also have plenty of coins from all the work I¡¯ve done at the guild, so living expenses shouldn¡¯t pose a problem. In fact, I have enough to live luxuriously, but if I do that, I¡¯ll go poor before I know it. That being said, I can make 30 medium silver coins or 3,000 suits just from cleaning the 30 latrine pits. That¡¯s enough to pay for a person¡¯s 30 days¡¯ worth of living expenses. On top of that, I can also make money selling iron ingots and waterproof cloths to Serge-san, so¡­ yeah. Money won¡¯t be an issue, and if anything, matters regarding finances should be a smooth sail. But as I thought about it, I couldn¡¯t help but be depressed. After all, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m the one cleaning the latrine pits. It¡¯s the scavenger slimes who clean them. If I just live off their work like that, then what¡¯s the point in me leaving the duke¡¯s family? I need another source of income. Something other than adventurer work. Not just for independence¡¯s sake, but also as a failsafe in case I¡¯m unable to continue working as an adventurer for whatever reason. It¡¯s a bit extreme considering I haven¡¯t spent a single suit since coming to this world and meeting the duke, but it should be enough so long as I make just enough to scrape by. As for the fortune I have now, I should only use it when it¡¯s really needed, so¡­ A hundred suits a day. Yeah. That should do. If I make at least that much, I should be able to get by. ¡°Ryouma-kun. He~y, are you listening~?¡± [Mizelia] Oops, I shouldn¡¯t be dozing off like this. ¡°Sorry, I was thinking about something. What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your head shouldn¡¯t be up in the clouds during a battle ¡ªIs what i was about to say, but¡­¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Even though you¡¯re not focused, you can still take down the monsters easily, huh.¡± [Syria] ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to get even a single one, you know.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Ah, sorry. My body just moved by itself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t really mind, nyaa, but please stop muttering to yourself while killing all the monsters nonchalantly. It¡¯s scary, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°S-Sorry¡­¡± [Ryouma] Was I talking out loud? ¡°Are you troubled by money? I think I heard you say something about living expenses.¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A meeting¡¯s been called! Everyone is to gather at the mine entrance!!¡± [Male Adventurer] I was about to talk about my circumstances, but suddenly, a male adventurer came out of nowhere, panicking. Is there an emergency? ¡°Did something happen!?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Apparently, a goblin town was spotted in one part of the tunnels. It¡¯s big too. Fortunately, no one died, but some of the G Ranks are wounded.¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°A goblin village, huh. That¡¯s a pain. If we don¡¯t get rid of them now, they¡¯ll multiply.¡± [Jeff] ¡°I have to call the others, so you guys go ahead and gather at the mine entrance!!¡± [Male Adventurer] After the man said that, he left. We hurried back to the entrance of the mine just as we were told, and when we got there, there was already a huge crowd of adventurers. We waited for a while, and then the guild master went up the stage the guild prepared. ¡°I think you¡¯ve already been informed, but I¡¯ll brief you on the situation anyway! Just a while ago, we found some goblins in a tunnel, and shortly after, a goblin village! As such, we will now be starting the operation to exterminate the goblins! It will be a medium-scale operation and there are at least 500 goblins predicted! To minimize casualties, only D Rankers and above will be able to join! Gather according to rank and follow your orders!!¡± [Wogan] After that the guild master called for me. ¡°Also¡­ Ryouma, you there?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Present.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re currently an F Ranker, but your abilities are already above E Rank, so since you¡¯ve already fulfilled the conditions for promotion with this job, you¡¯re going to be promoted to E Rank ahead of schedule.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyone has a problem with that?¡± [Wogan] No one answered the guild master¡¯s question. It seems yesterday¡¯s incident was quite effective. ¡°Good! Now, go and prepare! If you¡¯re lacking any necessities, come to me! If it¡¯s something we can give, we¡¯ll give it to you! Once you¡¯re ready, gather according to rank and memorize your battle plans!¡± [Wogan] Gather according to rank¡­ Hmm, the leader for the E Rank adventurers should be a woman named Prolia. After meeting my group, another meeting began with her as the facilitator. ¡°I¡¯ll explain the plan¡­ Our job is to lead the F and G Rank adventurers to block the escape route of the goblins. There we will finish them off.¡± [Prolia] She started explaining the plan using a map. ¡°Rankers A to D will attack the tunnel and the village from both sides. Alone, they should be able to take out most of the goblins, but despite the encirclement, some of the goblins are still bound to escape due to their great numbers. To remedy that, they will intentionally leave one side of the encirclement open. Naturally, the goblins will run toward the place of least resistance, but unfortunately for them, we will be waiting on the other side. Because we will have the F and G Rankers with us, we need to ensure their safety. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to raise your hand.¡± [Prolia] Several people raised their hands and suggested various plans. I was one of them. My suggestion was a plan I often used in the forest. ¡°Ryouma-kun, right? Do you have any suggestions?¡± [Prolia] ¡°I have a method suited for fighting goblins en masse. We could dig a deep ditch with earth magic along the route the goblins are expected to take, then we could fill it with acid slimes. And then¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out a long rod with a knife attached to it from my item box. It looked just like a scythe. ¡°We could push any goblins that approached us to the acid ditch with weapons like this one. From there, we could bury the fallen goblins with arrows and magic. With this method the goblins that fall will be immediately neutralized. There shouldn¡¯t be a lot of goblins who could climb back up, and even if they try to, we could just push them back down with something like a spear. As a result, only the goblin archers and mages will be left. With the goblin enemies drastically limited, even the inexperienced adventurers shouldn¡¯t have that much difficulties.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Can you prepare the slimes?¡± [Prolia] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Looks like she¡¯s considering it. After that she asked me a couple of questions, and I responded to each and every one. In the end, it was decided that we will be going with my plan. ¡°Get ready to move.¡± [Prolia] After Prolia calmly said that, we all started moving. My job was to take the earth mages among the adventurers and lead them to the designated place ahead of everyone else, where we would then dig a big hole. ¡°Seeing it in person, those cliffs sure are huge.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The goblins definitely won¡¯t be able to climb up those.¡± [Adventurer Mage 1] The designated location was like that of a ravine, sandwiched between two cliffs, so the number of goblins that could fit in a row would be limited. The hole we dug was 4 meters long, 50 meters wide, and 3 meters deep. ¡± ¡®Create Block¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That spell is amazing.¡± [Adventurer Mage 1] ¡± It¡¯s a combination of ¡®Rock¡¯ and ¡®Break Rock¡¯! It¡¯s really efficient!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can I try it too?¡± [Adventurer Mage 1] ¡°Sure!¡± [Ryouma] Working as fast as we could, from time to time teaching the other adventurers a new trick or two, we dug a hole along the route the goblins were expected to take. To minimize the risks, I¡¯m going to have the slimes hide their nucleus. All they need to release their acid is to form a tentacle with their body and extend it through the small holes we¡¯ve prepared. Like this they¡¯ll be able to safely melt the goblins. After digging the hole, all that was left was to throw the acid slimes in. With that, our acid pool was complete. ¡°Can we throw this in as a test?¡± [Mage Adventurer 1] ¡°I want to see if it works.¡± [Mage Adventurer 2] ¡°Is that a small rat? Sure.¡± [Ryouma] At that, the adventurer threw the corpse of the small rat into the acid pool, and in the blink of an eye, its skin melted and the white of its bones showed. Like that it quietly sunk into the bottom of the acid pool. ¡°¡­Gruesome.¡± [Mage Adventurer 1] ¡°Were acid slimes always this dangerous?¡± [Male Adventurer 2] ¡°Well, a little acid on the skin will at most leave burns. For the skin to melt enough to show the bones, you¡¯d have to be sunk into a pool like this with no room to escape. Also, the melted prey will serve as nutrients to the acid slimes, so they can release more acid as time passes, and the battle will progress much better for us as well. The acid levels will just keep on rising because of that, but I¡¯ll make sure to tell them to stop once the acid levels are high enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I absolutely don¡¯t want to fall¡­¡± [Mage Adventurer 1] ¡°Excuse me! Where should I put these?¡± [Adventurer] Oh, it¡¯s the adventurers from the detached force. Looks like the goods are here. After the meeting, the adventurers quickly went to make rods out of the nearby trees and gather the scythes from the cave mantises that were killed yesterday and today. Cave mantis scythes aren¡¯t very sharp, but because of that they¡¯re durable enough to be used to push the goblins into the acid pool as planned. I ordered the sticky slimes to connect the rod and the scythes with their hardening liquid. We also used the earth we¡¯ve dug out to create some railings around the acid pool to keep us from falling in ourselves, then we made some platforms for the archers and mages to use. We took extra care to make them easy for the mages and archers to use. With that, our preparations were complete. The platform would stand out too much, though, so I also erected an anti-physical barrier. Anti-physical barriers only work on physical things, so the spells should still be able to pass through unhindered. I reported all of our progress to the leader. My job was finally done. Well, for now, anyway. ¡°Let¡¯s run through this again! F and G ranked adventurers are to stand near the acid pool and deal with the goblins using the scythes. E Rankers are to engage the goblins in close combat and drive them toward the acid pool. At the same time, you must also ensure that the F and G Rankers are unharmed. As for the archers and the mages, your job is to take out the goblin archers and mages as soon as you spot them.¡± [Prolia] All of the adventurers voiced out words of understanding. ¡°Alright. All platoons are to rest until the commencement of the operation.¡± [Prolia] Since all preparations were done, all that¡¯s left was to wait. As such, the surrounding adventurers all relaxed and went about their own ways to rest. As a result, I once again have nothing to do. This is just like yesterday. Maybe I should check on the slimes and the weapons again¡­ ¡°Excuse me! D-Do you have time right now!?¡± [Young Adventurer] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] I turned around when a voice called out to me, and what greeted me was¡­ ¡°Ah, you¡¯re from yesterday.¡± [Ryouma] Behind me were the six young adventurers from yesterday. Chapter 38 Volume 2 Chapter 38 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 38 part2 Ah, right. The F and G Rankers are with us, so of course they¡¯d be here too. ¡°That¡¯s right! Thank you for yesterday!¡± [Young Female Adventurer] ¡°Thank you for yesterday!¡± [The rest of the party] After the young female adventurer thanked me, the rest of their party followed suit. With so many people bowing their heads like that, it was only natural that the curiosity of the surrounding adventurers would be piqued. They couldn¡¯t help it, and telling them not to look was pointless. After all, there were countless slimes occupying one corner of a nearby waiting place. Just that alone was enough to gather attention. ¡°Umm¡­ What is this¡­¡± [Ryouma] I can more or less tell what this is about, but their behavior is completely different compared to yesterday. ¡°We want to thank you for yesterday, as well as apologize for our behavior.¡± [Young Female Adventurer] ¡°You went out your way for that? You¡¯re welcome, and it¡¯s great that you¡¯re safe. I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi, a human. And these here are my slimes.¡± [Ryouma] This would be our third time meeting each other, but I don¡¯t even know their names. Since they went out of their way to thank me, I figured I might as well introduce myself. Because of that they too introduced themselves. Surprisingly, I found out that they were all non-humans. The boys were: Small Monkeyman Tribe, Berk, 13 years old. Dogman Tribe, Ruth, 12 years old. Big Monkeyman Tribe, Wist, 11 years old. The girls were: Half-elf, Martha, 12 years old. Half-dwarf, Finia, 12 years old. Dog tribe, Rumil, 12 years old. The two halfs look just like a human. And big monkeyman tribe? Small monkeyman tribe? Talk about confusing! Incidentally, the small monkeyman tribe member, Berk, was the smallest guy of the bunch who loved to talk. Because of his short stature and the way he talked, I¡¯d assumed he was just a cheeky brat with a sharp tongue, but as it turns out, he was actually the oldest and was just trying to fulfill his role as the eldest. On the other hand, the big monkey tribe member, Wist, was the biggest of the bunch, but he was actually the youngest. I thought for sure he was the oldest. ¡°T-The adults said it¡¯s because of my race that I¡¯m so big¡­¡± [Wist] On top of that, he¡¯s the very picture of timidity. Yesterday, he was standing so tall and proud, and now¡­ When I asked the others about that, it turns out that they have him do that to keep other adventurers from looking down on them. After all, he is relatively more intimidating compared to his age if he just quietly stands. When I asked about the details surrounding the big monkeyman tribe and the small monkeyman tribe, I couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of the gorilla and the golden snub-nose monkey. The color of their hair matches perfectly too. Of course, it¡¯s rude so I won¡¯t say it, but after seeing it, I can¡¯t unsee it anymore. Anyway, let¡¯s put that aside¡­ They may just be kids, but they each have their own racial specialties. Ruth and Rumil were from the dog tribe, so they had their tribe¡¯s trademark sharpened senses and heightened physical faculties. The half-elf, Martha, specialized in magic. The small monkeyman, Berk, was agile and could easily climb trees, while the big monkeyman, Wist, and the half-dwarf, Finia, were surprisingly strong. They showed that strength via a handshake. Comparing the various strengths of the tribes like this is interesting, but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s amazing. You definitely have superior physical abilities.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not amazing¡­ sir.¡± [Finia] ¡°O-Onii-san, I actually lost in strength to a kid my age.¡± [Wist] ¡°I saw¡­ When it comes to ¡®strength¡¯, we¡¯re not any worse than the adult adventurers. That¡¯s why we became adventurers. We figured we could make good money doing adventurer work, but no matter how much effort we put, even if we work harder than the adults, the adults still make more money than us. That¡¯s why when we thought of how you¡¯re younger than us, we ended up saying those stuff to you. Sorry. Really.¡± [Berk] The stronger one is the better, but that alone doesn¡¯t guarantee being able to finish a job. In hunting, for example, strength isn¡¯t the only deciding factor. One also needs to know how to find the prey, what to aim at, which methods to use, and various other things. So, while they may have the strength, they still lack the techniques and experience. ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, I don¡¯t really mind being treated like a fool. That being said, there are some things bothering me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Feel free to ask. We won¡¯t hide anything anymore.¡± [Berk] Then I¡¯ll ask as much as I want. ¡°I was feeding my slimes when my metal slime fell and rolled down the slope. It was when I went to pick it up that I heard some trouble happening nearby. What were you guys doing in a place like that?¡± [Ryouma] They were probably brought by those guys there, but it was still lunch time then. Couldn¡¯t they have called out for help? Their expressions darkened. ¡°We couldn¡¯t carry all of the spoils your party gave us in one go.¡± [Berk] ¡°We didn¡¯t have enough bags¡­ sir.¡± [Finia] Now that they mention it, all those spoils may have been too much for them to carry. They probably can¡¯t use Item Box or space magic either. ¡°So you got caught up with them when you went to get the rest of the spoils back?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They would still find trouble with us either way. It¡¯s the second time they found trouble with us, after all.¡± [Rumil] When I asked Rumil to explain, the six of them made difficult faces. ¡°One week ago, we took on a herb collection request and went to the forest, but 5 of those adventurers were also doing work there, and when we approached, they yelled at us, saying we scared the animals away. I think they¡¯ve marked us since.¡± [Rumil] ¡°Did anything happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was our fault, so we wanted to avoid a fight if possible. They also weren¡¯t asking for anything unreasonable, so we just paid them. That guy, Sacchi, just happened to passed by. And he taught us how much the wasted bait cost, as well as how much breaking a contract would normally cost¡­ We didn¡¯t know they were together. Looking back at it now, the whole thing might have been a setup.¡± [Berk] So, they brew up trouble, and then he comes in to mediate and make their victims cough up some cash, huh. ¡°That meager sum shouldn¡¯t amount to much when divided among a group their size, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yesterday they said that the small money we earned would at least be enough to pay for their liquor¡­ sir.¡± [Finia] So, they didn¡¯t mind change, did they? Or maybe they had other victims? Regardless, the guild will investigate them. Rather than that¡­ ¡°Next question¡­ From what you¡¯ve said, it seems you have some knowledge on hunting.¡± [Ryouma] Besides, I¡¯ve seen them beat cave bats and small rats. They nodded. ¡°So why steal other¡¯s spoils?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­We figured we could make more money that way.¡± [Berk] ¡°At first, we also hunted monsters normally, but hunting took too much time. And then, one day, while we were hunting, it suddenly occurred to us that there are some adventurers who find it too much of a pain to bother with some monsters and would just throw their corpses away, so¡­ We¡¯re really sorry.¡± [Martha] [1] ¡°Sorry, that was rude of me. I just want to know why you want money so badly. Are you having trouble getting by? Or is there some other reason?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true we¡¯re having a hard time just getting by, but it¡¯s actually to pay the municipal tax.¡± [Ruth] Ruth said something unexpected. ¡°Municipal tax. That¡¯s the tax you pay to the town you¡¯re living at, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is there anything else? We have to pay it if we want to live in town.¡± [Berk] The municipal tax of this world covers the maintenance of the outer walls and the salary of the guards. It also covers various expenses. Paying it is what gives residents the right to be protected from monsters and bandits. Of course, I¡¯ve never paid it because I lived in the forest (outside town), but I¡¯ll probably have to pay it once I start living in town. So they actually pay their taxes, huh. Oops, I shouldn¡¯t be thinking such things. Sorry, guys. ¡°Sorry about that, I¡¯m not particular about the taxes in town. Is it that expensive? The tax in Gimuru?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s 400 suits per person. We¡¯ve never lived in another town, so we don¡¯t know if that¡¯s expensive or not, but we have to pay it. Otherwise, we won¡¯t be able to live here anymore.¡± [Berk] 400 per person, so with the six of them that would total to 2,400 suits. I could pay that anytime, but since they¡¯re barely getting by, it must be a large sum. ¡°So how did you pay it up until now?¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know if they have parents or not, but they must¡¯ve had a way to pay that tax up until now. ¡°We cleaned toilets.¡± [Berk] ¡°You mean the latrine pits?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you know about it? The government office used to pay well, but they¡¯ve been gradually getting stingy, until eventually, the adults in the slum told us it¡¯s not worth it anymore and we¡¯ll just get sick cleaning, so we stopped. That was when we started doing adventurer work.¡± [Berk] ¡°Ahh, I see¡­¡± [ryouma] What is with this lethargy? I was never mad at them in the first place, but the more I talk to them, the more I feel like I can¡¯t get mad. ¡°¡­D-Did I say something bad?¡± [Berk] ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, but maybe he¡¯s angry¡­¡± [Wist] Oops, I made them uneasy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not mad. Umm¡­ Don¡¯t they have tax relief in Gimuru?¡± [Ryouma] I know that just because you can¡¯t pay your taxes doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll immediately be exempted from them, but¡­ ¡°I hear it¡¯s also possible to pay by working at the mines.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tax relief[2]? ¡­I have heard that we can just work for free to pay the taxes if we can¡¯t pay up, but then we¡¯ll be given work fitting for people who can¡¯t pay up. We can¡¯t rely on something like that. And besides, we¡¯re not the only ones troubled by the loss of the toilet jobs, so there are probably countless people working there right now. Also, they won¡¯t hire children at the mines. Apparently, someone decided that a long time ago. And because of all the adults looking for a job, the employers won¡¯t care how much stamina we have. They¡¯ll just turn us away, saying they won¡¯t break custom.¡± [Berk] So the problems with the latrine pits actually spread this far¡­ ¡°Thanks. That answers most of my questions for now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± [Berk] All 6 of them wore a confused look, as they failed to understand why I was suddenly thanking them, so I told them that the adventurers guild was currently managing the latrine pits. When I told them that they¡¯re paying properly now, they asked if I was sure. Looks like they¡¯re planning on working seriously now. But if people start cleaning the latrine pits, the scavenger slimes won¡¯t have enough to eat. Hmm¡­ Well, in any case, that¡¯s a problem for way later. [1] RAW actually says Maria, so either Martha is the typo or Maria is the typo. I went with Martha for now. [2] Written in katakana, which indicates that the speaker doesn¡¯t understand the term. Chapter 39 Volume 2 Chapter 39 After seemingly reconciliating with Berk and the others, I asked them to spread word about the latrine pits job as much as they could. A few minutes later, it was time to begin our operation. ¡°Is everyone in position? The enemies will be coming soon! Please be careful!¡± [Prolia] When Prolia-san said that, everyone became alert, and the air tensed. I also readied my bow, paying careful attention to my surroundings. 10 minutes later the first goblins appeared. ¡°They¡¯re here! Three goblins in front! But there are more coming!¡± [Berk] ¡°Understood!!!¡± [Adventurers] As Berk reported from the top of a tall tree, the surrounding adventurers agreed. The goblins also noticed us, but they went straight toward us anyway. Goblins were never really known to use their head. Of the three goblins, one fell into the pit because he didn¡¯t notice it. The second noticed it and was able to stop before falling, but an adventurer managed to pull him down with those scythe-rods we made. And as for the third, well, he tried to jump across, but that obviously wasn¡¯t going to fly, so in the end, he fell [1]. The goblins cried out in pain, but their throes lasted only for a few seconds before the acid slimes silenced them. The innumerable goblins coming from behind met a similar fate. From to time, goblin archers and mages who refused to approach and instead attacked from a distance would be mixed in, but the archers and mages on our side easily disposed of them. Incidentally, all the arrows we¡¯re using have been treated with the poison of the poison slime, so even a shallow wound could stop our enemies. Because of that our archers and mages are completely unhurt. It¡¯s also easy to tell goblin archers and mages from your usual goblins. After all, the archers have their bows and the goblin mages have traces of mana about them that could be picked up by the Mana Perception skill that all mages possessed. Moreover, the goblin archers and mages also fought slowly, most probably owing to their lack of skill. The situation clearly favors us, but there¡¯s way more goblins than originally expected. No one¡¯s been hurt yet, but there¡¯s really too many of them. If we combine the goblins we¡¯ve killed so far with those still in their base, there¡¯s probably more than 500 of them already. Did something to the main force? The acid slimes are also gradually failing to digest all the goblin bodies, so the pit is slowly being filled up. The pit is still a long way away from being filled, but at this rate, this could be bed. The nearby adventurers are also starting to panic. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this seem weird!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s too many of them.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°At this rate, we¡¯ll run out of arrows!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°We¡¯re almost out over here!¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°Hey, you! Don¡¯t waste arrows!¡± [Adventurer 5] ¡°Haa¡­ Haa¡­ Why are there¡­ so many¡­ goblins!!?¡± [Adventurer 6] Goblins aren¡¯t very strong since they¡¯re only about a human child¡¯s height, but they do know how to use a weapon, and there¡¯s also a lot of them because they reproduce so quickly. Anyone who looks down on them just because they¡¯re weak, we¡¯ll eventually have to eat his words. Goblins eat all meat, regardless of if its human meat or animal meat. They look like humans, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s possible to get along. Even if their skills aren¡¯t polished, a weapon is a weapon. Just swinging one around is plenty dangerous. Unless one¡¯s strong enough, it won¡¯t be possible to take on many goblins at the same time. According to the information from the meeting, there¡¯s over 100 adventurers here, but majority of those are F and G Rankers. Adventurers like that can only really fight goblins if it¡¯s a one on one, so they can¡¯t be sent out to the chaotic frontlines. That leaves only the E Rank adventurers, but there¡¯s not enough of them. In the first place, E Rankers are still novices. They¡¯re at the level where they¡¯re just barely strong enough to fight after having received some training. Moreover, not all E Rankers can fight in close combat. Some are mages, some are archers, and some are healers. That leaves only about 28 people fighting in close combat. For those 28 people to hold the lines against this endless wave of goblins, it¡¯s only natural that they¡¯ve already started to show signs of exhaustion. In fact, some of those 28 returned to the frontlines after being brought back from the brink of death with healing magic. At this rate, we¡¯re going to reach our limits sooner or later. We thought we could deal with the goblins even if there were a lot of them, but unfortunately, we miscalculated how many goblins would come. Fortunately, the goblins don¡¯t fight well together, and we¡¯re somehow holding¡ª That¡¯s not good¡­ The frontline is finally starting to reach its limits. ¡°Prolia-san, could you send me and my slimes to the frontlines? This battle will probably drag on, so at the very least, we should give the frontliners a chance to rest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun¡­ If I recall correctly, the guildmaster said your strength is already above E Rank¡­ Alright, could you take care of it? You don¡¯t have to push yourself, just buy as some time.¡± [Prolia] I suggested a substitution to our leader, and she immediately agreed. ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All frontliners! Ryouma and his slimes will take over for now! Take this opportunity to recover as much as you can!¡± [Prolia] I called over the sticky slimes, poison slimes, and scavenger slimes, and ordered them to go to the frontlines. As for me, I jumped down from the high ground, then I jumped across the pit. At the same time, I ordered the slimes. Use everything you¡¯ve learned and show those goblins who¡¯s boss! Immediately, the slimes started shaking as if they couldn¡¯t wait to give them a beating, then a part of their body turned into a tentacle that stretched out toward the goblins. The sticky slimes picked up the rods the goblins wielded, and they used them to beat the goblins and trip them. They also used their sticky liquid to stop the goblins from pressing forward. The poison slimes picked up the spears of the goblins, then they poisoned it with their own poison and then they attacked the goblins. The scavenger slimes would trip the goblins by sliding toward their feet and wrapping their tentacles around them. Sometimes they would intentionally let the goblins step on them, so they could push them up and break their balance. Although the slimes weren¡¯t strong enough to beat the goblins dead, they couldn¡¯t be killed even in a one on one. Like that the slimes worked together to fight against the horde of goblins. The poison of the poison slimes were particularly effective. Looks like everything¡¯s going well. As I thought that, I drew my two daggers. The goblins probably saw me as their prey, but before they knew it, I¡¯d lunged right into one goblin¡¯s chest and pierced his heart with my dagger, then as I pulled my dagger out, I passed the goblins and cut the carotid artery of another. ¡°GUGIi!?¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°GOGA!¡± [Goblin 2] ¡°GUeE!!¡± [Goblin 3] The goblins ran toward me with swords brandished. They were full of openings, so I went ahead and cut their wrists and kicked them about, then I let the slimes finish them off. ¡°GIiIII!!!¡± [Goblin 4] A goblin came at me from behind, but I dodged him, took his back, and promptly lodged my dagger into his medulla oblongata, then like a puppet whose strings have been cut, the goblin fell. Goblins resemble humans not just externally but also internally. They¡¯re more durable than humans, but they¡¯ll still die when hit in a vital spot, and if you cut their wrists or carotid artery, they¡¯ll bleed to death. Moreover, all the goblins I¡¯ve fought so far have withdrawn from battle every time I managed to cut their carotid artery or their wrists. This time is no different, so there¡¯s currently no problems with dealing with the goblins. The goblins screamed as their blood sprayed in the air, but I didn¡¯t stop and just kept on killing one goblin after another. I got to say, though. There¡¯s really no end to them. Just where have these goblins been hiding? Although the goblins kept coming, we were able to stand against them. We had the number advantage, so gradually, the battle started to become easier. With some leeway made, I ordered the slimes to pick up the arrows. I can hear the frontliners talking, so from that I could infer that they¡¯re properly resting. ¡°Wait a¡­ sec¡­ Just what the hell¡­ is that kid? ¡­isn¡¯t he too¡­ strong? ¡­Even though we¡­ were having¡­ such a¡­ hard time¡­¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°We¡¯re saved¡­¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Regardless, we can leave things to him for the time being. Rest up while he¡¯s buying time!! And then go back to the front lines!!¡± [Berk] ¡°Understood!!¡± [Frontliners] ¡°Are those really slimes?¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Those slimes sure know how to handle a spear. They¡¯re probably even better than me¡­¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°Forget being better¡­ Why are slimes using weapons!?¡± [Adventurer 5] ¡°It¡¯s weird, but at least, we¡¯re saved now¡­ Hmm? Arrows?¡± [Adventurer 6] ¡°!? Archers! The slimes are retrieving the arrows! Hey, you guys move! Let those slimes pass!¡± [Berk] I guess slimes that can use weapons really are weird¡­ I mean they actually noticed that? Maybe they¡¯re not so tired after all. As I was thinking that, I felt the mana stir. Another goblin mage! I sheathed my daggers, and threw a throwing knife toward the goblin mage. I and the slimes fought until the frontliners recovered their strength. [1] ¨C Relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny5vGbTfB8c Chapter 40 Volume 2 Chapter 40 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 40 part2 After taking turns fighting several times and healing the wounded, eventually the number of goblins that fell surpassed 2000. Although no adventurers were left wounded thanks to the efforts of the heal slimes and the healers, the frontlines were so covered in corpses that there weren¡¯t any room left to step on. It was then that 4 people suddenly appeared out of thin air. They were Raypin-san, Asagi-san, Gordon-san, and Cher-kun. Except for Raypin-san, everyone was covered in blood. ¡°Is everyone alright, de aru!?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late! How is the situation?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Everyone looks okay, though? ¡­There sure are a lot of corpses.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Raypin-san, Asagi-san, Gordon-san, Cher-kun! You came!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! Ryouma! You¡¯re safe, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡°Looks like you fought hard too. You¡¯re covered in blood.¡± [Gordon] ¡°We¡¯re also covered in blood, though.¡± [Cher] ¡°True. But still¡­. What¡¯s with all the goblins? There¡¯s over 2,000 corpses just here, and from the way you guys look, I¡¯m guessing you fought a lot too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, explanations are in order.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Erm¡­ Who¡¯s the person in charge here? We need to know what happened here.¡± [Cher] ¡°It¡¯s me!¡± [Prolia] Prolia-san ran to the four to explain the situation. ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s what happened, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Yes, we managed to hold thanks to Ryouma-kun and his slimes, but if not for him, we would have surely been crushed.¡± [Prolia] ¡°It¡¯s a miracle that everyone¡¯s unhurt despite fighting so many goblins.¡± [Asagi] ¡°In any case, it¡¯s good that everyone¡¯s safe.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Umm¡­ Is the main force alright?¡± [Prolia] ¡°The situation is under control for now, de aru, but¡­¡± [Raypin] ¡°No one died, but the main force suffered a lot. The number of goblins predicted was way off the mark, and there was even a goblin king. There were also plenty of goblin knights.¡± [Gordon] ¡°A goblin king was present!?¡± [Prolia] The surrounding adventurers stirred when they heard Prolia-san shout that last sentence. ¡°The goblin king has already been killed, so don¡¯t worry!¡¯ [Gordon] Gordon immediately said that to calm everyone down, and what followed after was a wave of cheers. Gordon ignored the cheers as he continued explaining. ¡°We based our strategy on the map of the mines, but the goblins dug their own tunnels and expanded their village, so the scouts weren¡¯t able to completely scout everything out. As a result, there were paths not shown on the map.¡± [Gordon] ¡°The goblin village we attacked was only one part of their base. The real village and boss was deeper in, but it wasn¡¯t until after some time the battle started that we figured that out. During that time many of the goblins were able to escape through a different route, which is why so many goblins came to you, de gozaru. Our deepest apologies for our incompetence.¡± [Asagi] ¡°I see.. In any case, no one was heavily wounded on our side, so we don¡¯t really have any complaints, but still¡­ I wonder why a village of that size wasn¡¯t discovered until now?¡± [Prolia] ¡°We found a lot of small rat and cave bat bones in their nests, so They probably fed off the other monsters in the mine, and since they never appeared in town, no one knew about them. No one approached this mine in the last year either.¡± [Cher] ¡°In other words, this was brought by the negligence of the government office, de aru. I know a mine that produces nothing only wastes money, but still¡­¡± [Raypin] As Raypin-san said that, he looked around, and then he said this. ¡°It is truly fortunate that no one was hurt despite so many goblins, de aru. Since everyone here is unhurt, would it be alright to take some of your healers with us? We would like to have some of our wounded healed, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Sure, no problem. All healers with mana to spare! Please assemble!¡± [Prolia] The number of adventurers that answered Prolia-san¡¯s call was 4 all in all, myself included. ¡°Unfortunately, I can only teleport 3 people with me, de aru. One of you will have to come by himself.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I can do that. I can use dimension magic too, so I¡¯ll be able to catch up immediately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be great, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Ah, but would it be alright if you take some luggage with you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it¡¯s nothing heavy.¡± [Raypin] At that, I called over my two heal slimes. ¡°Then please take these two with you. I still can¡¯t take anyone with me when I teleport, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand, de aru. What slimes are these, though?¡± [Raypin] ¡°They¡¯re heal slimes, slimes that can use healing magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! So these are heal slimes, de aru! Despite my long years in monster research, this is my first time seeing one in the flesh, de aru. Rest assured. I shall take these two with me, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let us be off then. ¡®Warp¡¯¡± [Raypin] As Raypin-san said that, he warped away with the three healers. I too bid Prolia-san and the others goodbye. ¡°Prolia-san, I¡¯ll leave the slimes here, so please watch over them. They can take care of themselves, so you don¡¯t have to do anything in particular.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to me. Please take care of the wounded over there.¡± [Prolia] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m off¡­ ¡®Teleport¡¯¡± [Ryouma] After using a short-distanced teleport spell several times to get away from everyone, I used the intermediate spell, Warp. After warping to where Raypin and the others were, I was greeted with many wounded adventurers. ¡°Ryouma! Over here, de aru!¡± [Raypin] Raypin-san called out to me, and after giving me back my two heal slimes, he immediately led me to the person in charge of the healers, who then gave me my orders. I and my slimes first went to heal the relatively less wounded adventurers, but because they were fully conscious, they were shocked every time they saw my slimes using healing magic. After dealing with the less wounded adventurers, this time we dealt with the heavily wounded adventurers. I was finally starting to run out of mana, so I used the MP recovery potions that I got from Serge-san a few days ago. There weren¡¯t a lot of adventurers with heavy wounds, but those that did lost too much blood, so several healers had to use the intermediate healing spell, High Heal, several times to save their lives. My and my slimes¡¯ low level heal was ineffective on heavy wounds like that, but after the adventurers recovered a little, we could finally be of use. I also shared some of my MP recovery potions to keep the healing going. We had to stop the bleeding as soon as possible, so couldn¡¯t stop for a moment; otherwise, these people were sure to die. We were almost as busy as the warriors fighting in the battlefield. We didn¡¯t have the leisure to think of any unnecessary things. ¡°Huh!?¡± [Healer 1] As I quietly continued healing the adventurers, suddenly, one of the healers exclaimed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong!? Need help!?¡± [Healer 2] In response, a male healer called out. ¡°N-no! That¡¯s not it!¡± [Healer 3] ¡°It¡¯s just that the slimes started using High Heal all of the sudden, so I was a little shocked!¡± [Healer 1] Hah!? My slime did!? Weren¡¯t my slimes only capable of Heal? I¡¯m pretty sure they never used anything other than Heal¡­ The male healer from before asked me if my slimes could use High Heal, and I immediately shook my head. ¡°If they did, then they probably picked it up just now because I¡¯ve never seen them use it before.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the more help the better!¡± [Healer 2] After that we went back to healing, and then a little later, another healer exclaimed. Apparently, the other heal slime also started to use High Heal. I didn¡¯t expect them to grow up like this, but it¡¯s not a bad thing. In any case, with this we¡¯re able to heal faster. After taking out a large number of MP recovery potions from my Item Box, we were somehow able to successfully heal everyone. It will still take some time before everyone can fight again, but at the very least, there¡¯s no more threat to their lives. I checked the skills of the heal slimes, and it turns out that their healing magic has already leveled up to 3. As for mine, it leveled up to 2. While I was doing that, over 10 adventurers suddenly surrounded me and thanked me profusely. Apparently, among the people I healed were their comrades. If it weren¡¯t for my heal slimes and MP recovery potions, they would have surely died, or so they said with tears in their eyes. I had no idea how to deal with them, but fortunately, the guild master came and told me to tell the my platoon (the ambush platoon) to gather at the entrance of the mine with everyone. You couldn¡¯t have picked a better time to come! I thanked the guild master inwardly, and then I hurriedly went to deliver his message. While the adventurers were gathering at the entrance of the mine¡­ ¡°Good job, everyone! the job was a lot harder than expected, but because of that the reward will also be bigger!¡± [Wogan] The guild master said that when he appeared, and immediately after, waves of cheers resounded. ¡°Everyone shall receive 1 big silver coin as payment!¡± [wogan] The cheers grew even bigger at that. The cheers of the F and G Rankers were especially loud. 1 big silver coin is equivalent to 5,000 suits. That¡¯s enough to pay for 50 days¡¯ worth of living expenses. This is probably their first time receiving such a huge sum of cash.. ¡°Any complaint? No? Good! The sun¡¯s still high up, so you¡¯ll be dismissed after disposing of the goblin corpses!¡± [Wogan] After saying that, the guild master seemed to have recalled something, and he looked at me and said this. ¡°Oh, right! Ryouma!¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know you¡¯re paying for the monster corpses, but you can have the goblin corpses for free.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ll take it if you¡¯re offering it, but are you sure that¡¯s alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Goblins don¡¯t have anything worth selling, so it¡¯s fine. You¡¯re all fine with that too, right?¡± [Wogan] Many adventurers were surprised to hear that I was the one buying the monsters corpses, but no one had any issues with me taking the goblin corpses away. If anything, there were adventurers happy to hear that there would be less work. Apparently, they were originally planning on burning the corpses, but that would require the fire mages to use their spells even if it meant almost running out of mana, so of course the fire mages weren¡¯t enthusiastic about taking on that role. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll gratefully accept. I¡¯ll have the slimes eat their fill as a reward.¡± [Ryouma] But I feel bad getting something without giving back, so I¡¯ll offer the cleaner slimes¡¯ services later. After that the various adventurers went back to their respective posts, and I went back to where we ambushed the fleeing goblins. There, I retrieved the acid slimes, then I filled the remaining space of the hole with goblin corpses, and then I had the sticky slimes and poison slimes eat their fill. With this the poison slimes will eat the poisoned goblin corpses, and the sticky slimes will eat everything else. As for the scavenger slimes, I had them eat the blood and flesh bits on the ground. By the time they were done, not even a drop of blood was left. I just realized this now, but aren¡¯t scavenger slimes actually perfect for destroying evidence? I¡¯m definitely not giving a scavenger slime to a bad guy, not that I¡¯m planning on giving one to anyone. Alright, just a little bit more and we¡¯re done! While the slimes were feeding off of the goblin corpses, I told the E, F, and G Rankers about the abilities of the cleaner slimes. When I showed it off to them, all of the filth on my body and equipment were washed away in an instant, and the adventurers were immediately hooked. At that, I ordered my 11 cleaner slimes to clean the adventurers. When everyone was done bathing via the cleaner slimes, I waited for the slimes to finish eating, then I went to where the main force was. I did the same thing there and had the cleaner slimes clean the adventurers and their equipment. I also ordered the scavenger slimes to eat the filth on the ground and in the goblins¡¯ nest. Goblin blood, bodily liquids, and smell are really hard to get rid of, so the cleaner slime baths became very popular. After cleaning the place up, we were immediately dismissed, and the adventurers all went back via the stagecoaches. As I watched them leave, I rested somewhere slightly remote with the slimes. Because of all the goblins the slimes ate, the poison slimes, acid slimes, and cleaner slimes have all become able to split. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have enough mana right now, so I need to recover a bit to form the new contracts. To recover mana as quickly as possible, I decided to ride home last and relax. It feels like the time just went by since I started healing the adventurers¡­ As expected, I¡¯m a little tired¡­ Chapter 41 Volume 2 Chapter 41 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 41 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 41 part3 ¡°What are you doing at a place like this, Ryouma?¡± [Jeff] While I was dozing off at a place some distance away from the carriages, Jeff-san called out to me. Behind him were the people who helped out with the latrine pit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go home, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Good job today, everyone. I don¡¯t think I could get a ride right now even if I wanted to with how many adventurers there are, so I think I¡¯ll ride last.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too?¡± [Jeff] ¡°You too? You mean you guys are going last too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well yeah, with how exhausted everyone is, we don¡¯t really wanna tussle with all those adventurers.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°You said it¡­ I know we were hired precisely for situations like today¡¯s, but it¡¯s still tough.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Especially today. We even had to deal with a goblin king. And that¡¯s a monster you deal with only after preparing for it. I couldn¡¯t help but remember that story while fighting. You know that one about never letting down your guard even when fighting weak monsters.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Ah, are you talking about the country that got wiped out by 10,000 goblins? I remember that too. It¡¯s really a miracle no one died today.¡± [Cher] Was there a story like that? Gordon had his thick arms around his neck as he grumbled, while Mizelia-san echoed his statement. Everyone sure looks tired¡­ As I thought that to myself, I asked Cher-kun about that story Mizelia was talking about. ¡°Huh? Ryouma-kun, you don¡¯t know about it? I thought for sure it was a popular story.¡± [Cher] ¡°I don¡¯t recall hearing it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, you were probably that kid, weren¡¯t you? The kid that didn¡¯t read fairytales in his childhood and instead read nothing but complicated stuff.¡± [Jeff] When Jeff-san said that, everyone nodded. For some reason, my ignorance was taken in a strange light. Do these people seriously see me as a swot? ¡°It¡¯s a story about knights and adventurers who fought hard to protect a country, only for their efforts to go to waste, as the goblins overwhelmed them. We can laugh at it now, but without you and your slimes, we would have suffered the same fate.¡± [Gordon] Well, regardless how strong one is, if you can¡¯t apply that strength, then it¡¯s meaningless. ¡®There is power in number¡¯ is a common saying too. ¡°Oh, right!¡± [Raypin] While ruminating to myself after what Gordon-san said, Raypin-san suddenly yelled. ¡°What is it all of the sudden, Raypin-ossan?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Ryouma, can you show me your heal slimes from before? I¡¯ve never seen one in the flesh, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] I called the 2 heal slimes over and lifted them up so Raypin-san could get a better look. ¡°Here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you, de aru. Hmm¡­ They¡¯re white¡­ And they¡¯re short, even for slimes¡­ I saw them use healing magic in person. It seems the rumors are true. What do they eat? Is it the same as normal slimes, de aru.?¡± [Raypin] ¡°They only drink water, and they won¡¯t eat meat unless you order them to. I think the meat thing is just preference, but when it comes to drinks, they really can¡¯t drink anything but water. That part is a pretty big difference compared to normal slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Raypin] ¡°How do they live with just water?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°They have a skill called Photosynthesis. With it they can get all the nutrients they need just by bathing in sunlight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s a skill like that, de aru!? Mu mu mu¡­ How interesting¡­ Ah, come to think of it, the encyclopedia did mention plant-type monsters having a skill like that, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Are those slimes strong, nyaa!?¡± [Miya] As Raypin-san went off into his own world, Miya-san asked a question. ¡°They¡¯re really weak. They¡¯re so weak that if they were to fight a normal slime, they¡¯d lose.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s really weak, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason why heal slimes are so rare. Since even if a heal slime manages to be born in the wild, it¡¯ll just get killed right away.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That makes sense, de aru. Weak critters can¡¯t live in the wild. Do heal slimes have any methods of self-defense, de aru?¡± [Raypin] Ah, Raypin-san heard us. ¡°They¡¯re completely specialized in healing. They also have the Increased Vitality skill on top of healing magic, so they could heal while running away should they be attacked.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So they have no choice but to take the hit while healing and running, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°They¡¯re surprisingly tough, actually, but of course, they can¡¯t live long in the wild by themselves. And they seem to know that instinctually since even if you tell them to do as they please, they won¡¯t separate from my other slimes. They¡¯re really useful, though, since they immediately heal my other slimes when they get hurt. They¡¯re healers through and through, so they can¡¯t be used to fight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ That was interesting. Thank you, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°It¡¯s rare to have someone who can understand slime research, so this much isn¡¯t really worth mentioning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you have any questions, feel free to ask me too. I¡¯m confident I can answer it so long as it¡¯s nothing too complicated. Talking with you is a joy since you always have so many discoveries. It¡¯s unfortunate that you don¡¯t get much recognition despite that.¡± [Raypin] When Asagi-san heard that, he joined the conversation. ¡°I¡¯m not that familiar with monster tamers, but I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s harder to control monsters the more you have. With so many slimes tamed, surely you must have gotten some recognition at the tamer guild.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m still just a neophyte with no achievements. Moreover the tamer guild judges a ranker¡¯s skill according to the strength of his monsters, so slimes can¡¯t get me much recognition. In fact, I¡¯m more likely to be looked down on because of them. It¡¯s also because of that that I didn¡¯t bother publicizing my research results. I would just stand out in a bad way.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are a lot who think slimes are useless just because they¡¯re slimes, de aru. Ryouma discovered two new variants, the cleaner slimes and the scavenger slimes. Either one is extremely useful. On top of that, there¡¯s also his research results. Personally, I believe that¡¯s more than enough to promote him a couple of ranks, de aru. But as an individual monsters researcher, considering the position of slimes in the industry, it¡¯s more than likely that others will unfairly look down on Ryouma. It¡¯s perfectly understandable that Ryouma doesn¡¯t want to publicize his research results. Slimes are just looked down on that much, and it¡¯s not just the tamer guild who thinks that way, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Really? Someone as unlearned as me recognizes just how useful those 2 slimes are, though. In fact, they¡¯re so useful that if I knew how to tame monsters I would immediately get some myself.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°If more people were as open minded as you, then Ryouma would get the recognition he so rightfully deserves, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Everyone nodded at Wereanna-san¡¯s remarks. Looks like the latrine pits job and the subjugation quest today convinced everyone how useful the cleaner and scavenger slimes are. ¡°I wonder if I could make money if I started a laundromat¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A laundromat?¡± [Wereanna] Ah, I seem to have said that out loud. ¡°Oh, I was just thinking. Couldn¡¯t I use the cleaner slimes to wash laundry for cheap? And if I tell other adventurers that even a goblin¡¯s filth could be cleaned, I might be able to make enough to live off of.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How cheap are we talking here?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Hmm¡­ Using a special bag I will be making myself, at the lowest end, one bag would be one copper coin, and at the higher end, one medium copper coin. Something like that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s doable!¡± [Everyone] When I said that, everyone responded affirmatively. ¡°I know full well just how clean cleaner slimes can make things. A bag¡¯s worth of laundry cleaned at that quality at the cost of just one medium copper coin is definitely cheap! Nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Especially at times like today. Goblin blood and fat really aren¡¯t easy to wash off¡­¡± [Gordon] ¡°Just thinking about it depresses me¡­¡± [Syria] ¡°Personally, I just throw away clothes when they get as dirty as they did today. Washing is pointless since they¡¯ll still stink, so you still won¡¯t be able to wear them. Beast tribe members with a sharp nose and enough income would definitely want your service at one medium copper coin. That¡¯s still cheaper than buying new clothes, after all.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Because beast tribe members really have sharp noses,¡± said the four female beast tribe members as they gave their stamp of approval. ¡°At that price, people other than adventurers would also be interested. Considering how much time and effort laundry requires, enlisting your service is better.¡± [Jeff] ¡°I actually want to get mine done tomorrow. I have a lot piled up at home¡­¡± [Gordon] ¡°In my case, I¡¯m bad at chores, and I have a bad habit of piling up laundry when researching, de aru. At times like that I would hire someone to do my laundry, but the fees aren¡¯t anything to scoff at, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°In Raypin¡¯s case, leaving the laundry for too long makes them even dirtier, so he has to pay a premium too, but either way, hiring people to do your laundry is generally expensive. Normal families can¡¯t afford it, but with your proposed prices, even commoners should be able to afford it, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] Are they single? In any case, everyone seems to like my idea. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot yesterday, and eventually decided to become independent.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I believe everyone knows this already, but I came to this town with the duke¡¯s family. They¡¯ve been taking care of me all this time, but at this rate, I realized I would end up too spoiled, so I talked to the duke¡¯s family to turn down their support and live by myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You turned down their support!?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°What a waste¡­¡± [Jeff] ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m still living with them at the inn¡­ The thing is stuff like that has started to become a given, so it¡¯s starting to feel like I¡¯m being spoiled. So in order to focus my mind I decided to go independent after they leave¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But still¡­ That¡¯s not something a person normally does, is it? But then again rejecting the duke¡¯s support usually isn¡¯t even possible since you normally won¡¯t even have the opportunity in the first place.¡± [Gordon] ¡°But I believe your way of thinking is admirable, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Anyway, in the end, it was decided that I would do a job for them and have to contact them regularly. I¡¯ve also decided to stay in this town, so I¡¯ve been thinking of various ways to make a living. Of course, I intend to continue being an adventurer, but because of the job from the duke and their request to keep in touch with them, I need to come back to this town. I¡¯m planning to prepare various ways of making a living just in case I become unable to become an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, then that¡¯s fine. Do your best.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°If you¡¯re going to be staying here, then we¡¯ll be seeing each other a lot. Let¡¯s get along [1], de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Same here. Let¡¯s get along.¡± [Ryouma] We continued talking about random stuff after that, and then when it was time for the last carriage, we rode last. [1] ¨C This is just the usual ¡®yoroshiku onegaishimasu¡¯ in case you found the translation weird. After that I went home and was summoned to the room of the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Welcome home~.¡± [Elize] ¡°Good work out there, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Work ended early today, huh? How¡¯s the abandoned mine?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Huh? You haven¡¯t been informed yet?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We had some things to ask the government office¡­ As expected, it seems they haven¡¯t touched the mine in a while. Did something happen?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°We found a goblin village today and were able to destroy it, but it was pretty tough since even a goblin king came out.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, the members of the duke¡¯s family immediately panicked. ¡°A goblin king!?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Are you alright!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Fortunately, I only had to take care of the fleeing goblins, so I didn¡¯t have a hard time. No one died too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That¡¯s good to hear¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It was a big nest with a goblin king and some goblin knights, so there were still over 2,000 goblins that went our way. It was really a huge operation, so we were sent home right after disposing the corpses.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s amazing no one died despite that.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s because the high rankers dealt with the goblin king, and the low rankers used traps. Oh, there¡¯s one more thing I¡¯d like to talk about.¡± [Ryouma] I told them what I heard from those 6 adventurers regarding their difficulties since the latrine pit jobs were stopped being an option. When I did, the members of the duke¡¯s family became a little dispirited. ¡°I see¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What¡¯s going on at the government office right now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re currently reorganizing. The people responsible for the original allegations have already been caught, and now, other crimes are currently being pursued.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Today¡¯s incident will probably be held against them too. Is the guild still posting those latrine pit jobs?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. I took one of those jobs just recently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Guilds don¡¯t like leaving their customers waiting, after all.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯ve informed those 6 adventurers that they can do the latrine pit jobs again through the guild. They were dubious whether they would really be paid, but from the looks of things, they¡¯re at least willing to do it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry about that¡­ We¡¯ll get someone new to inform the slum residents.¡± [Reinbach] After that we changed the topic. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s put the heavy topic to rest. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe, Ryouma.¡± [Elize] ¡°You must be hungry after working so hard. Is there anything you want to eat?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The slimes also worked hard, didn¡¯t they?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯ve already eaten their fill with the goblins. In fact, they can start splitting again later this evening.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Which slimes are going to multiply?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Acid, poison, cleaner, and the sticky slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re going to get more slimes again.¡± [Elialia] ¡°They ate a lot, after all. In any case, it¡¯s not a bad thing since more slimes means I¡¯m stronger, and the production of the waterproof cloths and threads will also increase, not to mention the slimes will also be useful in landscaping and construction. If there¡¯s any downside it¡¯s the mana cost of the familiar contract. It¡¯s no joke with so many slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, there¡¯s just too many of them. Please don¡¯t push yourself, though.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. If it¡¯s impossible to finish all the contracts today, I¡¯ll spread it over a couple of days.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡± [Elize] After that they asked me my plans while eating, so I told them that I plan to live as an adventurer while also looking for other avenues to make a living. Speaking of which, I don¡¯t know how long they¡¯ll be staying here¡­ I should ask. ¡°By the way, how long will you be staying here? I never got to ask, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We haven¡¯t told you? We¡¯ll be staying here until the grell frog outbreak and until Elia needs to enroll.¡± [Reinbach] Grell frog? If I recall correctly that¡¯s¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t that the monster that my armor¡¯s leather was made out of?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, its hide can be used to make armor, while its internal organs can be used to make medicine. There¡¯s usually an outbreak of grell frogs around this time of the year. We plan to take Elia there.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°The area is somewhere in between the town and the mines in a forest with a red mud swamp.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Are you going to hunt grell frogs?¡± [Ryouma] I thought they¡¯d be training again, but it seems that¡¯s not the case. Although training is a part of it, Elialia will mostly be tagging along. Their real objective is apparently the flock of rimel birds that passes by at the same time as the grell frog outbreak. ¡°Rimel birds are beautiful blue-winged bird-type monsters. Moreover, they also have a beautiful voice. On top of that, they also fly quickly, making them popular among monster tamers. Unfortunately, taming one isn¡¯t easy and there¡¯s not a lot of people that could tame one, so it¡¯s not often that one gets to see a rimel bird. Yet those rare birds are going to come in droves during the grell outbreak. I suggest you come too, Ryouma-kun. Just the rimel birds alone are worth us staying here.¡± [Elize] So monsters aren¡¯t all scary, huh. But if they prey on grell frogs, then that means they¡¯re carnivorous. When I think of carnivorous birds, crows that fish for garbage bags come to mind, but considering their color, peacocks might be closer. I don¡¯t know. In any case, my curiosity has been piqued. I think I¡¯ll go see them too. ¡°I¡¯d like to see them too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You should come with us then.¡± [Elialia] ¡°That would be great. Please let me come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure! Let¡¯s go together!¡± [Elialia] I promised the ojousama I¡¯d see the rimel birds with her, then when I was done eating, I went back to my room. I had the slimes split and formed contracts with them before sleeping, but I ran out of mana halfway through, so I had to put off the rest until tomorrow. I still have some MP Recovery potions with me, but it seemed wasteful to use them for this. Chapter 42 Volume 2 Chapter 42 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 42 part2 Monster Subjugation: Third Day The day before yesterday, I incapacitated some bad adventurers. Yesterday, a lot of adventurers suffered because of the goblin king. As a result, progress has been a lot slower than expected. Moreover, the incident yesterday caused my group to split, as Jeff-san and the others now had to lead the low ranked adventurers to ensure their safety. As for me, I didn¡¯t need guidance, but it hasn¡¯t been long since I got promoted, so I couldn¡¯t guide the other adventurers either. In the end, I just went and hunted in the abandoned mine with my slimes alone. I got the sticky slimes to spit sticky liquid on their rod, then I had them wave it around, turning their sticky liquid into what was effectively birdlime. As a result, the cave bats and small rats were easily captured. As for the cave mantises, the poison slimes were easily able to finish them off by attacking outside their range with spears. The poison slimes ate them afterwards. It seems all that training has finally paid off. The slimes are finally starting to get stronger, not to mention they¡¯re also increasing in number. But when I see them fighting the cave mantises, I can¡¯t help but be reminded of that game from Earth. What was it called again? It was really popular at one point. Its theme song also had a happy tune, but for some reason, my memories tell me it was quite bloody. Anyway, the fact I¡¯m able to think of so many useless stuff like this just shows how easy the battles are. After that, without anything interesting happening, my work for the morning ended. Then again it would be problematic if stuff like yesterday happened all the time. I did happen upon 5 goblins once, but they didn¡¯t have anyone else with them. When I reported them to the guild, I was told that they¡¯re just remnants of the village we destroyed yesterday. After lunch break, I continued hunting by myself, and along the way, I decided to try out some new stuff with the sticky slimes. One thing I did was to have the sticky slimes stick to the ceiling and move by extending a part of its body and swinging that part forward. The cave bats were really annoying with how much they flew, so I figured I¡¯d get the sticky slimes to act as some sort of moving flypaper. Result-wise, it was pretty effective, as cave bats easily found themselves stuck. Another thing I tried was to order the most nimble sticky slime to jump and expand its body like a net. Interestingly enough, it was able to do just that. Next, I took that slime and threw it at the cave bats. As soon as I did, that slime turned into a net, catching all the cave bats in its path before falling back down to the ground. I tried the same thing with another slime, and then again, and again, and again¡­ And it seems, I can catch about 4 to 5 cave bats on average with each throw. This can be used! Damn, sticky slimes are really awesome! Not only can they be used in daily life, they can even be used effectively in battle. Elated, I used the sticky slimes to catch the small monsters until work for the day ended. And then evening came. When I rode back to town on the carriage, the carriage¡¯s wheels suddenly broke just as we were about to enter town. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and the carriage just suddenly shook fiercely when the wheels broke. Continuing would be dangerous, so we had to walk the rest of the way back. As the sun began to set, the delicious aroma of supper wafted out from somewhere. It¡¯s probably coming from a restaurant nearby. Some people have already started to drink, so from to time, people making merry could be heard. I walked quietly under that merry atmosphere, until eventually, I passed by Serge-san¡¯s Morgan Company. ¡­The Mp Recovery potions he gave me were a huge help yesterday and he might have some bags I could use as reference for my laundromat¡¯s special bags, so¡­ let¡¯s drop by. I casually walked into the store, and as soon as I did, I saw Serge-san. He was talking to the female clerk behind the counter, but when he saw me, he smiled and invited me to the reception office. If he was in the middle of work, we could have just talked while I browsed through the shop¡¯s products, but this works too. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-sama. How may I be of service today?¡± [Serge] ¡°Your potions were a huge help yesterday, so I dropped by to say thanks. At the same time, there¡¯s also something I¡¯m looking for, and since I didn¡¯t know any other store, I was wondering if you might have it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is a great joy to know that my store¡¯s product was able to be of service, Ryouma-sama. If there¡¯s anything you¡¯re looking for, then it¡¯s my store¡¯s honor to help. May I know what it is you have in mind?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m looking for a robust bag. It¡¯s okay if the material used is cheap. As for the size, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? May I inquire as for what purpose these bags will serve?¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s a long story. Actually¡­¡± [Ryouma] I told Serge-san about my intentions to become independent, and he immediately made a shocked expression, after which he made an admiring expression. He seemed interested in my idea to open a laundromat. ¡°A second source of income on top of your adventurer work that also serves as a backup in case of an unfortunate accident that forces an early retirement¡­ Wonderful foresight, Ryouma-sama. Although still young, it is amazing that you¡¯re able to think so far ahead.¡± [Serge] That¡¯s because I¡¯m actually a 42 year-old uncle. I don¡¯t know how I compare to other similarly aged Japanese uncles, but at the very least, I¡¯m aware enough to prepare for the worst case scenario when involved with something as dangerous as adventurer work. Especially since I¡¯ve never heard of insurance or savings in this world. Well, even if there are such services, the conditions would probably be off the charts. ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that amazing, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You are a humble man, Ryouma-sama. But still¡­ A laundromat, huh. At 1 small copper coin to 1 medium copper coin per bag, you¡¯ll certainly get the attention of the townspeople, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to provide the quality to satisfy them. Even if you do alright at the start, as the customers start to increase, keeping up with all the requests will eventually prove difficult alone.¡± [Serge] Ah, I forgot to tell him about the cleaner slimes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, it seems I left out one important detail. Please give me a moment.¡± After that I took out a cleaner slime from my Dimension Home. ¡°This is my familiar. It¡¯s a slime variant known as cleaner slime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°First I¡¯ve heard of that slime.¡± [Serge] ¡°This is a new slime I discovered. I¡¯ve submitted its information to the tamers guild, but I should currently be the only one with a cleaner slime contracted.¡± [Ryouma] Even the gods said it was a new variant, so there shouldn¡¯t be any other than the ones under me. ¡°Does that slime of yours have something to do with your laundromat?¡± [Serge] ¡°This slimes possesses the ability to clean things by eating filth. Naturally, when filth is eaten, the filth vanishes, and whatever that filth was sticking to will become clean.¡± [Ryouma] When Serge-san heard that, his jaws hit the floor. I guess it really is hard to believe. I decided to take out the loincloth of a goblin from my Item Box. ¡°It¡¯s probably hard to believe just by listening, so let me give you a demonstration. First, please take a look at this. It¡¯s a loincloth from one of the goblins we killed. Despite how dirty it is, the cleaner slime can eat the filth off of it and make it clean again.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Serge-san gulped. ¡°Please.¡± [Serge] ¡°Would you like to use Identify on it first?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, that would be nice. I can tell just from the smell that it¡¯s in fact goblin loincloth, but¡­¡± [Serge] Chuckling, Serge-san used Identify on the loincloth and confirmed that it was in fact a goblin¡¯s loincloth. After handing it back to the cleaner slime, the cleaner slime took the cloth into its body, and in the blink of an eye, the filth vanished. When the cleaner slime spit the loincloth onto the table in the reception office, only 30 seconds had passed. Serge-san took the cloth that was clearly a different color than before and used Identify on it. When he did it, he was able to confirm that it was now in fact cleaned, then he took my hands and exclaimed, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that a goblin¡¯s loincloth could be cleaned in such a short time!?¡± My hands were dirty because I touched the goblin loincloth. But by the time he noticed it ¨C most probably from my gaze ¨C it was too late. Serge-san¡¯s expression was dim. It¡¯s a good opportunity, so let¡¯s have him experience the cleaner slime bath himself. Just the hands. After the hand washing, Serge-san turned into another storm of praise. He¡¯s a good guy. I know that. But when he¡¯s like this, it¡¯s really exhausting¡­ ¡°I beg your pardon. I got a little overzealous there, but I say¡­ This slime is really fascinating. With slimes like this, opening your laundromat shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Price, speed, quality¡­ I can see the coins already.¡± [Serge] Ah, Serge-san¡¯s off into his own world again¡­ ¡°So, how big do you think the bags should be? Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know much about the current market.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll have a couple brought over.¡± [Serge] Serge-san summoned the female servant and had her bring several bags. ¡°As you can see, the bags are arranged from smallest to biggest from left to right. The leftmost bag can fit one adult¡¯s full set of clothes.¡± [Serge] ¡°A bigger one would be better, I think. A family is bound to have more than one set, and there are plenty of bachelors out there who make a habit of piling their laundry. Moreover, it¡¯s cheaper to pay 1 medium copper for 4 to 5 set of clothes than just for one, and it¡¯s not like it makes any difference for me to wash 1 set or 5 sets, so might as well. I¡¯m sure the customers will appreciate it. Besides, I¡¯m only trying to make enough to get by, and I think there¡¯ll be more returning customers if their first experience with the shop is affordable. That should help turn over a profit too.¡± [Ryouma] Those affordable shops helped me a lot back in my previous world¡­ Like those gyudon restaurants. I also frequented the same shops over and over, such that in the end, I had no idea how much money I spent on the stores near my house. I¡¯m not unhappy about it. If anything I¡¯m grateful for their support. From that perspective, I think it¡¯s important to prioritize the acquisition of repeating customers. A low price would surely become a potent weapon in accomplishing that goal. Of course, provided that the service is satisfactory. ¡­While I was thinking that to myself, it suddenly occurred to me that Serge-san¡¯s eyes were sparkling again. ¡°Wonderful. Ryouma-sama, what great foresight you possess. To think that at such a young age you already realize that immediate income shouldn¡¯t be prioritized, and have even thought up excellent policies¡­ I, Serge, admire you. Truly.¡± [Serge] What is this feeling? I just talked a little about my personal experience in my past life, and yet for some reason, being praised so earnestly has me feeling itchy and guilty¡­ I feel like I owe those economics majors an apology¡­ But I think if I brainstorm a little¡­ ¡°What about this bag then? It can accommodate 3 to 4 persons¡¯ 2 days¡¯ worth of clothes. That would be around the size of your average family.¡± [Serge] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ With that bag one person should be able to fit in an entire week¡¯s portion. Let¡¯s go with that. Could I also get a couple of bags double and 5x that size?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I most certainly could provide such bags, but wouldn¡¯t those be too big?¡± [Serge] ¡°The first bags are meant for personal use, while the double sized ones will be catered toward small parties, while the 5x ones will be for the adventurers guild, blacksmiths with many disciples, and construction workers¡­ In other words, large groups of people.¡± [Ryouma] For example¡­ ¡°If we calculate one person¡¯s 1 week portion to be one person each day, that totals to 7 people¡¯s portion. Double that and we get 14, then quintuple the first value and we get 35 people¡¯s worth of clothes. If the first bag is 1 medium copper coin, that¡¯s 10 suits. For the double I could charge 1 medium copper coin and 8 small copper coins; that¡¯s 18 suits. For the 5x, I could charge 4 medium copper coins; that¡¯s 40 suits. Like this I¡¯ll be able to give a discount to bigger groups. The discount will serve as an incentive to come in groups. If there¡¯s not enough to form a group, then the customers will go out of their way to get more people. In the end, the laundromat will quickly gain renown. On top of that, the more people enlist my laundromat¡¯s services, the more frequently people will drop by. If the double size could accommodate a person¡¯s 14 days¡¯ worth of clothes, then it should be safe to say that he won¡¯t be coming back for the next 14 days. But if it were a group of people getting their clothes done, then they would drop by sooner rather than later. In this way, I¡¯ll be able to get a sustainable daily income. A group-focused policy like this should turn over more profit in the long run.¡± [Ryouma] Brainstorming, the act of thinking through one proposal and seeing what happens without asserting its value right from the start. It¡¯s been a while since I last tried it, but it seems I still have my wits about me. ¡°Blacksmiths and construction workers also tend to get dirty, so they¡¯ll definitely want to have their work clothes washed. Once they get word of how good the laundromat is, they¡¯ll want to get their personal clothes washed too. Blacksmiths and construction workers tend to be men. And men do have an inclination to be poor at laundry. Just today an adventurer told me if it were possible to put in a lot of laundry that he would enlist my service, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was then that I finally realized Serge-san¡¯s state. ¡­Oh no! I screwed up. Serge-san¡¯s have gone all big and stiff. I¡¯ve always had a bad habit of going on and on by myself, and I¡¯ve even lost a lot of relationships to it. I must¡¯ve let my guard down because it¡¯s been a while since I last talked about something work related. Chapter 43 Volume 2 Chapter 43 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 43 part2 In any case, I have to do something about Serge-san¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I have a tendency to go on and on by myself¡­ I meant no offense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no! Not at all! I was just a little bit surprised, Ryouma-sama. You¡¯re only 11 years old and yet you keep coming up with one brilliant idea after another.¡± [Serge] That¡¯s what he¡¯s surprised about!? ¡­Oh, right. I just remembered again that I currently look like I¡¯m 11. A kid who could think up all this stuff would probably surprise anyone¡­ After all, there are parents who would dance in joy just seeing their babies stand up, but there¡¯s barely anyone who would praise an adult for doing the same thing. In the same vein, my actions probably seem a lot more amazing to this guy. That being said, it¡¯s not like I actually thought everything out carefully¡­ I just did some simple calculations that are probably full of holes, and¡­ Wait a moment. Do they have discounts in this world? ¡°Umm¡­ Do you not have discounts in this world?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not normally, no¡­ They¡¯re mostly given to better one¡¯s reputation to a certain customer or to quickly sell out one product. Extensive discounts would only bring losses, so it¡¯s not really a thing. Sometimes discounts are used to get rid of a customer, and then there are cases when deceitful stores raise the prices unreasonably high, and then cut them down and call that a discount, when in fact the price is still higher than the market price.¡± [Serge] Erm¡­ He seems to be telling the truth. ¡°I highly recommend that you join the merchants guild, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°The merchants guild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a branch in this town, so you¡¯ll be able to register anytime. The merchants guild varies from country to country, but each and every one of them control all the peddlers, stalls, and carts within their country. If you¡¯re going to be doing business, then you will have to pass through the guild.¡± [Serge] Eh!? Then¡­ ¡°Does that mean what I was planning was actually illegal?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no. The merchant guilds might manage the businesses within their respective countries, but it¡¯s not like they actually manage every single transaction. For example, they don¡¯t manage the transactions when two border towns try to sell to each other, or when a traveler sells the herbs he picked up along the way to a drug store. Another example is when children or adventurers take on odd jobs to make small change. If the amounts involved aren¡¯t too big, then nothing illegal is going on, especially if both sides are willing. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t believe the business you intend will result in merely small change. Odds are that you¡¯ll end up attracting the guild¡¯s attention.¡± [Serge] ¡°That was close¡­ Thank you, Serge-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all. If anything it seems I¡¯ve still been looking down on you, Ryouma-sama. I never expected that you would have thought through your store¡¯s management so thoroughly. I thought for sure you were only trying to make small change, so I forgot to mention about the registration too.¡± [Serge] Actually, you got it right¡­ I wasn¡¯t really thinking all that deeply, but whatever¡­ let¡¯s just roll with it. ¡°So, it seems I¡¯ll have to join the merchants guild, but I¡¯ve already joined the adventurers guild and tamers guild. Will that be a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please rest assured. I shall recommend you when you register, so there should be no problems. Being able to hold more than two guild positions will allow you more avenues to gather information as well, so if anything this is actually something to rejoice about. If you¡¯re free, we could register as soon as tomorrow. I would be going with you, of course.¡± [Serge] ¡°I still have adventurer work tomorrow, so when I come back it¡¯ll be around this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯ll be fine. The merchants guild has several personnel, so we can go through the process anytime. After all, to a merchant, information is life. And that information must reach them before it expires lest lose its value.¡± [Serge] They¡¯re open 24 hours? ¡°In that case, if it¡¯s no trouble with you, would you please accompany me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would be my greatest pleasure!¡± [Serge] Woah!? ¡°Ryouma-sama, the laundromat you came up with is truly amazing! Not only is it a new vein of income that no merchant has yet attempted, but your ideas are also new and unique, a new source of inspiration for the world of merchants! I, Serge Morgan, may not be the best, but I beseech you! Please allow me to aid you!¡± [Serge] Wow! He¡¯s really exaggerating this! Who would¡¯ve thought things would turn out like this? At this rate, I wonder if it¡¯s still going to be a small store¡­ ¡°T-Thank you very much. It¡¯s reassuring to have you with me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You praise me too much, Ryouma-sama. Oh, right. I suggest you consider the land you will be building your store at.¡± [Serge] Store!? I¡¯m not planning on doing something that big! ¡°Hmm¡­ Judging from your reaction, I assume you did not intend for things to become this big, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. My original intentions were to make just enough to get by, so I was thinking a stand in some corner of the town would be enough, and from there I could just go from door to door. A store would take too much of my time, after all, and I won¡¯t be able to continue being an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. But there¡¯s no need to worry about the management. I can simply lend you some of my own people.¡± [Serge] That¡¯s obviously no good. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a good idea to be relying on others even if it¡¯s for a store¡­¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san wryly smiled. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m starting to understand what the members of the duke¡¯s family meant. Ryouma-sama, there¡¯s nothing strange about leaving the management of a store to someone else.¡± [Serge] Huh? ¡°While it¡¯s true that a store owner normally starts out managing his store himself, eventually he¡¯ll find himself in a position similar to mine where he is in charge of many stores. In that case, managing all of the stores alone will prove impossible, and choosing and raising capable people to manage the store on his behalf will become necessary. Do you think that¡¯s strange?¡± [Serge] Now that he mentions it¡­ The managers in the chain stores of Japan were also just hired by the owners. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s not weird at all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Moreover, in this world there are people suited for management and people who aren¡¯t. For the latter type, it would be better to hire someone suited than to try and forcefully manage the store himself.¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t know which type you are yet, Ryouma-sama. Although you have good ideas and policies, so it seems as if you have the skill for it, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re particularly skilled in seeing through people¡¯s motives. After all, your face is like an open book.¡± [Serge] Am I that easy to read!? ¡°Although you¡¯re able to hide your thoughts better than those of your age bracket, but to an old merchant, you¡¯re still too green behind the ears.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] And here I thought I had a good poker face back in my previous life¡­ Was that just my imagination? ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m lending my people completely out of good will. One reason I¡¯ve offered them is because Reinhart-sama asked me to be an adviser to you when he first introduced us. Another reason is because of your future prospects.¡± [Serge] ¡°Future prospects?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Ryouma-sama, despite your age you have already come up with various inventions. From the waterproof cloths and threads, to that iron ingot, and to various other goods. Even without Reinhart-sama¡¯s introduction, I would still not be able to take my eyes off of you. Moreover, the contents of our conversation suggests a huge profit. I could not possibly ignore that as a merchant. I will also be selling bags wholesale to your store, so please let me help you in your endeavor. If needed, I can also invest to help with your capital.¡± [Serge] ¡­If he¡¯s going that far, maybe it¡¯s alright? But, still¡­ ¡°What happens when your investment doesn¡¯t pay off?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No merchant would be able to expand his business if he feared failure. Any merchant with a big enough store more or less knows how to take risks. Moreover, I personally believe that your laundromat will prove most profitable. If things don¡¯t work out, then you could just make it up to me by making ingots and waterproof cloths and threads. The costs of running the store are also significantly reduced thanks the slimes doing the laundry. The odds of success are high, and in the case of failure, I can simply recoup my losses. I can¡¯t imagine that you¡¯re simply making stuff up too. So, with all that, this is quite possibly the best trade deal in history. Nary a merchant would turn down such a deal.¡± [Serge] I see¡­ I could certainly make money if I make iron ingots¡­ ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be in your care then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re willing to work with me?¡± {Serge] ¡°Yes, but please allow me to refuse the extra capital. I currently have enough thanks to the bandits I subjugated in the past.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What about the personnel?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you. Also, please allow me to purchase the bags that the store will be using. As for the ingots, I¡¯ll bring them over later when I have the time. The abandoned mines were entrusted to me, so I was originally planning on making them anyway.¡± [Ryouma] Like this my conversation with Serge concluded, and after purchasing the bags from a happy Serge-san, I exited the store. Walking along the dark road, I returned to the inn, but for some reason, the ojousama was there waiting with an aura of wrath about her. ¡°Ojousama¡­?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What were you doing out this late, Ryouma-san? I was so worried¡­¡± [Elialia] When the ojousama suppressed her anger, she suddenly broke down in tears. Apparently, the incident yesterday with a goblin king making an appearance caused the ojousama to worry grievously. I¡¯m sorry. I knew I was in the wrong, so I just quietly received the ojousama¡¯s scolding as she cried. After a while the ojousama finally got tired of scolding me, and just said she was going to sleep. I watched the ojousama leave as the maids took her away. ¡°My deepest apologies for causing you to worry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Enough of that. Elia scolded you plenty already.¡± [Elize] ¡°We really were worried, though.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Be careful next time, alright?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll remember.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, what were you doing out this late?¡± [Elize] I told them that the carriage broke down and I went to Serge-san¡¯s store. ¡°You were at Serge¡¯s store? I guess that means you¡¯ve thought up a new job?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯ll probably be coming home late tomorrow too. I know I was just scolded, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as you tell us beforehand it¡¯s fine. So, what are you planning on doing tomorrow?¡± [Elize] ¡°I will be going with Serge-san to the merchant guild to register. My original plans ended up getting bigger while we were discussing, so we¡¯re going tomorrow to the merchants guild to register me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? Weren¡¯t you planning on just making enough to get by?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That is what I was planning, indeed, but Serge-san insisted it would be best for me to open a store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A store? Your discussion developed that far?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Apparently, Serge-san thinks it¡¯s that profitable. He even offered to provide the employees.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Serge said that, did he? When is the opening?¡± [Reinhart] He just nonchalantly asked about the opening day! And here I thought he¡¯d be shocked. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about stores yet, but aren¡¯t you guys shocked? An 11 year-old kid just told you he¡¯s opening a store, you know?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no age restrictions, and there are kids your age who have stalls of their own. There are some who tend to normal stores too.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Of course, there aren¡¯t actually any 11 year-olds with a store of their own, but it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking here, so¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re not like other kids. And since Serge gave his approval, it should be alright. But if anything happens, you have to rely on us, alright? And make sure you don¡¯t forget to keep in touch with us.¡± [Elize] Is this really alright? ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] I went back to my room like that, not wholly understanding what happened, then I had the remaining slimes from yesterday split, and formed contracts with them. My slimes currently numbered as follows: Sticky Slime x907 Poison Slime x666 Acid Slime x666 Cleaner Slime x22 Scavenger Slime x3033 Heal Slime x2 Metal Slime x1 Slime x1 The sticky slimes have broken through 900. They should be reaching 1000 soon. The poison slimes and the acid slimes are numbered the same. 666 sure is an ominous number, though¡­ It¡¯s good to see the cleaner slimes doubling their numbers. Moreover, perhaps because of yesterday¡¯s incident, the slimes have gotten stronger too. The slimes learning Physical Attack Resistance while in the big or huge forms is one thing, but I never thought the slimes would actually learn staff techniques, spear techniques, and taijutsu. I did teach them various stuff, but I never thought they would actually be able to gain these skills. I should try teaching them various new stuff from now on¡­ Chapter 44 Volume 2 Chapter 44 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 44 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 44 part3 Volume 2 Chapter 44 part4 Monster Subjugation ¨C 4th Day After finishing my adventurer work at the abandond mines for the day, I walked over to Serge-san¡¯s store. ¡°Good evening, Serge-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting Ryouma-sama. Shall we?¡± [Serge] Riding on the carriage Serge prepared beforehand, we headed south of the town¡¯s center. Before long we reached a plain building with a sincere and vigorous aura. Dim light leaked out from its entrace. There were few people inside, but according to the employee I talked to there were indeed other people present. I went to the receptionist desk, but the woman in charge immediately let us in and then excused herself while bowing. It seems she¡¯s already used to Serge-san. And from the way she treats him, Serge-san seems to be quite valued. But then again he is the president of his own company, so I guess it¡¯s expected? After a few minutes, a slender man and a woman that was hunched over entered the room. Serge and I tried to stand up to greet them, but the old woman just waved and smiled, indicating for us not to bother. The man was the first to speak. ¡°So, it¡¯s you, Serge. It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? I haven¡¯t heard any rumors lately, so I was wondering what you were up too.¡± [Slender Man] This guy¡¯s accent sort of sounds like a fake kansai dialect, but it still feels strangely nostalgic. I had a boss like this in the past too¡­ ¡°Long time no see, Pioro.¡± [Serge] ¡°What did you come for? I doubt someone like you only shows his face during meetings would drop by just to say hi.¡± [Hunched Grandma] As she said that she turned to me. ¡°Nice to meet you, boy. Name is Grisiera. As you can see, I¡¯m a grandma, but I¡¯m also the guild master of this merchants guild.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I came here today to register myself. I know full well I¡¯m still wet behind the ears, so please give me your guidance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? You know your manners, don¡¯t you, boy? Is he one of your new servants, Serge?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°You¡¯re really well mannered. I¡¯m Pioro Saionji. Happy to make your acquaintance. You don¡¯t have to mind your manners when talking to me.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. A pleasaure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Ryouma] Saionji? Sounds Japanese. Moreover, that black hair, those black eyes, and that aura about him¡­ Is he another otherworlder descendant? ¡°Ryouma, was it? I¡¯ll remember that. So, what did you come here for, Serge?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I came here to accompany Ryouma-sama in his registration. Today, I¡¯m but a chaperon.¡± [Serge] When the two heard that, they turned to me. The guild master took a good look at me. ¡°Hmm¡­ Wait here.¡± [Grisiera] As she said that, she whipped out her rod and poked it against Serge-san¡¯s head. ¡°You idiot! What do you think you¡¯re doing making a kid panic!?¡± [Grisiera] Huh!? How did she know what I was thinking!? Does she have a skill that allows her to read minds!? ¡°Ryouma, right? I can¡¯t read minds.¡± [Grisiera] You¡¯re reading it right now! ¡°The years might take my strength and my youth, but my merchant¡¯s eyes remain strong. You look like an honest boy. I just picked up on the clues and made a smart guess.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Scary, right~? She always says that, but I bet she can actually read minds.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯m more impressed than scared, actually, since I can¡¯t read people very well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s something you pick up over the years. As long as your environment permits it, it¡¯s something you¡¯ll pick up eventually. You still have many years ahead of you, boy¡­ I don¡¯t know what happened in the past, but you still have your future.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you, but are you sure you really can¡¯t read minds?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t read minds. I could tell something was weighing on your mind because of that thousand-mile look that you made as soon as you said you couoldn¡¯t read people well.¡± [Griseria] Seriously!? ¡°Was I really making that sort of look?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They were the sort of eyes an old man would make when reminiscing.¡± [Grisiera] She got it right! ¡°Now then, I know you¡¯re surprised, but didn¡¯t you come here to register? It¡¯s getting late, so let¡¯s get it over with.¡± [Griseria] At that, I started filling out the guild registration form. ¡°Hmm¡­ What is this ¡®job¡¯ here referring to? Isn¡¯t the job merchant?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Write there what business you want to do. For example, if you want to sell weapons, then write ¡®arms dealer¡¯. Feel free to write as much as you want. You can also add more later if you want, so you don¡¯t have to think too hard about it now. There¡¯s a list of the basic jobs on the back of the paper, so refer to that.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I hear some adventurers work as peddlers¡­ Hmm¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s go with that and shopkeeper. ¡­Huh? A troubadour? Is that supposed to be a merchant too? I filled up the form while thinking that to myself. When I submitted it, the guild master glanced at it, and then said this. ¡°Oh? You¡¯re an adventurer? You better take care then. If you die, you¡¯ll lose even your capital. I see you want your own store too.¡± [Grishera] ¡°I have an odd business in my mind. Initially, I was just planning on making just enough to live off of, but Serge-san advised me to register to the guild and go all out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Serge did?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Well ain¡¯t that interesting? What kind of business is it?¡± [Grishera] ¡°A laundromat.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A laundromat? You mean the one where you get paid to wash other people¡¯s laundry? ¡­Serge, what¡¯s the point in making the boy register for that? It¡¯s true registering doesn¡¯t hurt, but with a small business like that, registering or not won¡¯t make a difference.¡± [Grishera] ¡°That¡¯s what I thought too at first. But after listening to Ryouma, I found myself thinking, ¡®This could work!¡¯ And then I realized it would be problematic if Ryouma made too much money while being unregistered.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You think it¡¯s that profitable?¡± [Pioro] ¡°If it¡¯s so profitable that you might end up getting the guild¡¯s attention, then you have my interest too. Mind letting this grandma know what you¡¯re up to, boy?¡± [Grishera] Serge-san smiled at me and winked. It seems it¡¯ll be okay if it¡¯s these two. To make sure I don¡¯t say anything wrong, I let Serge do most of the talking. As we explained my plans to them, the merchant guild master and Pioro gradually became more and more shocked, until eventually, they were groaning. By the time we finished, they were laughing. ¡°Hee Hee Hee! Living a long life, sometimes you get strange things like this. That¡¯s why life is so interesting. Who would¡¯ve thought a new slime variant would turn out like this? You¡¯re luck is pretty good, boy.¡± [Grishera] ¡°After hearing that, it certainly does seem like this laundromat might just make a killing. If you were unregistered then, it would certainly cause a ruckus in the guild. It¡¯s pretty impressive that you already have such good material for business despite your age. Let me worship you a little.¡± [Pioro] Suddenly, Pioro-san starting praying to me. What is he doing? ¡°It¡¯s better not to think too deeply on his actions. He does that whenever he thinks up a good way to make profit or talks to someone with one.¡± [Grishera] ¡°Only God can manipulate luck, so isn¡¯t it only human to want to share in a lucky person¡¯s luck?¡± [Pioro] Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand. ¡°Still, today sure was surprising. This is probably the most I¡¯ve been surprised in the past 8 years. Unfortunately, that sorta business is impossible for me. The methods aside, without those slimes it¡¯s just not possible to turn over a profit. But you can make it work. Puff out your chest and do some good business, alright?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I like you, boy. I didn¡¯t think something so trivial would surprise me at this age. You have a good future ahead of you, so show your face here from time to time. I¡¯ll give you some tea and sweets, and I¡¯ll hear out whatever concerns you have.¡± [Grishera] ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s decide on your store next. Guild master, if you will.¡± [Serge] ¡°Sheesh, you sure work these old bones hard, Serge. Pioro, on the upper row of the shelves to your left, there¡¯s a bundle of documents two places from the right. Get that.¡± [Grishera] ¡°What working old bones? You¡¯re not moving an inch!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Just get it already.¡± [Grishera] ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m on i¡ª What? Isn¡¯t this just a bunch of rundown places? Should I invest too?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Idiot. According to Serge, the boy is unusually serious. He won¡¯t accept your money even if you offered it.¡± [Grishera] She sure figured me out so quickly. It¡¯s true, though. People have called me stupid serious back in my previous life, and I do personally want to refrain from using other people¡¯s money. Loans aren¡¯t something to be taken lightly, after all. And I¡¯m not so committed to the business that I¡¯m willing to go that far. Still, a merchant¡¯s eye sure is scary¡­ It¡¯s scary in a different way from martial arts. ¡°Anyway, just as Pioro mentioned, this bundle of documents refer to buildings with problems. But because of those problems, they¡¯re cheap. You¡¯ll be fine as long as the place has a reception desk and a place for luggage, right?¡± [Grishera] ¡°Yes. Everything will be taken care of by the slimes, so not even water will be needed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally if a merchant opening a laundromat said he didn¡¯t even need water, he¡¯d get an ¡®are you even trying!?¡¯ in response¡­ Anyway, how much can you afford?¡± [Grishera] ¡°700 small gold coins.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? You¡¯re unexpectedly rich.¡± [Grishera] ¡°There were some bandits near my home in the past. I killed them with poison, and apparently, one of them had a huge bounty on his head.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you have that much¡­ Guild master, there should be an available area near my store. What about there?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Hmm¡­ There should be one indeed¡­¡± [Grishera] As the guild master said that, she rolled up the bundle of documents. ¡°¡­Right, there is one. It¡¯s a huge bar and inn. It also has a storage place for its furnishings. Moreover, its location is good. Unfortunately, it caught fire and over half was turned to cinders. There are still some structures standing, but they¡¯re now overgrown with grass, so you can¡¯t use them. It¡¯s going to cost you time and money to bring the place back up to shape, but other than that it¡¯s a good place. What do you think?¡± [Grishera] ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Ryouma-sama is an accomplished earth magician. With a place like that, you¡¯ll be free to change it according to your liking.¡± [Serge] A place I can make my own is indeed a very appealing proposal. ¡°Well? Can you make something out of it with your earth magic?¡± [Grishera] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± [Ryouma] If I use Create Block or some other earth magic along with the sticky slime¡¯s hardening liquid¡­ Yeah, this should work. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine. From what I¡¯ve seen on the map, it should be near the residential area. That makes it a very good location, indeed.¡± [Ryouma] Gimuru is a town surrounded by robust walls and is shaped like a circle. At the middle of the town is a main street that connects the northern gate to the southern gate. To the east is the residential district and to the west is the manufacturing industry such as ironworks. There are plenty of inns around the southern gates. The inn I¡¯m staying at is located there too. The northern gate leads to the abandoned mines, so only miners used it, but even they stopped using it when the mine was declared abandoned. The eastern gate also has a path leading to the mines (not abandoned), and it was actually to make the miners¡¯ lives easier that the residential district was built in the eastern part of the town. The area I was recommended was located almost directly east from the center of town, right between the residential district and the main street, making it near the adventurers guild and the residential district, consequently placing it relatively far from from the manufacturing industry to the west. It¡¯s still easy to find, though. Really, I couldn¡¯t have asked for a better location. When I said those thoughts out loud, the guild master nodded. ¡°Exactly. And that¡¯s why it used to be such a popular bar. Adventurers and townsmen alike would drop by after work, and a lot of people would make merry. A store opened in this location is still bound to get people¡¯s attention, but it costs a lot of money.¡± [Grishera] ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡± [Ryouma] To be honest, I¡¯m not that particular with lands, but I don¡¯t think this land is bad. It¡¯s near the residential district and the adventurers guild, and I can also do what I want with it. On top of that, Serge-san recommended it, and I think the guild master and Pioro are both good people. It should be alright to trust them. ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Grishera] ¡°Yes. The location is good, and I¡¯m sure my slimes and my magic would be able to handle the reconstruction. Besides, I really fancy the idea of making my own store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I mentioned this already, but it¡¯s fairly expensive and will cost you 580 small gold coins. Moreover, the land is big, so you¡¯ll be paying 10 small gold coins for the land tax. The business rights and the annual fee will cost 60 small gold coins. All in all, that¡¯s 650 small gold coins. Are you really sure about this?¡± [Grishera] ¡°Yes. I have more than enough to live off of, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°True, with 50 small gold coins, you could live like a noble for a year¡­ Alright, I¡¯ll sell this land to you.¡± [Grishera] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] They taught me a bunch of stuff after that. It turns out opening a store in this world isn¡¯t that hard. You just have to go through the guild to buy land and the other necessary stuff, and you¡¯ll be able to start your business right away. After that you have to write down your profits and expenses, and then pay your income tax and land tax once a year to the guild. As long as you can do that, age and gender doesn¡¯t really matter. It¡¯s almost as if the only question is whether you can make money and pay up. The first tax is also twice as expensive. Mainly because it¡¯s essentially the equivalent of the gratuity fee [1] back in earth. The fees for the business license changes depending on the scale. A street stall would go for about 5 medium copper coins, while the plot of land I bought after becoming a store will cost me two gold coins. The last expense is the annual fee. It¡¯s sort of like a donation to the guild. Originally, just a small amount for the annual fees was fine, but because a limit was never set, it¡¯s become customary for people to pay as much as they can afford to show off their wealth. Naturally, the guild also treats higher paying members better, on top of the increased reputation. Yeah, they¡¯re merchants alright. Like this I completed the lengthy process of buying a store, and after I thanked the three of them, I left. Serge-san apparently had to show up in the next meeting of the merchants guild, and Pioro had something to discuss with him, so I parted with him at the guild. I think I¡¯ll start building my store once I complete my last adventurer job¡­ I won¡¯t be making just a cave this time, but a real building. I did work part time as a construction worker in my past life. It was hard, but being able to see your work amount to something so visibly really felt great. I¡¯m looking forward to it. [1] ¨C From what I gather, a gratuity fee is basically a security deposit. Chapter 45 Volume 2 Chapter 45 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 45 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 45 part3 5th day of the monster subjugation and 1st day of the store construction. ¡°Ryouma, help me, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] During lunch break, while I was resting after eating, Miya-san and the others came. Behind them were Jeff-san, Asagi-san, and Raypin-san. Everyone was drenched in blood. ¡°Can you get rid of all this blood? It stinks and I can¡¯t stand it.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Did you happen upon goblins again? You sure did things gaudily.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I ordered the cleaner slime to clean all 7 of them. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s all so clean now¡­ Ryouma-kun, your cleaner slimes really are convenient.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Thank you, de gozaru. Lunch would have been difficult in that state.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Good grief, if only Jeff didn¡¯t work so sloppily, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I apologized already, didn¡¯t I?¡± [Jeff] I heard them out while they ate, and apparently, they found a new goblin nest and crushed it. From the looks of thins, they were probably Survivors of the goblin village we destroyed just recently. The problem started after the battle when they were about to dispose the corpses, as Jeff-san suddenly had a stroke of genius to penetrate the dead goblins with his spear and throw them to one corner. ¡°It was great and all that he was able to get rid of the corpses quickly, but we were worried that the pile of corpses might tumble over, so we came back to check on it. Unfortunately, just as we were talking to ourselves, the whole thing suddenly fell, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] Even if they could dodge the corpses, they couldn¡¯t dodge the blood. In the end, Raypin-san received a direct blow from the goblin corpses. ¡°Must have been tough¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. If not for you, we would have had to eat while reeking of goblin blood.¡± [Gordon] ¡°It¡¯s really amazing that your slimes could get rid of goblin filth so efficiently.¡± [Syria] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] It was then that it occurred to me that I haven¡¯t told them about the laundromat yet. ¡°Speaking of which, do you remember that laundromat we talked about 3 days ago?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I decided to go through with it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously? When are you opening?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I still have to prepare the store, so it¡¯ll still be some time in the future. The price will be 1 medium copper coin just as we talked about before.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Store? You¡¯re going to have your own place, de aru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Yes, a merchant I¡¯m acquainted with advised me to get my own store. I¡¯ve already registered at the guild and bought the land with the bounty from a bandit I killed some time back. I¡¯ll be getting employees from the guild and the merchant who advised me will also be helping me, so I¡¯ll still continue working as an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I¡¯m surprised to hear that you¡¯ll be having a store at your age, but when you think about it, it only makes sense. We¡¯ll be enlisting your services, of course, but I¡¯m sure the other adventurers who know how amazing your cleaner slimes are will also enlist your services. The odds of word spreading about a stranger store are also pretty high. Once word catches on, you¡¯ll probably have a hard time managing the store if you were just by yourself, de aru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s completely impossible to handle alone, but it will definitely prevent you from working as an adventurer.¡± [Syria] ¡°Indeed. Everything ended up a lot bigger than I was expecting, but it¡¯s good that I¡¯ll still be able to continue working as an adventurer. I¡¯ll inform you when the store will be opening, so please drop by. My store will also be providing discounts for bigger groups.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyaa!? Before I knew it Ryouma-kun¡¯s already turned into a merchant, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°He has always spoken politely, so it doesn¡¯t feel out of place, de gozaru.¡± [Raypin] We talked like that over meal, then we did in the remaining hours of the day. ¡°This will be your land.¡± [Serge] ¡°It really is big.¡± [Ryouma] After adventurer work ended, I visited Serge and checked the land I purchased. Before me was a 2-story broken building and a plot of land that was slightly smaller than the practice field for little league baseball. I guess it¡¯s about 20m x 100m? If it¡¯s just the size were talking about, then it¡¯s probably bigger than Serge-san¡¯s store. I thought it¡¯d be a bit smaller from the map, but it seems that¡¯s not the case. ¡°The bar here used to also serve as an inn, so it also has a guest room and a warehouse.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see¡­ Is it really okay for me to do as I please with this land?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as it¡¯s within your premises, then by all means. Will you be starting construction today?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. I would like to cut the grass and demolish the remaining structures.¡± [Ryouma] I took out my scavenger slimes from my Dimension Home and ordered them to eat the grass in an area slightly remote from the building. If I leave them like that, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll eventually deal with all the grasses. After confirming that the scavenger slimes were doing their job, I erected a soundproofing barrier around the building to keep things quiet, then I carefully collapsed the ceiling of the second floor. By keeping the noise down and taking precautions, I was able to go about the demolition process without causing the neighbors any inconveniences. After forcibly demolishing the ceiling, I used Break Rock on the walls to change them back into earth, then I ensured that the fragments from the ceiling, the broken furniture, and the walls that have now been turned into earth were safe, and then I threw them all outside and cleaned the interiors of the building. After that I disassembled the remaining pillars one at a time with Wind Cutter. My knowledge on construction was at most the little I picked up at my part-time and some things I heard here and there, but apparently, to this world, the ¡®little¡¯ knowledge I had was plenty. And from the looks of things, it seems I¡¯ll be able to make a simple building. Disassembling also makes it easy to tell if the building is going to collapse, so the whole demolition process went smoothly. The construction skill sure is amazing. Not to mention the super convenient magic. In just one hour, I was able to clear half the grasses and demolish half the building. It was getting late, though, so I decided to go home. Incidentally, Serge-san was watching the entire time. Because of the slimes and my vast amounts of magic power, the whole thing went by really quickly, causing Serge-san to ¨C once again ¨C be surprised. 6th day of the monster subjugation and 2nd day of the store construction. ¡°The monster subjugation quest at the abandoned mine ends today. A lot of things happened, but with this, we¡¯ll finally be able to mark this job complete,¡± the guild master said. After this I¡¯ll be in charge of it, so I¡¯ll have to make sure to do a good job no matter how busy I am. At the very least, I should do one round around the place until I start living in it. As I thought that to myself, the guild master summoned me. ¡°Ryouma, can you come for a sec.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°First, I want to congratulate you for a job well done today. The monster corpses are at the same place as usual. With the completion of this quest, you¡¯re officially an E Rank. Anyway, I¡¯ve heard from the butler of the duke¡¯s family that you¡¯ll be in charge of this abandoned mine. You¡¯re doing it, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think you¡¯ll be fine since it¡¯s you, but be careful, alright? Remember to call us whenever you need help. Reporting to us when trouble arises is part of your job too.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Still, refusing the support of the duke¡¯s family to live by yourself¡­ You sure make some scary decisions.¡± [Wogan] ¡°It was worrying how spoiled I was being, so I thought I should refocus my mind.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re a kid. Don¡¯t push yourself. Anyways, the real reason I called you is to ask if you¡¯re serious about the cleaner slime laundromat.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I am, but¡­ How did you find out about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Word has gotten around quite a bit among the adventurers here. It seems there are people waiting for your store¡¯s opening. It¡¯s no surprise, though. After all, most adventurers tend to get dirty easily, and there are many among them who just throw their dirty clothes away.¡± [Wogan] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯ll hurry with the store¡¯s construction then. Just wait a little a bit more.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure. Speaking of which, I can enlist your store¡¯s services too, right? What¡¯s the price gonna be?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Of course, you can. Anyone may enlist my Laundromat¡¯s services. The price is 1 medium copper coin for each personal bag. There are also options tailored for groups of people. If you get that instead, you¡¯ll get a discount.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? In that case, I might have to gather a group¡­ Bluntly asking, how much of a discount are we talking here?¡± [Wogan] ¡°If we were to compare a week¡¯s pay for the personal option and the biggest group option, then the discount would be about 20% per person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That much?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I was originally planning to make just enough to get by when I¡¯m not working as an adventurer, so the prices were set cheap. The discount also isn¡¯t a one time thing. You¡¯ll get the discount every time you select the big group option, so if you enlist my Laundromat¡¯s services as a guild, you¡¯ll be saving yourselves a good deal of money.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll really have to find myself enough people then.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to making your patronage.¡± [Ryouma] After that I went back to town and continued demolishing the building. Adventurer work ended before noon, so I was able to completely demolish the building and remove the grass with time left over. This should be enough for the land. Next I should figure out what to do about the building¡­ As I was pondering that question, I uninterestedly looked toward the street in front of my lot, and there I noticed that a crowd of children had gathered and was watching me from afar. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] I asked them as gently as I could so as to not scare them. When I did, the youngest boy from the crowd answered. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here! Who are you!?¡± [Youngest Boy] ¡°Hey, Rick! That¡¯s rude!¡± [Young Girl] When the girl standing beside the boy heard him say those words, she scolded him, and then the seemingly eldest boy of the crowd bowed his head. ¡°Sorry about that. Rick is a little mischievous. Also, sorry for disturbing you when you¡¯re working.¡± [Eldest Boy] ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I was so caught up in work I didn¡¯t notice you until now. And besides, I¡¯m already about finished.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m more concerned about their age, though. They are kids, right? They won¡¯t throw me a curve ball like that group of 6 adventurers did, where the smallest was actually the oldest, will they? ¡± ¡°Really? Well, thank you. You sure are amazing. You don¡¯t look that much older than me, and yet you can actually use magic.¡± [Eldest Boy] ¡°Onii-chan, magician?¡± [Child 1] ¡°Adventurer?¡± [Child 2] Questions came one after another from the children as they crowded onto me. Their questions were unreserved and full of innocence even as they started pushing against me. I was going to try and answer them, but then the voice of a woman resounded. ¡°Would you all calm down? If you ask your questions all at the same time, that kid obviously won¡¯t be able to answer!¡± [???] When I turned around to the source of that voice, a woman with a good physique was standing there. ¡°Sorry about that. Seems our kids and the neighboring children caused you some problems.¡± [Woman] ¡°They weren¡¯t causing me any trouble, actually. But regardless, thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? It seems you know your manners despite your age. Would be great if my son could learn a thing or two from you. You an adventurer?¡± [Woman] ¡°Yes, but I registered just a few days ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Well, do your best. Are you here for a job? This lot is a lot cleaner than I last remember.¡± [Woman] ¡°Not a job. I¡¯m here to prepare this place to open my laundromat. ¡­Ah, please excuse my belated introduction. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m Poline. This mischievous brat of a son is Rick. And this tomboy here is my daughter, Leni.¡± [Poline] ¡°Name¡¯s Rick. I wouldn¡¯t mind making you my henchman!¡± [Rick] ¡°What stupid thing are you saying!? Sorry about that. I¡¯m Leni. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Leni] ¡°I¡¯m Tall. Nice meeting you.¡± [Tall] ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you all. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. Does everyone live around here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. We all live in the residential area over there. I also work as a florist at a nearby shop.¡± [Poline] ¡°We¡¯ll be neighbors then. I¡¯ll be sure to give you a proper greeting in the future.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Rather than that, you mentioned something about a laundromat, yeah? Is that the sort of business where you do laundry in exchange for money?¡± [Poline] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a bag meant for personal use from my Item Box and gave her a brief explanation. ¡°This is a bag meant for home use. All the clothes you can fit into this bag will cost 1 medium copper coin.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Poline-san became interested. ¡°This bag¡¯s worth of clothes for 1 medium copper coin? That¡¯s cheap, alright.¡± [Poline] ¡°If you¡¯d like, I could even give you a free trial on our opening day. We are neighbors, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Well, okay. I¡¯ll take you up on that then.¡± [Poline] After that I asked her about this neighborhood, then I thanked her and went home. Chapter 46 Volume 2 Chapter 46 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 46 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 46 part3 3rd day of the store¡¯s construction. After thinking things through last night, I realized that one story for the basement and two stories for the store itself is the limit for my Construction skill. But using the whole lot for the store would be too big, so I decided to use just half for the building, and then turn one half of the remaining land for the servants¡¯ use and the other for the backyard. I used Create Block at the construction site and started digging out the basement while making the stone blocks at the same time. The slimes transported the completed stone blocks. I used my own earth spell ¡®Pavement¡¯ on the resulting giant hole to fortify and transform the hole into a durable foundation. After fortifying the ground, it was perfectly flat without any cracks or holes. Like that I was able to complete the part of Japan¡¯s so-called leveling concrete and base concrete in one go. If I recall correctly, in Japan the workers would add further reinforcement during the process between the leveling concrete and the base concrete, but this world doesn¡¯t have that sort of technology. Hmm¡­ I wonder if it¡¯s okay like this? I¡¯m worried it may not hold in case of earthquakes. But considering how little knowledge I have regarding constructions ¨C after all, I did just work in construction part time ¨C and the fact that this world doesn¡¯t know anything about the reinforcement process, I guess I¡¯ll just have to end the construction of the foundation here. It would be bad if I experimented and ended up making things worse, after all. Putting together the building stones I made using the sticky slimes¡¯ sticky liquid in place of the cement, I hardened the structure, and then further fortified it. Magic isn¡¯t necessary during this process, so I had the slimes help out. Later on I added more pillars with magic. And like that I was able to complete the basement, the basement¡¯s walls, the floor of the first story, and the outer wall of the store. Magic is really convenient. I didn¡¯t even need to use a single piece of wood or spend a single suit. Although the pillars were made simply ¨C with the pillars just being placed into a box of stone ¨C they should be plenty durable. Everything proceeded so smoothly that for a moment I felt like messing around and turning the pillars into like those of the old temples I saw in the textbooks back when I was still a student, but in the end, I decided not to. There¡¯s no point in making the basement so extravagant. I¡¯ve used a lot of mana and we¡¯ve already made plenty of progress, so¡­ I think I¡¯ll end things here. 4th day of the store¡¯s construction. I built the walls and partitioned the rooms of the first floor using the sticky slime¡¯s building stones. After that I built the 2nd story too. The day ended like that. 5th day of the store¡¯s construction. I built the ceiling and prepared the interior. I cut down the trees near the abandoned mine to try out my Woodworking skill with my magic. I dried the trees gradually using alchemy, then I created a new spell by applying the wind spell, Wind Cutter, like the circular saw that was used in woodworking back in my previous life, which I called the Circle Saw, then I used that to create a board. I created another spell by combining earth magic with wind magic, and used the resulting spell, Polish Wheel, to make the surface of the board shiny. Polish Wheel works by using Break Rock to create sand, and then move it at high speeds with Circle Saw, causing the sand particles to grind against the surface of the plank, thereby polishing it. Also, while using alchemy to dry wood is convenient, the water content is removed so quickly that the resulting wood is prone to cracks. Fortunately, I¡¯m not planning to use it as a pillar, so it should be fine. I managed to create some boards and lumber, but I ended up using the whole day. 6th day of construction. I built shelves and counters out of the lumber I gathered yesterday, then I used the sticky liquid in place of varnish to coat them. After drying I plastered them over the walls and floors of the store. I did that because I felt a stony interior gives off a solemn atmosphere. Fortunately, with the help of earth magic, I was able to change the interior into that of wood, but then it suddenly occurred to me that a cleaner slime was acting strange. Huh? Is it eating the sawdust and trash? It¡¯s never done that on its own before¡­ Well, the scavenger do, but¡­ Hmm? Wait, it¡¯s not eating, it¡¯s gathering them, then throwing them in one place¡­ It¡¯s sweeping the floor!? Immediately, I used monster identify. On the skill column could be seen a new skill added: Garbage Collection Lv1. There was a skill like this? Or rather, slimes can actually learn skills on their own? ¡­Ah, but I guess that¡¯s nothing new. After all, there are those eccentrics who even learned how to use a staff. Curious, I checked the other slimes, and it seems the acid slimes learned Woodworking Lv 1. It¡¯s true that they helped out, but they only did simple stuff like dissolving the lumber of the demolished structures, used tools to shave some lumber, and dissolved some lumber (just normal ones, not from demolished structures)¡­ Can you really learn the skills of this world just like that? Well, regardless, with this the construction will go smoother. After that when there weren¡¯t enough boards to go around, I had the acid slimes deal with the size and the shape of the new boards. The resulting product was a lot better than I¡¯d expect from an acid slime. 7th day of construction. The interior was all done, so all that was left was the outside. Technically, there was nothing wrong with leaving the store unpainted, but I think a laundromat should give off the image of being ¡®clean¡¯, so I decided to paint the walls white. If that¡¯s not possible, then at the very least something cleaner than mud-colored. Earth magic wasn¡¯t enough by itself, so I decided to drop by Serge-san¡¯s place and ask him for advice. ¡°You want to make your walls¡­ white?¡± [Serge] ¡°Is that not possible?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is, but most stores generally don¡¯t. Usually, it¡¯s only the aristocrats who make their walls white since it¡¯s expensive and dirties easily.¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s true, but I¡¯d really like to do something about my laundromat¡¯s walls. White walls look a lot cleaner than mud-colored walls, no?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You are most certainly correct. Unfortunately, there¡¯s just not a lot in stock.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] But then again, I guess you would normally go to a contractor for constructions like this. Though I guess it¡¯s a bit too late to be saying that now. Still, I wonder why he even has some in stock. ¡°My Morgan Company¡¯s strength lies in variety. Even if we don¡¯t have stock, given time, we will generally be able to acquire most items.¡± [Serge] So I guess that means he can procure them. But the thing is I¡¯ve already spent quite a bit of sum purchasing that lot¡­ Hmm¡­ Oh, isn¡¯t this a mining town with an iron mine? ¡°Serge-san, does this town have a shop that works with iron?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There is, but¡­ what about it?¡± [Serge] ¡°Do they use lime?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re well informed. That they use indeed.¡± [Serge] ¡°Would it be possible to acquire those limes? Cheaply, if possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, my store can make it happen. Although it is originally cheap in the first place, so¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. With that I might be able to make some white stone blocks.¡± [Ryouma] Lime is used as an ingredient in stucco back in Japan, so it should be safe to use in construction. It¡¯s a pity I don¡¯t know enough to actually make stucco, but I can definitely turn them into blocks through magic. And if I treat them with a sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid, it should be possible to make them easier to clean. Serge-san also didn¡¯t think anything would go wrong as he hastily procured me some quick lime, which I then transformed into slaked lime through the application of water and alchemy, and then blockified via compression. Unfortunately, Serge-san¡¯s eyes started to twinkle upon seeing the prospect of cheap white building blocks, so I filled a big bag with lime and promptly excused myself. He¡¯s a good person, but I¡¯d really like to focus on my store for the time being. I went back to my store and quietly produced a large number of blocks, which I then quietly plastered on the outer walls. Before the sun started setting, the whole walls were already painted in white, and even the crevices were filled with lime and hardened with magic. When everything was done, I mobilized the sticky slimes and covered all of the outer walls in their sticky liguid coating. I had a lot of spare quicklime, so I stored them into my Dimension Home for the time being. ¡°It¡¯s finally starting to take shape.¡± [Ryouma] We¡¯re progressing at breathtaking speed here, but if the store is white, the surrounding area around the store will look pale in comparison. I¡¯d like to prepare a lawn instead of the dirt currently in place, but¡­ Oh! Wasn¡¯t my neighbor a florist? I might be able to buy a couple of seeds from her. I immediately dropped by her store. As soon as I stood in front of her store, a voice called out to me. ¡°Welcome! Oh! Aren¡¯t you Ryouma-kun?¡± [Leni] ¡°Good afternoon¡­ Leni-san.¡± [Ryouma] I forgot her name there for a moment. ¡°You don¡¯t need to affix ¡®San¡¯. I¡¯m younger, so Leni is fine. So, how may I help you?¡± [Leni] ¡°I¡¯d like to buy some flowers and some seeds to make a lawn.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seeds? We have a couple. Wait a moment. Mom!¡± [Leni] Leni yelled and Paulin, who was talking to two other women, replied. ¡°What are you yelling so loudly for? That¡¯s rude, you know?¡± [Pauline] ¡°I can¡¯t help it! You were completely caught up in chatting with your friends! We have a customer!¡± [Leni] ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. Did you come to buy something?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Oh, my. Is this child Ryouma-kun?¡± [Woman 1] ¡°So small, and yet so amazing.¡± [Woman 2] Oh, the two friends Pauline-san was chatting with also approached me. Anyhow, I should greet them first. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet the two of you. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± ¡°Oh, dear. You really are well-mannered. It would be wonderful if my children could learn a thing or two from you. My name is Kiara. It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± [Kiara] ¡°And I¡¯m Mary. A pleasure to meet you. I¡¯ve heard the rumors.¡± [Mary] ¡°Rumors?¡± What are they talking about? Rumors? What rumors? ¡°You¡¯ve been building a store in the neighborhood for a while now, right? It stands out quite a bit, so word of you being a great magician has already spread.¡± [Mary] ¡°I¡¯m not that amazing. At most, I can just cast a spell or two that can be used in day-to-day life. It just so happens that I specialize at construction.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you can build something that sturdy, you¡¯re plenty amazing. Rumor says you¡¯re also raising a lot of slimes.¡± [Mary] ¡°That part is true.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We know¡­ We saw them with my own eyes, after all.¡± [Mary] ¡°We saw a great ooze of slimes carrying Ryouma¡¯s stones.¡± [Kiara] ¡°You saw that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a first seeing slimes act like that, so we ended up watching.¡± [Mary] ¡°Monster tamers aren¡¯t rare in Gimuru, but they all prefer scary-looking monsters. Oh, yeah. You came here to buy something, yeah? What do you want?¡± [Pauline] ¡°I¡¯m looking for some flower seeds and lawn grass seeds. Do you have them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We do. The price of the flower seeds will depend on the variety, but the lawn grass seeds go for 130 suits a bag. How many do you need?¡± [Pauline] While I was wondering how much I would be needing, Pauline-san offered to help out. ¡°How about showing me the store? I could advise you then.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that I led Pauline-san to the store. Leni, Kiara-san, and Mary-san followed us from behind. Is everyone coming? But as soon as they saw my store, they all froze. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just a little surprised. This store wasn¡¯t this color this morning, was it?¡± [Pauline] ¡°I painted it just a while ago. The color of dirt doesn¡¯t exactly give the impression of cleanliness, so I thought it ill-matched for a laundromat. As such, I bought some lime and cooked something up with my slimes and a little magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Haa~ You really work fast, don¡¯t you?¡± [Pauline] ¡°It certainly looks cleaner like this, though.¡± [Kiara] ¡°So this is a laundromat. Maybe I should try getting my laundries washed too. It would be a load off my back if I could cut down some time doing laundry.¡± [Mary] ¡°By all means, please do. And since we¡¯ve already been acquainted with each other, I¡¯d like to offer you a free trial good for one bag worth of laundry.¡± [Ryouma] I took out two bags of from my Item Box and distributed it to Mary and Pauline. You gotta get customers at times like this! After that I let Pauline-san pick the seeds. In the end, I ended up purchasing 15 bags of lawn grass seeds and 2 bags each of 4 different flower seeds. Speaking of which, didn¡¯t someone mention that you can advertise on the guild¡¯s bulletin board? I need to the scavengers to make some fertilizers too, so I guess I¡¯ll drop by the guild tomorrow. Upon deciding that, I went back home and thought of what to write in the advertisement. Chapter 47 Volume 2 Chapter 47 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 47 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 47 part3 Volume 2 Chapter 47 part4 ¡°Uu~¡­¡± [Ryouma] I went back to the inn and started racking my heads on what to write for the advertisement, but I just couldn¡¯t seem to come to a conclusion on one thing: The name of the store. I can¡¯t think of anything but simple stuff. While I was racking my brains like that, Sebasu-san came. ¡°Ryouma-sama, you¡¯ve returned?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m here.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I opened the door. ¡°Ryouma-sama, how about joining the ojousama and the others for tea?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve hit a roadblock, so I might as well. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Like that I went to the duke¡¯s family¡¯s room. ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Come, take a seat.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After being given tea, I took a sip. It was then that Reinhart-san spoke. ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard lately. You¡¯re not pushing yourself, are you?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m quite alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How¡¯s your store¡¯s construction doing?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The store¡¯s done. All that¡¯s left is to plant the flowers and the lawn seeds, and grow them with wood magic. And then there¡¯s the sign board and the opening. If I could just take care of that, I should be good to start.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ehh!? You¡¯ve progressed that much already!?¡± [Elialia] ¡°So, you are pushing yourself, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯m not, really.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, I¡¯ve heard that you could construct buildings with wood magic, but just how much mana do you use every day, I wonder.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I stop just a little before the symptoms for mana overconsumption start showing, at which point, I then start manual labor.¡± [Ryouma] When everyone heard that, they all sighed. ¡°That is working too much¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-sama, with how much mana you have, stopping just before you run out of mana is enough to make a normal magician collapse. You¡¯re definitely doing too much work for one person.¡± [Sebasu] Oh, yeah¡­ I have an abnormally big mana pool. ¡°You look like you just realized it.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°For some reason, I¡¯m suddenly worried. I wonder if it¡¯s really a good idea to leave you alone.¡± [Elize] ¡°Please rest assured. This is nothing compared to my previous workplace.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What did they make you do?¡± [Elialia] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Oops, let that slip. Well, even if I tell them I was a programmer, they probably won¡¯t understand. Hmm¡­ I guess I can talk to them about my part time instead. ¡°Various stuff¡­ There were times when I just carried stuff normally, but there were also times when I made dolls.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Ryouma-san, you don¡¯t think work is difficult?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Well, of course, there are times when I think it¡¯s difficult. But if I don¡¯t work, I can¡¯t live¡­ And besides, it¡¯s not like everything is difficult. That job I told you where I carried stuff, well, it¡¯s actually a job where I carried the materials to be used for construction. I thought it was pretty interesting seeing the building gradually being built. And when it was completed, I felt a sense of satisfaction. As for the doll-making job, I had to paint the doll where designated, but whenever I saw my client elated at my work, I felt glad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I hope in the future I too can find something I think is worth doing.¡± [Elialia] Huh? Is she going to work? Even though she¡¯s the ojousama of the duke¡¯s family? While I was thinking that to myself, the ojousama showed interest in my doll-making job. Yep, she¡¯s a girl, alright. ¡°If you¡¯d like, I can make a doll for you next time.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that excitedly without thinking, it suddenly hit me that the dolls I made were mainly geared toward little boys. ¡°Really!? If you have time, then by all means, please!¡± [Elialia] This is bad!! This is very bad! I made various dolls as a hobby and as a sideline, but this people definitely won¡¯t get it. Besides, the ojousama is still young. She shouldn¡¯t be seeing those things meant for big children. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just¡­ I don¡¯t exactly have the models¡­ My job was mainly to paint them, so without a foundation to work with¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? But aren¡¯t you skilled in earth magic?¡± [Elialia] ¡­Damn it. The convenience of earth magic is biting me back, now? Forget it. I did offer it, so I might as well try my hand at making something inoffensive. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll make one if I have time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Sebasu-san, would you happen to know where I could purchase some references and tools?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I could prepare some tomorrow if you¡¯d like.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you. I want to use them for the store¡¯s signboard too, so please prepare plenty of drawing tools. I¡¯ll pay you later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Sebasu] After that I talked idly with the duke¡¯s family, then I went back to my room. When I went back, the duke¡¯s family strongly reminded me not to push myself. ¡­I should take care. Oh, come to think of it, what of the store¡¯s name? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Something simple should do. Yes, something easy to remember. It was then that my store¡¯s name and tag line was decided. Even a goblin¡¯s filth can be washed for cheap! Laundry Service, Bamboo Forest! [1] 8th day of construction. After receiving references and drawing tools from Sebasu-san, I thanked him, and then headed for the guild. When I entered the guild, the receptionist, Maelyn-san, called out to me. ¡°Oh! Ryouma-kun! We were quite worried since you never showed up again after the guild quest at the abandoned mine.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Sorry about that. I was a little busy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know. You were building a store, right? I heard from the guild master. That¡¯s pretty amazing considering how young you are.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you. By the way, there was something I wanted to ask you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I heard it was possible to advertise somewhere on the guild¡¯s bulletin board. Is that true?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Advertise? Hmm¡­ The guild doesn¡¯t have that sort of service, though. Oh, I know. You probably heard that service.¡± [Maelyn] As Maelyn-san said that, she pointed toward the small bulletin board in one corner of the guild. ¡°That¡¯s the bulletin board for recruiting parties. People write their when they¡¯re looking for allies. We don¡¯t have a bulletin board for advertisements.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I see. Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I guess I¡¯ll just have to announce the store¡¯s opening myself and rely on word of mouth then. Leaflets and posters are another option, but paper is really expensive here¡­ The one exception is toilet paper because apparently there was a man ¨C most probably an otherworlder ¨C who invented a magic tool that created toothbrushes and toilet paper, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t possibly use toilet paper as leaflets, could I? Those things are too fragile. They¡¯ll probably just get thrown away. Anyway, let¡¯s put the announcement of the store aside and get back to work. ¡°Maelyn-san, are there any jobs for cleaning trash today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You should drop by the guild master first. He said to bring you to his room the next time you showed up. He probably has work for you.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go then.¡± [Ryouma] When I went to the guild master¡¯s room, he greeted me with a smile. [1] ¨C From the name, Ryouma Takebayashi; Take = bamboo, bayashi = forest. ¡°Good day. It¡¯s been a week, hasn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve been quite busy with my store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll get straight to the point. I¡¯m hoping you can take the latrine pit job again.¡± [Wogan] Huh? Didn¡¯t those six adventurers from the slum take that job? ¡°About that¡­ There were indeed a bunch of people who showed up interested, including those 6 adventurers, but we still don¡¯t have enough people. I had the less guilty of Sacchi¡¯s henchmen do this job too, but even with that we still don¡¯t have enough. On top of that, they can¡¯t clean them as well as you do. I¡¯d love to give jobs to those who need them, but it¡¯s really not good for the guild to just wait for people to come. Besides, you had a hard time 5 months ago too, right? I¡¯m sure you can agree when I say just once of that stinky nightmare is enough! So, since you¡¯ve already cleaned it so nicely once, won¡¯t you clean it again? ¡­Or at least that¡¯s what some hasty guys are saying. But really, I¡¯m begging you, help us out. We really don¡¯t have enough people.¡± [Wogan] Did I clean the pits a little too well? So much so that now they find it difficult to go back to the way they were before? Well, it is true that the situation five months ago was pretty bad. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand. I mean it was really bad before¡­¡­¡­ Fine. I¡¯ll do it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks. That¡¯s a load off my back.¡± [Wogan] I immediately accepted the job and went to the latrine pits. When I used the scavenger slimes to their utmost, I was able to clean the place in the blink of an eye. After that I went back to report the mission¡¯s success and receive my reward, then I went back to my store, where I ordered the scavenger slimes to use their Produce Fertilizer skill to turn the nutrients they got into fertilizer. I used that fertilizer to nurture the soil, so I could plant my flower and lawn grass seeds. After planting the seeds, I watered them. ¡°It¡¯s dark already¡­¡± [Ryouma] Cleaning the pits took a lot of time, so the sun was already starting to set. I did get scolded yesterday about working too hard, so I should probably end the day here. 9th day of the store¡¯s construction. Right from the morning, I watered the ground that had been planted with flower and lawn grass seeds, then I used the earth magic, Grow, to accelerate their growth. After three hours of casting my spells, a carpet of verdant grass accompanied by beautiful flowers could be seen around the store. ¡®Grow¡¯ is a convenient spell, but without enough nutrients and water in the soil, the mana cost will increase and there¡¯s a high chance that the soil will be left dry of nutrients. But it worked this time around, so that¡¯s that¡­ Next, I should trim the grass that grew a bit too much. I let the scavenger slimes eat the excess part of the grass, and with that, the surroundings of the store was finally complete. With the place finally looking like a store, I went ahead and made the signboard. I painted the wooden board in white, then I wrote the words, Laundry Service Bamboo Forest, on it. Then on its two sides, I drew the image of some forests, while at the bottom, I drew a slime sticking close to the name of the store. Next, I have to dry this, then give it the waterproof treatment and some garnishing. While it¡¯s drying, I should work on the miscellaneous stuff, such as the price list of the laundry and some other finishing checks. After that¡­ I guess all that¡¯s really left is the service and to check on the flow of operations. Maybe I should invite Jeff-san and the others for the preopening, so we can give the store a test run. Hmm¡­ Oh, I know! We should do the preopening with the opening party too! After deciding that, I gathered the bare necessities for opening the store, then I dropped by Serge-san¡¯s before going home. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Good evening, Serge-san. The store was finally completed today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!? That¡¯s quite fast¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Some people I knew at the adventurers guild told me that they were looking forward to it, so I put a lot of effort in making the store. The store¡¯s looking like a proper store now, so I was thinking of gathering my acquaintances for its debut opening. It¡¯s also going to be a test run of sort to make sure that the store can function properly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The last check, in other words.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. The real opening will be the day after, so I was thinking of having a party too after the test run. If it¡¯s no trouble, I¡¯d like to extend an invitation to you, Serge-san. Are you available?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for the invitation, Ryouma-sama. I have some errands to run tomorrow, but I should be free for the next two weeks the day after tomorrow. I¡¯ll be available whenever you¡¯re free then.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll check with the others first.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, do you mind if I take two friends with me.¡± [Serge] ¡°Please go ahead. Are you referring to Pioro-san and the guild master?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, they¡¯re from my company. I did promise to introduce you to some people who can make your job easier. I believe it would be best for you to meet them sooner than later, so they can get used to the job as soon as possible.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± [Ryouma] Oh, right. We did discuss that. I went and built lodging for the workers, but I actually forgot about them. I can¡¯t tend to the store while working as an adventurer at the same time, so it¡¯s actually really important. I¡¯m really grateful. After thanking Serge-san again, I left the store. Next up was the guild master and Maelyn-san. I told them the same thing and invited them. Apparently, they would be free three days later. I called out to Jeff-san¡¯s group and the others who participated in the disease prevention mission, and it seems they¡¯ll be able to make it. I¡¯ll drop by the guild again tomorrow. I went to the merchants guild next. When I requested to send a message to the guild master, I was brought to the guest room. ¡°You came. It¡¯s been a week, hasn¡¯t it? How are things?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thanks to your help, the store has finally taken shape.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve built it already? Although I¡¯ve yet to check the quality of the construction, wouldn¡¯t this mean you¡¯re capable of carpentry too?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I can only build simple stuff, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s more than enough since only nobles would go out of their way to design elaborate houses.¡± [Grisiera] Oh, right. ¡°Did you come here to report your store¡¯s completion?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I¡¯m planning to gather my acquaintances to give my store a test run, and then hold a party to celebrate the completion of the store afterwards. Guildmaster, I¡¯ve already been in your care, so if it¡¯s not too much trouble¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re inviting me?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°It¡¯ll just be a small party, though there will be some people you know attending. If you¡¯re alright with that, then by all means, please come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hee hee hee, a lighthearted party is good. In fact, it¡¯s best for parties to be that way. I rarely get asked to such gatherings because of my standings, and even when they pretend to be lighthearted, they¡¯re all stiff, it¡¯s boring. Since your adventurer friends will be coming too, it should be a really lighthearted party, right?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not good with formal stuff. Even my polite language is shallow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. So, when is the party?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I¡¯m currently planning on holding it 3 days later, but it might still change depending on others¡¯ schedule, so I need to confirm with everyone first. I¡¯ll pass a message tomorrow. By the way, could you tell me Pioro-san¡¯s contact information. I¡¯d like to invite him too if possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That guy already left 3 days ago. His store¡¯s main branch is in another city, but he should be dropping by here tomorrow under the pretense of attending the meeting, though his real purpose is actually to play hooky. I¡¯ll invite him for you.¡± [Grisiera] I tanked the guild master and left the merchant guild. After that I dropped by the tamer guild, and then went home. I told the ojousama and the others about the preopening of my store and invited them. When I did, they were elated, and it was decided that the four members of the duke¡¯s family, Sebasu-san, Arone-san, Lilian-san, and the four guards, Jill-san and the others, would be coming. With this we have 11 people from the ojousama¡¯s side + 11 from the adventurers guild + 5 from the merchants guild, totaling to 27 people all in all. If you include me, that¡¯s 28. I don¡¯t have any achievements to speak of, so I couldn¡¯t meet with the head of Gimuru¡¯s tamer guild, Taylor. I left a message, but I¡¯ve yet to receive his reply. If e comes, that¡¯ll bring our numbers up to 29. ¡­I¡¯ll hold the party at the servants¡¯ break room. That way we¡¯ll have enough room. I should also drop by the adventurers guild tomorrow to confirm the schedule of the adventurers and contact some other people. 10th day. The adventurers all agreed to come. I also got a response from the tamer guild through the receptionist, saying that the tamer guild branch head would be making an appearance. With that, I left a message at Serge-san¡¯s store and at the guild that the test run of the store will be on the morning the day after tomorrow, while the party will be held in the afternoon of the same day. After that I went back to the abandoned mine that I hadn¡¯t visited in a week and did some rounds, then I went back home. After informing the ojousama and the others of the plans the day after tomorrow, the day ended. Chapter 48 Volume 2 Chapter 48 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 48 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 48 part3 11th day. Early in the morning, I went out to buy lots of food ingredients and started making preparations for the food I¡¯ll be cooking tomorrow. Tomorrow¡¯s menu includes a salad, a meat sauce spaghetti, and steak. For dessert we¡¯ll be having apple pie. I wasn¡¯t sure what to cook, but this world has pasta and steaks too, so I figured I should be safe if I make those. Not exactly the kind of food you normally see in parties, though. When I think of parties, the first thing that comes to mind is pizza, but there doesn¡¯t seem to be any pizza in this world, so I refrained from serving it. For drinks, I decided to go with water and a fruit juice with alcohol. Alcohol has always been meant for parties, so I decided to splurge a bit and spend 3 small gold coins to purchase 30 persons¡¯ worth of the storekeeper¡¯s recommended liquor. The juice I¡¯ll be making myself. Alchemy was surprisingly useful for the cooking. For example, I was able to turn the noodles of the spaghetti into dried noodles by removing its water content after beating it. Thanks to that all I¡¯ll need to do tomorrow is to boil it. Another example is with the juice, as I was easily able to extract the fruit¡¯s juice by crushing it and then using alchemy to separate the juice from the other parts, allowing me to extract a 100% fruit juice. I wonder if it¡¯s okay to use alchemy like this. Next was the meat sauce, but making one usually requires condomme, which could be bought from the market, but unfortunately, those aren¡¯t sold here, so I decided to make a chicken and vegetable soup. If I add tomato and fried minced meat to it tomorrow, I should be able to make something close to it. I stored the food I¡¯d prepared into a wooden box coated in the sticky slime¡¯s hardening liquid and protected by the inverse version of the barrier normally meant for blocking the cold to keep the cold from leaving, then I stored everything in a cold storeroom to preserve it. Speaking of which, when using Identify on the cold storage, explanations for each food item show up, including the contents, freshness¡­ etc. It¡¯s pretty amazing. Though I guess it¡¯s Identify that¡¯s amazing rather than the cold storage By the time I finished preparing, it was already dusk. It¡¯s a bit late to be going to the guild now, but I think it¡¯s also too early to be going home. In the end, I decided to go around the town first. As a result, I happened upon the church and realized that I haven¡¯t come to pray in a while. When I went to the church, a girl not yet twenty welcomed me. ¡°Welcome. How may I help you today?¡± [Nun] ¡°I have some time, so I was thinking of praying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please follow me.¡± [Nun] The room she led me to was a wide room with many chairs and an altar at the front. Apparently, I could pray as I pleased here. The girl told me to take my time, then she left. A few seconds later¡­ A sensation that felt like I was losing touch with my body filled me. It wasn¡¯t a bad feeling, and true enough, when I opened my eyes next, that pure white room appeared before me again. ¡°I¡¯m here again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, you¡¯re back.¡± [???] When I turned around, Kufo was there standing. ¡°We met again, Kufo.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long. At least not long enough to say ¡®it¡¯s been a while¡¯. It¡¯s only been a month, right?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Are Gayn and Rurutia out?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, they stepped out for a bit.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Huh? Gods go out too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a pretty rare, actually.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Huh. So, where did they go?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Kufo made an ¡®I screwed up!¡¯ face. ¡°Erm, umm¡­ Actually, they went to your old world.¡± [Kufo] ¡°To Earth!? Why? Are they summoning someone again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, no! That¡¯s not it. Actually, they¡¯re¡­¡± [Kufo] Kufo hesitate to speak. ¡°If it¡¯s hard to say, you don¡¯t have to.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­¡­¡­ If it¡¯s you, maybe it¡¯s okay. Right. They went sightseeing.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Hah?¡± [Ryouma] Sightseeing? ¡°Rurutia is going around eating the sweets of your world, while Gayn has taken to the songs of Japan¡¯s idol groups.¡± [Kufo] ¡°The heck!? I mean there¡¯s nothing wrong with that, but¡­ Can you really go into another world for such shallow reasons?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally, gods don¡¯t really interfere with each other, but we have always been sending earthlings and mana over from Earth, so¡­ And besides, our world doesn¡¯t have much in the way of entertainment. Even the sweets that Rurutia has grown so fond of are relatively rare over here. And the sweets that we do have can¡¯t compare to the ones in your world.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true, I suppose.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I also explored the secluded areas of earth just recently, actually. As the god of life, I went to see the organisms that could survive even in harsh conditions. Like the Amazons, the Sahara desert, the Atlantis, or the deep sea.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure one of those isn¡¯t like the others!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Keep this a secret, okay? It would be a huge hit to our reputation if people were to find out.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me. Anyway, even if I told others, they wouldn¡¯t believe me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] Kufo cackled in a way that suited his appearance. ¡­If not for the scale of our conversation, I would have forgotten that he¡¯s a god. ¡°I don¡¯t know about Gayn¡¯s idol groups, but couldn¡¯t Rurutia just make sweets more popular in this world? There are a lot of otherworlders here, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, but it¡¯s not easy to spread recipes. We don¡¯t have internet here like you do on Earth, after all. You¡¯re aware that food loaded with spice here are a luxury, right?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A couple have been passed down among aristocrats and the royal family as luxury goods, but commoners could never procure the ingredients to make them. That¡¯s why even if otherworlders try to cook their hometown¡¯s food here, the number of people that could emulate them is limited, and the recipe is unlikely to be handed down. And even if it does get handed down, odds are that it¡¯ll eventually be forgotten. For example, just recently, you¡¯ve met a person known as Pioro Saionji, right?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Yes. So, he really is an otherworlder¡¯s descendant. I figured he might be after hearing his last name.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That otherworlder was the son of an okonomiyaki shop owner and was studying at a cooking school. When he came to this world, he tried making okonomiyaki, but he couldn¡¯t make the sauce because he couldn¡¯t procure the seafood needed. So in order to gather the ingredients, he traveled the whole world, working as a peddler to cover the expenses. As a result, he managed to make the okonomiyaki he so wanted, but unfortunately, it didn¡¯t spread. So he used the connections he made and knowledge of ingredients he learned along his journey to put up a company. That company is none other than the current Saionji Company. Another way of putting it is that he was born at a period where unless one travelled the whole world to gather the ingredients, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to make okonomiyaki. Nowadays, there are other people trying to copy the Saionji company, so those ingredients are a lot easier to get.¡± [Kufo] Something like that happened, huh¡­ ¡°There are other things too other than food. Like technology or knowledge. But not all otherworlders ar eas passionate as him. Some were eager but lacked the ability or knowledge, some had bad luck and failed, and then there were those who failed to hand down their knowledge because of war or other otherworlders.¡± ¡°Makes sense¡­ But what do you mean by other otherworlders being the reason they failed? Did they hand down something even better?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I can only blame it on bad luck, but there was a medical student who came to this world in the past and spread his knowledge on medicine and diseases. But now there¡¯s no such knowledge right?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Yeah. The guild master didn¡¯t even know about infectious diseases.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, there was a girl who once wanted to become a saint. She was the person before your predecessor.¡± [Kufo] ¡°A saint? You mean that stuff that holds a high position in the church or something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, that one. Someone who uses the divine to heal people. She wanted to live like that and be spoiled. Oh, but she wasn¡¯t a bad kid by any means. She loved to go, ¡°I want to be spoiled!¡± But she genuinely wanted to save others. That¡¯s why Rurutia, Gayn, and I gave her our divine protection, so that she might be able to heal other people. Her power wasn¡¯t strong enough to revive the dead, but it was enough for her to heal anyone as long as they had a sliver or breath left. Along with that we also gave her a power that rendered her completely immune to all poison, diseases, and injuries. At the same time, she also could not be bound by anyone. Like that she lived as a saint, but¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°But?¡± [Ryouma] Did something happen? ¡°She could heal any sickness, but others could only use normal healing magic and couldn¡¯t heal sickness like she did. From time to time, there were also diseases that this world¡¯s medical science couldn¡¯t treat. When such people failed to receive treatment from her, there was only one option for them: death. When she saw that she realized that there would be more people like that after she died, so¡­ At the end of her life, she used the power of god and prayed, ¡°Please make all the diseases vanish from this world.¡± [Kufo] ¡°She wanted to erase all diseases!? Is such a thing even possible?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally, no, but we gave her her power directly, and she had also gathered plenty of faith from her achievements, so after adding the wishes of the people, her powers were greatly amplified and she was able to have her prayer answered. In other words, she used a trick. But that trick was also only possible because she used literally everything she had, including her soul. Normally, the soul would enter the cycle of reincarnation after death, but in her case, it simply perished. That was the price for using so much of her power.¡± [Kufo] ¡°What an amazing person¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although she started living like a saint because she admired them, she was really troubled at the start. Still, in the end, she found her purpose and became a true saint. Using the power of faith as energy may be obvious to us, but that¡¯s not true for humans. And yet she came up with such a method¡­ Although she wasn¡¯t able to completely remove all diseases, the people who died due to disease in the past 400 years dropped sharply. Wounds were still a thing, though, so healing magic remained, but because of what she did, all knowledge on treating diseases stopped being passed on, bringing us to where we are today. Although the effects of her power have already vanished, the knowledge lost won¡¯t come back.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Still, it¡¯s really hard to believe that one person was able to do such a grand thing, even with cheats¡­ ¡°Actually, as long as you¡¯re resolved to sacrifice your soul, you can do something similar. The effect won¡¯t be as strong as hers, though.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Seriously!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When the soul of man is fused with the power of god, a great power can be born. Which is also why we use the souls of humans such as yourself to transfer mana from another world to this world. Well, even if you attempt it, at most you can only stop diseases from appearing for a few years. In her case, a lot of people believed in her and she also specialized in healing, so she was able to stop diseases for 400 years, but in your case, not only do you not have other people¡¯s religious faith, you also don¡¯t specialize in healing. in fact, you¡¯re an all-rounder. Thanks to that though, you basically have no limits. You grow fast too, so given time, you¡¯ll probably gain a power greater than just a mere cheat. But that¡¯s fine since we enjoy watching you.¡± [Kufo] ¡°So in the end it comes down to that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s really boring here in the divine realm. There¡¯s nothing to do at all~¡± [Kufo] When Kufo said that, light began to glow. Ah, this must be that. ¡°Time¡¯s up, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? Already? ¡­Oh, right! Gayn and Rurutia aren¡¯t around, so I can only keep it up this long! Ryouma-kun!¡± [Kufo] ¡°What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I summoned you here because I have something to tell you! Unfortunately, I wasted time talking about unrelated stuff! Anyway, I¡¯ll just tell you the gist of it! We forgot to mention this, but as a consequence of making you young again, your mind is going to faintly regress into a child! This happened to the other otherworlders too! You are Ryouma Takebayashi [1], the man who lived and died on Earth after 30 years. But at the same time, you are also Ryouma Takebayashi [2], an 11 year-old boy living in this world! The reason you couldn¡¯t keep your poker face was because of that! That¡¯s why while it¡¯s okay to train yourself, don¡¯t push yourself too much!¡± [Kufo] After Kufo hastily said that, light filled my vision and I was back in the room. What did he say? My mind is being affected by my body? I don¡¯t really get it, but isn¡¯t this really important? And I feel like I can somewhat understand what he means by regressing to a child¡¯s mind¡­ When I was working at the company in my past life, I had a poker face that was so stiff no one should¡¯ve been able to tell what I was thinking, but now people keep telling me that I¡¯m like an open book. I was told something similar when I was a kid too¡­ In any case, nothing¡¯s changed. I will still train myself. Still, Kufo did go out of his way to tell me, so I should keep it in mind. I quietly thanked Kufo in my mind, then after leaving a donation, I left the church. It was already getting dark, so I went back to the inn. Tomorrow¡¯s the day! Everyone¡¯s going to be coming to my store! Let¡¯s go to bed early and do our best! [1][2] ¨C The former is written in kanji, the latter is written in katakana. Chapter 49 Volume 2 Chapter 49 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 49 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 49 part3 12th day. In the afternoon of Gimuru, a carriage leisurely passed by. Within it were the merchant guild¡¯s Grisiera, Pioro, and Serge. The tamer guild¡¯s branch head, Taylor, were also with them, as well as Serge¡¯s two subordinates, which were a pair of twins he wished to introduce to Ryouma. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long now.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Right. It should be right at the second corner.¡± [Serge] The pair who looked like each other tried to hide their anxiety as they turned to the windows. Everything started just a few days ago. While they were working at a branch store in Ruiam, they suddenly got a notice of personnel change from the main store indicating that they were to leave their current jobs to someone els and go to the main store in Gimuru. The notice was signed personally by the president, Serge, himself. Everyone congratulated them for being promoted to the main store, and after doing just as the notice had indicated and finding someone to replace them, they came to Gimuru. That was this morning. They had to be delayed due to poor weather conditions, but when they got to the main store, they were suddenly informed that they weren¡¯t called to work at the main but at a store managed by an 11 year old child, who had connections with the duke¡¯s family. After that they had to change into their party clothes and headed to the opening party. They not only had to be careful not to fail at managing the store, they also had to be tread carefully in their relationship with this child who was most probably the child of a noble himself. How they do here will decided their future. ¡°Oh, I can see it. That¡¯s the store right there.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ho Ho Ho. That kid sure did a good job.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°A splendid store! He built this in a week?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Nee-san, is this?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yeah¡­¡± [Carla] It was a simple looking store with a pure white wall attached with windows here and there surrounded by flower beds and a lawn. It was a simple design, but it was overflowing with an aura of cleanliness. As the five stepped out of the carriage and entered the store, a shelf near the ceiling caught their attention, for the statue of four gods could be seen on it. When they looked around, they noticed various wooden furniture with a gentle atmosphere like the right L-shaped counter. Serge and Co. were shocked upon seeing the store completely furnished, and at the same time, Carla and Carm started feeling a little hopeful for the future of the store. ¡°Welcome! To the Laundry Agency: Bamboo Forest!¡± [Ryouma] To the pair of twins, the person who would become their boss and was also the source of their worries, Ryouma, had just made his appearance. Their eyes reflexively changed to those of judging gazes. ¡°Ryouma, thank you for your invitation today. I¡¯m really happy you even invited me~¡± [Pioro] ¡°Not bad. This store gives me a good feeling. Looks like I can look forward to what¡¯s ahead.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Congratulations for completing your store.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you everyone.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma looked just like a normal child as he smiled, completely unlike the sort you¡¯d think suited to be a merchant. For better or for worse that¡¯s how he looked to the twins. If he were just one of the kids in the neighborhood, they wouldn¡¯t think anything of it, but unfortunately, he was going to be their boss, so they couldn¡¯t help but think of how much trouble was waiting for them. Merchant work was no walk in the park. As someone who worked in the filed despite being so young, they knew that all too well. ¡°Guild Leader of the tamer guild branch, Taylor, thank you for accepting my invitation.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Congrats. I was just wondering why there hasn¡¯t been any news since you registered, but Reinbach did introduce you.¡± Seeing the boy talk so brightly like that with 4 people, half of which led a guild while the other half owned a large business, the twins turned to each other and shared a knowing glance. This kid really was a noble¡¯s child. ¡°Serge-san, those are?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, please excuse the belated introductions. These are the assistants I wanted to introduce to you.¡± [Serge] ¡°Carla Norad. I have been working with my younger brother at the Morgan Company¡¯s branch in Ruiam just a few days ago.¡± [Carla] ¡°Carm Norad. It is our pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Carm] ¡°These two twins are still young, but they have been working as the vice-manager at Ruiam¡¯s branch until just a few days ago. They have worked for a long time at Morgan Company and they can also be trusted to do the job. I¡¯m certain they can be of service to you, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Carla and Carm] Ryouma immediately added. ¡°I was just surprised at how qualified you are. There¡¯s no problem at all in that regard. It¡¯s a huge help to me too to have someone skilled come, but it just so happens that the work isn¡¯t very demanding, so I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll have the ability to demonstrate your abilities here¡­ No, I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re not needed.¡± [Ryouma] Isn¡¯t it a waste to use such talented people for a receptionist or someone to carry the laundry? But with the two already as nervous as they were, Ryouma¡¯s words couldn¡¯t be taken lightly. It was then that Serge realized that they were acting a bit odd, but¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t you getting too worked up? Th¨C¡± [Serge] ¡°Ryouma! We¡¯re here!¡± [Wogan] Just when Serge was about to gently speak to the twins, a loud voice interjected followed by 11 men and women entering the store. It was the adventurers gulid. ¡°Welcome to the laundry agency, Bamboo Forest! Please walk right over to this counter here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you did a pretty¡­ GEH!? What¡¯s the shitty old hag doing here!?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Who¡¯s a shitty old hag? This grandma here might be a hag, but I sure as hell ain¡¯t no shitty old hag! Goodness, Wogan, you¡¯ve been the leader of the adventurers guild for so long and yet your mouth is still as potty as ever. That¡¯s why in the past you¡­¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Quit bringing up my past mistakes every time we meet! Good grief, and just how long are you planning to stay in power? Talk about being a tenacious old hag¡­ So, why are you here?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Obviously, I was invited.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°¡­Ah, forget it. Ryouma, how do we get our laundry done here?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Right¡­ Carm-san, Carla-san, since I¡¯m going to be showing them how to use this store, I might as well take this opportunity and show you how things work around here. Let¡¯s go in. Serge-san and the others too.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma opened a part of the counter and urged the six to enter. ¡°First, the customer needs to purchase a bag specially made for this store¡¯s purposes. A bag for one person¡¯s worth of clothes goes for 20 suits per bag. The bag will be used every time the customer enlists our service, so it¡¯s a one time purchase.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll take one then. We fill this bag up with our clothes, yeah?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes. Also, today is a practice of sort, so as thanks, the laundry will be free of charge. The bag too. Please have one and wait a bit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Carm-san, Carla-san, when a customer pays, you have to put the corresponding special slate into the pole by the right side of the counter.¡± [Ryouma] From under the counter, Ryouma took out differently colored slates that had a hole on top and below, then he pointed toward the pole nearby that could fit the slates just right, as well as the sideboard with an enclosure. ¡°What is that?¡± [Carla] ¡°It¡¯s a tool I made to easily calculate the income for the day. In our store, the prices vary according to the size of the bag purchased, so the slates signify 1 medium copper coin, 1 medium copper coin and 8 small copper coins, and 4 medium copper coins. That¡¯s it. There¡¯s just three. So when the customer buys a bag for his own use, you are to receive one medium copper coin from him, and then you are to put the black slate into the sideboard. The sideboard has a gradation and can fit up to 100 slates. Once you¡¯ve reached a hundred slates, you are to write a one on the paper below the sideboard, then you are to bring the black slates back under the counter. You are to repeat this until work ends, at which point you are then to use your record and the remaining slates to count the income for the day. For example, let¡¯s say your record says that you filled the sideboard with black slates three times with 42 remaining in the sideboard. In that case, the income for the day will be 342 medium copper coins, which translates to 3,420 suits. There are three different fees just for the laundry service alone, and then you have another three from the bags, and then one from the special service aimed toward adventurers that includes armor and weapon, adding up to a total of 7 different kinds of fees, so I figured coming up with a system like this would make counting the income for the day a lot easier. On top of that, I also want to find out just how much of which is selling, but of course, there¡¯s no actual telling how well this¡¯ll work until we try it.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that I went back to Wogan, but the other members of the merchants guilds were glued on the device. Ryouma came up with this system by referencing the system in his past life that used different colored plates to calculate the income for the day. It¡¯s the system used by conveyor belt sushi. Of course, the system Ryouma came up with is still in its experimental stage, but in this world that did not have cash registers, that was more than enough to pique the curiosity of the merchants. Unlike present day Japan that Ryouma came from. Here, the literacy rate is low and there are plenty of people who are poor at even the four basic arithmetic operations. And this system was especially suitable to be deployed in the countryside, as using the system only required one to accept the right payment and then follow the rest of the memorized procedure. Depending on the time and place, with this system even people who can¡¯t do math could become an asset. The gradation could also be changed to suit other businesses. With their sharp insight, the five merchants immediately realized these things, but Ryouma was completely oblivious to them as he continued to talk to Wogan and the others. ¡°After paying your bagged laundry will be received and these tokens under the counter will be attached to the string tying the bag closed. A similar token will be given to the customer. Once, the laundry has been washed, it will be returned to the customer after confirming that the tokens are the same.¡± [Ryouma] After Ryouma explained how the tokens would prevent mixing up people¡¯s laundry, he then threw luggage into a hole plastered onto a wall that resembled a dust chute. ¡°On the other side is the room that the cleaner slimes are¡­ Ah, by the way, cleaner slimes are¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A slime that eats filth. We heard from Serge-sama.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you, Carm-san. Do you two have any questions?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About that new slime variant¡­ Can it really clean stuff?¡± [Carm] Carm immediately asked that question. His older sister, Carla, seemed like she also wanted to ask the same question, as she opened her mouth but immediately closed it when her younger brother spoke first. ¡°It¡¯s probably hard to believe without seeing it for yourself¡­ In that case, can I ask if anyone among the customers is willing to volunteer their laundry for a trial run?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can use mine.¡± [Jeff] Jeff threw his bagged laundry over. Ryouma took it, and after showing to the twins that the clothes were indeed dirty, he threw it into the chute. ¡°I¡¯ve already ordered the slimes to clean anything thrown into this chute and to bring them to the next room afterward, so everything is already automated. All that¡¯s left is to retrieve the clothes from there, confirm the customer they belong to and return them. This is how this store operates.¡± [Ryouma] In order to reduce the risk of clothes going missing and to allow the employees to focus on their job receiving the customers, we won¡¯t be opening the laundry bags to fold them. After giving a short explanation in a matter of seconds, Ryouma went inside and picked up the laundry. When Ryouma revealed the clothes inside, all the filth was gone. ¡°Wow, it really worked¡­ Can the slimes clean anything?¡± [Carm] ¡°So far, yes, but just to be safe it would be best to check if the clothes are really clean. If they¡¯re still dirty, you can just run them through the slimes a second time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Will dyed products be okay? They won¡¯t discolor?¡± [Carla] ¡°I¡¯ve tested cloths and clothes dyed in plant juice many times, but so far I haven¡¯t seen any cases of discoloration. If there are any, it must be because of some other reason¡­ You should inform the customers of this beforehand just to be safe. Is there anything else regarding the store¡¯s operation that you would like to know?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°None.¡± [Carla and Carm] ¡°I see. In that case, how about we split the work and tend to the customers?¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that, he urged Carm and Carla to go to the counter. After that they took the laundry of the remaining 9 people. Ryouma watched Carm and Carla from the side, and when he saw that they were able to safely complete the job, he heaved a sigh of relief. As long as they can get the work done, then that¡¯s enough. As for being tense, well, they¡¯ll loosen up over time. On this day, Ryouma took the first step of being comrades in work with these twins. There¡¯s a bit of misunderstanding left, though¡­ Chapter 50 ) Volume 2 Chapter 50 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 50 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 50 part3 When the duke¡¯s group arrived, Ryouma invited all 29 guests inside. ¡°From this point on is reserved mainly for the employees. Normally, customers aren¡¯t permitted here. Here you can find the changing room of the employees, the reception office, the office, the toilet¡­ etc. Oh, there¡¯s a kitchenette too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Mind if I look around?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Go ahead.¡± [Ryouma] The 29 guests followed Ryouma to the different rooms of the store. Ryouma found the whole thing reminiscent of the bus tours in his past life. When they got to the last room, the break room for the employees, Ryouma told the guests to wait, so he could get the food ready. It was only when Ryouma left that it finally occurred to him that he¡¯d invited all sorts of high-standing individuals to a private event without regard for social status. Although it was only because he wanted to thank these people that he planned this event ¨C also, partly because he didn¡¯t have any good relationships in his past life and admired such gatherings ¨C after realizing what he¡¯d just done, he quietly reflected on his actions in the kitchen. But since most of the adventurers and the people were high ranked, they didn¡¯t actually mind it as much as Ryoum was thinking. Although a little tense, they chatted with each other as they waited for Ryouma to return. 10 minutes later, Wereanna started to become restless. ¡°Wereanna? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°I-I think it¡¯s Ryouma¡¯s cooking. Something smells really good.¡± [Wereanna] When she said that everyone started to pay attention to the smell, but only the 3 beast tribe members other than Wereanna and the dragonnewt could smell it. ¡°Nyaa!? It really does smell good, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°She¡¯s right¡­¡± [Syria] ¡°I can¡¯t smell anything, though¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°The smell is probably too faint for humans, so only the beast tribe members could smell them.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°No, I can smell it too, de gozaru. Is this¡­ meat? No, is it bread? ¡­Regardless, it smells wonderful, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Come to think of it, Ryouma¡¯s cooking tasted great last time too.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Really, Reinhart-sama?¡± [Syria] ¡°Yes, even though it seemed he didn¡¯t have many ingredients, that rabbit meat sauteed with Jija root sure tasted great.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-kun already has Lv 10 in Domestic Chores despite his age, after all. I¡¯m sure we can look forward to a wonderful meal.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Lv 10 at that age? That¡¯s impressive. Domestic Chores may be easy to level up, but it¡¯s rare to see anyone level it up to 10 before 40.¡± [Grisiera] 5 minutes later, Ryouma came back. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. The food¡¯s ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Slow, slow, too slow! Do you have any idea how torturous it was enduring that delicious smell?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Huh? You could smell it? I put up a smell-concealing barrier. Did it break midway?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Forget the barrier, where¡¯s the food?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I¡¯ll bring it now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll help too.¡± [Sebasu, Arone, Lilian] Ryouma thanked the three Jamil servants, then he carried the food into the room with them, while a slime carried the drinks. Seeing that, the 5 members of the merchant guild and Taylor, the branch head of the tamers guild, finally noticed that Ryouma¡¯s slimes moved differently from normal. The other guests explained for Ryouma. While the other guests were explaining to them, food and drinks were brought one after another. When everything was served, Ryouma proposed a toast. ¡°Umm¡­ I would like to thank everyone for coming to celebrate the opening of my store. Although it¡¯s not much, I¡¯ve prepared food and drinks. I hope you find it to you liking. Cheers!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone else] At the toast, everyone drank their cups at the same time, then Gordon suddenly exclaimed. ¡°W-What is this wine? Isn¡¯t this the high class stuff!?¡± [Gordon] ¡°We are celebrating, after all, so I splurged a little.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What wine is this?¡± [Gordon] ¡°I believe the store owner called it the Spring of Jemis.¡± [Ryoma] When Gordon heard that, he looked at the cup in his hand and laughed. ¡°So it was the Spring of Jemis! I¡¯ve heard word of its taste, but I¡¯ve never actually tasted it.¡± [Gordon] ¡°It¡¯s that famous?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You bought without knowing? The Spring of Jemis is a highly regarded brand among wine aficionado.¡± [Gordon] ¡°I didn¡¯t know at all. The store owner just recommended it, so I bought it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You have good luck. The Spring of Jemis isn¡¯t that expensive, but it¡¯s famous among enthusiasts, so it always sells out.¡± [Gordon] ¡°I see¡­ Hmm, luck? Ah!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it?¡± [Elialia] ¡°No, I just realized why I was able to buy one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Realized?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Yes. Actually, I have the divine protection of the god of wine, Tekun-sama.¡± [ryouma] ¡°Seriously!?¡± [Gordon] ¡°Is that true, boy!?¡± [Pioro] When Pioro and Gordon heard that, they were shocked. ¡°Yes. Yes, that¡¯s right. Is that strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I envy you¡­¡± [Gordon] ¡°I envy you so much~¡± [Pioro] ¡°Tekun-sama¡¯s divine protection is an object of envy among all dwarves. Especially, his divine protection as a God of Wine.¡± [Gordon] ¡°You prefer that over his divine protection as the God of Crafts?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I¡¯m an adventurer, so getting good at smithing is a matter of course¡­ Besides, any blacksmith worth his salt wouldn¡¯t rely on some divine protection to get good. Skill is something you train and acquire with your own strength. Compared to that, any dwarf would want good liquor, which is why the God of Wine¡¯s divine protection is generally more sought after. And chancing upon good wine is partly just luck. That¡¯s where Tekun¡¯s divine protection comes in.¡± [Gordon] Makes sense, Ryouma thought, then Pioro continued. ¡°I see¡­ I can understand why you¡¯d be envious then, but what about Pioro-san? Do you love to drink too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t hate it, but in my case, it¡¯s more because I¡¯m a merchant. I haven¡¯t told you this yet, but my business actually deals with food goods. So, the reason I envy you is because if I had that divine protection I would have an easier time finding good liquor.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Oh, I see.¡± [Ryouma] While Ryouma was talking with them, Wereanna interjected. ¡°Ryouma.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seconds!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°That¡¯s quick! Did you empty your plate already!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma, me too.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Me three.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Me four.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Jeff-san, Hyuzu, and even you too, guild master Wogan? Everyone sure eats fast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s cause your cooking is so good. It¡¯s my first time eating something so good.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Really? Saying that sure makes me feel glad cooking it, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I agree with the lass. My jaws aren¡¯t as strong as they used to be, so the meat that comes from the butcher are usually too tough to chew. But both this pasta¡¯s meat and the steak is so soft. For the first time in a while, I¡¯m actually able to eat meat properly. I¡¯m glad I came today.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Glad to hear. Please eat your fill.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that, he left to get them a second serving, but when he came back, this time Mizelia, Miya, Reinhart, and Asagi asked for their second serving. ¡°Reinhart-san, you enjoyed it too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, I doubt there¡¯s a soul in the world who wouldn¡¯t fall in love with your cooking.¡± [Reinhart} ¡°Really? I thought for sure fancier food would be expected of in parties¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] The moment Ryouma said that, a glint flashed across Reinhart¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ryouma-kun, let me tell you something.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Y-Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°High-class food aren¡¯t all delicious.¡± [Reinhart] When it comes to parties among nobles, the splendor and uniqueness of the food matter more than taste, Reinhart said. ¡°After all, there are all sorts of preferences when it comes to taste¡­ If one were serving to one or two people, then naturally one should cater toward their tastes, but given a multitude of people, that becomes unfeasible, and the odds of earning another person¡¯s petty displeasure only increases. Which is why nobles have turned to preparing food with luxurious ingredients that are difficult to procure as a sign of good will. It¡¯s the safe way to do things, and it has been practiced for a long time now.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Because of that there are a lot of food that seem over spiced.¡± [Elize] ¡°The chefs might be the cooks, but it¡¯s the nobles who decides what they cook. Of course, the food they serve are still edible, but they¡¯re rarely the sort you¡¯d be thinking of eating. They don¡¯t taste bad, but at my age, they¡¯re a bit¡­ heavy. On that point, your cooking is just right, Ryouma.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-san, I feel like I can eat your food with my heart at ease.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯ve all enjoyed the food. I¡¯ll be bringing the dessert next, so please prepare yourselves~¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma still had his questions regarding sacrificing taste for higher quality ingredients, but since that¡¯s what the four members of the Jamil Household said, he figured that¡¯s just how the nobles do things and left it at that. ¡°Pwaah¡­ I¡¯m done, nyaa¡­ I can¡¯t eat anymore, nyaa¡­ I¡¯m so happy I came today, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] ¡°Glad to hear it. Still, everyone sure ate a lot today. Especially, you, Jeff-san. Where do you put all that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hah? If I feel like it, I could still eat more. I have the Food Stuffer skill, you see.¡± [Jeff] ¡°The Food Stuffing Skill?¡± ¡°Never heard of it? It allows its user to eat a lot in one sitting and not have to eat for the next few days. When I was just starting my adventurer career, I used most of my earnings in food, and after eating a lot in one sitting several times, I naturally learned the skill.¡± [Jeff] ¡°That Food Stuffing Skill is one of Jeff¡¯s many resist class skills that he learned while living in the slums. That¡¯s why he¡¯s a lot sturdier than your usual adventurer, and can do one job after another, nyaa. That¡¯s why he¡¯s famous, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Jeff-san sure is amazing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Things just ended up like that after picking out more worthwhile jobs. I¡¯m not really amazing or anything. If anything, I¡¯d say you¡¯re the amazing one. You even have the resist class skills that I don¡¯t have. If you want we can take on a job together. You look like you could handle some slightly tougher jobs.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Please take care of me when that time comes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯ll be a huge help to the guild if you pair up with Jeff. Other adventurers can¡¯t really keep up with him, so he usually works alone. Unfortunately, some jobs just can¡¯t be done alone, and because of that those jobs tend to be untouched.¡± [Wogan] ¡°What kind of job are those?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right¡­ For example, a job that¡¯s C Rank, but requires one to mine flame crystals from a volcano. That¡¯s a difficult job without a skill to resist foul smell since an adventurer would normally have to come back several times and mine for a long time, leaving him exposed to the rotten-egg-like smell of the volcano. On top of that, the volcano is also covered with a weak poison that could kill a person depending on the place.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Volcano poison? ¡­By any chance, could this poison cause people¡¯s eyes to swell and become teary-eyed in light doses, and at heavier doses cause people to become unable to breathe?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! You¡¯re sure privy to it.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I just know a thing or two.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that sort of knowledge is an advantage to adventurers. Do you know how to deal with it? Is there an antidote for it?¡± [Wogan] Ryouma became thoughtful upon being asked that, but this world did not have any knowledge on medicine and there was also no guarantee that he could make the medicine from Earth here. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not sure if there are any. That being said, it seems the poison comes from the smoke from the volcano and the gas coming out underground, so you might be able to mitigate or nullify the effects by using a wind spell to protect oneself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh¡­ Your grandma must be quite the expert considering how much she¡¯s taught you. I¡¯ve been working as the guild master for a long time, but you just keep surprising me when it comes to poison and diseases.¡± [Wogan] Ryouma was startled a little when his grandma was brought up, but he quickly recovered and chuckled as he said she¡¯s an amazing person, then he spoke to Carm and Carla. ¡°Carm-san, Carla-san, how was the food?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It w as very delicious!¡± [Carm and Carla] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. By the way, I would be glad to have you work here for me, but are you really okay with it? As I¡¯ve mentioned before, I don¡¯t think the two of you will be able to make the most of your abilities with a store like mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was actually discussing that with my younger brother just now.¡± [Carla] ¡°Please let us work here.¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh? ¡­Did something happen? Somehow it feels like you¡¯re so eager all of the sudden¡­¡± [Ryouma] There was no hesitation in their words. It was almost as if they were completely different from when they entered the store for the first time. ¡°Our deepest apologies for our early behavior. We¡¯ve had a change of heart after seeing your store in person, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Carla] ¡°We were worried at first, but after seeing the tools and policies you¡¯ve come up with, we believe there is much to be learned here.¡± [Carm] ¡°You sure change switch quickly¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The young are simply that flexible, Ryouma-sama. I know people with more skill and experience than these two, but the reason I chose them is because of their flexibility¡± [Serge] ¡°We will do our best not to shame our introducer, Serge-sama¡¯s Morgan Company, and our boss, Ryouma-sama of the Takebayashi Family!¡± [Carla and Carm] When Ryouma heard the two say that, he felt they were somewhat similar to Serge. ¡°I understand. Having someone with a wealth of knowledge in merchant work is indeed reassuring, so I have no complaints. I look forward to working with you two.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Carm and Carla] The two replied with a smile that extended from ear to ear. Meanwhile, Serge watched Ryouma¡¯s exchange with the two with a face full of satisfaction. ¡°Remember not to push yourselves too much, though. Just do what you usually do. I don¡¯t know about the Morgan Company, but you don¡¯t have to worry about bringing shame to my family.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, it¡¯s imperative that we be have at least this much resolve. A little bad reputation is all that¡¯s needed for word to spread among nobles, after all.¡± [Carla] ¡°Huh? Carm-san, do rumors reach nobles so quickly even when it¡¯s concerning a newly opened store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Most nobles are cautious of other houses¡¯ movements, so things probably would end up just as my older sister said.¡± [Carm] ¡°Other house? ¡­Could it be the both of you think I¡¯m a noble?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re not? But you have a relationship with the duke?¡± [Carm and Carla] ¡°We do have a relationship, but we just happened to meet by coincidence. So I¡¯m not exactly a¡­ Serge-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­My apologies. I may have failed to mention that.¡± [Serge] As Ryouma and the twins realized this inconsistence, they turned to Serge to clear up the misunderstanding. While Ryouma, the twins, and Serge were all talking, another group was watching them and talking to each other. ¡°Hey, shitty old hag.¡± [Wogan] ¡°What, inconsiderate man?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Can Ryouma¡¯s store turn over that much of a profit? It¡¯s a pretty strange store¡­¡± [Wogan] ¡°It will, though I can¡¯t tell you how much exactly.¡± [Grisiera] When Wogan heard that, Wogan knitted his brows. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to give him a hint or two?¡± [Wogan] ¡°For now I intend to quietly watch over him and let him do as he wishes.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Is that alright?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Serge has already given him two aides. Even if they get some attention, they should be able to deal with it. And should things get dangerous, he can ask for help himself, and I will be more than willing to help as a merchant. Of course, there are always some unscrupulous ones that wouldn¡¯t care to choose their methods. You should keep an eye out too.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I know, but he probably won¡¯t need my help. That guy got into a fight with the Fang of Orbtem just recently.¡± [Wogan] ¡°You mean those delinquent adventurers that have been getting infamous lately? ¡­That kid is the one who crushed them?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yeah. He happened upon them while in the middle of adventurer work and found them picking a fight with some children. After that is just as you¡¯ve heard. If there¡¯s anything to add, well, let¡¯s just say it was a one-sided fight. Other than that, he also took part in the goblin subjugation. He has a lot of slimes, that kid¡­ It¡¯s just secondhand knowledge, but it seems you¡¯ll be in a world of pain if you look down his slimes just because they¡¯re slimes.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Do those slimes use weapons?¡± [???] While they were talking to each other, another person interjected. ¡°Grandpa Taylor, you knew?¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡®Can slimes use weapons?¡¯ An adventurer asked our clerks just recently. It¡¯s already become a rumor. But it¡¯s my first time seeing his slimes in action today. Regardless, I think I¡¯ll recommend him to take a short course.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Right. It would probably do him good to know what a normal monster tamer is expected to be capable of doing and not doing¡­ We need to be careful.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I know.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Usually, it¡¯s a welcome thing for an able individual to appear, but¡­ Reinbach also asked me to watch over him.¡± [Taylor] The three of them spoke among themselves like that in a corner of the room, while Ryouma enjoyed his time with his friends and colleagues that he did not have back in his previous life. Before long, it was time to end the party. Before going back home, everyone reminded Ryouma not to push himself. When everyone had left, Ryouma cleaned the place up, then he stepped outside and took a good look at his store. Ryouma felt a strange sense of fulfillment that he did not have in his previous life. After that, he went back to the lodging. Chapter 51 Volume 2 Chapter 51 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 51 part2 The next day. ~Side Ryouma~ After the party yesterday, Carm-san and Carla-san excitedly announced, ¡°We can start as early tomorrow!¡± Because of that we¡¯re opening the store today. The time is currently 5 AM. ¡°Yeah, this might be a bit too early¡­¡± [Ryouma] I accidentally used earth as a basis for my work schedule. Those 2 probably won¡¯t come until later. Can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s kill some time with the slimes. ¡°Good morning, boss!¡± [Carla and Carm] ¡°Good morning, Carm-san, Carla-san. I look forward to working with you today.¡± [Ryouma] When they came, I just did a little checking, then we immediately started preparations to open the store. I say ¡®preparations¡¯, but all we really did was to let the cleaner slimes enter the room and prepare some change and the bags. It was Carm-san and Carla-san who brought the bags and the things they ordered this morning, so they¡¯re already being very helpful. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care.¡± [Carla and Carm] I have my reservations about leaving the store to them right on the first day, but with leaflets and other advertising avenues being closed, I have no choice but to go to the adventurers and advertise the store myself. Besides, Serge-san introduced some really reliable workers, so¡­ I guess I¡¯m not needed anymore? Well, that¡¯s why I hired them in the first place. While I thought that to myself, I dropped by my neighbor before heading to the guild. I have to tell Pauline-san that the store¡¯s opened already. ¡°Excuse me, is anyone in?¡± [Ryouma] The store was open, but no one was inside, so I called out. When I did, Pauline-san came out. ¡°Coming! Oh! If it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. Did you come to buy some seeds again?¡± [Pauline] ¡°No. My store, Bamboo Forest Laundromat Agency, is opening today, so I thought I¡¯d drop by to say hi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh. It¡¯s opening already? That¡¯s quick.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s thanks to everyone¡¯s efforts. Last time, I handed out some free bags, so please consider using our services. Pleaes let Mary-san and Kiara-san know too. I¡¯ve alerady informed the two employees working at the store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You hired some helpers?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Someone I know introduced them so I can leave the store to them while I work as an adventurer. I¡¯ll also have to rely on my salary as an adventurer to pay their wages until the store gets going.¡± [Ryouma] In the end, they even said, ¡°We don¡¯t need a salary as long as you let us work for you!!¡± But naturally, I couldn¡¯t just let them do that. I¡¯d feel sorry if I did¡­ Honestly, I don¡¯t really understand why they want to work at my store so badly. They¡¯d probably get better wages and have more opportunities to show off their skills if they were ot work at Serge¡¯s. Hmm¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because of my personal connections? Regardless, it¡¯s a huge help to have their support. ¡°With how big your store is, I guess it was necessary. Well, do your best. I¡¯ll be rooting for you too, so I¡¯ll give your store a try out today.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you very much. Well then, I¡¯ll be going to work.¡± [Ryouma] After bidding her goodbye, I left the store and went to teh guild. As soon as I arrived, someone called out to me. ¡°Ryouma, your store is opening soon, yeah?¡± [Familiar Adventurer 1] ¡°How long before it opens?¡± [Familiar Adventurer 2] ¡°I wish you¡¯d open it already~¡± [Familiar Adventurer 3] I also looked for advise from the people I met in the carriage from the abandoned mine monster subjugation hunt. Apparently, those people were also looking forward to the opening of my laundromat. ¡°Bamboo Forest Laundry Agency is already open starting today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!?¡± [Familiar Adventurer 1] ¡°Yes. We also have a full-body wash that includes the armor and the weapons, so please give it a try.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright! I¡¯m definitely dropping by on the way home today!¡± I purposelly replied to the adventurer in a loud voice for advertising purposes, then I went to the reception desk to get a herb collection job. I¡¯ll do my rounds around the abandoned mine at the same time. A few hours later. I may have left the store in their care, but I was still worried, so I quickly concluded my job and came back. When I did¡­ the store was already jam-packed despite it being its opening day. ¡­Huh? T-There¡¯s 20 people standing outside!!? Panicking, I quickly entered the store, and Carla-san was there to greet me. ¡°Welcome¡­ Boss!¡± [Carla] ¡°Carla-san, what¡¯s the situation?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The store¡¯s a lot more popular than expected, Boss!¡± [Carla] ¡°Boss! The neighboring madams brought in their laundry!¡± [Carm] Carm-san stepped out from the inner rooms of the laundromat, carrying bags of laundry, and said that. Anyway, we need to do something about all these people! ¡°You two look after the customers. I¡¯ll do all the carrying!¡± [Ryouma] After giving that order, I started earnestly carrying the laundry and looking after the customers. But even as we kept up that pace, the number of people still increased. What¡¯s going on!? In the end, it wasn¡¯t until past 3 that the wave of customers ended. There¡¯s still some customers left, but they¡¯re not that many anymore. Unfortunately, it still takes a lot of times since we have to explain to every customer how the store works. Apparently, the price I was charging really was low. The customers even had to ask stuff like ¡®Are you really going to do my laundry for just that much?¡¯ ¡®You¡¯re not going to charge me a separate fee after washing my clothes, are you?¡¯¡­ There were some people who refused to believe too, so it was quite troubling. At one point, so many people gathered that the guards had to drop by to check what was going on. But that turned out to be a blessing, as the guard went to his boss afterwards and told him of my laundry agency. That boss dropped by and bought two bags and asked to enlist the 35 person course, so the guards could get their laundry washed. Apparently, until last year the guards have been hiring someone to do their laundry, but the government office told them to cut down on expenses, so they had to stop. The captain of the guards said they were already fortunate that their salaries weren¡¯t cut, but from the sound of things, he seemed a little unhappy about the government office too. Regardless, after that I was told that he¡¯d enlist my service again if he things go well. Did I just get a big contract this early on? But still¡­ Since opening 8:00 this morning¡­ I think I¡¯ve spent about roughly 3 minutes per person. I don¡¯t know when the customers are going to start coming again, but Carm-san and Carla-sanwork straight without drinking or eating? ¡­That¡¯s pretty bad, right? I¡¯m fine, but their body won¡¯t hold¡­ At this rate, this store is going to end up as some sort of slave business! I have to avoid that!! I stake it on my prevoius life! ¡°Good job, Carm-san, Carla-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°There sure were a lot of people.¡± [Carla] ¡°Indeed¡­ It¡¯s a bit sudden, but more people is good, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, increasing our customers sooner should be good, but with the current workload, we we¡¯ll need 4 or 6 employees just so they can take turns working and resting. We had to spend more time today because of all the explanations, but judging from the customers¡¯ reaction, it shouldn¡¯t be long before we¡¯ll be as busy as today even without the explanations.¡± [Carla] Carlas-san quickly told me how many people we would be needing. ¡°The customers were elated at the speed and quality of our store¡¯s service, so it should be safe to assume that there¡¯ll be more customers tomorrow. The guild should be able to introduce workers immediately, so long as you post a recruitment notice there, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°How much would it cost me if I went ahead and hired some new hands?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°120 to 150 suits per day should be enough. That much can allow a person to live normally and even have some left over to save. An initial salary at this level is a very attractive proposal, so people should gather quickly.¡± [Carla] ¡°It should be possible to hire some hands for cheaper, but we¡¯re currently in an emergency, so we need to hire new employees ASAP.¡± [Carm] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go the guild now. The sooner we get those new hadns, the better, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care, Boss!¡± [Carm and Carla] I decided to trust in the twins¡¯ unfaltering opinion and hurriedly left the store. Solving problems as quickly as possible is best, atfer all. But just when I was about to leave the store, I happened upon a neighbor of mine, carrying a huge bag, as three others accompanied her. ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Pauline-san, Leni, Rick, Zeke-san. I see you¡¯ve all gathered today. What are you carrying?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why we were thinking of getting our laundry washed at your place, of course. We have a butcher, so we have no shortage of clothes stained in blood.¡± [Zeke] It was Zeke-san who answered. He was Pauline-san¡¯s husband and worked right next to her flower shop. I used Zeke¡¯s meat for the all the dishes I served during my party. Normally, when it comes to butchers, anime love to depict them as this muscular giant of a man, but Zeke-san is the exact opposite. He¡¯s not too bad vertically speaking, but he¡¯s thin. Actually, he¡¯s straight up lanky. In fact, he¡¯s so thin, he looks like he¡¯d topple over were a breeze of wind blow him. He¡¯s an unhealthy looking guy. ¡°I heard your laundry agency could make these bloodstained scraps good again.¡± [Pauline] ¡°We were planning to buy some new threads, so we figured we might as well try and getting these washed.¡± [Zeke] ¡°Thank you. If I may ask something unrelated, do you have servants at your place?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you include me, we have 10 all in all.¡± [Zeke] [1] ¡°In that case, we have a course catered for groups of more than 7. Please consider taking advantage of it, as it¡¯s a lot cheaper, costing only 1 medium copper coin and 8 small copper coins for one bag meant for 14 persons¡¯ worth of clothes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± [Pauline] ¡°We¡¯ll go with that then.¡± [Zeke] While I was doing some sales talk, Rick interjected. ¡°Ryouma-kun what are you doing? You playing hooky?¡± [Rick] ¡°Ha ha ha, it probably looks like that to you, but I¡¯m actually on my way to the merchant guild.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Leni] It was Leni who asked that last question. ¡°The store¡¯s a lot more popular than expected, so now I have to go out and get ourselves more hands.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re kidding! On the store¡¯s first day!?¡± [Leni] ¡°Honestly, I did promote the store a little, but I never expected it would be received this well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m shocked. That many people came?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes, our two employees have been working since morning without rest. They went 7 hours straight just like that.¡± [Ryouma] After that I left the four and went to the merchants guild. There, I was immediately brought to the reception room, and the guild master came. ¡°Welcome. Isn¡¯t your store opening today? Did something bad happen?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Well, the store¡¯s a bigger hit than expected. ThanKs to that I need some new helpers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°On the first day? Well, I¡¯m stumped. Even I didn¡¯t expect that¡­ So, I guess you¡¯re here to get more people. Alright. I¡¯ll get a group of candidates that can work as early as tomorrow. You can pick from those.¡± [Grisiera] No sooner than the guild master said that, she was out of the room, and I was made to wait in the reception room. After being informed that the candidates have been gathered, I was led to the meeting room. Inside was a group of all sorts of people from young to old, from male to female, from human to something else¡­ Hmm? ¡°¡­¡± [??? and ???] There¡¯s a strange pair¡­ They glanced at me, but they quickly changed their gaze¡¯s direction forward. Am I also being appraised? There were also others who glanced at me, but as if they lost interest, they turned their gaze away¡­ ¡°Everyone here has been taught the basics of arithmetic. You can use anyone here for your store.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Alright. Good day, everyone. My name is Ryouma Takebayashi, and I own Bamboo Forest Laundry Agency. Thank you for taking the time to show up despite your busy schedule.¡± [Ryouma] The crowd stirred a little when I said that. From the subdued voices, it seems they thought I was the servant of the their would be employer. So they weren¡¯t appraisin me. Well, I do look like an 11 year-old kid¡­ Some of the people in the room quickly relaxed after my greeting. I ignored those and asked them. ¡°Umm, before we start, I¡¯d like to ask everyone a question. Is there anyone here with a problem working at my store?¡± [Ryouma] Bit by bit, more and more voices of dissension raised up. It was mostly the younger ones. Although we¡¯re in dire need of workers, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m about to take in people who don¡¯t want to work for me because of my age or uncooperative people. Because of this it¡¯s best to leave the talk of wages last. It would be troublesome if people just gathered because the salary is high. There¡¯s a lot of candidates too, so reducing their numbers shouldn¡¯t hurt. The people who didn¡¯t want to work for me left. I wasn¡¯t about to force them to work for me, so I had them leave. One, two, three¡­ Huh? The wave of people leaving won¡¯t stop. Are they in such a hurry to leave? Normally, wouldn¡¯t you at least go through the interview? Although, I was the one who told them they could go¡­ In the end about 83% of the candidates left, and now, just 5 are left. I can somewhat understand why those left, but¡­ Anyway, I thanked the people that stayed behind. ¡°I take it the remaining 5 are willing to work at my store. For that I thank everyone here that you¡¯re willing to work at my store despite my youth.¡± [Ryouma] After bowing, I started talking. ¡°Let¡¯s get to business then. My store, Bamboo Forest, is currently looking for people to carry luggage. You¡¯ll only be carrying clothes, so even a woman won¡¯t have any problems doing the job. If there¡¯s anything to take note of, it¡¯s that I¡¯m a monster tamer. I consider my slimes a part of my workforce, so there will be slimes inside the store.¡± [Ryouma] Upon saying that, the remaining five were shocked. Being a monster tamer isn¡¯t anything special, but appparently, they didn¡¯t expect that someone would actually use slimes as a part of his workforce. ¡°Which is why, if there are people here scared of or hate slimes, it¡¯ll probably be difficult for you to work with me.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, a woman raised her hand. ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you using those slimes because you don¡¯t have enough hands? Or are you going to be using them even after hiring more workers?¡± [Woman Candidate] ¡°I will still be using them even after hiring workers. This might offend some people, but at my store, the slimes are your coworkers.¡± [Ryouma] At that, the woman who raised her hand and another woman and man left. Although it was a slime, apparently, they didn¡¯t want to work with a monster, so they left. With this all that¡¯s left is a middle-aged man and a young woman. Is this all I have left to interview? Did I handle this wrongly? Although these people were only gathered with the criteria that they could work as soon as tomorrow, it¡¯s still shocking that I was left with only two in the end¡­ I mean sure giving them a bunch of yes or no questions made everything go quick, but¡­ Now, there¡¯s just two left. Chapter 52 Volume 2 Chapter 52 Volume 2 Chapter 52 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 52 part3 I asked the last two candidates. ¡°Since you stayed behind, I take it you¡¯re alright with slimes? Everyone else is gone.¡± [Ryouma] The two quietly nodded. ¡°Then could you tell me your name? Also, if there are any conditions you would like to have, please feel free to speak up. The man can start.¡± [Ryouma] I first called out to the middle-aged man. These people are quite interesting. First of all, the clothes they were are very different from the clothes the people in town wear. They look just like those Chinese actors in Kung Fu movies, so I noticed them as soon as I entered the room. Not to mention that rod the man is carrying and the woman¡¯s hair ornament¡­ While thinking that to myself as I observed them, the man spoke. ¡°My name is Fei. This here my daughter, Leerin [1]. It would be great if you can hire us both.¡± [Fei] He talks just like one! And it seems he¡¯s the dad of the woman. ¡°So you¡¯re father and daughter.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°She takes after her mother, so she does not look like me. Also, there¡¯s something I need to tell you.¡± [Fei] When Fei said that, he showed me his right leg. A splint could be seen attached to it. ¡°I¡¯m actually merchant from a country called Zilmar, but it was getting dangerous because of war, so I left. Unfortunately, I lost all my money when I came to this country. Now all we have left are my stuff and my daughter. At first, we had no money at all, but by working at the mines, we slowly saved up money. Too bad the cave collapsed and now my leg is broken. We don¡¯t have enough money to ask healer to treat me, so it will be a while before I can recover. Is this problem?¡± [Fei] A broken bone, huh? If I recall correctly, a medium heal should be able to take care of it. If not, then the advanced Mega Heal should. I can¡¯t use either, but my heal slimes can. And even if Fei can¡¯t be treated, I can just put him in as a receptionist. ¡°You can just work as a receptionist until you recover. It won¡¯t be an issue.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Fei] ¡°Yes. Being a receptionist is a great job too. There won¡¯t be any problems as long as you can deal with the customers properly. Do you have any particular requests regarding the salary?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°None. As long as we can live, it¡¯s good enough.¡± [Fei] ¡°I see. Then let¡¯s move on to daughter next¡­ Leerin-san, right? Do you have any special requests?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as you hire us both and give us enough to live, I have no complaints. Housing too would be nice, or maybe introduction to cheap place. We currently live in guild temporary housing. Once finds job we have to leave.¡± [Leerin] ¡°Because of leg no one want hire me. Right now we somehow getting by thanks to daughter doing odd jobs. We don¡¯t have much money anymore. If you can find us cheap lodging, we won¡¯t complain.¡± [2] If they want lodging, then there¡¯s the lodging I built with my store. It¡¯s vacant right now, so they could just use that. They also don¡¯t seem to be looking for particularly high wages, so the wages we planned should be enough. And although they¡¯re foreigners, we¡¯re able to understand each other, so that¡¯s good. Besides, although these people seem to be hiding something, they¡¯re quite strong. They¡¯re like Jeff-san and the others. I can¡¯t see any opening. In fact, they¡¯re way stronger than any bandit I¡¯ve fought yet. I can probably leave the store¡¯s security to them if I hire them. ¡°We have lodging for employees. You can stay there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!? That¡¯s great, ne!¡± [Fei] Everyone else went home already and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any problem with their abilities, but¡­ There¡¯s one thing I need to confirm. ¡°There¡¯s just one thing I want to ask. Before that, guild master.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it?¡± [Grisera] ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry about this, but could I ask you to give us some privacy? It¡¯s about the store.¡± [Ryouma] I said it like that, but I really want her to leave. These two probably aren¡¯t from an honest trade. It¡¯s not too strange for people in this world to kill in self-defense. I¡¯ve personally killed around 30 bandits myself, but that¡¯s nothing before these two. It¡¯s my first time feeling like this. is this what they mean when they say ¡®the smell of death?¡¯ It¡¯s not just Japan. It¡¯s my first time feeling this even in this world. Just in case, it might be better for the guild master to leave. It won¡¯t be easy fighting if I have to protect her too. I¡¯m sure I made it clear I want her to leave, but¡­ ¡°What are you chasing me out for? If there¡¯s something wrong, then tell me.¡± [Grisiera] Unfortunately, that had the opposite effect, and now she wants to hear my reason. ¡°It¡¯s regarding the store¡¯s secret.¡± [Ryouma] Still, I want her to leave. I implied that while keeping my on the two. It was then that Fei made his move. ¡°Guild master, it¡¯s enough, yo. He¡¯s already found us out, ne.¡± [Fei] Hmm? This is a bit different from what I expected. ¡°Boss, I wonder just who you are, ne? We may be former killers, but we have no intention of picking a fighting with you, yo. The guild master too, ne.¡± [Fei] True, I don¡¯t really feel any hostilities coming from him. ¡°Guild master, you knew?¡± [Ryouma [1] RAW says ¥ê©`¥ê¥ó, which is literally Leerin. If you have any better interpretations of the name, just leave it in the comments. [2] I¡¯ll cut the accent here and use the other style, where I just add the Japanese accents at the end in romaji, just like I do for Raypin, Asagi, and the others. Let me know which one you prefer in the comments. It¡¯s also possible to just kill their character and just make them talk like everyone else. Let me know if you prefer that. Or if you have any other ideas just say it. ¡°Naturally. I don¡¯t know about others, but when I introduce someone, especially someone from another country, I make sure I¡¯m introducing someone good. Can¡¯t accidentally introduce a spy, after all. These two really did run away frmo their country, though. Still, it¡¯s pretty amazing that you noticed something was off about these two.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I thought our disguise was pretty good, though.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Only the guid master and you have found us out so far. Boss, you¡¯re not just a normal person, are you? That makes one really curious.¡± [Fei] Leelin-san looked depressed, but Fei-san just asked that lastquestion with a faint smile. ¡°I don¡¯t have sharp eyes like the guild master does, but I¡¯ve studied martial arts for a long time, so I can tell when someone is strong or weak. Besides¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Besides?¡± [Fei] ¡°I noticed you were carrying some hidden weapons on you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fei! Leelin! You brought stuff like that without you!?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Oh, wow¡­ You noticed that too?¡± [Fei] ¡°Stuff regarding hidden weapons was beaten into me really badly in the past. The scariest creatures in this world are humans. They use their heads, trick people, and when your guard is down, they strike. What allows people to do that are hidden weapons. If one wishes to defend against those, then one needs to study hidden weapons, or so I was often told¡­¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s just my real dad I¡¯m talking about here, but now that I think about him, it sure feels nostalgic¡­ ¡°I was attacked a lot. Sometimes when we passed by each other in the house, and sometimes when I was just minding my own business.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just how in the world did you live your life?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°You sort of feel like our kind of people, but you feel different.¡± [Leelin] ¡°You¡¯re like us, but it seems you only learned the techniques.¡± [Fei] They can tell that much just by my aura? That¡¯s amazing¡­ ¡°My master thought me my skills, but I only started using them 3 years ago against bandits.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So it¡¯s the difference in years. We¡¯ve taken plenty of jobs to take bandits or traitors. Lots of wars break out in our country, so the public order is really bad. If people like us don¡¯t go around offing people here and there, it¡¯s hard to manitain order. That part about being a merchant wasn¡¯t a lie. We normally work as peddlers.¡± [Fei] ¡°Our boss lost in the war and our work and our country became meaningless, so we came here. We haven¡¯t done any jobs worth being proud of. Will you still hire us despite that?¡± [Leelin] ¡°Since the guild master acknowledged you, then I¡¯ll accept you so long as you do your job properly.¡± [Ryouma] If they don¡¯t cause problems and work properly, then the past doesn¡¯t really matter. Everyone has a secret or two, right? ¡°Really? We thought for sure no would want us once they came to know of our past.¡± [Fei] ¡°We even prepared to run away.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Please don¡¯t run away. My store really needs help right now, and there¡¯s no one left ot hire¡­ Anyway, what matters is the now. Your past doesn¡¯t really matter, so please come work at my store. Also, would it be possible to also ask you to work as bodyguards?¡± [Ryouma] If the guild master knew of their situation and still chose to introduce them, then it¡¯s probably fine. She has better eyes than me, after all. From time to time, it even feels like she knows I¡¯m actually already past 40¡­ I hope it¡¯s just my imagination. ¡°We¡¯ll work hard.¡± [Fei] ¡°Leave the security to us.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I¡¯ll hire you officially then. I look forward to working with you.¡± [Ryouma] After we exchanged bows, the guild master spoke. ¡°Done? Then go. A carriage has already been prepared.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you, guild master.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something like this¡­ Don¡¯t mind it. Fei, Leelin, make sure to work hard, aright? This kid¡¯s store is really promising. And next time, don¡¯t carry hidden weapons on you!¡± [Grisiera] ¡°We can¡¯t keep calm without them.¡± [Leelin and Fei] ¡°How long are you planning to act like assassins!? You¡¯re merchant¡¯s now, ain¡¯t ya!? ¡­Although they¡¯re like this, they¡¯re not bad people. They¡¯ve never committed any crimes either. Please take care of them.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I will.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take this too. It¡¯s their resume. They have experience working in the military. Show them to those two from Serge¡¯s.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Alright¡­ Wait a moment, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if you just handed this to me from the start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hee hee hee. This old granny here just wanted to see how good your eyes are. I wanted to see the quality of the workers you end up choosing when choosing blind. It was a bit shocking seeing all those other guys leaving just like that, but these two are the real deal. They can definitely do the job. Oh, and your eyes aren¡¯t bad. Although I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re very good from a merchant¡¯s perspective. Well, either way, do your best.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I left the guild with Fei-san and Leelin-san, then we went back to the store with the carriage that the guild master prepared. When I got back to the store, there was a large crowd of customers gathered. It wasn¡¯t as big as the crowd from this afternoon, but the 2 employees were very busy. ¡°Welcome back, Boss!¡± [Carm and Carla] ¡°What an amazing crowd¡­¡± [Leelin] ¡°This is the owner¡¯s store? It¡¯s really doing well.¡± [Fei] ¡°I¡¯ll help them out. Carm-san, Carla-san, I¡¯ll help. Let¡¯s deal with the customers first.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll work too, Boss. I can at least carry stuff.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Me too. I can at least carry the laundry.¡± [Fei] ¡°Thanks! Don¡¯t push yourselves too hard, though. Just do what you can.¡± [Ryouma] They offered to help themselves, so I won¡¯t hold back. Fei-san was supposed to be just a receptionist, but it seems he can work a little too. Like this we dealt with the lunch rush of the customers, and we were somehow able to finish everything by our closing time. After hanging the closed sign in front of the store, I closed the store for the day. ¡°Fuu¡­ Good work, everyone!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Boss!¡± [Carm, Carla, Fei, Leelin] ¡°Ryouma-sama, are they the new hands you employed today?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes, the man is Fei-san and the woman is Leelin-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My name is Fei. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Fei] ¡°My name is Leelin. It¡¯s good to meet you.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I am Carm Norad.¡± [Carm] ¡°I am Carla Norad. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± [Carla] ¡°You were supposed to start work tomorrow, but you ended up working today instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re also providing us a place to stay, so this much is a given, I believe.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Helping out when it¡¯s busy is only natural. That being said, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask.¡± [Fei] ¡°What is it, Fei-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We carried a lot of laundry today, but when did you wash them? We just put the laundry we got from the customers into the wall, and then retrieved them from the slimes.¡± [Fei] ¡°Oh, right. I still haven¡¯t explained to you how we wash clothes here yet.¡± [Ryouma] After giving them the usual explanation regarding the cleaner slimes and the goblin loin cloth, the two was able to understand. Moreover, after seeing how busy the store was today, they were able to confirm with their own eyes what the guild master meant when she said that my store was promising. When I told them that today was actually the store¡¯s opening day, they were shocked. Even in my previous life, the only place I could think of that could attract so many customers on the opening day is probably¡­ a pachinko parlor, at most. Anyway, it¡¯s really weird in this world for a shop to attract so much customers on its opening day. But after talking to the customers, I was able to figure out what made the store so popular. Apparently, the adventurers had spread rumors of the store. The adventurers who participated in the goblin subjugation told their adventurer friends, families, and even the general public about my laundromat. And then Pauline-san and her friends spread even more rumors themselves. Other than those two major sources, there were also people who found out about the store from other places. ¡°Laundry here is very affordable, so there were plenty of people who wanted to try it this morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then the people who tried it in the morning told others of their experience, and people came in droves in the afternoon to experience the store for themselves. It seems this situation is likely to continue for a while.¡± [Carm] Even though there¡¯s no phones or twitter, word of mouth is still really powerful. I may have underestimated it a bit. Or maybe it¡¯s just not a good idea to just casually use what I could to promote my store¡­ But, no¡­ Having a lot of customers is a good thing. Well, putting what¡¯s done aside, since we finally have time for a breather, maybe I should heal Fei-san¡¯s legs.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Carm-san, Carla-san, can I ask for your to take care of the rest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Carm and Carla] ¡°Thank you very much. Then the two of you please come with me.¡± [Ryouma] I led Fei-san and Leelin-san to the store¡¯s break room, where I asked them to sit and wait for a while. A little later i came back with 2 heal slimes. When I told them that the heal slimes could use High Heal, they were shocked, but were nonetheless thankful if Fei could be healed. I ordered the two heal slimes to heal Fei, and Fei¡¯s leg was completely healed. Fei had broken his leg, so it took 3 casts each slime to fully heal his leg, totaling to 6 casts of High Heal all in all. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m glad that my leg is finally healed. Thank you. Really.¡± [Fei] ¡°Normally, it would cost a lot of money to ask a healer for treatment. Are you sure it¡¯s really okay for us to receive your help for free.¡± [Leelin] ¡°It¡¯s my job to make sure that the employees can work efficiently. If it¡¯s something I or my slimes could do, then there¡¯s no need to charge for it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s okay to make this treatment free.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s a healer in town who can use intermediate healing magic, but because of the skill and mana required to cast such a spell, it costs quite a bit of money to ask him to cast his spell once. For something on the level of a broken bone, which would require more than just one casting, the price easily shoots up. Apparently, the reason Fei-san had been doing odd jobs here and there within the guild while refraining from receiving treatment from the healer was because he was hoping to heal his broken leg with time. ¡°If we¡¯d left the country a little wealthier, we would have immediately been able to heal it with magic, but unfortunately, we already used most of our wealth as bribe just so we could leave.¡± [Fei] ¡°So that¡¯s why you don¡¯t have any money.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The guards of our country¡¯s borders are greedy. So long as you pay them, they¡¯ll turn a blind eye to a crime and even someone fleeing the country. In the case you don¡¯t have money, they¡¯ll catch you and hand you over to the country to get the reward, so we couldn¡¯t not pay them. And if we tried to cheap out on the bribe, then if the reward was higher, we would either be caught or it would become very difficult to run.¡± [Fei][ ¡°Because of the kind of jobs we did in the country, if others found out, our reward would be much a higher than a normal person¡¯s. Because of that there are people who catch normal people, hoping that they¡¯d turn out to be our sort of people that would net them a huge profit. Because of that people who run usually pay up with almost everything they have. There¡¯s no point trying to save money when your life is on the line.¡± [Leelin] Fei-san and Leelin-san quietly spoke. Zilmar sure sounds like a dangerous country¡­ They also mentioned that plenty of wars are being fought in it. I wonder if the country is going to be destroyed soon. After talking with them for a bit, I alloted Fei-san and Leelin-san their rooms, then I let them sort out their luggage in their respective rooms. After that I went back to the store and listened to Carla-san¡¯s report regarding our store¡¯s earnings. ¡°Today we earned 791 medium copper coin and 8 small copper coins, totalling to 7,918 suits.¡± [Carla] I asked the two pros how this sort of income compares to other stores, and apparently, the daily income of a medium-sized store without any noble customers is about 4,000 suits. Today¡¯s income was quite shocking even after subtracting the expenses incurred. It was even more shocking when you realize that this is actually the store¡¯s income for its opening day. ¡°What amazing profits!¡± [Carm] ¡°At this rate, we might be able to equal the profit of a large store without any noble customers!¡± [Carla] ¡°How much would that be daily?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About 20,000 suits. More than that and it¡¯s hard to categorize them. After all, once the nobles start getting into the picture, the income of a store shoots up. Being able to sell a high-class item just gives so much profits even after subtracting expenses.¡± [Carm] ¡°There¡¯s also a lot of people who love to splurge their money on excessively luxurious goods.¡± [Carla] ¡°I see¡­ Well, in our case, nobles probably won¡¯t come into the equation, so if we could make 2.5 times tour income today, then we should be able to make the same income as a large company.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Considering how much we made today, we might be able to achieve just that within a month. The adventurers guild still haven¡¯t come and we¡¯re also likely to get more customers.¡± [Carla] ¡°In fact, there might come a time when our income in a day is more than a medium gold coin.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ha ha ha, that¡¯s probably impossible.¡± [Ryouma] A medium gold coin is 50,000 suits. There¡¯s no way¡­ ¡°It¡¯s possible!¡± [Carm and Carla] Huh? Really? ¡°This is a miner¡¯s town. There are plenty of miners and people engaged in the steelworks industry. Although there are less people today compared to before due to one of the mines being abandoned ¨C or at least that¡¯s what I heard ¨C but even then, there should still be about 10,000 people.¡± [Carla] ¡°Those customers won¡¯t just bring one bag when they get their laundry cleaned. Although it might be difficult to get a medium gold coin regularly, but it should still be possible if for example the adventurers guild were to come with a big job.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] So in other words, it might be possible occasionally. ¡°Moreover, if Ryouma-sama builds a branch store in another town, reaching that daily medium gold coin income shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± [Carm] ¡°You¡¯re already thinking of a branch store? That¡¯s too fast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Perhaps, but there¡¯s no harm in thinking.¡± [Carm] ¡°If we can get our hands on some trusted workers, building a branch store should be a trifling matter.¡± [Carla] Well, it is true that we made so much today even though it¡¯s our first day. But let¡¯s put that aside for now. Right now what we should be doing is testing the waters and seeing how things go. ¡°Oh, right. I forgot. Here¡¯s the resume of the two new workers that I hired.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll look into it.¡± [Carm and Carla] The twins started treading the resume I gave them. ¡°You said it¡¯s enough to pay the employees a liveable wage, but they¡¯re also going to be working as bodyguards, so please give them a bigger salary. MAke it 150 suits a day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You two have experience in the military? That¡¯s reassuring.¡± {Carla] After that I exchanged greetings with the four and went back to the lodging. When I got back, I reported to Reinhart-san and Co. When they heard how much I made, they were shocked. Chapter 53 Volume 2 Chapter 53 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 53 part2 The next day. After readying the store early in the morning, I went shopping to buy some things to welcome our two new employees. ¡°There¡¯s this many people already?¡± [Ryouma] I opened the store at 8 AM and spent about an hour shopping, so it should currently be around 9 AM. I wonder what time the customers prefer to come. Also, I wonder what time the number of customers peaks. As I thought that, I entered through the employee-only entrance. I had Carm-san and Fei-san deal with the customers, while I tasked Carm-san and Leelin-san with carrying the laundry. The store is doing fine for now, so I decided to leave everything to them, while I went to prepare fbod. There¡¯s no telling when it¡¯s going to get busy, so they should eat while they still can. I kneaded the dough and stretched it, then I covered it with my meat sauce. Speaking of which, this meat sauce is left over from the party two days ago. I stored it in my custom made refrigerator, which makes use of barrier magic, so it¡¯s been preserved. Just to be safe, though, I checked it with Identify first, and as expected, there weren¡¯t any problems. Serge-san will probably make another fuss, if he catches wind of my refrigerator. ¡­Or maybe Pioro-san would make a bigger fuss? He did say his company handled food goods. I sprinkled some cheese, cut onions, and herb over the base, then I put everything in the kiln. While that was cooking, I started working on the salad and the beverages. After a while I was able to successfully make the pizza. A delicious aroma wafted in the air and I took a bite from my portion. ¡­Yep, it¡¯s done. The customers haven¡¯t started to flood the store yet, so the timing is just right. ¡°Guys, I made some food. I¡¯ll help out, so please take turns with each other to eat.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Carm, Carla, Leelin, Fei] I first substituted for Leelin-san and Carla-san, then after they ate, Fei-san and Carm-san substituted with them. Like this all the employees were able to get their break and eat. But when afternoon came, the situation ended up just like yesterday and the store became jam-packed, so all the employees had to work together just to barely scrape by. ¡°Good job, everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Boss.¡± [Carm, Carla, Leelin, Fei] It¡¯s better than yesterday, but only to the extent that the workers aren¡¯t about to faint out of exhaustion anymore. If even one of the employees are absent, the situation will quickly become fatal. The employees won¡¯t even have the time to eat. ¡°There were a lot of customers today too. How much did we make this time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After calculating everything, our income for the day totals to 11,877 suits.¡± [Carla] Carla took out her notebook and showed me. That¡¯s 50% more than yesterday. That¡¯s amazing progress after only one day. ¡°The store is really doing well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty crazy.¡± [Leelin] ¡°At this rate, the customers will probably keep on increasing.¡± [Fei-san] ¡°You think so too, Fei-san, Leelin-san? Do you think we should hire more hands, after all? We were originally planning to hire 3 or 4 workers anyway. The way things are now, if even one employee isn¡¯t able to work, the burden on the remaining employees will be too great.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would probably be for the best to get more hands.¡± [Carm] ¡°We just asked for more workers yesterday, but it would be a huge help if you could get some more from the guild.¡± [Carla] ¡°Alright. By the way, I was thinking of also hiring a cook. Can you hire one from the guild too?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, it was Carla-san who answered. ¡°Yes, but why would you need a cook?¡± [Carla] ¡°Everyone¡¯s working hard in the store, so you don¡¯t have time to cook, right? So, to remedy that, I thought I should hire a cook.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but you should just leave that sort of stuff to the workers.¡± [Carla] ¡°But it would be a load off your shoulders if someone specifically meant for that one job were to take care of it. Besides, if you¡¯re going to eat, then you might as well have something good. This is what you call ¡¯employee welfare¡±.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well that¡¯s true, but what do you mean by employee welfare?¡± [Carla] ¡°Ah¡­ How to put it¡­ Basically, it¡¯s a kind of thinking that says employees should be able to work at their workplace comfortably.¡± {Ryouma] They don¡¯t have employee welfare here? Or is it just not popular? ¡°Ryouma-sama certainly does take care of his employees a lot.¡± [Carm] ¡°Even though we¡¯re live-ins, our salary is so big. Conditions this good are very rare.¡± [Fei] ¡°With a good salary, a warm and comfortable room, not to mention, and on top of that, good food. Dad and I probably won¡¯t be going anywhere.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Glad to hear. Then, can I leave the rest to you? I¡¯ll be going to the guild to get more workers, but I won¡¯t be coming back, as I¡¯ll be going home after.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care!¡± [Leelin, Fei, Carm, Carla] When I got to the guild, I was brought to to the reception office again, where the guild master interviewed me. ¡°Did you come to hire workers today too?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°The store is unexpectedly doing well, so I have some spare funds.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ So, how many are you hiring?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°3 more employees to handle the store plus one cook.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A cook?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°The store is usually pretty busy, so the employees don¡¯t have time to cook, so I thought I¡¯d get someone to cook for them. At the same time, I figured I might as well make it so that the food is delicious. It¡¯s for health and nutrition too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t really have to go out of your way to hire a specialist, though. You sure do some weird stuff.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Is it really that strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally, one of the employees will cook if it¡¯s that busy. Although it¡¯s true you¡¯ll have to hire various employees as your store gets bigger, but it¡¯s fairly rare for someone to specifically hire a cook. Not that it¡¯s a particularly bad idea, though. Wait here for a bit. I¡¯ll look for some promising ones.¡± [Grisiera] After waiting for a while, the guild master personally named 4 people and introduced them to me. ¡°Greetings! I¡¯m Jane!¡± [Jane] ¡°I¡¯m Maria~¡± ¡°I¡¯m Fina] ¡°And I¡¯m the cook, Sherma.¡± [Sherma] The first three are all young women. They came from a poor village in hopes of making money. Jane-san is lively, Maria-san has a gentle aura about her, and Fina-san looks like a levelheaded person. At least, that¡¯s my first impression of them. Shelma-san is older than the three and feels like a mother. The guild master picked these people out herself, so they¡¯re definitely good. But even as I thought that, I made sure all the same that they were willing to work. When I did, they all nodded. As for why, some of them heard rumors that the store is really popular, while some of them saw the line outside yesterday. On top of that, the guild master herself told them that my store is safe. Well, most of the people including me have already been acquainted with the guild master, so there¡¯s indeed less to fear for the women workers. The three village women are villagers through and through. They don¡¯t have any special abilities, but that¡¯s okay. Sherma-san¡¯s previous workplace was apparently an inn, so she can¡¯t make luxurious food, but that¡¯s okay too. Everyone seems to be easy to get along with, so I decided to hire them all. Just like that my business was concluded. It only took me 10 minutes. Connections really are important¡­ Seriously. Tl Note: Better suggestions for Sherma¡¯s name? Also, PDFs and ePUBs have been updated. Credits to a kind reader and Byggvirr. The 4 employees I hired today also wanted to work live-in, so we had to go back to the store. Before leaving, though, the guild master had a few words with me. ¡°Ryouma, if things keep going like this, I suggest you start thinking of opening a second or third branch in another town. You can open them anytime. Just make sure to consult me.¡± [Grisiera] I was taken aback to hear her say the same thing as Carm-san and the others. Before parting, she hit my back with her cane and encouraged me, saying, ¡°pull yourself together!¡± After that I brought the 4 new employees to the store. Apparently, Carm-san and the others haven¡¯t gone home yet. ¡°Boss, weren¡¯t you going to go home?¡± [Carm and Carla] I told them that the new employees were going to be live-ins, then after introducing them, I went my way. 4 days later. 4 days has passed since I hired the new employees. The 3 girls are very hardworking, while Sherma-san¡¯s cooking is delicious. I stayed in the store on their first day just to be safe, but everything went just fine. The other day I cleaned the outer walls and mowed the lawn. Yesterday, I did my rounds around the abandoned mine. Although it hasn¡¯t even been a week since the store opened, the store income shows no sign of stopping. Every day the store makes enough for a person to live modestly for three months. It¡¯s a bit scary, but it¡¯s only thanks to everyone that the store could become so popular. They¡¯ll probably do fine even without me, so I can go back to my adventurer work now¡­ Or so I was thinking, but then Serge-san called for me. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama. Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My apologies for calling you out so suddenly.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s alright. My store doesn¡¯t need me anymore anyway. The two employees you introduced to me have been very hard Working.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I¡¯m glad to hear that they were able to be of use.¡± [Serge] ¡°I seem to always be in your debt.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s the same for me. I have also been making a profit thanks to you. After all, you¡¯ve been purchasing a large amount of bags and daily necessities every day.¡± [Serge] ¡°You¡¯ve been a great help so far. And now, the store is doing so well that it¡¯s honestly quite scary.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It has already become a rumor around the block. And it¡¯s getting quite popular even within the guild.¡± [Serge] Serge-san took a breath, then he said this. ¡°But what¡¯s surprising is that there¡¯s still even more room for income.¡± [Serge] Seeing I didn¡¯t understand, Serge-san continued. ¡°It¡¯s about the waterproof cloth, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ah, right¡­¡± [Ryouma] I forgot¡­ ¡°Are you aware that it¡¯s almost time for the grell frog outbreak?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve heard of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Grell frogs are monsters that live in the marsh. Their hide can be used to make armor, while their innards can be used to make good medicine, so they sell for a large sum. Which is why during the outbreak a lot of adventurers start gathering around the marshes that these grell frog inhabit. So, I was thinking, wouldn¡¯t this be a good opportunity to make those waders that you made out of those waterproof cloths and sell them? Ryouma-sama, my invitation to you today is to know how many waterproof cloths you could produce.¡± [Serge] Umm¡­ I have about 907 sticky slimes right now, so it would depend on how many cloths are available. ¡°I will need normal cloths to turn into waterproof cloths, so I¡¯ll have to rely on you to provide those. About how long do you think these cloths will be?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Since I will be providing them, we can make each cloth about 70m long.¡± [Serge] If I ask for more than I can handle, it¡¯ll just trouble us both, so I should leave some leeway for myself. ¡°In that case, if you can provide the cloths, then we can process about 45 to 90 per day. Drying will take some time, though, so there might be less in actuality.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Serge-san¡¯s countenance brightened. ¡°Just 10 cloths at the start will be more than enough. Any more than that is a welcome surprise.¡± [Serge] ¡°Alright. Shall we start producing them as early as today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Please.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll need to purchase the cloths then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll give them to you for free since you¡¯ll be turning them into waterproof cloths. When you hand the waterproofed cloths to me, I¡¯ll pay you for the waterproof treatment. How much will you be charging?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. Please give me a fair price.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Serge-san chuckled. ¡°Normally, a merchant would try to get as much money as he could when he has the advantage in negotiations, but this way is a huge help to me. That aside, where will you be processing the cloths? If people were to catch wind that you are the manufacturer, it wouldn¡¯t be odd if some no good people were to be involved. Do you know a safe place where you can work? If not, I should be able to prepare you one.¡± [Serge] ¡°I was thinking of treating the cloths in the abandoned mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true people aren¡¯t likely to go there, but will it be alright doing it there?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m the person put in charge of it, so it¡¯s not strange for me to be there, and I can also make a large workshop using my earth magic.¡± [Ryouma] After this I got the cloths from Serge-san, then I left the store and went to the abandoned mine. Chapter 54 Volume 2 Chapter 54 After arriving at the abandoned mine, I sent all of the slimes except the cleaner slimes to patrol the tunnels, while I renovated the tunnel in the highest part of the mine and changed it into a workshop. It was already spacious from the start, though, so all I had to do was to make a workbench. I barely broke a sweat. I stretched the cloth and piled up bricks where it ended, then I dug out a hole by the corner of the rack, which I fitted with a rod. I then covered that rod with the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid and stuck it to the ends of each cloth. I repeated the process about 45 times. After that I told the sticky slimes to cover the cloth with their sticky liquid. During the process the only thing one needs to keep an eye out for are bugs and monsters. I should probably consider installing a door for this workshop. As I thought that to myself, I gave the slimes the order. I watched the slimes do their job for a while, then after seeing that everything was in order, there was nothing left for me to do. If this were a store there would still be clerical work left to take care of, but alas¡­ Anyway, since there wasn¡¯t anything for me to do, I decided to do some training. 3 hours later. I did some martial arts training and meditated, but the cloths still weren¡¯t done drying, so I decided to have the slimes train too. Speaking of which, didn¡¯t they learn staff techniques and spear techniques the other day? It¡¯s a good opportunity, so I dried some trees outside and processed them using Circle Saw and Polish to make a large amount of rods. With this we should be able to do some staff and spear training. ¡­After a while, the slimes finished their training too, but the cloths still weren¡¯t done drying. I wonder if the cloths could absorb moisture? it¡¯s my first time treating so many, so¡­ With nothing to do, I went ahead and took a look at my own status board. ¡­Oh, hey. My Increased MP Recovery went up a level and is now Lv. 3. Did I use that much mana when I was building my store? Monster Taming, Wind Magic, and Electric Magic also went up a level. I did use them quite a bit¡­ Oh, speaking of which, didn¡¯t the ojousama say she wanted to see the dolls I made? Should I make some now? I can just use the earth there for material. As for the subject, I can just pick something randomly¡­ ¡°¡®Create Block¡¯ ¡®Rock¡¯ ¡®Break Rock¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I prepared some stones and simple tools, then I used Break Rock to roughly make what would become the core of my figurine. ¡± ¡®Playing Clay¡¯ ¡± I turned the earth into clay and used it as putty to make my figurine, then after putting it over my core, I started filling out the details with my tools¡­ Hmm¡­ There should still be some lime left. Let¡¯s use that as the coating before we color it. Within the tunnels illuminated only by Light, I spent the time making a harmless doll, casting spells here and there as it suited me. ¡­Or at least, that¡¯s what should¡¯ve happened. ¡°Done! ¡­Huh. Would you look at that, there¡¯s so many of them.¡± [Ryouma] Before I knew it I was surrounded by dolls. ¡°What time is it? ¡­GEH!¡± [Ryouma] The sun has almost set! Quickly, I took my dolls and dried cloth with me and went back home. ¡­I used too much mana, so it was a bit painful, but with the sun almost gone, I have no choice but to hurry. ¡­I really should stop getting overzealous over my work inside the abandoned mine. It¡¯s already so easy to lose track of time, if I keep working at the abandoned mine like this, I won¡¯t even notice the passage of time anywhere. As I reflected over my actions, the day drew ever nearer to night. With no choice left, I was forced to use dimension magic one after another. ¡°I¡¯m beat¡­¡± [Ryouma] Somehow, I was able to make it back to the inn before the sun set. After resting for a while, I dropped by the ojousama¡¯s family¡¯s room and Arone-san led me in. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elialia] ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to visit us on your own. Did something happen?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, nothing special, just some business stuff.¡± [Ryouma] I told them about my deal with Serge-san. ¡°Today, I was able to successfully make 45 waterproof cloths. I¡¯ve already delivered them to Serge-san¡¯s. There¡¯s still room for more cloths to be produce, so I¡¯ll be increasing the volume tomorrow. I want to see how far I can go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. It seems there aren¡¯t any problems with the production of the waterproof cloths. Is there anything else?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Previously, the ojousama said she wanted to see my dolls. As it so happens, I made some while the cloths were drying.¡± [Ryouam] ¡°You made some? Show me please!¡± [Elialia] As she said that, I took several dolls from my Item Box. ¡°Here.¡± [Ryouma] I used stone instead of wood, but this one doll is based off the famous woodcraft bear. To make it more relatable, though, I changed things up a bit and made it based on Gana Forest¡¯s Black Bear. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a black bear. It looks like it¡¯s catching fish.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°This one is tiny but adorable!¡± [Elialia] Those ones are based off of the cave bat, cave mantis, and small rat. I made them into bottle cap figures. ¡°There¡¯s also this. It¡¯s the doll I worked on the most.¡± [Ryouma] The next doll I took out was a doll made in the image of a person. I couldn¡¯t think of any subjects, though, so I decided to model them after the four members of the duke¡¯s family, as well as Sebasu-san and the two maids. ¡°This is¡­ me.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°This is me.¡± [Elize] ¡°I¡¯m here too!¡± [Elialia] ¡°And Sebasu, Arone, Lilian, and I are present too, it seems.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What elaborate dolls¡­ Although I¡¯m aware Ryouma-sama has crafted idols before, I still can¡¯t help but admire your workmanship.¡± [Sebasu] It¡¯s a bit rare to see someone so elated over my work in person, so this makes me happy. In the past, only Fukada would get happy over my dolls. Speaking of which, before I died, didn¡¯t Fukada ask me to make another one for him? ¡­Huh? What happened to that? ¡­Ah, whatever. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any models, so used you as reference. I¡¯m glad you like them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-san, can I have this?¡± [Elialia] ¡°Go ahead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you!¡± [Elialia] If she¡¯s this happy, then I guess it was worth making the dolls. I should probably make some more in the future¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll make you some more if the opportunity shows itself again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you so much.¡± [Elialia] After that I spoke with idly with Reinhart-san and the others for a while, then I went back to my room. When I got back, Sebasu told me he would be paying me 10 medium gold coins in exchange of the dolls, but it was too much money, so I rejected his offer. The material was cheap and I got to kill some time, but more than anything else, there¡¯s no way I could accept money over something like this! But in the end, I ended up reducing the payment to a fifth. So, 2 medium gold coins. Is this really okay? While I was wondering that, Sebasu-san said this. ¡°Many nobles have statues made after their own image, which they place in their residences or in town. When you consider how much they spend, this much money is just small change. And with someone of Ryouma-sama¡¯s caliber, I¡¯m sure the clients won¡¯t have any complaints.¡± [Sebasu] Seriously!? I was taken aback quite heavily by those words, so when I got back, I wondered blankly to my self what I should make while the cloths are drying. Eventually, I fell asleep. Chapter 55 Volume 2 Chapter 55 The next day. I showed my face in the store first thing in the morning. Seeing that everything was going smoothly in the store, I went to the abandoned mine. I started making waterproof cloths today too, and as a result, I ended up idle. I tried of thinking what to do while waiting for the cloths to dry last night, but I fell sleep without coming to a conclusion. If this were back at my old word, I would read a light novel here or play some games, but alas¡­ I got 45 cloths today just like yesterday. I¡¯m already done with my part. It¡¯s probably because I¡¯ve started to get used to it that everything went a lot faster than before. What to do¡­ I¡¯ve already trained with the slimes, so¡­ After thinking for a while, I gathered the scavenger slimes and had them fuse into a king scavenger, then I fought it. The king scavenger slime¡¯s current skill set is as follows: Disease Resist Lv7 Poison Resist Lv7 Lead Belly Lv8 Clean Lv8 Deodorize Lv8 Produce Deodorizing Liquid Lv6 Stench Lv8 Decompose Lv7 Physical Attack Resist Lv5 Enlarge Lv5 Minimize Lv6 Jump Lv3 Overeat Lv4 Martial Arts Lv2 It might be because the scavengers have their own Physical Attack Resist now that the king scavenger slime¡¯s Physical Attack Resist went up one level. After all, the scavenger slimes only had one level in martial arts, but the king scavenger has two. If you compare its skill set to a single scavenger, its skill levels are higher across the board. I don¡¯t have any data, but it¡¯s possible that each scavenger slimes pool together their experience regarding each skill somehow. Speaking of which, because of the king scavenger slime¡¯s Physical Attack Resist, it was really hard to make my attacks affect it during our duel. It¡¯s body is a lot more flexible, so it¡¯s really good at parrying attacks. It¡¯s still only a beginner when it comes to martial arts, but it¡¯s fairly accomplished when it comes to defense. As proof, the king scavenger slime can endure my attacks even when I attack it seriously. Of course, I refrain from hitting its nucleus just to be safe. That being said, it still takes a lot of effort to penetrate it. But the problem is that it doesn¡¯t really have much attacking power. It can make itself bigger through Enlarge, making it better for suppressing others, but how much strength does a slime actually have? Not much if at all. If I wanted to I could easily brush it off. It¡¯s attacks don¡¯t have much power behind them either. There¡¯s not much we can do about that, though, so I had it extend a part of its body as tentacles and use them as whips. The king scavenger can then use those whips to stick close to the enemy and pin him down. I also taught it a couple of throws that made use of the enemy¡¯s momentum and the king scavenger slime¡¯s flexibility and Enlarge skill. Like this it could parry the enemy¡¯s attack to protect itself from harm, then attack the enemy by throwing him. After that it can pin the enemy down. This is the strategy I thought up for the king scavenger slime. That took a lot longer than expected, but the cloths still aren¡¯t done drying, so I thought of walking the slimes for a bit. My mind made up, I gathered the slimes. But just as were about to leave, one of the slimes I had contracted suddenly started acting strange. I could tell its status to some extent thanks to the effects of our contract, but I don¡¯t know the specifics. What¡¯s going on? Hurriedly, I ran to where the slime was. It was the slime that I captured for the metal slime evolution experiments. Its body kept on quivering, but it didn¡¯t seem to be feeling bad. Could it be? ¡°Is it evolving!?¡± [Ryouma] It should still take a bit longer, but I can¡¯t think of any other reason for this. After observing the slime for a while, the slime eventually stopped. I could feel a faint trace of mana emanating from it. It seems to be releasing mana. But it doesn¡¯t seem to be casting a spell¡­ Is it sucking the mana? It¡¯s releasing mana and then sucking it back in? What for? Does it need that to evolve? Or is it just doing it involuntarily? After releasing and sucking mana back in several times, it¡¯s color started to change. In the end, it turned into a silvery-white slime. Was the evolution successful? It¡¯s status is¡­ normal, for now. Nothing else seems to be amiss. Only, if this were really a metal slime, it should have a duller color. But this color is a polished silver. I used Monster Appraisal, and this came out. Species: Iron Slime Skills: Harden Lv3 Physical Attack Resist Lv2 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv2 It seems to be called Iron Slime. It has the same skills as a metal slime, but its Harden skill is one level higher than the metal slime. It probably ended up like this because I fed it iron, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t metal slimes also eat iron?¡± [Ryouma] They eat the same thing, so why did they evolve differently? ¡°Iron is tetsu (iron), and metal is kinzoku (metal)¡­ !!¡± [Ryouma] I took out the stones I used as feed for the metals slimes and used Identify on it. Stone (Red Soil) Soil from the mine that had been hardened with earth magic. Contains the following metals: Iron Oxide, Aluminum Oxide ¡°I knew it! ¡­The red soil also has aluminum!¡± [Ryouma] I remembered something I talked about with a kouhai of mine back at my part time at a road construction job. ¡°Metal slimes don¡¯t eat just iron, they also eat aluminum. There might be other metals too¡­¡± [Ryouma] I extracted aluminum and iron from the brick soil using alchemy, then I called over the iron slime and the metal slime. When I did, the iron slime ate only the iron, but the metal slime ate both the iron and the aluminum. I called over the metal slime and rubbed it. ¡°Are you basically omnivorous when it comes to metals? In that case, since the iron slime¡¯s body is made of iron, what about your body? Is your body some kind of iron-aluminum alloy?¡± [Ryouma] I asked the metal slime that, but no answer came. ¡°Well, with this I¡¯ve at least figured out the evolution condition. It¡¯s also my first time seeing a slime evolve in person.¡± [Ryouma] Until now, for some reason, the slimes have been evolving while I was asleep [1]. So long as I feed the slimes, they¡¯re bound to evolve within half a year, but there¡¯s not telling when they¡¯ll evolve and watching them 24/7 is a pain. ¡°Oh, speaking of which, I found out a few more things about Identify.¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, the neutral spell, Identify, is like a search engine in how one gets info from it. If you don¡¯t know what it is you¡¯re looking for, the only thing that will come up is the name, but even if you want more specific information, only simple stuff come up. But when I used Identify on the ceiling while cleaning the latrine pits, the word ¡®Sterilization¡¯ came up. And even the word ¡®virus¡¯ came up when I used Identify on the filth. So the results for Identify are probably has some relation with the knowledge of the user. The information probably changes depending on how much the user knows. After trying it for a few times, I know now that I can get some more specific answers by asking more specific questions. For example, the weight of this stone (hardened soil) and the ratio of its aluminum and iron content. Stone 503.9g (Red Soil) Soil from the mine that had been hardened with earth magic. Metal Content: Iron Oxide 4.2% 21.1638g, Aluminum Oxide 5.1% 25.6989g And the result is something this specific. This too is because my questions were a lot more specific. I can use this! ¡­Or can I? It¡¯s great that I can get more specific information, but I don¡¯t actually have much need for it right now¡­ Maybe I could weight the next iron ingots I bring to Serge¡¯s in grams? Or maybe I could get a common iron ingot from Serge and use that as reference to imitate? It¡¯s worth doing if it means my iron ingots don¡¯t stand out as much, but as it stands, identify doesn¡¯t really have much use right now¡­ I can also just keep doing things as I¡¯ve done them until now. After that, while waiting for the waterproof cloths to dry, I made 500g aluminum-iron ingots with 80% purity as practice. After the waterproof cloths finished drying, I gathered them and brought them to Serge, then I took the 300 cloths he prepared for me and went back to the inn¡­ Or so I was planning, but it was an odd time, so I postponed going back to the inn, and went to the store instead. I¡¯ll go home after checking up on the store. The store was as popular as usual. In fact, isn¡¯t there more people than normal? I entered through the employee-only door and went to the break room, but there wasn¡¯t a soul there. Could they all be working? Thinking that, I went to the store itself and there I saw one of the three working girls, Fina-san. ¡°Good afternoon, Boss.¡± [Fina] ¡°Good afternoon. No one was in the break room, so I thought everyone was busy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re not exactly free either, but it¡¯s not that busy. There are a lot of people, after all. We¡¯ve more or less figured out when people like to come the most, so we usually work together to deal with them.¡± [Fina] Oh. It seems everyone¡¯s already gotten used to the work here while I was gone. Looks like I worried for nothing. As I was thinking that, it suddenly hit me. ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Fina] ¡°The cleaner slimes are ready to split.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Fina] To the cleaner slimes, this whole laundry business is nothing more than an eat-all-you-can-eat buffet. After a few days of it, it¡¯s only natural that they¡¯d be able to split. ¡°The cleaner slimes will increase. Our laundry agency will become even more efficient.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really! That¡¯s amazing!¡± [Fina] ¡°What¡¯s amazing are the slimes. I¡¯ll be here for a while, but you don¡¯t have to mind me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay!¡± As Fina-san said that, she took a nearby laundry that had already been cleaned and carried it. Now then¡­ I had the cleaner slimes split, then I contracted them. The cleaner slimes currently number 54. Although cleaner slimes split less frequently than other slimes, there were 10 slimes that split twice. It¡¯s probably because of the laundromat. After letting the cleaner slimes split, because of their increased numbers, they started getting the job done a whole lot faster. I think they¡¯re actually working over twice as fast. Well, if they¡¯re this efficient, then we should make use of it. ¡°Ah, Fina-san, Carm-san.¡± [Ryouma] They had come to pick up the new laundry, but I told them to help out with the customers instead. I also told them to divide the work of carrying the laundry and returning them to the customers since there are more customers than usual. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of carrying the laundry. You two focus on returning them to the customers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You want make the store more efficient, right? Let¡¯s try it.¡± [Carm] As such, they went back to where the customers where, while I gathered the laundry and carried them. ¡°Next!¡± [Carm] ¡°Over here please~¡± [Maria] ¡°Customer Number 18¡± [Jane] ¡°How is the quality, ma¡¯am?¡± [Fina] ¡°Wow, it¡¯s really clean¡­ And it¡¯s cheap too. This is great.¡± [Customer] ¡°Thank you very much! Please come again! Next is¡­ Customer number 8!¡± [Fina] After dividing the work, the flow of customers became even faster. The slimes are probably hungry after splitting. Because of that the laundries seemed to be getting cleaned even faster. From time to time, we would run out of tokens, which meant there were more people waiting too, but we were able to solve the problem with some reception service. With the increase in efficient in both the cleaner slimes and the reception, the flow of customers reached a new level, and gradually, the wave of customers grew less and less. Like that we we managed to get pass the peak time. The rest of the day was fairly monotonous, as we managed to safely close the store as the day ended without any more problems. [1] ¨C Just some food for thought. Maybe the slimes see evolution as a private thing and don¡¯t want to be seen while undergoing it. ???? Chapter 56 Volume 2 Chapter 56 Volume 2 Chapter 56 part2 After closing the store, I gave the cleaner slimes some water for cleaning the store, then Carla-san came to give me the store¡¯s daily report. But for some reason, the air about her seemed different than usual¡­ ¡°Boss, it¡¯s about the store¡¯s revenue¡­¡± [Carla] ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Did we make a loss?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± [Carla] ¡°Then in that case, we must¡¯ve made a profit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not like the days before, Ryouma-sama. Because our income for just today is 26,0326 suits.¡± [Carla] 26,036 suits!? ¡°W-Wait a moment. Didn¡¯t we only make 16,000 yesterday? Why is there suddenly a 10,000 suits difference?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Today, right after you left the store, we got a huge contract. Apparently a manager of smiths and carpenters had heard the rumors going around and wanted to enlist services. And then after that, workers from the metal industry came one after another. They bought large bags and enlisted our services immediately. But that¡¯s not all. Our individual and group customers have also increased. There are a lot among the individual customers who get more than one bag. The sales of the bags show no signs of ending either.¡± [Carla] ¡°Can you give me the details of our revenue? I¡¯m not suspecting your o anything, but I¡¯d like to confirm it with my own eyes¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Please wait at the office for a bit. I¡¯ll bring the records.¡± [Carla] I did as she told and waited in the office. ¡­Come to think of it, this is my first time using this room. I¡¯m always carrying laundry or dealing with the customers or at the break room¡­ While I was thinking that, Carla-san came with a sheet of paper. ¡°These are our sales for the day.¡± [Carla] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I took the sheet of paper and looked at the sales for the day. Umm¡­ Individual Course: 10 suits x 998 = 9980 suits 14-Persons Course: 18 suits x 152 = 2736 suits 35-Persons Course: 40 suits x 55 = 2200 suits Individual Bag: 20 suits x 159 = 3180 suits 14-Persons Bag: 25 suits x 68 = 1700 suits 35-Persons Bag: 30 suits x 50 = 1500 suits Equipment Wash Service: 15 suits x 316 = 4740 suits Total: 26,036 suits Yep, the record checks out. ¡°You were right. Wow. I can¡¯t believe things actually got this far¡­ Just wow.¡± [Ryouma] Even if you take away the sales from the bags, you still get something close to 20,000 suits. But this too is because of everyone and the cleaner slimes¡¯ efforts. ¡°By the way, what about the others?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re in the break room right now. They¡¯re double checking the sales for the day.¡± [Carla] ¡°Double checking?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are medium and small copper coins, so they¡¯re separating them and confirming that the coins add up to what¡¯s been calculated.¡± [Carla] ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what you meant. I¡¯ll help out then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But this is a job for the employees¡­¡± [Carla] ¡°Technically, I¡¯m also the manager of this store, so I¡¯m also one of your coworkers. Let me help out.¡± [Ryouma] Actually, you twins are just too good at office work. Although there is still some work to be done, it¡¯s too little, and with how good the two of you are at supporting me, everything just gets wrapped up so quickly¡­ For someone like me who always has an energy drink ready, this just isn¡¯t enough. ¡°I understand. However, Ryouma-sama, you are not technically our this store¡¯s manager, but are in fact the store¡¯s manager.¡± [Carla] After Carla-san said that, she accompanied me to the employee break room. It was just the room next door, though. ¡°Good job today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for today, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you for today.¡± [Everyone else] When I entered the room, the 6 employees greeted me. A large number of copper coins could be seen gathered on a giant table. They seemed to be counting them one by one by hand. ¡°Thank you for working so hard everyday. It is a huge help to me to be able to leave the store to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No need to thank us, Boss~ Since this store really pampers us~¡± [Maria] ¡°Exactly, Ryouma-sama. Hired workers are expected to do at least this much.¡± [Carm] Everyone nodded in agreement to Carm-san¡¯s words. Even Carla-san who was behind me nodded. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯m glad to hear that. Anyway, let¡¯s continue. We just need to count these copper coins, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. But we can really just take care of these ourselves.¡± [Carm] ¡°The more wands the better. Besides, that¡¯s a crazy amount, no?¡± [Ryouma] Our income for today is 26,036 suits. All of that was paid for in either small or medium copper coin. In other words, 1 or 10 suits coins. Naturally, that meant an absurd amount of copper coins. Once everything has been counted, we will be putting them away in the safe in the basement, and then we regularly entrust the money to my account in the merchants guild. But that¡¯s also a hassle¡­ ¡°Please take a seat then.¡± [Fina] ¡°The seat beside mine is free.¡± [Fei] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] I took the seat beside Fei-san and started counting copper coins, but as expected, having to count by hand will really take a long time¡­ Although it won¡¯t take too long since there¡¯s 8 of us here, but still¡­ One minute into the work, a light bulb flashed. Oh, right! I had that! I took out the bag of leftover lime from my Item Box. Everyone turned to me, but I ignored them and just used identify on the small copper coins. What is the diameter and thickness of this coin? Small Copper Coin 1 Suits A coin of the smallest value. Made of Copper. Diameter: 0.9cm Thickness: 2mm It worked! I take back what I said this afternoon. This Identify stuff might actually be useful. ¡°Boss? What are doing? Why would you use Identify on the coin¡ª Could it be? Is it fake?¡± [Fei] ¡°Oh, no. That¡¯s not it. I just thought of making a tool is all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A tool?¡± [Fei] ¡°Watch. ¡®Create Block¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] After checking the size of other copper coin, I transformed the lime within the bag to become longer, while I made its interior to be shaped like an empty box. Naturally, I made the inner part of the resulting stone box hollow, then I removed a part of one end of the box with Break Rock, resulting in an object that would allow things put inside to fall if the box were to be inclined. After that I used earth magic to erect 50 2mm tall 1cm squares on the hollowed part of the box along a line. Like this a copper coin could enter each square. I also treated the surface of the box with a thin layer of the sticky slime¡¯s hardening liquid to protect the surface and make it safe to use barehanded. Identify. Coin Box [1] A tool used during the Edo period to count coins. Made by hardening lime with earth magic. Success! ¡°Boss, what is that?¡± [Jane] ¡°I was just thinking if we could use this.¡± [Ryouma] I took two hands full of coins and put them inside my counting tool, then I covered the open end and shook it for a bit. The coins made jingling sounds for a while. When I uncovered the open part, a lot of coins fell, but if you look closely, you¡¯ll see that there are coins left in the squares. ¡°Fei-san, could you count these coins that were left behind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure.¡± [Fei] Fei-san counted the coins carefully. ¡°Exactly 50 coins, Boss. Looks like you¡¯ve invented another useful tool.¡± [Fei] The moment Fei-san said that, Carm-san, Carla-san, and Leelin-san already understood the purpose of this stone box. The 3 young women, however, did not seem to understand it just yet, so I filled the box with coins, let the excess fall off, then distributed the leftover coins for them to count. Like this they were able to understand. Jane-san is a cheerful and hardworking young woman, but she¡¯s a little slow when it comes to stuff that needs thinking, so I just let her figure it out on her own pace while I started mass producing the coin box. For the small copper coin version, I made it so that they could accept 50 small copper coins, while for the medium copper coin version, I made it so that it could take up to 100 coins. The original coin box could accommodate every type of coin, but I¡¯ll just make some adjustments later. It turns out making the coin box was a great idea, for in just 10 minutes after making it, we were done. After counting everything, most of the coins were small copper coins. I thought there was a lot of medium copper coins, but apparently the customers mostly paid with small copper coins. After that I asked about the store and if there was anything they were having difficulties with. ¡°Difficulties?¡± [Jane] ¡°Nothing really comes to mind~¡± [Maria] ¡°This store treats us really well, so I don¡¯t have any complaints.¡± [Fina] ¡°A person who complains despite such good treatment is just too entitled.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Really? I mean your salary may be fine, but what about your brea¡ª!!¡± [Ryouma] Oh no! I forgot about their rest days!! What employee welfare? I¡¯ve been making them work without rest!! ¡°What¡¯s up, Boss? Your face went all pale all of the sudden.¡± [Fei] ¡°¡­I forgot to allot you your rest days.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, everyone doubted their ears and stared at me. And then Jane-san said in loud voice. ¡°Boss! Are we going receive regular rest days!?¡± [Jane] Huh? What¡¯s with that reaction? Isn¡¯t that a given? Though I suppose I really shouldn¡¯t be saying that considering I forgot. When I got a good look at everyone, they all seemed to be equally confused. ¡°How about once a week? You could rest once a week or take turns¡­¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the three young women became very happy. Seeing me so confused by their reaction, Carla-san went ahead and explained. ¡°Boss, the people who leave their home and go far away to work like these three normally don¡¯t get rest days. Unless they have some sort of special ability, they are usually treated cruelly as servants and are paid less compared to others. But this store not only treats them well, it even pays a lot. Given such conditions, it¡¯s only normal to expect that there won¡¯t be any rest days.¡± [Carla] ¡°But it¡¯s not just them who don¡¯t get rest days. Small companies and retail stores like a grocery stores also don¡¯t get any unless there¡¯s a festival or a special event of some sort. Having rest days do take a toll on the business, and it¡¯s also not strange for there to be circumstances wherein one needs wo work without rest. That¡¯s especially true for newly opened businesses, which would often prefer to keep working nonstop to get the ball rolling.¡± [Carm] Businesses ran like a bicycle, huh. [2] Well, I suppose there are those too. ¡°Boss, do you know? Our family apologized to us a lot when they sent us away~ ¡®Sorry for making you take on such a hard role¡¯, they said.¡± [Maria] ¡°Apparently, if our luck was bad, not only would we paid dirt poor, even our chastity might be in danger.¡± [Fina] ¡°You were worried about that, huh.¡± [Jane] Does this world treat its employees poorly? As I wondered that, I turned to Carla-san. ¡°Abusing one¡¯s position as the employer to seek sexual relations is against the law, but unfortunately, there are still those who do it. It¡¯s one of the things an employee needs to look out for when looking for a job.¡± [Carla] Sexual harassment was a thing in my previous world too. I guess that sort of stuff is the same even in other worlds. ¡°My store makes it a point to take care of its employees, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. Let¡¯s continue working together.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, everyone smiled and nodded. As for their rest day, since the wave of customers still show no sign of stopping, they told me that it would be a waste to designate a rest day now. As such, they decided to take turns resting once a week. After discussing that and having Shelma-san¡¯s delicious supper, I noticed that it was already almost 9, so I bid them goodbye and left the store. I might be scolded since I ended up coming home late again. When I got back to the inn, the ojousama and the others had already returned. As I drank tea and listened, apparently, the Jamil family was welcomed by the government office today. Part of the reason was because there was a new head, and another is for the remaining members part of that recent scandal to curry favor with the duke. Of course, all the efforts of these sycophants probably wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. I couldn¡¯t help but imagine a party with a showy banner that says ¡®welcome party¡¯ on one side and a sign on the other side that says ¡®hearing in session¡¯. As it turns out, something similar actually did happen. Other than Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san who told me all these, everyone else was already asleep. It would probably be a bother if I were to stay here too long, so II excused myself. [1] ¨C Not sure of the exact reading of the kanji for this or if it has an English equivalent, but this is what comes up when I search it [2] ¨C Businesses that are barely hanging on. They¡¯re ran like a bicycle since they need to keep the wheel spinning or else they fall over. Chapter 57 Volume 2 Chapter 57 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 57 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 57 part3 The next day. ¡°U, uu¡­ My head¡­ It hurts¡­¡± [Reinhart] I dropped by the Jamil family¡¯s room to meet the ojousama, whom I couldn¡¯t meet last night, but when I got there, I saw Reinhart-san with a terrible hangover. ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun, good morning.¡± [Elize] ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You seem to be in pain. Would you like me to make you a medicine?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Well, you¡¯re here now, so might as well, I suppose. Could you make me some?¡± [Reinhart] I warped into town and got some medicinal ingredients that would work well for hangovers, as well as some fruits that could be taken with it without any problems, then I went back to the inn. ¡°Here, please drink this. After this you should make sure to drink a lot of water.¡± [Ryouma] It would¡¯ve been great if some kaki were available. That or clam miso soup. This world is know to have had a lot of otherworlders, so I wonder if I could get some somewhere? I should look for them next time. ¡°T.. Thanks¡­ I¡¯ll drink it¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It would be best if you avoid drinking too much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My bad¡­ Yesterday was¡­ Uu¡­ It hurts¡­¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san tried to say something despite all the pain, but all that came out was a drunkard¡¯s grumbles. The people of the government office wanted to curry favor from Reinbach-sama and Reinhart-san, so they kept offering them liquor and extravagant food. The ojousama and the madam too, of course. The madam was alright, but apparently, because the ojousama didn¡¯t have a lot of experience with that sort of stuff, Reinhart-san ended up drinking a lot in her place. When I heard that I couldn¡¯t help but become worried. Ojousama, will you be alright? When you become an adult you¡¯ll be exposed to more and more of this stuff. I have Tekun-sama¡¯s divine protection, so my situation is much better since I can¡¯t get hangovers, though I¡¯m not exactly sure myself how much I can drink with this body. I also have my experiences from my past life. Maybe I should check once just how much I can drink. While thinking like that to myself, Reinhart-san drank the medicine and the juice, then I left the inn. It¡¯s a bit late already, but I still decided to go to the store. After checking on the store a little, I left. Everything seems to be going well, so that¡¯s good. Next stop is the abandoned mines. There¡¯s something I want to try out, so I should catch some slimes along the way. Also, since I¡¯m going anyway, I might as well do a herb collection request. ¡°Good day, Maelyn-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. Are you here for work?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Yes. The employees can manage the store by themselves now, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Having your own store with hired employees is a great achievement at your age, you know.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I was lucky.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wonder. Ah, speaking of which, I¡¯ve heard something good recently. It¡¯s not a job, but it might be useful for you.¡± [Maelyn] Something good? ¡°There¡¯s a party of 5 adventurers that came from another town. That party brought an advanced slime variant with them.¡± [Maelyn] What!? ¡°Can you tell me more?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Catching a rare monster or just spotting one can fetch one a good price at the tamers guild. Well, as it turns out, that party of adventurers managed to find an advanced slime variant by accident, but when they tried to sell it, they were refused. If it were a slime like your heal slime that could use some kind of magic, then it would¡¯ve probably sold for a lot since it would¡¯ve been quite useful, but clearly, that wasn¡¯t the case for them. Those 5 adventurers are still young, so they probably made a mistake when gathering information. ¡®Couldn¡¯t a slime also sell for a lot if it¡¯s an advanced variant?¡¯ they said. They seemed pretty down.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°So you¡¯re saying that that rare slime could be purchased as long as one has the money?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Want it?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Yes. Very much. Would you happen to know where they¡¯re staying?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re staying at the badger pavilion east of town. The party¡¯s name is Wharf of Shikumu. You¡¯ll probably find them.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll go now.¡± [Ryouma] I immediately left the guild and hurriedly made my way for the badger pavilion. My plans? We¡¯re changing them! All of them! ¡°Is this it?¡± [Ryouma] I easily found the badger pavilion, but it looked really worn out. What is this? An abandoned building? For the mean time, I tried entering the store. When I did I noticed an old man by the counter. ¡°Welcome. Are you a customer?¡± [Old Man] ¡°I have business with the Wharf of Shikumu, which should be staying here. Are they here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep.¡± [Old Man] As he said that he pointed toward the door to the right. ¡°Beyond that is a cafeteria that also serves as a bar. They¡¯re eating there right now. One of them has been drinking and grumbling since morning, so be careful.¡± [Old Man] ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] Curt, but he seems like a good guy. I opened the gate and went into the cafeteria. When I did, I immediately found the party of 5 that I was looking for. I immediately recognized them. They all seemed to be in the latter half of their tens. ¡°Excuse me, are you guys the members of the Wharf of Shikumu?¡± [Ryouma] When I called out to them, they all turned to me. ¡°Hmm? You are?¡± [Party Member 1] ¡°Pardon my belated introduction. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. I am a monster tamer and an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmph! A little brat like you is an adventurer?¡± [Sein] ¡°Stop it Sein. Sorry. This guy¡¯s in a bad mood¡­¡± [Party Member 1] ¡°I¡¯ve heard your circumstances. You brought a rare slime to the tamer guild and tried to sell it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so¡ª¡± [Party Member 1] ¡°Hah!!? So you came here to pick a fight!?¡± [Sein] The man called Sein stood up, but before he could walk toward me, he was stopped by a party member. ¡°I¡¯m not here to pick a fight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? So you¡¯re here to make fun of us then!? Made fun of by some brat¡­ Fuck!! Fine! Laugh! We¡¯re idiots, alright! We dragged our sorry asses all the way out here to try and sell a rare monster, but in the end we couldn¡¯t make a single suit!! But why do we have to be insulted by a brat like you too!?¡± [Sein] After Sein said that he broke down crying. Looks like he¡¯s so drunk he¡¯s seeing things already. ¡°Sein.¡± [Party Member 1] ¡°Calm down.¡± [Party Member 2] ¡°I¡¯ll bring Sein to the room. You can¡¯t talk like this.¡± [Party Member 3] ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± [Party Member 4] Two of their party members left the table and brought Sein back to his room. ¡°Let¡¯s start over. We are the Wharf of Shikumu, and I¡¯m the leader, Shin.¡± [Shin] ¡°I¡¯m Kai. The guy making a ruckus is called Sein. Sorry about that.¡± [Kai] ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks for being understanding. So, why have you come to look for us?¡± [Shin] Right! That¡¯s the important part! Who cares if there¡¯s a drunkard or not! ¡°Right. Just as I was saying awhile ago, I would like to purchase the slime you couldn¡¯t sell.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That slime?¡± [Kai] ¡°I¡¯d be grateful if you could get it off of our hands, but why? The tamer guild just insult us when we tried to sell it.¡± [Shin] ¡°Because I¡¯m a collector of slimes, as well as a researcher. If there¡¯s a rare slime I don¡¯t have, it¡¯s only natural that I would want to acquire it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as you give us a good price, we won¡¯t have any complaints. We were planning to deal with it by tomorrow anyway.¡± [Shin] ¡°I see. Can you show me the slime? If it¡¯s a slime I already have, I won¡¯t pay much for it, but if it¡¯s a slime I don¡¯t have yet, then I¡¯ll pay you handsomely.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± [Shin] ¡°I¡¯ll bring it now. Just wait here for a bit.¡± [Kai] Kai-san left after saying that, then 3 minutes later he came back with a box made out of stone. ¡°There¡¯s a slime inside this. Please be careful when you open it.¡± [Kai] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] Carefully, I lifted the lid of the box and peeked at the slime inside. The slime was dark red and had a much more syrupy body, making it a lot closer to liquid compared to normal slimes. After confirming the slime, I closed the lid. ¡°How is it?¡± [Shin] ¡°It¡¯s a slime I don¡¯t have yet, so I¡¯m willing to pay a high price for it. If you don¡¯t mind me asking, how much have you spent so far to get here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°5,000 suits for all 5 of us. We did as much as we could to cut down on expenses, but it still cost us that much.¡± [Shin] When I heard that, I took out two small gold coins from my Item Box. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll give you 10,000 suits for the slime and another 10,000 to cover your travel expenses.¡± [ryouma] When I said that, Kai and Shin became flustered. ¡°Seriously!? That¡¯s 20,000.¡± [Kai] ¡°Can a single slime really sell for 2 small gold coins?¡± [Shin] ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, it¡¯s thanks to all of you that I could get my hands on this slime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°R-Right¡­ Well, no complaints here. You¡¯re okay with this too, right?¡± [Shin] ¡°Of course, I am.¡± [Kai] ¡°Then it¡¯s a deal.¡± [Ryouma] I handed over the money to Shin. ¡°I¡¯ve received the payment.¡± [Shin] ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this slime then. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We should be thanking you.¡± [Kai] ¡°With this we won¡¯t have to worry about our expenses for the mean time. Sein should also calm down.¡± [Shin] II can somewhat understand that man¡¯s feelings¡­ There are times when you can¡¯t help but worry when there¡¯s no money. I also had times like that. Speaking of which, wasn¡¯t a big job coming out soon? ¡°If you want to make some coin, it might be better for you to stay in town a bit longer. The season for a monster outbreak in a nearby marsh is almost here. Supposedly the guts of that monster has medicinal effects, so they sell for a lot. You can earn a lot so long as you can endure the stench of the marsh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Shin] ¡°Yes. You can confirm with the guild if you want. I don¡¯t know when exactly the outbreak is, but it should be soon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks!¡± [Kai] ¡°Thanks for the info. Is there any way we can thank you?¡± [Shin] I don¡¯t really need it, but since they¡¯re asking, I guess I could advertise here. ¡°Then how about dropping by my store? I own a laundromat as a sideline, you see. Although it ended up being a bit too big for a sideline.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A laundromat?¡± [Shin] ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll wash all the clothes you can fit in in our bags. You purchase the bags from us, of course. The laundry fee will only run you about 1 medium copper coin. We also have a service catered toward adventurers that washes all equipment and armor for only one medium copper coin and 5 small copper coins.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s a store like that?¡± [Kai] ¡°Alright. It¡¯s affordable, anyway, so we¡¯ll drop by.¡± [Shin] ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s just before the residential district to the east. We get a lot of adventurers as customers, so if you get lost just ask around and you should be able to find it quickly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll definitely go.¡± [Shin] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After that I went to the abandoned mine. Here I don¡¯t have to worry about my surroundings, so it¡¯s the best place to do slime research. When I got to the mine, the first thing I did was to start the treatment of the waterproof cloths. I¡¯m here anyway, so I figured I might as well. Today I made 50, then after doing some other stuff, it was finally time to form a contract with the rare slime I just bought. Gently, I lifted the lid of the stone box, then while peeking at the slime inside, I chanted the spell for the monster tamer contract. Immediately, the liquid body of the slime rippled fiercely, then it gradually weakened down, until it was no more. Contract success! Well, I expected this, though. When I used monster identify on it, this came out: Bloody Slime Skills: Blood Suck Lv4 Deodorize Lv3 Disease Resist Lv3 Poison Resist Lv1 Act Dead Lv10 Digest Lv2 Absorb Lv4 Split Lv1 Bloody slime, huh. It possesses the blood sucking skill too, so it¡¯s food definitely has to be blood. Other than that it also possesses the deodorizing and disease resist skills. Moreover, although a little low leveled, it also possesses the poison resist skill. What¡¯s up with this Act Dead, though? Is it really going to act dead? ¡­Well, whatever. We¡¯ll just check the skills later. The problem now is food. If it¡¯s food really is blood, how am I supposed to procure that? ¡°Should I hunt some random beast or monster?¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slimes to do as they please as long as they don¡¯t go too far, then I took the bloody slime with me and went hunting. Before I left, though, I noticed that several dozens of slimes took their staffs sand spears and started practicing on their own. Although I just taught them so they could defend themselves, there sure are some passionate ones among them. The slimes lined up perfectly and started repeating the basic spear/staff movements that I taught them. There were also some who partnered with each other and started sparring. Their movements gradually improved. It¡¯s good that they¡¯re practicing, but I¡¯m pretty sure this isn¡¯t normal. While thinking that to myself, I took the bloody slime and looked for a prey. After a while, we found a rabbit with a horn. A horn rabbit, in other words. I took out a bow and arrow from my Item Box, then with a single shot, I ended the rabbit¡¯s life. After that I told the slime to have his meal. The slime approached the horned rabbit that laid lifeless on the ground, dyed with the red of its own blood, then it started to suck the blood straight from the wound. So it drinks the blood from the wound. We have organisms that drink blood back on Earth too, like the mosquitoes or the fleas¡­ Oh, speaking of which, there¡¯s also a bird that drinks blood. Well, basically, it¡¯s something like tha¡ª!? While I thought to myself as I watched the bloody slime do its thing, the bloody slime¡¯s body that was already more liquid than other slimes suddenly started to become even less viscous, then before I knew it, it had disappeared inside the body of the horn rabbit. ¡°It went in through the wound?¡± [Ryouma] Well, that was unexpected. The bloody slime¡¯s body is a lot less viscous than other slimes. It¡¯s not really a syrupy liquid anymore but more of a smooth one. It seems it uses that near-liquid property of its body to enter the veins of an organism and feed on its blood. ¡°This slime is¡­ very different from all the slimes so far. Who would¡¯ve thought there¡¯d be a slime like this?¡± [Ryouma] While I was being surprised by the actions of the bloody slime, the bloody slime suddenly exited the horn rabbit¡¯s body. It¡¯s body is dark red, so it looks like blood is spouting out of the horn rabbit¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s a little creepy, honestly. After the bloody slime had completely exited, I used Identify on the horn rabbit. How is it? Horn Rabbit Corpse Its skin, meat, and horn can be harvested. It was instantly killed by an arrow shooting through its neck, so there¡¯s little injury to its horn and pelt, making their quality high. The blood has also been drained exceedingly quickly, so the stench has been greatly reduced and its meat is of the highest quality. I get the horn and pelt part, but did it just say that it¡¯s blood had been drained? That must be because of the bloody slime then. But I wonder if it¡¯s safe to eat. You won¡¯t catch anything, right? I used Identify again, and it seems everything was safe. ¡°It seems this slime is going to be really useful for adventurers and hunters.¡± [Ryouma] When I got back to the mine, I gutted the horn rabbit and cooked it. When I tasted it, the odor was completely gone and it was really delicious. The odor disappearing might have something to do with the bloody slime¡¯s deodorize skill. With such convenient skills, it seems purchasing this slime was money well spent. It seems I¡¯ll be needing blood if I want to make more bloody slimes, though. ¡°Just how should I procure all that blood to feed my experiments¡­ I can¡¯t possibly hunt all the beasts and monsters around here, now could I?¡± [Ryouma] After all, if I did that, then the ecosystem here would turn into a mess. Not to mention, I¡¯d be taking work from other adventurers. ¡°I know! Let¡¯s talk to Zeke-san.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s a dish back at earth that uses animal blood as an ingredient, but there¡¯s no such dish here. As for why, that¡¯s because th mana of a living creature is present in its blood. If a human drinks it, the mana within will also enter his body, exposing him to mana intoxication should he consume too much. It¡¯s no different from mana overconsumption, so there¡¯s no need to treat it, but it¡¯s something that should be avoided. Zeke-san is a butcher. Adventurers bring meat to him and he buys them. If he does the blood draining at his store, then it might be possible to acquire a lot of blood from him. I¡¯ll drop by his store when I get back to town. As I thought that, I suddenly recalled that I¡¯d forgotten to capture some new slimes to experiment with, so I looked for some in the tunnels and caught myself 3 fresh slimes. I formed a contract with them successfully. The cloths still aren¡¯t done drying, so I decided to start the experiments. Chapter 58 Volume 2 Chapter 58 After catching my breath, I released some mana toward the three slimes. The slimes quivered and jumped toward that mana. The emotion transmitted to me was joy. On the outside, the slimes just looked like they were shaking, but thanks to my Mana Perception skill, I could tell that they were in fact absorbing mana. ¡°As I thought¡­¡± [Ryouma] When I saw the slime evolve after releasing and absorbing mana yesterday, I realized something regarding the relationship between slime and mana. First, heal slimes can use healing magic, so slimes definitely have mana. The condition to become heal slime is also probably healing magic itself. At the time, I figured, ¡°if so, then wouldn¡¯t it be possible to create a slime that could use fire or water magic?¡± But the result was that I just ended up hurting the slimes, so I stopped the experiments. But what about now? A slime that could use every attribute. In the past, I figured there should be a slime that could use other spells. Something that I confirmed with Maelyn-san just the other day. If it¡¯s an existing slime, then it should be possible to make it evolve by changing its diet. The next question would be whether mana could be used as feed for slimes. I released mana again. This time I turned my mana into that of the fire attribute. In my mind, I visualized the image of mana burning up like gas. Supposedly, that the image one visualizes varies from person to person. Like this I was able to change my neutral attribute mana into the fire attribute. This attribute conversion is necessary if one is to use an attribute¡¯s spell. Only, normally, one would immediately invoke a spell along with the conversion of mana attribute. In my case, I¡¯m stopping right before I cast the spell,o leaving the mana in a converted state as I release it. ¡°This is actually more difficult than just using magic normally.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s probably because I¡¯m not used to it. ¡°You don¡¯t like neutral mana?¡± [Ryouma] When I tried releasing just neutral attribute mana, the absorption rate of the slime became slower. I tried out different attributes, and I found out that two out of the three slimes preferred earth attribute, while the last one preferred dark attribute. It seems mana attribute is an individual preference. Does mana actually taste like something? Anyway, the slimes look happy, so let¡¯s continue. After that I kept feeding the slimes until I was just a step before running out of mana, then after taking a break, I took the dried waterproof cloths, went back to town, and headed to Zeke-san¡¯s store. ¡°Welcome! What kind of meat are you looking for?¡± [Store Clerk] It was a 14 or 15 year-old boy that greeted me when I got to the store. ¡°Sorry, I have something I¡¯d like to discuss with the manager, Zeke-san. I wonder if it would be possible to talk to him?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh. Boss! Someone¡¯s looking for you!¡± [Store Clerk] When he called out loud like that, a man covered in bloodstained clothes came out. It was Zeke-san. Pale skin, unhealthily thin, and bloodstained clothes¡­ This person is ¨C in a very different way from Wogan-san ¨C also scary¡­ ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. You have some business with me?¡± [Zeke] ¡°Yes, actually¡­¡± [Ryouma] I explained to him my situation. ¡°¡­I see. So there was a slime like that, huh. Alright, I can give you some now. There were some young adventurers who dropped by with a lot of spoils, so there¡¯s plenty of blood if you need them.¡± [Zeke] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After that I was let in to the workplace. 5 men were in the middle of work. Near the wall of the workplace was a large ceiling joist from which hooks and cords dangled from. Animals dripped in blood as they hung from the hooks and cords. ¡°Over here.¡± [Zeke] I was led to one of the beasts dangling from the ceiling joist. There were two large containers beneath it, and both were filled with blood. The containers were as long as the room. ¡°Thank you. Would it be okay to feed my slime now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure.¡± [Zeke] After getting permission, I put the bloody slime inside one of the containers. The bloody slime immediately went to work, and in the blink of an eye, the blood was sucked up until nothing was left. ¡°Wow¡­ Now, that¡¯s convenient.¡± [Zeke] ¡°You think so too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have to dispose the blood after draining it from the meat. And even if we didn¡¯t, we would still have to wash the container. Unfortunately, it¡¯s big, heavy¡­ It¡¯s a huge hassle.¡± [Zeke] ¡°Especially, when we get a big one. Whenever we have to drain a lot of blood like today, it takes a lot of work.¡± [Worker 1] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] It was such a huge undertaking that even the worker nearby said it took a lot of effort. But still, they had to do it. We were here already, so I figured I might as well ask if there are any dishes that use blood. ¡°A dish that uses blood as an ingredient? Never heard of one.¡± ¡°I mean it¡¯s common sense to throw blood. Yeah?¡± ¡°Of course, if you could eat it, that would be a waste¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the mana in the blood disperses if you leave blood on its own, but then the blood spoils or dries, so you still can¡¯t eat it.¡± Looks like mana-infused blood really is just waste. After that Zeke told me to come whenever I needed blood. He also gave me the meat and bones that weren¡¯t sold and had spoiled. He didn¡¯t mind giving me the things that they would just throw away and was quite generous. With this I¡¯ve also acquired feed for the scavenger and acid slimes. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± [Ryouma] Elated after receiving much more than I was expecting, I thanked Zeke-san and left his store. When I did¡­ ¡°Walk briskly!¡± [Guard] ¡°That hurts!¡± [Suspect 1?] ¡°Hey! What are you sorry lots looking at!? [Suspect 2?] ¡°This ain¡¯t a show!¡± [Suspect 3?] ¡°Shut up and walk!!¡± [Guard] I noticed the guards escorting several boorish-looking men. What happened!? Upon seeing that, I immediately ran to the store. Everyone was already gathered. ¡°Is everyone alright!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, Boss!¡± ¡°I saw the guards coming out of the store¡­ Is everyone alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Everything¡¯s fine~ No one¡¯s hurt too~¡± [Maria] ¡°Fei-san took care of all of them singlehandedly!¡± [Fina] ¡°Thank you, Fei-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. This is my job too.¡± [Fei] ¡°You helped us out a lot too, Ryouma-sama. Fei-san and Leelin-san helped out, of course, but you also helped out since it was due to your foresight that you hired them beforehand. Thanks to that no one was hurt.¡± [Carla] ¡°N-No. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± [Ryouma] I mean I just got here. While I was thinking that, Leelin-san called out to me. ¡°Boss, can we talk? I think we should make some preparations in case they try this again.¡± [Leelin] I left Fei-san and the three working women in charge of the store, then I took Leelin-san and the twins with me to the office. ¡°Although I said that, we don¡¯t actually need it just yet. As long as my dad and I are here, there won¡¯t be any problem. Ruffians like that, I could take them alone. There¡¯s just one thing I want to ask. Boss, are you hated by someone?¡± [Leelin] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those ruffians were hired by someone. I know for sure since I gave them some truth serum before the guards came.¡± [Leelin] ¡°They were hired by someone?¡± [Ryouma] I tried to think of who might hate me, but¡­ ¡°Well, there¡¯s a group of adventurers who tried to extort some children. I beat them black and blue, so they probably hate me, but it¡¯s probably not them.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve been isolated in the forest until now, and before that I was in another world. Ever since I entered town, I¡¯ve been meeting nothing but good peolpe, so I¡¯m pretty sure I haven¡¯t gotten on anyone¡¯s bad side. The only issue I¡¯ve ever had was really just that. ¡°Those guys said they were paid a large sum¡­ Even though they were only asked to do something so simple.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Simple? What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They were just asked to quarrel with some customers and shout angrily.¡± [Leelin] ¡°But Fei-san noticed them and stopped them.¡± [Carla] So they don¡¯t want to hurt the employees or the facilities. What they want is to hurt the business, huh. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t think of anyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s envy. From another store¡¯s perspective, our laundromat suddenly appeared out of nowhere and started making a killing.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Those sort are everywhere. We should be careful.¡± [Carm] ¡°It would¡¯ve been great if the ruffians has some more information, but it seems their client took care to hide cover his tracks.¡± [Leelin] ¡°This sort of stuff does tend to happen where there¡¯s profit. We might just have to brace ourselves to deal with the situation whenever it happens.¡± [Carla] After this Carla-san and Carm-san reported today¡¯s matter to the merchant guild and Serge, while I reported to the duke¡¯s family. It was also decided that the security in the morning would be left to Fei-san and Leelin-san, while the slimes will be let loosed to patrol the store grounds in the evening. When I spoke to Reinhart-san about today¡¯s matter, it turned into a huge deal, as he recommended me to use their connections to hire guards. The ones that could be hired immediately were all former soldiers or knights, who retired because of an injury. The thing is not one of them was on the level something like my store should be able to hire, as they all had titles that overqualified them. Speaking of which, of the people I was recommended, the most skillful one was the former knight commander. Apparently, he¡¯s Reinbach-sama¡¯s war buddy¡­ As if I could hire someone like that!! After talking for a while, it was decided that we would just quietly monitor the situation for now. Oh, come to think of it, didn¡¯t Leelin-san just casually drugged someone? I ignored it at the time, but they actually have that sort of stuff with them¡­ Ah, well¡­ They¡¯re reliable, so it¡¯s probably okay. Let¡¯s go to sleep already. Chapter 59 Volume 2 Chapter 59 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 59 part2 The next day. ¡°Ryouma-san, are you awake?¡± [Elialia] The ojousama visited my room first thing in the morning. She was accompanied by Sebasu-san. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Dad¡¯s teaching me monster taming arts, so I was wondering if you¡¯d like to tag along.¡± [Elialia] Monster taming, huh¡­ Come to think of it, all I know about monster taming is the contract, the monster identify skill, and contract cancellation¡­ Are there other spells? If it¡¯s now, I do have time to spare. But there¡¯s also the matter with the ruffians yesterday¡­ While I was thinking that to myself, Sebasu-san approached me and whispered to my ear. ¡°I¡¯m aware this is urgent, but I¡¯ve heard that Ryouma-sama has more free time recently. Why not consider this as a break and spend some time with the ojousama? It won¡¯t be long before the ojousama parts with you in this town, so as much as possible, she wants to spend as much time with you as possible. We¡¯ve already sent a guard to watch over the store today, so please rest assured.¡± [Sebasu] Ah~¡­ Now that he mentions it, after starting the laundromat because of my desire to be independent, I¡¯ve been spending all my time on ensuring my living expenses and tending to the store. As a result, I¡¯ve been spending less time with ojousama than when we were travelling together. She was so happy to train magic together too¡­ She must¡¯ve been elated to make a friend. ¡­I might¡¯ve done something bad, I guess¡­ ¡°Alright. Can I learn too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!?¡± [Elialia] When I said that, the ojousama¡¯s blooming smile was blinding. Why do I feel so guilty? ¡­Well, considering I didn¡¯t notice until now, I guess I really am at fault¡­ When I told my employees about this matter, they all smiled at me and said ¡®please leave the store to us!¡¯ Even though something like that happened yesterday, I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re not complaining at all¡­ If it were my old job, they¡¯d definitely never let me hear the end of it. Looks like I hired some really good people. When we arrived at our destination, the place was none other than the open area in the abandoned mine that I¡¯ve long gotten used to. Apparently, we¡¯re doing the training here. The madam was standing before me and the ojousama with a bird cage in hand. ¡°Let us begin. To start off with, what is monster taming? Elia.¡± [Elize] ¡°Monster taming is magic that allows us to form contracts with monsters, so that we may borrow their strength. When a contract is formed, a mana connection is formed between the practitioner and the monster. It is through this connection that the monster and tamer are able to understand each other.¡± [Elialia] ¡°Exactly. What I¡¯m going to be teaching you today is the Share Senses spell, which makes use of that connection. Just as the name implies, this spell will allow a practitioner to share his senses with his monster¡¯s and vice-versa. It¡¯s a spell that allows a practitioner to inform his tamed monster when he¡¯s in danger.¡± [Elize] ¡°This spell is limited only to monster tamers. Conjurers can¡¯t do this.¡± [Elize] Really? ¡°Why can¡¯t conjurers use this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because the contract conjurers use is forced upon their summoned monster. Although there exists a bond between a conjurer and his monster, the bond is one-sided.¡± [Elize] I see¡­ I don¡¯t know much about conjurers. ¡°I see. That makes sense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You need to be familiar with your monster to master Share Senses. Monsters that you know well and have been working with for a long time are much easier to use share senses with than otherwise. Today, however, the two of you will be using share senses with the monster we prepared for you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What about my slimes? Can¡¯t I use Share Senses with them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You could certainly share your senses with a slime, but the effect will be hard to understand, and really, there¡¯s no point.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°After all, slimes don¡¯t have ears, eyes, or a nose. Even if you manage to successfully link with them, you can¡¯t see, hear, or smell. You won¡¯t even be able to taste. I mean, in the first place, we don¡¯t really know how they¡¯re able to tell their surroundings.¡± [Elize] Now that she mentions it, that certainly would make the effect difficult to discern. ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] After that Elia and I formed a contract with the monster in the birdcage, a crew bird. Speaking of which, this is my first time forming a contract with a monster other than a slime. I became a little nervous when I realized that, but the contract completed successfully. ¡°Done? Then imagine a connection forming between you and your monster. After that I want you to imagine that you can see what your monster is seeing. If you can do that, then you¡¯ll be able to use Share Sense without a chant.¡± [Elize] After being told that, I imagined the camera connected to a TV. When I did, the image quickly flowed into my mind, but¡­ ¡°¡­I feel sick¡­¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s two pictures inside my head. One from my eyes and another from the monster¡¯s eyes. It¡¯s hard to describe it, but it¡¯s like two screens are being forcefully shown to me and forcefully trying to make me understand. It¡¯s not a very pleasant feeling¡­ ¡°Oh, my. You¡¯ve already succeeded, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Elize] ¡°As expected of you. There are actually quite a lot of people who have a hard time grasping the image for this. It¡¯s a fairly difficult spell to understand.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s precisely because it¡¯s hard though that it should be taught early. That way you can practice it sooner¡­ As for that sense of discomfort, that¡¯s something that every monster tamer goes through after learning it for the first time. So long as you train and work hard at it, that odd feeling will eventually go away. Since you¡¯re a beginner, you can just close your eyes for now and just focus on the image that your monster is seeing.¡± [Reinhart] I need to get used to it, huh. I did just as I was told and closed my eyes, so I could focus on what my monster is seeing. My crew bird is currently on the ground. The image perspective is really low, but without my own perspective overlapping with it, it¡¯s somewhat manageable. ¡­Yep, this is a lot better. We trained for 2 more hours after that. Right up till the end I had my eyes closed, but I at least succeeded at keeping the connection up while my crew bird flew in the sky. Being able to see the world literally from a bird¡¯s eye view should be quite useful for security and surveillance. While I was thinking that to myself, the ojousama succeeded on casting the spell. ¡°This feels¡­ Weird¡­¡± [Elialia] As expected, she feels weird too. In my case, it¡¯s still somewhat manageable since I used an image based off of my experience on Earth, but in the ojousama¡¯s case, she¡¯s doing this without any prior similar experience. With the both of us being able to successfully link with our respective monsters, we were given a short break. Arone-san and the others poured us some tea. ¡°The 2 of you sure are fast learners. I can¡¯t believe you managed learned the spell so quickly.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Elia has Jamil blood flowing through her veins, so I expected it would be fast, but still¡­ I didn¡¯t think it would be this fast. I also thought Ryouma-kun would have some difficulties learning the spell.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? There¡¯ll be less issues if they can learn fast. After this comes the grind, after all.¡± [Elize] ¡°That weird feeling is going to continue, huh.¡± [Elia] Apparently, the ojousama was having a hard time getting used to the sensation even with her eyes closed. Though I guess anyone would have a hard time if an image was so pushed down their brain. I¡¯ve seen TVs before, so I¡¯m better off, but even if I tell her about them, it won¡¯t help since she¡¯s never seen one. Good luck, Ojousama. We talked idly like that for a while, then the madam asked me a question. ¡°Ryouma-kun, how was contracting a monster other than a slime? Did it feel weird anywhere? Does it feel like your connection is faint?¡± [Elize] ¡°No, not in particular.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then that might mean you have an affinity with bird-type monsters.¡± [Elize] Affinity? What is she talking about? ¡°What¡¯s an affinity?¡± [Ryouma] It was Reinhart-san who answered that question. ¡°You don¡¯t know? Monster Tamers and Conjurers each have their own individual affinities regarding what monsters they could form contracts with and how many. In some cases, they could form contracts with just a few but powerful monsters. It varies from person to person and is basically just like one¡¯s affinity to magic attributes. In your case, you most likely have very good compatibility with slimes; otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t be able to form a contract with so many.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Knowing what monsters you¡¯re compatible with and picking the right monster is essential to monster tamers. If you don¡¯t know what monsters your most compatible with, then you¡¯ll have no choice but to keep looking until you figure it out. In my case, I¡¯m most compatible with scaled monsters. And while I can¡¯t form a lot of contracts, every monster I form a contract with is a force to be reckoned.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°In my case, I¡¯m good with four-legged monster, while completely sucking at bird-type monsters. I can¡¯t even form a contract with them.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°In my case¡­¡± [Elize] Just as the madam was about to open her mouth, a light flashed beside her and a giant silver wolf suddenly appeared. ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] I was surprised, but the others were all just quietly sitting. The madam chuckled and told me it was alright. At that, I relaxed. ¡°Sorry for startling you. This child is Ruog, my little fenrir.¡± [Elize] Fenrir? ¡­You talking about that fenrir? The legendary one!? ¡°Oh, my. You seem to have mistaken him for the other fenrir.¡± [Elize] ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, not. Fenrir is a divine beast. Little fenrir is a monster. A wolf type monster that can use some ice magic. It¡¯s definitely a powerful monster, though.¡± [Elize] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Little fenrir sounds amazing¡­ And the madam too since she¡¯s able to win one over¡­ When the madam petted the little fenrir, the little fenrir made a delighted expression as it laid down beside her legs. It¡¯s like a dog. ¡°This child is the leader of the pack. I have 20 more little fenrirs like this one. Then I have another 100 wolf-type monsters. I¡¯m really compatible wolf-type monsters.¡± [Elize] 20 little fenrirs!? Although they can¡¯t compare to me and my slimes in numbers, the quality is just too different. The intimidating aura around one is whole ¡®nother league compared to the black bear¡¯s. ¡°Elize is a masterful monster tamer. Little fenrirs aren¡¯t something you can normally tame. In the past, when I met Elize, I actually couldn¡¯t help but feel inferior.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, really? Didn¡¯t you say something like ¡®I have my sword!¡¯ and just focused on improving your swordsmanship instead? And besides, I don¡¯t think you were that untalented when it came to monster taming.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­But if you compare me to you and dad, I look no different than your common monster tamer.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But it¡¯s not like you minded it that much, right? I mean, in the first place, even back in your childhood days, you never really liked training your taming abilities and just focused on your sword instead. So don¡¯t make it out as if I¡¯m at fault.¡± [Reinbach] While Reinbach-sama was grumbling, I glanced at Ruog and thought to myself. The madam has 20 little fenrirs and another 100 wolf-type monsters. And Reinbach-sama could be said to be her equal. This definitely isn¡¯t normal, right? At least according to this world¡¯s standard. I mean they did say she was an excellent monster tamer. While I was thinking to myself like that, the ojousama called out to me. ¡°Ryouma-san, what are you thinking about?¡± [Elia] ¡°Hmm¡­ I was just thinking how amazing Reinbach-sama is since he could stand equal to the madam.¡± [Ryouma] Elia seemed delighted at having her family member praised, as she made a big smile. But the madam overheard my words and corrected me. ¡°Ryouma-kun. That¡¯s not quite right. Actually, Father-in-law is much more amazing than me.¡± [Elize] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. Father-in-law¡¯s monsters are in a different league altogether. Although he only has 20 under him, every one of them would be give an A Rank Quest should a subjugation job for them be posted in the adventurers guild. After all, half of them are dragons.¡± [Elize] ¡°Dragons!?¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve never seen a dragon before, but I sure as hell know that 10 dragons mean serious business. Moreover, each one possesses a strength equal to an A Rank. That¡¯s just way too much firepower for a single person!! ¡­Reinbach-sama, why does it feel like you¡¯re more of a cheat than I am? ¡°Mu¡­ What¡¯s the matter with dragons?¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama asked after hearing my surprise. ¡°Oh, the madam was just telling me about your monsters. I think it¡¯s amazing you could tame so many dragons.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I just have good luck. Of course, there¡¯s also my affinity, but the first one I formed a contract with was especially strong. And he gathered the dragons subordinated to him and they all became subordinated to me. Dragons are powerful allies, but I rarely call them. It would make a huge fuss, after all.¡± [Reinbach] Well, that¡¯s true¡­ ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t compare to the founder of monster taming, Shiho Jamil. Shiho-sama was compatible with all monsters and could form a contract with any monster regardless of their strength. Records say he also had an infinite number of contracts.¡± [Reinbach] Well, that founder is probably an otherworlder, so it¡¯s just the gods¡¯ cheat at work. According to Gayn and the others, the founder is supposedly a good person. Because I knew about the cheats, I was more intrigued with what Reinbach-sama¡¯s dragons normally do. ¡°Shiho-sama sounds like an amazing person¡­ By the way, Reinbach-sama, what does your monsters normally do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They live in the mountain in my territory. The monsters there are too strong, so people rarely come there. But their main job there is to prevent the monsters there from descending to the human settlements.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The stronger the monster a tamer has contracted, the more troubled he¡¯ll be with where to put it. If you ever form a contract with a powerful monster in the future and you don¡¯t know where to put, make sure to contact us, alright?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll turn to them for advice if my dimensional magic can¡¯t accommodate it. Chapter 60 Volume 2 Chapter 60 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 60 part2 After our break ended, we resumed training¡­ Or at least that¡¯s what I thought would happen, but apparently, we were done for the day. ¡°The both of you have already learned Share Senses, so you can just practice it in your spare time from now on. For now, Ryouma-kun, why don¡¯t you listen to Elia¡¯s music. You might think I¡¯m just a doting father, but I do believe her skills in music are truly something to be admired.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Music? Why all oft he sudden?¡± [Ryouma] What¡¯s going on? ¡°We talked about the rimel bird before, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. You mentioned it¡¯s one of the reasons you came to town.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. Rimel birds can fly fast and use wind magic. That¡¯s why it¡¯s hard to catch one without hurting it. You can¡¯t seem them normally either. But rimel birds are still monsters, so you can still form a contract with them!¡± [Elia] I see, so since it¡¯s possible, she¡¯d like to try taming one, huh. So, what does that have to do with the music? ¡°Does music have something to do with that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bingo. Music is indispensable if you want to form a contract with a rimel bird.¡± [Elia] Really? I thought to myself, but then Sebasu came and explained. ¡°Rimel bird possess a great amount of mana and are also intelligent. Because of that a normal contract will fail with them. However, rimel birds use their their beautiful cries to discern friends and to communicate. So, if you can play a tune for them that they like, then it will become possible to form a contract with them.¡± [Sebasu] As expected of another world, they have a catching method that goes beyond common sense! Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d have to play a tune to be recognized as a friend¡­ ¡°You can form a contract like that? I didn¡¯t know that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The odds of success are really low, so there are people who think it¡¯s just something someone made up. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone taming a rimel bird other than with this method. As such, when it comes to rimel birds, it has the highest of chance of success.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°And that¡¯s why Elia is going to show off her playing. Today is just practice though.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-san, please stay there and listen. If you don¡¯t want to listen and fall asleep instead, that¡¯s okay too. [1] But you can¡¯t go home.¡± [Elia] Huh? It¡¯s okay not to listen, but I¡¯m not allowed to go home? Confused, I glanced at Sebasu-san and the others, and that was when I finally noticed it. They were smiling while looking at me. ¡­¡­¡­Ah, could it be! ¡°You finally noticed?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re always working too hard, so we figured we should help you take a break for once.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°After subjugating some monsters, you built a store, then you hired some new employees, then you took some jobs at the adventurers guild, and now, you¡¯re making some waterproof cloths. I hear you haven¡¯t been getting much rest lately, too. And just yesterday, some hoodlums came to your store, so you¡¯re probably going to get busy again. So, before that, we figured we¡¯d use today¡¯s training as a pretext to distance you from work.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-sama, this is something everyone agreed on after hearing about your workload.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°And just when did word of that get around?¡± [Ryouma] I never noticed at all. ¡°We¡¯ll be watching over you today, so you¡¯re definitely not working even a little bit.¡± [Elia] ¡°This kind of resting probably won¡¯t help your mind rest, but without any rest at all, there¡¯s a chance your body might break. If you still intend to work without regard for yourself after this, we¡¯ll take you back home with us even if we have to do so by force.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Sorry for worrying everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even if your current workload is alright with you, a normal person would surely break down if they kept that up. It¡¯s also possible you just can¡¯t tell that you¡¯re working too hard, so you need to be careful.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°And so, Ryouma-san, today is a compulsory rest day. I will be starting my performance then. Please do enjoy t.¡± [Elia] The ojousama sure is unusually pushy today¡­ Or was she always pushy? ¡­Nah, I¡¯m sure this is just her naivete. While I was thinking that, the ojousama received a violin from Sebasu-san and started playing. This world has violins too, huh. Maybe an otherworlder brought it. I listened to the music while thinking of useless stuff. The ojousama is actually quite good. She played a calm tune, so I was able to relax. When the music ended, she asked me for my thoughts. ¡°Ryouma-san, how was it?¡± [Elia] ¡°You played beautifully.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not just flattering her. I played some guitar myself back in my previous world, but I don¡¯t think I played that well. I don¡¯t know that much about music, but I felt good while listening to her playing, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯s good. Although my words didn¡¯t overly praise the ojousama, she was still elated. After that she started playing again. I listened to Elia play the violin while I petted the amiable Ruog and my slimes. I passed the time in leisure like this. While listening to Elia¡¯s music, the time for the slimes to feed came, so I started giving the 3 slimes my mana. ¡°Oh!¡± [Ryouma] Then, suddenly, one of them showed signs of change. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it!?¡± [Elia] ¡°Ryouma-kun, what is it all of the sudden?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What came?¡± [Reinbach] When I exclaimed like that, the ojousama stopped playing, and the others approached me. ¡°My slime is evolving!¡± [Ryouma] [1] People falling asleep when someone *cough* sings for them? PUFFFFF! (¡ð£à§Ù¡ä¡ð) All eyes gathered on the slimes I was petting. Just like when the iron slime evolved, the slimes started shaking, then suddenly stopped, and then they started releasing and absorbing mana. At the same time, their color started to change. Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued to the slimes¡¯ evolution. The slimes¡¯ color changed to a tawny hue. When their evolution ended, I used monster identify on them. Earth Slime Skills: Earth Magic Lv2 Earth Resist Lv8 Absorb Earth Magic Lv1 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 split Lv1 Earth magic! The experiment is a success!! ¡°Ryouma-san, what did it evolve into?¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s an earth slime. A slime that can use earth magic!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wow! That¡¯s another rare slime!¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-kun, earth slimes are fairly rare. Just how did you manage to evolve them?¡± [Reinhart] I explained to them the method I used, but when the ojousama and madam tried it out¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not working¡­?¡± [Elia] ¡°This is surprisingly difficult¡­¡± [Elize] Normally, after you convert your neutral mana to another element, you invoke a spell or just revert it back to neutral element. Apparently, maintaining the converted mana requires a high level of mana control. Although I only had to take my time a little when releasing non-neutral mana, my magic control is currently level 4, a result of me constantly playing around with magic. In the end, the two had no choice but to accept that it currently wasn¡¯t possible for them. Frustrated, the ojousama stopped playing the violin and started training her magic, but she still couldn¡¯t succeed. In the end, she told me that she would strive to acquire the magic control skill next time. She did so while looking competitively toward the slimes that evolved. Anyway, with this, I got two earth slimes and one dark slime. Dark Slime Skills: Dark Magic Lv2 Dark Resist Lv8 Absorb Dark Magic Lv1 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv1 Although I was a bit surprised with the slimes, I¡¯m almost out of mana, so I decided to just leisurely enjoy the atmosphere. ¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Ah, a horn rabbit [1].¡± [Ryouma] When Elia started playing her violin again, I sat back with my slimes and just quietly enjoyed myself, but when I let my crew bird fly, I noticed a herd of rabbits. Meat¡­ Should I get some as thanks to the people in the store. When I told the others that I would go out for a bit to hunt, Reinhart-san, the ojousama, and the others offered to help, so I was able to get a lot of spoils. I got my bow and arrow and hunted several animals while driving them toward Reinhart-san¡¯s group and the sticky slimes. After that, all that was left was to retrieve the spoils. ¡­As expected, hunting with a group makes the whole thing so much easier. The workload is completely different compared to when I¡¯m hunting alone. As I thought that to myself, I went back to where ojousama and the others were, then I brought my crew bird back into its bird cage and cancelled the contract. The madam said, ¡°You can take it with you, if you want.¡± But I politely declined her. Having the crew bird¡¯s eyes isn¡¯t that big of a deal for me, and even if it does become necessary, I can just catch one on my own. ¡°Well then¡­ Shall we go back?¡± [Reinbach] ¡­Before I knew it, a lot of time has already passed. It was best to get back before it got dark, so we rode the carriage back. We weren¡¯t going fast, though, so there weren¡¯t much swaying inside and the ride back was really pleasant. But then again maybe I¡¯m just feeling the aftereffects of the atmosphere this afternoon? Alternatively, it¡¯s also possible that I¡¯m a lot more exhausted than I thought. Like that I dozed off. And when we got back to the inn, I just returned to my room and slept. [1] ¨C I remember someone saying horned rabbit sounds better, and I agree, but the raws are literally horn rabbit. As in it¡¯s written in katakana. I don¡¯t mind taking liberties to make things sound better, but this one is basically in English already, so I¡¯ll just leave it as is. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Chapter 61 Volume 2 Chapter 61 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 61 part2 The next day. I woke up refreshed and went to the store before opening time. ¡°Good morning, everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, Boss.¡± [Carla and Carm] ¡°Good morning.¡± [Fina, Leelin, Fei, Maria, Jane] ¡°Thank you for yesterday. I was able to get a good rest as a result.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Jane] ¡°It¡¯s bad to work too much. Please take care of yourself.¡± [Carla] ¡°Boss, you work too hard. We were all shocked to hear how much you work.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Building this store in 10 days¡­ That¡¯s crazy talk. Leelin and I can¡¯t do it. If you work that hard at your age, you¡¯ll have an early grave.¡± [Fei] ¡°I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please do that.¡± [Fina] ¡°Boss, you might act like an adult, but you¡¯re still a child~¡± [Maria] ¡°Even an adult shouldn¡¯t work excessively, you know?¡± [Jane] It seems everyone in the store was also worried for me. I wasn¡¯t really pushing myself all that much, though, since they¡¯re around, but in any case, I¡¯m happy that they¡¯re concerned for me. I thanked them honestly and went to the kitchen. ¡°Sherma-san, are you here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, yes. Boss, what do you want?¡± [Sherma] Sherma-san was completely responsible for the store kitchen. She seemed to be making some kind of soup, as she was mixing something on a pot before I came in. Shelma-san approached me before we continued talking. ¡°We went out of town yesterday to take a breather. I took the opportunity to hunt some monsters. I¡¯d like to share them with everyone. The blood was drained from these as soon as I killed them, and then the meat immediately frozen, so they should be in good condition.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I took the spoils out of my Item Box. ¡°Well, thank you. This is horn rabbit meat, yes? I¡¯ll put them in the refrigerator for now and serve them to you and everyone later lunch.¡± [Shelma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] As she said that, she stored the meet into the refrigerator. ¡°Oh, my. That¡¯s a lot of meat¡­¡± [Shelma] ¡°I found a herd of horn rabbits, so I gathered them and then finished them off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s great we have this refrigerator. It¡¯s really convenient.¡± [Shelma] ¡°Really? I mean, sure. I guess it¡¯s convenient.¡± [Ryouma] I have to cast cooling barrier once a day, though, so it¡¯s actually kind of a pain. If I were a little better at barrier magic, I could make my barriers last longer, but alas¡­ Still, this is already a lot better than when I first started using barriers, and the longest one could last was about an hour. ¡°It is convenient. Normally, any ingredient you don¡¯t use just spoils and gets thrown away. Vegetables maybe you can still keep them, but meat? There¡¯s no saving that. If the weather is hot like in summer or just a particularly hot day, then the meat will spoil super fast. And some ingredients just spoil a lot faster than others. But with this refrigerator, we can just store the meat we haven¡¯t used and serve them the next day. Thanks to that, we also get to save money. I¡¯ve heard there are magic tools out there that to do something similar, but they¡¯re expensive, so getting one isn¡¯t really feasible.¡± [Shelma] ¡°Ah, now that you mention it¡­ When I was living in the forest, I just ate whatever I got for the day, and gave the leftovers to the slimes. so it was never really an issue for me, but I guess that¡¯s also why people make preserved food.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Slimes are also convenient. Animal bones and other food wastes usually need a lot of cleanup, but with the slimes around, they can just take care of it. They¡¯re really a huge help.¡± [Shelma] We talked like that for a while, then I recast the cooling barrier of the refrigerator and left the kitchen. Carm-san and Carla seemed to have something they wanted to talk about, so they called out to me. ¡°You want to increase the number of employees?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it were just a normal store, then the current number of employees would be fine, but once we start putting up branch stores, we¡¯ll need to fill them up with new employees. If we wait until then to start training the employees, we will be wasting a lot of time, so I would like to recommend that we start as early as now. At the very least, we should start training the branch store manager.¡± [Carm] ¡°Right¡­ Well, if theres a capable person, then I don¡¯t mind increasing our personnel. I also understand your concern regarding the training of the new employees. In the end, it seems I¡¯ll have to leave everything to you and the others, but you¡¯ll be needing another monster tamer, won¡¯t you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Slime specialists are rare even in the tamer guild¡­ Well, I hear that it¡¯s because anyone can use slimes, but¡­ Yes. As expected¡­¡± [Carm] ¡°In other words, The issue is whether we can trust the person or not¡­¡± [Carla] ¡°Speaking of which, you haven¡¯t ran into those ruffians again, have you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Other than one time, no one has showed up again.¡± [Carla] ¡°¡­Well, let¡¯s just keep an eye out for now. As for the monster tamer, I¡¯ll ask the tamer guild or figure something out myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± [Carla] After that I left the store. ¡°Fuu! Hmm¡­ Hey, it¡¯s Ryouma!¡± [Jeff] I was thinking of going to the store again when I happened into Jeff-san along the way. It¡¯s rare to see Jeff-san without his armor. He didn¡¯t have his spear with him either. Instead, he had his cheeks filled with some skewered meat as he walked toward me. ¡°Good morning, Jeff-san. Are you resting today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s exhausting fighting everyday. Are you working today too?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I¡¯m about to do my rounds around the mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The abandoned mine? You mean that place we hunted at?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve been left in charge of that place, so I need to patrol it regularly and see if some monsters have made a nest there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You do that too? So, you¡¯re an adventurer, a laundry man, a manager¡­ Isn¡¯t that too much?¡± [Jeff] ¡°The laundromat is being taken care of by other people, so I don¡¯t have to do any work personally. As for being an adventurer, I¡¯m free to work when I want. And as for the manager job, it¡¯s not like I have to patrol every day. I¡¯m planning to expand my store, so it might become a little busy, but it¡¯s nothing I would could too much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s good then¡­ Oh, yeah. Want some? It¡¯s my treat.¡± [Jeff] As jeff-san said that, he handed me a bag of skewered meat. ¡°I¡¯ll have one then¡­ Mmm!¡± [Ryouma] When I took a bite, a meat with tingling seasoning that wasn¡¯t from herb or salt filled my mouth. Sugar and spices are expensive, so street food have a tendency to be salty, but this one is different¡­ It¡¯s delicious!! ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right? It¡¯s sold by that cart over there. They use a little seasoning on it, so it¡¯s a bit expensive, but it¡¯s really good. There¡¯s a plaza up ahead. Why don¡¯t we take a seat there and enjoy these skewered meat?¡± [Jeff] I followed Jeff-san and entered into a byway. After a while, we got to the plaza and sat ourselves in one of the benches that surrounded the well. The area seemed to resemble a park. ¡°Speaking of which, you just opened your store and you already feel like opening another one?¡± [Jeff] ¡°The guild master of the merchant guild and my employees told me to think about it, but it¡¯s not like we¡¯re putting one up immediately. There¡¯s a lot of problems we need to solve first¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? You have something you¡¯re troubled with?¡± [Jeff] ¡°The branch store we¡¯re putting up will be situated in another town, so we¡¯ll either have to hire more monster tamers or I¡¯ll have to regularly travel between the two towns. My store needs someone who can manage the slimes, you see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How¡¯s that a problem? Just get some from the tamer guild.¡± [Jeff] ¡°That¡¯s one option, but apparently, slime specialists aren¡¯t a thing. Slimes are considered beginner monsters and most people drop them for another as soon as they can. We also had an issue with some ruffians just a few days ago¡­ Our store¡¯s bouncers dealt with them, but because of that we really need to pick out our employees carefully.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I bit into my skewered meat. The way the tingling hot taste brought out the taste of the meat made for a really delicious meal. After hearing my problem, Jeff-san offered me a solution. ¡°I have an idea.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! I can¡¯t help with business stuff, but if it¡¯s people you¡¯re looking for, then I¡¯m your man. If you can¡¯t rely on the tamers guild, then just get someone from the slums. What do you think?¡± [Jeff] ¡°The slums?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. The slum people may be poor, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re useless. Just look at me. I used to be from the slums, but I¡¯m working as an adventurer, right now, ain¡¯t I? I know a couple of monster tamers that you might find useful. Also, there are plenty of jobs available in this town, so while there are poor people, there are very few who¡¯ve been driven so far that that they had to commit a crime. There are a lot of decent people in the slums. But more than anything else, their sense of camaraderie is strong. Unless you do something like drive down their salary like those government guys did for the latrine pits, the slum people won¡¯t betray you. After all, they also want a reliable source of income that isn¡¯t too hard. So, if you¡¯re looking, you can hire anytime. As for trust, well, that¡¯s something you build.¡± [Jeff] Is this what they mean by ¡®the scales fell off from your eyes¡¯? [1] Apparently, the guild was more of an agency, so as long as you have a contact, then it doesn¡¯t really matter. I can just look for my people on my own and then hire them through the tamer guild or the merchants guild. Doesn¡¯t seem like a bad idea. Reinbach-sama also hired the slum people to clean the latrine pits, so it¡¯s not like they can¡¯t be hired at all. There¡¯s also a chance I might be able to find someone I can trust¡­ ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s one option to consider. If you feel like hiring someone, then I¡¯ll help you look. My face still works around the slums, you know?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll consider it.¡± [Ryouma] After that Jeff-san stood up and left. I thanked him for the skewered meat, then I went to the abandoned mines. [1] ¨C Means to see the light or to see the truth. I¡¯ve already gotten used to using dimension magic, so I was there in the blink of an eye. I was able to make 50 waterproof cloths last time, so this time, I¡¯ll try and go for 70. Once that¡¯s done, I¡¯ll go train. The sticky, poison, acid, and scavenger slimes can fight, but it seems, the bloody slime doesn¡¯t have any talent in fighting. It¡¯s body is a lot more liquid than normal, so its attacks have barely any effect. It doesn¡¯t have any other ways to attack either. On the other hand, it is quite mobile, so it¡¯s the fastest among the slimes, but I¡¯m still not sure whether it would be good at fleeing or not. In any case, I¡¯ll just have to observe it for now. The metal and iron slimes are hard, but it hasn¡¯t been long since I formed contracts with them, so they can¡¯t move their bodies that well just yet. It¡¯s still impossible for them to turn their bodies into tentacles. If they could do that, then I would have liked to experiment with combining their hardness, but it seems I¡¯ll just have to wait until they¡¯re able to control their body better. The earth slime adn the dark slime have shown that they can indeed use magic. The earth slime can use Rock and Break Rock. They can also use a weak spell that resembles earth needle. The dark slime can use Darkness, a spell that makes the surrounding area darker. It can also use the Dark Ball spell, a spell that releases a ball of darkness. I rarely use Dark Ball, but it¡¯s supposedly a spell that steals one¡¯s life force. It moves like any other slime, but if I train its magic, I might be able to turn it into a moving gun. Live combat practice might be needed for it to use attack spells, so it¡¯ll take some time. I¡¯ve already confirmed that the two earth slimes can use Break Rock, so I¡¯ll go ahead and teach them Create Block. I did just that, and the two earth slimes were able to learn the spell after just a few tries. I was surprised by how fast they were able to learn, but being fast just means less trouble for me, so that¡¯s good. I¡¯ll have the earth slimes make building stones as part of their training, then I¡¯ll have the stones carried into one of the tunnels. I can probably use them for something later. I let the dark slime practice on its own. It seemed to be practicing¡­ Dark Ball? ¡­I don¡¯t know much about dark magic either, so I guess we¡¯ll both have to take our time learning it. Like that I watched over the slimes and trained myself. It was quite fun. On top of that, my condition was a lot better today than usual, so my training continued longer than it took for the cloths to dry. When night came, I went back to the inn and dropped by the Jamil family¡¯s room. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I wanted to consult you for something.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? For what?¡± [Reinhart[ I told them my conversation with Jeff-san, and they also thought it wasn¡¯t a bad idea. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you hire the slum people if you think you can trust them. But, you have a trustworthy contact, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems there.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°The more jobs for them the better, so I have no complaints either. Just that it would be best if you hire them through the guild to minimize anything that might be used against you later.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Alright, but I was thinking of having them register at whichever guild they preferred. So, either the merchants guild or the tamers guild. That¡¯s okay, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. You may be a monster tamer, but you¡¯re also registered at the merchants guild, so it¡¯s up to you which to pick. No one will hold that against you.¡± [Elize] ¡°It might be best if you let both guild masters know beforehand. That should leave less room for issues.¡± [Sebasu] Oh, yeah. Alright! ¡°I¡¯ll drop by the guild tomorrow then.¡± [Ryouma] After arriving at a conclusion, I drank black tea and chatted with the family for a while, then I went back to my room. Chapter 62 Volume 2 Chapter 62 Today, I dropped by the merchant guild first thing in the morning and was ¨C as expected ¨C brought to the reception office. This happens every time I come here, so I¡¯ve already gotten used to it. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma. Are you hiring again?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yes, but there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to consult with you about first.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± [Grisiera] I explained to her the situation. ¡°I see¡­ Well, the ones I introduced to you on the first day were also like that, so¡­ Alright. If there¡¯s someone you think you can trust, bring him here. It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a crime or anything, so we¡¯ll be able to process the papers quickly.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Alright. When I find one, I¡¯ll bring him then. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Good luck.¡± [Grisiera] Our conversation smoothly ended just like that, so I was about to leave, but then she suddenly called out to me. ¡°Wait, Ryouma. I forgot I had something to tell you. Take a seat first.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] Though I¡¯d just stood up, I sat back down again. ¡°It¡¯s about those ruffians that came to your store before. I did some digging around on my own, and I managed to find out where they¡¯re from. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve yet to find out who commissioned them. Regardless, there¡¯s a high probability that they¡¯re involved with the people from the dark guild, so do be careful.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°The dark guild¡­¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s no different than a criminal organization, right? ¡°Is that an organization of thieves and assassins?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. But they¡¯re not just involved with smalltime crimes. They¡¯re also involved with smuggling, the procuring of tools to commit crimes, and they also act as an intermediary to contact people who specialize in crimes. Basically, they do a lot of illegal stuff. They¡¯re not all just thieves or ruffians who can only bark. There are killers among them too, so do be careful.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I will. Thank you for your warning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Also, you¡¯re going to visit Taylor, right? Take this with you.¡± [Grisiera] The guild master called out to someone outside, and then a clerk entered the room with a glass vial. The vial was filled with green liquid, and at the bottom could be seen some fine powder deposited. Medicine? After the guild master checked that it was the right product, the clerk stored the vial into a wooden box. Judging from the color, viscosity, and the fine powder deposited at the bottom, I¡¯m guessing that the medicine is probably a nutrient of some sort. A powerful one too. ¡°Curious?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Sorry. A little.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t want to stick my nose into something I have no business being involved with, but it¡¯s true that I¡¯m curious. ¡°You were the one who suggested that medicine to Wogan, no? But I suppose if you knew what sort of medicine this was, I doubt you¡¯d be so curious. Regardless, it¡¯s not for anything serious. Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just that when one grows old, there are times when they just can¡¯t quite get rid of the fatigue. That¡¯s all.¡± [Grisiera] [1] The guild master wrote something while talking to me. After a while, she handed me a letter. ¡°Please pass this letter for me. This box is a regular thing, so he¡¯ll understand once you give it to him. I told him in the letter that you¡¯ll be giving it to him directly. I also told him to help you out with what you¡¯re planning.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Give the old man my regards too, alright?¡± [Grisiera] After the guild master saw me off, I left the guild. ¡°And that¡¯s the gist of it. So I was thinking of hiring some people I¡¯ve found through the guild or have them register at the guild.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Taylor] Because I had something I needed to deliver, I was able to get a face-to-face meeting with the branch head of the tamers guild, Taylor. I told him the same stuff I told the guild master of the merchants guild, but while the merchant guild master didn¡¯t mind at all, the tamer guild master seemed to be in deep thought. ¡°¡­Hmm? Oh, I beg your pardon. I can prepare some tea, if you¡¯d like.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Oh, you needn¡¯t mind me. Is there a problem, though?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Rather than a problem¡­ Why don¡¯t you take a seat and I¡¯ll explain.¡± [Taylor] The guild master of the tamers guild stood up and walked over to a corner of the room, where a small shelf was. From that, he took out a tea set. He also had a magic tool that resembled a stove, and he used that to start making tea. ¡°You make the tea yourself?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not worth the effort to call people just to have them make me tea. Besides, making my own allows me a short reprieve from all the work.¡± [Taylor] The guild master was quite skilled at making tea. The way he moved his hands seemed no lesser than the maids of the duke¡¯s family. When the guild master came back with our tea, he started explaining. ¡°Now then¡­ There¡¯s nothing wrong with your proposal itself. I also don¡¯t mind if you bring someone you believe trustworthy here. And of course, you may also hire a person that¡¯s currently affiliated with an organization. That sort of stuff just falls under the normal operations of the guild. Now, I would like the guild to support your store, but there are some things worrying me.¡± [Taylor] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm. If your store starts hiring from the tamers guild, then that would mean more jobs for us. As you build one branch store after another, the number of jobs that people can take will also increase. From the perspective of the guild, that¡¯s something to be happy about. Moreover, your store needs slimes, which is one of the reasons why I want the guild to support it. Do you remember what I told you when you registered?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You mean the part where you said there¡¯s no job for me to do?¡± [Ryouma] The guild master nodded. ¡°The tamer guild gives jobs depending on whether a tamer¡¯s monster looks up to the task or not. If it looks up to the task, then we can give them a job, and if not, then naturally, we don¡¯t. In exchange, we also give out recommendations when we think they¡¯re up to it. That being said, there are certain types of monsters that are simply not cut out for certain things. Some have difficulty finding work, some find work but the salary is low, and some are simply too high-maintenance. There are a good number of tamers who¡¯ve had difficulties making ends meet because of such reasons. Because as much as we¡¯d like to provide everyone a job, there¡¯s a limit to the number of jobs we do have¡­ This has also led to some tamers trying to tame monsters that they are not compatible with and failing.¡± [Taylor] So, they try to provide as much variety in work as possible, but clearly, there¡¯s still a limit to that. After a while, he started talking about the slimes. ¡°Slimes are renowned to be weak, slow, and generally useless, but every tamer has been indebted to them at least once in their life.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Because they use them to practice?¡± [Ryouma ¡°Exactly. I¡¯ve been the guild master of this branch for a long time now, and I¡¯ve heard many situations where a tamer was unable to tame anything past a slime. As for those who couldn¡¯t even tame a slime, well, they¡¯re just really not cut out for taming. Slimes are really easy to form a contract with, so they¡¯re often used for training. ¡­I don¡¯t know how much your store pays its workers, but if tamers can start making a living with just slimes, then the number of tamers that are struggling to make ends meet should decrease. That¡¯s what I think. I know it¡¯s really selfish of me to say that when I told you before that I didn¡¯t have any work for you, but¡­¡± [Taylor] ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] I know that the guild master was simply helpless regarding that, so I don¡¯t blame him. ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t consider it an issue, then thank you. In any case, this is why I want to support your store. There¡¯s just one problem¡­ The upper brass of the guild.¡± [Taylor] The guild master nodded as he took a sip out of his black tea. He¡¯d added sugar to it, so it was fairly sweet, but the face the guild master was making was bitter. ¡°If it were just supporting you, then my authority would be more than enough, but if it were the guild itself to support you, I will have to report to the upper brass. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they started meddling then.¡± [Taylor] So, in other words, the guild will become shareholders? Or will they make me listen to them since they¡¯re supporting me? ¡°There are also some people that simply refuse to change their minds on the uselessness of slimes.¡± [Taylor] ¡°¡­You mean like people who had to endure a life of hardship, until they were able to finally make a stable living? I suppose some people from that crowd would have something to say if they see tamers making good income just from slimes, which are said to be the weakest and easiest monster to capture.¡± [Ryouma] It would be a pain if they got mad at me over that. I don¡¯t feel like closing my store either. ¡°But then again, from the rumors I¡¯ve heard, it seems you don¡¯t need any support. I don¡¯t know if the recruitment will go well, but I¡¯ll try calling out my personal trustworthy connections and see if I can get you a few people.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If I couldn¡¯t do this much, that would simply be too sorry. By the way, are you busy today?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Oh, I was thinking of going to the adventurers guild after this, actually. To meet up with someone who might be able to introduce me to some candidate employees.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s rather fast. I thought you¡¯d be taking your time more.¡± [Taylor] ¡°I changed my mind after hearing your part. Originally, I was planning on taking my time, but just as you said, the more stores I put up, the more jobs there will be, which means that there will be less people struggling to make ends meet. So, I thought I¡¯d work a bit more proactively. In any case, I¡¯ve mostly made up my mind to hire some new people, so I feel it would be best if I could talk to them as soon as possible, so I can also think about the things that I need to consider.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re thinking about it, but you don¡¯t really to mind it too much. Incidentally, since I¡¯ve brought out this tea already, won¡¯t you accompany me until we finish it?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Gladly.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master of the tamers guild poured another helping of black tea from the swaying teapot and into my cup. Compared to the more serious atmosphere when we were talking earlier, our conversation over black tea was much more relaxed. Chapter 63 Volume 2 Chapter 63 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 63 part2 When the sun was near the top. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± [Ryouma] I waited at a corner of the guild around the time when Jeff was supposed to go home. After one hour of waiting, I spotted him. He was reporting the success of his quest when I called out to him. ¡°Jeff-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? Oh, Ryouma. What¡¯s up?¡± [Jeff] ¡°I was hoping to take you up on your offer the other day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s pretty quick. I thought you¡¯d think about it some more, but sure. Shall we go now?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Sure, but are you sure you¡¯re good today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m going to the slum today anyway. My house is in that direction too.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] I followed Jeff-san and helped him with some shopping he did along the way. Apparently, he was buying some provisions for the slum people. According to him, everyone in the slums of Gimuru help each other out a little bit like this. ¡°The income has been bad recently too. We¡¯re almost there.¡± [Jeff] As we chatted and walked, the people around us grew sparser by the minute, until eventually, the houses changed into older looking ones. Children dressed in poor clothing could be seen here and there. Whenever they would notice us, they would wave at Jeff-san and call out to him. Jeff-san would respond, of course. What a peaceful scene. It seems Jeff-san is really loved. I continued to walk behind Jeff-san, and while gazes gathered on me too, I couldn¡¯t feel any ill will from them. It seems I won¡¯t have to fear being mugged. We continued for a little more, and then eventually, we reached an old building that¡¯s bigger than the other old buildings. ¡°Gramps, you there?¡± [Jeff] Jeff-san called out as he knocked on the door. When he did, the door opened. I could feel a trace of mana. It¡¯s magic¡­ ¡°Seems he¡¯s in. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Jeff] I followed Jeff-san inside, and what greeted us was a big room. Past the door was a simple desk and a 60-years-old man sitting on a large chair. ¡°You came again?¡± [Gramps] The man brushed his white hair as he leaned back onto his chair and quietly spoke. ¡°Jeff. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re always helping me out, but I¡¯m not old enough to be called gramps just yet.¡± [Gramps] ¡°You¡¯re plenty old enough, gramps.¡± [Jeff] ¡°My legs and loins are still fine, so I¡¯m not a gramps just yet. So, what¡¯s with the kid? You want me to look after him too?¡± [Gramps] ¡°This guy here is an exceptional adventurer. He¡¯s good enough to feed himself, at least, so that¡¯s not what I brought him here for. He¡¯s here to talk. And by talk, I mean the kind of talk that might bring money to the slums.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Ho¡­¡± [Gramps] The man looked at me. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That sort of well-mannered words is useless here. The name is Revel. I¡¯m the manager of Gimuru¡¯s slums. Jeff¡¯s introducing you, so you¡¯re probably trustworthy, but I¡¯ll warn you so you know. Don¡¯t think you can just do whatever you w ant around here. I¡¯d be grateful if we could keep our relationship harmonious.¡± [Revel] I felt a strong pressure when he spoke. As expected of the manager of the place. ¡°But, of course. I also don¡¯t wish for conflict.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that Revel snorted smiled. ¡°Didn¡¯t shirk even a little, eh? ¡­Seems you got some balls, kid.¡± [Revel] ¡°Duh. He¡¯s someone I acknowledged.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Right. So, what ¡®good stuff¡¯ did he want to talk about?¡± [Revel] ¡°Let me answer that.¡± [Ryouma] It concerns my store, so I should at least be the one to talk. ¡°¡­And that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­And that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, because there¡¯s some strange guy messing with your business, you want people you can trust. And as long as they can fulfill that one condition, you don¡¯t care if it¡¯s someone from the slum, huh. That¡¯s not a bad proposal, indeed. I won¡¯t have any complaints as long as you¡¯re able to provide a decent living to whomever it is you end up employing. So, as long as you pay properly, you can take whoever you want with you. There¡¯ll be one more person providing foods and goods too, so that¡¯s good.¡± [Revel] Negotiations were a lot simpler than expected. I thought for sure I¡¯d have to pay a referral fee, but it seems that won¡¯t be necessary. Maybe it¡¯s because Jeff introduced me. In any case, from here on out, what I need to do is to earn the trust of my future employee. After getting permission from the manager, Jeff-san and I left his house and went to the house of a monster tamer that Jeff knew. Along the way, Jeff-san called out to two children and had them call someone. ¡°Where did you send those kids?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ll know later.¡± [Jeff] When we got to a house, Jeff-san violently knocked on the door. ¡°Hey! Old man Corkin! You¡¯re here right!? Open up!¡± [Jeff] If someone were to see Jeff now, they¡¯d definitely think he was a bill collector. Surprisingly, the door suddenly vigorously opened, and a slender middle-aged man jumped out. The atmosphere around him was like that of a salary man who¡¯s been laid off. ¡°Shut up! I can hear you perfectly fine without knocking like a madman!¡± [Corkin] ¡°Well, you usually don¡¯t show up when I call you!¡± [Jeff] ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m in the middle of my research!¡± [Corkin] ¡°Like hell that¡¯s true!¡± [Jeff] ¡°What does someone like you who¡¯s never researched anything in his own life know!? Research is like diving into the deep sea of thoughts, and pursuing an idea before it vanishes like one¡¯s breath would under the water. There¡¯s no way I could have the time for anything else while submerged in the deep sea of thoughts!¡± [Corkin] ¡°And because of that your fruitless research cost you all your fortune! And now, you¡¯re completely bankrupt and living out here in the slums!¡± [Jeff] ¡°Y-You shouldn¡¯t say that so upfront¡­ Forget it. What do you want?¡± [Corkin] ¡°A job offer. Monster tamer work.¡± [Jeff] As soon as Jeff said that, Corkin¡¯s eyes twinkled. ¡°A job? For me? Monster tamer work?¡± [Corkin] ¡°Yeah. The client is Ryouma over here.¡± [Jeff] It was then that he finally noticed me. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry about the unsightly display earlier. You¡¯re the client? What do you mean by monster tamer work?¡± [Corkin] ¡°For the meantime, how about letting us in? Old man Corkin.¡± [Jeff] Oh, yeah. Corkin scratched his head and let us in, then he closed the door. The house only had one room and was quite dim since it only had one magic stone for lighting. There was also a cloth in the corner of the room that probably served as his futon. He didn¡¯t have any chairs, so we sat down on the floor and talked. ¡°So, what is it that you would like me to do? Unfortunately, I am not very skilled in monster taming. If you want me for my monster taming abilities, I¡¯m not so sure I can meet your expectations. If it¡¯s research, however, then I might be of use to you.¡± [Corkin] ¡°What is your research about?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, he answered in a self-mocking manner. ¡°It¡¯s the last research theme I was given back at the research institute. It¡¯s slimes¡­¡± [Corkin] Slimes!? ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, and because I couldn¡¯t get any results, I was fired. It¡¯s been 10 years since then, but I still can¡¯t let go of my research, so I¡¯ve been continuing it until now¡­ Why are your eyes sparkling?¡± [Corkin] Corkin-san had replied in a self-mocking manner, but when he saw my reaction, he couldn¡¯t help but make an odd face. ¡°It¡¯s the sort of research the bigwigs in the institute give to someone when they want to kick them out since it¡¯s a leisurely post with nothing to do. The same was true for me. So, tell me. Why exactly are your eyes sparkling?¡± [Corkin] ¡°Because I also research slimes, albeit privately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What!?¡± [Corkin] After that Corkin-san and I wordlessly stared into each other¡¯s eyes for a few seconds¡­ And then, at the exact same time, we gave each other a firm handshake. ¡°Comrade!¡± [Corkin] ¡°Senpai!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What just happened in those few seconds!?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Nah, we just sort of¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Outsiders can¡¯t understand¡­ The joy of meeting someone who researches the same topic.¡± [Corkin] ¡°You¡¯re damn right I don¡¯t understand¡­¡± [Jeff] Suddenly, a knock sounded from the door. ¡°Another guest? Today sure is noisy¡­¡± [Corkin] Corkin-san stood up and opened the door. Outside were a man and a woman. ¡°Corkin-san? We came here because we heard there was a job offer. Is it true?¡± [Woman] ¡°I didn¡¯t think a job for monster tamers would come, so I came as fast as I could!¡± [Man] ¡°Huh, so it¡¯s you two. Robelia, Tony, the client looking for a monster tamer is inside. He also happens to be a comrade of ours!¡± [Corkin] ¡°Comrade?¡± [Robelia] ¡°Do you mean¡­¡± [Tony] ¡°Anyway, go in first!¡± [Corkin] As Corkin-san said that, he dragged the two inside and closed the door. After that I exchanged greetings with the 2 newcomers and we introduced ourselves. The man was Tony-san. He was 23 years-old. In his case, he was an exceptional monster tamer, but his talent earned him the envy of others. He had an honest personality, and in the end, he was tricked by his superiors and coworkers. As a result, an experiment¡¯s failure and the responsibility of a scandal was pushed to him, causing him to be demoted. He was then ordered to research slimes, but without any results, he was fired. When I asked him why he doesn¡¯t just work as a monster tamer if he¡¯s so good, apparently, a bigwig from the tamers guild of the town he used to live at zeroed in on him and kept him from getting any work. To make things worse, word of him being an ill-mannered monster tamer spread throughout ten tamer guild¡¯s network, so now he can¡¯t get any monster tamer work even if he goes to another town. Presently, he is working at the mines as a day labourer. ¡°¡­Have you gone to the tamer guild of this town?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was horrible back at the other towns, and I couldn¡¯t even get any money to buy food for my monsters, so by the time I got here, I¡¯d already released them¡­¡± [Tony] Apparently, he came to this town to work at the mines after giving up on the tamer guild. I should probably help him meet guild master Taylor. ¡°That sort of stuff happens too, huh.¡± [Robelia] The woman said that as she consoled Tony-san. She is Robelia-san. A 25 year-old woman, who was sexually harassed by her boss at her research institute. At the time, she was focused on her own research, so coupling that with her lack of immunity toward men, when her boss touched her, she was shocked and accidentally sent her monster against her own boss. Although it wasn¡¯t a strong monster ¨C the sort that was just good for threatening ¨C her boss still ended up being cut. Her boss played innocent, and she got the short end of stick, as she got demoted. She was assigned slime research, until eventually, she got fired. Presently, she works 3 times a week at a brothel as a servant, doing odd chores here and there. She also makes a living by patching up clothes. With everyone having introduced themselves already, all that was left was my own introduction. So I introduced myself and told them about the job. They immediately showed interest. ¡°There¡¯s a slime like that?¡± [Corkin] ¡°That¡¯s my first time hearing one.¡± [Robelia] ¡°What a strange ability.¡± [Tony] I decided to give them a demonstration. I always have a cleaner slime with me in my Dimension Home, so I can keep my body clean. I took out that one slime and had it clean a pair of shoes. ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Corkin, Tony, Robelia] ¡°That¡¯s a slime, alright.¡± [Corkin] ¡°This pair of shoes was dirty, but the filth just disappeared. Did it melt it?¡± [Robelia] ¡°But the shoes retain their form.¡± [Tony] ¡°Hmm¡­ Does it really just eat filth?¡± [Corkin] To prove to them that it was safe, I allowed the cleaner slime to clean my body. ¡°¡­¡± [Corkin, Tony, Robelia] I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re worried or expectant, but they watched me carefully as the cleaner slime cleaned me. ¡°Would you like to give it a try?¡± [Ryouma] After showing them it was safe, I offered to let them experience it themselves. ¡°Then how about I¡­ huh?¡± [Corkin, Robelia, Tony] The three of them spoke at the same time. I only have one cleaner slime with me today, so I¡¯ll just have them go in turns. It took us quite a bit of time to finish, but after going through the cleaner slime bath, their shine on their skin and the color of their hair has gotten better. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s actually better than soap.¡± [Corkin] ¡°I feel refreshed!¡± [Tony] ¡°Since when was it that I last looked like this!?¡± [Robelia] It seems all the filth that they couldn¡¯t get rid of due to the living conditions in the slime vanished because of the cleaner slime. They really were dirty, though, considering how long the cleaner slime took, but now, they¡¯re looking pretty good. ¡°Very curious. Our job is just this slime and the laundromat, yes? In that case, will it be alright for us to research during our free time?¡± [Corkin] ¡°With something like this¡­ We could finally get back at those guys who looked down at us in the past!¡± [Robelia] ¡°The salary is also a lot bigger than any job I¡¯ve worked before¡­ On top of that, it¡¯s monster tamer work¡­ I¡¯ll do it. No. Please let me do it!¡± [Tony] ¡­I can really feel their zeal. Suddenly, I feel reluctant to hire them, but¡­ It¡¯s not like I can really judge them considering how I¡¯m like¡­ So long as they won¡¯t betray me, then that¡¯s good enough. Maybe it¡¯s because our goals are similar, but I feel like it would be okay to hire them. After hiring them, I should leave them under Carla-san¡¯s watch until when I can fully trust them. In that case¡­ ¡°What about your current work?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m unemployed. And the job I took ended yesterday, so I don¡¯t actually know when I¡¯ll get work next.¡± [Corkin] ¡°I¡¯m a day labourer, so there¡¯s no problem on my end.¡± [Tony] ¡°I just need to leave a few words at the brothel, then I should be good to go.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Alright. By the way, can the three of you do math?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes we can.¡± [Tony, Robelia, Corkin] ¡°In that case, I would love to have you work at my store. We haven¡¯t decided where to put the second store just yet, but you need to learn the ropes first anyway, so¡­ Ah, by the way, what about your residence? You can choose to live in the slums or at the store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Live in please!¡± [Robelia, Tony, Corkin] ¡°Alright then. Before going to the store, though¡­ Jeff-san, do you know a good clothes store?¡± [Ryouma] No offence, but these guys look seriously shabby. Although the cleaner slime managed to clean them, their clothes are still full of holes¡­ Only high-class stores have uniforms, so most employees work in civilian clothes. My store is the same, but their current outfit is just no good. Because of that I had to ask Jeff-san and Robelia-san to buy some nice clothes at the nearest store. If there were only men in the group, I could¡¯ve just asked Jeff-san, but Robelia-san was a woman, and none of us knew anything about women¡¯s clothing, so I told her to pick out her own clothes. While they were out buying clothes, I went to the store and told Carm-san that I¡¯d decided to hire some new hands. Chapter 64 Volume 2 Chapter 64 After coming back from the store, I met up with Jeff-san and the others, who were now properly attired. ¡°Since my job¡¯s done, I¡¯ll be going then.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Jeff-san, thank you so much!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine! See ya!¡± [Jeff] Since his part was done, Jeff-san left. I bowed to him as he left, then I took Corkin-san and the others with me and brought them to the guild. By the way, I brought them to register at the merchant guild instead of the tamers guild. I asked them which guild they preferred, and apparently, they all preferred the merchants guild, so that¡¯s where we went. When we got to the guild, as usual, we were brought to the reception office, where the guild master met us. ¡°Are they the new employees you were talking about?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yes. An acquaintance of mine introduced them to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You move as fast as ever. Didn¡¯t you just talk to me this morning? But then again, being able to move quickly is advantageous to a merchant, so I guess it¡¯s fine. So, you three will be working at this kid¡¯s store?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yes!¡± [Corkin, Robelia, Tony] When they said that, I felt like the guild master opened her eyes wide. ¡°Ho ho¡­ Ryouma, just what in the world did you do? For some reason, I can feel an odd ambition from these three. Moreover, they seem unlikely to double cross you. Didn¡¯t you just meet today?¡± [Grisiera] Her eyes are as good as ever¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because they were all slime researchers at one point, but after realizing the worth of the cleaner slimes, they¡¯ve since looked at me highly despite my age. It¡¯s probably because I was the one who discovered the cleaner slimes. On top of that, they also carry a grudge. Just the possibility that they may be able to clear their name has probably made them happy, and to make things even better, they can now make enough to support themselves. So, it¡¯s not that surprising that although it hasn¡¯t been long since we became acquainted witch each other that they¡¯ve already taken to me. Putting the reasons aside, the guild master decided nothing was amiss and gave us authorization. Like that we completed their registration and contract. With the guild personnel as our witness, we signed a contract that put them in charge of my cleaner slimes, but restricted them from handing them to anyone else. There are several types of contract forms, but the one we used for our contract was one that¡¯s usually used for big contracts. It was a special contract form, so to speak. No spells were used or anything, but the paper itself is proof of an important document. so it can neither be forged nor rewritten. There¡¯s also a heavy punishment associated with breaching it. As an exception, they may hand over the cleaner slimes should I increase my stores once again. After all, without an exception like that, I won¡¯t be able to increase my stores. After completing the necessary paperwork, I thanked the guild master, then left the guild with the three new employees. After that, there was only one place we would go: the store. I decided to introduce them to Carm-san and the others as soon as possible and get them starting immediately. ¡°Customers number 13, 14, 15!¡± ¡°Numbers 38, 39, 40. I¡¯ll leave the laundry here!¡± Also, along the way, I found out that Corkin-san was apparently a former noble. Because of that he spoke a bit arrogantly. As such, we had him carry the laundry. Tony-san was a day labourer, so he had a lot of stamina. He too was tasked with carrying laundry. Robelia-san¡¯s previous work gave her plenty of opportunities to interact with people, so we put her in charge of the reception desk. Although we put her there just like that, she was able to do the job pretty well. Actually, it seems she might have learned a trick or two from her previous work, as she¡¯s already enchanted several adventurer customers. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s wearing anything revealing too, but I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter whether she¡¯s dressed scantily or not. Appearance isn¡¯t everything, after all. Anyway, the enchanted male adventurers will probably become frequent customers. Speaking of which, I just realized this, but it seems all the women in this store are gorgeous¡­ Or maybe the average level of this world is just higher? I mean I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve met anyone unattractive just yet. Even the older ones have aged quite well. While I was thinking that, a loud voice suddenly resounded from the store. ¡°Corkin, is that you, de aru!? Why are you here, de aru!?¡± [Raypin] ¡°That manner of talking¡­ Raypin!?¡± [Corkin] ¡°¡­You two know each other?¡± [Ryouma] Corkin-san was in the middle of carrying some laundry, while Raypin-san was leaning over the counter with a shocked expression. While the two of them were looking at each other, petrified, I called out to them. ¡°Y-Yes. Raypin is a former colleague of mine.¡± [Corkin] ¡°We used to work at the same research institute, de aru. It¡¯s been years since I left the place, but who would¡¯ve thought we¡¯d meet again here, de aru. Corkin, when did you come to this town, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Corkin] Sounds like this is going to be complicated. ¡°Corkin-san, go ahead and take a break. Raypin-san, come in. We can talk in the office.¡± [Ryouma] I brought the two of them into the store¡¯s reception office. A few minutes later. After hearing of Corkin-san¡¯s circumstances, Raypin-san heaved a deep sigh. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were in this town long before I arrived, de aru¡­ I thought for sure you¡¯d just come.¡± [Raypin] ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be in this town either. I thought for sure you¡¯d be running all over the place chasing after monsters here and there in between towns.¡± [Corkin] ¡°It¡¯s true I like to go around, but I need to have a town that I consider as my base. Still, what a great coincidence it is for us to have met like this, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I thought we¡¯d never meet again too. I¡¯ve thought about it countless times, but I really think I should¡¯ve taken you up on your offer when you left the lab.¡± [Corkin] ¡°I told you, de aru. We may be both researchers, but our nature just doesn¡¯t suit research institutes.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t have any talent in magic. On top of that, I don¡¯t have any ability to tame monsters either. Adventurer work is too dangerous and I didn¡¯t think I could keep up, so I refused. I don¡¯t think I made the wrong decision back then, but¡­ I should¡¯ve washed my hands clean of the institute a lot earlier. If I¡¯d done that, then at the very least, I wouldn¡¯t have lost all my fortune.¡± [Corkin] The atmosphere started to turn sad because of Corkin-san, but it was also him who cleared that atmosphere. ¡°But from today on, I will be working at this store, so maybe it¡¯s not such a bad life after all. If it¡¯s from here, then I think I can turn to those who laughed at me before and look them in the eye. And although it hasn¡¯t been more than a few hours since I learned about them, but after hearing about the cleaner slimes, all that time I¡¯ve spent researching slimes be it out of frustration, regret, or habit, has suddenly felt like it wasn¡¯t so useless after all. That¡¯s why I¡¯m really grateful to the boss.¡± [Corkin] ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you from here on out, so please do your best.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Corkin] ¡°¡­Well, at least your safe, de aru. If you¡¯re going to be working at Ryouma¡¯s store, then your livelihood will also be secured, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Speaking of which, why did Raypin-san come here? It¡¯s not like he brought any laundry with him either¡­ Oh, did he store them in his Item Box? ¡°By the way, Raypin-san, did you come here to get your laundry washed?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no, de aru! I got a lot of my laundry washed yesterday, so I¡¯m okay on that front for now, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Oh, so he came when I wasn¡¯t around. ¡°I came here today to notify you, de aru. Do you know of grell frogs, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s that monster that¡¯s supposed to have an outbreak in the marsh near this town, right? Its hide can be used to make armor, while its guts can be used to make medicine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you know, then that¡¯ll make this quick. That outbreak is about to start.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The peak is expected to be about 3 or 4 days later, but starting tomorrow, job postings looking for grell frogs will start appearing in the guild. Grell frogs sell handsomely because they¡¯re medicinal ingredients, so it¡¯s a good time to make money. Other than that, the rimel birds that feed on them are also popular among monster tamers and nobles. If you can tame a rimel bird, you¡¯ll gain a lot of prestige. The guild¡¯s appraisal of you will also go up. You should give it a try if you¡¯re interested.¡± [Raypin] True. The opinion of the guild aside, from what I¡¯ve heard, rimel birds seem to fly fast, so having one around should make for a convenient method of communication. ¡°Thank you for the information. I¡¯ll be needing a fast way to communicate once I start putting up branches in the other towns, so I¡¯ll give taming one a shot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, de aru. Good luck, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Suddenly, someone knocked on the door and called for me. I think it¡¯s Carm-san, but he sounds like Carla-san, so it¡¯s a bit hard to tell if it¡¯s really him just from the sound¡­ ¡°Boss, the adventurer, Asagi-sama, is here with 4 other adventurers. He says he has something to talk to you about.¡± [Carm] I wonder what he wants me for. Anyway, I glanced at Corkin-san and Raypin-san, and after confirming that they were done, I replied to Carm-san. ¡°Please bring them here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood.¡± [Carm] After Carm-san left, Corkin-san also went back to work since he could meet with Raypin-san anytime now. After they left, Asagi-san, Miya-san, Wereanna-san, Mizelia-san, and Syria-san came. ¡°Welcome, everyone. What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry for dropping by without a word, nyaa¡ª Nyaa? Rapyin, you here, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°I came here to notify Ryouma about the grell frog outbreak, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°You too, huh. The reason we came here is related to that, actually, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°I¡¯ll cut to the chase. Ryouma, those work clothes you wore before, could you tell us where you bought them?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Washing our clothes here works, but it¡¯s a pain having to go back and forth. Especially, for dragonewts and beast tribe members like us. So we really would like to get our hands on some clothes that don¡¯t dirty as easily.¡± [Mizelia] Ahh, I see¡­ Good timing. I can use this to introduce them to Serge-san¡¯s store. I¡¯ve already given him the waterproof cloths, so he should¡¯ve started making them already. ¡°The Morgan Company of this town sells them. The product isn¡¯t that well known yet, so there¡¯s not a lot bof demand for them just yet. As such, I don¡¯t know if they have any in stock. If they don¡¯t have any, well¡­ you¡¯ve all met their president, Serge-san, so with my introduction, you should be able to get in touch with him.¡± [Ryouma] With this, I haven¡¯t refused them completely. ¡°Really!? Thank you so much!¡± [Syria] ¡°This much isn¡¯t really worth talking about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, really. Thank you. Beast tribe members have way better noses than humans think, so it¡¯s really a huge help to us.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°The leftover smell really sucks too¡­¡± [Wereanna] Is it really that bad? ¡°Thank you, Ryouma. I¡¯ll be going to Morgan Company then, de gozaru. Please excuse me.¡± [Asagi] After saying that Asagi quickly left. ¡°What was that? A bit odd.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Yeah, normally, if he shows up to someone¡¯s place so suddenly, he¡¯ll spend a lot of time apologizing¡­¡± [Raypin] ¡°Ahh!?¡± [Syria] ¡°Nyaat¡¯s happening!?¡± [Miya] ¡°The clothes Ryouma-kun was wearing! There¡¯s a chance it might run out of stock, right!?¡± [Syria] ¡°!!!¡± [Miya and Co.] ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Asagi didn¡¯t want to miss out on any, so he left as soon as he could!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°We can¡¯t be wasting time here, nyaa! Hurry, nyaa! Ryouma, thank you so much, nyaa!¡± [Miya] Miya-san and the others quickly left. Do they really hate the smell that much? Beast tribe members and dragonewts¡­ Just how good are their noses? ¡°What a noisy bunch, de aru¡­¡± [Raypin] ¡°Raypin-san, you¡¯re not buying?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m used to bad odor and filthy things. It¡¯s an indispensable part of being a researcher. Besides, I intend to capture grell frogs with magic, so I won¡¯t need to enter the marsh, de aru. I won¡¯t get dirty much, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I continued to chat with Raypin-san about monsters after that. Apparently, when grell frogs are purchased at the guild, each grell frog goes for 1 medium silver coin because the medicine made from their guts have various effects. After hearing that, I checked with the medicinal knowledge I was given after coming to this world, and it seems there are about 50 different medicines that use grell frog guts as ingredient. Vitality medicine and nourishment medicines make up the most, though. And they sell particularly well to noble men. What¡¯s important is the processing of the ingredients. An unskilled person will cause the quality to drop. The ingredient can still be used even if it¡¯s of a lower quality, but the resulting medicine will also be of a lower quality. There are times when the ingredients are so bad they can¡¯t make the medicine too. That¡¯s why the guild warns its adventurers never to attempt disemboweling themselves. Of special note when it comes to processing grell frogs is the blood draining. If the blood isn¡¯t drained properly, the quality will turn sour real fast¡­ Huh? Wait a moment. Doesn¡¯t that mean that the bloody slime is like actually really good for this? And then after draining the blood, you have to dry the frog and its parts to preserve them, but drying them normally would damage the goods, so you have to use wind magic and dry quickly. The speed of drying directly affects the quality. I¡¯m pretty sure I can just alchemy for that part. The process seems simple enough, there¡¯s plenty of ways to make use of it, and preservation isn¡¯t a problem. Unless you¡¯ve taken a job, it¡¯s usually hard to find a buyer for grell frogs. And if you do manage to find one, usually, they¡¯ll try to drive the price down real bad. But it seems you can also just capture the grell frogs and take the job later like I do with the herb collection jobs. Maybe I should hunt them to ensure I have a good supply of medicinal ingredients. Time passed as we chatted like that. ¡°It¡¯s this late already? Sorry for keeping you up so long, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I had a lot of fun.¡± [Ryouma] After sending Raypin-san off, the store closed too without anything out of the ordinary happening. After confirming the proceeds of the store, I went back home. Chapter 65 Volume 2 Chapter 65 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 65 part2 At the ojousama and the other¡¯s room, Arone-san poured me a cup of tea as usual while I reported to the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Have you talked to the guild?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes, and I¡¯ve also employed three new monster tamers today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve hired some already? Aren¡¯t you going too fast?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Maybe, but I found some good people, and besides, the guild master of the merchant guild gave her approval.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? Then I suppose that¡¯s fine.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Moreover, they¡¯re all people who have been demoted and researched slimes. They seem really fired up, saying stuff like ¡®with this we can finally show those guys up!¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°They might be more reliable than people who make excuses to keep up their appearance.¡± [Elize] After talking about the store, Reinhart-san also told me about the grell frog outbreak. They intend to form to try their hand at taming the rimel bird the day after tomorrow. The next day. I dropped by the store early in the morning and told them about my plans tomorrow to free up my schedule. When I did, Caulkin-san [1] told me what to watch out for regarding the rimel bird. ¡°Thank you. You sure are well informed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha ha. That¡¯s because I¡¯ve been trying to tame one every year. Although I¡¯ve never succeeded, I did gain a lot of knowledge.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Are you going this year too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was planning to go until yesterday, but since I have a job at this store already, there¡¯s no reason for me to go after the rimel bird anymore.¡± [Caulkin] Caulkin had a cheerful face as he said that. It makes me happy to hear him say that about my store. I left the store in a good mood as I dropped by Serge-san¡¯s store. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, Serge-san. I¡¯ve come to deliver the water proof cloths.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. These are for the other day, yes? Also, it seems you¡¯ve advertised for me too, as 5 customers dropped by yesterday.¡± [Serge] ¡°How are the sales?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯ve been selling quite well, even past the 5 customers you referred to me. They¡¯re especially popular among adventurers. When they found out about them, they even bought some for their friends.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh, come to think of it, I walked every day in that outfit when cleaning the latrine pits. I stood out a lot in those days, so that¡¯s probably why they¡¯re so popular among the adventurers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s probably it. From the way things are going, the demand is likely to rise faster than expected.¡± [Serge] ¡°I brought 70 cloths today, but I can still amp up the production. I¡¯ll try expanding the workshop to increase the production.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you, but please don¡¯t push yourself.¡± [Serge] Ah, looks like Serge-san has also heard about how I work too much. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. My store doesn¡¯t really need me anymore, and most of the time spent producing the waterproof cloths is just waiting for them to finish drying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­¡± [Serge] Serge-san seemed to look at me suspiciously as he said that. After that he checked the water proof cloths that I brought and paid for them. After receiving the payment and the next batch of untreated cloths, I left for the abandoned mine. After arriving at the abandoned mine. I asked the sticky slimes to start treating the cloths, then I took 2 earth slimes with me along with the scavenger slimes and went to a different tunnel to create a new workplace. I got the two earth slimes to make a hole via ¡®Create Block¡¯, while the scavenger slimes carried the blocks and I reinforced the walls. Like that we quickly built the new workshop. With more racks at hand, I was able to produce more waterproof cloths. As a result, I managed to create twice as many cloths as before, totaling to 140 cloths. The sticky slimes look like they can still work more, so we should probably be able to stop around 150 cloths. It¡¯s not good to work the slimes too hard, after all. ¡°Alright, go ahead and do what you want for now.¡± [Ryouma] The slimes worked a lot today, so I decided to exempt them from today¡¯s training. I built a bowl with earth magic and filled it water via water magic. ¡­Oh, the slimes have gathered around the bowl. They¡¯re drinking, they¡¯re¡­ Huh? When I looked at the gathered slimes, it suddenly occurred to me. Could the slimes other than the earth and dark slimes absorb mana? ¡­Let¡¯s try it out. I released neutral mana. ¡­The earth slime and the dark slime absorbed it a little slower than usual, but it seems the other slimes could absorb mana too. When I changed the attribute, I found out that the sticky slimes preferred neutral mana, the poison slimes preferred poison mana, and the metal and iron slimes preferred earth mana. The earth slime and the dark slime are a given. But what was surprising was the bloody slim, who preferred neutral and water, the acid slime, who preferred poison adn water, the cleaner slime, who preferred water and light, and the scavenger slime, who preferred earth and darkness¡­ They actually equally preferred two elements. It seems there are slimes that like multiple things too.. The heal slime prefers neutral, water, and light. It actually prefers three different types of mana, but what it really likes is a healing spell. Why is the heal slime the only one who prefers an actual spell over mana? Well, I can consider it as training for my healing magic, so whatever¡­ While I was thinking that, the heal slime suddenly became eligible for a split. Does mana also serve as nourishment to these slimes? I should investigate this more carefully later¡­ For the mean time, I let the heal slimes split and formed a contract with them. The heal slimes now numbered four. After that I made some preparations to tame a rimel bird. I took my guitar from my Item Box and started practicing. ¡°¡­That¡¯s it.¡± [Ryouma] My playing isn¡¯t too bad for someone playing as a hobby. Of course, it¡¯s not that good. Anyway, it would be great if this is enough to tame one, but eh¡­ Whatever happens will happen. If it¡¯s no good, then I¡¯ll just look for another bird-type monster. I killed some time until the cloths finished drying, then I went back to town, I dropped by Serge-san¡¯s store again. ¡°Well done.¡± [Serge] It seems this much was enough to fill their stock for now. It takes time to turn these cloths into product, so for the time being, they won¡¯t be needing any more water proof cloths. It seems Serge-san is really trying not to make me work too much. But, really¡­ It¡¯s actually the slimes who make these things, you know? I should turn the remaining cloths into waterproof cloths too. After leaving Serge-san¡¯s store, I looked up at the sky and thought to myself. ¡°¡­There¡¯s still some time, but there¡¯s no work left to be done¡­¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s nothing to do even if I go home now, and it¡¯s too late to be going back to the mine to train, so¡­ Let¡¯s drop by the church then. [1] Corkin changed to Caulkin for continuity¡¯s sake since I¡¯d previously translated it as Caulkins. When I got to the church, the woman who made my status board was there by the gates. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re¡­¡± [Nun] ¡°Thank you for last time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome. How may I help you?¡± [Nun] ¡°I¡¯ve come to pray.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, then please follow me.¡± [Nun] I sat in the chapel like last time and offered a prayer with my hands folded. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Hmm? Huh? I thought I¡¯d go to the divine realm as usual, but nothing is happening. ¡­But then again, I guess it¡¯d be weirder if I could go every time. Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking when all of the sudden everything turned white. ¡°!? This is? Oh, it¡¯s the usual, I guess. There was an odd lag there, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry, sorry, I don¡¯t use this power that much, so it was harder than expected.¡± [???] When I turned around, the one who replied was a short-statured hairy old man who carried a barrel of alcohol over his right shoulder, while holding a sake bottle with his left hand. He stood there as he emptied the contents of the glass bottle into his mouth. There¡¯s no mistaking it. It¡¯s the God of Wine! ¡°Could you be Tekun-sama, the God of Wine?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, he moved the sake bottle from his mouth and replied. ¡°You got that right. The name¡¯s Tekun. By the way, you don¡¯t need to talk politely to me. I¡¯m a god, so if I feel like it, I could just read your mind, so there¡¯s no point in using keigo (polite language). Besides, it¡¯s a pain, so when you call me, just call me Tekun. Aight?¡± Well, take a seat.¡± [Tekun] Oh, yeah¡­ These guys can read minds, so there¡¯s not much meaning in using polite language, I guess. I sat just as Tekun-sama instructed me to. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just talk casually¡­. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi. Thank you for giving me your divine protection.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve seen you from time to time, so it doesn¡¯t really feel like our first time. And don¡¯t mind the divine protection, I just give it from time to time whenever I see someone interesting. It just so happened to be you. That¡¯s all.¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that he drank from his sake bottle. ¡°Are you the only one around today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. The others are doing whatever thy want. As for the god of war, the god of magic, and the god of the land, I can¡¯t see anything but white, but they¡¯re probably somewhere comfortable. In human terms, that¡¯s where they built the place they would call a house and lived in it.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t know that¡­ Do you have a house too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah. Don¡¯t have any. I¡¯m a god of wine and craftsmen. Wine and craftsmen can be found in all sorts of places, so I just wander through those places as I please.¡± [Tekun] ¡°You wander?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The divine realm is more or less connected to the world you live in. Well, if you want a better explanation, you¡¯ll have to ask someone else. I¡¯m not good at explaining stuff like this. But enough of that. Drink.¡± [Tekun] Tekun took a cup full of liquor from thin air and gave it to me. The shape of the cup was just like that of a goblet, but it was gold, and silver and small jewels could be found adorning it here and there. ¡°Come on! Cheers!¡± [Tekun] ¡°C-Cheers!¡± [Ryouma] I ended up toasting because of him, so I just went along and drank from the cup. ¡°¡­Delicious!¡± A sweet liquor that¡¯s extremely delicious. ¡°It¡¯s made from fruit and honey raised in a land blessed by the god of the land and the god of farming. And the ones who made it have also received my blessig, so of course it¡¯s delicious.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Wow¡­ Could I also get my hands on these when I come back? Also, you can give a divine protection to lands too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it, but this is an offering, so it¡¯ll probably be hard to get your hands on one since the excess stock are distributed among craftsmen or those within the circle. As for the divine protection, well, I can only bless people, but the god of the land can bless lands. There are other guys too who can bless places they like. Gayn also once blessed this whole world, you know? After all, he¡¯s the god of creation.¡± [Tekun] Oh, yeah. ¡°Nowadays, the lifeforms of this world has grown up and are changing the world as they please, though., so the places with Gayn¡¯s divine protection are decreasing. The same is true for me, but there are also times when I stop giving the divine protection on my own volition. Like for example, I could¡¯ve given a divine protection to a blacksmith devoted to his craft, but if that divine protection turns him into a no good fellow, then I¡¯ll feel like removing the divine protection.¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that, he drank from his sake bottle. ¡°By the way, do you know where Gayn and the others have been going to lately?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Where they¡¯re going?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. I haven¡¯t been seeing them lately. It¡¯s not like I have nothing else to do, so I¡¯m not really that troubled, but seeing them missing so frequently has me a little concerned.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Hmm¡­ But you just called me here too, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was then that I remembered what Kufo told me last time. ¡°Oh, maybe they went to my world.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your world? ¡­What was that called again? Earth?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Yeah. That one. Last time I came here, Kufo said that Gayn and the others went to Earth to sightsee.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°HAA!? They went sightseeing!? What the heck are they doing!?¡± [Tekun] Tekun yelled out in surprise. ¡°Is that strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Normally, gods don¡¯t interfere with other worlds. Bringing people like you from another world to this world is something we do only because this world is in really dire straits. In other words, it¡¯s an exception brought about by pressing circumstances. Going sightseeing is most definitely not a valid reason for an exception.¡± [Tekun] ¡°But Kufo was so sure about it last time we talked. He said Gayn was fanboying over Japan¡¯s idols, while Rurutia was going around the world eating all sort of sweet food, and Kufo himself was exploring the unexplored regions of earth.¡± [Ryouma] When Tekun heard that, he suddenly thought of something. ¡°But how could it be? Is that really the truth? I don¡¯t know much about idols, but¡­¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s true. Really.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not impossible to go, but¡­ Won¡¯t the god of your world get mad? Besides, something like this has never happened until you came h¡ª It couldn¡¯t be!!¡± [Tekun] Suddenly, Tekun stood up with great fury. ¡°What is it!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those no good bastards¡­ They couldn¡¯t have been so free that they used negotiations with the god of your world as a pretense to go sightseeing, could they? They¡¯re not the only ones free, you know? How dare they have fun by themselves!¡± [Tekun] As Tekun trembled all over, he took the sake barrel over his shoulder and yelled. ¡°I can¡¯t stay here! I have to find them!¡± [Tekun] As Tekun was about to run off, I called out to him in a panic. ¡°W-Wait! What about me!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ But don¡¯t worry, when the time runs out, you¡¯ll go back on your own. Take some liquor with you. If you let mana flow into that goblet, you¡¯ll be able to get liquor anytime. Sorry, but I¡¯m really in a hurry right now. Later!¡± [Tekun] ¡°W¡ª Fast!¡± [Ryouma] I couldn¡¯t even see him as he ran off in an amazing speed. Actually, the speed he¡¯s moving at doesn¡¯t match his steps. Ahh, I can¡¯t see him anymore¡­ He really left me behind¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe I was left alone in a place like this¡­ Anyway, I might as well kill some time drinking¡­¡± [Ryouma] I drank a mouthful of wine. ¡°Yeah, this is seriously some good stuff. But I sure wished I had some snack to accompany it.¡± [Ryouma] Unfortunately, there¡¯s nothing here but the liquor and the goblet. Tekun said I could get as much wine as I wanted from this goblet as long as I coursed mana through it, but that¡¯s only for liquor. Snacks won¡¯t come out¡­ But wait¡­ If I can use mana, does that mean I can use magic here? ¡°Item Box!¡± [Ryouma] A black hole appeared in thin air. It seems I can use Item Box. ¡°I did it¡­ I guess it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the place. Well, whatever. With this, I should be able to find something I can use for snacks¡­ Don¡¯t I have some fruits around here¡­ None? Well, I have been living at the inn for a while now, and I¡¯ve been storing all my food at the fridge at the store, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out the items in my Item Box, but there was nothing that could serve as snacks. While I was thinking that, the light that signaled my return came. Oh no! I have to clean up quickly or else! Hurriedly, I emptied the goblet, then I threw all of my stuff back into my Item Box. After storing everything away, I closed the Item Box, and the light signal became stronger. Before I knew it, I was back in the human world. ¡°D-Did I make it?¡± [Ryouma] When I used Item Box, everything I took out was back. What a relief¡­ It¡¯s too bad about that wine, though. I drank everything in one gulp, but I feel like I wasted it¡­ I should¡¯ve just quietly enjoyed it¡­ It was really delicious too. What a pity. This must be my first time feeling like this over a cup of liquor. After leaving a donation, I left the church feeling a little sad. I went back home after that. Chapter 66 Volume 2 Chapter 66 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 66 part2 Volume 2 Chapter 66 part3 The next day. Today was the day when they would finally try taming a rimel bird. To that end, I, the four members of the duke family, Jill-san, Zeff-san, Camil-san, and Hyuzu-san walked the road toward the mines. The ojousama and the others were donned in armor and had a weapon with them just like when we went out to train at the mines before, but in my case, I was wearing my latrine-pit cleaning outfit. Being the only one dressed like this sure makes me stand out from our group¡­ Incidentally, we also couldn¡¯t use the carriage in order to train the ojousama. She might actually have quite a bit of stamina. We¡¯ve been walking all this time, and although we might be taking breaks from time to time, I still think it¡¯s amazing that she hasn¡¯t complained. ¡°Fuu¡­ Ryouma-san, are you alright?¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯m alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You sure have a lot of stamina.¡± [Elia] The ojousama was gradually getting tired, but it¡¯s not really something to make a fuss about. After all, we were walking up a mountain trail, and the road wasn¡¯t paved, so I think it¡¯s already commendable that she¡¯s not complaining. Camil-san seemed to have thought the same thing as he encouraged her. ¡°It¡¯s alright, Ojousama. You¡¯re stamina is already amazing compared to normal children your age.¡± [Camil] ¡°That¡¯s right, Ojousama. Don¡¯t compare yourself with Ryouma. This guy is just abnormal. Any normal child would have long been out of breath, but this guy isn¡¯t even sweating. Sweat a little, won¡¯t you?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s a physiological phenomenon, so¡­ ¡°But seriously, boy, most people would at least sweat easily without having to be told that¡¯s the norm.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I know we¡¯re not going very fast to match the ojousama¡¯s pace, and I¡¯d understand if you were a trained expert like us, but you¡¯re still just a child, aren¡¯t you? Just what kind of training have you been doing?¡± [Camile] ¡°Hmm¡­ To put it briefly, I was trained to the limits. Whenever I fell or rested, I¡¯d get beaten up so hard to be heavily wounded, and then I¡¯d be asked if I¡¯d rather keep getting beaten or train. After doing that everyday, I ended up like this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Was your master a demon from hell!?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Can¡¯t refute that.¡± [Ryouma] When I was a child, I was really scared of my dad. So much that I couldn¡¯t even breathe when I was in front of him. While I was thinking that, it seemed it was time for us to set off. ¡°We have to get moving again before Elia cools down completely.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s just a little bit more.¡± [Hyuzu] Like that we started walking again, then after some 30 minutes of walking, the road curved and we entered into a forest. After another 30 minutes, the air started to smell really bad. So, this is the stench of a marsh. As we continued along, the redbrown-colored marsh came to view. We seemed to be somewhere by the very borders of the forest and the mine. We were inside a forest, but there were few trees, and the marsh felt as if the earth from the abandoned mind had collapsed and flowed into it. The smell only got worse as we approached the marsh. The ojousama had to cover her mouth to endure it. ¡°This is the marsh I was talking about. The smell you¡¯re smelling comes from the fallen leaves and the rotting corpses of various organisms inside the marsh.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What a horrible smell¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°It certainly stinks, but unless you can adapt to this, you won¡¯t be able to explore the other regions.¡± [Elize] Oh, yeah. Reinbach-sama has supposedly fixed the Jamil territory up, so it¡¯s a lot bettor compared to the other regions¡­ Wait, does that mean that the other regions smell like this all the time? Oh, dear. Let¡¯s hope not. ¡°Hmm¡­ It seems the grell frogs and the rimel birds aren¡¯t in this marsh yet. This isn¡¯t the only marsh, so let¡¯s check the others.¡± [Reinbach] As such, we started walking again. 10 minuted later, we found a marsh 3 times bigger than the previous one. This time, 30 adventurers, 30 monster tamers, and over 200 birds came to view. ¡°Those are rimel birds!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Those are¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re beautiful¡­¡± [Elia] The rimel bird resembled a large parrot, but it had a tail that you could find from long-tailed fowls. Its body was blue, but its head and tail were covered with beautiful green feathers. No wonder it¡¯s so popular. It looks so strange with the marsh as its backdrop. They¡¯re really beautiful, but I think the surrounding adventurers will become a hindrance. ¡°They went that way!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Hurry up and catch the grell frogs!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Ah!?¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Hurry! Before it gets eaten¡¯. [Adventurer 2] The adventurer entered the marsh and started competing with the rimel birds for the grell forgs. Tough-looking men played about in the mud, trying to catch redbrown-colored frogs ¨C the same color as the mud ¨C with either their nets or their hands¡­ It was a sweltering sight. Meanwhile, two young men brought out their instruments by the side of the marsh. ¡°Ryouma, Elia, look. It seems those two want to try their hands at taming the rimel birds.¡± [Elize] The other man started blowing his flute. It seemed to be a recorder of some sort. He didn¡¯t seem very skilled. ¡°How important is musical skill when trying to tame a rimel bird?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s hard to say since the ones judging are none other than the rimel birds themselves.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°As word says, there was even a case when a monster tamer played confidently only to be rejected, then in a fit of anger, slammed his instrument against the ground, causing a discordant sound to play, and was then able to form a contract with a rimel bird.¡± [Elia] ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say to that¡­¡± [Ryouma] When the man finished playing, the rimel birds all started chirping out in unison. ¡°Kera kera kera kera kera kera kera!!¡± ¡°Ahahahahahaha!¡± The man¡¯s performance was met with the laugh of over 200 birds. The birds laughed in mockery. Caulkin-san said that the rimel birds would chirp in alarm whenever they didn¡¯t like one¡¯s music, and it just so happens that the way they would chirp then is really infuriating. So this is what he meant by that! ¡­True. After hearing it it¡¯s certainly not good on the ears. This sort of stuff seems to be happen frequently, though, as the adventures aren¡¯t reacting one bit. Instead, they¡¯re using it as an opportunity to gather even more grell frogs. And even after finishing, they just ignored the guy. ¡°I think you can tell just from the birds¡¯ chirps, but this is how a failure looks like. Taming like this is impossible. You can try again if you want, but if you do it too many times, you might get attacked. So, at most, you should only try twice.¡± [Reinhart] While Reinhart-san was explaining, the other man started playing with his flute. This time was even worse than the guy before, as the rimel birds started laughing before he could even finish. Getting roasted by some birds seemed to have struck a nerve, though, as the man unsheathed his sword and entered the marsh. ¡°T-That¡¯s not good¡­ Be careful, everyone.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ha!¡± [The four guards] At Reinbach-sama¡¯s words, the four guards stepped forward. Sebasu-san and Reinhart-san also stood alert, while the madam covered for me and Elia. ¡°Ke!¡± [Rimel Birds] ¡°GUAH! E-Eek!!¡± [Frustrated Musician] The rimel bird nearest to the man seemed to have sensed danger coming from him and his sword, as it chirped and attacked him. As a shallow wound was left on the man¡¯s shoulder, he cried out in pain. ¡°Wind magic.¡± [Ryouma] At that, the other rimel birds also looked at the man. When the man saw that, his anger quickly cooled and fear took its place as he ran for his life. The people nearby were caught up in the clamor, and had no choice but to also retreat. The rimel birds casted wind cutter at the fleeing back. Their accuracy wasn¡¯t very good and they kept on missing, but the man ran for his life regardless. ¡°You can¡¯t lose your cool like that. Rimel birds may be gentle, but they¡¯re not weak. If you look down on them and try to force them into obedience, they¡¯ll fight back.¡± [Elize] While the madam was warning us, I noticed that the man was running toward us. That¡¯s bad! The man managed to reach the bank of the marsh, but he seemed to have lost his focus and stopped. It was then that one of the rimel birds casted a spell and got the man by his legs. ¡°KUAH!? AHH¡­¡± [Frustrated Musician] ¡°Earth wall!!¡± [Ryouma and Camil] ¡°Keh!!¡± [Rimel Birds] Camil and I immediately cast our spells, erecting a wall made out of earth between the man and the rimel birds. The ten wind cutters that shot for the man made a shaving sound, but our earth walls managed to hold. The wind cutters stopped, but then in the next moment, a loud chirp resounded. ¡°Kukeh! Kukeh!! Kukeh!!! Kukeh!!!¡± [Rimel Birds] [1] ¡°Kyaaa!¡± [Elia] ¡°GU!?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Is this!?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Get a hold of yourselves!!¡± [Reinhart] For some reason, everyone started acting as if they were in pain. The ojousama even started shaking and tottered. Fortunately, the madam and Sebasu-san were able to quickly support her. What¡¯s going on!? When I looked around me, even the adventurers in the marsh were suffering. There were even some who lost their minds and were crouching as they screamed. To affect such a large area¡­ Not to mention this powerful mana I¡¯m sensing. No matter how you look at it, the culprit must be the rimel birds¡¯ chirping. But which bird? I searched for the source of the sound and mana, and in a few seconds, I managed to isolate everything to a single bird. Apparently, it was using a wind magic technique similar to mine as it amplified its own chirps. Because of that I was able to quickly find it. ¡°Silent!¡± [Ryouma] I casted a spell toward the culprit bird. It was a spell meant to stop the vibrations in the air. And just as I¡¯d hoped, the sound stopped and everyone¡¯s expression softened. Looks like it was effective¡­ Unfortunately, it¡¯s not so simple, as the rimel bird was resisting. That rimel bird is probably using a spell similar to my Big Voice that increases the vibrations in the air. I¡¯m using a spell that works the exact opposite of that, but because of that, it seems this has suddenly turned into a battle of control. If I slip for even a moment, the sound will return. Our control is equal¡­ No, it¡¯s gradual, but I¡¯m being pushed back. If I can¡¯t win with control, then¡­ I¡¯ll win with brute force! I used significantly more mana than before and casted the spell again. ¡°Silent!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Kukeh!¡± After a few seconds of struggling, the rimel bird realized that it was at a disadvantage and flew away. The rimel birds followed it and left. I stayed wary of any attacks from the air as the flock of rimel bids flew away. ¡°They ran? ¡­I guess it¡¯s over for now then?¡± [Ryouma] [1] ¨C The bird wants a cookie. Cookeh! Cookeh! ???? ¡°Camil, heal that man! Jill, Zeff, Hyuzu, get those fainted men in the marsh and bring them to shore! Sebasu, how is Elia?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san gave out orders and then checked with Sebasu how Elia was doing, but it was the ojousama herself who answered his question. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Alright¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Are you okay, Elia? You¡¯re not hurt?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes¡­ I was just scared suddenly, but¡­ that¡¯s all. I¡¯m okay now.¡± [Elia] ¡°I see. That¡¯s good¡­ Ryouma-kun, thank you. That was you just now, right?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The cause was that rimel bird¡¯s chirping, right? Well, it seemed like that, at least, so I stopped it, but what exactly was it doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Elize and Elia] When I said that, the madam and the ojousama reacted. ¡°Ryouma-san, you didn¡¯t feel anything?¡± [Elia] ¡°Was I supposed to feel something?¡± [Ryouma] I just thought the birds wouldn¡¯t shut up. That¡¯s why I could leisurely look around. But everyone suddenly started acting like they were out of their minds. Now that was shocking. ¡°You just thought they were noisy? That¡¯s it?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yep.¡± [Ryouma] The madam was really confused when she heard my reply, so Reinbach-sama and Sebasu started explaining. ¡°The rimel bird Ryouma stopped probably wasn¡¯t just a rimel bird. That¡¯s probably an advanced variant, a nightmare rimel bird. They can use dark magic too on top of wind magic. Their most striking feature is that they can inflict mental damage via dark magic.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°This spell of theirs inflicts fear and confusion. It can also cause hallucinations and even knock people out. Just like those adventurers.¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san pointed toward the people who¡¯ve been dragged back to shore. Jill-san and the others had dragged them back to safety, and most of them were sitting, but a part of them were either still unconscious or crouching in fear. ¡°That spell sure is terrifying¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s just how strong it is. Physical strength is different from mental strength, so even vegetarian adventurers could lose consciousness. Those adventurers are still just neophytes, so it¡¯s not surprising that they¡¯d end up like that.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°And even if you build up your endurance, it will still hurt. You¡¯ll just be able to endure better.¡± [Reinhart] Come to think of it, I have a Mental Pain Resist skill, don¡¯t I? Maybe that¡¯s the reason why I didn¡¯t feel anything. When I asked them, the confused madam suddenly said ¡®that¡¯s it!¡¯ Apparently, my resistance is so strong that I didn¡¯t even feel a thing. They say that I probably won¡¯t be affected much by mental attacks, but I¡¯ve never really thought up any countermeasure for them in the first place. And while it¡¯s good that they can¡¯t affect me, not even knowing I¡¯m being attacked is pretty bad. I should be careful¡­ While we were chatting like that, Jill-san and the others came back. Looks like they¡¯re done helping the adventurers. ¡°What¡¯s the damage on their side?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The guy who caused everything is the only one wounded, but we¡¯ve already healed him, so he can return to town without any problems.¡± [Jill] ¡°But what are we going to do now? All the rimel birds flew away because of that guy.¡± [Camil] ¡°Shall we look for their nest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That might be a bit difficult. When rimel birds fly, they use wind magic to call the winds and ride them. That¡¯s why their speed is in a league of its own, but that also means the area we have to cover if we¡¯re going to be looking for them is going to be really big.¡± [Camil] ¡°Let¡¯s wait for a bit. We came all the way out here, so I¡¯d at least like to give it a try.¡± [Elia] Because of the ojousama, we decided to wait here for a while. During that time, the adventurers gradually recovered and the fainted ones also started waking up. But they no longer seemed to be in the mood to hunt or maybe it was just because the duke was around, but regardless, the adventurers all left. The only ones left were us. I made us some seats near the marsh, and we passed the time talking idly to each other. Apparently, the nightmare rimel bird¡¯s mental attack was really powerful, but attacking to stop it would cause the rest of the rimel birds to fight back, so the situation would just turn into a bigger mess. As such, the best response usually is to either just endure the nightmare rimel bird¡¯s attack or run. I wonder if my Silent was okay since it wasn¡¯t actually an attack, but just something meant to mute the sound. It¡¯s a good thing that Caulkin-san and the duke¡¯s family told me beforehand not to attack the rimel birds. Also, it seems that the rimel bird¡¯s advanced variant has only been spotted once in 10 years. It¡¯s an extremely rare monster. Although things turned out pretty badly, being able to see one in the flesh is our good luck. ¡°How did it look like?¡± [Elia] ¡°It seemed darker than the other birds. Like a deep blue and green. It had a luxurious feeling to it. Other than that there¡¯s also¡­¡± [Ryouma] As we passed the time idly chatting like this, an intimate atmosphere suddenly filled the area. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before we have to go our separate ways, huh?¡± [Elia] When the ojousama said that, it finally occurred to me that they came here specifically to see a rimel bird and try their hand a taming one. Us coming here today means that they¡¯ve accomplished that goal, so they¡¯ll be leaving soon. We probably don¡¯t have much time left together. Uhh¡­ What should I say here? ¡®I see?¡¯ That¡¯s a bit too apathetic. ¡®Don¡¯t go!¡¯ A 40 year-old uncle saying that is kinda gross. I mean I might look fine on the outside, but mentally speaking it¡¯s really not okay for me. ¡®We¡¯ll meet again¡¯ Yeah this is the one. I¡¯d like to say something more clever, but this¡¯ll have to do. ¡°But it¡¯s not like you won¡¯t be meeting anymore, Elia. Right? Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] Ahh¡­ I took so long thinking up a response that I got beaten to the punch. ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you exchange letters, you¡¯ll be able to keep in touch.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°¡­You¡¯re right! We can meet again! Ryouma-san! Please write me a letter! I¡¯ll write you too!¡± [Elia] ¡°Sure!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Idiot! If you¡¯re a man, you should at least give her a hug!¡± [Hyuzu] As Hyuzu-san said that, he hit me from behind, causing me to almost fall off my seat. ¡°Woah! What are you doing? And what are you thinking!? Aren¡¯t you her guard!? You should be stopping me from doing stuff like that!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hah? But it¡¯s more interesting like this!¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san said with a grin on his face and a thumbs up. ¡°Is that okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as it¡¯s a hug between friends. Yeah. Between friends¡­ Friends.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s nothing to fret about. Really. You¡¯re both about 10 years-old. You¡¯re children.¡± [Reinbach] Reinhart-san was making a slightly complicated expression, but Reinbach-sama didn¡¯t seem to mind one bit. I guess hugs are like a greeting here? Kinda like westerners? ¡°See? Well, come on then. If you¡¯re a man, give her a reaalllll hard one. ¡®Sides, if you don¡¯t do it quickly, it¡¯ll get awkward.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°GAHA!? Y-You¡­¡± [Hyuzu] It was starting to get annoying, so I gave him a body blow. A realll hard one just like he wanted it. When I turned around, my eyes met with the ojousama¡¯s. She seemed to be blushing a little. But this sort of reaction makes things harder for me. Looking for a way out, I turned to the madam again, but she seemed to be intent on just watching things go. Scratch that. I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s having the time of her life right now¡­ ¡°What¡­ are you doing¡­ GUFU¡­¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu asked as he held his stomach and crouched down in pain. ¡°Just trying to cover up my shyness¡­ Don¡¯t mind me¡­¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t believe I just said that¡­ Though I did just hit him all of the sudden. Was it that painful? ¡°Like hell you were just trying to cover your shyness!? If I hadn¡¯t trained this body I¡¯d be out cold right now! ¡­Owwww ¡­Why does it hurt so much when I¡¯m wearing armor?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Oops. Sorry about that. It¡¯s become a habit.¡± [Ryouma] The blow I used is specifically meant for people with armor, so of course it hurts. ¡­Ah, not good. I¡¯m also starting to become real tense. Calm down, me! A strange atmosphere filled the area¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Pirorororororo!!¡± [???] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fueh!?¡± [Elia] ¡­Only to be broken by a whistle-like sound. When we turned around, the rimel birds had returned. Chapter 67 Volume 2 Chapter 67 part1 Volume 2 Chapter 67 part2 When I saw the rimel birds flying, I was speechless. Beyond the trees, with the red mountain as their backdrop, the rimel birds spread their seemingly transparent blue wings as they fluttered and turned their green tails. The sight of rimel birds descending was a beauty my vocabulary alone could not express. There seems to be more of them now than a while ago, but it doesn¡¯t seem as a if they¡¯ve brought reinforcements with them or anything, for very soon they started feeding on the grell frogs. In any case, it doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any danger, though there¡¯s one guy from the flock that¡¯s been staring at me all this time. It¡¯s that advanced variant from before. Ever since it landed, it hasn¡¯t touched the grell frogs and is just staring at me without even blinking once. Is it on guard because of what happened before? The ojousama had already gotten her instrument from Sebasu and was getting ready to play, but¡­ ¡°Reinhart-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Should I leave for a moment? That advanced variant from before has been staring at me all this time. Maybe it¡¯s still on guard because of what happened before, so I might just get in the way if I stay here¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s okay. I don¡¯t mind.¡± [Elia] Elia herself rejected my idea. ¡°The contract is between me and the monster, so I won¡¯t make excuses saying that the only reason it failed was because of you, Ryouma-san.¡± [Elia] The ojousama unusually had a cold air about her as she said that. ¡°Besides, I would prefer it if you watched me. So, please, stay here. I feel stronger when you¡¯re around.¡± [Elia] The ojousama said with a smile. If she¡¯s going that far, then I can¡¯t exactly leave, can I? ¡°Alright. I understand. Good luck.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Elia] After encouraging her, I stepped back. The ojousama took a deep breath, then she started her performance. She played a relaxing tune just like she did before. At first, the sound was soft, gradually growing ever quiet, then the sound started growing louder and louder. The ojousama¡¯s tune was like that of the sea waves, ever changing, sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. But be it small or big, the sounds of her performance resounded throughout the marsh. The rimel birds also acted different from before, as they seemed to be swaying to the tune of her music. After a while, the ojousama¡¯s performance concluded. ¡°¡­!¡± [Ojousama] As the ojousama nervously looked at the rimel birds, they suddenly all started chirping simultaneously. Their chirping now wasn¡¯t annoying like that time when they were mocking the men. Instead, their chirping sounded like a pleasant tune similar to that of a harp or a piano. The sounds weren¡¯t a disorderly noise either. It like a musical performance, having order to it. That performance lasted for about a minute until the most dazzling bird from the flock flew toward Elia with 8 others and gathered by her feet. It¡¯s a success! But just when I thought she was going to form a contract with them¡­ ¡°Ojousama, the contract! The monster contract!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right!¡± [Elia] Did she forget out of sheer joy? For some reason, the ojousama had stiffened up and replied absentmindedly as she performed the contract in a daze. I watched her form the contracts one after another, and it seems she really has succeeded. When Elia finally formed a contract with the last but most beautiful rimel bird, she finally cheered. ¡°I did it!!¡± [Elia] ¡°Good job!!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°A good job indeed!¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Isn¡¯t that great, Elia?¡± [Elize] ¡°Congratulations.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Congratulations, Ojousama.¡± [Ryouma] The ojousama had succeeded in forming a contract with 9 rimel birds all in all. Forming a contract with just one was so hard already, so I never thought she¡¯d be able to form a contract with so many. ¡°Look how many beautiful children there are!¡± [Elia] Surrounded by the rimel birds, the ojousama patted them and played with them. It seems they¡¯ve taken to her already, as they¡¯ve started riding her shoulders and her thighs. It¡¯s kind of sad that I can¡¯t help but be reminded of a scene where I tried to open a bag of bird feeds only to be swarmed and forced to drop the feed as a result. Seriously, why do I have to remember that sort of stuff when such a touching sight is before me. You could turn this scene into a painting and title it ¡®a beautiful girl playing with birds¡¯ and it wouldn¡¯t feel strange one bit. But there¡¯s no point in thinking stuff like that. Since she managed to do it, then I might as well give it at try! Let¡¯s do this! I took out my guitar from my Item Box. When I did, the ojousama immediately looked at it curiously. ¡°Ryouma-san. Is that an instrument? Are you also going to try and tame one?¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯m not as good as you, but I¡¯d like to try my hand at taming a rimel bird.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good luck!¡± [Elia] ¡°Good luck, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°We¡¯ll be looking forward to it.¡± [Hyuzu] After being encouraged by everyone, I started getting ready. Just like the ojousama, I started with a deep breath. I haven¡¯t formally learned the guitar, but when a neighbor of mine moved elsewhere, he left me a guitar and a textbook. I killed time reading that book and practicing on the guitar, and somehow, I managed to memorize the chords. So, I can play a little. Of course, it¡¯s a far cry from the ojousama¡¯s playing, but I¡¯ll do my best. The piece I played was a popular tune from the TV in my previous life. I never bought the sheets for it, but I managed to learn it by hearing. That being said, it¡¯s probably quite different from the original. But that doesn¡¯t really matter. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m particularly good, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that bad either, so I should just play with a good mood. ¡°!¡± The rimel birds started swaying to the tune. Oh, they like it? That¡¯s interesting. When I finished a tune, the rimel birds stopped swaying and went silent for a few seconds. The result was¡­ A performance like chirping!! ¡°Huh!?¡± [Ryouma] I was shocked to see 6 gather by my feet, but what shocked me even more was seeing that advanced variant from before among that 6. Weren¡¯t you wary of me? ¡°Ryouma-san, form a contract with them!¡± [Elia] Oh, right. Looks like I also ended up dazing off. I hurriedly formed a contract with them one after another. ¡°Fuu¡­ Success.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, everyone clapped for me. ¡°Congratulations, Ryouma-san!¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s great to see the both of you succeed.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Congratulations, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°You did it!¡± [Camil] ¡°Forming a contract with rimel birds is really difficult, but you two went and formed several contracts on your first try! The two of you are amazing!¡± [Elize] At the madam¡¯s words, everyone turned to my rimel birds. The advanced variant I¡¯d contracted and the prettiest of Elia¡¯s birds seemed to get along very well as they flew in the air and sprung about on the ground. That rimel bird sure is beautiful. My 6 rimel bids are also beautiful, but I feel as if that rimel bird¡¯s color is a bit more dazzling and brighter than the others. ¡°¡­Ojousama, how about calling the rimel bird next to Ryouma-sama¡¯s advanced variant and using Monster Identify on it?¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san seemed quite curious about it. The ojousama was confused, but she called her bird over anyway and used Monster Identify on it. When she summoned her bird, my advanced bird also came with it and perched itself atop my head. Why did you have to pick my head to park your feet on? Well¡­ You¡¯re light, so whatever, I guess. ¡°Huh!?¡± [Elia] While I was wondering what was up with the bird perched atop my head, the ojousama suddenly let out a shocked voice. ¡°What happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This bird is also an advanced variant!¡± [Elia] What!? Weren¡¯t advanced variants only seen like once in 10 years!? ¡°Really!? It looks different from mine, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not a nightmare, but a phantom rimel bird. It excels at light magic instead of dark magic.¡± [Elia] ¡°There¡¯s something like that too?¡± [Ryouma] I was shocked, but in my case, I just thought it was a little strange. It was much worse for Sebasu-san and the others, as they were so shocked they¡¯d gone speechless. When they had regained their sanity, they started tossing Elia into the air and showered her with praises. After they¡¯d calmed down and finding out why they were so excited, apparently, the phantom rimel bird was an even rarer advanced variant than the nightmare rimel bird. Seriously!? I mean sure its lustre and color is different, but I can¡¯t believer two such rare specimens could be found in one flock. Everyone was a lot more surprised than I was. After this, we had to enter the marsh and catch some grell frogs as part of the ojousama¡¯s training, but everyone¡¯s attention was gathered onto the rimel birds. In fact, it seems they¡¯d completely forgotten that they came here to train. The grell frogs weren¡¯t particularly hard to catch so long as you didn¡¯t mind the smell of the marsh. It almost felt like they were losing on purpose as we caught way too many of them. There was also only us in the marsh, so that made things a lot easier. If there were a lot of people like earlier, catching grell frogs wouldn¡¯t be so simple. Anyway, we finished catching grell frogs, then used the cleaner slimes to wash ourselves after leaving the marsh. After that we went back to town. Is that really enough for training? Didn¡¯t they come here to get the ojousama used to getting dirty? Well, her slime will also turn into a cleaner slime, so I guess it¡¯s fine? ¡­Well, no one¡¯s stopping us, so I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter. We took a short break before going home. The madam, the ojousama, and I were all surrounded by our birds, while Reinhart-san watched with envy from the side. Apparently, he had poor compatibility with bird-type monsters, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯d scare them just by approaching. Reinbach-sama told Sebasu-san to prepare a feast for today, so Sebasu-san had already gone back via Warp to inform Arone-san and the others. It seems today¡¯s results has everyone restless. When we got back to the inn, a wonderful meal with sufficient spices and expensive liquor was waiting for us. Like that the feast began. Of course, the leading actors were none other than the ojousama and I. Reinhart-san and the others continually praised us while we ate. The ojousama quickly ate her fill and became caught up in the conversations, but my parsimonious spirit was just too strong, as I couldn¡¯t help but eat too much of the good food in front of me. In the end, I ended up drinking too much. I mean, it¡¯s a waste to just leave them, right? Still, it has been a while since I ate and drank so much¡­ It¡¯s also not like my previous life. Although I drank there too while surrounded by people, I never had this much fun. Even though the food in my previous life should be more delicious, it seems as if today¡¯s cooking actually tastes better. The wine too. ¡­Oh, come to think of it, Tekun mentioned I never managed to enjoy liquor back in my previous life. I wonder if this is what he meant by that? It probably is. Today, I feel like praying to Tekun. After the feast ended, I got some of the leftover wine as offering and went back to my room. After recalling that I¡¯d left the idols I made before a t the store, I created a new one and prayed to it. This is my second party since coming to this world. I was able to enjoy myself in a different way from my previous life. Thank you. It¡¯s something we just bought, but please accept this luxurious wine as an offering. ¡­Something like this? I bowed my head to the idol, then I went to sleep. I feel like I can get a good night¡¯s rest tonight. Chapter 68 The next day. I visited the ojousama and the other¡¯s room first thing in the morning and when I got in, many of the adults were groaning. ¡°Ugh¡­ Ryouma-kun¡­ Sorry, but¡­ Could you make me that¡­ medicine again?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Me too. I know it¡¯s unsightly considering how old I am, but¡­ I drank too much, it seems¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Me too¡­ Thanks¡­¡± [Elize] They were really happy yesterday, after all¡­ Even Arone-san and Lilian-san don¡¯t look so good. It was a celebration, so they too drank a little, but it seems they can¡¯t hold their liquor either. Of the adults, only Sebasu-san was alright. I was sure he¡¯d drank a lot, but he seems perfectly fine. As for the ojousama, although legally speaking it was fine for her to drink, she only drank one cup to be safe. Anyway, I went to the drugstore and the grocery store just like last time and bought the ingredients, then I went back to the inn and concocted the medicine. After Reinhart-san and the others drank it, they told me to accompany Elia. ¡°Ryouma-kun, sorry, but could you watch over Elia today?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°With the sorry state we¡¯re in, we really can¡¯t look after her right now.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°What he said. Thanks.¡± [Elize] Maybe it¡¯s because we won¡¯t be meeting soon for a while, so they¡¯re basically telling me to go make some memories with her? If that¡¯s the case, then I can¡¯t refuse here. ¡°Sure thing.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, they said thanks and went to their bedrooms. It seems they really do have a hangover, though. After seeing the three off, I talked to the ojousama. ¡°Well then, what should we do for the day?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-san, don¡¯t you have work? Aren¡¯t you busy?¡± [Elia] ¡°The employees can take care of the store by themselves already, so I just need to show my face once in the morning and in the evening.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Then can you show me what you normally do?¡± [Elia] ¡°If that¡¯s alright with you, sure¡­¡± [Ryouma] Is she really fine with that? ¡°I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then!¡± [Elia] Like this I ended up accompanying the ojousama. Sebasu-san also came with us as our guardian. We dropped by the store once to show my face, then we went to the mines. When we got to the mines, I started treating the cloths as usual. There were some things I did that weren¡¯t part of the norm, but that was just me letting the rimel birds play around in my Dimension Home. That¡¯s something that happened before I started working. And then there¡¯s the ojousama helping out in my work. I wonder if she¡¯s really okay with just this? Naturally, I ended up thinking like that, but I had no idea what activity we could do, so I asked the ojousama. ¡°What are we doing next?¡± [Elia] ¡°Nothing in particular. After telling the sticky slimes to treat the cloths with their sticky liquid, then all that¡¯s left is to wait for them to finish drying. We have a lot of free time now. Normally, I¡¯d train or make dolls during this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, I see¡­ I thought you were always busy at work.¡± [Elia] ¡°Well, I used too. But after the store became self-sustaining, I¡¯ve gotten plenty of free time. Do I really look that busy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You always seemed to be working from dusk till dawn without any rest, so yeah¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°There are times when I¡¯m doing nothing too, so I¡¯ve had to find ways to kill time too. Like making stones to make buildings with or something. I¡¯m quite leisurely, you know.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?.. By the way, you mentioned making some stones to build a house with. Does that mean you¡¯re really going to be living here?¡± [Elia] ¡°Living here would make doing my rounds easier. I can also train my magic here without causing other people problems. ¡°When are you going to start building your house? You¡¯re not going to live in this tunnel, are you?¡± [Elia] Hmm¡­ ¡°I was thinking of just making a simple shed with the stones or digging out a hole in the tunnel to live, then slowly building my place for a while, actually.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, can we talk for a bit?¡± [Elia] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] We left the workshop and went to a well-lit place outside, where I made ourselves some chairs using earth magic. ¡°Ojousama, you¡¯ll be going to the academy starting this year, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. All noble children have to attend the royal academy starting at 12 years old. Well, it¡¯s not like we actually have to go, but if we don¡¯t go, my reputation among nobles will decline.¡± [Elia] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Actually, I don¡¯t want to go either, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± [Elia] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Dad, mom, and even grandpa says they wouldn¡¯t let me go if it weren¡¯t customary.¡± [Elia] ¡°¡­Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The gates of the Royal Academy are also open to commoners, and every year, a lot of them would enrol. While in the school, there¡¯s no difference in status, but there are still a few people who can¡¯t help but cause problems.¡± [Elia] ¡°And as for the subjects, well¡­ You could study them by hiring some tutors, but in the school¡­¡± [Elia] The ojousama paused there. ¡°But in the school what?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­There¡¯s a chance it might be hard to study things that one should be studying.¡± [Elia] ¡°What¡¯s the point of the school then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t know either, actually. My parents just told me to go make friends, and to be careful not to be overly influenced by the atmosphere in school. They said it didn¡¯t matter if my grades were bad or if I couldn¡¯t do what was taught in school, but I had to train like I was taught back at home.¡± [Elia] Huh¡­ Those three are going that far? I should ask Sebasu-san too. ¡°Noble and affluent families can all prepare specialized teachers on their own, but society has its own requirements, and as such, one has to study a variety of things regardless of one¡¯s status. It is open, though. Of course, Ryouma-sama, there¡¯s no need for you to go.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°That¡¯s why dad didn¡¯t invite you to go, right?¡± [Elia] ¡°Ah, come to think of it¡­¡± [Ryouma] He certainly hasn¡¯t said anything of the sort. ¡°Is it really not needed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you go, you¡¯ll surely be an excellent student who will attract the eyes of all nobles. At the very least, I¡¯m sure you would in swordsmanship and magic classes.¡± [Elia] ¡°And your problems will increase too, in both the bad and the good sense.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s why I don¡¯t feel like it. If it weren¡¯t a custom, I would much rather train with you.¡± [Elia] Hmm¡­ I never enjoyed school life either, so I can¡¯t really say anything here¡­ Anyway, the ojousama is the duke¡¯s daughter, so she probably wouldn¡¯t be bullied, right? ¡°That¡¯s true, but I don¡¯t have anyone I can call a friend either. Everyone is too scared of my status and my mana to approach me.¡± [Elia] Oh, yeah. She said something like that when I made my status board, right? But putting her status aside, is her mana really that terrifying to others? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that scary, though. When I asked her that, she became sad. ¡°I once made a blunder¡­¡± [Elia] She did say that having too much mana can make control difficult. Is that why? ¡°I was 5 at the time, I believe.¡± [Elia] It seems that was when the ojousama started training in the basics of magic. ¡°I specialized in fire and ice, so I was learning to freeze a cup of water. A relatively safe exercise. But I always froze the table along with the cup.¡± [Elia] She puts too much power, huh. ¡°It was always like that for me, but one day, a slightly older boy came to our house. Apparently, his parents wanted him to get along with me.¡± [Elia] Erm¡­ why does it feel like the atmosphere changed all of the sudden? I quietly listened, and as it turns out, that child was the son of a noble family acquainted with the Jamil family. They were probably looking to marry their son to Elia. When they met, their parents told them that they had something important to talk about and told them to go play on their own, but the two of them didn¡¯t know what to talk about, so they ended up talking about magic instead. ¡°He said he was good at magic and that he wanted to show his to me¡­ The fireball he showed me at the training area at our place was certainly good. ¡®It was a safe spell, very much unlike my own,¡¯ I told him.¡± [Elia] But he was a boy, and probably the proud sort, so he offered to train with me. He said he would teach me. And we did just that, but after trying the spell out several times, the results wouldn¡¯t change. ¡°Because of that his mood worsened.¡± [Elia] ¡°He probably wanted to act cool in front of a girl¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡±m a guy too, so I can relate. But they¡¯re still kids¡­ And at the age of an elementary student, someone older would only be about a middle school student, right? Considering the ojousama¡¯s social standing, there¡¯s no way that a kid could teach better than her usual teachers. While Elia continued to fail to make any results, the older boy¡¯s mood continued to worsen, until eventually, an incident occurred. Because the ojousama wanted to make the next spell a success, she ended up pushing herself too hard and released too much mana. Without any control, the spell ruptured. ¡°I ended up casting my spell at the opposite direction of the target, and¡­ I froze him.¡± [Elia] Although only several parts of his body were frozen, he tumbled in surprise and injured himself on the frozen ground. After that the whole thing blew up, but in the end, his life was safe. Their parents scolded their own children and didn¡¯t pursue the issue any further. Everything ended amicably. But ever since that day, rumors spread that the ojousama of the Jamil family would cast spells on people she didn¡¯t like. Others would say that she would cast spells on people whenever she was in a bad mood. Exaggerated rumors like that spread among the nobles. ¡°So that was the disaster¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that I messed up.¡± [Elia] I think I might have just stepped on a minefield. I would like to change the topic please. But if I go about it too obviously it would be in poor taste, so I better talk about a similar experience of my own. ¡°Ryouma-san, have you ever experienced anything like that?¡± [Elia] ¡°Yep. When I was still in the village, we had a school, well, no¡­ It wasn¡¯t big enough to be called a school, but anyway, the adults were teaching the village children, and so I joined.¡± [Ryouma] This was actually about PE time back in my middle school days. Kendo was a part of our school¡¯s PE curriculum. This was my first blunder in 1st Year middle school. ¡°At that time, they were just supposed to explain to us how stuff worked.¡± [Ryouma] We did some warm-up, then they taught us how to put on the armor, then we started training the basics. After that the teacher called for the experienced practitioners to raise their hands. He wanted the experienced practitioners to have a demonstration match, so the others could see what it¡¯s like. Several raised their hands at first, but the very first one the teacher called was bad. He was a famous athlete. He¡¯d gone to several Kendo tournaments and had won several 1st and 2nd places. He¡¯d even come up in the discussions from time to time. That was actually the reason why the teacher called out to him. He walked to the front like it was a given, then the teacher started looking for someone to have a match with him. Unfortunately, no one wanted to answer the call. They probably thought they couldn¡¯t win and didn¡¯t want to lose in front of the class, so in the end, only my hand was left raised. ¡°So, that¡¯s how you got into a match with him¡­¡± [Elia] To keep things brief, I easily won. It seemed he wanted to end things quickly, so he attacked right from the bat, but I hit him in the forearm with the bamboo sword and ended the match in my favor instead. No more than 2 seconds after the match had started, he was crouching on the ground in pain. ¡°Although we were wearing armor, his wrist was broken. The match and the class ended there, and since then, no one wanted to be involved with me. Rumors even spread that I¡¯d injured him intentionally.¡± [Ryouma] In fact, the person himself insisted just that on the very next day. He said I laughed while he was crouching. I never intended to do that, though. If anything, I was shocked, but we were both wearing our headgear at the time, so our classmates couldn¡¯t see our expression. If the truth is vague, then people would just choose whoever they trust more. ¡°And because he was popular, I didn¡¯t stand a chance. Well, he avoided me since then, though, so it was as if nothing had really happened. For some reason, hearing myself say that makes me kind of sad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°U-Umm¡­ You don¡¯t have to feel so down¡­ Umm¡­¡± [Elia] Before I knew it I was the one being comforted. Chapter 69 ¡°A-Anyway! It¡¯s because of that that people started avoiding me.¡± [Elia] The ojousama forcefully changed the topic. I should just follow her here. ¡°Rumors sure are hurtful¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because there are people who actually believe those exaggerated rumors¡­¡± [Elia] If one¡¯s parents believe them, then the children who will accept it as truth too. After all, children are always watching the adults. Although the latter usually doesn¡¯t notice that. ¡°By the way¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± [Ryouma] The ojousama timidly asked me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± [Elia] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About what I talked about just now¡­ I¡¯m a little concerned.¡± [Elia] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Ryouma] I guess she¡¯s worried that I would start acting differently around her. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I mean it is true that I lost control of my magic and hurt another person.¡± [Elia] But it¡¯s not like you did it on purpose. And besides, I¡¯ve also broken someone¡¯s wrist. I¡¯ve even killed plenty of bandits in the forest. That I did intentionally. The ojousama also seems to regret what happened, so I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s nothing wrong with her ethically speaking. And besides, I¡¯ve seen magic countless times already, so I could just dodge something like that. If it¡¯s Ice Arrow, I could just deflect it. And if I clad myself in ki, it won¡¯t have much effect on me even if it were to hit me. So in conclusion, there¡¯s no problem. I told Elia that and she chuckled. ¡°I see. Then, Ryouma-san, I¡¯ll have to ask you not to forget to meet me again in 3 years.¡± [Elia] ¡°I won¡¯t forget.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll confirm that in 3 years. If you forget because of work or something, you better watch out cause I¡¯m going to hit you with the magic I¡¯ve trained for the past 3 years.¡± [Elia] Eek! Scary! What is this girl saying all of the sudden. ¡°Ha ha ha, p-please don¡¯t do that¡­ By the way, where did you learn to talk like that?¡± [Ryouma] I mean it¡¯s a little bit different from the usual image of the ojousama, no? ¡°It¡¯s how mother made dad remember a promise he forgot a long time ago.¡± [Elia] ¡°I-I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Thank goodness Reinhart-san is still alive¡­ ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not like my magic would work against you, right?¡± [Elia] I did say that, but¡­ Isn¡¯t this and that different? While I was thinking that, the ojousama started laughing as if she were teasing me. ¡°Oh, right. I just remembered something good. Sebasu!¡± [Elia] ¡°Yes, ojousama. How may I help you?¡± [Sebasu] The ojousama suddenly called Sebasu-san and started whispering to him. Sebasu-san nodded, and in the next moment, he took out a small box from his Item Box. The ojousama took that and gave it to me. ¡°Ryouma-san, please take this.¡± [Elia] ¡°What is this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a necklace I got from my mother on my 10th birthday.¡± When the ojousama opened the box, a beautiful necklace appeared. It had golden chains and a golden setting with a ruby the size of a fingernail inserted into it. Although the design was simple, it was surely expensive. Moreover, this ruby¡­ ¡°Is this mana?¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, I could feel mana coming from the ruby. ¡°Oh, you noticed? As expected. The ruby of this necklace is a magic gem.¡± [Elia] ¡°Magic gem, you mean those things used for lighting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not quite. Those are spell stones, a magic tool, so to speak. Umm¡­ Ryouma-san, you know of magic stones, right?¡± [Elia] ¡°Magic stones¡­ If I recall correctly, those are found in places with high concentration of mana. Magic stones refer to the stones dug out from there that contain mana, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Mana stored in magic stones can be used to cast a spell. This mana can be used to help one in conserving his mana. Among those stones, there are some that are valued not as mere stones, but as jewels. They are called magic jewels. Magic ores are also a thing.¡± [Elia] Magic stones can supplement one¡¯s magic. Magic ores can be used to forge magic armor and weapons, as well as other miscellaneous stuff. ¡°As for magic gems, these can be used for anything. Be it to supplement one¡¯s magic, or to forge a tool that could amplify one¡¯s abilities, or as a decorative item. On top of being extremely convenient, the effects of these gems are much higher than usual, so not only are they super expensive, the production of these gems is also really low.¡± [Elia] The ojousama said all of that in one breath, but¡­ ¡°¡­So in other words, this is a super luxurious item?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Elia] ¡°Exactly? There¡¯s no way I could take something this precious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want you to have it!¡± [Elia] ¡°No, this is too precious¡­¡± [Ryouma] As if I could accept something like this! I firmly refused it, but the ojousama wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. In the end, Sebasu-san had to interject. ¡°The two of you please calm down. Ryouma-sama, the ojousama only wants you to keep the necklace for the time being, so you can give it back to her when you meet again next time.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Oh, so she¡¯s just lending it to me? But why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, you might not be aware, but it¡¯s customary to give a friend you will be parting with for a long time something precious as a form of prayer to meet again. Word says doing so also makes it more likely that you¡¯ll meet again. I don¡¯t know what period or from who this practice first spread, but it¡¯s something that has been passed since long ago. To this day, this custom is still practiced.¡± [Sebasu] Ahh, I see. So, that¡¯s what she meant. ¡°So you want me to entrust this necklace to me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Elia] ¡°¡­But this is something precious to you, right? Are you sure you¡¯re okay leaving this with me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have offered it in the first place if I wasn¡¯t. Please give it back to me 3 years later.¡± [Elia] Mu¡­ If she puts it like that¡­ Not to mention that it¡¯s a custom for reunions¡­ And if this is really what she wants, then¡­ ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll take care of it for you in the meantime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!?¡± [Elia] ¡°In exchange, I¡¯ll absolutely give it back to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Elia] I accepted the box and stored it into my Item Box I shouldn¡¯t lose it if it¡¯s inside my Item Box. ¡°Now then¡­¡± [Ryouma] Since we¡¯re following custom, I should give the ojousama something too. ¡­But what precious possession do I have? Money? Pelt? Stuff like that would just weigh her down. Building stones, ingots, waterproof cloths? Erm¡­ I don¡¯t think I have anything decent. Because of my hunter lifestyle, I¡¯ve adopted a way of thinking where I prioritize getting the ingredients or components of things I need. Unfortunately, these things can¡¯t really be considered as precious. Hmm¡­ Don¡¯t I have anything? After thinking for a while¡­ ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a heal slime and a scavenger slime from my Dimension Home and handed them to the ojousama. ¡°Ryouma-san?¡± [Elia] ¡°I couldn¡¯t think of anything good to give you, but after considering what¡¯s precious to me, I figured I could give you my slimes instead. These two will surely be of help to you. Please take them with you.¡± [Ryouma] The ojousama was speechless for a moment, but then in the next moment, she had her hands over her mouth as she did everything she could just to keep herself from laughing. I guess it was weird, after all. Sigh¡­ Why did I have to give her a slime anyway? I know I didn¡¯t have anything eels, but can you really give a slime as a gift? Maybe I should¡¯ve thought this over a bit more¡­ ¡°Fu fu¡­ Sorry, Ryouma-san. I just thought giving a slime was very much like you. Thank you. I¡¯ll be sure to watch over them in your stead.¡± [Elia] ¡°Really? Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, thank you. Thank you for entrusting me with your precious monsters.¡± [Elia] I placed the heal slime and the scavenger slime on the ground, then I removed our contract and allowed the ojousama to form a contract with them. ¡°Contract complete. I¡¯ll be sure to treasure them.¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯ll leave them in your care.¡± [Ryouma] After that we chatted about slimes and magic, and then we ended up training magic. ¡°This is the ice magic I frequently use.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®The Ice Cube¡¯ spell I can use, but I still can¡¯t use your ¡®Cooler¡¯ spell.¡± [Elia] As the name implies, Ice Cube is a spell that creates a cube of ice to be placed inside one¡¯s glass, while Cooler is a fusion spell of wind and ice that summons a cool wind to freshen one up. Both spells are particularly useful for summertime. ¡°Mist Wash¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ah, you did it.¡± [Ryouma] Even Sebasu-san joined in on the topic of water magic. I tried teaching him Mist Wash, and as expected, he learned it after just a few tries. ¡°¡­Ho. The mana expenditure is a bit high, but it might just do well for removing stubborn dirt.¡± [Sebasu] If he can use that, then he can might be able to use even harder spells. Thinking that, I taught him Water Cutter, which was the true form of Mist Wash. Ah, but although I say ¡®taught¡¯, all I really did was show it to him by casting the spell at a nearby a rock. Sebasu-san looked curiously at the spell. ¡°Like this? ¡®Water Cutter¡¯. Hmm¡­ Not enough. ¡®Water Cutter¡¯¡± [Sebasu] After trying the spell out 5 times, Sebasu-san was able to execute the spell masterfully. He was already better than me right on the first try, but after the fourth try, the power behind his ¡®Water Cutter¡¯ was clearly a cut above mine. On the fifth try, he straight up went and cleaved the rock. So this is what happens when a master water mage uses the spell. After doing this and that, dusk eventually came, and we went back via dimension magic. As I looked at the stores along the path back to the inn, I saw the adventurers that went to the marsh before and some doctors carrying some foul-smelling bags. They had gathered into a crowd and were quite lively. ¡°Welcome back, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thanks for looking after Elia today.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I had fun too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And Ryouma-san taught me a lot of new spells. I can¡¯t use them well yet, but I¡¯ll do my best to learn!¡± [Elia] ¡°That¡¯s great, Elia.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes! He also lent me his heal slime and scavenger slime.¡± [Elia] ¡°Oh, really? Be sure to treasure them.¡± [Elize] ¡°Of course.¡± [Elia] When we got back, everyone had already recovered from their hangover. We talked about the things that happened today, the things that happened after we meant, and all sorts of other stuff until it was late into the night. And then¡­ On the day of parting. At the stables behind the inn, the duke¡¯s family, their servants, and their guards were all inside their carriage. They called out to me one after another through their window. ¡°Take care of your body.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too much.¡± [Elize] ¡°Make sure to rest.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°If something happens, be sure to contact us.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Drop by when you¡¯re free, alright?¡± [Jill] ¡°Do your best, boy.¡± [Camil] ¡°Stay well.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Stay strong.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I pray for your good health and the success of your future endeavors.¡± [Arone] Jill-san, Arone-san, and the rest of the guards had called out to me too. ¡°Everyone, ojousama, take care. Thank you for everything until now.¡± [Ryouma] I bowed my head as I said that. It¡¯s too bad I¡¯m not very good with long speeches. I wish I could express my gratefulness better, but alas¡­ ¡°Ryouma-san.¡± [Elia] ¡°Yes, ojousama?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About that¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°¡®That¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] What is she talking about? ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it since you entrusted me with your slimes yesterday, and¡­ We¡¯re friends, right?¡¯ [Elia] Where is she going with this? ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, please call me Elia.[1] My family and people close to me call me that, and besides¡­ It¡¯s not like you work for my family, right? ¡­Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange for a friend to refer to me as ojousama?¡± [Elia] ¡°Ah~ ¡­I understand.¡± [Ryouma] Now that she mentions it, it is weird. ¡°Very well. If you¡¯re alright with it, then please allow me to call you Elia. You¡¯re okay with that, right¡­ Elia?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡ªYes! Ryouma-san, until the day we meet again, I¡¯ll be sure to work on my magic!¡± [Elia] ¡°Same here.¡± [Ryouma] As Elia said that from atop the carriage, I replied. ¡°Do your best!¡± [Ryouma and Elia] When our words overlapped, Elia and I laughed. Soon it was the time to leave. The first to go was the carriage of the guards, then came the carriage of the duke¡¯s family. As they headed toward my direction, they waved at me from the window of their carriage, and I waved back at them. I watched as the carriage moved toward the horizon, gradually growing smaller and smaller, until it could be seen no more. ¡°Well then¡­ I suppose I should get going then.¡± I¡¯ll drop by the store, then I¡¯ll go to the mine, and there, my new life will begin. Starting today, I won¡¯t be living at the inn anymore, but at the mines. The ojousama, no¡­ Elia¡­ Elia told me to do my best, so¡­ Let¡¯s do just that. First, I¡¯ll have to secure myself a house. ¡°No time to be dawdling.¡± [Ryouma] As I encouraged myself, I started walking. From today onwards I¡¯ll be starting a life that¡¯s a little different from what I¡¯ve lived so far. [1] ¨C Specifically emphasized by the author. For those not in the know, no suffix plus first name basis denotes a greater degree of intimacy. That being said the reason for the emphasis could be something else. In a certain place within the divine realm, in a place where a certain god in the form of a lanky man was standing, appeared the three gods. ¡°Ah~¡­ I¡¯m so tired¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°You finally came back.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°What are you doing here, Fernoberia?¡± [Gayn] ¡°It¡¯s rare for you to leave your domain.¡± [Rurutia] The god who was standing in that place was none other than the God of Magic, Fernoberia. And the three gods were Rurutia, Gayn, and Kufo. ¡°I was actually brought here by force, though I¡¯m also a little curious.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°By force?¡± [Kufo, Gayn, Rurutia] Suddenly, four gods came out of nowhere and surrounded them. ¡°W-What is with this situation?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Why are we being surrounded?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Can you explain what¡¯s going on?¡± [Gayn] Tekun was the one to step forward. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask yourselves? I¡¯m sure you know what we¡¯re here for.¡± [Tekun] ¡°What are you so angry for!?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Calm down for a moment, Tekun-san. If you approach them like that, we won¡¯t be able to talk.¡± [Willieris] ¡°You heard her. Cam down and drink a cup of wine or two.¡± [Grimp] The ones who asked Tekun to calm down were none other than the goddess of the land, Willieris, and hte god of farming and livestock, Grimp. These two gods had a gentle personality. Willieris looked like graceful middle-aged woman, while Grimp was a middle-aged man who always carried a hoe. They were married to each other. In order to calm Tekun, Grimp went and shared a cup of wine with Tekun. Meanwhile, Willieris started explaining. The goddess of the land and the god of farming and livestock had perfect coordination. ¡°The reason we¡¯re here is because we heard that the three of you went to the otherworld to play. Tekun was the first to catch word of that. He gathered all of us in anger because he also wanted some free time to himself.¡± [Willieris] Fernoberia interjected. ¡°Tekun asked Willieris and Grimp to come to get me to use my powers to look for you.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Oh, right, you used your divine powers to prevent Tekun from entering your domain¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s because outside of crafting, he¡¯s a rough, irresponsible, alcoholic who never shuts up. He¡¯s a nuisance.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Hey! I can hear you, you know!?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Besides, you rarely have any need of me, and you¡¯re also not the only one banned from my domain. But let¡¯s put that aside for now. What are the three of you thinking going into another world to play when we gods have a policy of not interfering with each other¡¯s world.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Wait a moment! Who did you hear that from?¡± [Rurutia] It was Tekun who answered. ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. I heard everything from Ryouma, who said that¡¯s what Kufo told him. And although I feel bad for using it, but I read his mind at the time, and he wasn¡¯t lying.¡± [Tekun] When Kufo heard that, he face palmed as he muttered to himself, ¡°Dang! I told him not to tell humans about it, but I didn¡¯t mention anything about the other gods¡­¡± In any case, they all decided to sit down and talk. Chairs appeared from nowhere as they each took their respective seat and gathered into a circle. ¡°Now, can you start talking? Or better yet, just take me with you!¡± [Tekun] ¡°I don¡¯t know f you simply went there to play, but we can¡¯t just ignore it if you¡¯re frequently visiting another world.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Please talk to us.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Hmm¡­ Actually, we¡¯re investigating the situation of the earth god.¡± [Gayn] ¡°We talked about it before, remember? The earth god interfered with Ryouma¡¯s life for some reason.¡± [Kufo] ¡°That we did. That was certainly not proper behavior for a god. I was shocked when I found out about it.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Anyway, we went there to investigate that matter.¡± [Kufo] ¡°So you didn¡¯t go there just to play?¡± [Tekun] ¡°We haven¡¯t talked to Ryouma about the earth god yet, so I had to fool him somehow.¡± [Kufo] Tekun¡¯s anger calmed down a little at that. ¡°So, that¡¯s what it was.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Tekun, do you only get mad when it comes to playing around?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Frequently visiting another world is a problem in and of itself, though?¡± [Willieris] Fernoberia and Willieris were taken aback at Tekun¡¯s reaction. After pulling himself together, Fernoberia asked. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to be visiting that world so frequently?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any problems¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°It sure is a pain having to go there so secretly¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°We still haven¡¯t figured anything out, but something is strange¡­ We¡¯ve found several people like Ryouma who¡¯s lived an unfortunate life. Of course, the degree of misfortune was a different, but still¡­ Even stranger the earth god didn¡¯t seem to be using the luck he¡¯s stolen.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°We thought the earth god was using the good fortune he took to give something to his adherents, but after investigating the matter, it turns out he¡¯s not doing anything with it. He just keeps on taking and taking.¡± [Gayn] ¡°The management of the world was terrible too. I know the humans of that world have developed all sorts of technology and are pretty much independent, so there¡¯s not a whole lot to do, but the fact that we were able to sneak in so easily was just absurd. It felt stupid putting in so much effort to sneak in when the door was basically wide open.¡± [Kufo] ¡°It was so easy we thought it was a trap or something, but in the end, there was nothing. If a demon king from another world came, the earth god probably wouldn¡¯t be able to respond in time.¡± [Gayn] ¡°That bad? If so, then is he even still doing his job?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Perhaps not¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°Besides, what¡¯s the point of stealing people¡¯s happiness? We gods don¡¯t have a use for it.¡± [Grimp] ¡°That we don¡¯t know.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Technically, one could use it in place of faith to maintain one¡¯s godly powers when people aren¡¯t worshipping anymore, but so long as the world is safe, one shouldn¡¯t lose his power.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I was thinking that too. It¡¯s true that the Japanese have less faith than the people of this world, but the people of the other countries of that world were pious. The world itself had no problems too. The natural environment of the world is slowly being destroyed, but it¡¯s not that serious enough to threaten one¡¯s power. That¡¯s why we¡¯re borrowing mana from that world.¡± [Gayn] ¡°It¡¯s certainly curious. But if that¡¯s the case, then there really is no point in stealing people¡¯s happiness. Just what is that earth god stealing it for?¡± It was here that the god who hadn¡¯t said anything until now opened her mouth. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t really matter, does it? We don¡¯t steal people¡¯s happiness, so we don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a use for it, but that doesn¡¯t mean there¡¯s no use for it, right? Isn¡¯t that enough? If that god picks a fight with us, I¡¯ll just crush him.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Kirillel, you¡¯re saying stuff like that again¡­ As usual, you¡¯re all brawns and no brain. Seriously, women like you¡­¡± [Fernoberia] The goddess who had opened her mouth was none other than the goddess of war, Kirillel. Her body was well built, and she donned an armor, while a sword hung by her waist. Although her body was strong, it was also supple, and there were plenty of parts that were womanly. She was like a guy, but she was definitely a goddess. ¡°Who¡¯s all brawns and no brains!? I can use my head too!¡± [Kirillel] ¡°You can when it comes to fighting.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°So? That doesn¡¯t change the fact that I can use my head! That¡¯s at least healthier than someone like you who shuts himself in his domain!¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Our bodies can¡¯t breakdown. Health is irrelevant.¡± [Fernoberia] These two gods were the exact opposite of each other. As such, whenever they met, they would argue like this. The other gods have long gotten used to it. Before the conversation completely stopped, Gayn interjected and asked Kirillel a question. ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside. Why are you here? Tekun couldn¡¯t have possibly called you, right?¡± [Gayn] ¡°What are you talking about, gramps? I¡¯m the god of war, you know? Where there¡¯s conflict, there¡¯s war. Thus, where there¡¯s conflict, so am I! When I felt Tekun¡¯s anger and heard that you and the others went to another world to play, I thought a little spanking was in order!¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Not needed!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Good heavens! Please don¡¯t joke about something like that!¡± [Kufo] ¡°You¡¯re a god too, so a spanking would be pretty dangerous!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t do anything this time. I understand that the earth god is acting weird and that it¡¯s because of that guy that weird stuff happened to the soul of that guy, Ryouma. As such, going to another world because you¡¯re wary of the earth god is a valid excuse, right? Of course, I don¡¯t think the earth god would try to encroach into our world unless given a reason.¡± [Kirillel] Kirillel was the most skilled among the gods when it came to fighting, so she was responsible for protecting the world from otherworld intruders or executing enemies. She is also responsible for handing out heavenly judgement on humans that are about to bring a great catastrophe upon the world. Although, that¡¯s an extremely rare situation. This time she was here to judge the actions of the three gods. Although alone, Gayn and the others couldn¡¯t possibly stand up to her. Moreover, if she really wanted to and if she were willing to pay the price, she could destroy Gayn and the others even though they were all gods. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an issue that Gayn and the others would be destroyed for. Still, if they did received punishment, it would still hurt, so it was a great relief for them to hear that Kirillel wasn¡¯t going to punish them. ¡°That¡¯s really bad for the heart¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I think my life just shortened¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°Please don¡¯t scare the elderly so much¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°The likes of gods don¡¯t need to worry about lifespan or heart, no? Anyway, since I¡¯m not needed, I¡¯ll be going now. There are some people still fighting, so I¡¯m actually quite busy.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Oh, sorry for this.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s not like you called me. I just came on my own, right? Also, Gayn, Kufo, Rurutia, please limit the times you go to earth, okay?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Right¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°Okay.¡± [Kufo] ¡°We¡¯ll talk it out with you from here on.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You¡¯re not stopping?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Eh, but I still haven¡¯t¡­¡± [Rurutia] Rurutia cut off her speech midway. Tekun didn¡¯t miss that. ¡°Haven¡¯t? Haven¡¯t what?¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Our investigations haven¡¯t gotten us any results yet.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Right, right.¡± [Kufo] Gayn and the others acted cool on the surface, but then Willieris asked a question. ¡°Are you still hiding something?¡± [Willieris] When she said that, a dangerous aura started emanating from Tekun again. ¡°You guys are really investigating the earth god, right?¡± [Tekun] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°But of course.¡± [Kufo] ¡°We definitely investigated the earth god.¡± [Gayn] ¡°It seems you are indeed still finding people whose happiness is being stolen, so that part is not a lie¡­ But let me rephrase the question. Did you do anything else other than investigate the earth god?¡± [Tekun] When Tekun asked that, Gayn and the others stiffened and they immediately looked away. ¡°Well? Kufo, Ryouma-said you went to earth to sightsee.¡± [Tekun] ¡°That¡¯s¡­ Well, we were looking for people whose happiness was stolen, so we did end up seeing the world. I just called that ¡®sightseeing¡¯ to fool him.¡± [Kufo] ¡°In other words, if you felt like it, you could sightsee?¡± [Fernoberia] Kufo shook when Fernoberia said that. ¡°Hey, you were leading me on!¡± [Kufo] ¡°Kufo, you basically just admitted that you could go sightseeing while looking for humans whose happiness has been stolen.¡± [Grimp] When Grimp said that, Tekun turned to Gayn. ¡°Gayn, I heard you were into something called ¡®idols¡¯.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Idols are people who entertain the earthlings by dancing and singing. They can usually be seen projected on the box called ¡®TV¡¯. You can easily see them while walking around the city, so it¡¯s not like I purposely went out of my way to see them.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Singing and dancing? We have that in this world too. There¡¯s no reason to go out of your way to¡ª[Tekun] The dangerous aura around Tekun grew weaker when he heard it was just singing and dancing, but then in the next moment, Gayn¡¯s eyes became sharp. ¡°Don¡¯t compare it with the songs and dances of this world!! The idols of earth are cute and hardworking!! They make you want to cheer them on!!¡± [Gayn] ¡°Y-Yeah?¡± [Tekun] Gayn looked so menacing that Tekun couldn¡¯t help but take a step back. Not long after, however, Gayn knew he messed up. When Willieris saw that, she spoke. ¡°I guess that makes it clear that you were in fact seriously watching these ¡®idols¡¯.¡± [Willieris] Tekun turned to Rurutia next. Rurutia knew she couldn¡¯t fool them anymore, so she answered before he could ask. ¡°I needed to prepare myself before working on Earth, so I treated myself to some deserts.[Rurutia] After that Tekun¡¯s angry voice and the screams of the three gods resounded throughout the divine realm. Chapter 70 After seeing the duke¡¯s family off, I ran back to the mines. There were a lot of adventurers along the way, so I couldn¡¯t help but remember the grell frogs. It¡¯s along the way anyway, so I guess I might as well catch a few. As I thought that, I took out my suit from my Item Box and headed for the marsh. ¡°There sure are a lot of people¡­¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s probably over 100 people in the area, but there are people going to other marshes, so the total number of people here is even more than that. As I thought that to myself while looking at the marsh, I noticed several people wearing the same waders as me. Looks like it¡¯s selling quite well¡­ One group of adventurers caught my eye. They were a group of five and all of them were wearing the waders. I remember them. They¡¯re the ones who sold me the bloody slime. The Wharf of Shikumu. I¡¯m here anyway, so I might as well say hi. I approached them, but something seems to have happened, as the people around an unhappy Kai were lightly tapping him at the back, telling him not to mind it. ¡°Good afternoon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? You¡¯re that guy from before¡­ Ryouma, right? Thanks for the other day.¡± [Kai] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. I got a good slime from it, after all.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, the drunk guy from before stepped forward. ¡°You¡¯re the guy who bought that slime?¡± [Sein] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Sorry about my behavior that day. I¡¯m Sein. I was really drunk that time, and it seems I picked a fight with you. I don¡¯t remember much of what happened then because I was drunk, but thanks for buying the slime and for the information.¡± [Sein] Huh. He¡¯s completely different from the way he behaved that time. I thought he was just a drunkard, but it turns out, he¡¯s actually a pretty serious guy. ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. That aside, did something happen? Kai-san doesn¡¯t look too good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a problem¡­ Before that, though, let me introduce you to these guys firs.¡± [Kai] As Kai-san said that, he turned to the two people who carried Sein-san before. Kai-san placed his hand on the shoulders of the guy a little shorter than him and said this. ¡°This one is Kei. He¡¯s my younger brother.¡± [Kai] ¡°I¡¯m Kei. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Kei] ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And this one is¡­¡± [Kai] ¡°Payron. Nice to meet you.¡± [Payron] ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And together, we five make up the party ¡®the Wharf of Shikumu¡¯. But you knew that, right?¡± [Kai] ¡°Yep.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, we used to be fishermen.¡± [kai] Fishermen? That¡¯s nice, but why are they talking about this all of the sudden? But then Shin-san suddenly switched places with Kai-san. ¡°Sorry, Kai sucks at explaining, so I¡¯m taking over.¡± [Shin] As it turns out, Shikumu is apparently a village by the bank of the biggest river of this country. They grew up there and are quite proficient as using nets. Because of that they have an easier time catching stuff in the marsh compared to others. The marsh is different from the sea, but they still have an easier time compared to the other adventurers. As a result, they managed to catch a lot of grell frogs. They¡¯ve been making a killing doing this for the past few days. Today, they managed to catch a considerable number too, but when they left their basket of grell frogs unattended for a moment, someone had replaced it with another. The baskets are provided by the guild, so there are a lot of adventurers with the same basket. ¡°I see¡­ So, your catch was stolen.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I guess¡­¡± [Kai] What¡¯s with that halfhearted reply? But then Kei-san showed me their basket, and inside could be seen 20 grell frogs, but they were very weak. A few of them even looked like they were about to die. ¡°If you just look at the numbers, there¡¯s more after being switched, but¡­¡± [Kai] [2] ¡°These things were handled very poorly. Because of that the grell frogs ended up being so weak. Weak grell frogs like these don¡¯t sell for much, and if they die, their value will go down even more. In fact, they look like they¡¯ll die along the way back to town.¡± [Shin] ¡°They switched these sorry grell frogs for ours.¡± [Kei] ¡°We could just catch some again, but it certainly doesn¡¯t feel good.¡± [Sein] I see¡­ Oh, right! ¡°How much do you think these would go for if you sold them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If they¡¯ve been weakened by the time we get to the guild, they¡¯ll go for about 200 suits. If they die, 50 suits. They¡¯re really weak, so this pricing should be right. We learned our lesson a few days ago, so our preliminary investigation should be perfect.¡± [Kai] ¡°And if the condition is good, about 1000 suits per grell frog, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. What about it?¡± [Kai] ¡°How about selling these two me for 300suits per grell frog?¡± [Ryouma] [2] ¨C I don¡¯t know. It says they caught more than 20 before, and then after being switched, they got 20. So even if ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but are you sure?¡± [Shin] ¡°Your price is better than the guild¡¯s, so it¡¯s good for us, but¡­¡± [Kai] ¡°You¡¯ll be losing out, you know?¡± [Kei] ¡°That would be true if I was planning to sell it to the guild, but I¡¯m going to be using it for myself, so that won¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Using it for yourself? You make medicine?¡± [Kai] ¡°Yes. I plan to use these to make an antidote, so I¡¯d like to buy them all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, thanks for taking them off our hands at a higher price than the guild.¡± [Kai] ¡°We¡¯ll just catch more to sell to the guild, so feel free to take them all.¡± [Shin] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Like this I purchased 25 grell frogs from them for 7,500 suits. ¡°You sure are amazing¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°Ever since you took out a small gold coin to purchase our slime, I¡¯ve always thought it was amazing how you¡¯re able to just take out huge wads of cash like it¡¯s nothing.¡± [Kai] ¡°It all makes sense after seeing how popular your store is, though.¡± [Shin] Ah, looks like they went to my store. ¡°Did you use my store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At first, we were just planning to try it out just once, but it was cheap, quick, and the result was really great, so we decided to frequent it.¡± [Kai] ¡°And because of the marsh here, we¡¯ve been dropping by everyday the past few days.¡± [Shin] ¡°At first we were shocked, but it seems slimes can be useful, too, huh. When we tried it out for ourselves it was pretty good.¡± [Kei] Looks like they became regular customers. That¡¯s good. ¡°Having to do laundry once we get home will be a pain in the ass, maybe you could open a branch in our town? If you want I could talk to the fishing association for you and introduce you to a good spot.¡± [Kai] ¡°A lot of people are actually asking for a branch store, but I don¡¯t have any plans of opening one just yet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I understand it¡¯s not so simple to open one, but if you ever feel like opening a branch at Shikumu, then please contact us. I¡¯ll help you find a store.¡¯ [Kai] ¡°We normally don¡¯t leave town, and even if we do, at most it¡¯s just a nearby town, so reaching us shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Shin] ¡°You should be able to get a better place than the merchants guild can provide if you go through the fishing association.¡± [Kai] It seems the fishing association is more community oriented than the merchants guild. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll call you when that time comes.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I separated from them and went to the abandoned mines. When I got to the abandoned mines, I let the slimes and rimel birds out to play by themselves, then I dug out a cave and built a place for me to live at and a room for concocting medicine. I made furniture like shelves out of stone too. For the time being, these should serve just fine. ¡°Now then¡­ I think it¡¯s about time to call the bloody and cleaner slimes.¡± [Ryouma] I used the newly built medicine room and immediately got to work on the grell frogs. After all, some of the grell frogs were really quite weak, so I had to work on them immediately, I also took out the grell frogs I caught the other day from my Dimension Home and placed them along with the new grell frogs inside the water tank. Grell frogs can live for up to a week if caught in good condition; hence, a normal medical practitioner would take their time to prepare the grell frogs, but with the bloody slime, there¡¯s no need for that. First, I drew a Magic Formation of Separation on the floor, then I prepared enough stone vessels to contain the harvested parts. Next, I took the grell frogs out and placed them inside a cage by the corner of the medicine room. I¡¯ll begin with the grell frogs I purchased today. ¡°Bloody.¡± [Ryouma] I randomly picked one from the grell frogs. It tried to run, so I killed it with a knife, then I ordered the bloody slime to enter it from the wound I made and had it drain its blood. Now, it was time to dissect the grell frog. I used the knowledge provided by my Pharmacy skill and dispassionately began cutting out the necessary parts of the grell frog. Not a drop of blood was shed during the whole process. The bloody slime¡¯s work was perfect. Next, it was time to remove the mucus and wastes. I washed the harvested parts and removed the attached dirt and mucus. If you don¡¯t remove the mucus well, the quality will go down. Unfortunately, they¡¯re very difficult to remove. To make things worse, too much strength will damage the internal organs and push the quality down again, so one would have to take extra care when doing this part of the process. At least, when done normally. ¡°Do it.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the cleaner slimes to clean the mucus and filth from the grell frog parts. The cleaner slimes took the stone vessels into themselves and started removing the mucus. After a few seconds the harvested parts were sparkling clean. I examined the cleaned goods, and as expected, they were cleaned perfectly without a single injury. What came next was my job. I used the Magic Formation of Separation to separate the water content from the harvest parts, causing them to quickly dry. Normally, one would have to use wind or fire magic to dry the harvested parts, which as a result of the heat and time would cause the medicinal effect of the part to decline, but with this method, everything can be done quickly with no change in quality owing from heat or spoilage. After all was done, I checked all the parts with Identify, and they were indeed processed perfectly. They were all at the highest quality. With this I¡¯ve confirmed what order to do things and the effectiveness of the slimes. I repeated the same process for the rest of the grell frogs, and in the end, 6 out of 25 of those I purchased today got the highest quality mark from Identify. The remaining 19 were all praised as high quality too, so they weren¡¯t bad by any means. The reason the quality went down was because the grell frogs were caught too crudely. The blood flow of the grell frogs worsened right as soon as I hurt them. Also, I used the leftover grell frog hide and meat as feed for the rimel birds. I knew the rimel birds loved grell frog meat, so I brought it to them, and as expected, they had a great time. I hear rimel birds eat piratically eat anything, though, from meat to fish to fruits to vegetables to grain¡­ Anything. They¡¯re omnivorous, but I suppose meat would be the main part of their diet? I should check with the tamers guild. Before I knew it, it was already dark outside. Just to be safe, I gathered the slimes and the rimel birds in the tunnel to ensure their safety. The slimes have gotten stronger, but the night is still dangerous, so I also blocked the entrance with some stones, making sure to just leave enough opening for the air to enter. ¡°Now then¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I last spent the night like this¡­¡± [Ryouma] Reminds me of the time when I first got to this world¡­ At the time, I read the letter from Gayn and the others, then I looked for a place to stay at and found the cliff where I built my house. That was how I learned my earth magic ¨C by digging out a cave. At first, my Break Rock could just barely make a crack, but somehow someway I was able to dig out a hole big enough for my body to fit in, then I blocked the entrance with a stone wall I made. My residence back then was that simple. After that I gradually worked on the cave. I also gradually got used to the forest and started training and hunting in the night. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not really in the mood right now, though, so¡­ I guess I might as well just use the ingredients I prepared and make some medicine.¡± As I entered the medicine concocting room aimlessly, I took out the ingredients I got and preserved from the Forest of Gana, and stored them in the shelves. I¡¯d like to create a wooden shelf specifically for the medicinal herbs, but I¡¯ll make that some other time. The medicine I can make right now with the ingredients at hand is an¡­ antidote. I have just enough to make an antidote that uses the liver of the grell frog. The necessary ingredients are grell frog liver, a poisonous plant called ¡®Kasuri¡¯, a fruit of Kunashi that can be used as antidote after weakening its poison, a flower of jusho that has a strong nourishing effect, and an ufuru herb that has a diuresis effect. After that I made a pot with earth magic, two spatulas to stir it, and a mortal and pestle. Next time I¡¯ll just buy the tools I need. I¡¯ve gotten by so far by making my own tools with earth magic, but it would probably be best to just buy my tools. As I thought that, I filled the pot with water via water magic, then I put in the cut kasuri herb and kunashi fruit, then I heated the water with the electric spell, Microwave [1], as I stirred the pot. I don¡¯t always use this method because sometimes the ingredients are weak to heat, but the kasuri herb and the kunashi fruit are strong against heat. As the two ingredients boiled, the color gradually dissolved, and the liquid within the pot turned violet. Seeing that, I stopped heating the pot and let the pot cool by itself, while I crushed the dried grell frog liver. ¡°Should be about time¡­¡± [Ryouma] When the pot was at a good temperature, I threw the crushed liver in and started stirring again. When the liquid got even cooler, I added the joshu flower and ufuru herb as I ground them into tinier parts with my hands, then I stirred the pot again until they sank. After that I left the pot to let it simmer and allow the medicinal contents to permeate. ¡°What should I do until then?¡± [Ryouma] When I left the room, I noticed the rimel birds. I took out my guitar from Item Box and played two national anime ending songs. I played because I saw the moon shining through the ventilation hole. When I finished playing¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Rimel birds] An incomprehensible sound resounded throughout the cave. ¡°Woah!? My ear hurts¡­ Can you guys tone it down for a bit? Ouch¡­¡± [Ryouma] The source of the sound was none other than the rimel birds. They were making those beautiful chirps they made when I contracted them, but it was hard to make out the sound because we were inside a tunnel, making the sound really loud. I ended up receiving a lot of damage, but the rimel birds seemed fine. What kind of ears do these guys have? The slimes didn¡¯t have ears, so they were also fine. After that the rimel birds quietened down, and after hearing their chirps, I ate supper, and then went back to the medicine concocting room. Extracting the medicinal effects of the joshu flower and the ufuru herb doesn¡¯t take much time, so it should be about done. When I used Identify on the contents of the pot¡­ Incomplete Antidote (High Quality) An antidote that uses grell frog liver.Disintegrates poisonous content and activates one¡¯s metabolism to expel poison from the body. It works on a large variety of poison, but it is especially effective on paralyzing agents. One should drink plenty of water when taking this antidote for best results. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s been a success so far. Next is¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out a large cloth from my Item Box, then I had the cleaner slime clean it. This cloth belongs to one of the bandits I killed in the forest. The spaces in between its fibers is really small, so it¡¯s perfect for straining the medicinal content from the herbs. I covered an empty pot with the cloth, then I fixed it in place with the sticky slime¡¯s thread. After that I slowly poured the contents of the pot through the cloth. Like that the medicine flowed into the empty pot as the cloth filtered it. After transferring all the liquid, I removed the cloth and wrung out the medicine to the last drop. I stirred the completed medicine with the spatula, then I used Identify on it. When I did, the ¡®incomplete¡¯ part vanished from the name of the product and the quality turned into highest quality from high quality. Well, it¡¯s complete now, so that¡¯s only a given. ¡­Now then, it¡¯s good and all that I managed to make the medicine, but what am I supposed to do with this? ¡°Maybe I should¡¯ve turned it into a pill instead to preserve it, but there weren¡¯t enough ingredients.¡± [Ryouma] Now that I think about it, I have the poison resist skill, so a weak poison wouldn¡¯t work against me anyway, so there¡¯s not a lot of uses of this antidote for me. I should have one at hand just to be safe, but I definitely won¡¯t need an entire pot¡¯s worth. If I transfer that entire pot into vials, I would have about 20. For the meantime, I used earth magic to create a funnel and a dipper, prepared a lot of vials, then filled them with the medicine one at a time. After filling up 20 vials, I stored 19 inside my Item Box. As I fiddled with the remaining vial on hand, I left the medicine concocting room and went to the living space. ¡°What to do¡­ Should I sell it at Serge-san¡¯s, or maybe I should give it to Jeff-san and the others?¡± [Ryouma] While I was thinking that, I accidentally dropped the vial. ¡°Acha~¡­¡± [Ryouma] Because I kept fiddling with the vial, the cover got loose, so when it fell, all the contents came pouring out. ¡°Somehow I¡¯m just not in the mood today¡­¡± [Ryomua] Maybe it¡¯s because of that thing age regression thing that Kufo was talking about? For some reason, I can¡¯t change my mood very well. Who would¡¯ve thought at this age¡­ Ah, but I¡¯m actually 11, ain¡¯t I? Still¡­ that¡¯s only on the outside. Mentally speaking, I¡¯m already 40, so it¡¯s really hard to believe that I would actually be sad at this age¡­ In my previous life, a lot of my coworkers retired either because the work was tough or because they fainted from overwork. So I thought I¡¯d gotten used to it already. Of course, I¡¯m not actually sad enough to cry, but when I¡¯m not busying myself, I can¡¯t help but become sad. I pondered for about 10 seconds, and then, I made up my mind. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just sleep.¡± [Ryouma] Rather than try to drag myself around like this, it¡¯s better to just sleep. As I thought that, I looked for the fallen vial to clean the spill, but for some reason, only the vial was left and the medicine was already gone. ¡°Huh? Where did the medicine go?¡± [Ryouma] There were several slimes loitering around the room, and there were cleaner slimes among them, so maybe they¡¯d cleaned it already? Huh. Well, that saves me the trouble, so that¡¯s nice. As I thought that, I went to bed. [1] ¨C Used to be range, I believe. Chapter 71 Volume 3 Chapter 71 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 71 part2 Volume 3 Chapter 71 part3 The next day. I went outside when I woke up, but it was still dark. Did I sleep too much yesterday? It¡¯s still too early to go to town. As such, I went ahead and used the time to add a kitchen and a storehouse to the abandoned mines. I also arranged the contents of my Item Box. I stored most of my herb-related stuff in the lab [1], but I left the unsold pelt behind. Pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt, black tea¡­ The black tea goes to the kitchen. Pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt, pelt, money¡­ Ah, these are the bandits¡¯ possession¡­ weapon, armor, armor, weapon, weapon¡­ Come to think of it, I completely forgot about that bandit, Melzel¡¯s, spear. Let¡¯s mess with it later. Next is¡­ more pelt. ¡°Pelt again. I have way too many of these things. Honestly, why did I have to go and take everything? I should¡¯ve just let the slimes eat them. At least that way they wouldn¡¯t have gone to waste.¡± [Ryouma] As I continued arranging the contents of my Item Box, I found something strange. ¡°What is this?¡± [Ryouma] It was a goblet. Everything I¡¯ve made is either made with stone through earth magic or with shaved wood, but this goblet is made out of silver. Moreover, it¡¯s also adorned with gold and jewels. Why is something so luxurious inside my Item Box? I doubt this belonged to the bandits. I checked my possessions when I left the forest, and this wasn¡¯t on me then. I do recall seeing this once, though¡­ I used Identify on the goblet. Divine Vessel. The Goblet of the God of Wine, Tekun. A divine vessel created by the god of wine, Tekun. It is imbued with the power of the god of wine and can produce an endless supply of liquor in exchange for aman. Owner: Ryouma Takebayashi !?!?!? Wait a minute! What is this? Why would I have something crazy like a divine vessel with me!? ¡­!!! ¡°Oh, wait! This is that goblet Tekun gave me when we met! I brought that back with me!?¡± [Ryouma] Thinking back on it, I just stuffed everything back into my Item Box, so it seems I accidentally brought it back with me. ¡°Isn¡¯t this like really bad? ¡­I need to go to the church!¡± [Ryouma] I stuffed the goblet back into my Item Box and put my slimes into my Dimension Home, then I left the abandoned mine and hurried to town. I went as fast as I could. I went straight to the church as soon as I got to the town. When I reached the entrance of the churce, a girl opened the door. ¡°Oh, are you here to visit the chapel?¡± [Nun] ¡°Yes, can I?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, of course. It sure is rare to see someone come so early¡­¡± [Nun] I don¡¯t really have time to chat, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve been quite busy with work, so I didn¡¯t have any other time to come than now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Nun] The nun brought me to the chapel. Honestly, I remember the way already, so I actually wanted to refuse her and just run straight to the chapel, but I had to keep up appearances, so I just thanked the girl and then took took a seat and prayed. Taken! Please take me to the divine realm!! A few seconds after I prayed that, a white light filled my vision and brought me to the divine realm. My prayer worked! When the light stopped, I turned around and Tekun was there. At that, I heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°You called, Ryouma? Actually, how did you call me? I definitely heard your voice just now.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I prayed at church.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, come on! As if just that would be able to call me a god so easily. If that were true we gods would be getting calls everyday.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Even if you say that¡­ Ah, but forget that, I have something I need to talk to you about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What happened?¡± [Tekun] Instead of words, I decided to just show him the goblet. When Tekun saw it, he opened his eyes wide and looked alternatively between the goblet and the hole made by my Item Box. [1] ¨C Medical concocting room changed to lab. ¡°Last time you left it behind when you ran off, remember?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yeah¡­¡± [Tekun] ¡°After you left I opened my Item Box to look for some snacks to eat while drinking, but because of that I ran out of time and stuffed all my belongings back in. Unfortunately, the goblet got mixed in. I only noticed it this morning when I opened my Item Box to arrange everything, so¡­ Umm¡­ Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to take it with me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t really mind. So, you brought that with you to the other side?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Yes. I stuffed it into my Item Box along with my other belongings and was able to bring it out in the other side.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You were able to bring it out? But in the first place, magic is¡­ No. What¡¯s necessary for magic is spirit and mana¡­ So I guess he can use it?¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that, he scratched his head and said this. ¡°Show me that for a bit.¡± [Tekun] I gave him the goblet just as he said, then he caressed it and stared at it as if he were confirming something. ¡°¡­Ryouma, I don¡¯t mind if you take this with you. Among humans it might be considered a sacred treasure [1], but we gods can make something on this level anytime. And besides, this already belongs to you.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It belongs to me? Come to think of it, when I used Identify on it, the information said that its owner was Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s probably because I gave you the goblet and left you behind, so it was probably assumed that I was giving the goblet to you. Either way this is completely yours already, so enough of that. Have a drink.¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that, he took a bottle of liquor out of thin air and poured it into the goblet, then he handed the goblet back to me. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay to decide it just like that? Also, it¡¯s still morning, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re a soul right now, so you won¡¯t get drunk. Besides, if we¡¯re going to be talking, then liquor should come first, right? As for the goblet, as I said just now, I can make as many of that as I want, so I don¡¯t really care. There are also people who¡¯ve received a sacred treasure from me in the past . Abilities of stuff created according to the wishes of the otherworlders can go from good to bad, There are all sorts of blessings given to otherworlders, but the most common type is a sacred treasure. There¡¯s nothing wrong with a human receiving a sacred treasure. So enough of that and let¡¯s get to the important stuff: drinking!¡± [Tekun] Is it really okay to make that decision on a whim!? ¡°Well, it would cause a commotion if word were to get out that you¡¯re in possession of a sacred treasure, so make sure to hide it and just use it when you¡¯re by yourself.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I understand. I¡¯m glad there¡¯s no problem. I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but I was still really scared when I realized I¡¯d taken something from this side.¡± [Ryouma] I drank from the goblet Tekun gave me. Today¡¯s sake tastes good too. It feels like there¡¯s less alcohol in today¡¯s drink than last time¡¯s. Is Tekun being considerate? ¡°GAHAHA, there are certainly things that would be troublesome if brought to the other side, but those are carefully watched, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. In fact you won¡¯t even get a chance to see it, so you don¡¯t have to worry about that. And besides, that¡¯s just a goblet that produces wine. It¡¯s a lot safer compared to something that increases its wielders abilities or a sword that allows one to cut castle walls like paper. If anything, I¡¯mmore concerned of the fact that you were actually able to take a sacred treasure with you, but¡­ Eh, whatever.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Am I not supposed to be able to?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course not! There¡¯s no way an item from the divine realm could be taken just like that, right? ¡­In fact, a human being able to come here is already plenty strange.¡± [Tekun] Oh, yeah¡­ ¡°I¡¯ve come here so many times, I¡¯d already forgotten.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s partly because you came here, but it seems Gayn and the others repeatedly calling you here is also having an effect.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I get told that a lot. Is it alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Who knows? I¡¯m the god of wine and craftsmen, so even if you ask me that, I can¡¯t answer. You should ask Fernoberia [2] instead. He might know something.¡± [Tekun] Fernoberia? Who¡¯s that? ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, you don¡¯t know him, huh? He¡¯s the god of magic. Fernoberia, the God of Magic. He¡¯s always shutting himself inside his domain, so I don¡¯t really know him well, but he should be the most knowledgeable when it comes to magic. Unfortunately, it¡¯s really rare to see that guy, so I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll ever get to meet him.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I see¡­ Well, I haven¡¯t noticed any problems, and Gayn and the others said it¡¯s nothing bad, so it¡¯s probably fine. It would¡¯ve bee nice to know the reason, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s only natural to think that way when strange things happen around you.¡± [Teku] ¡°As Tekun said that, the surrounding area started to dazzle. Huh? Isn¡¯t it quicker than usual? ¡°Oh, it¡¯s time.¡¯ [Ryouma] I quickly emptied my drink and stored the goblet back into my Item Box. ¡°Ho~ so this is what happens you¡¯re about to go back.¡± [Tekun] ¡°By the way, were you able to meet Gayn and the others?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, managed to catch them when they were on the way home. They really did go to your world. I managed to make them agree to let me go next time and have a taste of Earth wine.¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that, he heartily laughed. ¡°I see. Take care not to drink too¡ª Oh, but you¡¯re the god of wine, so you probably don¡¯t get drunk, huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course I can¡¯t! I¡¯ll drink a shower¡¯s worth of alcohol!¡± [Tekun] ¡°By the way, what will happen when you go around drinking? Will Earth¡¯s liquor just disappear all of the sudden?¡± [Tekun] ¡°That won¡¯t happen. Whether it¡¯s there or here, the liquor will be created by the power of a god. It¡¯s like how your goblet makes liquor with mana. No matter how much I drink, other people won¡¯t run out of liquor.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I see, I guess I won¡¯t hold back with this goblet then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s how it should be. Enjoy liquor! Liquor should be enjoyed!¡± [Tekun] When Tekun said that, I tried to answer back, but the world had already been dyed in white, and before I knew it, I was back at the chapel. ¡°¡­Couldn¡¯t make it in time. I wonder if he¡¯ll be able to hear it if I pray?¡± [Ryouma] Thank you. I will also enjoy liquor here. I hope you have fun in your alcohol tour too. As I prayed that, I left a donation and left the church. Now then, let¡¯s go to the store. It¡¯s a little late, though, as it¡¯s already past opening time, When I walked to the store, I heard a big crowd laughing near the store. Sounds like they¡¯re having fun. Where are the voices coming from? ¡­Huh? My store? The store was coming from my store. The people outside the store were all laughing. What are they doing? I took a peek and it turns out Leelin-san had knocked out two men. Seriously, what are they doing? ¡°Good morning, Leelin-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, Boss. Good morning. I¡¯ve just finished tying these men up. Please wait a moment.¡± [Leelin] Leelin-san quickly bound the two guys. While she was doing that, I asked Carm-san, who was currently tending to the store, what was going on. ¡°What happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s been a while since the last time, but they came to cause trouble.¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh? So, what¡¯s with all the laughing? I¡¯d understand if they were screaming, so why are they laughing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually¡­¡± [Carm] Apparently, the ruffians wanted to complain about the laundry quality to pull down our reputation, so they¡¯d intentionally stained their clothes with something hard to remove, but it didn¡¯t work on the cleaner slimes. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t bother checking their clothes after getting them washed as they boldly called out to the crowd of customers and said, ¡°Look! They failed to clean my clothes!¡± Only, to then reveal a perfectly clean piece of clothing. The people started laughing one after another, until eventually, everyone was laughing. When the men tried to get violent, Leelin-san apprehended them, and that¡¯s when I came in. Moreover, it also so happens that some guards were passing by when they caused a disturbance. One of the customers called them, and they took the ruffians away for obstructing business. ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is lucky or unlucky¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We didn¡¯t have time to hear them out.¡± [Leelin] [1] ¨C Divine vessel to sacred treasure. Saw the characters for god and vessel and just literally translated it. Apparently, it has a proper translation. My bad. [2] ¨C Decided to just go with Fernoberia since people think the alternatives sound like a book title. I called Carla-san and Fei-san inside the store and talked to them. For the meantime, we decided to just maintain the status quo. We also decided to just wait for the results of the guards¡¯ investigation and do what we could for now. Oh, speaking of which, why don¡¯t I leave the antidote here? ¡°I made some antidotes yesterday, so just in case, I¡¯ll leave some here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood.¡± [Carla] As I said that, I handed enough vials for everyone to Carla-san and Fei-san. Now, what? Isn¡¯t there anything I could do to toughen up the store¡¯s security? Hmm¡­ The store¡¯s windows don¡¯t seem to be very strong. How about I use that? I went back home to the mines to test out my idea. I drew three magic formations in a wide-open tunnel, then I asked the sticky slimes to fill a box with hardening liquid. After that I placed the box on a Magic Formation of Separation and extracted half the water content. ¡°Fill her up again.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slimes to fill up the box with hardening liquid, then I extracted the water content again. I repeated that same process several times until the hardening liquid had become concentrated. Back in the forest, I once tested what would happen if I used alchemy to concentrate the sticky slime¡¯s liquid. The result then was a product harder than normal. Normally, if you let the hardening liquid dry, it would start cracking with just a little force. But after concentrating the hardening liquid, even a spell would only be able to leave a crack on it. There were two squares on the circular alchemical formation, shifted by 45 degrees and conjoined together to form the Magic Formation of Transformation. The baseball-sized lump of concentrated hardening liquid inside was so hard that not even my full strength could easily crush it. I¡¯m going to use this to make a glass window. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner?¡± [Ryouma] This concentrated hardening liquid is highly transparent. It¡¯s not completely transparent, but its yellow tint is just barely noticeable, so it¡¯s more than good enough to serve as a glass window. At the very least it¡¯s more durable than the wooden windows of this country, and there won¡¯t be any need to open the windows just to let light in. Since the windows don¡¯t need to be opened, cold wind won¡¯t enter either. If it¡¯s just for light, glass is also a thing here, but while blow glass for vials can be purchased for cheap due to your average craftsman being able to make them, unfortunately, glass meant for windows are produced with magic and are a luxury. It¡¯s also possible to make a sheet with blown glass to make them suitable for windows, but only skilled craftsmen could make it happen, so the yield rates are really low. I wanted to get some glass windows when making the store, but even with my knowledge on construction cutting down on costs, the lowest I could go to make the glass windows a reality was still 1 medium gold coin. As such, I had no choice but to give u pon them. But that changes today! Because I can use this concentrated hardening liquid in place of glass! Moreover, it¡¯s also geared toward increasing the security of the store and is also very strong against fire and heat. Also, I¡¯m digressing, but as for concentrated sticky liquid it doesn¡¯t solidify that much and is brittle. It has a muddy color, so it¡¯s not transparent, but on top of that it also burns. The usual dried sticky liquid is less combustible than cloth, but after concentrating the sticky liquid, it becomes highly combustible. It was quite shocking to see it act like the exact opposite to the hardneing liquid. Hardening liquid is too hard, while sticky liquid is brittle and combustible. Because of that I¡¯ve ignored them until now. Honestly, who would¡¯ve thought concentrated hardening liquid would actually have a use like this? ¡°Well, with earth and barrier magic, I could endure the cold, so¡­ I didn¡¯t notice it at all.¡± [Ryouma] I would sometimes mumble to myself like this while working. I kept working until it was evening. By the time I was done. I¡¯d already finished about 50 concentrated hardening liquid planks for use with windows. Chapter 72 Volume 3 Chapter 72 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 72 part3 The next day. I woke up in the morning, got ready, and gathered the slimes. It was the usual routine, but then¡­ A slime caught my eye. What is this slime? Before me was a slime I didn¡¯t remember. Strangely, though, it was indeed contracted with me. I used Monster Identify on it¡­ Medicine SlimeSkills: Produce Medicine Lv3 Poison Resist Lv3 Disease Resist Lv5 Physical Attack Resist Lv1 Jump Lv3 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv3 Spear Mastery Lv1 Medicine slime, huh. I don¡¯t remember contracting this guy, so he must¡¯ve evolved. ¡°Since it has the Spear Mastery skill, then¡­ It must¡¯ve been a poison slime!¡± [Ryouma] When you think about it, medicine can be poison depending on how you use it. The same holds true the other way. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a slime evolve a second time after evolving once, but it seems there really is a second evolution. But why all of the sudden? Did I clear an evolution condition somewhere?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s been proven that slimes evolved according to what they ate, so the medicine slime¡¯s evolution condition is¡­ medicine? But when did I ever feed a slime with that? Hmm¡­ Come to think of it, the medicine I dropped the other night was cleaned by itself. I thought for sure a cleaner slime had cleaned it, but could it be that it was this guy who cleaned it instead? To test that hypothesis, I gathered the poison slimes and poured a vial for them to drink. When I did, 5 slimes approached and started drinking. ¡°Ohh, they¡¯re drinking. So, I guess it really was a poison slime then.¡± [Ryouma] Last time I spilled a vial and one slime evolved, so it should stand to reason that 5 slimes would need 5 vials to evolve. I¡¯ve already given them a vial, so I guess I¡¯ll be needing four more. I went ahead and made some vessels while the slimes were drinking, then I gave an order to the medicine slime. ¡°Show me which medicines you can make.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I pushed the vessel toward the medicine slime. The medicine slime then started pouring out liquids one after another. There were all sorts of liquids from more viscous ones to smoother ones. I used Identify on the various liquids, and this was the result. Ointment Styptic Antidote Poison (Immediate Effect) Poison (Delayed Effect) Paralyzing Agent (Instant Effect) Paralyzing Agent (Delayed Effect) Antibacterial Medicine ¡°Ohh, that¡¯s a lot¡­ I suppose it can produce both medicine and poison¡­ What¡¯s with this antibacterial medicine, though?¡± [Ryouma] I used a more specific Identify on it, and this came out: Antibacterial Medicine Produced within the body of the medicine slime. A liquid that possesses strong sterilizing effects. Destroys all bacteria and virus when applied. Quickly evaporates in an airtight container if not properly stored. Harmless to humans. This is an antiseptic solution! This is great! I was actually worried about going to territories other than the Jamil Territory because of hygiene reasons, but with this, that won¡¯t be a problem anymore! ¡­Speaking of which, time sure flies! I better get to the store. I hurriedly gathered the slimes and went to the store, but the store was already open. I entered the employee entrance and met Carla-san. ¡°Good morning, Boss.¡± [Carla] ¡°Good morning, Carla-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, what have you been up to lately?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You came only after the store was already opened yesterday and today too. Did something happen?¡± [Carla] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just too busy with work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Well, that¡¯s fine then, but be sure to talk to us if you have something or your mind.¡± [Carla] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, and could you start coming around this time?¡± [Carm] Around this time? ¡°Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you come before the store opens, you¡¯ll definitely end up doing the store preparation, so the lower-positioned employees won¡¯t have anything to do. They need to do that as part of their training, so please leave it to them. Please do get used to leaving work to your subordinates, Boss.¡± [Carm] They took my job¡­ ¡°Well, alright. I guess it can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± [Ryouma] I can understand if it¡¯s for a reason like that, but with this, I have even less work to do¡­ Oh, right. I need to talk to her about the windows. ¡°Oh yeah, Carm-san. Are Fei-san and Leelin-san free right now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fei-san¡¯s tending to the store, but Leelin-san should be in the break room right now. Do you need them for something?¡± [Carm] ¡°Actually, I have an idea to toughen up the store¡¯s security and would like to talk to them about it.¡± [Ryouam] ¡°I see. In that case, please wait at the office. I¡¯ll call them over.¡± [Carm] I waited at the office just as he told me, and he immediately brought Leelin-san. They were just in the next room, after all, so it came as no surprise. In fact, I could¡¯ve just called her myself. There was no need for him to get her. ¡°Good morning, boss. You needed me?¡± [Leelin] ¡°Good morning, Leelin-san. It¡¯s about the store window. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯d be quite easy to break those and get in?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. All you need is a hammer or an axe and you¡¯d easily be able to break them. We¡¯ve taken that into consideration and are keeping an eye out for them.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Thank you as always. So, I was thinking of making those windows unbreakable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would save us a lot of trouble, but¡­ how?¡± [Leelin] I took out one plank of concentrated hardening liquid from my Dimension Home. When Carm saw that, the color of his eyes changed. ¡°Is that a glass window?¡± [Carm] ¡°Not quite.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But this shape and transparency¡­ Surely, it must be glass window. And even if it¡¯s not glass window, we can use it instead of glass window! Did you make this, Boss?¡± [Carm] Looks like he¡¯s taken a liking to it. I do intend to use it as a replacement for glass window, but I have no intention of selling it right now. ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m not planning to sell it right now. The production rate isn¡¯t there yet¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Sorry, I got ahead of myself.¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s fine. And besides, you¡¯re actually right in that I was thinking of using this in place of glass windows. It looks like glass, but unlike glass it¡¯s actually quite durable.¡± [Ryouma] I hit the glass with my bare fists. When Leelin-san saw that, she narrowed her eyes. ¡°Boss, could I give it a try?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure. I have plenty of spare, so feel free to destroy it.¡± [Ryouma] I let Leelin-san have a go at it. She hit the plank several times, but it didn¡¯t even crack. She used reinforcement magic after that, but a crack was the most she could muster. ¡°¡­It really is tough. If we outfit the entire first floor with this, our assailants will surely have a hard time getting in. But at the same time, we won¡¯t be able to break the glass to run away if driven into a corner. Please also take that into consideration as you plan the store security.¡± [Leelin] So, there was a downside to it! ¡°Now that you mention it, I should definitely come up of a way to make it easy to open from inside. I¡¯ll need to think about it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Aside from that one downside, though, it¡¯s very good for defending against intruders. If we outfit them here and there, we should be able to reduce the places that could be broken into. Well, at least that¡¯s one way to go about it. And also, if we know what¡¯s coming, we can deal with it much easier too.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I see. So, you¡¯re alright with replacing the store windows with this, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Leelin] Like that we started upgrading the store¡¯s wooden windows with these concentrated hardening liquid planks. We first changed the windows at the back of the store, where there were no customers, then we worked on the side facing the nearby stores, then the side facing the road, and then lastly, the store front, the windows facing the residential district¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s what we were planning to do when all of the sudden we heard someone yelling from the store. ¡°What did you to my clothes! Does this store have a policy of tearing its customers clothes into pieces!? Well!?¡± [Angry Customer] We hurriedly entered through the store entrance, and there, we saw an ill-bred man arguing with Fina-san. Fei-san was in the process of breaking them up. Atop the counter was a piece of clothing that was torn from the collar all the way to the bottom¡­ But it¡¯s impossible for this to be our fault since we don¡¯t wash laundry here in a way that could do something like this. I doubt this happened while the employees were transporting it too. Even though I know it¡¯s just false accusation, it sure still feels bad. A proper claim would actually be better. Anyway, I have no intention of accepting false claims like this. At times like this, it¡¯s important to firmly deal with the malicious claimant. I called out to the man. ¡°What seems to be the problem, sir?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss?¡± [Fei] Fei-san responded before the man could. I passed the man a fleeting glance, then I looked at Fei-san to signal to him that I would be dealing with the man. Fei-san was able to understand my signal, so he allowed me to come close, though he kept alert. ¡°What¡¯s your problem, brat!? Get lost!¡± [Angry Customer] ¡°That won¡¯t do, as I¡¯m the owner of this store. Do you have a problem with our store?¡± [Ryouma] The man¡¯s eyebrows twitched and he started arguing with me. ¡°You better believe it! Your little store tore apart my only good suit! I want compensation!¡± [Angry Customer] ¡°Could you show that suit to me?¡± [Ryouma] After receiving the suit, I examined it. I need to make it look like I¡¯m properly listening to the claimant¡¯s complaint, or my reputation will go down. I don¡¯t particularly care what this thug thinks about me, but the curious onlookers and the customers are important. The torn cuff of the suit clearly shows signs of having been cut with a blade of sort. From there the tear seems to have been exacerbated through brute force. It¡¯s certainly possible for this to happen while washing it, but the cleaner slimes just eat filth. They don¡¯t do anything that could cause a tear. This is clearly a false claim. It¡¯s impossible to use this to find fault with our slimes. And he clearly hasn¡¯t done his homework. I already announced on the first day of opening that the slimes are responsible for doing the laundry here, so if he wanted to find fault, he should¡¯ve brought a melted piece of clothing instead. ¡°Dear Customer, it¡¯s troubling for us if you bring up this sort of false claim.¡± [Ryouma] After examining the suit, I faced the man and said that. ¡°What was that!? A false claim!? This torn suit is right in front of you and not only are you not apologizing, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s my fault!!? Nice store you have here, you immoral merchant!!¡± [Angry Customer] The man said that out loud so as to let the other customers hear it. ¡°Then, allow me to prove it to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hah?¡± [Angry Customer] The man made a confused face in response to my words, while the attention of the surrounding customers gathered to us. ¡°Please wait a moment. I will give a demonstration of how this store does its laundry. After seeing it, you will immediately understand why this sort of accident can never happen.¡± [Ryouma] I left the scene to Fei-san for a moment, while I went inside to get a cleaner slime. ¡°In order to perform the demonstration, I will be needing some laundry. Is anyone willing to volunteer his laundry? If you participate, your laundry will be washed for free.¡± [Ryouma] Voices rose sporadically. ¡°That person over there. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] As I received a single-person-laundry-bag from a male customer, I laid out its contents over the counter. Laid out were a blood-stained pair of pants and a shirt. It was normal clothing, but considering the man¡¯s strong body, he is probably an adventurer. ¡°Please watch.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slime to wash the clothes. It took the clothes into it as usual, and before anyone knew it, all the blood and filth were gone from the clothes. When the crowd saw that, they cried out voices of shock. The entire process took no more than a few dozen seconds. ¡°Are you satisfied, dear customer? Just as you¡¯ve witnessed, because of the way we do laundry here, it is impossible for your clothes to be torn apart.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°N-No way¡­¡± [Angry Customer] ¡°If you believe this was merely a fluke, then we can repeat this until it pleases you.¡± [Ryouma] After doing about 10 person¡¯s worth of clothing, the man couldn¡¯t say anything anymore. To put the nail into the coffin, I spoke one last time. ¡°It¡¯s simply impossible for slimes to cause this sort of tear in your suit. After all, they neither have fangs nor claws. In fact, they don¡¯t even have the strength to make this sort of tear. This store¡¯s slimes takes the clothes into their body and eats the filth on it. Unlike the normal method of doing laundry, wherein one uses force to rub off the filth, our slimes don¡¯t use force. That¡¯s why it¡¯s impossible for anything to get torn. I have been washing my clothes in this way for the past 3 years and have yet to experience a problem. As such, I can say with full confidence that your suit wasn¡¯t torn because of our store.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, all the customers other than the thug were able to understand that we weren¡¯t negligent in any way. Good. With this our reputation won¡¯t be affected. Now that that¡¯s taken care of, this thug doesn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°Well then, since you¡¯ve interfered with our business, we will be handing you over to the guards. Please behave and come with us.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!!? Like fuck I will!¡± [Angry Customer] The man sent his fist flying toward me, but I twisted my body, took his arm, and sent him flying with a throw. The onlookers would surely not appreciate getting caught up with a thug, so I made sure to throw the thug somewhere no one was around. A large dull sound resounded throughout the store as the man¡¯s legs hit the counter and his body fell into the ground. ¡°GOHA!?¡± [Angry Customer] The man writhed in pain as he slammed into the ground. ¡°This is legitimate self-defense, dear customer.¡± [Ryouma] Our reputation will take a hit if I beat him up too much, but this much should be okay. ¡°Fei-san, please take care of him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As you wish, Boss.¡± [Fei] Fei-san quickly took the man and brought him inside. Next, I¡¯ll need to call the guards¡­ Oh. While I was thinking that, it suddenly came to my attention that the cleaner slime was hard at work cleaning the counter. Apparently some mud had fallen off the man¡¯s shoes and onto the counter when I threw him. ¡­Seeing the slime like that was a healing moment for me. After that the store went back to business as usual and the guards came to take the man away. By the time the situation had been settled, it was already afternoon. Everyone gathered at the employee area of the store to eat. Fina-san thanked me and Fei-san. ¡°Boss, Fei-san, thank you so much.¡± [Fina] ¡°This is part of my job. And also, I didn¡¯t really do all that much today. It was all the boss.¡± [Fei] ¡°I am the owner, after all. I should at least deal with those sort of people when I¡¯m around.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss was so strong~¡± [Maria] ¡°But was that really alright, Boss? Washing the laundry for free?¡± [Leelin] ¡°That much won¡¯t affect the store¡¯s income. It was more important to let the other customers know that the man was just slandering our store. Otherwise, if they believed we were the ones in the wrong, then less people will go to our store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. You¡¯re right.¡± [Carla] I didn¡¯t think everyone would accept me right from the start. I¡¯m sure there are people unhappy with my business, but that¡¯s their right. It¡¯s impossible to deal with all those people, but it would be problematic if they made other customers hate me. ¡°Still, you should say beforehand when you¡¯re going to deal with the situation. I was sweating buckets.¡± [Fina] ¡°We didn¡¯t know you were that strong too¡­¡± [Jane] Oh, yeah. I look 11 on the outside¡­ I keep forgetting that from time to time. I didn¡¯t have the opportunity to show my strength to the workers until now too. ¡°Sorry, I forgot to mention it.¡± [Ryouma] Report, communicate, consult! These three are important! Although we had to take care of this incident, we were able to safely replace the store windows of the store. Some time before evening, I dropped by Serge-san¡¯s store. I wanted to buy some vials from him. And there¡¯s also the medicine slime. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-sam.¡± [Serge] ¡°Good afternoon, Serge-san. I came today to buy something for myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. What will you be needing?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯d like to buy a large number of vials for medicine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Vials for medicine? In large number?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. I learned how to make medicine from my grandmother, so since I have time now, I figured why not use the time to make some medicine. It¡¯s not unusual for me to be exposed to danger as an adventurer, after all. So, in preparation for that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ But if you wish to procure a large number of vials, then it would be best for you to register at the merchants guild as a pharmacy, then the guild will sell to you the vials wholesale, allowing you to get them much cheaper.¡± [Serge] Now that he mentions it¡­ In the end, I took Serge-san¡¯s advice and didn¡¯t buy from his store. I also had more time now, enough to spare to make medicine, so I took some more cloths from him to turn into waterproof cloths. When I got to the merchants guild, I was brought to the reception office again. ¡°What¡¯s do you need? More people?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°No, I came for something else this time.¡± [Ryouma] I told her what I came for. ¡°I see. So you came here to buy some vials, did you? So, how good are your medicines?¡± [Grisiera] I took out a vial from my Item Box and handed it to her. The guild master used Identify on it, and then she grinned. ¡°Not bad. This more than passes as a product. If you can make this, then you can definitely open a pharmacy.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I don¡¯t have such plans for now, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I suppose¡­ since you¡¯ll have more than enough if you just open a branch store. But you should still consider it as a backup plan in case something unexpected happens. And you could also sell them on the side to help with your branch store¡¯s capital. Or if you want, I could buy them from you.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Is that alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m expecting a lot from you, after all. Besides, I was also an expert in medicine before I became the guild master. The quality of your medicine is good, so if I use my connections, I should be able to sell as many of them as I want.¡± [Grisiera] So, the guild master was an expert on medicine¡­ I didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Thank you very much. At that time, I¡¯ll rely on you.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked the guild master. I took the opportunity to also purchase all the tools needed to make medicine like the pot and the funnel. I also bought some food along the way to the gate before going back to the mines. The sun still hadn¡¯t set, so I ran back home instead of using magic. I passed some adventurers along the way. They seemed to be coming home from hunting grell frogs. As I thought that while running, the smell from the marsh wafted to my nose. I dealt with the stench by wetting a towel with deodorizing liquid and putting it over my mouth. Hmm¡­ Can¡¯t I sell this deodorizing liquid? Deodorizing goods were a thing back in my previous life, so¡­ I should talk with Carm-san and the others about it. That night. I had supper a little earlier than usual, then I spent the time investigating the medicine slime. Unfortunately, I lost track of the time and ended up sleeping late. Thanks to my investigations, though, I was able to confirm that the poison slimes I gave antidotes to all became medicine slimes. It seems my hypothesis was correct. In that case, the other slimes must also have other evolutionary paths¡­ Slimes sure run deep. I was feeling fairly satisfied after seeing the slimes evolve, so I took out the goblet I got from Tekun and drank by myself. But then an unexpected problem arose. ¡°I got it out of good will, so I¡¯m not complaining, but¡­ Isn¡¯t this thing too thirsty for mana?¡± [Ryouma] Wine appeared in the goblet when I let mana course into it just as Tekun had told me, but I had to consume 30,000 points of mana just to fill the goblet once. I checked it with my status board, so that figure is definitely correct. Even with my mana pool at full, I can only fill this goblet 6 times¡­ Actually, isn¡¯t 6 cups too much when I¡¯m just drinking by myself? How many would a person normally drink when alone? Hmm¡­ Maybe it¡¯s just because I¡¯m creating wine out of nothing that the mana consumption is so high. But regardless, I think I can manage if I just watch the amount of wine. I¡¯ve only drank with others for the sake of socializing, so I don¡¯t actually know how much I¡¯m supposed to drink when I¡¯m by myself, but for the meantime, I decided to just drink two cups. I went to bed after drinking the goblet¡¯s winne. Today¡¯s wine was delicious, but it¡¯s too bad I didn¡¯t have any snacks again. I¡¯ll make sure to prepare some next time. Chapter 73 Volume 3 Chapter 73 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 73 part2 Morning. Normally, this would be the time when I leave the house, but I was asked to start going to the store later, so I decided to go and build my house first. ¡°For the mean time, this should do for a rough draft¡­¡± [Ryouma] To the side¡­ A long house wall¡­ A house with a door and a window. [1] I gradually improved the image as I revised the map drawn on the ground. I can just restructure the tunnel to fill in the necessary facilities needed for day-to-day living, so all the house needs is a bedroom. ¡­But lately ruffians have been coming to the store. What if they attack my house? It would be worrying if my house was weak then. But it¡¯ll take quite a bit of effort to make the house sturdy enough. ¡°Maybe I should camouflage my house.¡± [Ryouma] I could turn the tunnel until here into a decoy. ¡°I could block the entrance of the tunnel with the house, and then make the interior look just like a normal house, so when they enter they¡¯ll think they entered the house I live at.¡± [Ryouma] That should buy me some time to prepare a counter attack or run away. I could also set some traps in the decoy house. ¡°If I fuss over this too much, I¡¯ll end up taking too much time again, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] To make things simple, I¡¯ll just set some slimes to pour acid, poison, or maybe sticky slime on the intruders¡­ Hmm¡­ But unlike acid and sticky liquid, poison won¡¯t take effect unless it enters the body, so a poison gas would be more effective than liquid poison. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have a slime that could use potion magic. Although if I used fire I could create poison smoke¡­ As I thought about it, I ended up going toward a direction that would take time. For the meantime, I decided to just go with the acid and sticky liquid for the traps. I should go and make the house first or there¡¯s no point to any of this. ¡°The house needs to be easy to repair.¡± [Ryouma] After all, there¡¯s a chance it could get destroyed in an attack. And the most important thing for a decoy is to look the part, so I just need to focus on appearances while making sure that it¡¯s easy to build. In that case, a prefab should do the trick. With prefabs, the parts are made in the workshop beforehand, and then the structure is assembled at the scene. There¡¯s not a lot of actual work done at the scene, so it¡¯s a lot faster than other construction methods. It¡¯s also a lot more consistent quality-wise than other building methods when building the same structure. I have to make the parts myself because there¡¯s no factory to order parts from here, but once I have the basic parts down, the whole process should go smoothly. Also, I¡¯ll be making the parts with Create block, so I already have a sure way of making the building stones in a set size. If I just tweak that a little, everything should go well. ¡°Create Block¡± [Ryouma] I tried making my thoughts into reality. I used Create Block to make building stones and tweaked the shape. I wanted a concrete block, so I made the building stones into the size of a brick, then I opened a hole in the middle part. Simple enough. If I pile these up, I should be able to make a wall. I¡¯ll be needing cement and sticky liquid if I were to just pile these up normally, so I¡¯ll just make a hole in the bottom and make a protrusion in the top so they can fit together without any adhesive. I¡¯m going to be using mostly square blocks, so I¡¯m worried that just one protrusion won¡¯t be enough. In that case, let¡¯s divide each block into four and make four protrusions instead. Also, wf the protrusions are sharp, they could hurt people, so I should make sure to round them off. ¡°¡­And there we have it. Lego, basically.¡± Before I knew it, I¡¯d transformed my building stones into the world famous Lego. Isn¡¯t this completely different from what I was aiming for? But it helps a lot with the visualization¡­ I¡¯ll name this new version of my magic as Building Block. ¡°Building Block Cube!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Building Block Rectangle!¡± [Ryouma] I built building stones as I pleased according to shape. I tried making a wall with these blocks, and lo and behold, it actually took me some strength to move the wall. Each block was heavy enough, so after adding them altogether, the resulting weight was something. When I tried even rubbing some clay on them and letting it dry, I was able to make a good wall. It¡¯s basically precast concrete, but if I keep making the parts like this, I should be able to make my prefab a reality. ¡­Now then, it should be about time for me to get going. [1] ¨C Don¡¯t really get this line. Maybe it¡¯s just a monologue while Ryouma is drawing on the ground. ¡°Good morning. How is the store today?¡± [Ryouma] I clocked in late at work today just as I was asked to yesterday. I wonder how the store is doing. ¡°Good morning, Boss. There are several things I would like to report on. First of all, Taylor-sama dropped by the store this morning.¡± [Carla] ¡°The branch head of the tamers guild? He didn¡¯t come as a customer?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. It would appear that the men that caused us trouble the past few days were apparently monster tamers of the tamers guild, so he came to apologize.¡± [Carla] ¡°In person? That¡¯s really unfortunate¡­¡± [Ryouma] Who would¡¯ve thought an important customer would drop by on the very day I decided to come late¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I happened across this sort of misfortune. Hmm¡­ What to do? I could go to the tamers guild and talk to them now. They¡¯ll probably accommodate me if I did. ¡°¡­What did he say about the culprits? They came twice, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently, they were working by themselves. As the story goes, they were annoyed that someone like you, Ryouma-sama, was making a killing when you could only use slimes¡­ In other words, envy was the motive. They figured it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if they just caused some ruckus in the store, so they casually went and caused trouble. Unfortunately for them, that decision cost them a significant fine that they weren¡¯t expecting. If not that, then they would probably be sent to perform some voluntary labor. The guild master said that the guild is willing to negotiate the compensation for the damages caused by their members.¡± [Carla] Damages? There wasn¡¯t anything too serious that could really be labeled as ¡®damages¡¯. And I don¡¯t need the guild master to come personally to know that I need to be careful. ¡°I don¡¯t need compensation. They probably have a policy on how to deal with delinquent members like them, so let¡¯s just go with that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that. The policy of the tamers guild say that the culprits must be given penalty and the members of the guild must be properly informed of the gravity of the crime committed. But¡­¡± [Carla] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no problem regarding to the culprits¡¯ punishment. Instead, it seems that Taylor-sama is being criticized because of his decision to cover for us in this incident.¡± [Carla] ¡°Criticize? The guild master? Why? Shouldn¡¯t they be criticizing the culprits?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It seems that the culprits have been working for a long time and have respectable monsters, so their status is quite high. They look down on us, so things became like this and we unfortunately ended up incurring damages¡­ This morning the customers that caught wind of the rumors were quite worried for us. I reassured them each time they mentioned it that there¡¯s no problem and I also thanked Taylor-sama.¡± [Carla] It¡¯s true we incurred damages, but¡­ ¡°Is it just my imagination or is all this happening so fast?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because he¡¯s in charge of the tamers guild, but yes¡­ Things do seem to be progressing quickly.¡± [Carla] ¡°It would be best if we could get more details regarding this incident.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll have Carm investigate it.¡± [Carla] ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] There was nothing else noteworthy to report after that, so we just went through the usual reports, then I went off to work on my own stuff. ¡°Please divide the horn rabbit meat into five pieces.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for coming! What a nice kid, you are. Are you on an errand?¡± [Butcher] ¡°Ha ha¡­ Something like that.¡± [Ryouma] I know there¡¯s nothing I can do about how young I look, but still¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel complicated. ¡°Hey, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. We have feed ready for your slimes.¡± [Zeke] ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll come get it as soon as I receive my purchase.¡± [Ryouma] Zeke-san stepped out of the room where they prepared the meat to show his face, so I thanked him. When I was about to go back to the store, he asked me to wait for a bit. ¡°Ah, could you wait a sec?¡± [Zeke] ¡°Yes? What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Could we ask your slimes to clean the store? Our clothes have gotten a lot cleaner than before, so we¡¯ve started to become concerned about the stench in our workplace¡­ Of course, we clean the place everyday, but the stench is indelibly ingrained into the place and we can¡¯t quite get rid of it.¡± [Zeke] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll bring you some deodorizing liquid. Unless there¡¯s some other problem, you should be able to solve it with that.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I went back to the store and prepared the deodorizing liquid. That night. While I was checking the documents, Carm-san came back. ¡°Good job out there. Did you find something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Carm] Carm handed me some papers. Apparently, he¡¯d compiled everything already. He sure works fast. ¡°It seems rumors of the Gimuru branch¡¯s tamer guild master being criticized have spread quite far.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. There are some slight differences to the rumors, but not one of them is saying anything good about Taylor-sama. Grisiera-sama of the merchant guild has also taken notice of this event and is quite concerned. She says it¡¯s possible there¡¯s someone intentionally fanning the flames against Taylor-sama. His position in the guild is delicate, to say the least.¡± [Carm] ¡°Indeed¡­¡± [Ryouma] As I went through the document Carm gave me, I got to the part with a figure of the tamer guild¡¯s influence framework and a simple explanation of their history. I knew there were two philosophies in the tamer guild, but it seems that has also led to the formation of different factions. On one hand, you have tamers who prioritize strength among monsters, and on the other hand, you have tamers who prioritize the wellbeing of monsters. The former is the main faction presently, while the latter is a faction that seeks to coexist with the monster beasts. In the first place, it was Shiho Jamil, a previous otherworlder, who completed monster taming and spread it throughout the world with the purpose of paving the path for the humans and monster beasts then to coexist. I¡¯m sure it wasn¡¯t easy. Not much details were given about Shiho¡¯s endeavors, but after showing to the people the benefits brought about by the monsters, people gradually started accepting the tamer guild and Shiho Jamil¡¯s ideas. As a result, the tamer guild has continued to exist until now. Unfortunately, with every passing year, less and less people are adhering to her ideals. Most of the work in the tamer guild is mainly for monsters to replace human labor. After all, there aren¡¯t a lot of jobs that only monsters could do. If people needed to subjugate a monster, they could turn to the adventurers guild. If they wanted to send a letter or have small miscellaneous job done, a fast horse or a person could do it. There¡¯s just too much competition. So, in order for the members of the tamers guild to work more efficiently and make a living, they prioritized the taming of stronger monsters. As such, and especially for the humans and the members of the dog tribe whose life spans are short, people gradually forgot the ideals of the founder. ¡°Presently, only elves and other species that have long lifespans are the only ones capable of spending a long time teaching and studying. And other than them, only the people who have received their teachings are the ones who have been able to inherit the will of the founder. Taylor-sama is one such person, but even though he holds a high position, there are still people who hate him.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. Is this related to why some people caused trouble at our store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re not wholly unrelated.¡± [Carm] ¡°Figures¡­¡± [Ryouma] Could it be that they weren¡¯t actually aiming at my store and instead just decided to use it as tool because it was convenient? Hmm¡­ ¡°Can we start a rumor of our own? Not to spread a lie, but to spread a truth.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The merchants guild is a treasury of information and there are a lot of merchants sensitive to new information and rumors, so if we make use of that, it should be possible. What would you like to spread?¡± [Carm] ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve recently formed a contract with a rimel bird. 6 of them, in fact. So, I¡¯m no longer a monster tamer who can only use slimes. According to the documents you gave me, it seems some people might be trying to find fault with the branch leader for favoring a useless monster tamer. And the rumors also seem like they might bring down our reputation, so¡­ What do you think? Can we use a rumor like this to dispel the current rumors surrounding the branch guild master and make it appear as if he is a man of foresight?¡± [Ryouma] Rimel birds are known to be difficult to tame. When I proposed this to Carm-san, he smiled. ¡°Yes, that should do. It could end up as a funny story with the critics being the ones with no foresight in the end.¡± [Carm] ¡°Also, if you can, please don¡¯t be too harsh. We don¡¯t want to make more enemies, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand. Well, then. I¡¯ll get right to it.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ah, wait¡­ It¡¯s already nighttime and we don¡¯t know what our opponents are capable of doing, so just to be safe, get Fei-san or Leelin-san to tag along with you. This won¡¯t be a part of their contract, so I¡¯ll pay them extra. Also¡­¡± [Ryouma] I also informed him that I will be taking steps to fortify the abandoned mine. ¡°So, you don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand, but please make sure not to do anything reckless.¡± [Carm] After that he left the room. I waited for him and Fei-san to come back, then I went back to the mines. Chapter 74 Volume 3 Chapter 74 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 74 part2 The next day. ¡°Good morning. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] When I showed my face at the store, I noticed that people had gathered at the kitchen. ¡°Ah, Boss.¡± [Jane] ¡°Good Morning~¡± [Maria] ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± [Fina] The three girls cleared the place to reveal a plate of sausage atop the work table. There were three long coils of sausages on the plate. It was a considerable amount. ¡°The housewife next door brought these as a gift to celebrate you being able to tame a rimel bird~¡± [Maria] ¡°She also said that it¡¯s for the deodorizing liquid you brought yesterday since she didn¡¯t think the feed they give you for your slimes was enough to thank you for that.¡± [Jane] ¡°Seems that deodorizing liquid of yours was a huge help. She was all smiles.¡± [Fina] ¡°I see. It seems we just missed each other.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s cook this for today¡¯s lunch.¡± [Shelma] Shelma, who was in front of the fridge, said. Is she going to fry the sausages? Or maybe she¡¯ll cook them into a soup? Either way, I¡¯ll be looking forward to today¡¯s lunch. As the three girls went back to work, I parted with them and went to the office to receive Carm-san¡¯s report. ¡°Looks like the rumors are spreading well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it was true after all, so it didn¡¯t take much effort to spread. We¡¯ll have to see what effects this¡¯ll have on the situation.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see¡­ And the store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing has really changed. No damages too¡­ Ahh, speaking of which, a housewife asked me if we were selling deodorizing liquid.¡± [Carm] ¡°Deodorizing liquid? She must¡¯ve found out from Zeke-san¡¯s place¡­ Do you think it would sell if we can guarantee its safety and efficacy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are already people asking it for it, so yes. It¡¯s also not unrelated to our store¡¯s business, so I propose we display them in front of the store and see how people react.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How much of a burden will this place on the workers?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If we put them in a bottle, anyone will be able to sell it. Caulkin-san and the others are also researching stuff in their free time, so it should be fine if we just ask them to watch over the display when they¡¯re free.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Then just to be safe, have Caulkin-san and his group ensure that the deodorizing liquid is safe. If nothing¡¯s wrong, then we¡¯ll put them on display. I¡¯ll prepare the slates to calculate the revenue from the deodorizing liquid.¡± [Ryouma] I worked quietly in the store to prepare for the sale of the deodorizing liquid until it was lunch time. After lunch. ¡°I wonder what I should do in the afternoon¡­¡± [Ryouma] I had no work left to do. There wasn¡¯t much work to do in the first place, but now, Caulkin-san and the rest of the manager candidates have taken them all. If there¡¯s nothing left to do at the store, then I guess I¡¯ll have to work on my house (trap). As i thought that, I went back home. Along the way¡­ ¡°If it isn¡¯t Ryouma, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Asagi-san, good afternoon. Is it your rest day today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That it is. Resting from time to time is important, after all. Are you working today too, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t have any work left to do, so I¡¯m currently on my way back home.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That¡¯s makes things easy then.¡± [Asagi] Suddenly, Asagi-san unwrapped the furoshiki [1] from the thing he was carrying and revealed a bottle of wine. ¡°Ryouma, you¡¯ve received the divine protection of the god of wine, right? Won¡¯t you have some of this wine?¡± [Asagi] ¡°This smell¡­ Is this nihonshu (Japanese rice wine or sake)?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! So you know this wine. That¡¯s right. It¡¯s a daiginjou (top quality sake brewed from rice grains milled to 50% weight or less) made at my hometown, a kind of wine known as nihonshu, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Well, thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I hear if one treats someone who has received the divine protection of the god of wine with liquor, he¡¯ll be blessed with good fortune.¡± [Asagi] Oh yeah. That¡¯s common sense in this world. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll pray for your good fortune while drinking.¡± [Ryouma] Japanese wine, huh. This sure is nostalgic. It seems I¡¯ll have the opportunity to enjoy Japanese liquor for the first time in a long while. ¡°You sure know a lot about my hometown, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°My grandparent told me stories of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°¡­By the way, where did you get your katana?¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t want to talk about my background, so I asked him something I couldn¡¯t ask before. Security is currently an issue I¡¯m tackling, so I¡¯d like to get my own katana soon. ¡°I use what I¡¯m regularly sent from my hometown. Do you just want a katana, de gozaru? Or are you planning to use it?¡± [Asagi] ¡°I plan to use it.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve studied how to use katanas, but this country mainly uses long swords. There weren¡¯t any katana in Tigger¡¯s Arms Store either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, you¡¯ll be hard-pressed to get one in these parts. But if you go to the capital, you should be able to find a store selling them. Katanas are the weapon of choice back at my hometown. And they are also works of art we are proud to display to other countries. Katanas are the very symbol of our soul as samurai, de gozaru. Therefore, if you wish to get one, it¡¯s possible to have one exported, but it will take a lot of money. You have your store, but you¡¯ll run out of money too if you just spend it recklessly. And katanas are consumable like any other weapon, so it¡¯s simply not an option to keep buying one. I too reluctantly tried purchasing one from the capital, but it was simply too expensive to keep purchasing a new one every now and then. I hear there are outsider swordsmiths who have been given permission to learn the forging method, but there¡¯s only a handful of them, and I¡¯ve never met one myself, so it¡¯s not practical to rely on that option either.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Isn¡¯t there an inexpensive way to get one regularly?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ I believe there was a previous case wherein a disciple of a school is provided a katana, but unfortunately, I¡¯m currently still in training and don¡¯t have the qualification to take a disciple and a qualified person wouldn¡¯t go here anyway.¡± [Asagi] In the first place, Asagi-san left his hometown to train. It¡¯s a custom of theirs, so he can¡¯t communicate with his hometown that much. At most, he could send them a letter to let them know that he is safe and to receive a Japanese wine as a good luck charm of sort. The katana is also sent to him because it is a necessity. ¡°Ryouma, from whom did you learn how to use a katana? It would probably be best if you get one through that person instead.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Grandfather forged katanas in the past. He was also the one who taught me how to use them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ I thought you were strangely privy to my village¡¯s matters, so it turns out it¡¯s because of your grandfather.¡± [Asagi] Let¡¯s just leave it at that. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s no other choice than to purchase an expensive katana or to change the way you hold your weapon.¡± [Asagi] ¡°I see¡­ Thanks anyway.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry, I couldn¡¯t be of help, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] It¡¯s not his fault. I thanked him for giving me precious sake and parted with him. [1] ¨C As I left the town and walked on the empty and peaceful path, it suddenly occurred to me. ..Can¡¯t I just make the katana myself?¡­ The material used to make modern-day katana is tamahagane. A kind of steel made from charcoal or iron sand. Charcoal, I can make. After all, I am a former Japanese salary man. And the number of times I¡¯ve dreamt of living a peaceful life after retirement where I burnt charcoals couldn¡¯t be counted. It was also a very important resource during winter in the Forest of Gana. Procuring iron sand is even simpler. The representative black triiron tetraoxide is different from the ferric oxide that I use as feed for my metal and iron slimes, but it¡¯s still a compound of iron (Fe) and oxygen (O) [1]. As such, using alchemy, I can get as many as I need back at the mines. As for the forging method, well I have that too. Actually, my dad was a swordsmith. I¡¯ve seen him work countless times as a kid. He also used to bring me to the workshop where he manufactured iron. When I¡¯d grown up a little, he even asked me to help out. In that way, he secretly taught me how to forge the katana. But unfortunately, he quickly saw that I didn¡¯t have any talent for forging. I have the knowledge and I can procure the ingredients. The only thing missing is the technology. Which is why I probably won¡¯t be able to make something practical. Or at the very least, I won¡¯t be able to make it anytime soon. If I really want to make one, it would be best to learn from someone first. But again, that would take time. Still, making one by myself does seem like an interesting idea. ¡°I only wonder if this would break some rule. I should¡¯ve asked.¡± [Ryouma] Whatever. I¡¯ll ask Asagi-san next time. As I decided that, I suddenly realized something. It¡¯s not a katana, but I think I have something I can use¡­ ¡°Item Box.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I got back to the mines, I set the monsters free in the open area, while I went off on my own to look for something. I¡¯m pretty sure I put it here somewhere¡­ Ah, found it! The weapon I took out was none other than the weapon of a bandit I defeated in the past, Melzen¡¯s spear. It¡¯s a bit long, but it¡¯s neither rusted nor deformed anywhere. Considering its length, it was actually quite light. It wasn¡¯t made out of iron, though¡­ Flame crystal? I used Identify on it, but I couldn¡¯t really understand the result. I¡¯ll have to ask someone about it. Anyway, this should serve me just fine for now. The metal slimes and the other slimes were rolling down a slope as they enjoyed their free time. After making sure that there weren¡¯t any slimes nearby, I started swinging Melzen¡¯s spear. ¡°¡­No problem with swinging it. But as expected¡­¡± The technique I inherited from my dad in its original form is said to be a technique passed down by a samurai who lived through the warring period. His social standing was up there, so he was fairly proficient in martial arts and was himself also interested in the discipline. But because he wasn¡¯t the oldest son, he lived his life as he pleased. I don¡¯t know if he was kicked out of his family or if he left, but apparently, he lived quite the destitute life. He didn¡¯t think much of it when he was young and passionate, but in his later years, he changed. He was poor. He had no children and no wife. He was skilled in the sword, but he wasn¡¯t famous. When he looked back to his life, he wondered what he¡¯d been doing until now. As he realized that he had no legacy to leave, he became sad. As a result, he decided to leave behind his technique and knowledge. It is said that from that moment on, he started looking for students and did his best to teach them. The main weapon he used to survive the warring period was a spear. The katana was nothing more than a secondary weapon for when the spear was lost. That¡¯s why samurais, as well as me, have inherited the skill and are able to use the spear effectively. But honestly speaking, katanas are easier to use. This doesn¡¯t have anything to do with the times. If I had to put the blame on something or someone, then I would say it¡¯s my dad¡¯s fault. The things I¡¯ve learned from my dad include the katana, the spear, the staff, the wakizashi, the bow, the shuriken, the kusarigama, and the hidden weapons. My dad taught me the techniques in a particular order. Hand-to-hand combat and the katana were the most prioritized. In fact, I wasn¡¯t even allowed to touch the other weapons until I was good enough with them. And because Iwas learning for the first time with the katana, I was instructed to spend a lot of time with it. It wasn¡¯t because he was a swordsmith that he favored the katana. No. Most probably it was because the katana and the one¡¯s unarmed fists were easier to use in modern times. After all, techniques with weapons can only be used when you have the weapon equipped. But modern laws forbid citizens from carrying weapons. Depending on the place, one would also be subject to a search via a metal detector. It was a time where even carrying a stick of wood would subject one to questioning. But hand-to-hand combat can be used without a weapon, and katanas are considered as a work of art, so people are allowed to possess them. It¡¯s also shorter than spears or rods, so it¡¯s easier to hide. So, I think that¡¯s why he prioritized those two. I didn¡¯t actually hear the reason from him directly, though. I do think his common sense is fairly unique compared to the world¡¯s common sense. Although he acted friendly to outsiders, so he was often appraised highly. I wonder how much my katana can cut if it were used to cut humans. ¡°!? ¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°KURURURU¡± [Rimel Birds] Dad!?¡­ Wait¡­ There¡¯s no one around. There¡¯s no presence of people. My monsters are just doing as they please and no one¡¯s acting like anything is out of the ordinary. If anything, I supposed the rimel birds are a little shocked. But that¡¯s my fault. ¡°¡­My imagination, huh.¡± [Ryouma] I walked around and checked the place, but really¡­ Nothing was out of the ordinary I was probably just imagining things because I was thinking about dad. ¡°Still, I wish I¡¯d asked for my dad¡¯s katana before transmigrating¡­¡± Dad wanted to test the katana for its original purpose, but if he¡¯d cut someone, then he wouldn¡¯t be able to forge katanas anymore. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t cut anyone. His personality aside, dad was a person who lived to forge the greatest katana. He was someone who received acclaim as a swordsmith, so he should¡¯ve been really good. If only I had his katana. How unfortunate. ¡°Let¡¯s stop thinking about this¡­ There¡¯s nothing I can do about it now, so¡­ Yeah.¡± [Ryouma] Anyway, if I recall correctly, this spear is supposed to be a magic weapon. If I let mana course into it, it should be able to cast a spell. Let¡¯s try it out. My interest shifted to the spear and I became excited at the prospect of another experiment. When I tried pouring mana into the spear, fire came out. ¡­So this spear can cast fire magic. Can it cast anything else other than ignition and fire ball? It seems it doesn¡¯t really matter how much mana I feed it. Its output seems to be standardized. It doesn¡¯t matter what attribute your mana is either. ¡­But it seems to consume less mana when you use mana of the same attribute. So, it¡¯s best just use fire with it. Like this I investigated Melzen¡¯s spear, or rather¡­ I fiddled with Melzen¡¯s spear. ¡°The sun is starting to set¡­¡± [Ryouma] I should put an end to this soon. ¡­I fiddled with Melzen¡¯s spear a lot, but it didn¡¯t seem all that useful. Magic weapons allow one to use magic easily like alchemy, but it¡¯s not very flexible. It¡¯s useful for people who can¡¯t use magic when fighting a monster that¡¯s immune to physical attacks, but the thing is I do know how to use magic. And in fact, my fire magic is stronger than the one this spear casts. I can also cast a greater variety of fire spells. So, as interesting as the weapon is, it¡¯s not really much different than a normal spear. As I concluded that, I stored Melzen¡¯s spear into my Item Box. Now then, I better make supper. [1] ¨C Author included the chemical symbols, so I figured I might as well. Chapter 75 Volume 3 Chapter 75 part Volume 3 Chapter 75 part2 Volume 3 Chapter 75 part3 One month after spreading the rumor. ¡°Good work out there, guys..¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Boss.¡± [Everyone] Work at the store concluded today too without any problems. The employees left the break room in droves as they headed back to their dorm. The only ones who stayed behind were me, Caulkin-san, Tony-san, and Robelia-san. ¡°It¡¯s already been a month since you started working here¡­ Well? How is it? Do you have any difficulties in work that you wish to address?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all, Boss! This is the best place I¡¯ve ever worked at!¡± [Robelia] ¡°Not only do I not have any complaints with our treatment, the work is also fulfilling.¡± [Tony] ¡°More than anything, it¡¯s such a joy to see the slimes bringing in so much profit.¡± [Caulkin] The other two nodded to Caulkin-san¡¯s words. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I asked you to help with researching stuff on top of training you, so I was worried I might¡¯ve been pushing you too much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Forget about us, Boss. What about you? The customers have been increasing lately, and¡­ That man came today too, right?¡± [Tony] Ever since publicizing my contract with the rimel birds, rumors attacking Guild Master Taylor have gone down. But in exchange, more and more people have been wanting to meet with me. ¡°He left quickly¡­ but what was up with that man?¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Apparently, he¡¯s a middleman for selling monsters. Rimel birds sell high because there are plenty who are willing to pay for them, alive or taxidermized. And there are also those who wish to use them to carry letters. Anyway, it was all money talk, so after finding out that that¡¯s all he wanted to talk about, I asked him to leave.¡± [Ryouma] It was either selling the rimel birds or to hire me. I¡¯ve already decided not to sell the rimel birds, so that one¡¯s out of the question. As for hiring, if he wants to hire me, then he needs a letter of reference. ¡°It wasn¡¯t all that problematic for me since I did refuse his abrupt request for a meeting. Still, thank you for worrying for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would be troublesome if something happen to you, after all. Our situation now is really good. It¡¯s even better than when we were researchers at the lab.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Yes. Much much better than when I was just a researcher in name.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Back then the future held nothing but despair¡­¡± [Robelia] ¡°Was it really that bad?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t know how terrible the lab is, Boss. The work conditions there are so bad that people living in the slums are better off. They treat their researchers worse than slaves.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] You¡¯d think a lab would treat their employees right, but apparently, there are some pretty terrible labs. But then again¡­ Even back at my world, despite all the labor laws, there were still companies that abused the hell out of their employees. Such employees even popularly came to be called ¡®corporate slaves¡¯¡­ It seems that even though the world has literally changed, people are still the same as ever. ¡°The only ones who stay after being sent to the slime department are those obsessed with research like me or those with nowhere else to go.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°It¡¯s a position specifically meant for people the lab doesn¡¯t like or outsiders, so it¡¯s only natural that the people in the slime department would be treated poorly¡­ Slave owners need to ensure the livelihood of their slaves, but the lab only needs to pay the wages of the researchers. Their livelihood be damned¡­¡± [Robelia] ¡°That being said, they do pay a big enough salary to live off of, but it¡¯s just barely enough. Not luxurious by any means. Moreover, they will cut that wage over the pettiest of things, so you¡¯ll be forced to cut on your living expenses¡­ If you complain, they¡¯ll just tell you to resign, so you have no negotiating power whatsoever.¡± [Tony] Yep. That¡¯s a corporate slave, alright. ¡°What do you mean by ¡®pettiest of things¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the most common reason is not being able to get results.¡± [Robelia] ¡°The main objectives of the slime research department is to explain the slime¡¯s mode of life and to grasp the taming method of the big slime. Unfortunately, no one has a clue how to achieve those.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°And that¡¯s why it¡¯s used to demote people.¡± [Tony] ¡°So, why can¡¯t you explain the slime¡¯s mode of life?¡± [Ryouma] I know even Earth, with all of its development in science, has animals they¡¯ve yet to figure out, but¡­ ¡°For starters, slimes can be found pretty much everywhere. They¡¯re too varied, be it in environment or abilities, so even if you come up with a theory, there¡¯s bound to be a slime somewhere out there that goes contrary to that theory.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Moreover, there¡¯s simply too little information. When researching other monsters, you start by dissecting the monster. From there you look at various stuff, like the shape of their teeth and use that to infer information, such as whether they¡¯re carnivorous or herbivorous. But when slimes die they just leave behind their nucleus while the rest of their body disappears, so you can¡¯t even dissect them. Not that there would be any point in doing so, since their bodies are transparent and you can see everything. But with the nucleus they leave behind being nothing more than a brittle stone, we can¡¯t even tell if they actually have any organs¡­¡± [Robelia] Now that he mentions it, slimes do disappear when they die¡­ When I got to this world for the first time and I defeated a slime, it just disappeared and left behind a nucleus. For a moment, I thought the world had a drop item system going on, but when I defeated other monsters, their body didn¡¯t disappear, and I couldn¡¯t loot them without gutting them first. Because of that I also wondered why only slimes disappeared upon being killed. Unfortunately, I never really got to answer that since my interested turned toward the evolution paths of the slimes. ¡°We also have countless incidences where the slimes evolved into a higher variant, but we have no idea how to make the evolutions happen.¡± [Tony] Hmm? They don¡¯t know the evolution conditions? ¡°What kind of slimes did the slimes evolve into?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All sorts. That¡¯s about all I can really say. I mean each time they would evolve into something different¡­¡± [Robelia] ¡°What kind of slimes did the slimes evolve into?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All sorts. That¡¯s about all I can really say. I mean each time they would evolve into something different¡­¡± [Robelia] Robelia-san held her head as if remembering something when she said that. I wonder if something happened¡­ Putting that aside, though, what were they feeding the slimes at the lab? ¡°What were you feeding the slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Food? We just gave them whatever¡­ Right?¡± [Tony] Tony said in an asking manner, and the other two nodded. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t give us any budget, so it was hard to procure food for the slimes. Usually, we¡¯d just get the leftover feeds from the other departments and feed that to them. Our salary is barely enough just to support ourselves, so we cut down on costs as much as possible. There were even some researchers who ate the meat meant to be used as feed, so I doubt there was anyone willing to use their salary to feed the slimes. ¡± [Robelia] ¡°Slimes can eat anything, so they were just fed whatever was available. Besides, slimes are creatures that lived in completely different environments by eating whatever was available.¡± [Tony] When I heard Robelia-san and Tony-san say that, my jaws dropped to the ground. It¡¯s true that slimes will eat anything if you order them to, but¡­ Well, I understand why they did it, but because of that the slimes ended up evolving randomly. And because of that they failed to pursue one of the main objectives of their research. Man¡­ Assumptions are really scary. Unconsciously, I ended up holding my head. When I lifted my head, the three of them were looking at me. ¡°Boss, what is it all of the sudden?¡± [Tony] ¡°Umm¡­¡± [Ryouma] What should I say? ¡­Do I just give it to them straight? ¡°Actually¡­ The conditions for the slime evolution is¡­ food.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Tony] ¡°What? ¡­¡± [Caulkin] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Robelia] ¡°Like I said. Slimes evolve depending on what they eat.¡± [Ryouma] I told them about my research findings about the evolution of slimes back at the forest. I told them all the evolution conditions I knew. And when the three of them heard everything, they were shocked. ¡°U-Unbelievable¡­¡± [Robelia] ¡°The theory we believed was wrong¡­?¡± [Tony] Robelia-san and Tony-san held their heads as they said that. I¡¯m sure it must be hard to accept. ¡­Huh? Why is Caulkin-san oddly quiet¡ª!? ¡°Caulkin-san!?¡± [Ryouma] Caulkin-san stood frozen on the spot with his head hung down, not making the slightest eek, when out of the blue, he suddenly started crying. What!? ¡°Boss¡­¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± [Ryouma] Caulkin-san suddenly started talking quietly. ¡°I fully believe your explanation just now. Actually, when I was at the lab, I was looking for a way to make the slimes evolve into a Big Slime. During the process, I noticed that there were many strong monsters in the places that the big slimes could be found, so I hypothesized that slimes might evolve into a big slime if they were fed the meat of powerful monsters. It was a theory I came up with after seeing everyone else fail to get results. I thought I¡¯d look at things from another point of view.¡± [Caulkin] Do they think the big slime is simply another evolution of the slime? Regardless, he sure got pretty close to the truth. ¡°Just as Robelia said a while ago, slime researchers already struggle with just feeding themselves, so feeding the slimes with the meat of strong monsters is simply impossible. But I was a noble and I had some money. I wanted to get some results and be moved to another department, so I used my own wealth to hire adventurers and feed the slimes the meat of strong monsters. Of course, I also had to cover the transport of the meat. I continued that for a year, and eventually, the slime evolved.¡± [Caulkin] A slime that ate nothing but meat? I wonder what slime it evolved into. ¡°in the end, the slime didn¡¯t evolve into a big slime. Instead, it evolved into a meat slime.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Meat slime? Meat? That meat?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Meat. The feed is meat. Meat. But¡­¡± [Caulkin] Caulkin-san suddenly cut his words and bit his lips. ¡°It¡¯s not just the feed. The slime itself became¡­ meat.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°The slime became meat?¡± [Ryouma] What is he going on about? ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to comprehend. I also don¡¯t have any other way of explaining it other than that the slime is meat. It¡¯s a slime that looks like a lump of fresh meat squirming about.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Fresh meat squirming about¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ugh¡­ That¡¯s a really sickening image. ¡°I think you could tell already, but the resulting slime evolution was really disgusting, and I was immediately fired. I poured so much of my wealth into my research that I spent pretty much all of my wealth including my house. Because of that I couldn¡¯t continue my research anymore. If what you said is true, then that would explain why my slime ended up becoming a meat slime. That¡¯s why I believe your theory. I know it¡¯s a bit too late to be saying this, but I wish I¡¯d known earlier. And when I think about how things could¡¯ve turned out had I just continued my research¡­ It¡¯s just too frustrating!¡± [Caulkin] As Caulkin-san said that, he started crying again. That certainly is frustrating. After all, had he continued his research, he might have uncovered one piece of the puzzle. Jeff-san mentioned that Caulkin-san blew all of his money on research. Apparently, this was the story behind that. I better make sure that Caulkin-san gets a proper treasurer when he becomes a manager. ¡°I-It¡¯s alright, Caulkin-san! We¡¯ve already been employed by this store!¡± [Robelia] ¡°That¡¯s right! We¡¯ll be working under the boss from now on, so from now on, we can work to prove to other people just how valuable slimes are!¡± [Tony] ¡°Right¡­ You¡¯re exactly right. This isn¡¯t the time to be frustrated! If anything this is the time to be working even harder!¡± [Caulkin] Robelia-san and Tony-san¡¯s words seemed to have resonated with Caulkin-san, and in no time at all, he was back on his feet. He even appeared to be really motivated. Actually, I already know the method to tame the big slimes, but if I tell that to them, they¡¯ll probably become depressed again. I neither have the courage nor the ability to reveal that without letting them get depressed, so I¡¯ll just bring it up another time. ¡°Where were we again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were just explaining to you how poorly the slime laboratory treated the slime researchers.¡± [Tony] ¡°Right. And then from there we ended up talking about the evolution condition. Boss, do you have any other questions?¡± [Tony] I¡¯m interested in the types of slimes. ¡°What other kinds of slimes evolved in the lab?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ From the ones I¡¯ve seen, there were at most the sticky slimes like the ones you have. One theory proposed that if the sticky slimes were to accumulate enough combat experience, they would eventually evolve into a big slime, so they were often made to fight to the death against other monsters.¡± [Tony] Well, that certainly won¡¯t help it evolve. ¡°In my case, the slime I was raising at the research lab evolved into a tree slime.¡± [Robelia] Oh! That¡¯s a new one! ¡°What kind of slime is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At first, it was just like any other slime, but as time passed by, a tree grew out from its nucleus.¡± [Robelia A tree grew out from its nucleus? Is that slime¡¯s nucleus supposed to be a seed? ¡°And then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The tree gradually grew bigger and bigger, and then it rooted itself into the ground. The nucleus was functioning properly within the tree, but the slime couldn¡¯t move anymore.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Was it useful for anything?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not particularly¡­ I suppose you could harvest it for lumber.¡± [Robelia] Lumber? ¡°You know, Boss. Useful slimes aren¡¯t usually easy to find. Even sticky slimes are just used for their adhesive.¡± [Tony] ¡°And you could use glue anyway, so it¡¯s not in demand either.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Slimes that have evolved also means one less specimen for research, so they¡¯re usually treated as failures.¡± [Caulkin] From the looks of things, the researchers at the lab just aren¡¯t all that enthusiastic about slimes. Not only are the researchers treated poorly, they also don¡¯t have much to look forward to in terms of future prospects, so that¡¯s probably why. Still, I think this sort of thinking is just too bad. Maybe I could tell other people about the usefulness of slimes? And then I could make it my life goal in this world for everyone to know about it. Actually, I don¡¯t really understand why they¡¯re not used much. I know they¡¯re weak, but even the lower variants are plenty useful. ¡°Although slimes are weak, they¡¯re really sensitive to danger, so they can immediately notice when monsters or bandits are nearby. They¡¯re also easy to feed since they can live off of morning dew or water. And they¡¯re also able to get various important information in order to survive in the wild.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve thought this before, but you sure are compatible with slimes, Boss.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Indeed. You also control so many.¡± [Tony] ¡°That¡¯s true too, but I was actually referring more about his understanding of them.¡± [Caulkin] Understanding? ¡°Just because a person is compatible with his monster doesn¡¯t meant that their personal differences won¡¯t get in the way. For example, even if you gather a bunch of tamers and pair them with a specific monster they¡¯re compatible with, not all of them will be able to understand their monster.¡± [robelia] Apparently, there were many different ways for monster tamers to understand their monsters. Some would do it purely by understanding their feelings, while some would infer from their gestures to understand them. ¡°A monster tamer can¡¯t really be said to have good compatibility with his monster if he can¡¯t understand his monster sufficiently. Unfortunately, such people are extremely rare. But such people do actually exist. And you¡¯re probably one of them, Boss. As for me, at most, I can tell when my slime is unhappy.¡± [Robelia] ¡°Boss, if everybody could understand slimes the way you do, the slimes would probably be an invaluable monster by now.¡± [Tony] I see¡­ Apparently, my ability to understand my monster is vastly different compared to most monster tamers. I do believe it¡¯s limited to just the slimes, but this might be the reason why research on slime hasn¡¯t progressed much. After that I asked them for more specifics about that last topic, and then I also asked more about the different kind of slimes and their characteristics. We continued talking like that, then before we knew it, it was already midnight. Chapter 76 Volume 3 Chapter 76 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 76 part2 Volume 3 Chapter 76 part3 ¡­3 guys, huh. It had gotten quite late after talking to Caulkin-san and the others. I went back home afterwards, but on the way back home, I noticed that someone was following me. No one usually passes through here this time of the day, so I quickly walked away to make some distance between us, but my suspect pursuers also sped up. Looks like they really were going after me. After all, not only were they going in the same direction, they were also keeping pace. Did they really have to make it that obvious? Still, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re complete amateurs. If the three of them are together, then they must be working together. But no one¡¯s blocking the path behind me and there¡¯s no one in front either. Could they have people waiting for me further up ahead? At this rate, we¡¯ll end up reaching the northern gate, where the guards are, so if they¡¯re going to make a move, they have to do it before then. When the next corner came, I quickly turned right. As soon as I did, I heard a voice. ¡°Has he noticed?¡± [Thug] ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡­¡± [Thug} ¡°¡­He took the corner!¡± [Thug} ¡°Oops¡­¡± [Thug] When one of the men yelled, they started openly chasing after me. I quickly tried to run away, but¡­ ¡°¡­Over here!¡± [Thug] I led them all over the place, but couldn¡¯t quite shake them off. Normally, that should¡¯ve been enough, but for some reason, they always knew where I was. ¡­No one else is around me, though. And there aren¡¯t any tall building within the vicinity either. Hmm¡­ In that case, let¡¯s go there. ¡°Hey. Where¡¯s the brat?¡± [Thug] ¡°He¡¯s been running all this time. He should be hiding somewhere nearby right now.¡± [Thug] ¡°He¡¯s definitely realized that he¡¯s being chased.¡± [Thug] ¡°Otherwise, we would¡¯ve caught him already. Running into a place like this¡­¡± [Thug] ¡°Damn it! What a pain.¡± [Thug] Northeast of Gimuru. This section of the city that¡¯s near the slums is so dirty that it¡¯s hard to call it clean even as flattery. Obstacles littered the road and cloths seemingly meant to cover from sunlight could be seen put up here and there. Because of the dark of the night and this diminutive body of a child, my pursuers have been having a hard time grasping my position. They¡¯ve already rendezvoused with their friends, so¡­ ¡°Fortunately, there¡¯s no one around and we also have the advantage in numbers. Let¡¯s check every¡ª!?¡± [Thug] ¡°Wha¡ª!?¡± [Thug] ¡°Get down! Archers!¡± [Thug] ¡°Teleport.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tch! From the other side!?¡± [Thug] ¡°What? Now it¡¯s coming from that side!?¡± [Thug} ¡°Does he have someone else with him!?¡± [Thug] ¡°Teleport.¡± [Ryouma] I teleported short distances from within the obstacles on the road as I shot poison arrows (instant effect) at the enemy. I got the poison arrows from my Dimension Home. They should be more than enough to suppress a small group like this. ¡°U¡­¡± [Thug] ¡°Damn it! The arrows are poisoned!¡± [Thug] ¡°You won¡¯t be able to move well for the time being. I investigated that poison beforehand, and it was surprisingly potent.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tch! Stupid brat!¡± [Thug] ¡°How could you do such a thing!?¡± [Thug] ¡°I should be asking you the same thing. What were you trying to do to me?¡± [Ryouma] As I approached the men, I pointed my spear at them. ¡°Heh¡­ Don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to end well for you after doing something like this. But if you give us the rimel birds and some money, we¡¯ll forgive you¡ª It¡¯s hot! It¡¯s hot! Stop it!¡± [Thug] ¡°Why are you talking as if you have the upper hand right now?¡± [Ryouma] I shot them with the fireball from my spear, and while I missed on purpose, they could still feel the passing heat. ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Something flew at me and I reflexively cut it down. ¡°KIi!?¡± [???] ¡°Oh, so this was the reason.¡± [Ryouma] A black owl-like monster. Regret Owl. There¡¯s a poison in its claws that can make one¡¯s nerves oversensitive. There¡¯s a chance of it cutting someone up when caught. In that instance, the resulting pain from the wound is significantly heightened. It¡¯s also nocturnal, so it specializes in hunting in the night. I know about it because its legs and claws are considered as medicinal ingredients. It doesn¡¯t live anywhere near here, though, so it definitely belongs to them. So, it seems the reason they were making a fuss was to get this thing to take me by surprise. ¡°What!? How did you¡­¡± [Thug] ¡°I just hit it like usual. I was paying attention to the sky, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] One of the owl¡¯s wings broke and it tumbled onto the ground. The man yelled out loud when he saw that. I¡¯d already predicted to some extent that they had a monster with them. After all, they were able to find me even though they shouldn¡¯t have been able to see me. Of course, I didn¡¯t know exactly what it was that they had with them. And with the owl being black, it was only natural that I couldn¡¯t see it. Especially, since it was high up the night sky. ¡°Oh. It seems they¡¯ve come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°PIRORORORO!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Is it here!?¡± [Guard] ¡°Freeze! Don¡¯t move!¡± [Guard] ¡°The guards!?¡± [Thug] ¡°Why would they come here at this time!?¡± [Thug] ¡°Hey, Ryouma! You okay!?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Guild master? WHy are you here?¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯d sent a rimel bird to the guards while I was running, so I¡¯m not surprised about them being here, but why is Guild Master Wogan here too? ¡°So, you were safe. On the way back home, I saw a rimel bird chasing the guards along, so I figured you might¡¯ve been in some trouble.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sorry for worrying you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, I wasn¡¯t all that worried¡­ To be honest.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Excuse me. Could you explain the situation here?¡± [Guard] After that we went to the guards¡¯ office to explain the situation. The next morning. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t come back anymore.¡± [Guard] The guard seemed like a straight-laced person at first glance, but he seems to be a good person. Or maybe it¡¯s just his nature, I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s a bit hard to understand. Anyway, I thanked the weird guard, then I went back to the store. Last night I went home really late and got attacked on the way back home, so the guard had me stay the night at their office, saying, ¡°Think I¡¯ll let you go home alone after that?¡± Oh, and I wasn¡¯t made to spend the night in jail. They gave me a proper room with an actual bed. Apparently, it was mean for innocent people to use since they couldn¡¯t just release someone after an incident even if they weren¡¯t guilty. In fact, it was best for them not to. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, good morning. You sure are early today.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Good morning, Boss. Did something happen?¡± [Carla] When I got to the store, I happened upon Carla-san and Leelin-san. I explained to them what happened last night, and when I got to the part that I was attacked¡­ ¡°I believe we should talk about this with everyone. I¡¯ll gather everyone right now. Please wait a bit.¡± [Carla] Carla-san left the room. When she came back, she¡¯d brought everyone with her. ¡°Umm¡­ What are we going to be discussing?~¡± [Maria] ¡°We¡¯re not getting fired, are we?¡± [Jane] ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Now then, Boss. If you will.¡± [Carla] I explained what happened last night again and a different kind of tension filled the room. ¡°And so, as you can see, I got away safely. Not a single scratch on me. But everyone should take care from now on to leave only when it¡¯s bright outside and only when there¡¯s a lot of people passing the streets. Oh, and Fei-san, Leelin-san. The two of you might have to work as guards more often now.¡± [Ryouma] When I saw them nod, I continued. ¡°I¡¯m considering increasing the number of guards, but that¡¯s another topic for later. Also, as mentioned just now, the guild master of the adventurers guild happened to be present last night, and today also happens to be the day for the regular meeting of guild masters to be held at the merchants guild, so I will be heading there later afternoon to seek counsel. I would like to ask either Carla-san or Carm-san to accompany me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go. Carm can take care of the store.¡± [Carla] ¡°Alright.¡± [Carm] ¡°Lastly, Shelma-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You need me for something?¡± [Shelma] ¡°I asked the guild master what gift to bring to the meeting, and he told me to bring food, so I¡¯d like to use the kitchen.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, let me help too. We can make the store¡¯s lunch together.¡± [Shelma] ¡°Well that about sums it up. I¡¯ll let you know the results of the meeting later. Also, if you notice anything strange ¨C no matter how small ¨C please make sure to report it¡­ It¡¯ll probably get busy again, but do keep up the good work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Everyone] After letting everyone know what happened, it was time to prepare for the store¡¯s operation. While everyone busied themselves with work, I followed Shelma into the kitchen. ¡°Enter.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] When I got to the merchants guild, unlike usual, I was first asked to wait at a separate room, then I was led to another room. It would be my fist time visiting this room. When I got to the room, a large long table could be found inside, and the guild masters I¡¯ve been acquainted with were gathered around it. They offered Carla-san and I a seat, which we took. ¡°Now then, I know full well why you were called here, but first¡­ Comes food!¡± [Wogan] ¡°Wogan, you¡¯re really¡­¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? The meeting is over anyway. We¡¯re all gathered here for private business, and we can just talk while eating.¡± [Wogan] At that, I took out the food from my Item Box and distributed it to everyone. ¡°Guild master.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Call me by my name here. If you call me guild master, we won¡¯t be able to tell who you¡¯re referring to.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright. Wogan-san, I¡¯ve prepared a sausage soup and bread for you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! Sounds delicious.¡± [Wogan] ¡°My cook did her best making it. Grisiera-san, your meal is over here. Taylor-san, this one is yours.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh my, you made me a hamburger. It¡¯s like a festival. It¡¯s frighteningly soft, though¡­¡± [Grisiera] ¡°That¡¯s because that bread is actually a bunch of raisins kneaded into form. As for yours, Taylor-san, it was made crunchy like a pie¡­ Regardless, they both go well with black tea.¡± [Ryouma] Grisiera-san had week teeth, so we prepared something soft for her, while Branch Head Taylor had a small appetite, so we prepared something light for him. Or at least, that¡¯s what Wogan-san told me to do. I wonder if this is really alright. ¡°Hmm¡­ this bread. It doesn¡¯t smell like seed at all.¡± [Wogan] ¡°This one too.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°We made today¡¯s bread using yeast.¡± [Ryouma] The seed they mentioned is a kind of seed that functions just like yeast cell, and is sold as bread seed. It¡¯s used by cracking the seed and adding its contents into the dough mixture. It¡¯s easy to use, easy to preserve, and easy to transport, so it¡¯s commonly used to make bread. Compared to that, the bread we¡¯re using today is made from natural yeast. Well, even though I say natural, both the seed and the yeast are technically natural. After all the yeast is made by cultivating bacteria for fermentation and a seed is a natural product of nature, so¡­ Whatever. Anyway, I added water to wheat and raisin, then I allowed it to ferment naturally to create the yeast. ¡°I¡¯ve had more time and money lately, and unlike when I was at the forest, I can just order stuff from the store nowadays, so I can do stuff now that I couldn¡¯t before.¡± [Ryouma] Making yeast would normally take a week, and would require one to stir the pot once a day everyday, so it wasn¡¯t something I could afford to do back in my previous life when my work schedule wasn¡¯t fixed and I didn¡¯t know when I wouldn¡¯t be able to come home. It was for the same reason that I really admired the thought of making charcoal. But after leaving the forest and living in town, where it¡¯s easy to procure the necessary tools and ingredients, and making enough money to spare, as well as having the time, there was no longer any reason for me not to do stuff like this. I¡¯ve also been doing other stuff like buying ingredients and creating stuff from reagents in order to understand the medical efficacy of stuff and learn the ingredients used in certain products. In short, I¡¯m no longer living like I used to in my previous life, where I simply went back and forth between work and home!! ¡°What are you looking all happy for when you were just attacked yesterday? What a carefree child you are.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°This is this, that is that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good grief¡­¡± [Grisiera] ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like there are any problems, though.¡± [Taylor] Problems? ¡°They¡¯re talking about what to think about you being attacked in the dead of the night. I told them not to worry, but¡­¡± [Wogan] ¡°I can only say that that opinion is based on hindsight, as we weren¡¯t there last night.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°After all, no matter how much support we offer, if the person himself decides to withdraw, our good will will be nothing more than us sticking our nose where it doesn¡¯t belong.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright, alright. Anyway¡­ These two were worried sick last night about you suddenly deciding to close the store after being attacked.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Well, yes. After all, you were directly threatened, so we wanted to know how you feel after such an ordeal.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that you¡¯d be completely unfazed.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Well, yeah. I mean after getting so much support, I couldn¡¯t possibly just go and say ¡®I quit!¡¯ just because I was attacked, right? That¡¯s just too selfish. There are also people working under me. If I were to just up and leave just like that, they¡¯d be left without any ways to make a living. And besides, I came here today specifically to talk about the things to come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, alright.¡± [Grisiera] As Grisiera-san said that, she laughed in astonishment. ¡°That¡¯s enough of the roundabout chatter. Ryouma, you go tighten the security of your store and endure a bit more, then we¡¯ll go deal with the problem.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Meaning?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re saying that the guys who attacked you will disappear soon.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ve been doing my own investigations ever since bad rumors of me have been spreading. In the process, I managed to find a good lead as to who it was that was that was spreading the rumors, but unfortunately, just yesterday, we lost track of him. We immediately widened the scope of our search, but the first information we got was a report of you being attacked.¡± [Taylor] ¡°We investigated the people who attacked you yesterday, and it seems they just got to this town two days ago. Apparently, someone had informed them that you were a rich kid with a rimel bird. Moreover, it so happens that the person who told them about you matches the appearance of the person we had our eyes on.¡± [Grisiera] In other words¡­ ¡°You¡¯re positive they¡¯re the same person?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The possibility is high. Judging from the rumors he spread before, he probably knows the relationship between us. If he aimed at you too, then he probably wanted us to split our forces in order to protect you, even at the cost of getting attention.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Unless driven by emotions, a person normally wouldn¡¯t follow through with a request to ¡®take care¡¯ of a person connected to the duke. It¡¯s the sort of thing one would only do as a last resort.¡± [Taylor] ¡°In other words, I was attacked in order to make it easier for him to run?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s how it looks to us. But the person we¡¯re dealing with is the sort to pull off a stunt like this and disappear the moment he¡¯s suspected. He probably won¡¯t be coming back anymore. Otherwise, he would have played dumb or laid low for a while. Though it¡¯s possible that he simply didn¡¯t have the leisure to do so, but regardless, we¡¯re not about to just let him escape like this. This might be a bit misleading, but you¡¯re not just a normal kid. I believe you¡¯re more than strong enough to protect yourself. That¡¯s why I want you to protect your store with all your strength, without relying on others. Meanwhile, we¡¯ll go after the criminals with all of our strength.¡± [Wogan] The suspects are hoping that they would split their forces to cover me, so he¡¯s basically saying that we shouldn¡¯t let things develop as they please. ¡°We¡¯ve already organized a search team to follow their trail with Wereanna¡¯s party, Jeff, and Raypin, an adventurer who can use dimension magic, as the members.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Still, the culprits are professionals themselves, so there¡¯s no guarantee that we will be able to catch them¡­ That aside, are you okay, Ryouma? You¡¯ve been quietly listening to us all this time, but what do you think?¡± [Grisiera] As Grisiera-san asked me that, I became thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯d freest like to thoroughly tighten the store¡¯s security.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We never said we wouldn¡¯t lend any help at all. I¡¯ve talked with Gordon and Cher. They¡¯re not well suited for search jobs, but they¡¯re skilled and also well reputed in this town. They should be able to serve your store well as guards. That guy called Jeff also recommended another trustworthy person, but he¡¯s not registered at the guild, so I can¡¯t give any guarantees.¡± [Wogan] So, those two on top of Fei-san and Leelin-san, huh? I don¡¯t know about the guy Jeff-san recommended, but I doubt Jeff-san would recommend someone unskilled. I¡¯ll have to put that guy on hold for the time being, but with this, the store¡¯s security can be upgraded to some extent. ¡°Carla-san, if we add our cooperation with the guards too, do you think it¡¯ll be enough?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s worrying that we don¡¯t know how big the enemy we¡¯re dealing with is, but considering the scope of our store, I think this is more than enough. That aside, what about assigning some guards to protect you?¡± [Carla] Not necessary. As for why, it¡¯s because if the enemy is too strong for me to deal with and I have someone with me, then I won¡¯t be able to run. Having someone following me around would just restrict me. I can¡¯t take them with me with my dimension magic either, and it¡¯s hard to just leave them behind. And besides, if I was just going to leave them behind, then I would have just gone on my own and either fought or ran. ¡°Is the person we¡¯re dealing with human?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s a possibility a familiar is being used, but they should still be fundamentally human.¡± [Taylor] ¡°In that case, it would be best for me to be alone.¡± [Ryouma] There are no monsters on Earth. As such, all of the techniques I trained in were developed with human opponents in mind. Which is to say that the enemies I¡¯m most suited to fight against are human opponents. ¡°In the past, I did nothing but train with my grandfather, so I specialize in fighting humans or humanoid monsters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You do have your achievements behind you¡­¡± [Taylor] ¡°Wogan also seems to vouch for your strength.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, compared to the two of you, I¡¯m a lot better at judging someone¡¯s strength when it comes to fighting.¡± [Wogan] Like that our conversation naturally progressed into coming up with a defensive strategy and what to do in case the enemy attacked. Lastly, Branch Head Taylor handed me two documents. ¡°¡®It is therefore acknowledged that sufficient skills have been proven by taming a slime and a rimel bird¡­¡¯ What is this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those are legal documents proving that I have acknowledged you as a proper monster tamer. The other document clarifies that although your store uses monsters in its business, you are under the management of the merchants guild.¡± [Taylor] Apparently, these documents aren¡¯t usually produced because the guild card is more than enough to prove one¡¯s skill, but both documents do have Branch Head Taylor¡¯s signature and stamp, so they might still prove useful later. I should keep them. Or at least, that¡¯s what he told me. I wonder if the branch head is worried about getting me caught up in this mess. Chapter 77 Volume 3 Chapter 77 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 77 part2 One month later. In the dead of the night when everyone was asleep, at a corner of Gimuru Town, could be heard the cries and angry voices of men. ¡°Run! We can¡¯t win!¡± [Assailants Leader] ¡°Brat¡ª GYAahhh!?¡± [Assailants 1] ¡°Ku¡­¡± [Assailants 2] ¡°Idiots! I told you to run! Why are some of you going toward him!?¡± [Assailants Leader] The source of the voices was none other than men who came to attack Ryouma. Right now they were currently in the middle of receiving Ryouma¡¯s counter attack and were immediately being suppressed. When the leader of these men realized that they couldn¡¯t win, he immediately gave the order to run. Unfortunately, his remaining three allies were too angry to listen to his orders. As a result, they each respectively ended up breaking a leg, an arm, and a jaw before losing consciousness. ¡°W-Wait! I surrender! We won¡¯t involve ourselves with you anymore!¡± [Assailants Leader] ¡°Unfortunately, your excuses will have to fall on deaf ears. You will be dealt with the same way as those before you have been dealt with. Please understand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No¡ª KAHA¡­¡± [Assailants Leader] The man wanted Ryouma to let him off, but unfortunately, Ryouma had no intentions of doing so. And before he knew it, Ryouma was already right next to him. In the next moment, he was knocked unconscious. ¡°Well that settles that.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma looked around him, he saw the 13 men he¡¯d fought on the floor, either knocked unconscious or with a broken limb. ¡°Sure has been a while¡­¡± [Ryouma] A few seconds after muttering that, four men approached Ryouma from a distance. They were the guards of Gimuru. ¡°Who goes there!? Oh, it¡¯s just you, Ryouma. Are these guys today¡¯s criminal?¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll leave them to you as usual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Tie up the ones without any major injuries! As for the wounded¡­ You¡¯re doing it today too right?¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Have at it then.¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°Right on it.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma brought out a heal slime and started healing the limbs of the men. After healing the limbs that were broken by none other than he himself, he handed the men to the guards to be arrested. ¡°That¡¯s seven men today, totaling to 12 bones all in all¡­ Looks like today¡¯s gonna be pricey too.¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°One cast of High Heal is 1,000 suits. It takes 6 casts to heal a broken bone, bringing the costs up to 6,000 per bone. 6,000 times 12 bones and you get 72,000 suits. I¡¯ll give you a small discount and we¡¯ll make it a nice and clean 70,000.¡± [Ryouma] The guard¡¯s face twitched when he heard that. ¡°I know this needs to be done, but still¡­ You sure are terrifying.¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°¡­I wouldn¡¯t want to do this either, but they just won¡¯t leave me alone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyway, come with us to the guard¡¯s office. We need to pay you.¡± [Guard Leader] ¡°Copy that.¡± [Ryouma] Ever since Ryouma was first attacked, all sorts of people have started attacking him, from people who said they were just instigated to people who outright said they just targeted him because he was rich. But just like today everyone who attacked him failed in their attempt. And each and every time, Ryouma would heal them and charge them an exorbitant fee. Hurting someone when done in legitimate self-defense isn¡¯t a crime in this country. The injured party can¡¯t complain and their wounds don¡¯t need to be tended to either. But in the case that they are healed, they must pay an appropriate price for the treatment received. Beating someone black and blue, healing them, and then asking for payment is quite frankly extortion. But given the laws of this country, as long as it is done in self-defense, then it just barely passes as legal. Ryouma himself originally didn¡¯t want to do this sort of medical extortion, but as the risk of being attacked increased, Ryouma had to further better his ability to defend himself as well improve the store¡¯s security. Grisiera convinced Ryouma to start doing this sort of scheme in order to set an example and improve the situation as quickly as possible. It was unfortunate that Ryouma looked too much like a child. Because of that it was difficult for people to be wary against him. At most, the greatest effect their previous methods had was akin to the ¡®Frequently Patrolled by Police¡¯ or ¡®All Activities Monitored by Video Camera¡¯ signs that would get posted in the stores on Earth. This new method Ryouma is a bit violent, but by hurting his assailants both physically and financially, Ryouma finally started seeing a decrease in his assailants. ¡°This is for today¡¯s medical costs. 70,000 suits. Please take a look.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Confirmed. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After receiving the payment for the medical expenses at the guard¡¯s office, Ryouma thanked the guard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like this could make a dent on our purse. Besides, we¡¯re just shouldering another man¡¯s debt temporarily. That¡¯s all. In the end, those guys will be the ones footing the bill. It¡¯s not all that bad too since from time to time we get people asking for a reform against forced labor.¡± [Guard Leader] Ryouma thanked the guard again and then left the office. ¡°Good work out there today.¡± [Guard Acquaintance 1] ¡°Good job.¡± [Guard Acquaintance 2] Being attacked on the way home and having to go the guard¡¯s office has already become a daily occurrence for Ryouma. As such, Ryouma has already gotten acquainted with many guards. These new acquaintances of his called out to him and waved at him. Ryouma greeted them back, then he went back home. The next day. Early in the morning, Ryouma dropped by the store before opening time. At the time, Carla was working at the reception. ¡°Good morning, Carla-san. How was last night?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, Boss. There were no attacks last night too. What about your side, Boss?¡± [Carla] ¡°I was attacked by 13 guys. This is the money from that. Just put it in the treasury for now. You can deposit it later at the guild when you go to deposit the store¡¯s income.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright.¡± [Carla] Carla was still preparing for the day, so Ryouma left her and went inside. Along the way, Ryouma greeted the employees that were rushing here and there to prepare for the store opening. Ryouma didn¡¯t want to get in the way, so he entered the break room, but when he got there, a report on the store¡¯s security was being given. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning!¡± [Leelin and her dad] ¡°Oh, morning.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Cher] ¡°Sup!¡± [Guard recommended by Jeff] ¡°Are you in the middle of a meeting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were just about done, actually. There were no problems last night too.¡± [Gordon] Presently, there were 5 people in charge of the store¡¯s security. The dad and daughter pair, Fei and Leelin; the adventurers, Gordon and Cher; and the young man, Dolce, who was recommended by Jeff for his experience working as a vigilante at the slums. Fei and Leelin have been apprehending the thugs that caused trouble at the store even before the attacks began, but when the attacks did begin, they were able to show even more of their abilities as former assassins. Gordon and Cher were recommended by the guild master of the adventurer¡¯s guild, Wogan, himself, so their skills were guaranteed. Many people would favorably call out to them when they watched the store in the morning. In Gordon¡¯s case, many boorish men knew him. It wasn¡¯t limited to just adventurers and commoners, so whenever it looked like some smalltime trouble was about to start, such as when two people bumped each other, Gordon could easily stop it. As for Char, he dealt with the customers politely, so he was popular with the middle-aged and older women. The man Jeff recommended, Dolce, was a rough-looking man of few words. His relationship with his peers and his attitude toward his job was completely professional. But regardless, thanks to these five¡¯s efforts, the store could stay safe against the night attacks of the enemy. The most losses the ruffians could cause was when they would forcefully enter the store, which at most would just result in some cracks on the door and windows. That was something that could easily be fixed with some materials and mana. Of course, the bill for the repairs would be covered by none other than the thugs themselves. But in the first place, the store was originally built with magic and essentially cost Ryouma nothing, so whatever damages the thugs caused was nothing to him. In fact, Ryouma even found the thugs¡¯ attacks to have brought unexpected income. And by profit, Ryouma was referring to the opportunity they gave him to learn about the customers and his employees. ¡°Hello! I am the delinquent adventurer! Look! I¡¯m causing problems!¡± [Ryouma] In an untouched area of the store lot, a wall was erected and an explanatory-like voice could be heard from a Ryouma dressed in overalls. When Ryouma said that line, the three girls working away from home took a transparent shield from inside the counter (made by magic) and equipped it. ¡°Dolce-san!¡± [Jane, Fina, Maria] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oops. Can¡¯t have you making a mess of the store!¡± [Dolce] As the three girls quickly ran, Dolce came holding a sasumata [1]. When Ryouma saw that, he ran away while screaming unnaturally. At the same time, balls came flying at him, but he skillfully dodged and got away. ¡°¡­Good. I think you¡¯re starting to get the hang of it.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma¡¯s terrible acting was actually done in order to facilitate the store¡¯s crime prevention drill. In the instance a dangerous customer were to appear, the noncombatants are to quickly equip themselves with a shield, call for help, and run. This training is meant so that the employees could immediately respond. Other parts of the training also include throwing colored balls at the thief and refraining from pursuing the thief too far. The opinions of the five guards regarding how the employees should act during emergency were also taken into consideration. It was for this purpose that Ryouma recreated the crime prevention tools used in his country in his past life. ¡°Dolce-san, how was it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No one got in my way¡­ Boss.¡± [Dolce] ¡°Looks like you did great! Just do it like that, okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, lunch is ready.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you, Carm-san. Well then, everyone. Let¡¯s clean up and have lunch.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Jane, Fina, Maria] Since they were now expecting to be attacked, Ryouma had to further fortify the store defenses. As a result, he needed to stay at the store more often than before. He stopped living like an executive, who would come to work late and leave early, and would now stay at the store from morning until midnight. But he didn¡¯t spend all his time on work. Some of it, he spent interacting with his employees and customers. Save for Fei and Leelin, who were used to carnage, the normal employees were bound to be uncomfortable in a violent workplace, so Ryouma bought some goods meant for self-defense and introduced it to them. In this way, he could make them feel more at ease, even if it was just a little. As a result, no chaos ever occurred in the store and no one resigned either. Moreover, the conversations between Ryouma and the workers also increased, allowing him to become closer with them. And so, they headed for the break room. ¡°Oh, good job training out there.¡± [Gordon] ¡°We ate ahead of you.¡± [Cher] Within the break room was Gordon and Cher. Ryouma extended his hand for the bread that was prepared for them. ¡°Huh? This bread¡­ It¡¯s fluffier than usual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ufufu. It¡¯s that natural yeast bread that you taught us about. Fina-chan and the others tried making one with grain berry, and the result was a delicious fluffy bread.¡± [Shelma] ¡°That red thing? Oh, after a closer look, it seems the inner part of the bread is slightly pink.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s really fun seeing the difference in result when using yeast. It not as messy too.¡± [Fina] ¡°Right, right. It takes time to make yeast, but it¡¯s really easy to use.¡± [Jane] ¡°Seed shells are a pain~ And the contents come out as soon as you break them, so it¡¯s easy kind of messy~¡± [Maria] ¡°But if you can¡¯t get the yeast cleanly, it won¡¯t be delicious anymore, right?¡± [Jane] ¡°Which is why you need to monitor the process carefully when making it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ I guess it¡¯s impossible for us to make yeast at home then.¡± [Gordon] ¡°It¡¯s not that hard to make, actually, you just need to sterilize the container, and¡­ Wait a moment. I thought you didn¡¯t cook?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, but your problems have already mostly been dealt with, right? If so, then my contract with you will be ending soon. And that means it won¡¯t be long before I won¡¯t be able to eat the food here anymore.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Shelma-san¡¯s cooking is delicious, after all. It¡¯s also nice not having to worry about what to eat.¡± [Cher] ¡°Her food is bliss.¡± [Dolce] ¡°Oh my. Please wait just one moment. You¡¯ll be able to fill your bellies soon. Today¡¯s meat was cooked with¡­ charcoal, was it? Anyway, it was cooked using the fuel the boss provided. It¡¯s really delicious.¡± [Shelma] Shelma was bringing the food in when she heard the favorable comments, so she was very happy when left the break room. When she comes back next, she¡¯ll probably have a boatload of meat with her. Like that Ryouma and the people of the store happily spent their lunchtime without a whiff of care for the criminals who caused this situation. Chapter 78 ) Volume 3 Chapter 78 ~Side Ryouma~ After smacking my lips at the charcoal grilled yakiniku, Carla-san called out to me. ¡°Boss, I¡¯d like to talk to you about the second store.¡± [Carla] ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have more than enough money from the medical treatment and the store proceeds, so I think it¡¯s about time we put up the branch store.¡± [Carla] ¡°Already? Don¡¯t we need more time to teach the managers how to manage a store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but in the first place, Caulkin-san and the others are former researchers, so they already know how to read, write, and compute. Normally, we¡¯d have to teach that on top of also teaching them how to stock the store and how to haggle with other stores and customers, which is why it normally takes so much time. But our store doesn¡¯t even need to negotiate with competing stores or haggle with customers, so Carm and I just focused on teaching them what to do if a problem arose and how to work the books. We¡¯re done with that, so all that¡¯s left now is for them to put what they¡¯ve been taught in practice.¡± [Carla] ¡°¡­In other words, you want to put up a branch store not just to make money but to teach them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. But of course, either Carm or I will work at the store temporarily at first to teach them the ropes and see if the store could be entrusted to them. There¡¯s another reason.¡± [Carla] Carla-san handed me a document. When I glanced over it, it turned out to be a summary of the store¡¯s income. ¡­The store¡¯s income from the first day until yesterday is here, but¡­ Hmm? The page is still continuing. Below the earnings call is the expected income and expenses. Several documents have been bundled together as if these have been rewritten several times. Based on the ink and the feel of the paper, these seem to have been written a long time ago. ¡­At first, when the store had just opened, probably because I was using whatever I could get my hands on to publicize and advertise the store, there¡¯s a huge difference between the predicted numbers and the actual numbers¡­ No, even before that they¡¯ve been using the number of customers and other businesses as a reference to come up with these numbers. ¡°¡­Is this information meant to help us with coming up with a strategy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very insightful. Presently, we are the only business that focuses solely on laundry. It¡¯s an extremely rare industry. As such, there¡¯s no information to use as reference, so we¡¯ve had to rely on various data such as our earnings. We¡¯re sort of just fumbling our way through, but this is necessary to ensure that we don¡¯t miss customers and proceeds. So far the predictions are good, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that we don¡¯t actually have a good way to reliably predict our future earnings. As such, I would like to increase our stores and gather more data in order to improve our predictive abilities.¡± [Carla] We¡¯ve been managing just fine without Caulkin-san and the others, and the other workers have gotten used to work, and we¡¯re also not just throwing Caulkin-san and the others to manage a store, as there¡¯s a training period, so I think it¡¯s okay. The attacks have gotten a lot less too, and there¡¯s also the guards protecting the store. There¡¯s also no problem with me going out by myself now. Moreover, I also need more places to deposit my steadily increasing cleaner slimes if I am to continue this business. I¡¯d love to say that I could just take all the excess cleaner slimes with me, but I don¡¯t actually know my own limit when it comes to the number of slimes I can tame. So, that¡¯s one more reason in favor of increasing the number of stores. I can also look at this as opening the business up for franchising. If nothing else, it¡¯s a way to immediately cull the numbers of the ever increasing cleaner slimes in order to protect the store¡¯s secret! But that¡¯s not really a concern right now. We should just focus on the topic at hand first. Hmm¡­ I just realized it, but I think I¡¯m still acting too much like an employee instead of a manager. Back then our job was just to make things meet the deadline regardless of how absurd the request is¡­ I¡¯m really glad that Carla-san and Carm-san are here. ¡°I understand. Let¡¯s start that branch store. What I need to do now is to decide the town where we will be putting up the branch store, acquire the land, and then prepare the store, yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Is that alright with you?¡± [Carla] Since it¡¯s the advice of a manager like Carla-san and also an idea that I personally agree with, then sure. As I told her that along with how I got to that conclusion, Carla-san heaved a sigh of relief and laughed. ¡°Thank you for understanding. I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± [Carla] ¡°And I¡¯ll leave the employees to you. I¡¯ll drop by the guild and ask about the store.¡± [Ryouma] Like that I ended up going to the merchants guild. ¡°You came.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you for always taking care of me. I¡¯ll get straight to the point. I want to talk about opening a branch store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, you¡¯re finally opening it. I¡¯ve prepared a list of recommendations for the choice of towns. There¡¯s Delma, Azul, Shikumu, Zilman [1], Rufes, and so on¡­¡± [Grisiera] So she¡¯d already prepared a list of recommendations for me beforehand. I¡¯m really grateful. It¡¯s my first branch store, so I¡¯d like to have it somewhere near Gimuru, so I can easily reach it if something goes wrong¡­ ¡°Somewhere near would be best, right? I¡¯ve also prepared that.¡± [Grisiera] I¡¯m started to get used to it already¡­ This mind reading ability of hers. ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°For the mean time, these are the towns I recommend that¡¯s near here: Shuchiro, Harken, and Renauph. Renauph would be the nearest town.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Can I buy land there?¡± [Ryouma] The guild master meaningfully smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared it. I don¡¯t have any lot big as your current one, though.¡± [Grisiera] The lot she showed me was just half of my current store¡¯s, but it was near the center of town and came with a building that could be used. As I asked her details about it while looking at the blueprint, it turns out that it used to be a general store. As such, it also had a storage room. That being the case, it won¡¯t take a lot to get the place functional again. Of course, if that¡¯s no good, then I could always just break the place down and remake it. ¡°This lot is diagonal Pioro¡¯s store, so I¡¯ve had him check the place for me, and he says it¡¯s well built. There should be no problem. Ah, but you¡¯ll need to process the papers through the guild there.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I see. Thank you. I¡¯ll go with this lot then.¡± [Ryouma] Like this I decided on my new store. There¡¯s someone I can rely on, who also happens to be a specialist, so everything is able to go so smoothly. I immediately returned to the store and told Carla-san and Carm-san about my exchange with Grisiera-san at the guild. After that I spoke to Caulkin-san and the others about the branch store and once again made them promise that they wouldn¡¯t hand the cleaner slimes to anyone else. They¡¯ve already formed a contract that forbids them from doing so when they were employed at the guild, but just to be safe. Caulkin-san and the others promised without any hesitation. And then dusk came. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] I left the store early today and dropped by Serge-san¡¯s store before going home. I told him that I will be leaving for Renauph very soon to prepare my branch store, so I got a huge number of cloths. I will be preparing for my trip starting tomorrow, but I want to make as many waterproof cloths before I leave. That way we won¡¯t run out of stock. Serge-san says that the waterproof cloths are starting to get around and that there¡¯s a good demand for them now. The customers are usually adventurers and peddlers. That¡¯s probably because there¡¯s a lot of adventurers who want to reduce the things they carry with them in order to make themselves lighter and more mobile. As for the peddlers, Serge-san says they mostly use the waterproof cloths on their roof and as curtains for their cart to keep the rain from their goods. They¡¯ve been using a leather cover until now, but it¡¯s heavy, takes up space, and adds more burden to the horse. Peddlers can¡¯t overburden their horses too, since doing so would make it hard to flee from monsters and bandits. If they overburden the horses, there¡¯s also a chance they could die, and they¡¯ll be forced to buy new ones. That would be huge loss in profit. Moreover, peddlers also consider their horses as their partners. It¡¯s more of a tacit understanding, but it¡¯s well known among the peddlers that any peddler that doesn¡¯t treasure his horse doesn¡¯t have the right to become a peddler. If others were to find out that a certain peddler treated his horse poorly, they would immediately give him the cold shoulder. Compared to the leather cover, the waterproof cloth is light, doesn¡¯t take up much space, and is super effective against water. As such, it¡¯s gotten popular among the peddlers, or at least, that¡¯s what Serge-san says. I should probably start feeding the sticky slimes a lot to get them to increase their numbers more, as it seems I¡¯ll have to create even more waterproof cloths in the future. Gotta reduce the burden on each individual slime¡­ As I thought of things like that, I went home. 4 days later. I asked the others to take care of the store, so I could prepare for my trip. There were some changes in the store¡¯s management that came with that. One such change was the introduction of the bag with a bamboo and slime logo on it and the name ¡®Bamboo Forest¡¯. The craftsmen Serge-san deals with makes the bag by stamping the bags with a custom stamp they made. The branch store will be using these bags right from the start. As for the main store at Gimuru, the customers can exchange their old bags with this new version. The second change that came is the fixed day off system. Until now, the workers have been taking their day offs in turns, but that makes it harder for the workers to get to know each other, so I changed that policy. In order to let everyone know of the changes, I put a board in front of the store that said, ¡®the following changes will be implemented in the next month~¡±. The 3rd change is regarding the management of the cleaner slimes. Caulkin-san and the others will all be going to the branch store, so there won¡¯t be any monster tamers at the main store for a while. If so, then I won¡¯t be able to go on any extended trips while they¡¯re away. That is a problem. Fortunately, one of the three girls working away from home, Maria-san, has been studying monster taming these past two months. One day, while I was talking to her, I found out that her mother was a magician. Unfortunately, her mother passed away and she lost the opportunity to study magic, but she had the mana pool necessary to cast spells. In a later date, when the time was right, I asked her if she¡¯d be interested to learn the art of monster taming, and she agreed, so I had Robelia-san, whom she got along with, teach her in their day offs. She can form contracts with slimes now, so I can leave the management of the slimes not just to Caulkin-san¡¯s group, but also to her. I will have to retrieve the cleaner slimes once they hit the maximum number of slimes that they can tame, however. Still, I wonder if I really have a limit when it comes to the number of monsters I can tame. The otherworlder who founded monster taming supposedly didn¡¯t have one, but then again, that was her specialty. I should ask Gayn and the others. Oh, it¡¯s almost time. As I exited through the front door of the store, all the workers saw me off. ¡°I¡¯ll be going.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care, Boss.¡± [Everyone] Like that I started walking. When I eventually exited through the gate, the morning rays of the sun, the peaceful blue sky, and the ever extending road was there to greet me. My first trip alone since coming to this world. Let¡¯s go! Chapter 79 Volume 3 Chapter 79 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 79 part2 It takes 3 days to reach Renauph by carriage and I will be passing through 4 villages along the way. I hear it¡¯s not as big as Gimuru, but it¡¯s still a big town in it¡¯s own right. Normally, 3 days would be considered fast, but since I¡¯m moving by using dimension magic and ki reinforcement, I should get there a lot faster. I¡¯m practicing my Warp while travelling, but it¡¯s good practice to leave some mana just in case, so after consuming a certain amount, I stop using Warp and run the rest of the way while reinforcing my body with ki. During that time I¡¯m able to recover my mana, so the resulting pace is really fast. Normal people can¡¯t copy this method , though. I thought I¡¯d take my time and fight with some monsters along the way, but unfortunately, only weak monsters appear around these parts. I don¡¯t even need to reinforce my body with ki or use my magic to defeat them. Well, actually, I already knew about that when I tried exploring the area outside of town during my two months of going to and fro work, but lately it seems that some strong monsters might appear near Renauph, so I was thinking I could get there sooner and try my hand at the monsters, but then again just very recently, Grisiera-san handed me a package to give to Piero-san, which I accepted since I would be meeting him anyway, so I probably should just do that first. And so, I teleported and ran the through the forest, past the plains, through three of the four villages, and by the time I got to the fourth village, the sun was just about to set. I think I¡¯ll call it a day here¡­ I opened my Dimension Home beside the road, went inside, and started preparing supper. Today¡¯s menu is made up of several kinds of packed meals which I bought before leaving Gimuru. I bought them from a store in Gimuru out of curiosity. I wonder how the packed meals of this world taste like. First, let¡¯s try the thin square-shaped biscuit-like food. ¡°¡­It¡¯s crunchy, but it tastes like flour¡­¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s neither particularly tasty nor disgusting. I poured myself a glass of water and drank it, then I tried the brown-colored dice-shaped lump next. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Ah, it¡¯s hard¡­ I can bite it, but¡­ Yeah, this is a hard biscuit, alright. It¡¯s probably because it¡¯s so thick that it¡¯s so hard.¡± [Ryouma] Next was the dried meat. ¡°Salty¡­ It¡¯s really salty¡­ The more I bite into it, the saltier it gets¡­ I can¡¯t even taste the savoriness of the meat. It¡¯s just¡­ salt. Let¡¯s stop. This seems really unhealthy.¡± [Ryouma] Last was the green bread. ¡°This looks pretty hard too¡­ I¡¯m just holding it in my hands, and I can tell already.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s like a piece of rock. The store grandma said not to let it absorb any fluids or it will taste really sour. As in so sour that I absolutely won¡¯t be able to eat it. But, hey! There¡¯s nothing else to it! Let¡¯s do our best and take a bite! ¡°Owww!! It¡¯s hard¡­ What¡¯s wrong with this bread? It¡¯s way too hard.¡± [Ryouma] I literally couldn¡¯t make a dent on the bread, so I had to use ki to reinforce my jaws. When I tried biting it again, I succeeded, but I didn¡¯t taste anything, so I tried again, but then¡­ ¡°KAH¡­ GEHO! ¡­This is terrible!!!¡± [Ryouma] I quickly reached out for my glass of water and emptied it, but it wasn¡¯t enough to wash the taste away, so I added more water to the glass and drank again. ¡°¡­What the hell was that!!¡± [Ryouma] What was that taste? Herb? Medical herb? It seemed like there were all sorts of taste mixed together, I can¡¯t really tell. But the more I tried to bite into it, the more my saliva mixed with the bread, and as a result, some grassy-smelling and herb-like liquid came out with a bitter, astringent, acrid taste!! Yuck!! The dried meat I got from Hyuzu-san was still edible, but this is just¡­ That¡¯s it. I¡¯m never buying packed meals out of curiosity again. Ever. Or, okay¡­ I might give the others a try again, but I¡¯m definitely not buying this green thing again. As I decided that in my mind, I sank my teeth into a fruit to wash away the terrible taste. Thank goodness I¡¯d stored this in my Item Box. I¡¯d completely lost my appetite after that shocking taste, so I ended my supper after eating just one fruit, then I went to sleep in my Dimension Home. I need to pay attention when leaving, but Dimension Home is a really handy magic that makes tents unnecessary. The next day. After safely spending the night in the Dimension Home, I continued along my journey again. When it was past afternoon, the walls of Renauph finally came to view. Anyway, I¡¯ll be entering the town and be going to Pioro-san¡¯s store, so I should wash myself first inside the Dimension Home. ¡°Fuu.¡± [Ryouma] After washing my body with the cleaner slime, I left the Dimension Home and went to the town gate. Just like in Gimuru, I was able to easily get pass the guards by showing them my adventurer guild card. Moreover, when I asked the man about the Saionji Firm, he told me I could reach it by walking straight from the east gate and taking a right at the end. I thanked the male guard and followed the directions he gave me. When I got to the end of the street, a building surrounded by tall, sturdy walls came to view. People could be seen endlessly going in and out of it, carrying what appeared to be various packages. I don¡¯t know what building this is, but I should take a right turn here, and¡­ Voila! I saw a board that says ¡®Saioji Firm¡¯. A couple of boards, anyway. ¡°This place is huge¡­¡± [Ryouma] The stores lined up included a butcher¡¯s shop, a grocer, a fish store, a dried food store, a preserved food store, and a spice store. Every one of them had ¡®Saionji¡¯s Firm¡¯ written on their signboard. There was even a small delicatessen in the corner. ¡°Which store am I supposed to enter?¡± [Ryouma] For the meantime, I decided to go into the spice store to ask someone about Pioro-san. As for why I chose the spice store, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t have an appointment, so I figured it would be best to go to the place with the least customers. That way I won¡¯t get in anyone¡¯s way. It¡¯s probably because spices are generally expensive that there aren¡¯t a lot of people. In fact, it¡¯s not just that there¡¯s not a lot of people, there isn¡¯t even a single customer. ¡°Exc¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome.¡± [Store Clerk] When I entered the spice store, a voice called out to me. I couldn¡¯t see the person talking, but when I turned to the voice, I saw a girl come out from the back of the counter. She¡¯s probably the same as Elia and I. Blonde hair like Robelia, white skin, and¡­ fox ears? Was she doing some kind of work just now? Her hair¡¯s somewhat of in a mess, though she fixed it as she came out of the counter. ¡°How may I help you today?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not actually a customer. I came from Gimuru¡¯s merchant guild to deliver a package to Pioro Saionji-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You came to deliver a package for dad? Thanks much.¡± [Miyabi] Dad? This girl¡­ She¡¯s Pioro-san¡¯s daughter!? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you were Pioro-san¡¯s daughter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You know my dad?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Yes, we met by chance some few days ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. Ah, sorry for the belated introduction. I¡¯m Miyabi Saionji, Pioro Saionji¡¯s daughter. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve heard that name before¡­ Anyway, please come inside. [Miyabi] Miyabi-san led me inside the spice store, then we passed through the hallway and entered into the reception office. Around 1 minute later Miyabi-san came back with Pioro-san. That¡¯s quick! She said it wouldn¡¯t take long. She wasn¡¯t kidding, was she? I barely had to wait at all. ¡°Ryouma, it¡¯s been about 2 months hasn¡¯t it! I can¡¯t believe you came to Renauph!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Long time no see, Pioro-san. I arrived just now, actually. I¡¯m here to open my branch store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In this town? In that case, please allow me to bring you to this town¡¯s merchants guild.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Before that, here¡¯s your package.¡± [Ryouma] I opened my Item Box and took out Pioro-san¡¯s package. ¡°Oh, right¡­ What is this?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I wasn¡¯t told the contents.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Pioro] As he said that, he opened the package. A letter was inside. When he read it, Pioro-san nodded and closed the letter, then he came to me. ¡°Times have been hard for you, haven¡¯t they?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Was the letter about me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The last part, a little. Old Gri told me to help you out. Not that she needed to. Would¡¯ve done so either way.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Oh, right. Let me introduce you. This here is my daughter. She¡¯s a year older than you, but do get along.¡± [Pioro] When the topic turned to her, Miyabi-san, who hasn¡¯t said anything until now, finally spoke. ¡°Dad, what¡¯s with the ¡®this¡¯. I have a name, you know? It¡¯s Miyabi. If you¡¯re going to be introducing me you, you should at least call me by name. Although of course, I¡¯ve already informed him of something as simple as that.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°That so? Then what about this? The name Miyabi actually comes from the founder of the Saionji Firm. I gave her that name, hoping that she would take after her.¡± [Pioro] ¡°What are you talking about all of the sudden!? No one was asking about that!¡± [Miyabi] Huh? What? Are they starting a two-person comedy act? Ah, it would be bad if I don¡¯t say anything. ¡°Did that ancestor of yours achieve something amazing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not particularly. She was a pretty girl who attracted customers to her store and then eventually married and settled down. Hers was a normal family and she lived a happy life.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I see. So you want your daughter to live a happy life too¡­¡± [Ryouma ¡°Oh, no, no. I mean that¡¯s not it. The founder was actually Miyabi¡¯s dad, right? Well, I so happen to be Miyabi¡¯s dad, so that means I will be able to share his good luck!¡± [Pioro] ¡°As if!¡± [Ryouma] [1] Oops! I accidentally threw a tsukkomi. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. That was a pretty good tsukkomi, no? You¡¯re still a bit green, but my daughter hasn¡¯t been throwing them lately, so it¡¯s nice Oh, thank goodness he¡¯s not offended¡­ Still, I¡¯m surprised tsukkomis are a thing here too. It¡¯s probably the fault of some otherworlder again, as usual. Still, it¡¯s probably because I had a kansei-person type boss who liked to play the boke (funny man) and be corrected with a tsukkomi (straight man¡¯s response) that it¡¯s basically become a reflex for me now. It was annoying being pestered with the whole comedy duo act when I was busy, but I¡¯d end up wasting even more time were I to ignore him, so in the end, I had no choice but to play the straight man for him. There were more times when I ignored the guy, though. He got mad at me a lot because of that. While I was remembering that, Pioro-san and I headed to the merchants guild. The place he led me to was that building with high walls that I saw before going to Saionji¡¯s Firm. It¡¯s my second time seeing it, but this building sure is big. These walls may as well belong to a castle. ¡°Well? Impressive, isn¡¯t it? Our merchants guild.¡± [Pioro] Pioro asked me what my impressions were after reaching the reception office. ¡°It is. The outer walls are just like castle walls.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah. I mean this building is by nature a fortress.¡± [Pioro] ¡°A fortress¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. A long time ago, when there was a war, this area here was the front line. And it was in this town that they built the fortress back then. That¡¯s why the guild built its building to look like a fortress.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Besides, there¡¯s another reason behind why this place looks like this. Look out the window.¡± [Pioro] The window Pioro-san pointed at could be seen through. Maybe it¡¯s because this room is the reception office that they made the windows here out of glass to make them look good. As a result, I could see the outside. ¡°Amazing¡­ It¡¯s my first time seeing so many large monsters.¡± [Ryouma] Outside the window were many monsters. They were either medium- or large-sized bird-type monsters. There were even dragon-types that were probably wyverns. A saddle could be seen on the nape of their neck extending to their back, atop of which people could be seen people riding. It was the very image of a fantasy world. ¡°All of these monsters are here just to carry goods and luggages.¡± [Pioro] ¡°All of these!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you can use flying monsters, then you can transport things quickly and in large amounts. But in order to accommodate the monsters, several things need to be provided. A place to wait, a place to store the luggage, a landing place¡­ and so on. A lot of facilities needed to be provided, so they decided to build the guild after a fortress.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s true that monsters need a place to wait at. Especially, if they¡¯re large-sized. ¡°The one who thought of this method of transport, planned out this town, coined the term ¡®airport¡¯, and made all of this a reality was none other than the founder of the Saionji Firm himself. How about it? Don¡¯t you agree he has good taste?¡± a[Pioro] Actually, that name wasn¡¯t his idea, but I can¡¯t say it! Most likely, in the future, I too will be on the receiving end of the same fate from other otherworlders, as they see my store chains and think to themselves, ¡®that¡¯s a repost!¡¯ [2] Just like how Pioro-san and Miyabi-san talks and behaves, it seems there are all sorts of traces of the influence of otherworlders, even ones spread unknowingly. ¡°An airport, huh. Well, a port city is a place to gather all sorts of stuff. Makes sense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right? You get it!¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san happily hit my back, then an employee of the guild entered the reception office and we finally got to business. At first, she was shocked to hear that it wasn¡¯t Pioro-san, but I, who would be purchasing the land. After that momentary shock, however, everything else proceeded smoothly. Apparently, because Pioro-san had already inquired about the store before, the guild was able to prepare, allowing them to quickly process everything. Although the buyer was different from the one they were expecting, everything still went smoothly. After that, we went to the store I just purchased from the guild to take a look inside. The store was two-stories high. The first floor had a storehouse and a space for business operations. The second floor had the reception office and the other offices. And then behind the store could be found the house of the previous owner. The house came with the lot. If you exclude the living room and the shared areas, there were 5 empty rooms all in all, so we could use the house for lodging. I can¡¯t give the employees their own room, but 2 or 3 per could certainly share each room. That¡¯s normal practice, I hear, so it should be fine. ¡°Any problems?¡± [Pioro] ¡°No. So long as I make the furniture and the shelves, it seems we can put this store to use immediately. It¡¯ll take about 3 days for my employees to come from Gimuru, and that would be the best case scenario, 5 days being the worst.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I took out my rimel bird from my Dimension Home. ¡°Ready? Drei?¡± [Ryouma] The rimel bird I brought with me was Drei. It means ¡®3¡¯ in German. Some few days ago Elia told me that she named her rimel birds, so I followed suit. It¡¯s been a while since I last named a familiar. At first, I did name the slimes individually, but as their numbers exploded, it became too difficult to manage them with names. The monster contract makes it a breeze to distinguish my familiars from each other, so a name wasn¡¯t really necessary. Still, it sure feels nostalgic. By the way, I named my nightmare rimel bird, Eins, for one, then the rest as Zwei, Vier, Funf, Veer, and Sechs, respectively. Elia apparently named hers with the musical language as a reference. ¡°Haa~ It¡¯s true. You really did tame a rimel bird.¡± [Pioro] I took out a writing instrument from my Item Box and started writing, while Pioro-san gazed fixedly at my rimel bird. Once, when I linked my senses with a rimel bird and had it fly, the flow of the world felt much like when I rode the bullet train. Assuming they¡¯re traveling at the same speed, that would mean that the rimel bird could basically fly from 200kph (124.27mph) to 300kph (186.41mph). They fly so fast already without magic, but they could fly even faster by invoking wind magic and riding upon it. To the rimel birds, a distance of three days by carriage is nothing. Even if they had to take a detour along the way, they could still reach Gimuru within the day. The numbers are just something I inferred on my own, but the point is that they¡¯re really really fast. ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I stored the letter inside a special pipe, then I attached it to the rimel bird with a metal attachment and a red cloth. With this even Drei can get into town by himself. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°PIRORO!¡± [Drei] As I let Drei out, he cried back at me in affirmation, and then flew high up above the sky. Just when I thought he¡¯d flown around in the sky near the clouds, he kept going faster and faster, and just like that, he was gone. ¡°Good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now, we wait, yes?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Have you booked an inn already?¡± [Pioro] I forgot! ¡°Actually, I forgot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great! In that case, why don¡¯t you stay over at our place?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Is that okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course! No need to be shy! Make yourself at home!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll take you up on that offer then.¡± [Ryouma] Like that, I ended up staying at Pioro-san¡¯s house. [1] ¨C Ryouma deviates from his usual speech pattern here and says ¡°Anta ga ayakarunkai!¡± By the way, the dad and daughter pair use the kansai dialect so they follow the usual archetype. [2] ¨C Okay. I exercised some creative license here, but the intended meaning holds. Chapter 80 Volume 3 Chapter 80 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 80 part2 After it was decided that I would be staying at Pioro-san¡¯s place, he brought me to the spice store of the Saionji firm. Apparently, the store and their house was connected. ¡°Welcome. Oh, it¡¯s just dad.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s just dad? Besides, it¡¯s not just me, you know? Ryouma¡¯s here too.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Sorry to disturb.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-han, the guest room has been prepared. Make yourself at home.¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi was tending to the store just like this afternoon. But how did she know that I would be staying over? It was decided just now, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Oh, are you not staying over?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°No. Thank you for having me. I was just wondering how you found out when we decided it just a while ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The guest room needs to always ready so that it can be used whenever necessary, so I¡¯m always tending to it. Besides, it¡¯s dad we¡¯re talking about. I figured he¡¯d offer you to spend the night at our place.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mind it. Want me to show you to your room?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] Pioro-san would be going back to work, so it was Miyabi-san who accompanied me to the guest room. ¡°Think of it as your own place.¡± [Miyabi] The room she brought me to was big for one person and was furnished with high quality furniture. It had a warm feeling to it. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to cook you up a supper that won¡¯t shame the Saionji name, so look forward to it!¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± [Ryouma] Miyabi-san nodded in response, apparently satisfied by my reply. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. You rest up until supper.¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi quietly left the room. ¡­And now, I¡¯m all alone. I wonder what the supper is going to be. ¡­I had nothing but those preserved food last night, so I¡¯m a little hungry. I wonder if they¡¯ll be serving meat. Or maybe fish? But this country doesn¡¯t have a lot of seafood dishes. It¡¯s an inland country, so it doesn¡¯t have its own sea. And the only fish it¡¯s able to procure are either those from the river or dried fishes. Fresh marine products are either expensive or just straight up impossible to purchase. An exception to that would be the towns situated near a lake like Shikumu. Places that have marine products as their main industry tend to have more seafood dishes. But when it comes to seafood, the first thing that really comes to mind is Japanese cuisine. But, dang¡­ I haven¡¯t eaten any since coming here.. I was thinking it would have spread to some extent considering how many otherworlders have been brought here, but I couldn¡¯t find even a single Japanese dish in Gimuru. Maybe I should try asking Pioro-san if they sell soy sauce and miso around here. They deal with food products, so in the worst case, they might have something similar. I rested in my room while thinking about food. After a while, a male servant told me that supper was ready. ¡°Ryouma, you came. Please. Have a seat.¡± [Pioro] When I got to the dining room, Pioro-san, Miyabi, and another fox-tribe woman were all already seated. The fox woman looked like Miyabi-san, so she¡¯s probably Pioro-san¡¯s wife. She sure is pretty¡­ ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so formal. And I think you¡¯ve noticed her already, but this here is my beloved wife and Miyabi¡¯s mother, Kurana [1].¡± [Pioro] ¡°Kurana Saionji. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. The pleasure is mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard the rumors. Word says you¡¯re quite the promising young man.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Not at all. My luck just happened to be good. I¡¯ve also been blessed with good people. All I¡¯m doing is hiring talented people and relying on them.¡± [Ryouma] No, really. If not for everyone, I probably wouldn¡¯t even have a store. The only reason I¡¯m where I am today is because of the people I met. ¡°If you can say that from the bottom of your heart at that age, then you¡¯re already a brilliant young man.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Indeed. When the young see some success, sometimes there are those who let it get to their heads. They stop seeing what¡¯s around them and they start thinking there¡¯s nothing they can¡¯t do.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Business consists of the customer and the employees. Business exists because there are people. If a merchant were to ever forget those around him and act as if they don¡¯t exist, then it¡¯s the end of for that merchant. When you hit the bottom, regardless how much talent you have, you¡¯ll be forced to turn to dubious means. The fact you understand that means you¡¯re plenty brilliant yourself, Ryouma-han.¡± [Miyabi] Is that how it is? ¡°You can learn how a merchant should conduct himself in the future. Right now, just being able to talk politely is already amazing. Just look at Miyabi. She doesn¡¯t talk politely at all.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Dad! What are you comparing us like that for all the sudden!?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Well, there was an easy comparison nearby, so¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Miyabi, you don¡¯t have to force yourself, you know? You can just talk like you normally do.¡± [Kurana] Oh, so she really was forcing herself? ¡°You noticed too, right, Ryouma? That Miyabi is forcefully changing the way she talks.¡± [Kurana] ¡°A little. I didn¡¯t think much of it though since it¡¯s normal to change the way you talk to customers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°See? Even Ryouma, whom you just met, saw through you. Like this you¡¯re just being a shrewd child who¡¯s trying to talk in a dialect she doesn¡¯t really know .¡± [Kurana] ¡°This is so mortifying¡­¡± [Miyabi] Ah, she¡¯s down¡­ Still, is it really something to mortified about? [1] ¨C Had to retype this name so many times because I kept accidentally typing Kurama. Speaking of which, I knew someone who was convinced that Kurama (from Yu Yu Hakusho) was a girl. Couldn¡¯t believe it when we told him he was a dude. ¡°Sorry about this, But you needn¡¯t mind her.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Since young Miyabi has been imitating me and has held an interest in business. She even to offered to help at the store on her own. But once, in the past, when I showed her how to negotiate and stuff with a customer, she started becoming persistent. Apparently, a customer had told her that she¡¯s not womanly.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯m not trying to become more womanly or anything just because I was told that. I just¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Just?¡± [Kurana] ¡°I just couldn¡¯t stand that old man called me unwomanly! If I can¡¯t properly change myself into a lady, I¡¯ll feel like I lost!¡± [Miyabi] That¡¯s why!? Hmm¡­ But then again, I suppose it¡¯s better than becoming conscious of something weird. ¡°In other words, my just daughter can¡¯t stand losing. As mentioned previously, you needn¡¯t mind her, Ryouma-han.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Enough about that, let¡¯s eat. I brought out some strange dishes today.¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san signalled with his hands at the servant waiting by the corner of the room. What does he mean by strange dishes? ¡°You¡¯re good at cooking, so without any prior preparations, it would probably be hard to surprise you with just the taste. So I took it upon myself to prepare something unique.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Would be great if it suited your tastes, though.¡± [Kurana] When the smell of the food being brought over reached my nose¡­ This smell! It¡¯s¡ª ¡°This smell¡­ is this miso soup?¡± [Ryouma] When I muttered that, Pioro-san was surprised and dejected, while Kurana-san only laughed with interest. ¡°So you knew about miso soup. And here I thought I¡¯d surprise you. I failed~¡± [Pioro] Nah, you surprised me plenty! ¡°A-Actually I¡¯m plenty surprised. Pioro-san, you have a way to procure miso?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I do, but there¡¯s not a lot of interest, so I don¡¯t get too many. Want some?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes! Absolutely!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not that expensive, so I can share some with you, but if you come to like it and want more, do feel free to purchase from my store.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Thank you so much!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. But since you know about miso, do you know about soy sauce too?¡± [Pioro] ¡°You have soy sauce too!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We do.¡± [Pioro] Like this the servant ended up bringing us a tray, upon which was miso, soy sauce, vinegar, and mirin. Pioro-san would be sharing them with me. I can¡¯t believe such seasonings exist in this world! According to Pioro-san, these are being produced in one part of the island that the dragonewt live at. It¡¯s made at a village that culturally considers a simple life best, so they prioritize making their food delicious through the ingredients. Unfortunately, there¡¯s not much demand for it, so it¡¯s considered a luxury item that doesn¡¯t get traded much. What a waste. ¡°Let¡¯s eat first. We can talk while eating.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Right. Itadakimasu!¡± [Ryouma] Chopsticks were brought along with the food, so I took my pair and took a mouthful of rice. Yummm! It¡¯s so good! I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s been 3 years since I last had rice. This country has bread as its staple food, and that¡¯s nice and all, but rice is really nostalgic. Next up is the fished fish with soy sauce, and then the miso soup¡­ Ah, so good¡­ It¡¯s just like the food back on Earth. ¡°What a nostalgic taste¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, Ryouma-han? Did you live in a dragonewt village?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Huh? Oh, no. Not at all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Your reaction reminds me of a dragonewt who hasn¡¯t been able to return to his village for a long time, though.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really. On top of that, you even know how to use chopsticks. It suits the cuisine, so it was brought over, but usually, only dragonewt customers use them.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ryouma-han, where do you come from?¡± [Kurana] At situations like this, there¡¯s only one answer! ¡°From a small village in the forest. My grandmother often made miso soup for me. That¡¯s how I got to learn how to use chopsticks. Grandma is a former adventurer, so she probably found out about it during one of her travels. As for the ingredients, she managed to make do with wood magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so?¡± [Kurana] Did I fool them? ¡°By the way, Ryouma, what will you be doing tomorrow? Your employees won¡¯t be coming until three days later, right?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯m planning to build the furnitures and renovate the store until then. I¡¯ll take the opportunity to do some adventurer work too.¡± [Ryouma] Kurana-san asked me a question. ¡°Oh, my. Ryouma-han, you¡¯re an adventurer?¡± [Kurana] ¡°Yes. Although right now it¡¯s become a bit hazy whether I¡¯m an adventurer first or a store owner first.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What rank are you?¡± [Kurana] ¡°Right now I¡¯m E Rank.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°E? You¡¯re one year younger than me, right?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I just got promoted to E Rank 2 months ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Being an E Ranker at your age is an achievement. Do you have experience doing subjugation quests?¡± [Pioro] After that I talked about my experience hunting monsters at the mine, then I asked them about the town. Apparently, the otherworlder founder of the Saionji Firm made this town for business. Apparently, since a long time ago, there have been many among the store owners and employees, as well as the other people born and raised in Renauph, who spoke in the kansai dialect. Kurana-san was also born here. I don¡¯t think it was intentional, but when I think of how the otherworlder naturally left traces of their influence, I can¡¯t help but feel strange. I wonder if I¡¯m going to leave behind something too. ¡°Anything else you want to ask?¡± [Pioro] ¡°What about the guild? It¡¯s my first time seeing such a huge building.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. There are entrances in every direction, but inside that huge building is the merchants guild, adventurers guild, artisan guild, and dragon guild.¡± [Pioro] Dragon guild? That¡¯s a new one. As I thought that, Miyabi-san started explaining. ¡°In the past, they were a group of monster tamers with flying monsters that transported people and goods, but after the airport was completed, they branched off and became an independent guild that mainly dealt with air transport. The tamer guild uses monsters for hunting, fighting, anything really, but the dragon guild is just for monster tamers that transport people and things by air. They also specialize in keeping the flights secure. It¡¯s not easy having monsters ferry people and goods through the air, so the dragon guild raises up their own people. Also, although they branched off and became independent, it seems they still have some sort of connection with the tamers guild. Word says that monster tamers who are able to form a contract with a flying monster can receive training from the dragons guild.¡± [Miyabi] Looks like there¡¯s really a lot I don¡¯t know about just yet. ¡°The adventurers guild gatherers all sort of stuff. The artisans guild uses those things to create goods. The merchant guilds treats those goods as products to be sold. And the dragon guild transports them to distant towns. Like this the four guilds are able to work together to develop the tow.n This too was because of the efforts of our ancestor.¡¯ [Miyabi] Miyabi-san puffed out her chest as she said that. Pioro-san seemed equally proud. This town, the airport, and their ancestor must be their pride. I heard more about their town as I treated myself to some long awaited Japanese cuisine. After that, without even returning to the room, I cleaned myself with the cleaner slime and quickly went to rest. As I wondered to myself what to do tomorrow, the satisfaction from a good meal and the fatigue from a long trip lulled me to sleep. I could resist it, but tree wasn¡¯t any point in doing so. Let¡¯s just think tomorrow¡­ I have time, after all¡­ Chapter 81 Volume 3 Chapter 81 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 81 part2 The next day. After quickly getting ready, Miyabi-san visited my room. ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-han.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Good morning, Miyabi-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I thought I¡¯d wake you up, but it looks like you¡¯re the early type. Anyway, breakfast is ready, so if you can eat, you should have some first.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I ate at the same dining room last night. Everyone here eats at such a fast pace. But then again, so do I. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest to you, Miyabi.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Good luck!¡± [Pioro] What are they talking about? ¡°Ryouma-han, where are you going today? Ryouma-han, you haven¡¯t gotten used to this town yet, right? In That case, I¡¯ll be your guide.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I¡¯m grateful, but what about your work?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mind. Don¡¯t mind. The president¡¯s daughter is still just 12 years old. It¡¯s normal for me not to be working. Tending to the store is just practice for the future.¡± [Miyabi] I guess that does make sense. ¡°Although there is a certain 11 year old kid with a store who¡¯s even about to open a branch store. I wonder if that boy is an exception.¡± Well, since she¡¯s going to be showing me around, I should put off the adventurer work and just make furniture today. ¡°Alright. In that case, I want to make some furniture today. Can you show me to a store I can buy wood from?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just leave it to me. I¡¯ll be sure to bring you to a good store.¡± [Miyabi] As she said that, she puffed out her chest and went outside. I followed her, but as soon as we got out, the rimel bird I¡¯d sent out yesterday, Drei, returned. ¡°Oh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s¡ª Kyaa!?¡± [Miyabi] Drei perched himself atop my shoulders. He flew right between me and Miyabi, so it couldn¡¯t be helped that Miyabi was startled and ended up jumping aside. Oh, her tail is moving a lot! ¡­I feel like I¡¯ve once heard that the foxes in my otherworld don¡¯t show their emotions much through their tail, but I wonder if that¡¯s not the case for the fox tribe here. But then again, it¡¯s only now that she¡¯s moving her tail a lot, so it might just be how she reacts when surprised. Like a spinal reflex of sort. Anyways, I should apologize for startling her. ¡°Sorry for startling you. This one here is my familiar.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Familiar? So, that¡¯s what it was. I don¡¯t believe I¡¯ve seen such a beautiful monster before, though.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°It¡¯s called a rimel bird. I had it bring a letter to my store at Gimuru.¡± [Ryouma] While explaining I took out the letter inside the pipe attached to Drei¡¯s leg. It was the response from Gimuru. Apparently, Drei reached them yesterday before closing time. Everyone will be departing early morning today for Renauph. They should arrive in 3 days. Just as planned. I passed that info onto Miyabi-san too, and we started walking again. After buying some wood at the store, I stored the wood in my Dimension Home, then we went our way to my store. I chose the storeroom as my workplace. The acid slimes began making components, while the sticky slimes and I put them together and reinforced them with sticky liquid and nails. Gradually, we produced chairs, desks, and shelves. Miyabi-san just quietly observed while we worked. I thought she didn¡¯t have much free time, but she¡¯s really just watching. Eventually, though, she asked me a question. ¡°Ryouma-han, what are these critters?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°You mean the slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, no, no, no, no. That¡¯s definitely wrong. Definitely. There¡¯s no way slimes like these could exist! Why in the world are slimes making furniture!?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°They can make them if you teach them. They can even learn martial arts and weapon arts.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously!?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Seriously.¡± [Ryouma] I made a rod with Polish Wheel, then I handed it to a sticky slime and ordered it to show Miyabi its moves. ¡°¡­It¡¯s using a staff!¡± [Miyabi] ¡°See?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Were slimes always so dexterous?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°At first, they were just normal slimes, but after a lot training, they became like this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ I had no idea they could turn out like this.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Most people don¡¯t. Everyone who¡¯s seen them for the first time were shocked.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why don¡¯t you publicize this? It¡¯ll be a huge discovery, won¡¯t it?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I wonder¡­. People don¡¯t seem very fond of slimes, and I don¡¯t plan on announcing it just yet.¡± That would be a waste, after all. As I muttered that to myself, Miyabi-san watched the slimes again. After that a few seconds of silence lingered, then Miyabi-san asked me this. ¡°¡­Ryouma-han, what are you doing next year?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re eleven now, right? Are you going to the academy next year? After all, you¡¯ll be turning twelve. Your store seems to be making a lot, so you can probably afford it. Are you going?¡± [Miyabi] School, huh¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like it. Right now, I just want to train and adventure as I please. And from what I¡¯ve heard, the social aspect of the academy is rather troublesome, so there¡¯s not a lot of opportunities to actually study.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, Miyabi-san sighed deeply. ¡°Haa~ So you knew.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°You know about it too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll be going to the academy starting this year, so I¡¯ve already gathered intel about it. Dad also taught me all sorts of stuff regarding it.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I see¡­ So, why did you bring this up all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you seem to have a good personality, so I was thinking school would be easier if there was someone I knew. People there are probably stiff when it comes to relationships, but more than that, I¡¯m good at magic. If I went to the academy and stood out, it wouldn¡¯t end with just some weird noble following me around.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°If it¡¯s that bad, why go?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m going to be a merchant, so I need to make connections. The academy makes it a policy not to differentiate between nobles and commoners, so it¡¯s much easier to get close to nobles there than elsewhere. So, I was thinking it would be nice to have someone I could talk to without having to be so tense. Moreover, you¡¯re really good at magic, so it would put me at ease if you were going to school too.¡± [Miyabi] She¡¯s quite determined despite only being a child¡­ Merchants sure are scary. Though it seems it¡¯s not really that strange for students to enroll with this goal in mind. Still, is she really that good at magic that other people would become envious of her? ¡°Are you good at magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just enough to use an intermediate fire spell, but that¡¯s already enough to put you ahead in school.¡± [Miyabi] When I asked more about it, apparently, most students can only use beginner magic upon enrollment. And there are even students who will be learning magic for the first time. If those are her peers, then being able to use an intermediate spell is more than enough to put her ahead of others. Speaking of which, although the fox tribe people are beast people too, I hear they have unusually greater mana than the others. I feel like I¡¯ve talked about this with someone at the guild, but maybe that¡¯s why Miyabi is good at magic. This country doesn¡¯t discriminate against other races, so it doesn¡¯t matter even if one is a half. If someone tries to discriminate against someone in this country, they¡¯ll only end up being shunned. Apparently, there was quite a bit of discrimination in the past, but an otherworlder who came before me set things right. There¡¯s still some envy left when it comes to the advantages that races have over each other, though. ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped if you¡¯re not going. I¡¯m not gonna try and force you. It¡¯s not like I was expecting anything in the first place. It¡¯s just that if you were going to school, I was planning to help you stay away from weird nobles and introduce some good ones to you.¡± [Miyabi] She was thinking of supporting me? What a determined child. Doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person too. She seems to have her work cut out for her, though. Still, I wish her the best. As I encouraged her internally, I continued working. I got her help on the simpler stuff too, and like that, we managed to complete the furniture and tools. After completing the furniture, I told Miyabi-san that I would be going to the adventurers guild, then go back to the store. ¡°Ryouma-han, there are no jobs in town for adventurers right now. At most, there will probably only be herb collection jobs or jobs that require one to hunt small animals.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Really? In Gimuru I heard that a strong monster appeared in this town.¡± [Ryouma] Has it been hunted already? ¡°Ah~ You heard about that? It¡¯s because of that that only E Rank and above can pass the north right now.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Is the monster than strong?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. A D Rank part would be more than enough, but unfortunately, there are no such adventurers in this town.¡± [Miyabi] Because of the presence of the dragon guild in this town, large monsters like the wyverns frequently fly its sky, scaring the nearby monsters, so there¡¯s usually not a whole lot of monsters that could be found nearby. As a result, the higher ranked adventurers don¡¯t have any prey left to hunt, so they end up going elsewhere. It¡¯s only natural for a person to leave town if he can¡¯t make any money. The guards just patrol the gates and the streets, so the area the monster is lurking isn¡¯t under their jurisdiction. Without any adventurers to turn to, times like this are quite problematic. Anyway, that¡¯s why people aren¡¯t allowed to go to the northern part of town unless they¡¯re E Rank or above. Fortunately, the requirement isn¡¯t above D Rank. ¡°So as long as one is E Rank, he can go, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. The guild will also request some lumber and herbs that can be gotten from the northern woods¡­ Oh, right. You¡¯re an E Ranker, right? I won¡¯t tell you not to go, but do be careful. You have make sure to run away if the monster finds you.¡± [Miyabi] I thanked Miyabi-san and headed to the guild. It¡¯s hard for a non-adventurer woman to approach the adventurers guild, so I didn¡¯t take Miyabi up on her offer to show me the way. I went to the reception desk as soon as I got to the guild and gathered some information. May source was the male clerk tending to the reception. He was the sort of guy who just did his job without much care, so when I showed him my E Rank guild card, he didn¡¯t say anything and just brought me the available jobs for the north. I got some intel regarding the monster that appeared in the north too, and as it turns out, it¡¯s apparently a monster known as Smash Boar. The smash boar is a monster with short but sharp fangs. Its body is big and durable. Its skin is tough, so its hard to hurt it without sufficient strength. After confirming the above details, I was sure that I had the right monster in mind. Only D Rank and above could accept the subjugation job for it, so I just took a herb collection job and went back to Pioro-san¡¯s store. Along the way, I thought back to the letter I got when I first got to this world. The grandparents the gods used to give me a credible background are actually real people. Gayn and the others went out of their way to summon their souls and even got their permission to use their names for my sake. The place my grandparents lived at is a place called Cormi Village, located within the Great Shurus Forest. The Great Forest of Shurus is a treasure trove of medicinal ingredients and many precious stones could be found within the caves that dotted it. Many villages were founded in it in hopes of gathering these precious resources. Cormi Village was one such village. But the Great Forest of Shurus was den to many monsters, and was renowned within the kingdom as a dangerous region. Even its shallowest areas are fraught with D Rank monsters and greater. To make things worse, the adventurers that died seeking precious resources continue to lurk the forest as zombies, skeletons, ghost, or some other type of undead. The road to Cormi Village was fraught with danger on a level far beyond that of Renauph. It¡¯s not a place one should tamper with mindlessly. But not only did I receive permission to use their name, they even gave me ownership of their belongings. They didn¡¯t have a successor, they just hid their stuff, so they told me they would like me to be inherit those things along with their will. It¡¯s just something they¡¯re hoping for, so it¡¯s not really something I have to do, but in order to get their things, I would have to go get them myself. As such, Gayn advised me to go practice with a monster that moves similarly to those in the forest first before going. One such monster I could use is the smash boar. It actually wasn¡¯t impossible for me to reach the village as soon as I got to this world if I relied on my ki and my martial arts, but there wasn¡¯t any guarantee that I would be able to come back alive. As such, I just stayed in Gana Forest. And before I knew it, because of my hobbies, three years had already passed. I¡¯ve left the forest now, so I might as well go. There are strong monsters in the treasure trove of resources. They¡¯ll make for good training. And besides, although it¡¯s just in name, they¡¯re still my grandparents, so I¡¯d like to fulfill their request. I¡¯ll have to make some preparations to go the Great Shurus Forest. I went back to Pioro-san¡¯s store while thinking that to myself. I had supper at the store too. When I told them that during mealtime that I would be going to the north tomorrow, Pioro-san asked me, ¡°Won¡¯t you please get rid of that smash boar?¡± in the next moment, Miyabi-san rammed [1] into Pioro-san and Kurana-san chided him with a terrifying smile. To me the smash boar is a training tool of sort, but to Pioro-san, it¡¯s an obstruction to trade and something that could be good merchandise. Apparently, the smash boar¡¯s meat is soft, odorless, and delicious. If I do hunt one, I should bring it here. I might not have accepted a job, but it can¡¯t be helped if I were to accidentally meet it and end up killing it. After all, no one would just stand and watch himself get killed, so there¡¯s no way I can hold back if I do come across it. I¡¯m sure no one will complain if I get rid of it after accidentally coming across it, right? ¡­Huh? D-Did I always have this sort of personality? C-Could have I degenerated after fighting so many thugs? [2] No. I have to be careful. [1] ¨C Not sure if literal. [2] ¨C You know what they say about fighting pigs and becoming a pig yourself. Chapter 82 Volume 3 Chapter 82 part2 The next day. ¡°Be careful!¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi sent me off, and I headed to the northern gate of the town. I watched the hustle and bustle along the way as I walked, and when I neared the gate, I braced myself. It¡¯s a gate, so naturally, the guards would stop me, but I was able to quickly deal with them by showing proof that I was an E Rank adventurer. Now it¡¯s time to gather some medicinal herbs near an area the smash boar is known to frequent. My equipment for today is a bow and a knife. I have a spear in my Item Box too, but I¡¯m not planning to use it. Great swords and spears are effective against smash boars, but in order to make it look like I just came across it, I can¡¯t bring weapons that are effective against the smash boar. That would be just too coincidental. The bow is also listed as my main weapon owing to the time when I first registered at the adventurers, so if can¡¯t come too prepared, or they¡¯ll be suspicious of me. I gathered herbs for a while, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t find the smash boar. It¡¯s not really guaranteed to find a monster just because you know where it¡¯s frequently sighted. Monsters aren¡¯t herbs, after all; they do walk. Still¡­ I feel like it¡¯s a first for me to have so much trouble finding a monster. Actually, there aren¡¯t any other monsters around either. It seems Miyabi-san really wasn¡¯t kidding. There really are few monsters around here. I started going around to areas other than those teeming with herbs to look for the smash boar while completing my herb collection job, but in the end, I still couldn¡¯t find the smash boar, but now my quota has been met. But then again it¡¯s not like I have to find the smash boar today, since I still have another day before I meet up with the employees, so¡­ But on second thought, since it¡¯s difficult to get permission to pass the northern gate, I¡¯ll probably be able to sell as much herbs as I have, so it shouldn¡¯t hurt to gather more than my quota. While I was thinking that to myself, a faint voice reached my ears. ¡°¡ªuaAAA¡± [???] Is that a person¡¯s voice? Seems a bit far, though. Hmm¡­ Maybe I¡¯m just hearing things. ¡°¡ª¡ªSave me¡ª¡± [???] ¡­I heard it again! I¡¯m not just imagining it. Someone was clearly asking for help just now! I readied my bow, hid my aura, and walked toward the direction of the voice, where I found two adventurers being chased by a monster that seemed to be a smash boar. I think calling it a pig would be more apt for its appearance, honestly. It might have some fangs, but they¡¯re small and they¡¯re not sharp. The only thing it really has going for it is that it¡¯s really big, about as big as a cow. Wait! This isn¡¯t the time to be thinking about that! I nocked an arrow and timed it with the movement of the boar. The arrow flew through the gaps between the trees and toward the smash boar. The smash boar was charging through the helpless slender trees when my arrow landed right in its right eye, causing it to let out a painful cry that resounded throughout the area. When the two adventurers heard that, they stopped and turned around. What are they doing!? Keep running! ¡°Keep running!¡± [Ryouma] I told them, but when they saw me, they became flustered. I tried calling out to them again, but the smash boar had already noticed me and was looking at me with its left eye. This is going quite differently than what I expected, but¡­ yeah. Let¡¯s do it. I unequipped my bow and put it on my back, then I reinforced my body with ki and glared at the boar. The smash boar had a body like that of a pig¡¯s, but it also had two small dull fangs growing from its lower jaw that extended toward the sides of its face. Its fangs aren¡¯t venomous, but they do pack a punch when rammed into someone, so I still need to watch out for it. But what I really need to look out for is its constitution. It might resemble a boar, but it¡¯s about 1.5 times bigger than the cows I¡¯m familiar with, so it¡¯s clear as day that it¡¯s covered in a thick armor of meat. Countless scars could be seen all over it ¨C those two adventurers probably tried to hurt it ¨C but those are probably all superficial. I doubt they managed to leave any internal damage to it with those shallow wounds. Attacks against its body seem like they wouldn¡¯t amount to much¡­ In that case, I¡¯ll go for its head where there¡¯s not as much meat! ¡°GUOoOOOOO!¡± [Smash Boara] The smash boar bellowed out a cry and charged toward me, but the trees seemed to have hindered its movements, as it was easy to see despite moving so much. I dodged to the right, and the smash boar kept going and crashed into a tree. After mowing down the tree, the smash boar turned around and started charging toward me again. This time I dodged to the left, but unlike before, when we passed each other, I hit its right temple with a ki-reinforced palm strike. ¡°PIGIi!?¡± [Smash Boar] It was quieter compared to before, but the smash boar definitely stopped moving and cried out in pain. Looks like that was effective. I can tell from that last attack too. The head definitely doesn¡¯t have as much meat to it. Alright! One more time! The smash boar shook its head, then it tried to strike me with its fangs, but I took a step back, causing it to miss. I used that opening, to throw a kick toward its left temple. ¡°PI, GIi¡­¡± [Smash Boar] The attack this time was a lot more effective, as the smash boar¡¯s right foreleg gave way and the boar fell to its knees. I attacked again. This time I gave it a nice uppercut to the jaws, grabbed its fangs, then drove my right elbow into its head. ¡°!¡± [Smash Boar] A dull sound resounded as I clearly felt the feeling of crushing a bone. At the sam etime, the smash boar¡¯s legs shook and then it fainted. Did I kill it just like that? ¡­Huh. It seems it really is dead. ¡°U-Umm!¡± [???] ¡°Thank you for rescuing us!¡± [???] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re welcome. You¡¯re not hurt, are you?¡± [Ryouma] After confirming that the smash boar was dead, the two adventurers walked up to me. I didn¡¯t notice it before because of the distance and their armor, but apparently, one of them was a woman. ¡°If not for you, we would¡¯ve¡­¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°One of our friends is wounded. We can¡¯t thank you enough for saving us, but we need to go help him.¡± [Female Adventurer] If they have a wounded friend, then maybe I should go too. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I can come along too. I can use healing magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°Thank you so much! Please come with us!¡± [Female Adventurer] ¡°Ah, but we can¡¯t just leave this smash boar here without anyone watching it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I didn¡¯t catch your name¡­¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°Oh, excuse me. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, then. Ryouma-kun, you stay here. We¡¯ll bring our party member here.¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°There are some bad adventurers around these parts, so do be careful.¡± [Female Adventurer] The two of them left after saying that. Bad adventurers? This is a flag, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m sure some real bad ones are gonna come around any moment now. I braced myself for the inevitable, but I couldn¡¯t sense anyone nearby. Hmm¡­ Anyway, let¡¯s go drain this thing¡¯s blood first. I had the bloody slime deal with the smash boar¡¯s blood, then I took out my heal slime. Huh? Done already? The bloody slime sure works fast. I waited for a while after that, but in the end, no bad adventurers showed up, and the two adventurers from before came back carrying a wounded female swordsman. Tl Note: Changed the theme again. Still minimal, but with a warmer white and some margins. By the way, the theme you guys keep saying is broken was actually the ¡®new¡¯ theme last time. It barely had any CSS, so it looked ¡®broken¡¯. The new theme is Susty by Jack Lenox. A dark mode has now been installed. Due to the way the caching works, you might get pages that are cached as dark mode or normal mode, so you¡¯ll just have to turn it back off or on. Fortunately, the button is placed right underneath the title, so it shouldn¡¯t be too much of an inconvenience. Also, for those suggesting to make dark theme default, there are more bright-theme users than you think. They¡¯re just quiet, but the moment I make the default theme dark, they¡¯ll come out of the woodworks like a swarm of angry bees. I know since I¡¯ve already tried it twice. Also, a sort of old change, but I didn¡¯t mention it, but we changed to disqus for the comments, so the server doesn¡¯t need to manage it anymore and we can free up resources. It works perfectly well with the themes as long as you set your theme before scrolling all the way down, which is going to be the case for pretty much everyone. So in conclusion, the site lag has been fixed and you shouldn¡¯t get much resource limit warnings anymore. You¡¯ll still get them at certain times when the site is doing some self care, but not as much as before. Not even close. Dark mode has been implemented. There are margins now and the white is now warmer. There are still some things that need to be readded like chatango (probably just gonna switch to discord) and the logo, but the site is basically back to shape. Now, we can focus on translating. This is the second regular release this week. Two more to go. ¡­Her body appears to have been hit with significant force. Probably took one of that smash boar¡¯s charges head on. There are scratches and fractures all over her shoulders and legs. She¡¯s sweating a lot too. Fortunately, there¡¯s not much damage to her ribs or her body. Her internal organs will take a while to heal, but I should be able to heal her wounds now. ¡°¡®High Heal¡¯ ¡®High Heal¡¯ ¡®High Heal¡¯ ¡®High Heal¡¯¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Thank¡­ You¡­¡± [Female Swordsman Adventurer] After casting high heal many times on the wounded adventurer, her sweat finally stopped and she started groaning. She was even able to thank me. A huge change in a short period of time. ¡°Thank you so so so much!¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°Thank you. We owe you a lot.¡± [Female Adventurer] ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Her wounds are better now, but the fatigue remains, so please make sure she keeps resting.¡± [Ryouma] We introduced ourselves, and I found out that the wounded swordsman is called Firi-san, while of the two adventurers being chased, the man was Ken-san and the woman was Ruri-san. ¡°This is nothing. Your healing spells really saved me. The slime too.¡± [Firi] ¡°Unfortunately, we don¡¯t have much to repay you with.¡± [Ruri] ¡°Take this for now. If it¡¯s still not enough, I¡¯ll pay you when we get to town.¡± [Ken] Ken handed me a pouch full of money. They don¡¯t really have to, honestly. I¡¯m not lacking any money and they¡¯re just E Rankers. That¡¯s a level where they should still be struggling to make ends meet. I¡¯ll just accept this pouch, but I won¡¯t ask for any more. ¡°Thank you. This will do. Instead of more coin, just tell me more about those bad adventurers you were talking about just now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± [Ruri] ¡°You¡¯re losing a lot out in this, but alright. We normally go adventuring with us three partied together, but today we had two more with us.¡± [Firi] As the story goes. they hit it off at the bar with some C Rank adventurers from another town, who then told them that they wanted them to lead them to the smash boar. As compensation, they offered to teach them how to fight, help them accumulate experience, and give them a very small portion of the reward. ¡°They showed me their guild card and I was sure that they were C Rankers. You know how the guild lists at the back of the card all the problems that an adventurers has caused in his career, as well as the cases when they¡¯ve breached any contract? Well¡­ They didn¡¯t have any of those, so I thought I could trust them.¡± [Ken] ¡°The compensation was the right amount too.¡± [Ruri] ¡°But those guys just made us fight under the pretense of gaining experience, then when things got bad, they used us as decoys and abandoned us. When I got hit by the smash boar, these two used themselves as a decoy to protect me. The rest of the story is as you know it.¡± [Firi] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Were they tricked or were the C Rankers just too weak themselves? Either way, those adventurers aren¡¯t very nice. I don¡¯t think these three are lying since the smash boar was chasing two of them and one of them was heavily injured to the point of being unable to move. They¡¯re risking way too much for this to be a mere lie. ¡°Umm¡­ Are you really sure you¡¯re okay with just this? We can pay more money if you want.¡± [Ruri] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m the one who suggested to use healing magic anyway. Consider it a free service this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But¡­¡± [Ruri] ¡°Ruri, I understand you feel sorry being unable to pay him back, but it¡¯s rude to keep refusing. At times like this, you should just gratefully accept.¡± [Firi] While Firi was saying that, an idea suddenly came to mind. ¡°I know. Why don¡¯t you help me carry the smash boar to town? It would also be great if you could help me explain to the guild that my encounter with the smash boar was really nothing more than an accident.¡± [Ryouma] The smash boar has already been drained of blood, so it¡¯s not that heavy anymore. It¡¯s at just the right weight where I can carry it after reinforcing my body with either ki or reinforcement magic. Unfortunately, my body is tiny, so even if I can carry it, I¡¯ll still end up dragging it along the ground. I also need some eyewitness to help me prove that meeting the smash boar was really nothing more than a coincidence. ¡°If you¡¯re okay with just that, then sure!¡± [Firi] ¡°Please allow us to help!¡± [Ken] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ruri] Like this I got the help of the three adventurers and we carried the smash boar to town. The guards looked quite shocked, but after a short explanation, they let us through. As expected, all eyes were on us until we got to Pioro-san¡¯s store. ¡°Uwaah!?¡± [Customer 1] ¡°What is that!?¡± [Customer 2] ¡°Sorry, please let us through.¡± [Ryouma] The customers in front of the store were shocked when they saw us carrying the smash boar. ¡°Ryouma-han!? What is with that big thing!?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Oh, Miyabi-san. This is a smash boar.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can tell that just by looking, thank you! What I¡¯m asking is why that big thing is here! Did you go fight it even though we told you it¡¯s dangerous?¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi-san was clearly furious as she approached me, but Pioro-san calmed her down. After that the three adventurers explained what happened. ¡°So, it¡¯s our fault that he ended up fighting with the smash boar.¡± [Ken] ¡°If he hadn¡¯t helped us, who knows what could have happened to us.¡± [Firi] ¡°Please don¡¯t blame him!¡± [Ruri] ¡°U¡­¡± [Miyabi] Seeing the three plead for me, Miyabi-san heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°So you were out saving some people, huh? ¡­Well, I guess it can¡¯t be helped then. And according to them, it doesn¡¯t seem like you were fighting a reckless battle either, so I guess it¡¯s fine?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Sorry to worry you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously¡­ But, let¡¯s leave it at this for today. Dad, we need to process the smash boar immediately or the meat will spoil.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Right! We can¡¯t just leave it here. Take it to the store!¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san led us to the butchering room of their butcher. ¡°Shall we start?¡± [Employees] ¡°Wait a minute!¡± [Kurana] Just as the employees were about to begin, Kurana appeared and asked everyone to wait. Apparently, a person from the adventurers guild came. ¡°Can¡¯t it wait for a bit? We¡¯re at the good part right now.¡± [Pioro] ¡°They need to inspect that smash boar first. It¡¯s the monster responsible for causing so much problem in the north recently, so they need to confirm that it¡¯s been dealt with.¡± [Kurana] Oh, right. We told the guards that we would be selling it at the Saionji Firm, so they probably passed that info to the adventurers guild. After a while, the male clerk I met yesterday entered the store. Pioro-san greeted him. ¡°Welcome.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Sorry to disturb you while you¡¯re in the middle of something. I¡¯ve come here to confirm that the smash boar has been dealt with.¡± [Male Clerk] As the male clerk said that, he walked around the smash boar, heaved a sigh, and then nodded. ¡°This is undoubtedly the same smash boar that has been causing us much problems. Thank you for your cooperation. With this we can lift the restriction on the northern gate.¡± [Male Clerk] As he said that, he was about to leave, but before he could, the three adventurers hurriedly approached him. ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll write a record for those two. Can you three accompany me to the guild? Takebayashi-sama, you can come any time with the smash boar¡¯s trophy to claim your reward.¡± [Male Clerk] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] The man took the 3 adventurers and left. The three adventurers thanked me again before leaving. After sending off the four, I went back to the butchering area, where the employees were waiting for the butchering to start. ¡°Someone got in the way there for a bit, but now that that¡¯s out of the way, let us begin! Commence the butchering!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes!¡± [Employees] ¡°Ryouma, you sure you¡¯re okay selling all of these meat to us?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have anywhere else to sell it anyway. Oh, but can you spare some meat for me to eat too? I¡¯ll sell everything else.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No problem. Right, everyone?¡± [Pioro] The employees all nodded to his words and the butchering of the smash boar began. But when they started, they suddenly let out voices of inquiry. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Pioro] ¡°This smash boar doesn¡¯t have a single drop of blood.¡± [Employee] ¡°What do you mean? Has the blood coagulated? But even then, a drop should at least come out.¡± [Pioro] ¡°No. There¡¯s really nothing.¡± [Employee] Pioro-san checked the meat himself and found himself equally bewildered. Oh, yeah! I used the bloody slime to drain it of blood. ¡°Sorry, I forgot to mention that I¡¯d already drained its blood.¡± [Ryouma] Everyone turned to look at me. ¡°Without opening a wound? And can you really drain a beast of blood so throughly?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I used a special method. Do you know about the slimes called bloody slime?¡± [Ryouma] As I asked that, one of the employees answered. ¡°That¡¯s a slime that sucks blood, right? I remember seeing one in the forest when I was a kid¡­¡± [Employee] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You have a slime that could suck blood? ¡­I¡¯m guessing you must¡¯ve used that to suck the blood of the smash boar then?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes. I always have it suck the animals I hunt. Especially the smash bear since it¡¯s bigger than normal, so I wanted to make it lighter. The meat is still safe to eat, but will this in any way affect the selling of the meat.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I used Identify on it and can confirm that there are no issues with the meat. In fact, its quality is even better than normal. So, no. This won¡¯t affect the price, but this does make me want your slime.¡± [Pioro] After that I talked to Pioro-san about the bloody slime. Right now, I only have one with me, so I refused him after telling him that it might run loose without an owner and might cause some problems. I am willing to lend him the bloody slime in the future, though. Provided there are some trustworthy monster tamers under him. It¡¯s good to make the world know the value of slimes and I¡¯m sure I can entrust the slimes to his store. Also, unlike the cleaner slime and the scavenger slimes, the bloody slime can actually be found out in the wild. So, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a lot of merit to monitoring them too much. While I was thinking that, they finished butchering the smash boar. They gave me a medium gold coin and some meat for me to eat. For the trophy, I took the tusks of the smash boar. I¡¯m tired today already, so I¡¯ll just hand over the herbs I collected to the guild tomorrow. Chapter 83 Volume 3 Chapter 83 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 83 part2 In the morning, I got the miso, the soy sauce, and other seasonings from Pioro-san I was feeling good, so I decided to hand in the herbs I collected as well as the tusks of the smash boar to the guild. The clerk at the front desk told me that they would immediately prepare the reward. It seems the male clerk had properly informed them yesterday. I thought of all sorts of reasons to prove that it really was just a coincidence, but it seems it wasn¡¯t necessary¡­ Well, I¡¯m just saying that now because things turned out like this. But normally they would have pursued the matter to some extent. It¡¯s just that Ken-san and Co. were around that I don¡¯t have to deal with that anymore. While I was thinking that, the clerk came back with my reward and thanked me personally. When I asked him why he was thanking me, apparently, those three were his friends. I asked him about the other two adventurers, and it turns out that they¡¯ve already been apprehended. The E Rank adventurers were having a party at the bar after work last night, and the guild got word that those two adventurers were there, so they swiftly went into action and caught them. The two admitted to their crimes and it was also found out that their guild cards were fake. They were involved with other crimes too, so the guild decided to expel them from the guild. After a through investigation, it was decided that they would either end up working in the mines for 5 years minimum or be slaves for an indefinite period of time. ¡°You can fake the guild card?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the guild itself does add and remove information to the card, so it¡¯s not impossible. But you¡¯ll need a special magic tool to do the job, so it¡¯s not something that a mere adventurer could do. In this case, the method they used was much simpler, and they simply used ¡®another person¡¯s¡¯ card. They picked up another person¡¯s card and left one side as is while destroying the other side, then they connected that to the important part of another card. It¡¯s not unusual for the guild cards to end up damaged due to poor handling, but ¨C and not that it¡¯s something praiseworthy ¨C but they managed to make the combination of the two cards appear natural. It seems they learned from some workshop as apprentices, though they were also expelled from there due to again causing some trouble.¡± [Clerk] So they forged a card by combining two genuine products, huh? Their character aside, it seems they¡¯re rather skilled. ¡°It seems I need take better care of my card.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu. Please do.¡± [Clerk] ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked the clerk for the information and left the guild. Now then¡­ What to do? I¡¯ve already finished what I came here to do. I should go back to Pioro-san¡¯s store for now. ¡°Takebayashi-sama, the president was looking for you just now.¡± [Employee] When I got back, an employee told me that. I told him that I could meet him now and was brought to his office. I wonder what could possibly be so urgent. Pioro-san and I talked over tea. ¡°Ryouma, can you think of any dish that uses smash boar meat and ingredients like soy sauce or miso?¡± [Pioro] ¡°A dish?¡± [Ryouma] If you want to make Japanese cuisine using pork, then there¡¯s Pork Miso Soup, Pork Shabu (Shabu-Shabu with pork instead of beef), Butadon (rice with pork and veggies), and pork fried with ginger. ¡°I know a few.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Could you teach me? grilled fish and miso soup taste good, but it¡¯s tiresome eating the same thing over and over. I¡¯ve always believed that ingredients like miso and soy sauce would sell more if there were more ways to sell them.¡± [Pioro] I see. It would be great for me too if Japanese cuisine became more accessible, so I guess I¡¯ll teach him. ¡°Alright, how about pork fried with gin¡ª I mean smash boar meat fried with jija?¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s meat, soy sauce, and mirin, and as for the ginger, it can be bought from a pharmacy, so we can make a real pork fried with ginger! ¡°I know it¡¯s not right to ask this from a guest, but can you cook me that dish? You can use as much ingredients as you want.¡± [Pioro] ¡°You sure?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If anything, I¡¯ll be profiting since I get to learn a new dish.¡± [Pioro] Like that I ended up making our lunch. Surprisingly, though, Kurana-san and Miyabi-san were going to be cooking with me. I thought I would be teaching a servant, I told them, and they laughed. ¡°Mom often says that cooking is something that women should be interested in. I don¡¯t hate cooking myself, but not being able to cook when we sell food ingredients just ain¡¯t right.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing the new dish and your skills, Ryouma-han.¡± [Kurana] As the two of them looked at me, I got the ingredients and tools prepared beforehand and started cooking. First was to wash the rice and cook it over fire. I never did cook rice on a stove back in my previous life, so this is a new experience for me. I have to make some pork miso soup too to eat alongside the pork fried with ginger, so I made dashi (stock soup) using kelp-like seaweed and some small fishes, then I added onions, great burdock, mushrooms, and smash boar meat with all sorts of vegetables to the soup. Ever since going out to town, I¡¯ve noticed that there¡¯s a lot of vegetables with the same name or similar to those from Earth. This might be another one of the otherworlders influence. While I was making the pork miso soup, Miyabi-san was mostly taking care of the rice, she looked how I was doing. When I was about done with the pork miso soup, I made a little more than would be needed, so I took out a vial from my Item Box, and filled it with the excess stock soup. I then tuned its taste with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and vinegar. ¡°Ryouma-han, what is that?¡± [Kurana] ¡°Flavoring made with soy sauce, mirin, and stock soup. The taste changes according to the ratio of the ingredients, so it¡¯s best to make it according to one¡¯s taste. If you want, you can also add some ramon juice to give it a refreshing taste. It works well for salads, meat, and fishes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°To think there was something like that¡­¡± [Kurana] Kurana-san stared at the vial for a bit, but then she quickly went back to the pork miso soup. After a while, the pork miso soup was done. Next, I should make the pork fried with ginger. I cut the meat into thin slices and fried it. At the same time, I grated the jija and mixed it together with soy sauce and mirin to create a sauce. I put that over fire and when its color changed, its fragrant smell filled me, causing me to exclaim. Kurana and Miyabi were focused on the meat, but all that¡¯s left now is to mixed it with the sauce. And voila! The pork fried with ginger is done! Simple and delicious. There are various ways to make pork fried with ginger, some marinading the meat with the sauce, but this is how I make it. As for why, that¡¯s because in my previous life I preferred food that were quick an delicious. Although, I suppose I can try my hand at those other methods now, but let¡¯s leave that for another time. After that I cut the cabbage into fine thin strips and divided an oddly sized tomato ¨C bigger than a cherry tomato but smaller than a normal tomato ¨C into four. Good. The rice is also done, so¡­ When I approached the rice, I noticed a man with black hair at the corner of my vision. ¡°Pioro-san? Since when were you there?¡± [Ryouma] Pioro-san walked out from the shadow of the kitchen¡¯s entrance and revealed himself. It was strangely awkward. ¡°Ah~ Forgive me~ The smell was so good I couldn¡¯t help myself. Before I knew it, I was already standing here.¡± [Pioro] The smell of cooked rice and pork fried with ginger must¡¯ve whet his appetite. ¡°Dad, it¡¯s not good to sneak around. If you want to watch, just say so.¡± [Miyabi] I ignored the scene of the daughter scolding her dad as I served four portions for ourselves. ¡°All done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Then, what are we waiting for? Let¡¯s eat!¡± [Pioro] Pioro called for the servants to bring the food to the table. At the dining table¡­ ¡°This is smash boar meat fried with jija. Please enjoy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It looks so delicious. Don¡¯t mind if I dig in. Itadakimasu!¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi-san started eating. She skillfully took a piece of meat with her chopsticks and took a bite. In the next moment, her ears perked up and stretched themselves, then she exclaimed. ¡°Delicious! It¡¯s so delicious!¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Oh, my. You¡¯re not kidding. It¡¯s so good. I thought it would be delicious even while it was still being cooked, but having a taste of the real thing, I have to say it¡¯s even better than I¡¯d thought.¡± [Kurana] ¡°The fried jija is good, alright, but this soup is also something else. What do you call this? Pork miso soup? It¡¯s delicious. On top of that, it¡¯s healthy too with all these vegetables. If this dish were to gain popularity, soy sauce and miso will surely sell!¡± [Pioro] Looks like they like it. I¡¯m glad they¡¯re enjoying themselves. Pioro-san keeps looking at it from a merchant¡¯s perspective, but there¡¯s no doubt that he genuinely enjoys it too. While explaining the dish myself, I tasted the food I cooked and was filled with satisfaction. Pioro-san liked the pork fried with jija so much that he declared that he would have it made available in the delicatessen starting this evening. He sure works fast¡­ The next day. After having breakfast, I went out the front door to go to the store, but then a carriage stopped right in front of the Saionji Firm. Hmm? Is that¡­ ¡°Carla-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? Boss!¡± [Carla] So, it really was her. She had her back on me and was giving orders to some people that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t notice. ¡°So, you¡¯ve arrived. It was a long trip, wasn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss. Where¡¯s the store?¡± [Carla] ¡°It¡¯s across the street. That one.¡± [Ryouma] I pointed at the store and gave orders to people I don¡¯t know to bring the carriage to the store. They must be the new recruits. After that I took Carla-san and Caulkin-san¡¯s group to greet Pioro-san, then we went ahead and began preparations to open the store. 4 days later. We took two days to decide the particulars of the store, then after checking everything and making sure everyone knew their roles, we opened the store on the third day. There are five new recruits for the branch store. They had a short course of training previously, so they were able to work well. Of the five, one was the chef, and the remaining 4 were the employees and bodyguards of the store. As for why they¡¯re also working as bodyguards, that¡¯s because they¡¯re former C Rank adventurers. When I asked them why they would want to work at my store, they said that they did just fine as adventurers, but when they were approaching their limits, a monster appeared and cost them two of their friends. At the time, they didn¡¯t know a thing about the monster that appeared, and they could do nothing more than run. The only reason they survived was because of luck and because their dead comrades got the monster¡¯s attention. Their two friends knew that they couldn¡¯t run anymore because of their injuries and that they wouldn¡¯t last long enough to reach town, so they used whatever remained of their lives to get the monster¡¯s attention. When they managed to reach town, they immediately went to the guild and told them about the monster. Fortunately, there was an A Rank party at the time, and the monster was easily dealt with. When they went to see the monster and the place where it died in order to sort out their feelings, they found out that it was a B Rank monster. A monster that was so strong that they couldn¡¯t do anything against it but run was just one rank above theirs. To make things worse, there was a party that could easily hunt said monster. After that they gave up trying to become B Rankers. They could make enough money just working C Rank jobs, so they started saving up and looked for another job where they could settle down. That¡¯s when they found my store. They¡¯re former C Rankers. They might not be a match for B Rank monsters, but they¡¯re more than strong enough to deal with some ruffians. As such, the guild master gave a stamp approval, certifying that they¡¯re suitable to bodyguards. Knowing I¡¯m an adventurer too, they gave me some advise, telling me to prioritize safety above all. They¡¯re definitely good guys. If it¡¯s them, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to get along with other people. Speaking of which, a few days ago, when the store had just opened, Ken-san and the others came. There were barely any customers just yet, so I gave them a short explanation of the store, how it works, and asked them to become regulars, but¡­ The conversation very quickly turned to the smash boar. Their experience resonated with the experience of my adventurer employees, so as a result, my employees ended up giving them various advice and even told them their story of why they gave up being adventurers. Actually, this was when I first learned about their story. Anyway, with the store functional, there was no longer any reason for me to stay at Renauph. As such, I decided to leave the store to Carla-san and go back to Gimuru. Pioro-san, Carla-san, and the others saw me off. ¡°Ryouma, do your best. It¡¯s a match from now on, you hear me? You have to keep building more stores!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Be careful.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Boss, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of the store.¡± [Carla] ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to learn store management as quickly as possible!¡± [Tony] ¡°Leave it to me. I won¡¯t waste money like before anymore. Just you wait, I¡¯ll show you a store overflowing with money!!¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Boss, please take care of your body.¡± [Robelia] ¡°You take care too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-han, be sure not to push yourself too hard, alright? I don¡¯t know when we¡¯ll meet again, but please don¡¯t die.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°But of course. I don¡¯t plan on dying just yet.¡± [Ryouma] There were still a lot of things left to do. My grandparents inheritance and research¡­ My slimes¡­ My promise with Elia¡­ Oh, right. Miyabi did say she¡¯s going to the academy. In that case, she might meet Elia. Elia said she didn¡¯t have any friends and Miyabi is going there with the sole intention of making connections, so¡­ ¡°Miyabi-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°You¡¯re going to the academy at the capital this year, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. What about it?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°In that case, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? What is it?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°There¡¯s a girl who¡¯ll be enrolling this year. Her name is Elialia. If you can, it would be great if you could get along with her. She¡¯s a good girl and she¡¯s also a noble, so you¡¯ll be able to make one of your connections with her. Also, can you pass her a message from me? Tell her ¡®Good luck¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as that girl isn¡¯t involved with some weird people, then sure.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Thanks. I wish you well too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. And you too.¡± [Miyabi] I thanked everyone for sending me off, then I went back to Gimuru. Chapter 84 Volume 3 Chapter 84 After arriving at Gimuru around noontime, I decided to show my face at the store. ¡°Welcome back, Boss.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Carm-san.¡± After greeting each other, Carm-san gave me a report of the store¡¯s recent activities. ¡°There have been no impediments to the store¡¯s operation recently, but there was an incident a few days ago.¡± [Carm] ¡°An incident? What happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You know that charcoal you left in the kitchen? You said it had the ability to absorb humidity from the air, so having it around could improve the air in the kitchen, right?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes, though the effects vary according to the amount and quality of the charcoal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, Fina-san and the others tried that charcoal thing out several times, but all of the sudden, the charcoal disappeared. A charcoal thief had appeared and caused a commotion for some time.¡± [Carm] ¡°A charcoal thief¡­ Since you said ¡®for some time¡¯, I take it you¡¯ve already dealt with it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. It turns out the culprits are none other than the cleaner slimes.¡± [Carm] ¡°The cleaner slimes?¡± [Ryouma] Don¡¯t tell me! ¡°It ate the charcoal?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. They ate all of the charcoal we left at the slime waiting room. And according to Maria-san, those cleaner slimes stopped being able to eat the filth off the laundry. They might have gotten sick.¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s probably something else. Anyway, can you show me those slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Carm] Carm-san left the office. He¡¯ll probably be back with the slimes very soon. Charcoal-eating slimes¡­ Charcoal, so carbon? Or maybe they¡¯ll evolve into something else again. ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯ve brought Maria-san and the slimes.¡± [Carm] ¡°Hi, Boss~¡± [Maria] While I was thinking to myself, Carm had already returned. Behind him was a slightly uncomfortable Maria-san. The both of them each carried several cleaner slimes in their arms. ¡°Please. Over here.¡± [Ryouma] I listened to Maria¡¯s story while observing the slimes. Apparently, when she told the slimes ¡®you can eat now¡¯, the slimes that ate charcoal left. ¡°I hear they can¡¯t eat anything else but charcoals.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm~ They prefer charcoals, so~ They¡¯re really halfhearted when it comes to laundry~ As a result, the other slimes ate their portion.¡± [Maria] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] The slimes can keep on working, but it¡¯s not really necessary to make them work when they don¡¯t want to. ¡°The slimes aren¡¯t sick. Most likely they¡¯ve started to evolve. Upon evolution a slime¡¯s diet and abilities will change. Please leave these two slimes to me. If something like this happens again in the future, please be sure to contact me. Depending on the situation, they might end up damaging the laundry, so at that time, Carm-san, you decide what to do. Maria-san, I¡¯ll leave the management of the next slimes to you. Should the laundry get damaged, we¡¯ll compensate the customers and quarantine the slimes.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my best!¡± [Maria] ¡°I¡¯m counting on you. Carm-san and I will help you too, so you don¡¯t have to think that hard about it¡­ In fact, I even want to thank you.¡± [Ryouma] A new slime being born makes me really happy. So happy that I don¡¯t mind giving her a gift of money for this. I¡¯ll make a charcoal kiln as soon as i get back. While we were talking, Maria finally became relieved. After passing the contract of the two slimes to me, the slime incident was concluded. I sent Maria-san back to work, and this time I gave Carm a report of my own. ¡°¡­The Renauph branch store was able to open without any problems. They¡¯ll send us a report regularly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s good to hear that everything went well.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s it for the reports regarding the stores. But there¡¯s actually a private matter I need to report too.¡± [Ryouma] I informed Carm that I won¡¯t be able to come back to town for a while in order to get my grandparents inheritance. At first, he was just someone Serge-san introduced to me, but after everything we¡¯ve been through, he¡¯s already someone that I trust. ¡°As such, I¡¯m thinking of gradually increasing the number of adventurer jobs I take.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°I see. So you¡¯ll be going back to your original plans.¡± [Carm] ¡°Sorry for troubling you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just leave the store to me. I¡¯ll be sure to let you know when we need you.¡± [Carm] Carm-san smiled with a face brimming with resolve. With this I can leave the store to him. ¡°By the way, where is your hometown? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard the name of your village.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ever heard of the Great Shurus Forest? It¡¯s inside¡ª Why are you making that face?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I mentioned the name of the region, Carm made a face he¡¯s never shown before. ¡°*COUGH. Excuse me. I was just taken by surprise¡­ I¡¯m impressed you actually managed to survive¡­¡± That¡¯s his reaction? ¡°I guess it really is a dangerous place.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a dense and giant forest with countless monsters living in it. If you go deep inside, you¡¯re bound to meet an A Rank monster. I¡¯m told that if not for all the bases that have been constructed there by people in the past, there wouldn¡¯t even be a way to refill one¡¯s supplies. Just being able to get out of that place is a miracle.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Well, to be honest, I want to get back through official channels, so I¡¯ll have to raise my adventurer rank first. I¡¯l use that time to prepare myself sufficiently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please be talk to Serge-sama. I¡¯m sure he can help you with the supplies.. Moreover, the Morgan Firm has many branch stores, so I¡¯m sure his help will be invaluable.¡± [Carm] It looked as if Carm was worrying whether to try and stop me or not, but in the end, he just gave me some information and encouraged me. Afterwards¡­ I dropped by the Morgan Firm before going home, and it seemed to be more hectic than normal. I was considering just dropping by another time, but then the clerk greeted me and I was able to meet with Serge-san. When I talked to him about my plans, he gave a similar reaction. ¡°So you were from the great forest¡­ It must have been difficult for you.¡± [Serge] ¡°I was desperate to get out at the time, so I don¡¯t really remember the details.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I suppose that makes sense. In any case, I¡¯m not sure how to describe the place, but it¡¯s a harsh place that challenges the most tenacious adventurers. Or at least, that¡¯s what the adventurers say. It¡¯s not a place someone like me could enter. Still, why all of the sudden?¡± [Serge] ¡°A few days ago, I happened upon a monster similar to those of Shurus and was remembered some things. Also, I hear there¡¯s no more people left inthe village.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Considering where the village is situated, it¡¯s possible¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Another reason I¡¯m going is to confirm it. It¡¯s still some time way away before I actually get to it, but I¡¯ll be setting it as one of my goals as an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. You have my support, Ryouma-sama. If there¡¯s anything you need, please drop by our Morgan Firm.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you¡­ By the way, is there something going on today?¡¯ [Ryouma] It really seems more hectic than usual. I wonder if I came at a bad time. ¡°No. In fact, it was good that you dropped by today, as I¡¯ll be going to the magic tools fair in Kereban starting tomorrow. It¡¯ll be a week long trip, so we¡¯re preparing for the trip.¡± [Serge] ¡°Magic tools fair? That sounds interesting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you interested?¡± [Serge] Hmm? The color of his eyes changed. Are these¡­ the eyes of an otaku? ¡°We haven¡¯t had a lot of opportunities to talk, but¡­ Could it be that this is something you¡¯re very fond of?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As a matter of fact I am actually known as a collector among my contemporaries; hence, my trip to the fair is half work and half hobby.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see. It does sound fun just taking a look around.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. After all, even magic tools of the same kind differ from each other depending on the artisan and workshop that made them. Moreover, the items that appear in the fair aren¡¯t your usual ones. The items that appear are either made by apprentices or are one-of-a-kind items. Finding interesting things or finding people with a promising future is also something worth looking forward to.¡± [Serge] Serge-san¡¯s eyes were on fire. ¡°I myself have tried to make a magic tool, but it really doesn¡¯t work unless one is a proper artisan.¡± [Serge] ¡°Serge-san, you can use enchantment magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no. Not at all. My mana pool is so small, I can¡¯t even use elemental magic. But some magic tools can be made even without mana. Give me a second.¡± [Serge] Having already entered his otaku mode, Serge-san left the room and came back with a wooden box. ¡°Take a look.¡± [Serge] Serge-san took out a cog from inside the box. At first glance, nothing seemed strange about it, but¡­ ¡°Ah, it turned.¡± [Ryouma] When Serge-san allowed his mana to course through the gear, the gear started rotating atop the desk. ¡°This gear has been enchanted with the neutral magic, Spin. As you can see, allowing mana to course through it causes the gear to rotate. This is usually included in bigger tools as a power source. Of the more popular ones that use it is the ¡®Magic Automobile¡¯. So, literally a magical version of the automobile? I¡¯ve never see one¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s not very practical. Although the magic automobile can move using a person¡¯s mana and magic stones, after adding the weight of one¡¯s luggage on top of the weight of the people riding inside and the frame of the magic automobile itself, it ends up being a little slower than a horse. On top of that, it costs magic stones to run. As such, it¡¯s much more practical to just use a normal horse. That being said, a huge race is held in the capital once a year for these magic automobiles. In fact, I happen to have one myself as part of my hobbies. He¡¯s talking really calmly, but you can really feel the fire behind his words! ¡°Oh, dear. It seems we¡¯ve gone off topic. Anyway, there are all sorts of types, but you can use a magic tool procured externally to create a new magic tool without being able to use mana at all. There are many artisans who specialize in this.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see. That¡¯s really interesting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯d like, you can have this.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t possibly¡­¡± [Ryouma] Serge handed the gear to Ryouma along with the box. Naturally, Ryouma thought it would be shameless for him to just take it, but Serge-san scratched his head and said: ¡°I bought it from last year¡¯s fair, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what to do with it¡­¡± [Serge] Apparently he bought it because he liked it and because he wanted to invest in the young apprentice that made it. But the thing is that he didn¡¯t actually need the gear. It was just taking up space in his storage room, so in the end, I decided to accept his goodwill. ¡°Thank you. Sorry to disturb you so suddenly. I even got a present¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I should be saying that for pushing my dead inventory to you.¡± [Serge] ¡°If I ever think of an interesting tool, I¡¯ll be sure to make it and show it you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! I look forward to that.¡± [Serge] Like that we parted with a smile on our face. I feel like I got closer to Serge-san today. Now then, I guess it¡¯s about time I went back home and took care of the slimes. Chapter 85 Volume 3 Chapter 85 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 85 part2 When I got back, all the rimel birds went out to greet me. The slimes were present too, but they couldn¡¯t say anything. As I let out a lifeless voice in the mines, I fed the slimes and arranged my luggage. ¡°Next is..¡± [Ryouma] In order to feed the charcoal-eating cleaner slimes, I started building a kiln for them. ¡°Here should be good¡­¡± [Ryouma] The place I chose was the wall of rocks next to my house, in an area between a tunnel entrance and the entrance. I dug a hole right next to the existing tunnel, then gradually expanded it until it became a room shaped like an ellipse. It was good enough for me to just use Rock to supplement the room from time to time, so it didn¡¯t take that much effort to make. By the time I was done, the room was high enough for a child to walk around and big enough to accommodate one or two adults as a tent. Next up are the slimes. I called an earth slime and a huge scavenger slime. As the earth slime rode the huge scavenger slime, the huge scavenger slime raised it up near the ceiling. When it was near the ceiling, it caused a part of the ceiling to turn into sand and collapse. Like that the slimes were able to gradually bore a hole through the ceiling. ¡°Good job!¡± [Ryouma] After creating an entrance from the tunnel, we went a step further and created a path leading to the tunnels above. The slimes looked like they still had a lot of energy left, so I had them reinforce the walls as they came back. With this the chimney was mostly completed, which meant that the charcoal kiln was also mostly complete. It was so easy that I couldn¡¯t help but wonder to myself if it was really okay like this, but the kiln works, so I guess that¡¯s that. There are other ways to make a kiln. There¡¯s the traditional method which involves digging a hole for the kiln, building a frame, stuffing it with wood, then burying it with wood and dirt. There¡¯s also the drum method which involves a drum and a fire. There¡¯s a lot of ways to make a kiln, but the key point is to prevent the heat from escaping and to maintain the air to bake the wood. In my case, I¡¯m going to put a cover over the chimney to keep the heat from escaping. As for the maintenance of the air, red soil kneaded with stone and water will do. And that¡¯s that for the kiln. Next, I¡¯ll go and do some rounds around the mine. This part of the mine hasn¡¯t been reached by the management much, so the area around my house is full of weeds. But when you think about how all these weeds can be used for fuel, it¡¯s not so bad. The weeds have grown high enough for me to be able to hide in them, but if I trim them and place them under the sun, depending on the weather, I could use them to get material I can easily start a fire with. Of course, I could also use them to make charcoal. I did my rounds around the mine while trimming the weeds, but then¡ª ¡°PIRORORORORO!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°PIIPIRORORO!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªI suddenly heard the cries of the rimel birds. When I looked up at the sky, my rimel birds were flying together as usual, but something was different. ¡°A flock of birds?¡± [Ryouma] The light in the backdrop made it hard to see clearly, but it seemed like there were a lot of other small living creatures flying. The rimel birds surrounded them in the air. They seemed to be using magic too, as the other flying creatures were¡­ Ah. ¡°KUKEH! KUKEH! KUKEH!¡± [Ryouma] When the movement of the other flying creatures were restricted, Eins let out a shrill cry, and in the next moment, all of the other flying creatures fell at the same time. ¡°¡­So they were hunting.¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯re like a pod of dolphins hunting. Even though they¡¯re supposed to be birds¡­ Surround the enemy, then use the nightmare bird¡¯s special mind-type attack. I don¡¯t know if their targets all fainted or not, but they all fell into the ground as if they¡¯d lost control. I saw some of the rimel birds eating some of those other flying creatures while still in the air, though. Were they snitching food? ¡°I should take a look¡­¡± [Ryouma] As I thought that, I went to the area near the top of the mountains were those things fell. ¡°Found it. Hey!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°PIRO!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°PIRORO!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Ah, never mind. Just eat.¡± [Ryouma] My timing was a bit bad when I called out to the rimel birds, as a result, they ended up replying while their beaks were still full, creating a rather splattery sight. So, those other flying creatures were cave bats, huh. ¡°Where did you find these critters?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­PIRO!!¡± [Rimel Bird] When I asked that, one of the rimel birds took off and came back after chirping in front of a tunnel. It seems they¡¯re in that tunnel. It¡¯s not to the same extent as before, but it seems some monsters have made a home for themselves again after I left for a while. ¡°¡­PIRORORO?¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°You don¡¯t have to bring me any.¡± [Ryouma] Does he think I want some because I was staring? Drei had brought one with him, but I don¡¯t really want to eat a bat. Still, if there are any leftovers, I¡¯ll be sure to preserve them. How much they want to eat, however, is completely up to them. It¡¯s their kill. It¡¯s a load off my back if they¡¯re hunting the bats, so I just wished them luck and left. ¡­Sure was a surprise to see the rimel birds hunting together, though¡­ In the past, whenever I saw them hunt, they hunted alone, so it¡¯s a bit unexpected to see them hunt together. ¡­Come to think of it, since they can use wind magic, I wonder if they can use Sound Bomb if I teach it to them. If they can, then that¡¯ll make it even easier for them to hunt. I¡¯ll try teaching them next time. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun. Are you working here today?¡± [Maelyn] When I dropped by the adventurers guild early in the morning, I happened into Maelyn-san who was sticking some jobs onto the bulletin board. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s not a lot of work to do at my store right now, so I¡¯m thinking of going back to my adventurer work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! Really? That¡¯s good to hear. What kind of job are you looking for?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I need to deal with and was hoping to get some advice.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Part of our duties is to support the adventurers. So if there¡¯s something you need to talk about, I¡¯m all ears. I can¡¯t promise I¡¯ll be very helpful, though. It¡¯ll depend on the topic. Afterwards¡­¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Y-You can¡¯t!¡± [Receptionist] Hmm? The reception area is getting noisy. ¡°Oh¡­ Excuse me.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Can¡¯t be helped,¡± Maelyn-san muttered as she approached the two men and the unfamiliar receptionist girl. ¡°Hey, you two! Can you please not tease our receptionist so much?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Oh, Maelyn-san.¡± [Male 1] ¡°Sorry. We might have been pushing it.¡± [Male 2] The two men quickly apologized and left, and now the receptionist girl is apologizing to Maelyn-san? Why? While I was wondering what was going on, Maelyn-san called for me. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let me introduce you. This girl here is Paena-chan. She just started last week.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°H-Hi. I¡¯m Paena. I-It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Paena] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s nice to meet you too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think you get it already, but she¡¯s a really shy kid, so it¡¯s easy for young men to tease her.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Uu¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± [Paena] Hmm¡­ I guess she¡¯s about the size of a high-school student? She looks human to me, but her small stature gives her an aura that resembles that of a small animal. She doesn¡¯t stand out as much when lined up with Maelyn-san, but she¡¯s good-looking and she¡¯s also unsophisticated. She¡¯s the sort of person that¡¯s easy to get involved with. ¡­Oops. I started going down the gloomy road there. Let¡¯s change the topic. ¡°So, Maelyn-san, did you need me for something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, it¡¯s part of our job to hear out adventurers. So I was wondering if you¡¯d be okay having this girl hear you out instead. Of course, I¡¯ll be present too of course in case she needs help.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s no problem at all. I¡¯ll be in your care, Paena-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes! I¡¯ll do my best!¡± [Paena] After that I brought to another room. It wasn¡¯t particularly big, but there was a chair and a desk, so it was more than enough for a little talk. ¡°Didn¡¯t know there was a room like this here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s often used to guide neophyte adventurers and interrogate adventurers that have committed a crime¡­ Ah! Please. Take a seat. Also, tea¡­¡± [Paena] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. I¡¯ve brought drinks. Now. Let¡¯s start.¡± [Maelyn] After finishing sticking the jobs on the bulletin board, Maelyn-san came back with drinks for all three of us and urged us to start the counselling process. ¡°So, what did you want to seek advice about?¡± [Paena] ¡°It¡¯s about my future activities as an adventurer. I¡¯ve managed to set a goal for myself, and although I¡¯m only an E Rank right now, in the future, I should be able to rank up to a C¡­ So I was wondering if it would be possible to get a list of jobs related to the monsters in this list that I could do while working toward my promotions.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can I see that? ¡­Treant. Mad Salamander. Karifu Monkey¡­¡± [Paena] When I handed her the list of monsters that could be found in the Great Shurus Forest, she started comparing the monsters in it with those in her documents. ¡°¡­There are monsters here that are beyond an E Ranker¡¯s jurisdiction.¡± [Paena] ¡°That¡¯s alright. I¡¯ll just take those on when I¡¯ve been promoted. Still, it would be nice if I could get some information on those monsters right now. I hear the guild also deals with information on geography and monsters. Would it be possible for me to get such information too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Absolutely! It would cost you money and several days¡¯ worth of time if you¡¯re looking for much information, but it is definitely possible. How much information do you need?¡± [Paena] Let¡¯s see¡­ I¡¯d like to at least know basic information of the monsters in the list, such as their habitat and ecology. The most-up-to-date information would be great, but I¡¯m sure that¡¯s impossible¡­ Still, there¡¯s no point in knowing where the monsters have been spotted if a long time has already passed. I think I¡¯ll just ask them to provide whatever information they can. ¡°Also, if you can get the information on the Great Forest of Shurus and all of the monsters living in it, that would be great too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The Great Forest of Shurus¡­ And this list of monsters¡­ Are you planning on going there?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°That¡¯s my goal.¡± [Ryouma] I gave her the same explanation I gave to Serge-san and the others. ¡°¡­And that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I see. Sorry for butting in. So long as you increase your rank and do the proper preparations, the guild has no right to stop you. Continue.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°¡­This much information would take quite a while¡­ Sorry, senpai.¡± [Paena] ¡°For the documents, the completed documents will require enough money to cover the costs of the paper used, as well as the ink, and then there¡¯s also the salary of the people that worked on the documents. The scope of the information you¡¯re looking for is fairly expansive, so it¡¯ll take more than two weeks but less than a month to gather everything. In the worst case scenario, you¡¯re looking at 10 small gold coins in damages or in the best case scenario, just one small gold coin ¡ª Is what she should have told you at a time like this.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°The costs won¡¯t be an issue. I would rather not try to haggle with the price, only to end up with insufficient information. I¡¯ll pay as much as necessary, so long as you can get me accurate information.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The guild guarantees the accuracy of the data. After all, since it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to pay¡­ Well then, Paena-chan, can you please prepare the contract and the blank form for the exchange. I¡¯ve taught you the process, right?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Yes!¡± [Paena] After she left the room, only Maelyn-san and I were left. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re from that place.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Are you familiar with the great forest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm~¡­ Only because of work. But I do know that it¡¯s a dangerous place. But after finding out where you¡¯re from, it¡¯s all starting to make sense.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your abilities are simply too great compared to normal children. Even back there at the mines, you were put in a B Rank group, and you even fought hordes of goblins¡­ You don¡¯t know about this, but you¡¯re actually a rather popular topic among the employees¡­¡± [Maelyn] ¡°R-Really?¡± [Ryouma] T-They were talking about me? Scary¡­ ¡°Ufufu¡­ We weren¡¯t talking about anything bad. It was all praises. Something along the lines of how skilled you are or how you got rid of the work that have been piling up in the dust.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°That¡¯s fine then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Talking about skills, though¡­ I guess if you were able to get out of that place alone¡­ If you were skilled enough to leave¡­ I guess it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯d be strong, huh? I hear the monsters there are on a completely different level. Even if two monsters are the same type, their individual strength, the frequency of their attacks, and even the likes of goblins are different when they¡¯re at that place¡­¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Paena] Paena-san is back. Did she forget something? ¡­No. Just now she said ¡®Sorry to keep you waiting¡¯¡­ And she¡¯s also handing a document¡­ ¡°¡­Yup. Good job. This¡¯ll work.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you very much! Umm¡­ Please confirm the contents and sign here.¡± [Paena] ¡°Ah, sure¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡­I don¡¯t see anything wrong with the contents. The things I mentioned earlier have also been included. ¡°Done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you! ¡­This is the proof of your exchange with the guild. You¡¯ll need to exchange it with the document when the time comes. Please don¡¯t lose it.¡± [Paena] ¡°Understood. ¡®Item Box¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] I doubt I¡¯ll lose it if I store it in here. ¡°Umm¡­ This settles this case, and uh¡­ Next¡­ Oh, what job will you be taking today?¡± [Paena] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I need to rank up. Do you know of any difficult jobs nearby? Preferably, one that doesn¡¯t take much time to do and something that could easily bring up my rank.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you want a hard job, I think there should be a couple, but¡­ Oh! Please wait a bit. I have just the job for you.¡± [Paena] Paena left like the wind and came back with a sheet of paper. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting! Here it is. Umm¡­ Just to confirm, that spell you used earlier, that¡¯s dimension magic, right? So you can use dimension magic, right? Because if you can, this job might just be what you¡¯re looking for.¡± [Paena] ¡°A transport job¡­ The destination: Kereban. I know this place. I heard a magic tools fair is meant to open in it soon. But¡­ The fixed date is ¡®as quickly as possible¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm¡­ Apparently, after loading the transport carriage with the goods and sending it on its way, the client forgot to load this one package¡­ The client wants this delivered on the afternoon of the day after tomorrow if possible, but you won¡¯t have to take responsibility even if you fail to make it. After all, the client was the one who made the mistake. So long as you don¡¯t lose it or break it along the way, the job won¡¯t be marked as ¡®failed¡¯. If someone had noticed the package when the next transport was being loaded, we wouldn¡¯t be in this predicament¡­ So, anyway, I was thinking that since you can use dimension magic, you might be able to make it in time¡­ So¡­ Umm¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± [Paena] ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize! I won¡¯t fail and you¡¯re really doing a good job, so..¡± [Ryouma] She was frighteningly fast in preparing the documents and she even brought a suitable job for me after seeing me using dimension magic nonchalantly¡­ The documents were also properly formatted even though she worked on them so fast. It can¡¯t be helped if she doesn¡¯t fully understand the contents of the job, right? At first, I thought she was a clumsy girl, but considering how it¡¯s only been a week since she was recruited, isn¡¯t she actually really talented? When I turned to Maelyn-san, she made a troubled face and nodded her head while smiling. ¡°She can do her job well. It¡¯s just that she¡¯s really timid. That¡¯s why I keep telling her she should be more confident¡­¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Sorry¡­¡± [Paena] What a difficult person¡­ But the job she recommended is pretty good, so I think I¡¯ll take it. Chapter 86 Volume 3 Chapter 86 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 86 part2 ¡°All clear.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I was able to reach Kereban without any problems. Didn¡¯t even get attacked by bandits or anything. ¡°Would you happen to know where the Dinome Magic Tool Workshop is? It seems that¡¯s where I¡¯m supposed to deliver the package.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It should be in the eastern part. Go straight down this path, and on the 24th street¡­ Erm¡­ Actually, the directions afterwards are a bit complicated. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get it even if I tell you.¡± [Guard] ¡°I see. That¡¯s alright. Thank you for telling me that much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, be careful. Ah, right. If you use the stagecoach over there, your trip should go much faster.¡± [Guard] I thanked the guard watching the gate and went to the stagecoach stop. There was a stagecoach ready, but it had no curtains or seats. It was basically a giant wagon. There was only one person inside too: the driver. This is the right place, right? ¡°Excuse me. How much would a trip to the 24th street cost?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°24th? 2 copper coins.¡± [Driver] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Get on then. It¡¯s about time to leave.¡± [Driver] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] After confirming that I had entered the stagecoach, the driver whipped the horses and set off. ¡°Can¡¯t you sell this pot cheaper?¡± [Townswoman] ¡°Give me a break, lady!¡± [Townsman] ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t you stray away!¡± [Townsman] I watched the people in town as we passed them by. It feels like there¡¯s more people here than before, and the road is also that much more congested. ¡°Where you from, boy?¡± [Driver] ¡°Gimuru.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not too far from here, eh? You sightseeing by yourself?¡± [Driver] ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer, so there¡¯s a job I need to complete first, but I might go sightseeing afterwards. I hear there¡¯s a fair that¡¯s opening soon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. It opens tomorrow. This time it¡¯s for magic tools.¡± [Driver] ¡°There are other fairs?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? Didn¡¯t you come from Gimuru? I¡¯m pretty sure the fairs are popular even there. Actually, I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s popular all over the region. The fairs occur six times a year. The main products vary each time, but each time it would be held in the center plaza and stalls of all sorts would be seen here and there. It happens every year, so for us who live here, we¡¯ve already gotten used to it.¡± [Driver] Six times a year? That would mean a fair every 2 months. No wonder they¡¯re used to it already. ¡°Our income gets a boost each time too, so it¡¯s pretty nice. Hey, try to make yourselves fit!¡± [Driver] The stagecoach stopped and more customers got on. This town sure is quite dense population-wise. ¡°Hmm? ¡­Grab onto something tight! This is going to get rough!¡± [Driver] At that, the customers grabbed onto the edge of the stagecoach. I imitated them and held onto the edge as well, but what¡¯s going? Is the road uneven or something? As I was thinking that, a small cart passed slowly on the right side of the road up ahead. ¡°Stop taking you¡¯re time!!¡± ¡°Walk faster, you old fart!¡± An old man was pulling a cart with barrels piled atop of it, when a bunch of carriages driven by youths overtook him one after another. ¡°Talk about dangerous¡­¡± [Driver] The driver of the stagecoach knit his brows. Those young drivers certainly seemed quite reckless with their overtaking, but at the same time, you can¡¯t help but agree that the old man was really going too slow. Either group could be seen as an obstacle depending on the person. I wonder who the driver wasreferring to. ¡°You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± [Fellow Passenger 1] ¡°Is she planning to ride?¡± [Fellow Passenger 2] This time it was my fellow passengers who started making a fuss. When I glanced at the next stop, I noticed a woman with the body of a sumo wrestler standing by the stop. ¡°24th street¡­ Whoops!?¡± [Sumo wrestler?] ¡°GUFU!?¡± [Ryouma] She put too much strength when she tried to enter the stagecoach that she ended up falling in. ¡°Sorry!¡± [Sumo wrestler?] ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± [Ryouma] I told her that she just startled me and I wasn¡¯t hurt or anything, but because of that little incident, the woman ended up sitting beside me, and the already cramped carriage became even more cramped. ¡°This is the place.¡± [Sumo wrestler?] ¡°Thank you!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Good luck on your job.¡± [Sumo wrestler?] I was able to get the woman who sat beside me to lead the way. Thanks to her I was able to safely reach the ¡®Dinome Magic Tools Workshop¡¯. If not for her, I might have gotten lost. I¡¯m glad I asked for her help. ¡°Item Box¡± [Ryouma] I took out the package and the job form. ¡°Welcome! Oh, what a cute customer we have here.¡± [Receptionist?] When I passed through the door, a counter was there to greet me. Behind the counter sat a woman with a nice body. The store was pretty small, though. Kind of like those stores that also doubled as one¡¯s residence. ¡°Never seen you around here. Are you a messenger? If you need a lamp, we have some over there.¡± [Receptionist?] The woman pointed at the small magic tools lined up along the shelves. I¡¯m not one of her customers, though, so I told her that I¡¯m an adventurer and that I¡¯m here to deliver a package. ¡°A package?¡± [Receptionist?] ¡°Yes. Could you please sign here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait. Dad!¡± [Receptionist?] ¡°I¡¯ll be there! Give me a sec!¡± [Receptionist¡¯s Dad] A few minutes later, a bearded man appeared ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± [Receptionist¡¯s Dad] ¡°A delivery, apparently. It¡¯s for you, so it¡¯s be best that you receive it.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°A delivery? ¡­Ah, a component. I thought it wouldn¡¯t make it anymore¡­ Here you go.¡± [Receptionist¡¯s Dad] With the form signed, the job was complete. All that¡¯s left is to report to the guild. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll take my leave then¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait. You came all the way from Gimuru, right? At least have a cup of tea first. Nothing expensive, though. Hey, I¡¯ll leave him to you.¡± [Receptionist¡¯s Dad] ¡°Sure, sure.¡± [Receptionist] After the bearded man said that, he went back inside. Meanwhile, the daughter was already pouring a cup of tea. ¡­Well, might as well, I guess. ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] I took the tea and drank it at one corner of the counter. Hmm¡­? This tea¡­ It tastes like coffee. ¡°Well? Do you like it?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Yeah. It tastes great.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I was a little worried since it is rather odd for a tea.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I¡¯ve drank something like it before. Did you make it from roasted beans? Or maybe from the root of a flower?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Supposedly, it¡¯s made from the root of a flower called Dante. I don¡¯t know the details, but it¡¯s supposed to be good for your health.¡± [Receptionist] I see. Dandelion (Dante) Coffee, huh. That sure brings me back¡­ When I was still employed at the company, I would aways find the time to drink it everyday. ¡°Where can I buy this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You like it that much? ¡­An old man from a nearby florist always gives me some of it, but it¡¯s not an actual product and just something he came up with himself.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Since I know the name of the flower already, I can just make it myself. From my Earthly knowledge, dandelion coffee is made by washing the roots with water, drying it, and then roasting it¡­ Doesn¡¯t sound too hard. ¡°Thank you for the tea.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry it wasn¡¯t much. Are you going already?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Yeah. I need to find a place to stay at.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked her and left the store. But in the same moment I tried to turn the door knob, I felt it open from the other side. ¡°Oops.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, my bad¡ª¡± [???] When the door opened, the person on the other side and I tried to avoid each other, so we stopped for a moment. But because of that we ended up realizing who the other party was, causing us to be even more shocked. ¡°Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°Serge-san?¡± [Ryouma] Standing before me was none other than Serge-san. He called my name too, so it¡¯s not just someone who looks like him. ¡°Good afternoon. What a strange coincidence. I did hear that you¡¯d be going to the magic tools fair, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. Ryouma-sama, may I know what brought you here?¡± [Serge] ¡°I had a package to deliver. Adventurer work. It was urgent, so the decision was made in haste.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What a surprise¡­ I¡¯m currently going around greeting some people I know. This workshop happens to be one of the workshops I¡¯m friendly with.¡± [Serge] ¡°I had no idea.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Master Serge! You¡¯ve come at last.¡± [Receptionist¡¯s Dad] ¡°Oh! Excuse me. Dinome-dono, it¡¯s been too long.¡± [Serge] ¡°You exaggerate. It¡¯s only been 2 or 3 months at most. You seem to be doing well, though. By the way, would you happen to know this boy here?¡± [Dinome] The bearded man appeared once again from inside the workshop, and after a short exchange of greetings with Serge, looked at me with an odd gaze. ¡°My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. Serge-san is a benefactor of mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Likewise¡­ Dinome-done, Ryouma-sama might appear young, but he¡¯s a person worth having a good relationship with. He¡¯s also interested in magic tools.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh? You appraise him so highly? I¡¯m Dinome. If you¡¯re interested, you can take a look if you want.¡± [Dinome] ¡°Would that be alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m inviting you. It¡¯s fine. Either way, I have something to show to Master Serge, so¡­¡± [Dinome] After saying that, he went in without bothering to hear my reply. Serge-san followed from behind as if he were already used to it. I bowed my head to his daughter and followed the two of them in. ¡°It¡¯s here.¡± [Dinome] ¡°Ooh¡­¡± [Ryouma] Beyond the door deeper inside was a room far bigger than anything one might have imagined from the earlier room. There were four boxes with wheels attached to them. Most probably the rumored magic cars. Various components and workbenches could also be seen in the corner of the room. On the other side was a large door and a wide window that¡¯s probably meant to allow materials to be brought in and out of the room. The room was bright and open. ¡°Remember. No touching. Only looking. Master, over here¡­¡± [Dinome] I don¡¯t really know where to go, though, so I think I¡¯ll just follow Serge. ¡°Is this the newest model? ¡­It hasn¡¯t changed much.¡± [Serge] ¡°On the outside, perhaps, but on the inside¡­ Not only is it more mobile now, it is also much lighter. Unfortunately, the main problem remains unsolved.¡± [Dinome] ¡°Is it impossible to load anything onto it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine as long as it¡¯s light, but any more than that and it¡¯s no good. It¡¯s a delicate problem. And I can¡¯t make the body any lighter without compromising the strength of the body. I can¡¯t sacrifice safety.¡± [Dinome] ¡°That is indeed the problem. Accidents happen even in races, after all.¡± [Serge] This topic about magic car races would come out from time to time. Maybe they¡¯re planning to participate. I guess you could liken the relationship between Dinome-san and Serge-san to that of a mechanic and a sponsor. At first, I could still follow along, but as the conversation continued, the two maniacs started drifting off into their own world. I left when they started talking about the number of revolutions. After that I looked around the workshop, but honestly I couldn¡¯t really understand much just by looking. Just what are they making? Hmm? ¡°This is rather¡­ Normal.¡± [Ryoma] Among the magic cars was something that resembled a normal carriage. Well, the only real difference was that it could accommodate a horse in front and had a seat for the driver. Maybe this one isn¡¯t a magic car and is instead some other magic tool. I was curious, so I went back to the two and waited for them to stop talking for a moment. ¡°Dinome-san. What magic tool is that one?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That one? That¡¯s just a normal carriage. A neighbor asked me to fix it.¡± [Dinome] I could easily accept him repairing a normal carriage, but Serge-san, who knew him longer, was confused. ¡°You accepting normal repair work? That¡¯s rare.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡± [Dinome] While he was hesitating to talk about it, I asked Serge-san why it was so strange for him to repair the carriage. ¡°He¡¯s gotten a lot more mellow since his grandchild was born a few years ago, but he¡¯s someone who doesn¡¯t work on anything other than magic tools. I thought for sure he¡¯d refer someone looking to repair a carriage to a shop that specialized in that.¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­Actually, I need money¡­ For my grandchild.¡± [Dinome] The bearded man seemed really embarrassed to say that. His face was beet red. ¡°Planning to buy him a gift? I can help.¡± [Serge] As the air turned tepid, Serge-san came swinging with a proposal. But the bearded man, Dinome, refused him. ¡°It¡¯s not for a gift. It¡¯s for tuition.¡± [Dinome] ¡°For the imperial capital¡¯s academy?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yeah. Actually¡ª¡± [Dinome] This guy keeps acting like he doesn¡¯t want to talk, but it¡¯s clear as day that he¡¯s dying to. ¡­Could he be? ¡°¡ªMy grandkid is a genius! He¡¯s only four, you know? He frequently comes to listen to us talk about work. And then my lowest ranking disciple started explaining to him like a big brother. I was wondering to myself what an apprentice was talking all big for, but then¡­ Look at this!¡± [Dinome] This guy¡¯s gone full doting-grandpa-mode and he isn¡¯t even bothering to hide his loose face. He opened a drawer from the workbench and brought back some cogwheels, then he suddenly picked one from the bunch and allowed his mana to course through it. ¡°Oho?¡± [Serge] The cog started spinning. It seemed to be the same kind of magic tool Serge-san showed me a few days ago. But this one is a lot slower in comparison, and from time to time, it would stop as if it were rusted then start moving again. ¡°Judging from the flow of the conversation, I take it this was made by your grandchild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s exactly right, boy! Isn¡¯t he amazing? We can¡¯t sell this just yet, but my grandkid who¡¯s just 4 years old actually managed to make this.¡± [Dinome] ¡°He really learns fast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know right! I think he might¡¯ve picked up something because I sometimes worked while carrying him on my back¡­ It¡¯s really shocking, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Dinome] ¡°What an enviable kid. I can¡¯t even use enchant magic.¡± [Ryouma] When it comes to people like this, it¡¯s best not to contest them and just agree with whatever they say. That¡¯s something I learned from my past life. As such, I ended up listening to the guy as he boasted about his grandchild. Chapter 87 Volume 3 Chapter 87 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 87 part2 ¡°You too.¡± [Ryouma] After accompanying Dinome-san in his boasting about his grandchild, Serge-san and I walked around town. Thanks to Serge-san skillfully changing the topic, the sun was still high up when we left. ¡°Still, he was really taken by you. Spectacular performance, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh, no. All I really did was to avoid making the situation any worse. It was your ability that got us out of trouble.¡± [Ryouma] What is with this villainous-sounding exchange? ¡°By the way, what are you going to do with that?¡± [Serge] ¡°What indeed¡­¡± [Ryouma] Within my hand was a small box that contained a gear. Dinome-san calls it ¡®the early work of a future famous magic tools artisan¡¯¡­ I wonder if it¡¯ll ever have value. ¡°So how talented is his grandchild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ From time to time, there are cases when a young child imitates his parents and ends up learning a spell. It¡¯s rare, so it could certainly be a sign of talent, but whether that talent will continue to bloom in the future is another story¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Figures¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Dinome-dono is a lot mellower now, but in the past, he was a really difficult person. Although it was only really because of how much responsibility he felt for his work. He was also really strict on his disciples. So, even if he might be a little biased over his grandchild, if he thinks the child has potential, then that¡¯s one more thing to look forward to.¡± [Serge] I hope those expectations don¡¯t bear too heavily on Dinome-san¡¯s grandchild, though. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve been meaning to ask this since a while ago, but where are your guards? Isn¡¯t it dangerous for you to be walking around? This town¡¯s public order is pretty bad.¡± [Ryouma] The president of a company should have at least one bodyguard with him, but I don¡¯t see even a single one with him. It doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re just hiding either. ¡°I¡¯ve stayed at this town countless times already. There¡¯s no real threat until the sun sets. And with the fair opening soon, security in town is tighter than usual. It should be fine as long as it¡¯s a place with many people. If I do find myself victim to a pickpocket or a thief, well, that¡¯s just because I wasn¡¯t paying enough attention. Besides, some of the people I need to greet don¡¯t like it when I bring people over. And¡­ It¡¯s not like I¡¯m completely defenseless.¡± [Serge] As he said that, he knocked against the buckle of his belt. At first glance, the belt seemed no different than your usual belt, but¡­ ¡°Is that a magic tool?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That it is. One of my collections. When fed mana, it can erect a defensive magic barrier. And this bracelet of mine is a magic tool that can conjure a smoke screen. Given these two magic tools, I can hide myself and gather people¡¯s attention. People will think there¡¯s a fire, so they¡¯re bound to gathere. I may not be able to fight, but when it comes to protecting myself, I am more than prepared.¡± [Serge] I see. My worries were unneeded. ¡°What will you be doing now, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°I need to find a place to spend the night. I¡¯m here already, after all, so I figured I might as well look around first tomorrow before going back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, allow me to introduce you to the inn I¡¯m staying at. It¡¯s inexpensive and right in front of the main road, providing easy access to the stagecoaches.¡± [Serge] Thanks to Serge-san¡¯s assistance, I was able to find an inn quickly. Serge-san still had people to greet, so we parted ways and I went to the inn. But before parting we promised to have supper and go through the fair together. 30 minutes later. I managed to find an inn, but now I have nothing to do. Nothing was in need of urgent attention, the magic tools fair was tomorrow, supper wasn¡¯t until Serge-san returned, and the slimes have all been fed already; hence, there was nothing to do. It would be a pain if I went out and happened into Serge-san again, so¡­ You know, at times like this, I really can¡¯t help but realize just how useful phones were. I wish we had a magic tool like that. Hmm¡­ Magic tool. Speaking of which, since there¡¯s nothing else to do, why don¡¯t I try my hand at making one? That spinning gear that I got before is still in my Item Box and I do have some iron in my Dimension Home. If I use my alchemy with it, I should be able to change it into various things. I don¡¯t know if I can make something with just those, but if possible I¡¯d like to make something that I can use in my day-to-day life. When I started thinking of a magic tool that fulfilled those conditions, it suddenly occurred to me. ¡°¡­Huh? There¡¯s actually quite a lot, aren¡¯t there?¡± [Ryouma] Electric fan, ventilation fan, electric drill, a lawn mower that uses a rotating blade¡­ Rotating shafts can be found in wheels and carriages, which fall under my knowledge in woodwork [1], so I think I can just reuse those. The next question would be whether I can gather the necessary parts or not, and then¡­ I wonder if I can somehow incorporate gears into it? The gears just rotate using mana, so they might actually be quite simple to make. Hmm. I¡¯ll think about it as I make it. Like that I went to work. ¡°Ryouma-sama, are you here?¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Oh no! I lost track of time again! Serge-san¡¯s back already. ¡°Welcome back, Serge-san. Supper, right? I¡¯ll be right there in a jiffy. Just give me a sec. I¡¯ll just clean my room real quick.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t want to keep him waiting, so I just threw all my stuff in my Item Box. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let us be off then.¡± [Serge] The place Serge-san brought me too was a Japanese-bar-like store frequented by muscular men. Most of the customers seemed to be laborers considering how strong bodied they were. Serge-san was the one choosing the place, so I thought for sure he¡¯d take me to a luxurious store, so I was really surprised to see a low-class store. But then again¡­ He might be just trying to be considerate. [1] ¨C Probably related to his Woodworking Skill too. ¡°Oh, Serge-san! Will you be in your usual seat?¡± [Female Waiter] The waiter here remembers Serge-san by face and name. It seems he¡¯s a regular here. ¡°Yes.¡± [Serge] ¡°Alrighty then. Oh, what a cute child. Are you together with him? Is he your son?¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°Excuse me!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s¡­ a customer.¡± [Serge] I know I look young, but having it thrown at my face like that really leaves one speechless. Even Serge-san is making a funny face. ¡°Please follow me to the second floor then.¡± [Female Waiter] We followed the waiter up the stairs. ¡°? Oh.¡± When the door was opened, a refreshing wind blew past me. There were no walls nor windows in the second floor, only a roof and some columns to support it, leaving the city in full view. People could be seen below going to and fro the streets under the illumination of the lightings of the nearby buildings. The place was like a beer garden with how noisy it was, but the tables were separated by a partition woven out of hide, so there was also a hint of calmness mixed into it. ¡°Can I take your order?¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°Two sets of the usual please. But before you serve it, I¡¯d like to have a drink first. What wine do you have today?¡± [Serge] ¡°You¡¯re in luck, Serge-san. The head chef managed to snag some higher quality ale today.¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°Then give me some snacks and a beer mug full of ale. How about you, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll have the same.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ale then. I suppose you¡¯ll be having that in a¡­ glass?¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°A beer mug will do. Don¡¯t worry. This body has been blessed by Tekun-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, the first drink will be on the house.¡± [Female Waiter] I showed my status board as proof (just the part with the God of Wine¡¯s Blessing), and the waiter suddenly said that. ¡°¡­Is that okay?¡± [Ryouma] I was just planning to use my status board like a license or ID, but for some reason, it got turned into a coupon instead. I¡¯m not sure how to describe what I¡¯m feeling, but I hope this is alright. ¡°For someone blessed by the God of Wine to visit our store on the very same day that our head chef just so happened to snag some good ale, this is clearly the God of Wine¡¯s will!¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°The quality of wine affects the sales of restaurants, so there are many of them that are superstitious.¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­In that case, I shall gratefully accept.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alrighty then! Please wait a moment.¡± [Female Waiter] I accepted the offer and sent the waiter on her way. I¡¯ll just pay if something happens. ¡°What a beautiful view.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This view is the town¡¯s life itself.¡± [Serge] ¡°But despite all this hustle and bustle, you can still see the stars so clearly. Maybe it¡¯s because one of the lights is weak that it¡¯s able to naturally blend in with the artificial lights.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting! Here are your ale and snacks.¡± [Female Waiter] ¡°That¡¯s fast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This restaurant serves ale and snacks really quickly.¡± [Serge] ¡°People ask for them all the time, after all! So, go ahead and drink as much as you want! We¡¯ll serve them in a jiffy.¡± [Female Waiter] It seems this store is making quite a bit. ¡°Ryouma-sama, would you honer me a toast?¡± [Serge] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Ryouma and Serge] We knocked our beer mugs against each other and drank from our respective mugs. ¡°Mmm!¡± [Ryouma] As soon as the ale entered my mouth, its delightful fragrance filled me. It was sweet like fruit, but there was some herb mixed in as well. Bubbles welled up around my mouth as the ale slid down my tongue and into my throat. With barely any bitterness or strength to the liquor, I allowed the ale to keep on pouring. ¡°¡­PUHA! That¡¯s really good!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You said it! It goes great with the snacks too¡­ Yes. Very delicious.¡± [Serge] The ale was accompanied with salted nuts. Probably lightly roasted as well, as they emanated a faint aroma. The sweetness of the ale coupled with the aroma and saltiness of the nuts was truly a match made in heaven. ¡°What a perfect combination to let loose after work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just getting started, Ryouma-sama. Wait till you have a taste of their meat.¡± [Serge] I¡¯m looking forward to it. Hopefully, I don¡¯t drink myself full before the meat arrives. ¡°Fuu¡­ By the way, were those magic tools in your room earlier?¡± [Serge] ¡°You saw? How embarrassing. After our trip to Dinome¡¯s Workshop, I couldn¡¯t help but try my hand at it as well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! So, they really were magic tools. What kind of magic tool did you come up with?¡± [Serge] It¡¯s not a secret or anything, so I decided to show him the smaller ones of the tools I made. ¡°What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I say, Ryouma-sama, your imagination is truly unique. I¡¯ve always felt that about you.¡± [Serge] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°For example, this ¡®electric fan¡¯ and ¡®ventilation fan¡¯ of yours. Both magic tools are meant to move wind, yes? Ventilation magic tools aren¡¯t rare, but it¡¯s very rare to see something that incorporates the rotation of a blade like yours does. After all, if all one wants to do is to move wind, then enchanting a tool with wind magic would more than solve the problem. That¡¯s common sense among magic tool artisans. In doing so, not only do you save on the costs of making a blade, you also make it easier to mass produce your tool. Of course, there are also those who try to prioritize user-friendliness, but they¡¯re a minority.¡± [Serge] Huh. I guess that was the cheaper way to do it. ¡°This way of doing things is somewhat similar to the magic car though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I agree. In the first place, magic cars were first invented based on a memo found in-between the pages of an important historical book. That memo contained ideas for several magic tools, but didn¡¯t include any details. Fortunately, we were able to make some of them a reality. For example, the ¡®heater¡¯ magic tool, which raises the temperature within a room, or the ¡®air conditioner¡¯ magic tool, which does the opposite. There¡¯s also the ¡®cooler box¡¯ which cools food and keeps them fresh. Although these magic tools all function differently, they follow a similar philosophy to yours, Ryouma-sama. A philosophy most similar to the person who wrote that memo¡­¡± [Serge] ¡­Based on that naming-sense, I¡¯m guessing that person is an otherworlder like myself. Of course, I can¡¯t tell him that, so I just nodded and did my best not to let anything slip. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really think I would be able to make something good right at the start.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, actually. This one is pretty good.¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh? This one?¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san pointed at one of the magic tools I laid out on the table. It was a misshapen music box that looked like a toilet paper holder with a small comb attached to it and an uneven surface. When mana is coursed through it, the gears within turn, and a children¡¯s song can be heard playing from the uneven surface. But the melody played is nothing more than a simple tune that can be played with one finger on a piano. ¡°You sure about that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. I¡¯ve seen many magic tools as a collector, but a magic tool that can play music on its own is really interesting. It may not be very useful, but as a toy, I believe it has more than enough value. There are many nobles that fancy toys like these. If you take better care of the design, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll sell.¡± [Serge] When Serge-san started talking in hushed voices, I knew for sure that he was serious. The music box was invented around the middle ages in Earth¡¯s Europe. But the prototype, Carillon (a church bell meant to inform people of the time [1]), existed long before that. At least, that¡¯s what I recall from one of my classes in college. Anyway, they took that prototype, made it automatic and outfitted it with a clock¡ª ¡ªWait. Didn¡¯t the Jamil Household give me a magic tool clock? If I recall correctly, it¡¯s supposedly so complicated that there was nothing else like it. [2] ¡°Are there really no magic tools like this that make sounds? Like for example, the bell church. I hear it a lot, and it would be a huge hassle if it was late for even a moment, so maybe something like this is used there?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Nothing really comes to mind. Magic tool alarms that use a whistle are a thing, but a magic tool that gives a musical performance on its own aren¡¯t. Normally, commoners would invite a travelling entertainer or a troubadour, while nobles would invite a musician if they wanted to listen to music. The church bell is tended to by the friars and the nuns. It¡¯s a systematic part of their lives, so there¡¯s no magic tool to substitute for them. I haven¡¯t really looked into it, though.¡± [Serge] So, I guess they don¡¯t have any recording technology? In that case, maybe a gramophone or a recorder would gather attention. I don¡¯t need to think about that now, but I do understand that the music box is surprisingly valued in this world. ¡°It seems you weren¡¯t planning on selling it, but I think it would be a waste to just leave it to dust.¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­If I were planning on selling it, how would that work? I can¡¯t exactly mass produce it by myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, we¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting! Here¡¯s the store¡¯s special steak, Herb Pork.¡± [Female Waiter] Oh, the food is here. The fragrant aroma of the pork and the herb emanating from the steam really whets one¡¯s appetite. ¡°Let¡¯s continue this topic after the meal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. More ale please.¡± [Serge] As Serge-san ordered more ale, I quickly cleaned up my stuff on the table. [1] ¨C Author¡¯s note. [2] ¨C See chapter 5 for the moment when he received the clock and chapter 8 when he talks about it. CTRL + F ¡®clock¡¯ for your convenience. Chapter 88 Volume 3 Chapter 88 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 88 part2 I gave the slimes the ale that I¡¯d brought back, then Serge-san and I continued our conversation from earlier. ¡°Commissioning the music box would be best.¡± [Serge] ¡°I suppose that really would be the best way to go about it, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t produce enough on my own and I don¡¯t have any technical knowledge either. But then it begs the question, to whom should I commission it to? Serge-san and the Morgan Firm can take care of the sales, but what about the craftsman? ¡°I know many people we can ask, but for starters, how about trying Dinome-dono first? His skills are guaranteed and because of his work in the development of magic cars, he has some knowledge in magic tools like your music box. He also likes new things and he¡¯s already met you before, so he should be much easier to deal with.¡± [Serge] ¡°But won¡¯t it put too much burden on him?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would depend on how he goes about it, but I think it will be fine since he has three disciples under him. Moreover, your music box is really simple such that even someone like me could understand it, so I think there will be a lot of imitations once we introduce it to the market. We can incorporate some countermeasures for that and patent the music box, but¡­ Wait. I¡¯ve already talked to you about this before with the water proof cloth, haven¡¯t I?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Although he did give me an explanation about patents, it wasn¡¯t really any different from Earth¡¯s. An application is submitted to the merchants guild, then once the guild has certified it, they will crack down on anyone who infringes upon the patent. But to that end, it will be necessary to reveal the materials and technique used to the entire artisan guild. Supervising the patent would be difficult without this step, so it¡¯s not possible to refuse this step. Also, once the patent has been passed, anyone can then pay a fee to be able to use the technique or technology used legally. But of course, it¡¯s up to the rightful claimant whether to reveal his product to the public via a patent or keep it a secret. In the case of the waterproof cloth, I chose not to publicize the method since I could easily sell it through Serge-san. And in the case that people found out how to make it, well, that wouldn¡¯t be too bad either since it would shed some light on the usefulness of the slimes. ¡°Should the music box sell well, I¡¯m sure other people will start to make a move. But if we turn to Dinome-san, we will most likely be able to limit the possibility of being flooded with orders.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Serge] Serge-san wants to patent the music box, but¡­ ¡°Is there something worrying you?¡± [Serge] ¡°I have to register at the artisans guild before being able to file a patent, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. That is correct.¡± [Serge] ¡°Although the only reason I will be registering to the guild is to allow me to apply for a patent, I am currently registered at the tamers guild, something I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware of. As such, even if I register, I won¡¯t be able to accept any work. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very nice for a person to be affiliated with an organization and not work¡­¡± [Ryouma] The rimel birds can deliver letters, but there are experts that do the same job. And as for the slimes, well¡­ nothing more needs to be said, really. Branch Head Taylor is very kind to me, but that just makes the guilt of not working even worse. That¡¯s why I want to work at least a little if I¡¯m going to register myself, but frankly, I have my hands full just with the adventurers guild and the store already. I could probably get something done if I were to push myself, but the duke¡¯s household told me not to push myself, so¡­ ¡­I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m actually thinking like this. Back in my previous life, I would just go ¡°I can do it if I push myself a little? Then let¡¯s get to it!¡± I wonder if this is what it means to grow up. ¡°I know. Since I¡¯m going to be commissioning the music box to another person anyway, maybe I can just ask that person to submit the application in stead?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s¡­ possible, but¡­ UMUMU¡­¡± [Serge] Serge-san suddenly held his head and appeared troubled. ¡°Anyone can serve as the applicant, but Dinome-dono¡­ That man would surely say, ¡®You think I can just claim someone else¡¯s work!?¡¯ and refuse.¡± [Serge] So, it¡¯s pride. ¡°Also, if someone else applies for the patent, then the holder of the patent won¡¯t be you anymore, Ryouma-sama. In the worst case, he might take the profits for himself. What do you think about that?¡± [Serge] ¡°It would depend on the circumstances, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] When you think about it, I don¡¯t really have any right to the profits either. If anyone did have a right to it, it would be a person from a long long time ago. All I really did was imitate what he did and make it here. It just so happens that there¡¯s no one to rebuke me for what I¡¯ve done. A stroke of luck that happened to fall right into my lap without doing anything. A windfall even greater than that of the cleaner slimes. As such, I¡¯m not really that attached to the proceeds made from the music box. But at the same time, I also don¡¯t have the pride or sense of justice to straight-up refuse any money made from it. In short, I¡¯ll take what I can, and if there¡¯s no income, then there¡¯s none. I feel bad for Serge-san, but this is how I personally view things. Hence, my response to Serge-san was¡­ I have no intentions of making things difficult over trivial matters, but if say¡­ said partner is somewhat lacking in manners, then¡­ I still have an idea up my sleeves.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I take it this is not just a music box with a different melody?¡± [Serge] ¡°Of course not. And I haven¡¯t made a prototype yet either, but if it works, then it will eclipse the music box. So much so that the music box¡¯s value plummet.¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san placed his chin over his hand and became thoughtful. The gramophone and recorder that I thought of back at the store are both things that were developed after the music box. It is also said that they replaced the music box afterwards. If I could make them in this world, then¡­ ¡°¡­So what you¡¯re saying is that even if the rights to the music box is taken, you have a plan to crush them.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s just a possibility.¡± [Ryouma] The gramophone had a build kit for children included with a magazine in my previous life and I do know how it works to some extent. It shouldn¡¯t be an issue making it with magic. The problem is the recorder. I¡¯m not really sure how far I can go with that one. It¡¯s a bit vague, so I can¡¯t guarantee I can make something that will become popular in society. ¡°And in the case that my new product can¡¯t compete with the music box, we¡¯ll just have to owe it to my lack of foresight, knowledge, and ability. But that¡¯s a story for then.¡± [Ryouma] In other words, there¡¯s no telling what will happen unless we get to it. When Serge-san heard that, he sighed. ¡°I understand. We¡¯ll go in that direction then.¡± [Serge] ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a bit surprised, though.¡± [Serge] ¡­What? Serge-san laughed when he saw me confused. ¡°Although I¡¯m surprised to hear that you have an idea for a product that¡¯s better than the music box, I was even more surprised to hear you suggest to use that to steal someone¡¯s customers. I thought for sure you would choose a more pacifistic route and try to talk things through.¡± [Serge] ¡°I do prefer that, in fact, but there are times when you need to do things the hard way. Like when attacked, for example. Although, I do admit that I¡¯m usually the easygoing sort.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although this would mean I¡¯m yet inexperienced myself, this also means that I¡¯ve misread you, Ryouma-sama. What an interesting turn of events.¡± [Serge] ¡°What are you talking about?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ My expectations for you have just gotten even higher.¡± [Serge] Was there a factor like that? Or is he just drunk? Since we were already done talking and I was starting to worry for Serge-san, I decided to end the day. I saw Serge-san to his room, then after confirming our promise tomorrow, went back to my own. The next day. After leisurely eating breakfast, Serge-san and I went to town. The main street was even livelier today than it was yesterday. Crowds of people would pass to and fro the already narrow street, and it was not until after much effort that the stagecoach was able to reach the central plaza. ¡°So this is the fair. Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] Many tents were lined up in the plaza and carriages were forbidden inside. Luggages had to be brought from the carriages via wagons, and the pedestrians were free to walk around. ¡°The master over there! How about giving our store goods a look!¡± [Clerk 1] ¡°Young master, we have some interesting toys here!¡± [Clerk 2] ¡°New magic tool designs from the capital here! Our products are cutting edge!¡± [Clerk 3] ¡°¡­There¡¯s so many people calling out, I don¡¯t know where to go. So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, I also just drop by any store I find interesting. Ryouma-sama, don¡¯t you have something you¡¯re looking for?¡± [Serge] ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I was thinking of building a kitchen in my house, so something that would be useful for that would be nice. Also, something useful for the maintenance of the mines or something that would prove useful in my travels.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then let¡¯s go around and look for those.¡± [Serge] And so, we roamed around the tents. ¡°This one is all farming tools.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Most of them are farming tools enchanted with physical strengthening magic. These tools can make one¡¯s life much easier at the cost of mana. There¡¯s a high demand for these.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh? ¡­I think I can use these in the maintenance of the mines.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome. What would you like to purchase?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Do you have a lumbering axe and a sickle for mowing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have several axes here, but for the sickle, we only have this one.¡± [Clerk] ¡°That¡¯s a scythe.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The small ones are easy enough to use without enchantment, so we¡¯ve already sold out our stock.¡± [Clerk] ¡­Well, it¡¯s not that bad. I mean with a bigger sickle, I can cut more at a time. I just have to get used to it. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll take that scythe along with that axe, and then that¡­ Pitch fork.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Would you prefer the tools that consume magic stones or the ones that consume one¡¯s own mana?¡± [Clerk] ¡°The latter, please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯ll be 29,000 suits all in all.¡± [Clerk] ¡°Do you have change?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Please come again.¡± [Clerk] I paid three small gold coins and got back a medium silver coin. I stored my purchased items into my Item Box and proceeded to the next store. ¡°What are these?¡± [Ryouma] Before me were some mysterious products lined up. ¡°Hmm¡­ This seems to be a store aimed at traders. This magic tool, for example, is meant to be used for things related to construction.¡± [Serge] A metal rod with seven round bumps equally spaced. How do you use this? ¡°These round bumps have been imbued with varying strengths of the earth magic, ¡®Break Rock¡¯. If you use this rod on a stone wall or anything made out of stone, you will be able to measure how resistant the wall or object is toward earth magic. This is useful even if the target has been painted with earth-magic-resistant paint, as the effect of such paint declines over time.¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh. So, tools like this are a thing too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Incidentally, the building stones you sold me were rated quite favorably by this tool.¡± [Serge] ¡°Somehow, it feels like that was ages ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a year, though¡ª MU?¡± [Serge] ¡°What happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A store caught my eye.¡± [Serge] I followed after, and Serge-san stooped over a corner of the plaza, where several products were laid over a carpet. ¡°Mind if I take a look?¡± [Serge] ¡°P-Please go ahead!¡± [Clerk] The young man looked really nervous, but Serge-san just seriously examined the products. ¡°This millstone¡­ Has this been enchanted with Spin?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes! In fact, all of the products here have!¡± [Clerk] ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what workshop are you affiliated with.¡± [Sereg] ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not presently¡­¡± [Clerk] Serge-san smiled when he heard that, and after purchasing the small millstone, handed the man a letter. When the man saw that, he bowed his head deeply and saw us off as we left his store. ¡°Serge-san, isn¡¯t that heavy? I can store it in my Item Box for you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Serge] ¡°No problem. By the way, what was that just now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That man didn¡¯t have a tent, right? Well, those tents are actually loaned by the steering committee to stores and workshops that have applied for a position. So if someone is without a tent, that means they¡¯re here alone. This is usually taken to mean that they are currently looking for an employer or somewhere to hone their skills. In his case, he was probably chased out of his workshop. His skills are still somewhat lacking, but the rotation of this millstone is something. He seems like a serious kid, so I though if he had a place to hone his skills, he might be able to develop himself further.¡± [Serge] So, he saw a promising individual? In that case, that paper must be a letter of introduction. ¡°Exactly. It¡¯s addressed to Dinome Workshop.¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­You hope to use him to speed up your magic car?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hopefully, in the future, he¡¯ll be able to do just that.¡± [Serge] It¡¯ll be some time before his investment bears fruit, but Serge-san sure doesn¡¯t let an opportunity pass. We chatted while continuing to walk around the fair. Chapter 89 Volume 3 Chapter 89 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 89 part2 A merchant was enacting a short play to attract customers. ¡°How much for the quiver?¡± [Male Adventurer] ¡°You can get it for just¡­. 20,000 suits!¡± [Merchant] As soon as the merchant said that, the customers distanced themselves. ¡°It seems 20,000 suits is too expensive¡­ Is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not overpriced. Crafting a magic tool requires an artisan to know enchantment magic as well as the spell he wishes to imbue his tool with. In other words, it¡¯s not possible to enchant a tool with a spell one doesn¡¯t know of. And with dimension magic being one of the hardest disciplines, there aren¡¯t many magic tool artisans out there that can enchant a tool with a spell of its type; hence, the price tag. But that quiver and the farming tools you bought just a while ago are meant to be used for several years. So, while they might seem expensive at first, they are more than worth it considering how long they last.¡± [Serge] I see. ¡°The young master over there. Are you interested in magic? Why don¡¯t you take a look at my selection?¡± [Merchant] ¡°What are those?¡± [Ryouma] At the store of the man that called out was a pile of metal rods and books bound together with a string. ¡°Teaching materials for magic. The books can give information on theory, while the magic tool can invoke said magic and allow the student to have a better grasp of the image needed. But, these aren¡¯t published by the magicians guild.¡± [Serge] ¡°I assure you that these are not illegal goods.¡± [Merchant] ¡°I know perfectly well that it is legal to produce one¡¯s own instructional sets and sell them, but without the certification of the guild, there is no knowing whether the instructional materials provided can be trusted. Even if the spell is the same, there¡¯s no way to know whether the example provided by the magic tool and interpretation are correct. Unless of course you¡¯re willing to let us test the tool and read the book first.¡± [Serge] ¡°No! ¡­You can read if you want but only if you pay first.¡± [Merchant] ¡°That won¡¯t do. Let us go, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Tch!¡± [Merchant] ¡°It seems there are bad stores here too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. That¡¯s why it makes me so happy when I¡¯m able to find a good product or a promising individual¡­ Oh? Ryouma-sama, look at that.¡± [Serge] When I followed Serge-san¡¯s gaze, I saw Dinome-san, whom we met yesterday. He was under a huge tent and was gaving orders to his daughter and a young man, who seemed to be his disciple. ¡°I was thinking of greeting him and talking to him about our discussion yesterday.¡± [Serge] ¡°Isn¡¯t he busy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem to be the case. Look.¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­Oh.¡± [Ryouma] When I took another look, I noticed that a small child was clinging to his legs. And then after Dinome-san finished giving orders, he immediately went to seat on a wooden box and started patting his kid. He was completely in doting-grandpa mode. ¡°So, that¡¯s Federe-kun. He left the customers to his family. Are you sure he won¡¯t get mad if we drop by?¡± [ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s not that narrow-minded. And besides, we¡¯re going there for business. He¡¯s the sort of guy who¡¯ll lend you an ear as long as he¡¯s not in the middle of work. By the way, you know how to make a sound-concealing barrier, right? Can you use that?¡± [Serge] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s related to me too, so I don¡¯t really have any reason to refuse. When we went to the tent, the disciple noticed us and nodded to us. ¡°Pops! Master Serge is here!¡± [Disciple] ¡°Hmm? Master! And Ryouma too! Welcome. Look, this is my grandchild, Federe, who I spoke to you about. What do you think? Hmm?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Hello. I¡¯m Ryouma.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma?¡± [Federe] ¡°What a cute kid.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right!? But why is he looking at you like that?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Dinome-dono, I¡¯ve seen how cute your grandchild is now. Actually, I have something I¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh? You should¡¯ve said so earlier then. Follow me.¡± [Dinome] Dinome-san led Serge-san to a corner of the tent where some chairs were. That area is probably meant for resting. It¡¯s not very spacious, but it should be more than enough if they¡¯re just going to talk. ¡°Umm¡­ Is there something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, though, Federe-kun was holding onto my clothes. ¡°Ryouma, play with me?¡± [Federe] ¡°Oh, seems he likes you.¡± [Dinome] ¡°Let¡¯s play?¡± [Federe] ¡°Uhh¡­ Serge-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I can talk to Dinome-san by myself. Go ahead and play.¡± [Serge] ¡°Dinome-san, is it alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Talking with us will just bore you. Go ahead. Have fun.¡± [Dinome] It¡¯s probably safe to leave the negotiations to Serge-san. But before playing with Federe-kun, I did as we planned and put up a sound-concealing barrier. ¡°Did you just make a barrier?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Yes. With this no one will be able to eavesdrop on you. I¡¯ll go play with Federe-kun now.¡± [Ryouma] Dinome-san was a little shocked at my display, but I left him and went outside the barrier with Federe-kun. The tent was the same as before. ¡°So, what should we play then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Shiritori (Word-chain game)! Let¡¯s start with the ¡®gu¡¯ from magic tools (mahou dougu). It seems the rules are no different from Earth¡¯s. Like that we started playing Shiritori. ¡°I lost¡­ Alright one more time. Let¡¯s start from Gu again!¡± [Federe] ¡°Alright !¡± [Ryouma] How long are we supposed to do this? I¡¯ve been winning once every three times, but this is already my 15th victory. I haven¡¯t been keeping count, but I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ve already played more than 40 times and for over 2 hours already. I¡¯ve spent all my words already. He seems to be enjoying himself, though, so I guess it¡¯s fine? ¡°Thanks for keeping him company. And sorry too for troubling you. Here.¡± [Dinome¡¯s Daughter] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] The daughter handed me a drink, and I was able to quench my thirst with a cold fruit juice. ¡°Ryouma, from ¡®Gu¡¯.¡± [Federe] ¡°Hey. Let him rest already.¡± [Daughter] ¡°It¡¯s fine, really.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m all refreshed now, after all. I can still keep on going. ¡°Really? Aren¡¯t you fed up with it already? Dad would happily go along with it, but¡­¡± [Daughter] I can¡¯t hear Serge-san and Dinome-san because of the barrier, but from the looks of things, they were still happily talking. They would look at me from time to time, though. I wonder if negotiations are going poorly. Either way I shouldn¡¯t try to interfere. ¡°Ryouma, ¡®Gu¡¯!¡± [Federe] ¡°Oh, right. ¡®Gray (Gurei) Wolf (Urufu)¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Federe [1]!¡± [Federe] It seems it¡¯s okay to use your own name. We clashed three more times after that. ¡°Again! From ¡®Gu¡¯!¡± [Federe] ¡°You really like Shiritori, huh.¡± [Ryouma] But when I said that¡ª ¡°Not really.¡± [Federe] ¡ªFedere denied it. ¡°Huh? ¡­You hate Shiritori?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t hate it, but I don¡¯t like it either.¡± [Federe] ¡°Huh? So what is it that you want to do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want to go outside! But mom says I shouldn¡¯t go outside, and I don¡¯t have any toys either, so I just play Shiritori!¡± [Federe] ¡­So the reason he keeps playing Shiritori is because he doesn¡¯t have anything else to do. I wish I¡¯d asked him earlier. But in that case¡­ ¡°Then, want to play another game?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure!¡± [Federe] ¡°Excuse me. Can I borrow that trashcan?¡¯ [Ryouma] ¡°This? Sure.¡± [Daughter] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I took a cloth from my Item Box and stretched it out over the trash can, then I fixed it into place with a string. ¡°What are you going to do with that?¡± [Federe] ¡°This is a stage¡­Ever heard of ¡®Beigoma (spinning tops)¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m sure any Japanese would recognize that name, but I¡¯m not so sure about the children of this world. Actually, scratch that. I¡¯m not even sure anymore if even Japanese children can still recognize the name, but at the very least, it was popular when I was young. The spinning top is supposed to be made with lead, but the tops I have with me are made from iron since I made them yesterday along with my other magic tools. I have two spinning tops and two strings. I placed those atop the stage, while Federe closely watched. He didn¡¯t know what I was up to, but he looked interested. ¡°This is how you play¡­ HOI!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°AH!¡± [Federe] It¡¯s been a long time, but my body still remembers. I threw the spinning top and it drew a circle around the stage until it eventually gathered at the center. ¡°It¡¯s spinning!¡± [Federe] ¡°Give it at try. I¡¯ll teach you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Teach me! Teach me!¡± [Federe] ¡°Let¡¯s start with how to wind the top.¡± I did the best I could to make everything simple for Federe-kun, but it seems to be too difficult for a 4-year-old kid, as he kept failing. I handed him a top that¡¯s been winded already before he lost interest. ¡°This is how you throw it. Like this!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let me try! ¡­Ah.¡± [Federe] ¡°You have to put more strength into it when pulling.¡± [Ryouma] I stood between the stage and the store just in case he made a mistake. This way, even if the top is thrown poorly, there won¡¯t be any damages. Federe-kun continued training how to wind up the top and throw it, and eventually¡­ ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Serge] ¡°Federe~ Grandpa is finally done with work~¡± [Dinome] Serge-san and Dinome-san finally left the barrier. ¡°Gramps!¡± [Federe] ¡°Serge-san. How was it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Everything went fine. Dinome-dono accepted the conditions you brought up last night.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see. Thank you very much, Serge-san, Dinome-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. This is an equal trade. We get to make some profit and you get to avoid some needless trouble. Although, how much ¡®favorable treatment¡¯ I can give you will depend on how much of a profit your magic tool will be able to bring us. You can drop by to get advice on magic tools as long as I¡¯m not in the middle of work. Drop by the store whenever you need to.¡± [Dinome] ¡°I look forward to working with you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Same.¡± [Dinome] ¡°Grandpa, wind this up!¡± [Federe] ¡°Oh~? What is this~? ¡­No, really. What is this? Boss, do you know what this is?¡± [Dinome] ¡°A torunero?¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s a spinning top. What¡¯s a torunero?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A wooden toy that looks like this, but it¡¯s a lot bigger and has a rod in the middle. You play it by holding the rod with both hands and turning it like this.¡± [Serge] Serge-san made a gesture like when one makes a taketonbo fly [2]. ¡°This toy is a bit different. You wind it up with a string like this and, then throw it like this!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh~¡± [Dinome] ¡°So it is a kind of torunero. Toruneros vary from region to region, so is this how they do it where you¡¯re from, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, this is how people from the Great Shurus Forest do things¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Wind it up. Wind it up.¡± [Federe] ¡°Hey, Ryouma. Am I doing it right?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Huh. Dinome-san doesn¡¯t know doesn¡¯t the toy, but he knows how to wind it up? ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And then you throw it like this, right!?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Ah, yes¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s spinning!¡± [Dinome] Dinome¡¯s spinning top was spinning wonderfully atop the stage. ¡°You know this toy?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No? I just copied what you did when you wound it up yourself and threw it. How long do you think I¡¯ve been living on these fingers of mine? Something on this level is child¡¯s play!¡± [Dinome] ¡°Grandpa is amazing!¡± [Federe] ¡°Really~? Thank you~?¡± [Dinome] I think he¡¯s amazing too, but he¡¯s back to doting-grandpa mode again as soon as his grandchild praised him. ¡­Might as well give them both spinning tops. ¡°You sure you don¡¯t mind giving these to us?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Yes. Please teach Federe-kun how to play. Once you¡¯re both able to play, you can also throw both tops and have them clash against each other. Federe-kun, you want to play with grandpa too, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!!¡± [Federe] ¡°I see, I see! Then I¡¯ll happily accept it. As thanks¡­ Are you free tonight?¡± [Dinome] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, why you don¡¯t drop by? We¡¯re going to have an awesome party after the fair.¡± [Dinome] An invitation to a closing party, huh. Which means that we¡¯ll have a relationship after this too. That being the case, I accepted his invitation. Like this I ended up making a connection with a magic tool artisan. [1] ¨C Federe is spelled as ¥Õ¥§¥Ç©`¥ì, which uses a ¡®fu¡¯ with a small ¡®e¡¯ to make a ¡®fe¡¯. Still counts it seems since the first character is a ¡®fu¡¯. [2] ¨C CLICK HERE TO SEE WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve seen these toys before, so there¡¯s probably a non-Japanese term for them, but I don¡¯t know what that is. Chapter 90 Volume 3 Chapter 90 part1 Deodorant Slime Volume 3 Chapter 90 part2 Serge-san still had something to do, so I left him and went back to Gimuru. It was already late into the night when I got back to Gimuru. I was planning on just taking care of my slimes, and then going to sleep but apparently that wouldn¡¯t be possible. Within a room in the abandoned mines was me and a cleaner slime. This cleaner slime is one of the cleaner slimes I got from the store. It started evolving a lot faster than expected. There¡¯s no way I can sleep now. Each time the cleaner slime released and sucked in mana, its transparent body became a little blacker. The evolution process was a long way from finishing, so I happily waited. Eventually¡­ ¡°Oh! It¡¯s done!¡± The mana stilled and the slime started crawling in the room. Its body was dull black with no lustre. Like a powdered charcoal molded into a dumpling. A closer look shows that it has the same gelatin-like body of the slime, so perhaps calling it a lustre-less black viscous liquid would be more apt. But enough of that. Let¡¯s see what kind of monster it is! Monster Identify! ¡­Oh!. Skill Absorb Odor Lv8 Extract Odor Component Lv6 Erase Odor Component Lv8 Odor Defense Lv5 Stench Lv2 Irritating Stench Lv2 Odor-Absorbing Liquid Lv7 Odor Component Extraction Liquid Lv5 Odor Component Erasure Liquid Lv7 Odor Defensive Liquid Lv4 Liquid Stench Lv1 Irritating Liquid Stench Lv1 Disease Resistance Lv5 Poison Resistance Lv5 Physical Attack Resistance Lv1 Clean Lv4 Sweeping Lv1 Jump Lv3 Split Lv1 Deodorant Slime, huh. I expected it to be a carbon slime, but who would¡¯ve thought it would end up taking this path instead¡­ This slime¡­ It probably specialized in getting rid of odor. All of its skill are basically deodorants, so it¡¯s easy to understand what they do. Anyway, let¡¯s go test this guy out. We¡¯ll be dealing with stinky stuff, so let¡¯s do it outside. After changing locations and investigating the new slime, I found out the following things. The Absorb Odor skill absorbs odor from the air. The Extract Odor Component skill absorbs odor from an object that the slime is in contact with. These two skills might appear to be similar, but the area that they are able to affect is different. The Erase Odor Component skill literally erases the stench, and the Odor Defense skill suppresses the smell and prevents it from latching onto others. The Stench skill works just like the Scavenger Slime¡¯s, wherein it releases a foul odor. The Irritating Stench skill also releases a foul smell, but it¡¯s more irritating. It¡¯s not poisonous It¡¯s just that the odor released is so strong that it¡¯s able to cause one to tear up, so it¡¯s a skill that needs to be handled with care. The Irritating Stench skill has the potential to become as effective as a tear-gas grenade. The liquid variants of the skills just means that the slime releases the skill in liquid form instead of gas. The liquids are all black and sticky, so I personally can¡¯t help but liken them to mud. And then the rest of the skills are just hand-me-downs from when it was just a cleaner slime. As for feed, it can eat either charcoal or dirt. That¡¯s probably why it couldn¡¯t become a carbon slime¡­ I should also investigate the liquids a little more. I collected the Deodorant Slime various liquid skills with the exception of the Stench and Irritating Stench skills. To have a point of comparison, I also collected the Cleaner Slime¡¯s deodorizing Liquid. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a bit different compared to a cleaner slime¡¯s.¡± The Cleaner Slime¡¯s Deodorizing Liquid is being sold in the product after the results of the investigations of Caulkin-san¡¯s team. We sell the products according to the concentration of the deodorizing liquid. The weakest concentration is sold as ¡®normal¡¯. The stronger variant is called ¡®super¡¯. And the strongest variant is called ¡®hyper¡¯, which is just the source liquid, but regardless, all three are used toward other liquids or rubbed on something. Unfortunately, using the Deodorant Slime¡¯s Odor Component Erasure Liquid like the Deodorizing Liquid results in the target object being stained with black. Which it makes it difficult to use as a deodorizing agent for laundry. But the Odor Component Erasure Liquid of the Deodorant Slime has a special trait which allows it to be diluted when placed atop a person¡¯s hand or mix with other liquids. This is a unique trait that the cleaner slime¡¯s deodorizing liquid doesn¡¯t have. I don¡¯t know why, but when you add water or other liquids to the deodorizing liquid, its efficacy plummets. Which is why all three types of deodorizing liquid sold at the store are prepared by the cleaning slimes themselves. They mix the concentration of the liquid inside their body before puking it out. ¡°Did the composition change because of the charcoal? ¡­Is it still safe?¡± I used Identify, but it didn¡¯t give me an answer. The mysteries remain mysteries, while the possibilities only increase. ¡°If I check the key points of the Odor-Absorbing Liquid and the Odor Component Extraction Liquid¡­¡± There¡¯s another downside to the Deodorizing Liquid of the Cleaner Slime. It¡¯s certainly effective, but a female member of the Catman tribe said this about it. ¡°I can get rid of the smell from the landfill by using this, nyaa. But as soon as the next pile of trash comes around, it starts stinking again, nyaa¡­¡± There were also other people who shared her sentiments. They would use the Deodorizing Liquid on shoes and the smell would go away, but when they wore it again, it would start stinking again. The Cleaner Slime¡¯s Deodorizing Liquid is only able to eliminate the odor from the object it is directly touching and its vicinity. The effect also doesn¡¯t last long, so if you apply it in a bigger scale or in an environment where stinky stuff are expected to be brought over and over, it¡¯s not very effective. Presently, the deodorizing liquid is popular among the Catman tribe and other customers with similarly sensitive noses. If I sell the Odor Component Erasure Liquid to those customers as a product able to remove stubborn odor, then it should be possible to turn up an even greater profit. The next problem would be the durability of the Odor-Absorbing Liquid and the Odor Component Extraction Liquid¡­ But finding that out will take time. I also need to find out if they can be used in a normal residence and not an environment like this abandoned mine. In any case, I¡¯ll cut my investigations for today here. ¡°¡­Anyway, I should take a shower for now.¡± Based on the time indicated on the clock, I should be able to leave for work at a good time even if I prepare myself at a leisurely pace. ¡°You didn¡¯t even sleep before coming here?¡± [Carm] When I reported the events that occurred this morning to Carm-san, he looked at me with a fed-up expression. ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a good point to stop. By the way, would it be a problem if I did the experiment here too? ¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So this sack contains the Odor-Absorbing Liquid? It should be fine as long as it¡¯s not dangerous.¡± [Carm] ¡°I want to find out if this Odor-Absorbing Liquid would still take effect while in this state. I also want to investigate how long its effect will last and how much of an effect it will have in an environment were people are active. The experiment won¡¯t be anything special. I will be just leaving this sack here. I¡¯ve already confirmed that the Odor-Absorbing Liquid works just as described, but there¡¯s a limit to how much odor it can absorb, and in the case of the scavenger slime, it quickly reaches that limit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Once it reaches its limit, it becomes useless?¡± [Carm] ¡± ¡°Yes. But it¡¯s possible that the stench released by the scavenger slimes just so happens to be too strong, so I plan to leave these sacks in various places and gather information like that. They¡¯re not poisonous, so it should be safe.¡± ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no reason for me to be against it either. If things go well, it might become a new product too. Let¡¯s hope for a good result.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be going now then. I need to find people willing to help me with my experiment. Oh, and I almost forgot. Here. Souvenirs. Baked sweets from Kereban. They¡¯ve been popular lately. I tasted some myself and thought they were delicious. Not overly sweet, just the right amount.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks. I¡¯m sure the women will be elated.¡± [Carm] After leaving the distribution of the souvenirs to Carm-san, I dropped by the nearby florist. ¡°Good day, Pauline-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. Haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Are you well?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes.I had to go to Renauph and then Kereban immediately after, but I¡¯m doing just fine. I brought you some souvenirs by the way. They¡¯re baked sweets and last for a long time, but you might want to give them a try sooner than later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve brought us some nice things, haven¡¯t you? The children will be delighted. Did you come just for this?¡± [Pauline] It was then that I asked her if she minded helping me with the Odor-Absorbing Liquid test. ¡°Alright.¡± [Pauline] Pauline-san happily agreed to help me. ¡°You¡¯re always helping us out. It¡¯s the least we can do. Besides, I also look forward to seeing a new product from your store. Leaving one sack around our store won¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you very much. If anything happens or if there¡¯s anything that should displease you, please do inform me. We can make a much better product after receiving feedback.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then I¡¯ll be sure not to hold back if something happens.¡± [Pauline] Pauline-san happily laughed. ¡°Oh, one more thing. Would you happen to have some Dante Flower here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have some stock from yesterday.¡± [Pauline] As she said that she went to a corner where the flowers were lined up and came back with a container. Inside were bouquets of yellow flowers. Large petals were connected to the flower and the stem, but because they were yellow colored, I couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of dandelions. So this is a Dante Flower. It¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for. Only, all the flowers have already been cut. The roots are missing. ¡°Where are the roots?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I cut them after purchase. Did you want the roots?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes. In my hometown, we have a drink made from boiling a flower similar to the Dante Flower.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯ve already thrown them away. You¡¯ll have the wait until the next¡­ Wait. You grew your lawn before, right?¡¡I mean, you can use Wood Magic, right? ¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes. I can.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, what about this?¡¡The seed of a Dante Flower. New stock won¡¯t arrive until net week, you see.¡± [Pauline] ¡°That will do. How much for it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°50 suits per bag.¡± [Pauline] When she showed me the contents, I saw dozens of seeds that looked like sunflower seeds. I¡¯ll be making tea with these, so¡­ ¡°Just one bag probably won¡¯t be enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°These seeds are meant for people that like to raise their own flowers, so there¡¯s not a lot per bag, but the storehouse should have 30 more bags.¡± [Pauline] ¡°In that case¡­ Since I¡¯ll be experimenting at first, I¡¯ll take 10.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll get them now. Just wait a bit.¡± [Pauline] With 10 bags of seeds, I should have enough even if I fail a couple of times. I can get more later once I¡¯ve confirmed that I can mass produce these things. ¡­Oops. Gotta pay. ¡°Here you go. 500 suits all in all. Do be careful of monsterification if you use wood magic, though.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Monsterifi¡ª What? ¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sometimes plants grown through Wood Magic can turn out different. Scholars would probably have more complicated terms for it, but basically, the plants and trees edn up with a different color, become imbued with poison, and could even become able to move like monsters. Apparently, it¡¯s because of mana. Some plants or trees are more prone to monsterification and some less so, but that¡¯s about all I know. I¡¯m not an expert on the subject.¡± [Pauline] ¡°I see. This is my first time hearing that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahaha. Well, unless several people cast spells or at least use a similar amount of mana, Monsterification probably won¡¯t occur. It¡¯s not really something that happens a lot, so don¡¯t worry. Enough about that. If you manage to make some delicious drink, let me know, okay? I¡¯ll get you all the flowers and seeds you want as long as you¡¯ll buy them.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you very much. At that time, I¡¯ll be sure to rely on you.¡± [Ryuma] Monsterification, huh¡­ I feel like I¡¯ve heard of it before. It seems there are all sorts of different mutations. I¡¯m a little curious how mine will mutate. One day, I¡¯ll bring my experiment along that direction too, but for now, let¡¯s just make my Dandelion Coffee. I stored my purchased seeds into my Item Box and left the florist. Next let¡¯s drop by the butcher and talk to them about the Odor-Absorbing Liquid. If the opportunity permits, maybe I can also get some blood. After that I¡¯ll drop by Miya-san¡¯s house. And then¡­ Raypin-san?¡¡And then¡­ Like that I went around town looking for people to help me with my experiment. Chapter 91 Volume 3 Chapter 91 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 91 part2 Today, I¡¯m going to make charcoal and look after the abandoned mine. Until now I¡¯ve been relying on my charcoal reserves, but I¡¯ve almost it up already. If I don¡¯t make some more before I really run out, the deodorant slimes won¡¯t have anything to eat. Also, the weeds I cut the other day are in good condition now, so¡­. ¡°Oh, that feels good.¡± [Ryouma] It hasn¡¯t been raining recently, so the weeds have already been dried. If not for that, I would have had to use my alchemy to dry them in a flash. ¡°Alrighty then. Let¡¯s give it a shot.¡± [Ryouma] I used my newly purchased pitchfork to gather the weeds scattered on the ground. ¡°Oh! This is pretty good.¡± [Ryouma] I poured my mana into the metal fixtures attached to the handle of the pitchfork and invoked the Body Reinforcement spell imbued in it. Suddenly, it seemed as if the weight of the pitchfork had vanished from my hands, and I was able to easily gather the weeds. As a result, gathering all of the weeds into a single pile and storing it in my Dimension Home looked like a trifle job. This is actually fun. ¡°Next I have to cut out weeds for use next time.¡± [Ryouma] I took out my ¡®Scythe¡¯ from my Item Box. Light Novels would have you believe that this is a weapon, but this is a farming tool. It has a handle like that of a one-handed sickle, only bigger. It has a blade, and there are two poles parallel to each other. ¡°Am I doing this right?¡± [Ryouma] There were metal fixtures similar to those of the pitchfork on the two poles, so I tried holding the scythe there. When I did, the giant sickle was positioned parallel to the ground with the edge of the blade facing forward. I¡¯ve never used this tool before, so I¡¯m not confident with how I¡¯m holding it, but I think this should be about right. ¡°Heave-ho!¡± I had my right hand on the front while my left hand pulled. Most of the grass caught were just pushed down, but the scythe had cut them a little, so I seem to be using it right. I¡¯ll need to keep practicing. ¡°Fuu, fuu, fuu¡­ Un.¡± After an our of trial error and practice, I gradually became better at using the scythe. The key point was to position the blade similar to how I would position a katana. Also, the power comes from the hips rather than the arms. The arm is just there for support, and the part of the blade that should be hitting the weeds is the part near the edge of the blade. When I stuck to those key points, I was easily able to cut the weeds. Gradually, the boundary between the weeds that have been cut and those that haven¡¯t were changing. The scythe is much more efficient than a sickle that can only cut what¡¯s immediately in front of you, and it¡¯s also really fun to use when you know how to. Looks like I managed to snag another good purchase. ¡°¡­This much should do.¡± [Ryouma] I left the mowing at that, and went down to the foot of the mountain to cut some lumber to turn into charcoal. Naturally, what I¡¯ll be using here is none other than my magic axe. Axes are generally heavy, but that¡¯s also the source of their strength, so you can¡¯t just make them lighter. This magic axe of mine, however, is imbued with a spell so that its wielder can use it as if it were light without reducing its actual weight. Depending on the person, this axe might be easier to use than attack magic. 4 or 5 trees should do. After cutting them down, I carried them back up, then I cut off the branches and divided them into appropriate parts, and then¡­ Before I knew it, the sun had already risen to its highest point. Should I take a break and have lunch now? ¡­? This sound¡­ ¡°Dange¡ª¡± [Ryouma] I shifted my body slightly to then side, and in the next moment, an iron ball passed where my head was just a while ago. ¡°Be careful!¡± [Ryouma] The iron ball that passed was my Iron Slime. It wasn¡¯t moving from where it fell after I warned it. ¡°You can go.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the slime turned into an iron ball again and rolled back up the abandoned mine. ¡­Lately, the iron and metal slimes have been growing quickly. When I remembered about them turning into a ball when I caressed them, I made them practice the motion, and the metal slime was able to turn into a ball. Eventually, the iron slime was also able to do the same thing. I thought they were just gradually growing up, but a few days later, the metal and iron slimes started rolling around wherever they pleased. A closer investigation showed that although their body was hard and heavy, inside, their nucleus could quickly move as it pleased, so they could shift the center of their gravity to move themselves where they pleased. At first, I thought it was nothing more than a coincidence, but eventually that coincidence turned into their main method of getting around. The slimes that used to be the slowest from my goo of slimes were now battling for 1st or 2nd place in terms of speed. What¡¯s more is that the two of them learned the High-Speed Movement skill. That being said, it¡¯s only on level ground that they are able to move as they please. On hills or slopes, they could easily find themselves being taken by gravity. But the slimes actually enjoy that, so when I leave them on their own, they can usually be found rolling down the hills. When they roll down too quickly, though, they can end up out of course and fly off just like that one slime just now. Their bodies are made of metal so it¡¯s really dangerous. The metal and iron slimes have also been increasing their numbers lately due to the abundance of food. All of those slimes are able to roll. ¡­I might have to make a special track for them in one of the tunnels¡­ I¡¯ll think of something in the near future. It¡¯s finally time to start making charcoal. First, I stuffed the furnace with lumber, then I lit the bundle of weeds and pile of branches that I¡¯d gathered. Dinome-san gave me a magic igniter as a free sample, so I used this opportunity to give it a try. It had a long handle, so it was easy to use. After that I waited for the furnace to get hot. White smoke gradually billowed out from the chimney, the flames eventually turning into a partially blue transparent flame, then when the smoke changed, I blocked the entrance and chimney of the furnace with a couple of red soil blocks. It might sound simple, but the timing is rather difficult to grasp unless you¡¯re used to it already. The first time I made charcoal was when I came to this world. Back in my past life, I neither had the environment nor time for it, so I always just looked on in awe whenever I saw people making it in television or in the internet. When I first tried it out myself, there were a lot of times when I carelessly burned everything in the furnace or the opposite case where the fire died before the wood could become charcoal. But I¡¯ve already gotten used to it by now. I know from experience that the smoke will still change some more, so I can just watch for now and wait. ¡°¡­I need to get stronger.¡± [Ryouma] I have to go to the Great Shurus Forest. Gathering information and hunting monsters is fine and all, but it¡¯s hard to say that just that would be enough. Isn¡¯t there something else I could do? I doubt I could get through the forest with a hasty preparation, so I figure I might as well try to improve my skills. To that end, I thought of four possible aspects where I could improve myself in. One was equipment. I mainly fight using my body and my weapons, so providing myself a set of good weapons and armor should help but. But this is pretty basic¡­ The second candidate is to develop and train my magic. Frankly, I¡¯m not very good at offensive magic. Despite my All-Attribute Affinity trait, an adventurer that specializes in magic is still far and above me. There¡¯s no other way to it. I have to train myself and slowly learn the techniques. But I have an advantage from my previous life. If I use that, I might be able to come up with new spells. Only, I don¡¯t exactly know how I¡¯m going to accomplish that. I need information on the environment oft the Great Shurus Forest too, so I guess I really need to rely on the guild¡¯s information. The third candidate is research on medicine and poison. I received medical knowledge when I came to this world. I haven¡¯t used it for anything other than medicine, but I should be able to make poison too. The slimes are experts in poison and medicine too, so they can definitely help. Also, I should be able to procure the necessary ingredients right now by ordering them. If I choose this path, I¡¯ll be able to add poison to my arsenal. Grisiera-san, Fei-san, and Leelin-san are also around to consult. The last candidate is the development of tools. I don¡¯t know if any of the tools I develop will be new to this world, but I could certainly bring some survival tools and convenient tools from my previous life to this world. If the tools already exist in this world, then that¡¯s fine, but if not, then that will be my fortune. I don¡¯t have any concrete plans yet¡­ Ah. I could hear the sound of metal from the distance. ¡°Did they fall again?¡± [Ryouma] I wonder which one fell this time. I know both variants can¡¯t get hurt by falling, but I¡¯d really appreciate it if they could stop. I know they¡¯re happy since they learned to roll and move quickly and all, but¡­? ¡°Wait a moment. Transforming their body into a ball is no different from the other slimes transforming parts of their bodies into tentacles. The only difference is that their body is made out of metal. If so, then¡­¡± [Ryouma] Does this mean that they could change into other shapes too? Like a sword or a hammer? In the first place, the reason they learned to become a ball is because I rolled them up, so if I shape them into what I want them to transform themselves into and slowly train them, it should be possible. The moment I realized that, I had to try it out. I immediately called two types of slimes over and shaped the iron slime into a knife while keeping an eye on the furnace. ¡°Ohh! This can work! It definitely can!¡± [Ryouma] Turning into a ball day after day seems to have improved the slimes¡¯ abilities, and I was able to mold one into a rough shape after supporting it just a little. All that¡¯s left now is for the finer details. I need to make the blade part thinner. ¡°I guess this can do for now?¡± [ryouma] After shaping the slime, I ordered it not to move, then I tested it against a bundle of dried weeds. ¡°¡­I see.¡± [ryouma] I¡¯m definitely grinning right now. The iron slime knife is terrible at cutting. There are too many parts in the blade that¡¯s either thick or bent. If a store were to sell this, it would definitely be labeled a broken product. But it was able to cut the bundle of weeds. That might not be wholly true, but it was definitely able to cut it; hence, if I am able to forge it into a better blade, if I am able to train the slimes and correct the mistakes, then they should be able to transform into a promising product. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Ryouma] Like that I focused wholeheartedly in polishing the iron and metal slimes while keeping an eye out for the furnace. As a result, the charcoal making was a failure. Chapter 92 Volume 3 Chapter 92 part1 Odor-Absorbing Liquid Volume 3 Chapter 92 part2 ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a customer for you.¡± [Carm] ¡°A customer?¡± [Ryouma] When I dropped by the store, I was immediately informed that a customer was waiting for me. ¡°Miya-sama has something to talk about regarding your experiment.¡± [Carm] In that case, bring her to the reception office, I told him. ¡°Miya-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma! I¡¯ve been waiting, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°Good morning. Sorry for making you wait.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, it¡¯s my fault since I just showed up without an appointment, but I just really had to get more of this odor-absorbing liquid.¡± [Miya] ¡°I take it that means it was effective?¡± [Ryouma] After hearing her out it would appear that the effect lasted from yesterday afternoon until evening the next day. So, about a day at most. ¡°Was it effective in the morning?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyaa doubt it! This liquid of yours is amazing, nyaa. It got rid of the stench coming from the landfill so well that I could actually take a deep breath and be refreshed for once. Although when a neighbor came to throw trash, he looked at me like I was some weirdo or something, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Well¡­¡± [Ryouma] When you think about it, breathing in air fresh from the landfill and making a satisfied face would have surely looked odd, to say the least. ¡°But when he approached the landfill, he quickly realized that there was no smell, and he was able to understand why I was acting like I did. Since even that guy could tell the difference, there¡¯s no doubt that Ryouma¡¯s liquid is super effective, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°I see¡­ But one day is just too short.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nyaa? You can tell, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°More or less.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I started this experiment, I found out that there¡¯s a limit to how much the odor-absorbing liquid can absorb. For example, if I were to use Identify on this sack of odor-absorbing liquid¡­ A sack filled with the deodorant slime¡¯s odor-absorbing liquid. Due to the odor-absorbing liquid having already absorbed as much odor it can, it no longer has any effect. That¡¯s what it says. Just as it says, this odor-absorbing liquid has already absorbed as much as it can and can no longer absorb any more odor. Unfortunately, I found out that its capacity to absorb odor that is relatively small. Even if it is able to last longer than the cleaner slime¡¯s version of the odor-absorbing liquid, also known as the deodorizing liquid, it can at most last up to a week. But I doubt it can actually take effect that long. ¡°But in that experiment I was using the scavenger slime¡¯s Stench, so it wasn¡¯t representative of a normal household¡¯s environment, which is why I had to ask you for your help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, nyaa~ So, don¡¯t you have anything that lasts longer, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Then how about trying the Odor Component Extraction Liquid next?¡± [Ryouma] Given th same amount of stench from the scavenger slime, the Odor-Absorbing Liquid could only last for a few minutes, whereas the Odor Component Extraction Liquid could last for almost an hour. The downside is that it has a smaller area of effect. So, it lasts longer, but it¡¯s area of effect is also smaller. That¡¯s how the Odor Component Extraction Liquid works. ¡°Got it, nyaa. I can just leave it in the same place as before, right, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to me, nyaa. I also want this experiment to be concluded as soon as possible, nyaa! It¡¯s for my sake too, nyaa!¡± [Miya] As she said that, Miya-san took the sack of Odor Component Extraction Liquid and went home. ¡°Conclude, huh¡­¡± [Ryouma] Actually, I can already see the conclusion. It¡¯s right before my eyes, after all. I turned to the deodorant slime that was puking out Odor Component Extraction Liquid while its body shook. As one might infer by this point in time, the deodorant slime is capable of combining the Odor Component Extraction Liquid with the Odor-Absorbing Liquid inside its body. And just like the cleaner slime it can puke out that combined liquid. Unlike the cleaner slime¡¯s liquid, however, the deodorant slime¡¯s liquid can be diluted and combined with other liquids. So, why don¡¯t I do just that and mix it up? If we were to combine the Odor-Absorbing Liquid that has a much greater area of effect with the Odor Component Extraction Liquid that has a greater capacity to absorb more odor, then it might just be possible to overcome each liquid¡¯s individual weakness. It might be possible to use other ingredients as well. But regardless what product we end up making, we won¡¯t be able to sell immediately. As for why, that¡¯s because the deodorant slimes are still too few in numbers. Hmm? The deodorant slime seems to be trying to absorb the sack filled with used Odor-Absorbing Liquid. It looks like it wants to eat it. ¡­Could it be? Is the Odor-Absorbing Liquid actually a trap for the deodorant slimes to acquire their food? Time slowly passed as I pondered on the deodorant slime. After finishing my job at the store and lunch, I visited the people cooperating with my experiment and asked them how things were going. Other than Miya-san, no one else¡¯s sack has lost its effect. Miya-san¡¯s circumstances were an outlier, as expected. Even the sack at Zeke-san¡¯s butcher still hadn¡¯t lost effect. While thinking something rude like that to myself, I arrived at my destination. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome¡ª¡± [Clerk] As soon as I entered the store, a voice called out to me from the right side. When I turned to the right, there was a young man resting his chin on his hands on the counter. He didn¡¯t appear enthusiastic. ¡°Huh? Aren¡¯t you that Bamboo Forest kid?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Yes. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. You know about my store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m Dansbel. As you can see, I work at this store. Not that I want to, mind you. My dad just sort of pushed the job to me. Your store has been word of the town recently. If there¡¯s a book you¡¯re looking for, just say it and I¡¯ll help you find it.¡± [Dansbel] The guy was unexpectedly talkative as he glanced at the crowded book shelves of the dark store. The shelves were so packed that there wasn¡¯t even a bit of gap between them. Finding a book from that looks like it¡¯ ll prove a challenge. ¡°Thank you. I don¡¯t have a particular book in mind, but I was hoping to find some illustration books on medicinal plants and books related to medicine.¡± [Ryouma] Whether it¡¯s medicine or poison, making either requires that one possesses the necessary knowledge and technology. I already have knowledge on medicines, but that knowledge is just something that was given to me. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s a bad idea to study it from the basics, but I don¡¯t have the time to become someone¡¯s apprentice, so I figured I could get myself some reference books instead. ¡°Follow me then.¡± [Dansbel] Dansbel led me to the bookshelf near the opposite corner. ¡°The books here are all related to medicine. I¡¯m not sure if you can read them, though. They¡¯re rather difficult.¡± [Dansbel] ¡°I¡¯ve studied a little under my grandmother. It should be alright. There¡¯s just a few things I want to confirm.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ In that case, I recommend these.¡± Dansbel took out three books. Two were illustration books on medicinal plants and poison, while the last one was handbook on mixing medicine. Every one of the books had ¡®Edited by the Medical Guild¡¯ written on the cover. ¡°How much for these three?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? You¡¯re buying all of them?¡± [Dansbel] ¡°Depending on the price. Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] The store clerk shook his head. ¡°Now that I think about it, your store is quite popular. If you can buy them, then it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s just that books are expensive, so there aren¡¯t a lot of people who would so easily buy one.¡± [Dansbel] ¡°Is it that expensive?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Long-lasting paper would cost 10 suits at the cheapest, so with books having hundreds of those, it¡¯s only natural that the price would end up in the thousands. On top of that, there¡¯s still the ink used and the author¡¯s share.¡± [Dansbel] All three books cost 15,000 suits in total. It¡¯s not a problem for me, but it is indeed expensive. Definitely not something a person could buy frivolously. ¡°In that case, how about these ones too?¡± [Dansbel] Seeing how much money I had, the male clerk started recommending more books to me, but there were no more books that had been edited by the medical guild. They were probably self-published. ¡°I¡¯ll just go with these three for now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Alright then.¡± [Dansbel] He didn¡¯t force the issue and quickly processed my purchase. ¡°Come again if you need more books. I¡¯ll give you a little discount if you pick a book that doesn¡¯t sell, so do drop by regularly.¡± [Dansvel] The male clerk sent me off listlessly. He doesn¡¯t seem like a bad person, so I might come back once I¡¯m done with these books. ¡°!? What is this smel¡­¡± [Ryouma] When the wind carried a foul stench with it, I turned toward its direction. There I saw some children pulling a carriage with heaps of trash piled atop it. I even recognized one of the faces with them. ¡°Hello. Wist-kun, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah. R-Ryouma-kun?¡± [Wist] I called out to the boy with a tall stature, and apparently, he remembers me. ¡°Hey! What are you stopping f¡ª Ryouma?¡± [Berk] ¡°S-Sorry!¡± [Wist] ¡°I¡¯m sorry too.¡± [Ryouma] After a boy small for his age called out to Wist, Wist started walking again. It was Berk, from the Small Monkey Man Tribe, who called out to Wist-kun, who himself was from the Big Monkey Man Tribe. These two participated in the abandoned mine subjugation job. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to interfere.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, it¡¯s cool. That guy¡¯s just too much of a scaredy cat.¡± [Berk] ¡°So, the same as ever, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What did you want? We can talk while walking.¡± [Berk] ¡°I just called out because I happened to notice you¡­ Are you working today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m supervising them.¡± [Berk] Now that he mentions it, these children carrying trash all look young. Except for Wist-kun, that is. ¡°Is that the town¡¯s garbage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. Gathering all of this town¡¯s trash and dealing with them is a common job for slum brats.¡± [Berk] ¡°What do you with the trash?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The adults either burn them at the designated location or bury them outside town. We did the same job before becoming adventurers, but it¡¯s the adults who are responsible for dealing with the trash, so I¡¯m not that particular about it.¡± [Berk] That¡¯s probably because of the monsters. ¡°But it¡¯s dangerous even in town. You could get run over by a carriage or bump into people. Adults could do this job early in the morning or late in the evening, but doing it in the afternoon is easier. These guys are still no good, though. If you leave them for even a second, they end up like that. Ruth and the others are escorting other groups too.¡± [Berk] ¡°¡­So this isn¡¯t a job from the adventurers guild then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Our senpais who¡¯d become adventurers themselves also watched over us when we did this. It¡¯s not anything weird, you know.¡± [Berk] ¡°I don¡¯t know about being normal, but I think what you¡¯re doing is admirable.¡± [Ryouma] Although it might not bring them any profits, they made sure to pass on the good will that they¡¯d received themselves in the past. It¡¯s because of that that they¡¯re able to work together as a group and help each other. And if they really consider doing something like this as a matter-of-fact, then even if they might be poor financially, they¡¯re rich in terms of spirit. ¡°Admirable? W-What are you looking at me like that for?¡± [Berk] ¡°I don¡¯t have an agenda. I really do think you¡¯re admirable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The hell are you going on about? That¡¯s gross¡­¡± [Berk] ¡°Sorry, sorry. Anyway, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± [Ryouma] A lot happened when we first met, but I¡¯m sure they¡¯re alright now. The color of their face looks much better now too. At the very least, I can¡¯t feel that tense atmosphere they carried with them before. As I prayed for them to be able to keep that up, I went home alone. Chapter 93 Volume 3 Chapter 93 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 93 part2 It has already been a month since I got back from Renauph. When I opened my eyes and went out the front door, the refreshing blue morning sky came to view. The morning is still cool, but lately, the afternoon has been hot. I¡¯m sure the temperature will rise today too. Adventurers that can use ice magic have also started to become active, thinking it¡¯s the season for them to make money. Yep, this is summer, alright. The weather is even more refreshing for me because I¡¯ve been cooped up this past few days, making waterproof cloths to prepare for my long trip. But it would be a waste if I just stayed cooped up in my tunnel when the weather is this good. ¡­I¡¯ve made some progress already, so¡­ Let¡¯s make today a rest day! I decided that so energetically, but I didn¡¯t actually have any plans, so in the end, I dropped by the store. Unfortunately, the store was closed today. Now that I think about it, the fixed day offs are supposed to start this month. I actually forgot my own store¡¯s policy. It can¡¯t be helped, so I decided to just walk randomly around town for now. ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Ryouma-kun. What are you doing?¡± [Pauline] A voice called out to me from next door. ¡°Good morning, Pauline-san. The store¡¯s closed today, so I¡¯m just walking around town. The weather is great out today. It would be a pity if I just stayed at home.¡± [Ryouma] I said as I approached her. Pauline-san laughed. ¡°You said it. Can¡¯t spend a good weather like this cooped up in your room. Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you drop by my husband¡¯s store? You can get some more feed for your slimes.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you as always.¡± [Ryouma] I followed Pauline-san and got some blood, meat, and bones from Zeke-san¡¯s butcher. There¡¯s a lot more meat than usual. Maybe it¡¯s because the summer heat has made it easier to spoil. Seeing how they¡¯ve helped me out so much, maybe I should gift them a refrigerator. Nah, if I did that I¡¯ll get busy again. The store¡¯s refrigerator can¡¯t work without me too. I can¡¯t gift them a refrigerator. While I was thinking that, a loud voice suddenly resounded within the store. ¡°Mom!¡± [???] ¡°I can hear you just fine without yelling, you know!¡± [Pauline] The owner of the voice was Pauline-san¡¯s mischievous son, Rick. ¡°Ryouma, you¡¯re here too?¡± [Rick] ¡°Good morning, Rick.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Greet him properly!¡± [Pauline] Pauline-san poked him a little and Rick rubbed the part he was poked. ¡°So, what is it?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Oh, right! Tall¡¯s here already, so I¡¯m leaving!¡± [Rick] ¡°Oh? It¡¯s that time already?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What, you don¡¯t know about? Today¡¯s the church¡¯s cleaning day.¡± [Rick] ¡°Once every two months, the children of this town cleans up the church and does various odd jobs.¡± [Pauline] ¡°We¡¯re going to clean up the church as thanks to the gods!¡± [Rick] So it¡¯s like a community service of some sort. I was somewhat impressed by Rick¡¯s words, but Pauline-san wryly smiled and said this. ¡°Don¡¯t be fooled. This son of mine couldn¡¯t possibly be so amazing. He¡¯s just repeating what he heard from someone else. What he¡¯s really after are the sweets after the cleaning.¡± [Pauline] At that, Rick turned the other way. Bullseye, huh? ¡°That aside, will you be going too, Ryouma?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Well it¡¯s my first time hearing about it.¡± [Ryouma] Hmm¡­ Maybe it would be better if I participated? I don¡¯t have anything else to do today anyway. ¡°Would it be alright if I came along too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind.¡± [Rick] ¡°Then I¡¯ll go too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great! Let¡¯s go then!¡± [Rick] As Rick happily raised up his right and walked ahead, I followed after bidding Pauline-san goodbye. ¡°Ryouma! You¡¯re slow!¡± ¡°I¡¯m going. I¡¯m going.¡± [Ryouma] Rick says a lot of cheeky stuff, but he was properly waiting for me. Perhaps he might actually grow up to be a helpful big brother. While I was thinking that, we rendezvoused with Tall and Leni in front of the store. When we got to the store, the girl dressed in nun¡¯s clothing that I met sometime in the past instructed us to go to the chapel by following the signboards. Just as she said, there were indeed a bunch of signboards inside with arrows for direction. No way we could get lost with all these. Inside the chapel was a huge crowd of children, but only one woman in charge of them all. There were about 60 children all in all. Since this counts for all th e children in town, or at least all those that willingly participated, I wonder if 60 is big or low. Anyway, I decided to sit down and wait until it was time to clean the church. I took a seat with Tall and the others. When I did, light suddenly filled my vision¡ª Light!? ¡°¡­Where is this?¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s odd¡­ I didn¡¯t pray, but light still appeared. This isn¡¯t that same room of pure white, though. ¡°Is this a library?¡± [Ryouma] When I looked around me, I was surrounded by giant wooden book shelves. Every one of which was full to the brim. There were even shelves floating in the sky. At that, I knew that this wasn¡¯t just your ordinary library. ¡°Hmm¡­ So even I can summon you.¡± [???] An unfamiliar voice said. When I looked up, a young man was floating there. He slowly floated down. ¡­For the mean time, I decided to greet him. ¡°Hello, I¡¯m¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you. You are this age¡¯s otherworlder. Rumor has it that an interesting one has come.¡± [???] If he knows that, then he¡¯s definitely a god. ¡°I am the god of magic and knowledge, Fernoberia. This here is my domain. You seem surprised at how different it appears, but this is without doubt the same divine realm that you have visited before. When the time runs out, you will be able to return, so relax.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The God of Magic, Fernoberia. So this is the god Tekun says is hard to meet. He seems moody though. At least, compared to Tekun. ¡°This much is a given. After all, it was I who summoned you here. I heard that the others gods were able to summon the soul and consciousness of a living man into this realm, so I wanted to try it out myslef. Rest assured I won¡¯t treat you poorly.¡± [Fernoberia] Apparently, he was in the middle of investigating why I¡¯m able to come here, and it just so happened that I stepped into the church, so he summoned me to look for a clue that would aid him in his investigation. An experiment, in other words. ¡°I have a few questions I would like you to answer. Do you mind?¡± [Fernoberia] I don¡¯t have any reason to refuse. Actually, I can¡¯t refuse, so I just honestly answered his questions. He started with questions about my previous life and my life here in this world, then he asked me about various trivial things such as what food I like and what I think of being summoned in the divine realm. From there he went to questions regarding war and slavery, and so on and so forth. I just answered his questions honestly, but I can¡¯t really find a pattern in his questions¡­ Oh, this one seems to be the last. ¡°I thank you for your cooperation. Last question: what do you think of this world?¡± [Fernoberia] What I think of this world? The question is vage, so I don¡¯t really know how to respond, but¡­ I think it¡¯s a good world. Of course, I haven¡¯t gone around the whole around, so I don¡¯t have that much information, but of the people I¡¯ve met, everyone was nice to me and I¡¯ve even managed to make some friends. There¡¯s a lot of interesting stuff too like magic and slimes, so I think I¡¯m living a fairly fulfilled life. I don¡¯t have any complaints. I can say from the bottom of my heart that I¡¯m glad to have come to this world. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Huh? Did I say that out loud?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. I read your mind.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡­So, he read my mind. I didn¡¯t realize at all. ¡°Sorry. I read your mind just to be safe.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°To be safe?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, not all otherworlders are like you.¡± [Fernoberia] Apparently, some of the otherworlders lost themselves in the power they were given and became criminals, and some didn¡¯t know how to use their powers properly and ended up causing a calamity, so since this was our first meeting, he wanted to see what sorto f person I was first. Well, it makes sense. I¡¯m sure it sucks if the power you gave to someone was abused wantonly. ¡°Exactly. Which is why we never bring people with dangerous thoughts to this world, but there¡¯s nothing we can do if the otherworlder loses his mind after being brought to this world. We can¡¯t interfere with them as soon as they are brought to this world, so at most we can tell try to persuade them in their dreams to repent or to stop sinning. If they cause a calamity that will bring the destruction of the world, then we can interfere, but such cases are rare. In the first place, if things reach that point, then it¡¯s already too late¡­ I¡¯m glad you¡¯re understanding. It¡¯s a huge load off our back.¡± [Fernoberia] He read my mind again. Fernoberia seemed to be complaining when he said those things. As he turned around, he told me this. ¡°A lot more will be happening from here on, but I¡¯ll do my best not to lose myself in the power you¡¯ve given me. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t say with certainty that I won¡¯t.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not like I could trust a person who so easily says something with certainty. It¡¯s enough if you earnestly consider what I¡¯ve said.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, light started shining again. ¡°It seems the time is up. I¡¯ll tell you one last thing. There is an abnormality occurring in your body, but it¡¯s not that special of a case. There has been a similar trend in the past that occurred with otherworlders.¡± [Fernoberia] By abnormality, is he referring to me being able to go to and fro this world, as well as take sacred treasures with me? ¡°I¡¯m not sure what the cause is, but there were people in the past capable of doing things that should be impossible for humans. It just so happens that it¡¯s more obvious in your case. It¡¯s precisely because there were precedents that Gayn and the others are able to say that there¡¯s nothing wrong with your mind or your body. None of the otherworlders in the past with oddities like yours suddenly went mad or suddenly died.¡± [Fernoberia] Come to think of it, when Kufo talked about the saint that died, he mentioned that all the illnesses vanished. That¡¯s certainly not something a human should normally be able to do. ¡­I didn¡¯t think I was worrying over my strange circumstances, but maybe I was actually worried over it since for some reason I feel relieved after hearing Fernoberia-sama say that there¡¯s nothing wrong with me. ¡°Thank you for letting me know.¡± [Ryouma] At the same time, light wrapped my body, and in the next moment, I was back in the chapel. ¡­I wonder if he heard me. It¡¯s hard not to be anxious when there¡¯s no telling when the light will take me away. It seems my thoughts showed on my face, thougho, as Tall and the others who were sitting beside me suddenly asked me why I was making a weird face all of the sudden. Everything happened so suddenly that I forgot about these three¡­ Chapter 94 ) Volume 3 Chapter 94 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 94 part2 I gave the three kids some random excuse, then we waited until the woman in charge took the lead. She first thanked us for participating, then she started giving out jobs to each child. I started sweeping alongside the other children too, but I didn¡¯t bring out my scavenger slimes or use my magic. Sure, it would be faster, but with the children working so hard, it just didn¡¯t seem right, so I just went and cleaned normally using tools. Because of that it took us until afternoon to clean the big church. We were given sandwiches for lunch, and then the sweets. When it was time for the sweets to be handed out, Rick couldn¡¯t sit still anymore. Are their sweets that good? ¡°Thank you for helping out today.¡± [Nun] ¡°Thank you too for letting me participate.¡± [Ryouma] The woman handed me a small pouch tied closed with a ribbon. Inside were 4 cookies. Everyone was already eating theirs, so I took a bite myself. When I did, the fragrant smell of baked sweets coupled with moderate sweetness and the strong taste of the fruit jam filling filled my mouth. When the children were done eating their sandwiches and cookies, they formed groups and played at the garden, but some were just looking at the entrance of the church as if they were waiting for something. ¡­I get the children playing around, but what are the other children doing? Tall, Rick, and Leni also seemed to be waiting for something, so I asked them about it. ¡°What are you three doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re waiting for uncle!?¡± [Rick] Rick was the first one to answer, but all I found out was that they were waiting for someone. ¡°There¡¯s an uncle that comes every time we finish cleaning the church. He teaches us swordsmanship and how to fight.¡± [Tall] ¡°How to fight?¡± [Ryouma] According to Tall, an uncle who happens to be a former adventurer is sure to drop by whenever they¡¯re done cleaning the church. He doesn¡¯t come here just to give a donation to the church, but also to teach the orphans here how to fight, so that when they come of age they¡¯ll be able to live on their own. He does everything for free, so he¡¯s a volunteer. It has also become common practice for the children cleaning the church to join their training. Of course, just enough training for their age. Although, from my perspective, as someone who is a working adventurer, it¡¯s not exactly very interesting, but that can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Rick, I get, but Tall and Leni, you¡¯re interested too?¡± [Ryouma] Rick is rather mischievous, so it¡¯s not weird to see him want to participate, but I never thought Tall would also want to. Is it because he¡¯s a guy? Does he admire adventurers too? ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong for a girl to know how to fight. Who knows? Maybe one day I might get tangled up with some no good guy. Besides, I have to watch over Rick.¡± [Leni] ¡°As for me, my mom told me to train my body. Not that I was particularly planning on neglecting my own physique that much.¡± [Tall] ¡°It¡¯s because your personality is so weak! If you train, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll become manlier!¡± [Rick] ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± [Tall] So, that¡¯s why¡­ That aside, Tall, aren¡¯t you being pushed around too much? While I was thinking that, the children nearby grew noisy. ¡°He¡¯s here!¡± [Child 1] ¡°Uncle!¡± [Child 2] ¡°Scary uncle!¡± [Child 3] When I turned toward the entrance, a scary man was walking toward where we were. ¡°Hey! Who called me scary!? That was uncalled for!¡± [???] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Ryouma] The scary man was apparently none other than the guild master, Wogan, himself. It seems the children are already used to him, as they weren¡¯t startled by his yelling. In fact, there were even some who clung to him. While he was dealing with those children, he noticed me. ¡°Oh, if it¡¯s isn¡¯t Ryouma!? What are you doing here?¡± [Wogan] ¡°The store is closed today, but it also happens to be a rest day for me, so I was walking around town aimlessly when I heard about the cleaning event at the church. As such, I decided to participate. I thought it would be better to participate so I could get to know the people living in this area better.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s great. Oh, right. If you have time, why not help me out?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Help?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, lend me your ear for a bit¡­¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡­I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After hearing him out, I decided to lend a hand. While the children that were receiving training were running around in an open area and practicing their fundamentals, I opened my Dimension Home and took out 20 slimes. ¡°Alright! Today, we¡¯re going to do something different! We¡¯re going to have practical training! Ryouma!¡± [Wogan] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] I led the scavenger slimes to stand before the children. The children seemed startled by the slimes. It seems this is their first time training with monsters. ¡°Today, you¡¯ll be facing these slimes.¡± [Wogan] ¡°We can heal the slimes with healing magic, so don¡¯t hold back.¡± [Ryouma] Although, to be honest, I think it¡¯s the children who are going to get hurt. The scavenger slimes have not only trained themselves diligently, they have also learned the Taijutsu and Physical Attack Resist skills. To make things worse, the children are using wooden swords with the strength of a child. I doubt they could hurt the slimes. Just to be safe, I told the slimes to prioritize dodging and limit their attacks to just body slams. With that, at most, they¡¯ll just ram their body against the children and make them break posture, so the worst injuries the children can get are scratches from falling. ¡°Ryouma, are you ready!?¡± [Wogan] When I said I was ready, Rick said he would like to be the first to fight. I glanced at Wogan-san, and he seemed fine with it. Alright then, let him have at it. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Rick] ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Rick] Rick said enthusiastically as he wielded the wooden training sword. The other children watched with rapt attention as Rick faced against the slime. ¡°¡­¡± [Scavenger Slime] The scavenger slime didn¡¯t attack and just waited. When Rick saw that the slime wasn¡¯t moving, he slashed down with his sword. But Rick had only studied the form of the sword a little, so his attack was slow and full of openings. Although that was expected given Rick¡¯s age, because of that the scavenger slime was easily able to dodge. Frustrated, Rick started attacking the slime relentlessly, and eventually, his posture broke and his attacks turned into mere swings. Rick continued for a couple more minutes, but eventually, he ran out of gas, and when he raised his sword up one more time, in the next moment, the slime rammed itself into him. Rick didn¡¯t appear to be hurt, but he did fall on his backside. ¡°That¡¯s enough! Rick, you¡¯re still too young and you haven¡¯t trained properly yet, so it¡¯s not unusual for you to lose. Still, you shouldn¡¯t let your blood get to your head just because you failed to hit your target. Your form was only good at the start. After that it collapsed completely and everything you did was full of holes. Think carefully when you make your move!¡± [Wogan] Rick nodded with frustration before going back to the crowd of children. After that all the children went up and fought the slime in front of everyone, then Wogan-san gave them some pointers. ¡°Good! Now think about what I¡¯ve told you and try again!¡± [Wogan] At that, we divided the place, and I assigned a slime to each student, then the students practiced at the same time. I assigned a metal or an iron slime to the students that were poor at striking. While they were doing that, I went around to watch them and heal whenever necessary. Wogan-san went around giving advice. Training continued until dusk and we ended before it started to get dark. ¡°Bye uncle!¡± ¡°Be careful when you go home!¡± [Wogan] After sending the children on their way, Wogan-san and I were finally able to rest. Although all we had to do was to walk around and watch the children, there was a possibility of them getting hurt, so it was quite tense. It¡¯s good that training ended without anyone getting hurt. ¡°You did great.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Couldn¡¯t have done it without you. You really helped me out.¡± [Wogan] ¡°It was supposed to be a rest day, but I didn¡¯t really know what to do after getting so much free time, so this worked out just fine for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? In that case, why don¡¯t you help out whenever you¡¯re free? Your slimes are really good sparring partners for the children. In fact, we can even have them train the new members at the adventurers guild.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± [Ryouma] If it¡¯s just target practice, then sure, but if he asks me to work as an instructor, I¡¯m not so sure. I¡¯ve trained subordinates countless times, but I¡¯ve never taught another person how to fight. And I wasn¡¯t a good teacher even when it came to jobs that I¡¯m experienced at. Teaching others will certainly benefit me, but these are new adventurers we¡¯re talking about. Their lives will depend on the things they learn. Teaching them poorly would hurt them a lot, so if someone is going to be teaching, it should be someone who knowns how to properly teach someone. Besides, if I were to try and teach them, I¡¯ll end up teaching them like my dad taught me. He¡¯ll teach you a technique, then demand that you do it immediately. He¡¯d tell you to practice kumite, but hit you anyway. If you fall, he¡¯ll keep hitting. If you don¡¯t get up, he¡¯ll hit you even more. He doesn¡¯t stop his attacks right before hitting you, and he doesn¡¯t allow breaks either. My dad¡¯s policy is to never stop. After all, there¡¯s no way the enemy is going to stop just because you got hit or fell to the ground. I agree with him, but if I did something like that, most of the adventurers are bound to find themselves carried away on a stretcher. I¡¯ve never really learned how to hold back against humans. ¡°Really?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ve always had just one sparring partner, and that was my master. No reason to hold back then, right?¡± [Ryouma] Whether it¡¯s in this world or in my previous world, there are a lot of people who becomes someone¡¯s disciple, and there¡¯s not one of them who would hold back when sparring against their master. After all, doing that is no different from looking down your own master. And there¡¯s also no reason to hold back in an actual battle. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had scuffles with your friends, no? Didn¡¯t you catch them with your techniques then?¡± [Wogan] ¡°If it¡¯s just a petty fight, then there¡¯s no reason to use martial arts. Instead, one should strive to talk it out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s with the sagely response? ¡­You¡¯re right, though.¡± [Wogan] ¡°When under attack or when it comes to bandits, there¡¯s no point in talking and there¡¯s no point in holding back either. If you need them alive for whatever reason, then it¡¯s best to just go for their limbs barehanded. After all, it¡¯s a lot harder to kill them that way even at full strength compared to going after their head or their main organs.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Oh yeah, you broke some bones, didn¡¯t you? And when you didn¡¯t break bones, you used the slime¡¯s liquids to keep your targets from moving.¡± [Wogan] If you know when and how to use your strength, then there¡¯s no reason to ever hold back. Which is why, it has been taught for generations to either use 0% or 100% of your power. And while I won¡¯t say that I¡¯ve never held back at all, I¡¯ve mostly dealt with quarrels in my previous life by using ukemi. It would just cause more problems if I fought back in my previous life, so I felt that was the best way to go about things. Unfortunately, because of that way of thinking, I accidentally killed a lot of slimes when I first started teaching them. I also messed up when I hired Dolce-san as a guard for the store. ¡°We¡¯ve brought you some drinks.¡± [Nun] While we were talking, two nuns brought us some drinks. ¡°Wogan-san, thank you for your help today.¡± [Nun] ¡°Ryouma-kun, thank you for your help too. Take this as our thanks.¡± [Nun] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I happily accepted their drinks. We talked a little after that. I found out that the woman who made my status board was called Betta-san and the girl was Bell-san. What was surprising was that they were the only two people managing this church despite having to watch over some orphans and manage the building. ¡°Aren¡¯t you short of hands?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not easy, but this is also part of our discipline as nuns.¡± [Betta] ¡°Thank you for worrying for us, but the children who think about us and the adults of town support us.¡± [Bell] That was their way of saying that everything was going fine. It wasn¡¯t just me asking questions, though. They asked me some too. ¡°Is it hard to raise slimes?¡± [Bell] ¡°I suppose one really needs to learn Monster taming first, huh?¡± [Betta] Apparently, they want to raise some slimes in church, as they kept asking me questions about slimes. I answered them politely, then when they were out of questions, I asked them why they wanted to raise slimes. ¡°I think they¡¯re cute.¡± [Bell] ¡°I thought it would be good education for the children to raise them.¡± [Betta] Is she sure about that!? But then again, I suppose it would be kind of like the rabbit I raised up in elementary¡­ Still, I never expected that the people of this world would actually consider this method of education. ¡°Nothing¡¯s set in stone yet, but we might consider adopting some slimes.¡± [Betta] ¡°Do let me know when you¡¯ve decided. I can give you some advice if you need it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? Thank you so much.¡± [Bell] The conversation was slowing down, and it¡¯s already getting dark, so I think it¡¯s about time I left. As such, I excused myself. Along the way, I thought back on the events today, and I felt like today was different than the other days. When I participated in the volunteer activity in the church, I feel like people accepted me without any discrimantion. By participating in the events of this town, I feel like ¡®ve gotten closer to the people of this town. ¡­I¡¯ll do my best tomorrow too. Chapter 95 Volume 3 Chapter 95 ¡°Na¡­ Fi¡­¡± [???] ¡°Hoe¡­?¡± [Fina] As I woke up, my body still swaying, I heard a voice¡­ ¡°Fina, wake up!¡± [Jane] ¡°¡­Jane?¡± [Fina] ¡°Good grief! Why are you so bad at waiting up when you¡¯re usually so organized?¡± [Jane] ¡­That¡¯s not good. It seems I fell back to sleep, but today is a day off, so¡­ ¡°Did you forget we¡¯re supposed to go out to town today?¡± [Jane] ¡°Oh, right!¡± [Fina] From today onwards, we will be able to take our day off together once a week. Which is why we decided to go out to town together! ¡°I¡¯ll get ready immediately. Wait a bit!¡± [Fina] Hurriedly, I got myself ready, and then I went to the lobby. There, Maria and Jane, who left our village with me to work, and our dormmate, Leelin-san, were waiting. ¡°Sorry for making you wait! I woke up late.¡± [Fina] ¡°Good morning~¡± [Maria] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it.¡± [Leelin] ¡°We¡¯re used to it already.¡± [Jane] I wanted to say refute Jane¡¯s words, but I had nothing to say. Why am I so bad at waking up? ¡°Now, let¡¯s go!¡± [Jane] Jane enthusiastically said as she led us to town. Leelin-san consoled me about being late while we walked, so I started feeling better. We had breakfast at the stall that was popular among bachelor laborers. It¡¯s a store catered toward muscular laborers, so Maria and I was able to get our fill with just one order. After that, we bought daily necessities and shopped for clothes. We enjoyed life at town together. Like that time passed in a flash. It was morning just a while ago, but before we knew it, it was already afternoon. Who would¡¯ve thought that we would be able to live like this after leaving our village? We got lucky. When I was still at the village, I thought that even if I worked early in the morning until late in the evening, I still wouldn¡¯t have enough money to spend as I wished. After all, that¡¯s what everyone who left said when they came back. Jane and Maria probably thought the same, but reality turned out different. Each one of us was given a room of our own, Shelma cooks us delicious food everyday, and we get a huge salary to top it all off. In fact, I make so much that I could send money home twice as much as they need and I would still have enough to eat outside, shop once a week, and save money. From time to time, Maria would trip and fall from being dazed, and she would get her wounds healed with healing magic. According to Leelin-san, Fei-san also had his broken bones healed. For free too. Healing magic normally isn¡¯t something you can rely on just like that. But the employees at our store can enjoy its benefits anytime and for free. That¡¯s because the boss left a heal slime in the store when people started getting in the way of our store¡¯s operation. At first, the boss had to manage the slime, but eventually, Robelia-san and the others took over. Nowadays, Maria, who learned monster taming, is in charge of it. I hear it¡¯s a precious slime, so I was wondering if it was really okay to entrust that to us just like that, but it¡¯s a huge relief to be able to rely on healing magic whenever needed. Some time ago, my parents sent me a letter, asking what kind of person our employer is. They¡¯d clearly sent the letter out of worry, so I told them from the bottom of my heart that they didn¡¯t have to worry. ¡°Fina, what are you dazing off for? Are you still asleep?¡± [Jane] ¡°I¡¯m awake already. How long are you going to keep dragging that story out for?¡± [Fina] ¡°For the mean time, let¡¯s go to that store we were talking about.¡± [Jane] The store she¡¯s talking about is the teahouse that¡¯s gotten popular lately because of it¡¯s relatively affordable but delicious sweets. Maria and Jane wanted to visit it as soon as I heard about it, so we thought we¡¯d rest there after concluding our shopping. When we entered the store, we were greeted by lines of wooden tables and chairs and decorations of flowers here and there. There¡¯s also a large fireplace in the corner, and although it¡¯s not lit because of the season, it helps complete the warm atmosphere of the store. We were led to a table near a window. We gave our orders to the waitress, then while waiting, Jane asked me. ¡°Hey, what were you thinking about awhile ago?¡± [Jane] ¡°Nothing special. I just thought we¡¯re really lucky.¡± [Fina] ¡°So, that¡¯s what. But yeah, if we were hired at a normal store, we would have never been able to live this luxuriously.¡± [Jane] ¡°We¡¯re able to send back home the money we need~ We get day offs~ We found a really good job~¡± [Maria] ¡°Oh yeah, the three of you came from the same village, right?¡± [Leelin] ¡°That¡¯s right~¡± [Maria] ¡°Average land, no special goods of its own, and no strong monsters. It¡¯s the picture image of a poor village.¡± [Jane] ¡°Since you¡¯re working away from home, will you be retiring eventually?¡± [Leelin] It¡¯s true that there are people among those who leave home to make money who eventually come back, but we don¡¯t have any plans to do so for the mean time. ¡°If the boss doesn¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love to work for him forever~¡± [Maria] ¡°We can send back more money than other jobs, and if we retire there¡¯s no telling if we¡¯ll be hired again.¡± [Fina] ¡°People will probably come pouring in if the boss puts up a ¡®hiring¡¯ sign. What about you, Leelin-san? I hear you were peddlers before.¡± [Jane] ¡°Our country is really dangerous. Neither me nor my dad have any plans on coming back home.¡± [Leelin] Zilmar¡­ I wonder what sort of country it is. It¡¯s big, but it¡¯s a long way away, so all I know about is its name. When I was living at the village, I figured it would be good to know the name of this country and the name of the villages near it, so I didn¡¯t have time to ask about countries as remote as Zilmar. It seems Maria and Jane also don¡¯t know much about it. I understand that it¡¯s dangerous, but I don¡¯t know how dangerous. Leelin-san seemed to have noticed that, so she explained. ¡°Zilmar has been in war for a long time now. Not with a foreign country, but with itself. A battle among the nobles. The reason behind their fighting is because they want to get the equipment of the empire¡¯s founder, which he left behind after his death.¡± [Leelin] ¡°A war to get a weapon?¡± [Jane] ¡°Not weapons, but a set of armor. Every piece of its set is said to have great power imbued in it. If one could acquire the entire set, he would acquire the strongest power and be able to rule the country¡­ Or at least that¡¯s how the bedtime stories go.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Are they still fighting?¡± [Jane] ¡°Right now they¡¯re just taking vengeance on each other. That¡¯s why the country is in a mess and there are many bandits. We don¡¯t have any family left in Zilmar, so we plan to live in this peaceful country.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I suppose that means we¡¯ll be together from now on~¡± [Maria] ¡°I look forward to continuing working with you.¡± [Fina] It was then that the tea and sweets we ordered came. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Here¡¯s your tea and your seasonal fruit pie.¡± [Waitress] Jane and Maria¡¯s eyes dazzled at the sweets and tea brought by the waitress. ¡°It¡¯s here! It¡¯s here! I wanted to eat this so badly!¡± [Jane] ¡°Itadakima~su¡± [Maria] Leelin-san and I followed suit and ate our portion. Inside the pie were various kinds of fruits mixed together. The freshness and sweetness of the fruits expanded within my mouth. ¡°Yep. This lives up to its reputation alright.¡± [Jane] ¡°I¡¯m so happy~¡± [Maria] As Jane and Maria said that, Leelin-san seemed to agree. After that we continued chatting while drinking our tea and taking a bite out of our pie. After our conversation on the clothes we bought today ended, Jane suddenly brought up the topic. ¡°Hey, what do you guys think about the boss?¡± [Jane] ¡°What is this all of the sudden~?¡± [Maria] ¡°Letters came from the village, right? Well, in my letter, I kept being asked questions about my relationship with the upper brass. Stuff like if they hadn¡¯t overstepped their boundaries as boss or senpai or if I¡¯m not being given the cold shoulder or something like that.¡± [Jane] There were employers like that, so Jane¡¯s family was naturally worried. Actually, my letter also inquired about that. ¡°For the mean time, I told them that the store is great and that there are currently no men who¡¯ve abused their position to approach me, but¡­ It suddenly dawned on me that I don¡¯t actually know much about the boss.¡± [Jane] ¡°Really?¡± [Fina] ¡°I mean all we know about him is his store and that he¡¯s a good kid, right? And that he has a loooot of slimes and has a house in the abandoned mine.¡± [Jane] Now that she mentions it, she¡¯s right. Most of the stuff the boss has talked about with us are stuff pertaining to the maintenance of the store, how to handle customers, and about our benefits and what¡¯s expected of us as his employees. He hasn¡¯t really spoken much of anything outside that. Everyone started racking their heads at that, but in the end, the conversation ended with everyone agreeing that the boss is a good kid. I should try and get to know the boss gradually. Leelin-san and I don¡¯t really plan on probing into it that much, but Jane and Maria are really enthusiastic about asking the boss all sorts of stuff. I think it would be better to take care and not be a hindrance to the boss, though. While I was thinking of stuff like that, we finished our tea and pie. We realized that we¡¯ve been staying at the teahouse for a long time already, so we left. After that we walked around town and went back to our dorm before it got dark. My purse got lighter today, but if it¡¯s just this much, it should be fine. I¡¯ll save up some money and have fun with everyone at the teahouse again. Chapter 96 Volume 3 Chapter 96 I couldn¡¯t find anything to write in my diary, so I decided to loiter in front of the store. At that time¡­ ¡°Oh? Dolce-kun, what are you doing here?¡± [Carm] ¡°Assistant-Manager¡­ I couldn¡¯t find any material to write in my diary.¡± [Dolce] ¡°I see. In that case, why don¡¯t you try reading what you¡¯ve written until now? Just revising what you¡¯ve already written will do you good practice.¡± [Carm] ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. Alright. I¡¯ll do just that then . Thank you.¡± [Dolce] I got some advice from assistant-Manager Carm. I immediately went back to my room and opened my diary. ¡­ My name is Dolce. A few months ago, I was employed in the laundromat, Bamboo Forest, as a guard. Until then I¡¯ve been working in the slums, where I grew up, as a daily laborer while also being active in the vigilante corps. The reason I was hired here was because of an introduction from my senior. An adventurer I know has opened a store, but some thugs are interfering with his store¡¯s operations. He¡¯ll pay you properly, so I want to ask you to help protect the store in my place. That¡¯s what my senior said. My senior who helped me a lot when I was a wee brat who couldn¡¯t do any job properly. To me jobs are something one needs to do in order to live. I don¡¯t have any particular preferences for work. There¡¯s no job that I like and there¡¯s no job that I don¡¯t like either. I don¡¯t have any education too. Ever since I was a wee brat, I was willing to do any job. Like that and with the help of my seniors I was able to make a living. That¡¯s why since it¡¯s my senior asking and I¡¯m even getting paid, there¡¯s no reason to refuse. I waited for a few days as my senior informed the owner, then I was called to the store. When I saw the owner I was shocked. As it turns out the owner is just an 11-year-old brat. I¡¯d heard that it was an adventurer acknowledged by my senior, so I thought for sure some strong looking guy would appear. Apparently, I couldn¡¯t be more mistaken. But with this it finally makes sense why others are looking down on the owner and are even poking into his business. After all, the owner was a frail and docile brat. At least, that was my first impression of him. But this was only the beginning of my shock. When the topic turned to my employment, it turns out that I wouldn¡¯t be just given a huge salary because of the risk, but I would also be given a room to stay and food. All for free. Not only was the boss going to be paying me properly, he was giving me some ridiculously good conditions. The conditions given were so good that I couldn¡¯t help but suspect there was a catch to all this, but I was later informed that this level of treatment was normal for this store. After being employed for a few months, I now know that that¡¯s true, but at the time, I was really shocked. Still, I couldn¡¯t let my senior lose face, and I couldn¡¯t feel any malice or wariness from the owner. People from the slums aren¡¯t criminals, but their image is bad. That¡¯s why people are usually on guard when they hire people from the slums. The assistant-manager beside the owner was somewhat on guard, but even his reaction was much better than what I¡¯ve experienced until then. In the end, I was hired just like that, then I was introduced to my senpai guards from another country. ¡°¡­¡± [Dolce] When I remembered about what happened after that, my hands stopped. ¡­My employment was decided, but they needed to know my strength, so I had to fight the owner. I lost. My senior had acknowledged him, so I believe I fought the owner seriously despite his age. I say ¡®believe¡¯ because I don¡¯t actually remember anything about the fight. I know I struck out with my spear seriously, and the owner made a face of admiration. But then in the next moment, I was lying face up in an empty room within the dorms. I asked the referee, Fei-san, what happened and found out that after the boss dodged my spear, I was hit. That¡¯s impossible! I said. When Fei-san saw that I couldn¡¯t believe that I was done in by a child¡¯s punch, he approached me and pointed to a corner of the room, where my spear was. It was bent heavily from the center. It was just a test, so apparently, I¡¯d pulled back my spear and received the owner¡¯s fist, but I couldn¡¯t stop the force. My iron spear is just cheap stuff casted from the handle to the spearhead, but I¡¯ve been using it to receive blows and strike enemies with until my meeting with the owner. It should be sturdy enough. But there was no denying that the spear had in fact been bent and was already useless. Later, the owner came to me and sincerely apologized for breaking my spear. He really looked no different from a child his age, so it took me an entire night before I was finally able to accept reality. My skills have also declined, so I decided to use my free time to polish my skills. The owner gifted me a spear as an apology for breaking my own. I didn¡¯t ask how much it cost, but the spear he gave me was more robust and lighter than the one I had before. It was surely a first-class spear. I was also made to spar with my two senpais when I had the free time for it. As it turns out, it¡¯s not just the boss who¡¯s strong. I couldn¡¯t win even once. That old man, Gordon, who has been employed as a guard until now, says that they¡¯re strong even on adventurer standards. Especially, Fei-san, whom he says he¡¯d really rather not fight. I know they come from a dangerous country, but I still find it difficult to wrap my head around how strong they are. Ever since coming to this store, I¡¯ve stopped having problems finding food, money, or sparring partners. The three employees who went to the branch store invited me, and since then I¡¯ve been studying how to write. Writing this diary is also a part of my studies. The owner and the assistant-manager have been working together to teach me, and if you compare the more recent pages with the older ones, you¡¯ll see that there¡¯s a clear difference. With this if I one day retire from this store, then I could find a different job without having to go back to my work as a day laborer. If I get good enough at fighting, I might even be able to become an adventurer. My current life is fun, though, so I don¡¯t plan on retiring just yet. Chapter 97 Volume 3 Chapter 97 ¡°Pi-pirororo.¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Oh?¡± [Ryouma] In the morning, a rimel bird could be seen flying from far away. All my rimel birds are with me, and there¡¯s just one of it flying, so¡­ That¡¯s probably Elia¡¯s. A cloth on which a family crest was could also be seen by its neck, so it¡¯s definitely not a stray. ¡°PIRORORO¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Good job.¡± [Ryouma] As I opened the letter, I allowed Elia¡¯s rimel bird to drink and eat with my rimel birds. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± [Ryouma] The first thing Elia spoke about was the Great Forest. Elia had caught wind of the rumor and wanted me to take care. The adults weren¡¯t against me going either, but they reminded me not to push myself and to prepare properly. Also, they want me to inform them before going. I¡¯ll tell them that I¡¯ll make sure to contact them. Next is¡­ Ah, enrollment is here already? The letter says that enrollment is approaching, so they¡¯ll be going to the capital sometime next month in order to let Elia get used to the new environment. If that¡¯s the case, then¡­ Presently, Elia and I are communicating through the rimel bird. When Elia was still here, I would pair up my rimel bird with her rimel bird and send them together to the duke¡¯s family. Like this we were able to make them remember our addresses. The rimel birds ability to remember the way to their destination is something they are highly praised for even among other bird-type monsters. But if she¡¯s going to be moving to the capital, does that mean that from here on we will have to communicate through the duke¡¯s family?¡¡She¡¯ll be staying at a dorm, after all. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if pets are banned. I¡¯ll have to ask her. I¡¯ll also ask about if there are other stuff that¡¯s occurred¡­ Hmm? ¡°I hear the festival at Gimuru is starting soon. I¡¯m sure you must be very busy what with having to prepare on top of all your work, but please do your best.¡± [Elia] ¡°Festival? What is she talking about?¡± [Ryouma] No one told me anything about some festival. I better ask someone. As such, I went to the store. ¡°Do you know of any festival here that¡¯s starting soon?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry. Nothing rings a bell. Should I investigate?¡± [Carm] ¡°A festival?¡± [Jane] ¡°We¡¯re a bit¡­¡± [Fina] ¡°It hasn¡¯t been long since we¡¯ve been here.¡± [Maria] ¡°Sorry.¡± [Shelma] ¡°You might want to ask someone who¡¯s been living here for longer.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Alright. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] I asked Carm-san and the others, but no one knew anything about it. Now that I think about it, almost everyone at my store aren¡¯t from around here. Fei-san and Leelin-san are from another country, so it¡¯s only normal that they don¡¯t know much about the events in this town. In that case, the one that I can probably rely on the most for this is¡­ ¡°Dolce-san. Are you free right now?¡± [Ryouma] I tried asking my guard, Dolce-san. ¡°It¡¯s probably the Founding Festival. A festival to celebrate the day this town was founded. That¡¯s the only one that comes to mind.¡± [Dolce] ¡°What do you do to prepare for that festival?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­It would depend on the store or person.¡± [Dolce] When I asked him for the specifics, he gave me 5 key points. 1. The opening is the month after next. 2. It will be held in the main street that extends to every part of the town. 3. Usually preparations begin starting next month. 4. The preparations usually involve putting up decorations in front of the store and cleaning up the place. 5. If you request it, you can also put up a food stall. As for the stalls, other than the regulars, there are also traveling entertainers and troubadours, and people who are used to putting up stalls. Because of the custom to put bright colored clothes in front of the store or one¡¯s house, the town tends to get dirty after the festival, so it seems the stall owners also help out with the cleaning. ¡°That¡¯s about it. Is that enough?¡± [Dolce] ¡°Yes. You were a huge help.¡± [Ryouma] Cleaning the region is also part of keeping relations with one¡¯s neighbors, but I should make plans to participate in the event. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that busy unless I put up a stall. I wonder what Elia thinks I¡¯ll be doing.¡¡Well, for the meantime, it¡¯s still a month and some away, so for now, I just need to make a mental note of it. I should also inform the others about this. It might also be a good idea to do something with my employees if they come up with a good idea. For now I¡¯ll just tell Elia that I¡¯ll manage. ¡°¡­Maybe I should give her something to celebrate her moving out.¡± [Ryouma] After all, she will be staying at a dormitory once she arrives at the capital. But what should I give her? I can¡¯t give her things related to fire, things that take up space, and things that will damage the room because of installation requirements. Giving shoes and footwear are a no no in Japan, but it seems the people here take it to mean as ¡®a first step to a new beginning¡¯, so I can choose to give one as a present. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know Elia¡¯s size and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s in vogue too, so I can¡¯t gift her a pair either. She¡¯ll need to fill her room up with something after she moves, so some gift cards or money might make her happy, but then again, she¡¯s the daughter of the duke, she probably doesn¡¯t need any help with money. Maybe I can gift her some consumables instead. Just gotta make sure not to give her anything too private. After solving the issue with the festival, the next thing I was racking my head with was what to gift her for her moving out. The next day. ¡°Good morning, Paena-san. For the Rakuton Herb Collection Job. There should be 50 roots all in all.¡± [Ryouma] When the sun was directly above in the sky, I gathered some herbs and went to the guild. ¡°4, 5. Yes, that¡¯s 50 roots all in all.¡± [Paena] Rakuton Herbs aren¡¯t very effective, but they can help with a lot of symptoms, so they¡¯re often used to deal with colds. Save for extreme environment, these herbs can be found growing basically anywhere, so they don¡¯t sell for much. 10 roots will get you a suit. ¡°Here¡¯s your 5 suits. Please confirm that the amount is right.¡± [Paena] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll buy some candy or something with this when I go back. ¡°U-Umm¡­¡± [Paena] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, do you know a lot about medicinal plants?¡± [Paena] ¡°Just the basics. I learned from my grandmother. Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just that all of these herbs were collected really well¡­ If you can tell apart the Tyler Herb from¡­¡± [Paena] Tyler Herb, a herb that works well against nerve pain. Just like the Rakuton Herb, it can be found almost anywhere. Unfortunately, the poisonous Tula Herbs tend to grow where Tyler Herbs are. To make things worse, they look alike. Of course, I can tell them apart. ¡­Or rather. ¡°If you need some Tyler Herbs, I have some with me. I collected them for my private use from the southern grasslands.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡If you have 5 roots, you can already complete a job.¡± [Paena] Then I¡¯ll do just that. I presented 5 Tyler Herb roots to the counter, and Paena-san started checking the goods with Identify. ¡°These are all Tyler Herb indeed. Are you sure you¡¯re okay giving this?¡¡You don¡¯t need to give it if you need them for some personal reason¡­¡± [Paena] ¡°It¡¯s alright. It¡¯s nothing urgent.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, here¡¯s your 70 suits. Please confirm that the amount is right.¡± [Paena] 14 per root? That¡¯s a lot. I left the guild feeling like I¡¯d made a profit. Today, I¡¯ll go home while the sun is still high. ¡°Now then, shall we?¡± [Ryouma] I used a tunnel that I normally didn¡¯t to prepare a present for Elia. What I¡¯ll be making today is the ¡®soap¡¯. I wanted to gift her a consumable that wouldn¡¯t be too private, so I decided to go with something practical. Soaps are a thing in this country too, so it won¡¯t stand out too much. I couldn¡¯t just go out and buy one to gift, though, as that wouldn¡¯t make for a very good gift. And after considering Elia¡¯s position as the daughter of the duke, I figured she¡¯s probably already used to seeing luxury. So, I decided to gift her a bar of soap made by yours truly. Making soap can be said to be a standard when it comes to otherworld novels. ¡°Gather tallow, gather ash, boil them down¡­¡± [Ryouma] The protagonists of various books made soap like that, but! I¡¯m going to do things differently!! ¡°Ingredients¡­ OK. Everything is good to go.¡± [Ryouma] What I¡¯ve prepared was water purified with alchemy, and oil and salt. And various other stuff. Making soap using tallow and ash is a really old way of making soap in Earth, but in present times, using caustic soda makes for a much easier time making soap. But to that end¡­ ¡°First, I need to procure caustic soda¡­¡± [Ryouma] Caustic soda is also known as sodium hydroxide. Its chemical formula is NaOH. I can get the sodium from table salt. I need to be careful of the metal sodium and the toxic and caustic chlorine gas. Metal sodium oxidates very easily in air, and it also produces heat and explosion when water content is added to it, so to be safe, I need to turn it into an ingot with alchemy and remove the oxygen from it. The surface will oxidate a little no matter what I do, so to minimize the oxidation as much as possible, I dipped the metal sodium in the container filled with oil. And then I filled another bowl with water.. And I added a fragment of the metal sodium inside the water-filled container, and then as a sound akin to that of a fuse catching fire resounded, I slid my finger atop the surface of the water. That¡¯s the sign that sodium hydroxide and hydrogen have been produced by means of hydrolysis. When I used Identify on the contents of the container, the water had changed into an sodium hydroxide (aq). If I use Separation on this aqueous solution again, I¡¯ll be able to separate it into water and the sodium hydroxide that I need. Like that I was able to acquire caustic soda. Metal Sodium can cause explosion when added to water, and sodium hydroxide itself has strong alkalinity and is highly caustic, so it¡¯s really not something that you can touch with your bare skin; hence, I¡¯m performing this entire process inside a tunnel I rarely use. I couldn¡¯t just choose any tunnel, though, as I had to make sure that there was sufficient ventilation. At the same time, I¡¯m also wearing the boiler suit I used when cleaning the sewers. On top of that, I¡¯m also wearing a pair of cleaner slime goggles and helmet. My hands are also covered in a pair of brand new gloves, ensuring that not even a little bit of skin is exposed. It seems I¡¯ve succeeded in refining sodium hydroxide, but it would certainly be safer and faster if I could directly make it through the fusion formation. After all, the response midway would be completely skipped over by alchemy. After procuring the caustic soda from salt and water, I am now ready to start making my soap. I¡¯ll be handling caustic soda, so I need to be in full gear, but the process from here on out isn¡¯t that difficult. Measure the water and caustic soda, then pour the water into a vessel and mix the caustic soda with it. At this point, the hydration reaction of the caustic soda will cause heat, so it¡¯s important to take care of the steam and any sudden boiling. Pouring water into the vessel first, and then gradually pouring the caustic soda is the safest way to do things. Afterwards, warm the oil in a vessel, and then slowly pour the caustic soda (aq) into it. From here, mix the liquid well, and once it starts to get heavy, add a scent to the mix with something like perfumed oil, and then pour the mix into a mold. At this point, all that¡¯s left is to keep the temperature of the product and avoid overcooling it. After a few days, the soap will harden. Once the soap hardens, there¡¯s a chance it can cause burns if there¡¯s still some caustic soda left, so it¡¯s important to take care. I¡¯ve had experience making soap using waste oils countless times, but this is a gift to Elia, not my personal use. So to be safe, I¡¯ve been keeping careful attention to the basics since the start. I still need to observe and experiment more to have a better understanding of the amount of soda, the resting period, as well as to perfect the process as much as possible. Depending on the type of oil used and the mixture, the color, bubbles, texture, and efficacy of the soap will change. In order to make soap making relatively easier, I should closely examine this process along with my study of medicines. It will take time for the soap to complete, and I have work in the afternoon, so I decided to conduct a little of my soap making experiments every night. Chapter 98 Volume 3 Chapter 98 The days passed by cyclically and before I knew it a month had already passed. My daily training and my study on medicine are going well because of my existing knowledge on the subject matter. Recently, I¡¯ve been proactively taking Monster Extermination Jobs when I go out to collect herbs, partly to procure food and partly to train myself. The metal and iron slimes have also learned to transform their bodies into weapons and have gotten better them. It was on the morning of such a day that when I showed my face at the store, an urgent message came from the branch store at Renauph. The slimes had grown too numerous. They had already surpassed the maximum number of slimes Caulkin-san and the others could tame. As such, I had no other choice but to go. After making sure that my schedule was clear, I went to Gimuru. By the time I got to Renauph, the sun was already setting. The last time I came here, I arrived on the afternoon of the next day, but this time around, I was able to make it just before the sun had fully set. Even if this might be a fantasy world, the distance between towns won¡¯t just suddenly change. If so, then the reason I was able to get to Renauph so quickly must be because I got faster. From my house to Gimuru. From Gimuru to the outskirts of the town. Before I knew it, I¡¯ve gotten really good at the dimension magic that I¡¯ve been using to commute and do jobs. My running hasn¡¯t gotten that much faster, so it¡¯s probably because my teleportation probably covers more distance now that I was able to reach Renauph so quickly. Seeing results like this is another happiness of training daily. Feeling satisfied, I passed through the door of the store. It was still during work hours, so there were a lot of customers inside. When I tried to line up normally, a voice called out to me from the counter. ¡°Boss!¡± [Tony] ¡°Good job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it.¡± [Tony] ¡°Of course. So, the slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Over here. Oh, Robelia-san, Branch Store Manager Carla.¡± [Tony] ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just leave this to us.¡± [Robelia] ¡°We¡¯ll leave the slime to you two.¡± [Carla] After leaving the customers to the two of them, Tony brought me to the living quarters of the employees. Apparently, they¡¯ve temporarily assigned one of the rooms here for the slimes to use. They¡¯re managing them fairly securely, as an adventurer security guard was keeping watch in front of the room. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Thank you for always watching the store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re the boss? Thanks for hiring me.¡± [Guard] ¡°How is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing special. The room is just packed with slimes is all. There are no intruders and none of the slimes have tried to run away either. Boss Caulkin is inside, so if you need more info, you can ask him.¡± [Guard] I went inside. ¡°Caulkin-san. It¡¯s been a while.¡± [Ryouma[ ¡°Ohh!¡¡Boss, you got here a lot quicker than we were expecting.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°I came as soon as I got your message. Are these all the slimes that need to be tamed?¡± [Ryouma] Within the room was a two-story bed, a table and some chairs. Caulkin-san seemed to be writing something on the desk, but cleaner slimes could already be seen by his feet. ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s 75 of them all in all.¡± [Caulkin] Let¡¯s deal with them quickly then. ¡°¡®Form Monster Contract¡¯¡­ This should be the last.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, that¡¯s all 75 of them.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°Is your mana alright? If you¡¯re tired, we have some potions here¡­¡± [Tony] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I have plenty of mana.¡± [Ryouma] And this isn¡¯t even comparable to that time when I had to tame a bunch of scavenger slimes. I wonder why they suddenly multiplied, though. ¡°We have that explained in writing here.¡± [Caulkin] Caulkin-san handed me the document on the table. ¡­I see. Reason 1. The sudden increase of customers. Renauph is home to transporters that ferry goods by means of flying monsters. Moreover, because of the presence of the dragoon guild, there are a lot of people that go in and out of town, from the people affiliated with the dragoon guild to the people that have taken up a job to transport something to the people that are simply using the flying monsters as a form of transport. There has also been an influx of customers after word spread from our regulars. Naturally, the more work there was, the more food the slimes had. Reason 2. The regulation of the production output of the deodorizing liquid. Because of all the nutrients the slimes were taking in, the amount of deodorizing liquid produced by the cleaner slimes were more than expected, overstocking inventory. Although the store didn¡¯t make any losses, the employees tried to throttle the production rate. ¡°And because the slimes had more nutrients than they knew what to do with, they multiplied.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°From now on, don¡¯t try to regulate the production of the deodorizing liquid. Just throw the excess deodorizing liquid, so this doesn¡¯t happen again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was just a few days ago, but it seems we made everyone worry needlessly.¡± [Caulkin] ¡°We can¡¯t tame more slimes than this anyway, so it¡¯s probably fine even if we don¡¯t throttle the production rate.¡± [Tony] If the slimes increase too much, the secret of the big slime will be revealed. ¡­I don¡¯t really mind if Caulkin-san and the others find out, but they¡¯re still learning about the store. I don¡¯t want their attention to be divided too much. The information of new variants is one thing, but the Big Slime is too big of a bomb for them. Fortunately, even if they have more than 100 slimes, as long as the slimes are contracted to different tamers, they can¡¯t fuse. Maybe it¡¯s because the chain of command is different. I¡¯ll probably be able to make some more progress in that area if I they can help me with my research, so I do intend to tell them one day, but¡­ Just not now. Anyway, I¡¯m glad that I was able to deal with the slime issue. All the employees seem to be worrying about the slimes, but with this, the cleaner slime problem has been dealt with. ¡°Are there any other problems?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing other than those mentioned in the regular reports.¡±[Tony] ¡°No one¡¯s attacked us like in the main store, but there have been petty issues like when a drunk customer refuses to leave¡­¡± [Caulkin] ¡°The store is also doing well financially. Although the scale of the town can¡¯t be compared to Gimuru and there are less regulars here, but we still make about 10,000 suits in profit a day.¡± [Tony] ¡°So, there are no problems in management then¡­¡± [Ryouma] In that case, I¡¯ll soon have to prepare a store for Caulkin-san and the others¡­ I should be able to prepare the capital for that in the not so distant future. It¡¯s good that everything is progressing smoothly. In that case, I can share with them the information on the deodorant slime. ¡­Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking, but before that. I went all the way out here to Renauph, so I might as well take this opportunity to drop by the Saionji Company. If I leave it for later, I¡¯ll probably forget. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome!¡¡Oh?¡¡Aren¡¯t you the Bamboo Forest¡¯s?¡± [Clerk] ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Thanks for remembering me.¡± [Ryouma] When I entered the spice store, a clerk that I¡¯ve been acquainted with before was tending to the counter. ¡°Our president praised you lot, after all, and you even carried such a huge game back with you. On top of that, we¡¯re just diagonally opposite your store. Can¡¯t possibly forget, now can we?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How may I help you today?¡± [Clerk] ¡°I came to Renauph because something suddenly came up, so I thought I¡¯d drop by and say hi to Pioro-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Unfortunately, the president left three days ago for the capital on merchant business. The ojousama will also be attending the academy very soon, so she went with him¡­¡± [Clerk] ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, but the madam is in. She¡¯s currently in the middle of business talks, but if you wait for a bit, you should be able to meet her.¡± [Clerk] In that case, I might as well wait. I¡¯ve prepared some souvenirs, so if possible, I¡¯d like to give it face-to-face. ¡°Can I take a look at your products for the time being then?¡¡I¡¯m looking for something fragrant.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please go ahead. If you¡¯re looking for something fragrant, then might I recommend the newly arrived cinnam¡ª!?¡± [Clerk] ¡°!?¡± Just as the clerk was about to leave the counter, a woman¡¯s voice that resembled that of a shriek suddenly resounded from within the store. ¡°What was that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I think that was the madam, though?¡¡Sorry, please wait for a moment. I will go and check.¡± [Clerk] The clerk excused himself and ran inside. And just when I was thinking he wouldn¡¯t be coming back. ¡°Sorry for the trouble.¡± [???] A man who had his hips at a frightfully low position left the store nearby in low spirits. The man bowed his head many times and walked away with the gentle wind. ¡­KUSA¡­ As the man walked away from the spice store, a foul smell rode the gentle wind. The man that walked away was frowning himself, so it came as no surprise that the passersby avoided the smell. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Please come.¡± [Clerk] Oh, I¡¯m being called. ¡°Ryouma-han. Thank you for dropping by.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Good afternoon, Kurana-san.¡± [Ryouma] The place I was brought to wasn¡¯t the reception office, but the dining table. But what I¡¯m really concerned about is¡­ her nose. Is her nose inflamed or something? Although she¡¯s trying to keep her elegance as a beauty and is acting as reserved as she could, I can still see her sniffling. ¡°Kurana-san, are you alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m not sick. I just ate something amazing a while ago¡­¡± [Kurana] ¡°Something amazing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I believe it¡¯s called ¡®Shappaya¡¯?¡¡It¡¯s a dish wherein fish is soaked in liquid mixed with salt and various herbs.¡± [Kurana] ¡°¡­Ah, could it be that dish that stinks a lot?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve heard of it?¡± [Kurana] ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s the same, but I know a processed food that fits the description.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s probably a kind of food like kusaya [1]. It seems a person selling that came here and gave her one to try. But as a member of the beast tribe, the smell was too harsh for her nose. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you have this? It might be able to help wash your mouth of the taste. It¡¯s a cake that¡¯s been recently popular among the women in my store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, my. Thank you so much.¡± [Kurana] I gave Kurana the cake and chatted with her a bit. The next day. I was so into my conversation with my research team that I lost track of time and before I knew it it was already morning. I had breakfast and prepared to go back to Gimuru, but when I got to the gate, it was noisy for some reason. ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] There was a crowd of people by the road. I asked them that. ¡°Some adventurers were fighting among themselves. The ones fighting have already been caught, but midway they started throwing some weird barrels at each other¡ª U¡­!¡± [Random Guy 1] When the direction of the wind changed, a foul smell could wafted to our noses. When I approached the source of the smell, even I was stunned. ¡°This smell¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It stinks¡­ Uppu¡­¡± [Random Guy 1] As the direction of the wind changed, the crowd of onlookers walked away. Because of that I could get a better look. The man from yesterday had been driven into a corner by men and women of all ages. ¡°Hey!¡¡Do something about this smell!¡¡My equipments stinks!¡± [Angry Man 1] ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡± [Man from Yesterday] ¡°Because of all this trash here in front of my store, the customers won¡¯t come!¡¡Why do you even have all this trash piled up in the first place anyway!?¡± [Angry Woman 1] ¡°These aren¡¯t trash! ¡¡These are shappaya! It¡¯s a kind of preserved food!¡± [Man from Yesterday] ¡°Everyone, please calm down. He is also a victim like you people.¡± [Guard] ¡°I know that, but my store and all my goods are covered in this stinky stuff. Of course, I could clean my equipment and the storefront, but the goods affected can¡¯t be sold anymore.¡± [Angry Man 1] ¡°You should blame that on the people who started fighting in the first place. For now, let¡¯s try to get the situation under control.¡± [Guard] Presently, the thick liquid and fish that are probably the source of the smell are scattered everywhere. The liquid was stored inside some small barrels that could be carried with one hand. The people fighting threw those at each other, and this was the result¡­ The guards did their best to control the situation, but there was no end to the number of people complaining. Some of the anger ended up getting directed to the weak man who owned the barrels. But he himself was a victim. It feels bad to lay the blame on him. ¡­It would serve as advertisement for my store too, so why don¡¯t I help them out a bit? As such, I entered an alley with no one around and prepared some deodorant slimes. [1] ¨C Dried Japanese fish that smells really bad. Chapter 99 Volume 3 Chapter 99 ¡°How is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Amazing¡­ Thanks, boy!¡± [Victim 1] ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought the day would come when slimes could be useful. The times are changing.¡± [Victim 2] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but these aren¡¯t for sale¡­¡± [Ryouma] As I tried to deodorize the affected street and stores as much as possible, the victims thanked me and gifted me various things. I thanked them and accepted their gesture, then I advertised my store and left the town. ¡°Wait!¡± [???] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] When I was passing through the gate, someone stopped me. Just as I was wondering what was up, the owner of that stinky preserved food was currently riding a carriage and was in the meddle of being checked for passage. ¡°Thank heavens. I made it¡­¡± [Stinky Food Merchant] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wanted to thank you for earlier. But when I tried to go back there, they told me that you¡¯d already left. This man along with the rest of the victims was taken by the guards. Of course, not to arrest him, but to confirm the damages received and to give due reparations. During that time, I cleaned the road and deodorized the stores of the store owners that came back first. This guy came last. Because of that we ended up passing each other. ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re going to be leaving through this gate, how about accompanying me for a bit?¡¡You seem to be on foot, so if you¡¯re alright with it, I can give you a ride.¡± [Stinky Food Merchant] Technically, it would be faster if I went back on my own, but¡­ this is a kind of fate too. If it¡¯s just to show his gratitude, I guess I¡¯ll accept his offer. ¡°Oh, so you started peddling 12 years ago, Mondo-san. I guess that makes you a veteran then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, I wouldn¡¯t go that far. There are a lot of people who¡¯ve been at it for 30 or 40 years already, and I¡¯ve just started being independent. Have you heard of Reetil?¡¡It¡¯s a village on the bank of Ratoin Lake.¡± [Mondo] ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with Reetil, but Ratoin Lake is the biggest lake in this country, yes?¡± [Ryouma] According to the documents I received from the guild, a monster I need to train with lives there. There are many fishing villages on the bank of that lake and one of those is Shikumu Village. A party I¡¯m acquainted with lives there. ¡°Shikumu is on the opposite shore of Reetil. I usually sell daily necessities to small villages like that.¡± [Mondo] ¡°¡­Huh?¡¡Don¡¯t you sell food?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You talking about shappaya?¡¡That¡¯s something made by Reetil. Reetil is my hometown. My dad¡¯s a fisherman, and because I wasn¡¯t going to be inheriting the family business, they told me to at least find a market for the business to contribute to the village.¡¡Because of that they forced all these barrels onto me when I got back to the village.¡± [Mondo] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But it¡¯s hard to sell because it stinks so bad. Even if you wash it and cook it or boil it, although the smell does get better a little, it still stinks. No one told me I couldn¡¯t sell it, but it¡¯s still frustrating¡­¡± [Mondo] ¡°I saw you back at the Saionji Company.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You saw me? I tried selling it there, but the stench was ¨C as expected ¨C bad and they wouldn¡¯t buy it. Well, I¡¯ll keep at it and maybe I¡¯ll find someone willing to buy it¡­. Oh, which way are you?¡± [Mondo] A fork could be seen on the path up ahead. I¡¯m going back to Gimuru, so I need to take a left here. ¡°I¡¯m going right.¡± [Mondo] ¡°Then I guess we¡¯ll part here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re going left, huh? Well then¡­¡± [Mondo] The carriage stopped. Then he suddenly started searching his luggage, and then handed me a barrel that¡¯s been sealed tight. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, please take one with you. As a token of my gratitude and as a prayer for your safe travels. If you take this with you, wild animals and monsters will be less likely to attack you. Especially, the ones with a good nose.¡± [Mondo] Personally, just letting me ride with him was already more than enough to show his gratitude, but since he¡¯s giving it to me out of good will, I decided to accept it. Besides, it¡¯s apparently also useful as a repellent. ¡­That¡¯s not an appropriate way to use food anymore, but¡­ Oh, maybe that¡¯s why his dad forced him to bring these barrels with him¡­ ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you too for your earlier help. Please have a safe travel.¡± [Mondo] I parted with Mondo-san, and when I couldn¡¯t see him anymore, I ran back to Gimuru. The next day. I gathered some herbs along the way, so by the time I got to Gimuru it was already afternoon. I dropped by the store, and they were doing well as usual. But there were two reports different from usual. One was that someone wanted an appointment with me. The person requesting it was Serge-san. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s alright, but what did he need?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He says it¡¯s about a magic tool.¡± [Carm] Ahh, about the music box. I wonder if something happened. ¡­I¡¯ll think about it when after I meet him. For the mean time, let¡¯s just meet him first. And the other one? ¡°A letter of gratitude and some goods to express good will came from the three working girls¡¯ village.¡± [Carm] A letter of gratitude?¡¡¡­Have I done anything to deserve that? ¡°They¡¯ve been exchanging letters with their village regularly. The thank you letter is for your cordial welcome of their daughters. The goods have been stored in the second floor.¡± [Carm] The second floor? The room there is currently being used to inspect the laundry given by the customers. The laundry gets washed almost immediately, though, so that room has been pretty much unused all this time, but it is fairly big. If they had to store the goods there¡­ Does that mean those three girls¡¯ parents sent that many stuff? Carm-san said he would call for someone to explain, so I went ahead up stairs. ¡°Oh~¡­ This is amazing¡­¡± [Ryouma] Mysterious jute bags were piled up in the second floor. And there weren¡¯t just 10 or 20 of them. When I touched the bags it felt like a grain of some sort, but the smell coming from the ones at the back reminded me of¡­ Sesame seeds? ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] Semisa Seed Oily with plenty of nutritional content. Although relatively easy to cultivate, it carries with it a strong fragrance that grows stronger with heat. So it really was something like sesame seed. The sesame seeds back at Earth can¡¯t produce such a strong aroma before being roasted, but these seeds can. ¡°Boss, I¡¯ve brought Jane-san.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you, Carm-san. Can you tell me what all these are for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry, Boss. When we told our parents that the store we¡¯re working at is a good place, they went and did this on their own. These should be filled with wheat and semisa. They sent them here both as thanks and as a gesture of good will to the owner and to thee people working here¡­¡± [Jane] Jane-san chose her words. I know it¡¯s from her parents, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s bribery, in other words.¡± [Jane] ¡°Uwaa, talk about blunt.¡± [Ryouma] Looks like she gave up racking her brain for a better term. It¡¯s good that she¡¯s honest, but the way she says it makes one want to throw those words back at her. ¡°Is this normal?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sometimes. When parents want their children to have an acceptable workplace¡­ After all, not all bosses are nice. Especially, when the subordinates are women. Parents can¡¯t really help but worry. They give gifts like this to ensure that good workplaces remain good and the bad ones do change. That¡¯s about it.¡± [Carm] ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, that¡¯s understandable. And since I¡¯m not a parent, their protective feelings are probably even greater than mine¡­ But if they give us this much produce, then wouldn¡¯t they suffer a loss?¡± [Ryouma] In the first place, Jane-san and the others left their village to make money. I can¡¯t believe their parents and their village has much leeway financially. When I asked that to Jane-san, she says that this much won¡¯t cause a problem. When I asked for the details, she told me that their village is northeast of Gimuru. Their village is situated near the border and was a reasonably rich farming village until 10 years ago. Their main products include wheat and potatoes, and they also deal with semisa and vegetables. Most of the produce harvested in the village are transported across the border and sold there, but 10 years ago, the territory across the border started a plan to develop their farms, and since then their contract with them has been getting smaller. The plan was brought forward by a man who couldn¡¯t inherit his family¡¯s headship, being the second born or later, and with the financial assistance of the feudal lord, they were able to hire specialists and turn the agriculture development plan into a huge success. Currently, that area has become a well known grain-producing land in that territory. Compared to them, the village of the three working girls has lost much of its profits. The villages neighboring them already had their own source of produce and didn¡¯t have any coin left to purchase from them. With no place to sell their produce, the youth of the village had no choice but to leave the village and make money outside. But since the only problem was that they couldn¡¯t sell their produce, they had more than enough to eat. ¡°The amount of produce taken as tax and the amount eaten by the villagers doesn¡¯t really change much, so all the unsold produce are just left there to spoil in the village. Ah, but I can guarantee the quality of these!¡± [Jane] ¡°Since you have so much produce, why don¡¯t you reduce it?¡¡You¡¯re sending people away anyway, so shouldn¡¯t you have less people working on the fields?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because it would be a problem if we didn¡¯t have any stocked up in case of a bad season, and also because there are a lot of people who want to protect the fields that have been with the village for generations. In the village, we each contribute money so we can procure magic tools and cattle to use for farm work. We can also use the excess wheat as feed. Saying that we can just reduce the production rate to make just enough makes it seem as if all the effort we put into farm work is nothing but a waste.¡± [Jane] I feel like she¡¯s starting to complain. Anyway, it seems sending all these back will just result in them being thrown out. ¡°¡­Alright. But the next time you contact them, please inform them that they don¡¯t need to send me these stuff. Whether they send me these things or not I¡¯m not going to change how I treat you. And as long as the person is willing to do a proper job, I can accept other people from your village as employees.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Jane] I don¡¯t mind hiring employees due to their connection, and I will be needing more employees if I¡¯m going to be putting up a branch store. I still need to consult with Carm-san, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, as long as the person is willing to do the work, then it¡¯s all good. Besides, I¡¯ve also taken full advantage of my connection with the duke¡¯s family and the Morgan Company and the guild masters, so I¡¯m not exactly in the position to find fault with others that take advantage of their connections. ¡°Do note that they must do the work properly and not cause any trouble. Understood?¡¡I will not give preferential treatment to someone just because you introduced them to me. I also won¡¯t favor someone just because everyone is acquainted with the person. Though I will accept consultation if the person in question has some kind of special condition that needs to be taken into consideration.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course!¡¡That¡¯s more than enough!¡± [Jane] ¡°That¡¯s good then. What do you think, Carm-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as we observe and interview them thoroughly, it should be fine. Just as the boss has said, we do need to hire more people eventually, so it would be a huge help if we could get people whose origin has already been confirmed.¡± [CArm] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. By the way, can you assess the value of all these?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve already assessed the value and have prepared everything in writing. If you need a more precise assessment, however, someone that deals in food goods from the Merchant Guild should be able to provide it.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. We can just go with your assessment. Can you prepare the appropriate monetary value when the girls contact the village next? I don¡¯t want to accept all these for free.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll deal with it that way.¡± [Carm] ¡°Wait a moment!¡¡¡­Does that mean you¡¯re going to be buying all of these?¡¡Please don¡¯t!¡¡Our parents sent all of these on their own accord.¡± [Jane] ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to just send them back? After all, you have more than you know what to do with.¡¡We¡¯ll use it for the food in the store, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then, at the very least, please purchase everything at a low price.¡± [Jane] ¡°Then I¡¯ll purchase everything at cost price plus shipping fee. That¡¯s good enough, yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it¡¯s fine.¡± [Carm] ¡°Alright.¡± [Jane] Carm-san submitted a compromise proposal. Meanwhile, Jane-san muttered to herself, ¡°Is this really alright?¡± Although the one benefiting from this the most is their village, as far as I¡¯m concerned, I was able to acquire a new place to source new employees from Chapter 100 Evening When work hours were about to end, Serge-san dropped by the store. ¡°I heard you wanted to talk about the music box.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. First, I wish to give a report of the current situation. Dinome Magic Tool Workshop will soon be able to start selling the music box. To that end, they have started accumulating stock.¡± [Serge] It¡¯s still some months away, but they¡¯re already at a stage where they can start selling? Serge-san showed me a sample of the product while talking. ¡°There will be different music boxes for nobles and commoners, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The music boxes catered toward nobles are ornamental boxes with a magic tool inside. The ornamental boxes will be made by order, so the customers can pick the motif and material themselves.¡± [Serge] So, a unique luxury item. And because the box will be made-to-order, Dinome-san¡¯s workload will decrease. Compared to that, the music box for the commoners is just a branded small box. This version will probably sell for a much more affordable price. ¡°Since the music boxes catered toward the nobles are made-to-order, I take it we will be selling the common music boxes first?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Selling the music boxes to the nobles will be taken care of by the company, so I was thinking of unveiling the common music boxes during the Founding Festival.¡± [Serge] ¡°You plan to put up a store during the Founding Festival?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The music that will be used in the music box is written by a popular troubadour. We¡¯ve promised to mention them as well as the name of their song. That troubadour¡¯s group of itinerant entertainers, the Semroid Troupe, will also be performing in Gimuru, so we¡¯ll be selling our music boxes there.¡± [Serge] He sure figured out how to sell music boxes quickly¡­ ¡°Just one thing. Where are you planning to perform?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s actually one of the things I wanted to talk to you about.¡± [Serge] Apparently, he wants to use the store as a dressing room, and the security guard¡¯s training area for the venue of the troupe. ¡­I should discuss this with the others first. I called Carm-san and the head of my guards, Fei-san, and explained to them the situation. After discussing it, it was eventually decided that the empty lot will be used as proposed, but the dressing room will instead use the free room in the dormitory. Of course, this was under the condition that no one would be able to enter the other areas of the store. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. With this I¡¯ll be able to report something good. The troupe will arrive within 2 weeks or so. I¡¯ll drop by again when they arrive.¡± [Serge] Like this the discussions with Serge-san came to a close. I saw him off until the entrance of the store, then I went back inside. ¡°Hmm?¡¡Did you hear that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it came from the kitchen. I¡¯ll take a look.¡± [Fei] Fei-san quickly went to take a look. ¡°Umm¡­ I didn¡¯t hear anything.¡± [Carm] ¡°It was a really quiet sound.¡± [Ryouma] While we were talking, Fei-san came back. ¡°Boss, there¡¯s a terrible smell coming from a barrel in the kitchen. It seems Shelma-san accidentally opened it.¡± [Fei] ¡°A barrel with a terrible smell?¡¡¡­Ah.¡± [Ryouma] That must be the shappaya I got. It¡¯s food, so I left it in the kitchen and forgot about it¡­ ¡°Sorry. I was the one who left that there. It¡¯s a kind of preserved food someone gave me¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You did? In that case, you better hurry or she¡¯ll throw it away.¡± [Fei] Throw it away!?¡¡That would be a terrible thing to do to Mondo-san! ¡°Excuse me!¡± [Ryouma] I rushed to the kitchen, and true enough, Shelma-san was just about to throw the Shappaya barrel into the trash can. ¡°Stop!!!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyaa!?¡¡Boss. What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Shelma] ¡°Shelma-san. I¡¯m sorry, but actually, that¡¯s a kind of preserved food someone gave me. I know it stinks, but it¡¯s not trash.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°O-Oh¡­ Is that so?¡¡My bad.¡± [Shelma] ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault for forgetting it here. Let me deodorize the kitchen for you.¡± [Ryouma] I put the lid back on the barrel, and then used the Deodorant Slime to freshen up the kitchen. I¡¯ve already gotten used to doing this sort of stuff, so I was able to do everything quickly. ¡°There.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. But, are you sure you can eat that thing?¡± [Shelma] Shelma-san found it hard to believe. But that¡¯s understandable considering how bad the stench is. I have the Stench Resist skill and I¡¯ve already eaten something like it in my previous life, so I¡¯m alright with it, but someone who¡¯s seeing it for the first time will probably find it hard to digest. ¡°You need to wash off the smell first before eating it. That¡¯s what the person who gave it to me said¡­ Do you want to try it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m actually quite interested, being a chef and all, but¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± [Shelma] Looks like the shock from when she accidentally opened the barrel was too big, and she can¡¯t help but remember the stench when she smelled the stuff directly. ¡­Wait a moment.¡¡Just now, wasn¡¯t I able to remove the stench of the Shappaya in the room using the Deodorant Slime? In that case, why don¡¯t I try soaking the Shappaya in the Deodorant Slime¡¯s liquid? ¡°Mind if I try something?¡¡I¡¯ll put up a barrier first.¡± [Ryouma] I know I¡¯m the boss, but Shelma-san is in charge of the kitchen. She¡¯s also in the middle of preparing supper, so I made sure to get her permission first before trying out this experiment. First I took out the Shappaya and put them inside a large bowl. I thought the Shappaya would become softer, but they actually managed to retain their shape. I lined up the Shappaya, then I submerged them inside the Deodorant Slime¡¯s liquid. ¡°For the mean time, let¡¯s soak for 10 minutes.¡± 10 minutes later. After removing the liquid from the shappaya, I gently washed the Shappaya, making sure not to crush it. The deodorant slime¡¯s liquid wasn¡¯t poisonous, but I had to make sure that no filth would be left, so I used water magic to wash everything off, and¡­ Done! The stench is gone! Compared to before, the shappaya basically smelled like nothing now. But what about the taste? I roasted it over fire and ate it. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] The more I chewed, the more the deliciousness of the fish came out. I thought I¡¯d lose some of the taste by washing the shappaya with the dedorant liquid, but it¡¯s still plenty delicious. There¡¯s still a little bit of stench from the shappaya¡¯s liquid, though¡­ ¡¡Should I let it soak for longer?¡¡It might be because I¡¯m numbed to the smell already or it might be because of the Stench Resist skill, but the thing is I don¡¯t really mind the smell, so I¡¯m not actually sure if the smell is bearable now for a normal person. ¡°Shelma-san, I was able to remove most of the smell. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. In that case, I¡¯ll have one. ¡­Mmm¡­ It still stinks a little.¡± [Shemla] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°It¡¯s much better compared to before, though. Before, it was so bad I couldn¡¯t stand it, but now, I can properly taste it. I think it might be best if this is prepared with some herbs first rather than served as is.¡± [Shelma] So, the stench is weak enough that it could be solved with something like that. In that case, how about adding Jija¡ª Wait. I don¡¯t have any. I don¡¯t have any herbs too. ¡­Right. Let¡¯s use that Semisa instead. I took a bag of Semisa from the second floor and wrung out some oil using alchemy. The oil is plenty aromatic as is, but heating it up will release even more of the aroma. I cooked the oil on a frying pan. ¡­And gradually the aromatic smell became stronger!¡¡I then added the Shappaya that¡¯s been treated with deodorant. After frying one side, I flip the pan and fry the other side. I fried the Shappaya until both sides had turned crispy. ¡°Is it ready?¡± [Shelma] ¡°Yes. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Mmm. Well, it stink way less than before now. I think it¡¯ll go well with wine.¡± [Shelma] Is the taste the problem? ¡°¡­What¡¯s going on?¡± [Fina] ¡°Ah, no, it¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We smelled something familiar!¡± [Jane] ¡°So we came to see what it is~¡± [Maria] When I turned around, the three working girls were standing by the entrance. ¡°The semisa is our hometown¡¯s taste, so¡ª¡± [Jane] ¡°¡ªSmelling it really whets our appetite!¡± [Fina] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss~ Is that tonight¡¯s supper?¡± [Maria] It¡¯s an experiment actually¡­ ¡°It¡¯s alright. We¡¯ll add it to our supper tonight.¡± [Shelma] And that¡¯s how today¡¯s experiment concluded. As a result, the side dishes for tonight¡¯s supper increased. After supper. Shelma-san¡¯s cooking was again simple and delicious. The employees also enjoyed the Shappaya fried in sesame oil. The effect of the deodorizing liquid could be seen immediately. If I knew I could use the Deodorizing Liquid like this, I would have bought more Shappaya. Too bad. So long as man lives, he will need food to sustain him. So it never hurts to have too many preserved food. ¡°Here you go, Boss.¡± [Jane] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After supper, Jane-san served me a cup of Dante Coffee. She prepared everyone else¡¯s favorite drink too, and we spent the time after supper like that. ¡°Funfufun.¡± [Jane] ¡­Still, Jane-san sure is in a good mood to day. The others are also in a good mood. Are they that happy having the ingredients of their hometown used? When I asked them that, apparently, that was one part of it, but there was also the conversation this afternoon. ¡°When I think of how everyone in the village might be hired by the store, I just¡­ Ah~¡± [Maria] ¡°Of course, we¡¯re also okay if you send us to different branches. Either way the laundromat is a really safe workplace. We left the village to work, but while we¡¯re able to have an easy life working here, we can¡¯t help but worry for those working elsewhere¡­¡± [Jane] ¡°And with the way our village is, more and more villagers will eventually have to leave to make money. At that time, if we could just ensure the safety of at least one more villager, then we could be at ease by that much.¡± [Fina] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What would really be great is if we can sell our produce, though!¡± [Fina] ¡°That¡¯s right~. If that happens, then everyone can live together again~¡± [Maria] ¡°It¡¯s a waste that ingredients that delicious are just being thrown away.¡± [Fei] ¡°Unthinkable in our country.¡± [Leelin] Fei-san and Leelin-san joined the conversation. ¡°What do you eat in your country?¡± [Shelma] ¡°Our staple food is Miyen. It¡¯s made by kneading flour with water. Kind of like bread, but we don¡¯t cook it, and instead, put it in soup. When made long and narrow, we call it Reemiyen. When it¡¯s thin and long, we call it Parmiyen. There are many names and ways of eating it.¡± [Fei] Could this Miyen be noodles?That seems to be the case after hearing Fei-san¡¯s explanation. Or maybe it¡¯s closer to flour dumplings since they put them in a soup. ¡°That¡¯s interesting~¡± [Maria] ¡°I wonder how foreign cuisine tastes like¡­¡± [Shelma] ¡°Shelma-san, are you curious?¡¡If you want, I can make you some.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Oh, my, Leelin-san. Are you sure?¡± [Shelma] ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten it in a long while too. Why not? The ingredients are wheat flour, water, and soup. Everyone in our country is poor, so we don¡¯t need any special ingredients.¡± [Leelin] What a happy conversation this has turned into. ¡°¡­Should we put up a stall?¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh?¡± [Leelin] ¡°Carm-san?¡± [Ryouma] I was wondering what he was talking about so suddenly, but apparently, it was related to our discussion with Serge-san. ¡°Although we¡¯re not making a loss by lending the store, we can benefit more from the deal depending on our actions. One way we can do that, I believe, is by providing some snacks to the people coming to watch the troupe. If we provide them a place for them they can rest at and prepare products that can attract their attention, we should also be able to sell them some things. It¡¯s a festival after all, so they should be more willing to spend. And even if we don¡¯t make that much, we can still use this as an opportunity to deepen relations with the townspeople.¡± [Carm] Carm-san¡­ Although it¡¯s just an idea, he¡¯s sure thought it through. Management is going well, so we do have the capital, and we might just be able to give back a little to the people we¡¯ve been making a killing from¡­ This is another way to enjoy the festival. ¡°What do you think?¡¡Everyone.¡± [Carm-san] It would be impossible if the stall is to be tended by just me and Carm-san. We need to get everyone¡¯s cooperation. ¡°¡­If you¡¯re doing it, I¡¯ll help. I¡­ don¡¯t have anything scheduled.¡± [Dolce] Unexpectedly, Dolce-san immediately agreed. I thought he was focused on working on his diary, but it seems he was actually listening. ¡°I don¡¯t have any experience putting up a stall, but I certainly love seeing people eat my food. All the more when the customers praise my cooking.¡± [Shelma] Shelma-san was also up for it. ¡°If we take turns like we do normally, we should be able to make time to go around the festival even while tending to the stall.¡± [Fina] ¡°Hmm~ We¡¯ll probably lose all our money if we play the whole day, so~ Why not?¡± [Maria] ¡°I¡¯m okay with it.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I agree with my daughter.¡± [Fei] ¡°Me too. Ah!¡¡Assistant-Manager, can we use our store¡¯s wheat for the ingredients?¡± [Jane] ¡°We have to create an environment to preserve the food goods, but it should be fine. Is something the matter?¡± [Carm] ¡°If we use our village¡¯s wheat, some customers might ask where the wheat is produced.¡± [Jane] ¡°What are you talking about?¡± [Dolce] ¡°Ahaha, forget it. I¡¯m alright with working on the stall. It sounds fun.¡± [Jane] After Jane-san agreed, Fina-san also agreed. With that, the decision was a unanimous yes. We¡¯re putting up a stall! Great! But then again, when you think about, couldn¡¯t we just use the store? Still, this is where the flow of conversation brought us, so I guess that¡¯s that. ¡°Now, we need to check the cost of the ingredients and prepare some sample dishes. We¡¯ll have to lay the groundwork with Morgan Company¡­ I¡¯ll begin preliminary investigations tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] If after that everyone still feels like putting up a stall, then we¡¯ll put up a stall. Chapter 101 Two weeks later. The employees were very busy due to having to work their regular hours while also preparing for the festival. In these two weeks, everyone was running about, cooking their respective local cuisines, ensuring everything needed for those dishes was ready, and working with the Morgan Company to deal with the security and the reception of the customers at the festival. But despite the busyness of the preparations, the morale of the employees remained high. I was secretly shocked. In my past life, we had yearly company recreation events to bolster the team spirit of employees, but they were really just meant to satisfy the complacency of the upper brass. The only ones excited about such events were a small portion of the company, which included the people planning the event. The rest of the employees were merely forced to participate under the pretense that such events were so-called ¡®company events¡¯. A compulsory wastage of an employee¡¯s free day, in other words. Still, I get where they¡¯re coming from. It¡¯s obviously better if the employees could develop some sort of unity. And it can¡¯t be helped anyway if it¡¯s company policy, but¡­ I really don¡¯t want to see my employees make the same faces as those employees in my past life. For now though, everyone seems to be having fun. The stalls are gradually taking shape and everyone is eager to work. Moreover, it¡¯s not just my employees who¡¯ll be participating in the stall, for some unexpected people have decided to help out. ¡°Boss!¡¡Zeke-san from the butcher is here!¡± [Carm] ¡°I hear you!¡¡I¡¯m going right now!¡± [Ryouma] I stopped working on the empty lot of the store and went to the reception office. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You didn¡¯t make me wait at all. This is for today¡¯s portion. I brought the goods to the kitchen already.¡± [Zeke] ¡°¡­This is more affordable than expected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re purchasing so much, so I thought I¡¯d give you a discount.¡± [Zeke] One of the people cooperating with us was Zeke-san. He helps out by providing meat for the trial dishes, and on the day of the festival, he himself will be helping out in the stall along with his employees. A few days ago, when I purchased a lot of ingredients, he asked me what I was using them for, so I answered him, and in the end, he decided to help out. When I asked him why, apparently, he and his employees want to spend time with their family during the festival. But if they were to waste too much, they would be scolded by their wives, so in exchange for helping out one day out of the two days of the festival, I will be paying them them an appropriate salary. If I get their help, preparations for the festival will become relatively easier and the money that can be used for the capital will also increase. My employees won¡¯t have as much of a burden on the day of the festival and we will also have more opportunities to mingle with others. After establishing a win-win relationship like that, Pauline-san and her housewife friends, Kiara-san and Mary-san, also got word of our deal. The three of them told me that they were willing to help out with the trial dishes and on the day of the festival itself if I gave them the same conditions. Presently, they are helping out in the kitchen with Shelma-san. Incidentally, because the housewives joined, word of the Semroid Troupe coming to perform spread through the housewives intelligence network. Among other things, when I showed my face at Pauline-san¡¯s store, many of her friends had something to say¡­ Are we going to end up with a crowd like when we opened the store for the first time?¡¡I should prepare for that possibility. ¡°Well then, Ryouma-kun. I¡¯ll see you in the evening.¡± [Zeke] I saw Zeke-san off as he left to go back to his store, then I went back to working on the empty area. Tonight, I will be checking the menu of the stall for the last time and open the place that will be used as the venue of our social gathering. I have to at least prepare the place a little. Evening. After work hours. I was checking some documents while waiting for the visitors at the office when Carm-san came. ¡°Boss, Serge-sama and a representative of the Semroid Troupe is here.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly went to the reception office. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry to disturb you, Ryouma-sama. This here is the leader of the Semroid Troupe.¡± [Serge] ¡°My name is Prenence Semroid. Though I may be young, I lead a troupe of itinerant entertainers. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, young sage-dono.¡± [Prenence] Inside the room was Serge-san sitting on the sofa, as well as another person at the back. The person was a handsome man with dazzling hair like silver threads. He stood out even as he sat. When he stood up and offered a hand shake, I responded, but¡­ His actions struck me as somewhat theatrical. ¡°The pleasure is mine. You can just call me by name. There¡¯s no need for the sage stuff¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? I see you are a humble man, wise¡ª Ryouma-dono. The music box. That small box that could spin that delicate sound¡­ It is a work of wonder, I must say. It has given our performances a new ¡®flavor¡¯. Moreover, the musical composition I composed was even incorporated into it, allowing my music to reach more people than thought ever possible¡­ If you, Ryouma-dono, the man who developed that, is not worthy of being called a sage, then who is?¡± [Prenence] Is that thing really that big of a deal to musicians? ¡­Or is he just flattering me? Forgive my bluntness, but my first impression of him is ¡®hard to deal with¡¯. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I should be thanking you. Not only did you bestow upon us the music box, you even gave us artists a place to showcase our talents.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Yes. But the place isn¡¯t really anything special, though. It¡¯s just the empty lot of the store that we rarely use.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I saw it a little along the way. It¡¯s more than big enough. I¡¯m sure my friends will be delighted.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Are they already there?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, they¡¯re already at the venue.¡± [Prenence] Just as planned. The details of the music box and the fact that I¡¯m its developer aren¡¯t really things that should be spoken of in public; hence, our topic here includes not only the details of the performance but also the secrecy of my identity, which is why only the representative was called here. ¡°It would be rude to keep them waiting then. Shall we go over the details quickly?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The stage-related matters will be left to the Semroid Troupe.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please leave it to me. It¡¯s a rare opportunity for us to be able to stand on such a big stage. We will definitely put on a good show.¡± [Prenence] When they were just getting started, they usually played in smaller venues, such as the town square or the bar. A large venue that could accommodate a bigger audience like my store¡¯s empty lot is probably a rare opportunity for them. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. If there¡¯s anything you need, please feel free to consult us. If you need some things or more people, either Serge-san or Carm-san should be able to help you. And if you need help with the stage or to transport some things or other labor work, you can look to me for help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for everything.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Next is¡­ Oh, it seems that¡¯s it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So it appears. If there¡¯s still anything else that needs to be discussed, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Shall we be off then?¡± [Serge] After discussing what needed to be discussed, we went to the venue. ¡°It sure is lively.¡± [Ryouma] In the venue were 6 temporary stores, each of which was built with Earth Magic. The stores were only about the size of a stall, but they have been outfitted with the necessary equipment for cooking. Around those stores could be seen our neighbors. There were also some unfamiliar men and women of all ages. ¡°Ah!¡¡Ryouma!¡¡Hurry up and come!¡± [Rick] Rick. I see Leni and Tony too. They are relatives of the people helping us, as well as children. They should be able to give us a lot of feedback regarding the food. ¡°I¡¯m starving. Mom says tonight¡¯s supper is going to be served her¡ª¡± [Rick] ¡°Don¡¯t say unnecessary things. Behave.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, thank you for your hard work. It¡¯s a bit early, but I think we should start soon¡­¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s begin.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please give the welcoming remarks.¡± [Carm] I wasn¡¯t sure if it was really okay for me to be the one to give the welcoming remarks, but regardless, I took a glass filled with beverage with one hand and stood before the crowd. ¡°Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. I am the representative of the laundromat ¡®Bamboo Forest¡¯, Ryouma Takebayashi, and I would like to thank all of you for being able to make it here tonight despite your busy schedules.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Rick] Rick stared at me with eyes that seemed to be saying, ¡®are we not eating yet?¡¯ ¡°¡­I understand that there are those among us who can no longer wait. As such, I shall take it upon myself to keep this short. As everyone knows, we will be opening stalls to celebrate this coming Founding Festival. I would like to work together wherever possible with those who will be using the same venue. To that end, we have gathered everyone here tonight. I¡¯m sure there are many among you who are meeting each other for the first time. As such, I would like for this as an opportunity for us to get to know each other. A toast to our future cooperation¡­ Cheers!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone] Everyone said ¡®Cheers¡¯ simultaneously. Although we had just under 40 people, this social gathering still turned out to be quite the party. While the party was going on, the cooks left the crowd and started cooking in the temporary stores. Most of the cooking has actually already been done, though, so it only took them a short while to complete their dishes. Before long, an appetizing smell began to waft out from the stores. While that was happening, I went around to greet the people and handed out voting ballots that would determine the final products that would be sold on the stalls. Each set of voting ballot contained 10 sheets. Of those, 5 sheets are ¡®Food I want to eat¡¯. The other 5 sheets are for after eating, titled ¡®The food that I found delicious¡¯. The results of the votes will dictate the products that will be sold at the stalls. ¡°This looks to be a success already.¡± [Prenence] With a plate of food on one hand, Prenence-san came over with a 50-year-old man in tow. ¡°Thanks to you. How¡¯s the taste?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even better than I expected. The rest of the troupe thinks so too. Look.¡± [Prenence] The place he pointed at was a corner of the venue. Although this party was something akin to a standing buffet party, some chairs and tables have been prepared should the guests want to relax. There, a group of people dressed in what appeared to be traveling clothes could be seen chatting with the people around them. Among the group could be seen a cheerful-looking woman wolfing down one plate after another. ¡°Curious?¡± [Prenence] ¡°Well, she is eating rather passionately¡­ Hard not to be shocked.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha ha. Is that so?¡¡Her name is Maiya. The troupe¡¯s biggest glutton.¡± [Prenence] ¡°She became an itinerant entertainer solely because she wanted to eat delicious food.¡± [???] It was the man behind who said that with a fed up tone. ¡°Soldio. I work as a sword dancer along with Maiya.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Happy to make your acquaintance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­It¡¯s a line of work I¡¯ve never heard of, but I suppose it would be safe to assume that they use a sword for their performances. ¡°We dance by ourselves and cut things. We also move in groups and do so in a very showy manner. There are various programs, but you¡¯re not wrong.¡± [Soldio] ¡°He¡¯s Maiya¡¯s uncle and the deputy leader of the troupe. He also works as our bodyguard. So he¡¯s not just a performer. He¡¯s also a swordsman. Fights do tend to break out during festivals, so feel free to rely on him when you need him.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Thank you very much. It puts me at ease knowing there are more people who can protect the store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can call me whenever I¡¯m free. You can use Maiya too if you want. I don¡¯t mind.¡± [Prenence] ¡°What about me?¡¡Uncle.¡± [Maiya] Didn¡¯t notice she was there at all because of Soldio-san¡¯s shadow. The person-in-question stood up while carrying her plate with both hands. ¡°We were talking about you helping out with the security.¡± [Soldio] ¡°I see. Ah, you¡¯re the representative from awhile ago. I heard you were young, but wow. You¡¯re really young.¡± [Maiya] ¡°That¡¯s rude, Maiya.¡± [Soldio] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I don¡¯t mind. I am young.¡± [Ryouma] Besides, it¡¯s not like she¡¯s mocking me. At least, it doesn¡¯t feel that way. ¡°Are you enjoying the party?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course!¡¡There are a lot of rare dishes, and when I think a dish is common and I eat it, I¡¯m suddenly greeted with a surprise. Like that hot dog for example. The bread is spongy and the sausage is juicy. I¡¯ve gone to so many places, but there¡¯s not many stores that can produce such a taste.¡± [Maiya] Hot dogs are regulars in festivals, but the bread Shelma-san is using is the naturally leavened bread we made before. The meat specialists, Zeke and Co., thought of using the naturally leavened bread with a special sausage. Pauline-san then cooked that to come up with a luxurious product. The result was a juicy hot dog that fully brought out the taste of its ingredients. A feat only a pro could do. Because of this the taste of Zeke-san¡¯s hot dog was on a league higher than its contemporaries, making it one of the favorites among the various dish candidates. ¡°And then there¡¯s Zilmar Cuisine. Coupled with a soup, it gives a relaxing taste that warms the body.¡± [Maiya] Fei-san and Leelin-san cooked Parmiyen. The dish they brought out, though, was a lot closer to Wanton Soup than Flour Dumplings in Soup. The ingredients used were simple, but after thoroughly boiling the meat and the vegetables, they were able to bring out the goodness within it. Because of its gentle taste, I like to pair it with Meat and Vegetables Stir-Fried in Semisa Oil. ¡°There are some strange dishes too, aren¡¯t there?¡± [Prenence] As Prenence-san said that, on his plate could be seen shell-less salted Dante Seeds roasted over fire. I originally purchased the Dante Seeds to make Dandelion Coffee, but it seems there are areas where people consider the seeds themselves to be a delicacy. Because of that I can¡¯t tell anymore whether dantes are closer to dandelions or sunflowers¡­ The roots can be used for coffee, the seeds can be eaten, and when wrung, oil can be extracted from them. Because of that I started planting more and more of them with the help of the scavenger slime fertilizer and wood magic. ¡°I¡¯m glad you like them. We have a lot of them prepared, so please eat as much as you¡¯d like. Although it would probably be a good idea to leave some room in your stomach. It¡¯s almost time for deserts.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!?¡± [Maiya] Really. Many of the desserts are made by me. I¡¯ve prepared food like Gomadoufu (crushed sesame seeds boiled in water and chilled like tofu) and Sesame Dumplings. For Gomadoufu, the sesame seeds need to be carefully ground until they are soft and pleasant to the tongue. Afterwards starch is extracted from potato and added to it. It is then cooked over fire until smooth, and then it is kneaded to shape and then cooled. Once done, it can be eaten with honey made from brown sugar. For the Sesame Dumplings, I first prepared the filling using semisa and brown sugar. I added water and dante oil to refined rice flour and mixed it, then I used that to wrap the filling. The raw semisa were like clothes upon the filling, while I fried the surface with dante oil. In this case, dante oil has to be used over semisa oil due to the amount and cooking time. If the semisa oil were to be used instead, the resulting product will smell too much like semisa and it will be too difficult to tell apart the ingredients from the aroma. On that point, the dante oil¡¯s moderate fragrance cannot overpower the dish. When I used Identify on the dante oil, I found out that its unsaturated fatty acid contained a high amount of oleic acid, making it a smooth oil with high nutritional value. Unfortunately, not much oil can be extracted from a dante seed. 15 grams of dante seeds are needed just to produce a milliliter of dante oil. If I need 800ml of dante oil, I will be needing 12,000g or 12kg of dante seeds. Although dante seeds are healthy, it takes a lot of effort to produce enough of them to make oil. So much so that extracting oil from them actually makes for good training for my mana. Thanks to that, though, I was able to come up with a delicious dish, but the amount of effort it takes and the expense of brown sugar and refined rice flour limits the number of dishes that could be made. Actually, the labor is still somewhat acceptable. The real killer is that we can¡¯t set the price lower than 20 suits a piece. That¡¯s a little too high for a dessert being sold at a stall. There¡¯s a high probability of the sesame dumplings not making it to the stalls, so I¡¯ve already prepared a substitute for it. An inexpensive wheat flour pastry that cuts down on costs by using cheaper dough, Sesame Pastry. When I said that¡­ ¡°In that case, I better get my fill tonight.¡± [Maiya] Maiya-san said that, and then left to get more food. I feel like she¡¯s already eaten a family¡¯s worth, but it doesn¡¯t seem like she¡¯s planning on stopping anytime soon. Chapter 102 Volume 3 Chapter 102 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 102 part2 When the party was in full swing, a concerning topic came out. ¡°There¡¯s a monster on the highway?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. We came here through the southern plains, but before leaving Kereban, we heard sightings of an ¡®ant¡¯ in the plains. Because of that we were on alert the entire trip. It was really exhausting.¡± [Prenence] Ant is the universal term for all ant-type monsters. There are all sorts, but in general, they all possess a hard carapace that protects their whole body, as well as an inclination to swarm their enemies. How dangerous an ant actually is. however, depends on the variant. ¡°Could it be a murder ant?¡± [Ryouma] Murder Ants possess a hard carapace and a sturdy pair of jaws. They are carnivorous and they love to fight other living creatures. A swarm of such ants is undoubtedly a threat. Depending on the size of the nest, the Adventurers Guild would rank an extermination job for them as Rank C or above. ¡°Oh, no. If that were the case, we would¡¯ve surely chosen a different route. It should be a tunnel ant.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Hmm¡­ Sorry. Can you tell me more about that variant?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ First of all it has the same hard carapace that ants are known for, but their jaws, claws, and overall strength is weaker compared to the other ants variants. They also don¡¯t have any venom. Overall, their attacking power is low, but they¡¯re also more gentle compared to the other ants and won¡¯t attack other monsters or people. They specialize in digging soft ground and are known to expand their nest proactively. The problem is that if you accidentally pass over one of their nests without knowing, their nests will cave and your carriage will fall with it.¡± [Prenence] The tunnel ant nests are reinforced by their bodily liquids, so it won¡¯t cave in if it¡¯s just a Peron walking over it, but a carriage filled with luggage plus passengers is simply too heavy. Tunnel ants aren¡¯t very dangerous, but they¡¯re considered to be annoying pests for people traveling on carriages. ¡°They must be a headache to the transportation industry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hopefully it doesn¡¯t affect the number of customers and the preparations for the festival¡­¡± [Serge] Serge-san, who was quietly listening beside us, seemed to be concerned as well. ¡­In that case, why don¡¯t I pay them a visit tomorrow? ¡°You, Ryouma-dono?¡± [Prenence] Prenence-san made an odd face when I said that, so I explained to him that I was an adventurer. I also told him that I was planning to go to the Great Forest of Shurus. ¡°I see. So, that¡¯s why you asked if it was a murder ant.¡± [Prenence] In the great forest, other than the murder ants, there are also other ant-type monsters, so seeing those tunnel ants should prove to be good reference. ¡°They might affect the flow of goods too, so I¡¯m thinking of checking them out just in case.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would put me at ease.¡± [Serge] ¡°It would be a great help to us too.¡± [Prenence] Not just Serge-san but Prenence-san too? ¡°We can¡¯t afford to show a poorly practiced show to the audience, so I was thinking of using the plains near Gimuru as a practice area.¡± [Prenence] Itinerant entertainers like themselves have to travel from one town to another, so oftentimes they do not have a designated practice area. Moreover, their performances are the products that they sell. They cannot afford to show them when still unrehearsed, so they can¡¯t practice in a place where other people can see them. Unfortunately, tunnel ants have recently been sighted in the plains. Although there¡¯s only a chance that they might happen into one, that¡¯s still enough to make them want to avoid it. That¡¯s probably why it would be a great help to them if I could do something about the tunnel ants. ¡°¡­In that case, why don¡¯t you use my place for your practice?¡± [Ryouma] If they just need a place away from the public, then the Abandoned Mine should be good enough. The duke¡¯s family did tell me to use the place as I saw fit, so I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind if I lent it to some people to use for their rehearsal. There also won¡¯t be any dangerous monsters there. And in the rare case that a monster does appear, it will be weak enough that Soldio-san can deal with it himself. He looks strong, after all. ¡°Are you sure?¡¡The rumors about itinerant entertainers like ourselves aren¡¯t exactly flattering. Many of them say that we steal from other people and kidnap children. Of course, we don¡¯t do such thing nor plan to, but¡­¡± [Prenence] ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like I have anything worthwhile in my house.¡± [Ryouma] Most of my stuff are inside my Item Box, so it really doesn¡¯t matter if I lend the place. Besides, it¡¯s actually more dangerous for them if they try to enter my house. There are plenty of stuff there that could cause a person a world of pain if handled poorly. All the more so if there are still some uncured soap or caustic soda left. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Really.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, thank you.¡± [Prenence] ¡°When will you be starting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re alright with it, we¡¯d like to start as soon as tomorrow morning.¡± [Prenence] I¡¯m pretty sure they just arrived. Are they really alright with that? ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be waiting for you tomorrow morning then. The place is straight from the northern exit of Gimuru. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll miss it.¡± [Ryouma] Like this we made plans for tomorrow and concluded the social gathering. The next day. The Semroid Troupe visited my house, and I provided them a place to practice. I didn¡¯t really do anything special, though. I just told them not to go inside because it¡¯s dangerous, and prepared some water for them. The rest I left to Prenence-san. When I got to the adventurers guild just before noon, there were fewer people than usual. It¡¯s nice not having to wait, but¡­ ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Maelyn-san] ¡°Good day. I hear that Tunnel Ants have recently been sighted in the southern plains.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see word got to you quickly. If you¡¯re looking for work relating to that, I¡¯ve got some here.¡± [Maelyn] I just thought I¡¯d mention it, but before I knew it, several job requests have already been piled up on the desk. ¡°¡­Destroy the tunnel ants, look for nests¡­ And dig?¡¡The first two I get, but what am I supposed to dig?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That mission is to dig out the nests. Just destroying the eggs isn¡¯t thorough enough, as there¡¯s a chance they might still come back later.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I see¡­ Is this why there are so few guild members here today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Correct. We¡¯ve already found several nests. There¡¯s a people out there hunting right now.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°¡­How much damage have the tunnel ants caused so far?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not much right now. But¡­¡± [Maelyn] Maelyn-san¡¯s expression turned dark. I wonder if something happened. ¡°I told you we found several nests, right?¡¡There¡¯s a high probability that the tunnel ants either came from somewhere to breed or they came here after breeding to look for a new home. Because of that the guild thinks it¡¯s still likely to find new nests, making the odds for casualties on our side higher. That¡¯s why the guild wants to allocate more people into searching for nests. The Tamer Guild is also cooperating with us to some extent, so we¡¯ve been making progress.¡± [Maelyn] The tamer guild? ¡°Can you tell me more about that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s not much more to it. Guilds can work together too depending on the problem. One such example is the tunnel ant infestation, which we¡¯d all like to be dealt with sooner rather than later. Besides, this town is close to the mines, so there are a lot of people on the Tamer Guild¡¯s side to help us out.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay to ask this from you, but is it also possible to get the job from the Tamer Guild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Probably. Are you planning to take the job from there?¡± [Maelyn] Uu, that look in her eyes¡­ ¡°Actually, I¡¯m also a member of the Tamer Guild, and its guild master has helped me out quite a bit, but given my monsters, there¡¯s not really a lot of jobs I could accept from the Tamer Guild. So, I was thinking of going there to accept the job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you want to return a favor?¡¡Alright. You don¡¯t have to make that face. It¡¯s up to a member whether he wants to accept a job or not.¡± [Maelyn] She laughed as she said that. Looks like I didn¡¯t offend her. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Still, though, I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t accept the job here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I hear you. Feel free to accept a job from here when you feel like it.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked Maelyn-san and left the Adventurers Guild. ¡°Take care!¡± [Guard] The guard at the southern gate saw me off as I left for the southern plains. I almost never dropped by the Tamer Guild, so when I went there, I was mistaken for a new applicant. There were no problems after clearing up that misunderstanding, however, and I was able to accept a job normally. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°KURURURU!¡± [Rimel Birds] As I yelled that out loud, the rimel birds I took with me flied up in the sky and assumed a formation shaped like the letter ¡®V¡¯. I¡¯m having them look for tunnel ant nests in places likely to have one. According to the Tamer Guild, the tunnel ants have a disposition to eject earth and sand to their surroundings when digging out their nests. In other words, while they may not make a mound when digging out a nest, any area with signs of having been recently dug could possibly be a tunnel ant nest. ¡°KE!¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Oh, found one?¡± [Ryouma] I used Shared Perception to see the world through Eins¡¯ eyes, who was currently flying still in the air. When I did, I saw a patchy area of earth within the verdant plains. With just my bare eyes, the plains seemed endless, but from up above, everything was a lot clearer. I have no business with places that others have already started to dig or places where people have already started hunting. I used Dimension Magic and left the empty road. Let¡¯s take a look around here then¡­ ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I brought the iron and metal slimes with me from the abandoned mine, so I released them and had them line up. There were about 400 of them all in all. I fed them a lot because I wanted to make a big slime, but I fed them a bit too much and now they¡¯re too many. Just 100 is enough to make a big slime, but now I have 200 iron slimes and 200 metal slimes. Still, with this many, there are also more things that I can do. I ordered the slime most skilled in transformation to turn itself into a katana, then I gave out an order to the rest of the slimes. ¡°The rest of you don¡¯t have to transform. Just proceed carefully.¡± [Ryouma] At that, a line of metal and iron balls pushed their way through the grass. A few minutes later. ¡°Found anything?¡± [Ryouma] Although the slimes were weak, they had a strong sense for danger. That sense might have weakened after evolving, but the iron slimes were still able to detect something. There seemed to be something just a little up ahead. The slimes were cautious in their own way. So even if it were just something that stopped their movements, they would still proceed carefully. One step, two steps, three steps¡­ When we reached the place the Iron Slime was pointing at, in that moment¡ª ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] An antenna peeked out of the ground. After which came several eyes. A giant ant that was big enough to reach my chest had appeared. Its appearance resembled that of cave mantises, but before it could fully come out of the ground, I lopped off its neck with a swing from my katana. ¡°PIKI¡­¡± [Tunnel Ant] ¡°So this is a tunnel ant.¡± [Ryouma] Two more came out after the first one. I hunted them in the same way. After that no more appeared. According to the information of the tamer guild, the tunnel ants move in the night in order to avoid the time period when most of their enemies are active. Hence, they rarely left their nest in the morning and just slept inside. Because of that only a few guards would be found in the entrance. Unless the guards come back, there won¡¯t be any more. The guards for this nest happens to be those three ants I just killed. ¡°With this, I¡¯ve managed to find one nest¡­ Oops. ¡®Earth Needle¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] My job today is just to look for the nest, not exterminate them, so I just need to record the location and leave a mark somewhere nearby. There¡¯s no need to needlessly alert the nest, so I left with my slimes and went to look for another entrance. I went to the next likely location. ¡°Might as well let them roll.¡± [Ryouma] The iron and metal slimes usually don¡¯t have any opportunities to roll other than in the abandoned mine, so I took this opportunity to let them roll through the plains. When I told them that, a happy atmosphere began to emanate from the two types of slimes. As soon as I gave them the signal, they all started to roll. Wow. They¡¯re fast. Recently, they¡¯ve been getting faster and faster like some kind of a speed demon. Chapter 103 Volume 3 Chapter 103 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 103 part2 ¡°That¡¯s the fifth one¡­¡± [Ryouma] The rimel birds would find the target from the sky, then I would send the slimes to search the area, and then I would com to confirm their findings and record the location. With everyone working together, we were able to find the tunnel ant nests throughout the plains quickly. All that¡¯s left now is to report our findings and I could technically end the job here, but being able to complete the job so easily kind of leaves me feeling unsatisfied. Although my job is just to find the nests, since I still have plenty of strength to spare, why don¡¯t I prepare a more detailed report?¡¡I think it would be great if I could find out the size of each nest, as well as the number of enemies. If I send the slimes in, I should be able to investigate the nests as well. But if I did that, then they would surely encounter an enemy ant. In that instance, we¡¯re likely to end up fighting them. It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if I could wipe the tunnel ants out, but if there¡¯s a lot of them, some of them might slip through and run away. Especially, since tunnel ants are monsters that can travel underground¡­ ¡°Search.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­No good, huh.¡± [Ryouma] The flow of mana is too complicated. Probably because the tunnels inside the ant nest are too narrow. I can¡¯t use the spell on anything other than the entrance. If I try to use the spell while visualizing the tunnel and pouring in a lot of mana, I¡¯ll end up using too much mana. I continued to worry like that for 5 minutes when I accidentally stepped on the dug out earth, and a clear footprint was left behind. Hmm? Maybe¡­ Alright. Let¡¯s give it a shot. I used my search spell once more, but this time I used it with earth-attribute mana. I used the same image I would use when casting Rock or Break Rock and imagined my mana spreading into the ground. ¡°Search¡­ Oh!¡± [Ryouma] It worked! My mana passed into the ground and spread, reaching places with no earth. Through the wide open empty space that I could sense from the scope of my search spell, I was able to understand the shape of the nest. I¡¯m not detecting any tunnel ants. I¡¯m not searching inside the nest, so I can¡¯t tell the exact number of enemies, but I can tell that the ants haven¡¯t been provoked yet. Also from the size of the nest and a tunnel ant, I can give a rough estimate of how many can fit in the nest. I made sure to make a rough model of the shape of the nest to ensure that I don¡¯t forget it. It was simple enough with the Rock spell. I also noted down the time the data was procured¡­ Good. From here on, I¡¯ll also search the nests with the earth-attribute Search spell¡­. Calling it Earth-Attribute Search sure is a mouthful, though. It¡¯s a Search spell, but it doesn¡¯t use neutral-attribute mana. Oh, I know. From now on, I¡¯ll call it Earth Sonar. ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s go to the next nest!¡± [Ryouma] I took the slimes with me and went to the next likely location. Right, left¡­ There are many paths I could take, but which one should I go for?¡¡Huh? On Eins¡¯ eyes was reflected a smallish cart pulled by a group of 6. Judging from the stature of the 6, they seem to be children. I feel like I¡¯ve seen them before somewhere¡­ Ah! I know! It¡¯s Berk¡¯s group. ¡°I should greet them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡± [Ryouma] The six of them seemed to be taking a break, so I approached them with a loud voice, so as to not scare them. ¡°Ryouma? We¡¯ve been bumping into each other a lot lately, haven¡¯t we? ¡­Are those your slimes behind you?¡± [Berk] ¡°Well, we do live in the same town. These are my metal slimes and iron slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As usual you sure have a lot of them¡­¡± [Wist] Wist-kun¡¯s face was cramping as he said that. I wonder if he¡¯s bad with slimes. ¡°So, what¡¯s your business here?¡± [Berk] ¡°I¡¯m looking for tunnel ant nests. Tamer Guild work. I just happened to see you guys, so I called out¡­ Are you here for the tunnel ants too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re here to exterminate them. Sort of.¡± [Martha] ¡°Our real objective is to acquire the carapace of the tunnel ants¡­ Desu.¡± [Finia] These guys should be the half elf, Martha, and the half dwarf, Finia.¡¡They came here for the carapace? ¡°A member of the senior group entered into apprenticeship as an armor craftsman. He told us that if we brought him materials, he¡¯d make us armor at an affordable price.¡± [Ruth] ¡°He might say that it¡¯s just for practice, but the senior craftsmen have already acknowledged his abilities! He¡¯s the real deal!¡± [Rumil] The two Dog-Man Tribe pair of older brother and sister added. ¡°It¡¯s just as Ruth and Rumil said. Ant carapace is lighter than metal and sturdier than leather, so it can be used to make armor and shield. If we can get a lot of materials, we¡¯ll get some discounts, and we can also get paid for the ants that we kill, so I thought of using this chance to get everyone outfitted.¡± [Berk] ¡°And besides¡­ W-We used to frequently get herbs from these plains¡­ So, it would be nice if it could go back to the way it was sooner¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I see their cart has only one tunnel ant corpse, though. ¡°But yeah¡­ As you can see, we¡¯re not exactly doing so well.¡± [Berk] ¡°We just can¡¯t seem to find any tunnel ants¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°I guess we really should have gone in the evening.¡± [Ruth] ¡°That is what the big sister at the guild says¡­ desu.¡± [Finia] ¡°But the night is dark, and there¡¯s no telling just how many ants will come out during it.¡± [Rumil] ¡°Yeah. If there¡¯s too many, it¡¯ll be a huge problem¡­¡± [Berk] It seems they took their safety into consideration too¡­ ¡°Want me to point you to where the ants are?¡± [Ryouma] I tried suggesting. My job is to ¡®find the nests¡¯. I just need to find them. There¡¯s no need to destroy them too. But approaching a nest means I have to kill the guards watching the entrance, so I could leave the extermination of the guards to them whenever I approach the nest if they want. ¡°¡­That would help us out for sure, but why would you do that for us?¡± [Berk] ¡°Hmm¡­ Cause I feel like it.¡± [Ryouma] Although our encounters with each other weren¡¯t exactly very good, they have been working hard. Seeing them like that has made me want to cheer them on. That¡¯s all. ¡°What a weird guy¡­ But, fine. If you¡¯re willing to lend us a hand, we¡¯re not one to shy away.¡± [Berk] Berk then told everyone that break was over. I don¡¯t know why, but they seem fired up. With 6 more members in tow, I went back to work. ¡°Alright!¡± [Berk] After grouping up with Berk¡¯s party of six, we are now heading to our seventh nest. We defeated a guard just now, which is why Berk was celebrating. Berk and his friends have been fighting proactively all this time, but as for me, I¡¯m just the guy carrying our luggage. He said they wouldn¡¯t shy away from help, so I thought he¡¯d rely on me more, but all they¡¯re really relying on me for is to find the nests. But even that is being done mostly by my monsters, so you could say I¡¯m not really doing anything. ¡°Ryouma, the next one is last.¡± [Berk] ¡°You¡¯re done already?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have enough materials already and our cart is full.¡± [Berk] They¡¯ve already loaded their cart with 12 tunnel ant corpses. Although they could still load their cart with more if they just removed the carapace first, a poorly done removal would affect the quality, so the craftsmen advised them not to. I don¡¯t have any experience dismantling tunnel ants either, so I better refrain as well. I could store the corpses inside my Item Box, but then I¡¯m not so sure if I¡¯ll be able to get back before it starts to get dark. ¡°Alright then.¡± [Ryouma] We loaded the tunnel ant we just killed and resumed moving. We didn¡¯t hurry or anything. We just walked leisurely toward our next nest. Still, I can¡¯t believe there are so many nests. I guess they really are in their breeding period. It¡¯s common for ant-type monsters to have a queen. But Tunnel Ants don¡¯t seem to care about that and just build nests and breed everywhere. In their case, queens only appear when the infestation is really bad. ¡°¡­It should be around here.¡± [Ryouma] While the 6 adventurers were preparing, I used Earth Sonar to craps the position and size of the nest. ¡­? ¡°¡­Berk. I don¡¯t think this nest will do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is it too big?¡± [Berk] ¡°The opposite. This one is smaller than everything else so far. The distance from the entrance to the deepest part isn¡¯t long. It¡¯s likely that if we attack, it won¡¯t end with just the guards at the entrance.¡± [Ryouma] About a third of the usual size, I estimate.¡¡Although the nest being small also means that there aren¡¯t that many ants inside, considering the performance of Berk¡¯s group until now, the most they can take on is about 3 or 4 at the same time at most. ¡°Shall we go for a different nest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About that¡­ Actually, we do want to familiarize ourselves with fighting multiple opponents. Can you give us a sec?¡± [Berk] Berk and his friends huddled together and talked. After a while¡­ ¡°Ryouma, we want to fight. Something like last time might happen again, after all.¡± [Berk] I see. Well, it should be fine against the tunnel ants. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be fighting too.¡± [Ryouma] If they really can¡¯t handle it, I¡¯ll step in. ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Berk] ¡°Supporting you a little should be fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­This reminds me of my time at my workplace in my past life. You can find people like Berk or my former subordinates wherever you look, but that¡¯s only normal. After all, it¡¯s a given for beginners to be sloppy. There¡¯s no one who¡¯s good from the start. You might find someone good at dealing with things and quick to learn, but no beginner can do a good job right off the bat. The only ones who can do a good work right after employment are those with previous experience from working at another company. Because of that new employees had to be trained by the company, and I myself watched over them for a few years. Unfortunately, I was lacking in leadership and the only thing I could really be proud of was my patience. A proper employee could complete about 10 jobs in a day, but a beginner could only do about 1 at most and in some cases even none. My quota for each day would be to complete 10 jobs, and the boss would expect 10 from the new employees, but they obviously couldn¡¯t finish all 10. As a result, I had to complete 19 jobs in total. Since they can¡¯t complete their quota, when training them, I start by ensuring that they would at least be able to do that 1 job properly. Once they¡¯re capable of doing that consistently, I increase their load to 2. There¡¯s no point in giving them more work if they can¡¯t even complete a single job, after all. Although 19 jobs is a lot, it¡¯s still better off than 20. The new employees can gradually make their way up to 10. If their work is lacking somewhere, I compensate for it. If they makes a mistake, I point it out. If they have a question, I answer it. No matter how many times they blunder or how many times they ask the same question, I would help them. ¡­Berk and the others aren¡¯t that strong yet, and it¡¯s still hard for them to find the nests on their own, but they can kill the tunnel ants in front of them. So I should help them learn fully how to fight against the tunnel ants. There¡¯s a lot they can learn from that. Like the way to move their bodies and how to coordinate. Once they¡¯ve grasped that then we can search for a different enemy or I can start teaching them how to find a nest. To that end, I¡¯ll cover the parts they¡¯re lacking. My subordinates at the time were about three at most and they tended to leave their work unfinished. ¡°Ryouma?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Berk] ¡°¡­It¡¯s nothing.¡± [Ryouma] I was just thinking some unnecessary things. Berk and his friends aren¡¯t my subordinates, so they don¡¯t count. They¡¯re different from them. As I concluded my thoughts, I took out another Iron Slime. I transformed it into a katana and prepared to enter battle. Chapter 104 Volume 3 Chapter 104 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 104 part2 ¡°Good job.¡± [Ryouma] As expected, in the last nest, other tunnel ants came pouring out after we took out the guards. the guards included, there were 15 of them all in all. I defeated 5 tunnel ants ahead of time, so Berk¡¯s party only had to take care of the remaining 10. I figured that was a safe number for them, and as expected, they were indeed able to defeat them all. They tumbled a little and were bitten here and there, but none of them were gravely injured. ¡°Do you need water or healing magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No¡ª On second thought. Give me some water so I can wash my wounds. I have water for drinking.¡± [Berk] Wise decision. I poured water into a stone bowl using magic. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to use the same water. I¡¯ll prepare some for everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡B-But it¡¯s still clean¡­ That would be so wasteful¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°If you keep using the same water it¡¯ll get dirty. Even if it¡¯s just a scratch, it would be bad if some bad bacteria entered it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bacteria (Saikin)? Recently(Saikin)?¡± [Wist] ¡°Oh, right. You can think of it as a kind of disease demon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Wist. He said it¡¯s fine, so just accept it.¡± [Berk] ¡°R-Right¡­¡± [Wist] After washing his wounds, Berk left to pick up the corpses. Wist-kun followed after him after washing his wounds. After the remaining four washed their wounds in turns, I called my Rimel Birds and had them enter my Dimension Home. Along the way back home¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun. Why are you so strong?¡± [Ruth] Ruth suddenly asked me that. ¡°What is it all of the sudden~?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You easily beat the goblins back then, and today you also easily beat the tunnel ants.¡± [Ruth] ¡°They weren¡¯t your opponent at all ¡­Desu.¡± [Finia] ¡°You would have definitely beaten them faster were you alone.¡± [Ruth] It must be because we fought the same monster that they were able to strongly feel the difference between our strength. That being said, it¡¯s only a given I¡¯m stronger since I trained my whole life. If I were to be just around their level, I would instead be depressed. But since I look their age, they took it the wrong way and ended up depressed themselves. In that case¡­ ¡°Well¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because I had a master to guide me.¡± [Ryouma] With someone to guide you, you can train without having to worry about your livelihood. I told Ruth and the others that having a master just makes that big of a difference. ¡°Did that master teach you how to use those twin swords?¡± [Ruth] ¡°These aren¡¯t swords, but katanas. Also, the reason I¡¯m using two of them is to train myself to use one with just one hand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you become strong doing that?¡± [Berk] Berk showed interest, but there¡¯s not much meaning in just using one hand to swing your weapon. This training is partly meant to increase my grip and physical strength, but its main purpose is for me to be able to fight even if I can¡¯t use one of my arms anymore. The threat of injury is ever present in battles. There¡¯s no guarantee that I¡¯ll be able to fight in perfect condition. If my arm is crippled in battle and I can¡¯t use my weapon anymore, then I will die. And even if I manage to use it without training, without the skill behind the sword, I doubt I would be able to do much against an enemy that was able to deeply wound me when I was still in perfect condition. In such a situation, I would be at a huge disadvantage. Because of that possibility I decided to start training myself to be able to use my katana with only one hand. And that¡¯s exactly what I did just now. I used two different katanas with one hand on each and was freely using my skills regardless of if it was my left hand or my right hand. Because of that it wouldn¡¯t be apt to call it a Nitouryuu (dual-wield katana) style that treats two katanas as one, but merely me using two different katanas at the same time. Of course, I had to properly train before actually trying it out in live combat. If I actually tried to use a katana with only one hand without any training and then immediately tried to use two katanas, it would have been a disaster. Receiving some kind of training beforehand is definitely ideal. Come to think of it, doesn¡¯t Berk and the others have a master? When I asked them, it turns out they learned the basics from a senpai, but those senpais were busy, so they mostly trained by themselves. They could ask for guidance from the guild, but they¡¯re worried about how much they¡¯d have to spend before they¡¯re good enough. ¡°We have to save money first¡­¡± [Berk] ¡°C-Can I ask a question too?¡± [Wist] ¡°Sure. What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°R-Ryouma-kun, what do you think of when fighting?¡¡Umm¡­ Aren¡¯t you scared?¡± [Wist] I see¡­ Wist-kun certainly does seem to like the shy sort and when fighting he¡¯s always reserved and unable to attack proactively. From what I¡¯ve seen, Berk would use the lightness of his body to suppress the enemy with a combination of his short sword and his martial arts. Martha would provide support with her wood magic, while Ruth and Rumil would suppress the enemy with their sword and spear, and then Finia and Wist-kin would use their hammers to finish the enemy off with their great strength. That was how they fought. Although they did well by coming up with a way to deal with the tunnel ants, Wist-kun, individually speaking, was never really proactive in attacking. It¡¯s not just because he¡¯s scared, but also because he¡¯s too gentle that he never really put enough strength in his attacks and had to attack the enemy 2 or 3 times to finish them off. If he attacked with full strength right off the bat, he should¡¯ve been able to finish them off with a single blow. Since he¡¯s asking me about my state of mind, then he¡¯s probably aware of his own problem. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop being such a coward? Just hit them will all your strength.¡± [Berk] ¡°Yeah¡­ But when they stand in front of me like that, I just¡­¡± [Wist] As expected, it seems this isn¡¯t a recent problem for him. But what should I tell him? ¡°I¡¯m¡­ Not really thinking of anything, to be honest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Wist] ¡°When I fight, I fight. My focus is solely in the enemy¡¯s movements as well as my own.¡± [Ryouma] As a person trains, he will gain confidence in his own strength. Saying this to him might cause him to blame himself, but I don¡¯t feel any fear when fighting tunnel ants. ¡°To that end, you really need to train and accumulate experience.¡± [Ryouma] A politically correct opinion. It would be great if I could say something better, but I¡¯m just not that good at talking. I know he went out of his way to ask me, but sadly, this is the best I¡¯ve got. Sorry. ¡°Ryouma-kun, don¡¯t blame yourself!¡¡Even the adults tell me the same things¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Is there another problem you¡¯re dealing with?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, but¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Wist was told that adventurer work doesn¡¯t suit him.¡± [Berk] ¡°!¡± [Wist] When Berk interjected, Wist went quiet. Bullseye, huh? ¡°Who said that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The others. We¡¯re not the only kids in the slums doing adventurer work.¡± [Berk] ¡°Anyone can become an adventurer and it¡¯s easier to find work when you have ¡®former adventurer¡¯ in your resume.¡± [Martha] ¡°Everyone¡­ is wary of the people from the slums. So they¡¯re more at ease when dealing with former adventurers¡­ Desu.¡± [Finia] ¡°It¡¯s because adventurer work is proof that we¡¯ve done honest work.¡± [Ruth] After Berk spat that out, the girls followed up with those words. Meanwhile, Wist-kun was standing on the side with his shoulders dropped. Ruth tried to console him, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t you get along with them?¡¡Those kids?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t get along with them, but they¡¯re really good at fighting. They also make more, so lately they¡¯ve been making fun of everyone else who does nothing but gather herbs. Especially, Wist, since he has a strong body,¡¡but his personality is like that¡­ Seriously, Wist. Quit being so hesitant already! ¡¡They¡¯re them and you¡¯re you!¡¡Besides, compared to them, isn¡¯t ¡®this¡¯ way stronger?¡± [Ruth] I see I¡¯m being used as a point of comparison. But don¡¯t you kids think it¡¯s a bit cruel to be referring to me as ¡®this¡¯? Still, these children sure have a lot going between them¡­ ¡°But¡­ If I keep working as an adventurer, the day will come when I have to kill people too.¡± [Wist] ¡°That¡¯s then! Even those guys haven¡¯t killed anyone yet!¡± [Ruth] ¡°But didn¡¯t Berk say it too?¡± [Wist] ¡°What!?¡± [Berk] ¡°You said that if I just attacked properly!¡± [Wist] ¡°Idiot!¡¡I didn¡¯t mean it like that.¡± [Berk] ¡­Isn¡¯t Berk getting too heated? ¡°Stop. There¡¯s no point even in arguing here, you two.¡± [Ryouma] Blood seemed to be getting to their head, so I stepped in. I wanted them to calm down a little, so I listened to them while walking. 1. Just as they mentioned, those kids definitely told Wist-kun that. 2. Just as Berk said, there are many things they¡¯re talking about that aren¡¯t related to their current situation just yet. 3. It¡¯s also true that if Wist-kun were to continue working as an adventurer, he might find eventually himself up against a wall. 4. Wist-kun is seriously thinking about things and wants to quickly become an adult to help his friends. 5. It¡¯s good that Berk is looking at the long term perspective, as that also goes to mean that he¡¯s planning to stay with them that long. These are the key points. Wist-kun is aware of his own problems, so although he¡¯s a bit of a coward, he is trying to improve himself. That¡¯s why he¡¯s so panicked and he feels like he¡¯s not improving. Berk seems to have realized that, but this is a personality issue. And Berk recognizes the problem on the level of ¡®don¡¯t worry about it, just laugh and send the monsters flying¡¯. Because of that he has a hard time understanding why Wist-kun is so worried about it. ¡­This is difficult. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me giving my opinion on the subject, I personally think you¡¯re worrying too much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right?¡± [Berk] ¡°But¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Listen until the end. It¡¯s true that there¡¯s no reason for you to be so worried about it now. But it¡¯s also important to think about the future. Not wanting to hurt other people or other living things is an important thing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So which is it?¡± [Berk] ¡°It¡¯s not an issue of ¡®which¡¯. Let¡¯s put it this way¡­ Right¡­ Let¡¯s say you¡¯re in town and you¡¯re hungry. What are you gonna do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Obviously, I would eat my fill.¡± [Berk] Berk immediately answered. No hesitation whatsoever. But what if you don¡¯t have any food at hand? ¡°Then I¡¯ll buy from the store.¡± [Berk] ¡°Right now, we¡¯re already well off enough to be able to eat at a store¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Eating outside is expensive, though. If you can endure it for a bit, you should go out to the fields and look for food there instead.¡± [Martha] ¡°You could also try trading with the neighbors¡­ Desu.¡± [Finia] Everyone gave their opinion one after another. ¡°You could also plant some crops and harvest them when the time comes. If you¡¯re willing to do some bad things, you could also steal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Stealing is bad.¡± [Everyone Else] The six of them said. ¡°¡­You say that now, but didn¡¯t you try to take away the monster corpses my party threw before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Uu.¡± [Berk] ¡°T-That¡¯s¡­¡± [Wist] When I pointed that out, their expressions immediately turned for the worse. I might have teased them a bit too much there. ¡°I¡¯m not criticizing you. You seem to have turned over a new leaf, and I don¡¯t really think much of that incident anymore anyway. ¡­Let¡¯s go back to the topic. It¡¯s true that stealing is bad, but it¡¯s one method you can use. What I¡¯m trying to get at is that there are many ways to accomplish something. In the same way, there are other answers than the ones Berk and Wist-kun gave in response to my question. The two of you are too extreme.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°T-Then what would you do?¡¡If you had to fight with a monster¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°It¡¯s ¡®necessary¡¯ to take a life.¡± [Ryouma] In order to eat. In order to dress oneself. In order to find work. It¡¯s ¡®necessary¡¯ that¡¯s why I will take life. And if they attack me, regardless of whether it¡¯s a monster or a human, to protect myself, I will take a life. That¡¯s all. ¡°It sounds complicated, but basically, don¡¯t worry about stuff that will get in the way when fighting.¡± [Ryouma] Whether it¡¯s a biting louse or a human, that¡¯s one life all the same. ¡°In peace, even insects are treated like people. But in war, even humans are cut down like insects.¡± [Ryouma] In a situation where worrying can cost you your life, it¡¯s better to stop worrying altogether or find a solution to it. It¡¯s a family precept handed down in my family since days of old. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong. I haven¡¯t gone as far as to think of other people as insects, but at the very least, when the time comes, I won¡¯t hesitate to take a life. ¡­I believe that won¡¯t be a problem for me. But¡­ ¡°That¡¯s precisely why it¡¯s important to have some hesitation in hurting others, regardless of whether it¡¯s another human or something else. Wist-kun, as a human, I can resolutely tell you that there¡¯s nothing wrong with the way you think. I won¡¯t ask you to solve that issue right away, but don¡¯t you think it would be good if you could find a place to compromise?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± [Wist] ¡­That might have been a bit too deep. Everyone¡¯s reaction is a bit slow. It¡¯s not like I gave a clear answer either. Problems like this can only really be solved by the person himself. ¡°And in order to do that¡­ Berk!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Me!?¡± [Berk] ¡°Well, the others too, but from time to time, try talking to each other calmly, will you?¡¡Without getting all hot blooded. There¡¯s a lot of things you can do if you hear each other out and talk calmly like adults. And Wist-kun, you can still continue being an adventurer for the time being even if you don¡¯t panic, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yeah!¡¡It¡¯s scary to fight, but it¡¯s only been a year and I want to keep working with everyone¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Then just take your time to think. From what I¡¯ve seen today, unless you do something reckless, you shouldn¡¯t suffer any major wounds.¡± [Ryouma] No matter what answer he comes up with, I¡¯ll accept it. If he decides to give up adventurer work, I could ask him to come work at my store. But I won¡¯t say that for now¡­ Oh. We¡¯re at the gate. After showing our guild cards, the guards let us through. ¡°Are you going to the adventurers guild?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. We have to give a report first.¡± [Berk] ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the tamer guild, so we¡¯ll part here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it. Thanks for today.¡± [Berk] ¡°T-Thank you for taking care of us.¡± [Berk] ¡°You really helped us out¡­ Desu.¡± [Finia] Each one of them thanked me, and then we parted ways. I went to the tamer guild by myself. ¡­I did something out of character¡­ Why did I say something like that? I wanted to encourage him, but maybe I was meddling needlessly. I¡¯m a beginner myself. What was I acting so experienced for? I feel like I¡¯m starting to turn into a preachy person¡­ ¡°Boss!¡± [Fina] ¡°£¡¡¡Ah, it¡¯s Fina-san and Leelin-san. What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Why are you here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We went out to buy some things.¡± [Leelin] ¡°We ran out of seasoning after cooking one trial dish after another. Also, we needed to buy some miscellaneous consumables like paper and stuff. What about you boss?¡± [Finia] ¡°I¡¯m on the way back from a job. I just got back, actually.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did something happen?¡¡You look like you¡¯re thinking something really deep.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You looked worried. Is there something troubling you?¡± [Fina] ¡°That¡¯s not it¡­ I was just wondering if maybe I¡¯ve started putting on the years¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Fina and Leelin] Their face said they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Chapter 105 Volume 3 Chapter 105 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 105 part2 After reporting to the guild, I went back home. When I returned, I heard the sound of music. Apparently, the people of the Semroid Troupe were still practicing. I didn¡¯t want to disturb them, so I made sure to quieten my step. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I looked for a grassy place where I could see their rehearsal and then hid myself. Maiya-san and Soldio-san are up on stage. They were introduced to me as sword dancers, so that¡¯s probably what they¡¯re going to be practicing now. Soldio-san is wielding a decorated round shield and a long sword. Maiya-san is also holding a sword, but she¡¯s holding two of them while dancing as if she were fighting. Past the line, which I assume demarcates the stage, is their leader, Prenence-san, and the musical band. As the two sword dancers on strange moved fiercer, so did the music accompanying them. When the sword dancers were close enough to stare at each other, the music went quiet, as if something was about to happen. When their swords clashed, spells were cast, and sparks erupted here and there on the stage. Even though no one was talking, it was like a story was being told. I only saw their practice a little today before leaving when I lent them the place. But that was probably just warm up considering the passion and pressure I could feel now. I held my breath, afraid to pour water on these flames. When the music turned to a peak, Maiya-san¡¯s sword swung for Soldio-san¡¯s neck, just barely missing it. It passed through the neck hidden by the glamorous cape, releasing the clasp that held it and allowing it to fall. In that same moment, Soldio-san fell. It was as if his neck had really been cut. With the thrum of the instruments, the story came to an end. A few seconds later, when the atmosphere had loosened up, I found myself standing up and clapping. ¡°Ryouma-dono, how long have you been there?¡± [Prenence] ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ve been here for a while now, actually. I heard music when I came back, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] Was it bad for me to watch without permission? ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t mind you watching, it¡¯s just that we didn¡¯t notice you at all.¡± [Soldio] ¡°We were just surprised. It¡¯s our job to perform in front of others, so we pride ourselves in being sensitive to people¡¯s gazes¡­¡± [Prenence] Oh, so I startled them. ¡°By the way, how are the plains?¡± [Prenence] ¡°Not very good.¡± [Ryouma] From what I heard when I went to report to the guild, other than the ones I¡¯ve found, sightings of nests were being reported one after another. The receptionist was also actively looking for more help in finding nests and digging them. I was also asked to continue working. ¡°If it isn¡¯t dealt with sooner, it will cause a problem with the circulation of goods, and there¡¯s no telling how much of an influence it will have on the customers, so I¡¯ll be focusing my efforts there for the time being. If you¡¯re alright with using my place for your rehearsals, please feel free to continue using it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for your kindness.¡± [Prenence] Prenence-san bowed to me first, then everyone followed. After that the people from the troupe cleaned up and then went back to town. It seems that last program was their last rehearsal for the day. After sending them off, I entered training myself. On an impulse, I tried copying the way they moved like they were dancing. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t go very well. It feels awkward to move when using magic. ¡­Looks like it might be a good idea to train using magic while fighting in order to be able to put on a performance with spells. I need to combine my magic with my weapons. On this point, their movements are a lot smoother tan mine. Hmm~¡­ The next day. ¡°About performing with spells?¡± [Soldio] ¡°Did you become interested in sword dancing?¡± [Maiya] When I welcomed the troupe for their practice, I went and directly asked the two sword dancers. ¡°Seeing your performance yesterday made me want to learn it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind teaching you, but why would you want to learn something like this?¡± [Soldio] When asked for the reason, I responded with what I felt yesterday. I mainly fight in close combat with my weapons and my martial arts. Although I can also use my magic, because I rarely use it during combat, I¡¯m not used to it. I also revealed that I wanted to widen my horizons. ¡°In other words, you want to turn the magic we use in our performance into something you can use for combat?¡± [Soldio] ¡°Yes. If you have time, please teach me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine?¡± [Maiya] ¡°Yeah. If it¡¯s just a little, it shouldn¡¯t take too much effort. Our weapons are different, so you¡¯ll have to use the same weapon as ours¡­ Are you alright with that?¡± [Soldio] ¡°Yes. Of course!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then let¡¯s do the practice the same time you came back yesterday.¡¡You still have work and we have practice too, so we¡¯ll teach you afterwards.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t know what I would do if they told me it was a secret technique and they couldn¡¯t share it, so I was elated when they told me they would teach me just like that. ¡°Is there anything I need to prepare?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just your weapon. Today, I just need to determine your skill level.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Ah, leave some mana too.¡± [Maiya] ¡°Got it. I¡¯ll be in your care in the evening then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good luck!¡± [Maiya] And then, evening came. I was looking forward to the practice in the evening, so when I went to search for the nests, I was able to find twice as many as I did yesterday. When I came back home as promised, the people of the troupe were already cleaning up. ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late. Did I make you wait long?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We finished just now. We¡¯ll prepare immediately. Maiya!¡± [Soldio] ¡°I¡¯m coming! I¡¯m coming!¡± [Maiya] Maiya appeared from the shadows of the luggage, carrying in her arms something wrapped. ¡°This is your portion, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Maiya] ¡°This is¡­ Firewood?¡± [Ryouma] It looked like a small log. A firewood cut just big enough for me to be able to hold it with one hand. ¡°We¡¯ll start as soon as we finish cleaning up. Just wait a bit!¡± [Maiya] ¡°Ah, wait. Let¡­¡± [Ryouma] She left. ¡°Just leave the cleanup to them.¡± [Soldio] ¡­Right. Looking at the way the people from the troupe are moving, they¡¯re probably used to this already. If I try to help, I¡¯ll just end up slowing them down. ¡°Look at this before we begin. This is the sword Maiya and I use.¡± [Soldio] It was a sword with many decorations just like the ones I saw before, but looking at it up close like this, I see there¡¯s also a strange pattern mixed in with all the decorations. There also seems to be something coated on the surface. ¡°This is paint made from the fluids of the rainbow slug. When hit by light, it has a property that allows it to store light for some time.¡± [Soldio] Although the way they glow is different, it reminds me of fluorescent paint. Soldio-san lit the sword up with light magic. When light fell upon the sword, it followed the line of paint on the sword and glowed. When used well with swords and shields, it can give the impression of sparks erupting to the spectators. But in order to do that, you have to be able to quickly control your magic while fighting with your sword. That¡¯s not an easy task even if everything is scripted. ¡°To that end, you first need to become skilled at either the magic or the sword. That¡¯s why, today, I first want to see how good you are at either. I¡¯ll think about how to teach you based on the results.¡± [Soldio] ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡¡It¡¯s ready!¡± [Maiya] It seems they¡¯re done cleaning up, so we switched places so we could begin training. The people of the troupe were standing in a circle. Soldio-san and I walked into the center of that circle. ¡­Hmm? ¡°Everyone is¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I asked them to help out.¡± [Solido] ¡°Half of is curiosity on our part, though.¡± [Prenence] ¡°I see. Thank you for your cooperation. Please take care of me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Turn your weapon to Maiya¡¯s direction.¡± [Soldio] I held my Iron Slime katana. ¡°She¡¯ll be throwing you sticks of firewood, and you¡¯ll have to cut them down as they come your way.¡± [Soldio] One of the objectives of being a sword dancer is to be able to cut things thrown their way. It is also one of the steps to being able to fight multiple opponents. In my case, it¡¯s going to serve as my test. ¡°You can cut the firewood however you want, but as much as possible, try to cut it at the center.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Got it. I¡¯m ready!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then let¡¯s start!¡± [Maiya] Maiya-san threw a stick of firewood. We¡¯re just starting, so it¡¯s not that fast. The firewood drew a gentle parabola in the air as it fell toward me, and then I swung my katana. ¡°Ah, you cut it?¡¡That¡¯s amazing!¡¡Alright. I¡¯ll throw you some more!¡± [Maiya] Seeing the firewood cut in two, she threw the next one. I cut the next one just like I did the other one. As Maiya-san threw one firewood after another, she gradually threw faster and increased the pace. But I was still able to handle it. Eventually, I was able to cut all her firewood. ¡°This is the last one!¡± [Maiya] ¡°Understood!¡± [Ryouma] After cutting the last firewood, the test concluded. I was curious how I did, so I glanced at Soldio-san. But for some reason, he was making a difficult face. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the next one then.¡± [Soldio] Everyone helped to gather all the firewood that had been cut, and then Soldio-san distributed them to everyone except me. Everyone had a pile of firewood, but Maiya-san and Soldio-san¡¯s pile were painted red on the top and bottom part. Apparently, my test was to dodge the firewood thrown by everyone while cutting down only the ones from Soldio-san and Maiya-san. ¡°Begin!¡± [Soldio] Soldio-san threw me a stick, and as soon as I cut it down, everyone started throwing from their pile. But usually it was only really one or two of sticks at the same time. 3 was the most they threw simultaneously. I continued dodging those firewood while cutting down only the sticks from Maiya-san and Soldio-san. ¡°¡­¡± [Soldio] ¡°¡­¡± [Maiya] At first the two of them just threw the firewood at fixed locations, but after nodding at each other, they took their piles and started moving around. They ran around the circle formed by everyone and threw their firewood through the gaps between the members. Soldio-san specifically timed his throws with other members¡¯, making it quite annoying to cut down. I had to ¡®focus¡¯ to pay attention to the two of them while dodging all the firewood flying my way. At the same time, I had to ¡®decide¡¯ which firewood to cut. On top of that I also needed the ¡®ability¡¯ to execute the cutting and dodging. After a test like that concluded¡­ ¡°How did I do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve got nothing to complain about regarding your sword.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Yep, yep. You did amazing!¡¡¡­But is there any point in using magic if you¡¯re this good?¡± [Maiya] Piles of cut firewood were in front of me. I thought I did great myself, but it seems, Maiya-san just thought I did well. Actually, I don¡¯t think I had any difficulties so far, but there¡¯s probably more to it later. ¡°You¡¯re so diligent.¡± [Maiya] ¡°You should learn from him. At this rate, he¡¯ll surpass you before you know it.¡± [Soldio] ¡°I feel like he¡¯s already better than me at swordplay, though.¡± [Maiya] After chatting like that with each other, they next tested me for my magic. In this test, I just had to use my magic normally and show it to them. There was nothing special to the test. But then I heard something really interesting. ¡°Chantless Casting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, just as the name implies, it¡¯s using a spell without chanting. We sword dancers have to maintain our expression while fighting. With chantless casting, we can cast spells without having to move our mouths.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Well, this is actually a difference in style or school of thought. There are others who would rather choose to hide their mouths, and there are others who would theatrically chant their spells atop the stage. You could also just use a magic tool for your sword. Actually, that one is probably the most common way to go about things.¡± [Maiya] When Maiya-san said that, Soldio-san snorted. ¡°Those people are heretics. The old sword dancers used their mastery over sword and magic to charm others. To think that such a profession would be degraded so low as to turn to magic tools¡­ Such people only use the sword for appearance and rely on simple magic tools to cast spells. It¡¯s because of people like them that people think sword dancers are just for show and are worthless in actual combat.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Okay, okay. We get it already. Sheesh. I was just explaining.¡± [Maiya] I don¡¯t know long ago these ¡®old sword dancers¡¯ were from, but it seems Soldio-san really emphasizes protecting tradition. ¡°Anyway, do your best, alright?¡± ¡°Okay!¡¡Please take care of me.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s a rare opportunity, so I¡¯ll do my best to learn everything. Chapter 106 Volume 3 Chapter 106 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 106 part2 Founding Festival. Present day. It¡¯s been about 2 weeks since I started sword dancing with Soldio-san and the others. Although Soldio-san found no ¡®issues with my sword¡¯, he found my experience in magic ¡®lacking¡¯. As such, my training revolved around casting my magic and using it while moving. The training method he taught me involved casting spells with a priority on speed rather than power or casting spells at regular intervals. Naturally, it wasn¡¯t possible for me to learn everything in such a short period of time, but my ability to focus and move while invoking magic has clearly improved. Having someone to guide you really helps in making progress. I also used the firewood throwing test we did that day as a reference for my morning training. But instead of firewood, I¡¯m having the iron slimes and metal slimes charge at me from every direction. Having lumps of metal throw themselves at you from every direction makes for pretty good practice as far as dodging and parrying goes. Those two variants¡¯ hardness and my own body strengthened by ki. It would be extremely dangerous if not for those two properties, but so far there hasn¡¯t been any problems, so that¡¯s that. To the slimes, it¡¯s a way for them to train their attacks. Just yesterday I saw one slime taking care of a cave mantis. There have been many incidents in the past, where they accidentally defeated an intruder, but now, they have officially recognized crashing into their enemies as a form of attack. With that the defensive strength of the abandoned mines will also go up. Continuing the training looks like a good idea. The guild prioritized the safety of the highway, so they were able to prevent any damages to the town or any negative effects on the circulation of goods from the tunnel ants that appeared in the plains. Although they managed to scare the town people a little, they were successfully dealt with via a combination of human wave tactics and the power of monster beasts. Thanks to that, tourists poured into town and the atmosphere of a spectacular festival filled the air. It was on the morning of such a day. Everyone in the store gathered with faces full of spirit. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, good morning. What do you think of the place?¡¡Hey! Get me one breakfast here!¡± [Pauline] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I was given a hot dog, so I happily accepted. It would serve both as breakfast and a way for me to do some final checks before opening the stalls. ¡°Ryouma-kun, why don¡¯t you take a seat?¡± [Zeke] ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] Zeke-san the butcher offered me a seat, which I accepted. ¡°Sure. Still, this place sure has changed a lot.¡± [Zeke] Indeed. At first, this was merely an empty lot, but now all sorts of structures have been put up on it. There¡¯s an entrance facing toward the street, and at the very center of the once empty lot was now the stage of the Semroid Troupe. There was apparently someone in the troupe with such abilities. That person got materials from who knows where and suddenly built up the whole stage. I was busy with the tunnel ants, so I don¡¯t know for sure, but I think they completed the stage in just 1 or 2 days. Before the stage were chairs and tables. There¡¯s plenty of gap between them, so it might appear disorderly, but these chairs and tables were actually arranged by Prenence-san to optimize viewing area and moving space. In this way, the audience shouldn¡¯t have a hard time moving around or seeing the stage. With stalls that serve food and drinks on the left side facing the stage and stalls of the Morgan Company on the right side, the place gave a feeling that resembled that of a food court in a department store. There was also space provided behind the stalls on both sides. In the Morgan Company¡¯s case, they used that space for their storehouse. On our side, the space is divided by a hanging banner and a stone wall since we¡¯re using the space both to transport ready-made goods and as the stage wing of the Semroid Troupe. Public toilets were also installed separately in a corner so that guests and customers will be able to use them as they pleased. Of course, we¡¯re making the most of the slimes and the store¡¯s products. In any case, we were able to complete all our preparation. ¡°All that¡¯s left now is to wait for the festival to begin.¡± [Ryouma] The Founding Festival will begin at 8AM. Some hasty stalls have already started accepting customers at the main street, but our stalls will wait until the festival has officially begun. On the first day, the people in charge of the store will be Zeke-san, Pauline-san, and the employees and wives of their meat store¡¯s employees. Me and my staff won¡¯t be working till tomorrow. ¡°Shall we start soon?¡± [Zeke] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like time goes faster when talking. In order to make it in time for the opening of the stalls, I quickly finished my food and cleaned up. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. I wish you all luck. I¡¯ll come back in the afternoon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just leave it to us!¡± [Zeke] ¡°You have fun too, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Pauline] Since I¡¯m not a customer, I¡¯ll just get in the way of those who are working. My visit here was really just meant as a greeting before the store opened. Now that the festival is starting, it¡¯s time to leave. The rough voices of men and women fell on my back as I left. A few minutes while walking idly on the street. The bells of the church started ringing. ¡°Ah, it started.¡± Although the festival had already half-started, it was another thing when a signal was officially given. The enthusiasm of the people reached another level and the clamor grew rowdier. It was as if all that pent up energy was now about to burst out. The town looked dazzling with all the colorful cloths and flowers decorated along the street. Now then, where should I go? I¡¯ve already eaten, so I think I¡¯ll check the food-related places later. ¡°Welcome! Welcome¡¡Our hamburgers are excellent!¡± [Stall Man 1] ¡°Traveling from town to town for 30 years!¡¡The legendary French Fries!¡± [Stall Man 2] ¡°Popcorn! Popcorn! We have popcorn here!¡¡It¡¯s delicious!¡± [Stall Man 3] Stalls that sold nostalgic food were lined up. Judging from the name of the dishes and the contents, it¡¯s likely that these are influences of the otherworlders from Earth. ¡°Can I have one order of French fries please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°One order of French fries coming right up!¡¡That will be 5 suits!¡± [Stall Man 2] Out of impulse from the nostalgia, I ended up buying some. ¡°Here. It¡¯s the exact amount.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please come again!¡± [Stall Man 2] After paying, I got a bowl made out of a huge leaf filled with French fries. I tried a piece immediately, and the simple taste of fried potato seasoned with some salt spread in my mouth. ¡°Delicious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right?¡± [Stall Man 2] Not only does it sounds good, it tastes good too. It¡¯s just as I imagined it to be. I happily ate away, and before I knew it, I¡¯d emptied the leaf bowl. I actually wanted some more, but I decided to stop there, Or there would be no end to it. ¡°Oh?¡¡Wait.¡± [???] ¡°Ah, good day.¡± [Ryouma] When I passed by a stall, the gramps from the drug store I frequented called out to me. Normally, he doesn¡¯t deal with customers and just sits on a chair in the store while watching people, but today, he seems to be selling something. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the child that frequents our store?¡¡Here, take one with you.¡± [Drug Grandpa] ¡°Thank you very much. Is this candy?¡± [Ryouma] At the end of the rod was a round lump. It was like a Candied Apple with no apple and was powdery and colorful. When I tasted it, I found out that it was indeed candy. ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The moment it entered my mouth, my whole body broke out in shivers. ¡°What is this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hihihi. Something good to eat when the weather is hot.¡± [Drug Grandpa] It was so sour and bitter that I actually felt cold for a moment. It was a little salty too. As I continued tasting it, I realized that some medicinal herbs that help against the summer heat were present. If there¡¯s some salt in it too, then it would would definitely be able to prevent heatstrokes. The taste aside, it¡¯s somewhat similar to ¡®salt candy¡¯.¡¡It might really be suited for hot weathers. ¡°I¡¯ll be selling here tomorrow too. If you like, come buy some.¡± [Drug Grandpa] I don¡¯t find it too sour¡­ I think I¡¯ll buy some tomorrow too. I thanked gramps and walked away. ¡­After taking a better look at the stalls, I¡¯ve found that there are all sorts of stuff being sold. ¡­Fruits are still fine, but I wonder if vegetables can sell too.¡¡Pots and knives are being sold too, but I¡¯m doubtful that people interested in buying such things would come here. Everyone is full of life and seem to be enjoying themselves, so maybe that¡¯s why? This stall here is selling toys, while that stall over there has targets to shoot at. It¡¯s the sort that uses a good bow. ¡°The young master over there. Want to give our shooting range a try?¡± [Stall Man 4] ¡°Thank you, but maybe next time.¡± [Ryouma] There weren¡¯t any prizes that I wanted, so I left. I kept on walking and eventually found myself at the center of town, where the roads joined from every direction, making the decorations appear conspicuously gaudy. There were many street performers here. ¡°4~, 5~, and 6~!¡± [Juggler] A juggler that kept adding more balls. ¡°Look!¡± [Acrobat] Acrobats, who stood on places with little footing such as atop chairs balanced atop each other. This part of town isn¡¯t that much different from the festivals in my psat life. Personally, I was more taken by the magic tools and monsters used rather than the food and the performances. There¡¯s a man balancing on a ball atop a monster beast that looks like a giant armadillo for one. I have no idea which one of them is supposed to be the main character. While looking around, I suddenly felt like I just saw someone familiar in clothes that stuck out like a sore thumb through the gaps between the crowd. In front of a store, which many people came in and out of, stood a nun. The tumult from the festival goers and her clothes really didn¡¯t fit. The youths tending to the stores and the passing customers had noticed her too, as she seemed to be worrying over something. What is¡ª!! ¡°Color Slime¡± [Signboard] The signboard of the store got my attention. ¡°Good morning, Bell-san.¡± [Ryouma] I called out to the nun, and she vigorously turned around. ¡°Oh, Takebayashi-san. Good morning.¡± [Bell] The nun cheerfully greeted me back. Behind her was as a large box, inside of which were a multi-colored slimes. Seeing that reminded me of the time when they asked me for advice on raising slimes. They never said anything about it again, but I wonder if they decided on raising one in the end. ¡°Yes. I asked the children after that if they¡¯d like to raise one, and they said they did. So I started studying Monster Taming and the Contract Spell. I¡¯ve been going at it until just last week.¡± [Bell] ¡°I see. So, today you¡¯re¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About that, there¡¯s actually something worrying me¡­¡± [Bell] We moved places so as to not interfere with business, and apparently, it has been decided that she would be taking on the responsibility of raising slime. In connection to that, she also has to provide the slime. The problem now is how to acquire the slime, but she couldn¡¯t make up her mind on whether to catch it herself, buy it at the previous store, or ask the guild to get her one. ¡°Buying at that store is cheaper than asking the guild, but I feel like the slime in that store is less lively than the ones in Tamer Guild.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not wrong.¡± [Ryouma] I took a look at that Color Slime too since I was curious about it, but it¡¯s not an advanced variant. It¡¯s just a slime colored by making it drink colored water. And the reason why Bell-san thinks the slime isn¡¯t lively is most probably because of the paint it was made to ingest. ¡°Slimes do change colors depending on what they ingest, but that¡¯s usually only for a moment until they finish digestion. How well they digest something depends on what it is, so it¡¯s probable that that store made them ingest paint that¡¯s specifically difficult for a slime to digest.¡± [Ryouma] From the faint aroma I picked up, they probably used Mizurina Herb. Although it can also be used to make green dye, the components of its aroma is also used make insect repellent. It¡¯s full of fiber so it¡¯s hard to digest. Moreover, because it also contains insecticidal properties, it can weaken the slime, making it take even longer to digest. ¡°I see¡­¡± [Bell] When I was trying to figure out the evolution conditions, Mizurina herb is one of the herbs I refrained from giving the slimes unless they themselves wanted it. Incidentally, only the poison slime wanted to eat it. ¡°Well, even if people eat it, at most they¡¯ll just feel some discomfort. The herb is also used to make clothes, so it¡¯s not exactly dangerous, but since children will be touching the slime a lot, I can¡¯t exactly recommend it.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t think it will, but it would be dangerous if it evolved into a poison slime. ¡°If you¡¯d like, I could prepare a slime for you.¡¡I¡¯m an adventurer, so I go out of town a lot. In fact, I work outside of town everyday.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please allow me to oblige you.¡± [Bell] She happily accepted my offer. The church has helped me a lot, and they¡¯ll probably continue helping me in the future. Even as someone who owns the store, it would still be a joyous thing if they could remember me. The clergy have much influence in regional communities. Fufufu¡­ And on top of that, with this I¡¯ll also be able to slowly proselytize people about the goodness of slimes¡­ Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯m plotting. ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Bell] ¡°Over there.¡± [Ryouma] A grim-faced child was standing at a corner of the street. From his hairy and drooping ear, it was easy to tell that it was a child from the beast tribe. It¡¯s hard to distinguish their gender, but this child looks a bit too young to be walking by himself¡­ I don¡¯t see anyone likely to be his guardian either. After mentioning that the child seems to be acting odd¡ª ¡°*Sniff¡­ Mommy¡­ Mommy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± [Bell] ¡°So, it really was a lost child.¡± [Ryouma] I followed after Bell-san who rushed to his aid immediately. Chapter 107 Volume 3 Chapter 107 part1 Volume 3 Chapter 107 part2 ¡°Fei-san, one reemiyen and stir-fried vegetables please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Is something the matter, Boss?¡¡You just got back, but you look so tired.¡± [Fei] ¡°It¡¯s a long story¡­ ¡± [Ryouma] After spotting a lost child, Bell-san and I took the child in our care and looked for the parents, but no matter how much we checked the area, we couldn¡¯t find them. In the end, we had to bring the child to the guards. But then another problem came up. The lost child refused to separate from Bell-san. From the start, the kid was already about to cry, but Bell-san was used to children and she was able to console him, but¡­ Yeah, it was pretty amazing. Who would¡¯ve thought that kid could cry so much. Anyway, the guards were all like me, and well¡­ As men with no childrenof our own, we all eventually gave up. In the end, we had to leave the kid to Bell-san. I helped out a little by buying food, but after a while, she saw the clock and started to become troubled. The church had opened a bazaar to sell the dolls made by the children and items donated to the church. The reason she was troubled was because it was almost time for her turn to watch over the bazaar. But at the same time, she couldn¡¯t just leave the kid behind nor could she leave him to someone inexperienced like me. So the natural conclusion was ¨C of course ¨C for me to take over her shift. ¡°Why would it end up like that?¡± [Fei] ¡°Actually, she told me it would be enough if I just informed the church, but I thought I would be able to help if it¡¯s just a little. For some reason, though, the moment I started helping out, everything became hectic and all sorts of annoying people appeared.¡± [Ryouma] Most people shopped with good behavior, but there were some problem people too. To make things worse, a group of drunks joined in. ¡°Cheers to Tekun-sama!¡± They would say, while trying to enter the closed church¡­ They¡¯ve already come of age, so they¡¯re not exactly a bunch of rowdy youngsters, so I wish they¡¯d drink moderately and act their age. Moreover, the people watching over the church were mostly made up of the church orphans. Of course, there were volunteer adults and guards too, but with all the trivial things piled up, we ended up having too few hands. I myself look like a child, so they thought I was one of the church orphans. And there was clearly a lot of hurdle for young women (obviously normal citizens) to deal with drunk uncles with good physique unless they were used to it already. So, out of good will, in order to not allow them and the guards to lose face, I decided to take the front lines and deal with the customers while making sure to pay attention to the situation. From time to time, I would run to the storehouse to get an item and then go back to deal with the customers. When push came to shove, I had to jump out and hold a customer down. But there were children watching, so I had to restrain myself. Besides, while that customer may have been a nuisance, I couldn¡¯t exactly treat him like the thugs that troubled my store before. Putting it bluntly, I ended up having to put more effort in order to not hurt the guy too much. I¡¯ve always been living a stress-free life since coming here, so it¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been stressed so much¡­ I wonder if this is proof that I¡¯ve been slacking too much. ¡¡But then again, if I were to start feeling like I did back then, that would also be bad. ¡°In any case, good work out there. Here. You¡¯re reemiyen and stir-fried vegetables. Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Fei] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Anyway, let¡¯s eat. After paying, I took my tray and found a seat. The Semroid Troupe were performing regularly atop the stage, so there were a lot of people in the food court. It wasn¡¯t like this morning when it was easy to find a seat. ¡°Ryouma-sama!¡± [Serge] ¡°Ah, Serge-san!¡± [Ryouma] As soon as someone called me, I saw Serge-san raising his hands. He was mixed in with the normal customers and was also eating. ¡°If you¡¯re looking for a seat, this table is free.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I accepted his offer and sat on the same table as him. ¡°You¡¯re eating too, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. From here I can see how our stalls are doing and the food here is also delicious and affordable. Most of the employees also eat here.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. ¡­Your stall seems to be doing well too.¡± [Ryouma] The stalls of the Morgan Company were also filled with customers. ¡°Thanks to your efforts, there¡¯s no end to the customers. It¡¯s also because we¡¯ve put up stalls where people gather, but that aside¡­ Oh, that¡¯s convenient. Please take a look.¡± [Serge] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Looking at the direction he pointed at, I saw a customer arguing with a stall employee. In the customer¡¯s hand was a music box. ¡°It¡¯s fine, right?¡¡Just give me one more.¡± [Customer] ¡°My deepest apologies. But this product is currently limited to 3 per customer.¡± [Employee] ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m begging you. Can¡¯t you do something about that? Look. I have a daughter and a son, and I have two married older brothers too. I want to buy them some nice souvenirs.¡± [Customer] ¡°¡­Customer. If I may ask, how many times have you visited our store already?¡± [Employee] ¡°Hah?¡¡This is the first?¡± [Customer] ¡°Really?¡¡Because I feel like this is your second time already¡­¡± [Employee] ¡°Aren¡¯t you just imagining things?¡± [Customer] ¡°Really?¡± [Employee] ¡°¡­Fine.¡± [Customer] ¡°Thank you for understanding.¡± [Employee] The customer put down the music box and quickly left the premises. ¡°What was that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He probably wanted to resell. Ever since starting to sell music box, people like those have started to appear. We¡¯ve limited the number that can be sold to a customer to prevent them from buying everything up, but there are a lot of resellers like that who keep coming back.¡± [Serge] ¡°Is that alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve prepared a lot of employees, so people like that shouldn¡¯t be able to influence normal customers. We¡¯ve already taken resellers into consideration and have thought up a plan. If word of the music box were to spread through selling, we¡¯ll be able to use that to open up the market.¡± [Serge] There were normal customers around us, so Serge-san omitted some of the details, but I could feel his overflowing confidence. ¡°Everything is within predictions, in other words.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ve established a department that specializes in music boxes, and Dinome¡¯s Workshop is also eagerly producing music boxes. The workshops at Kereban were also interested in, so we were able to greatly increase the number of craftsmen producing them.¡± [Serge] ¡°Greatly increase?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The magic tool workshops of Kereban aren¡¯t limited to just Dinome¡¯s Workshop. He has his connections too and other workshops that he trusts. There are also workshops that have been struggling financially that he was able to buy up.¡± [Serge] ¡°This sure has turned into something crazy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°These workshops and the apprentice craftsmen will all be placed under Dinome-dono, so the contents of their work and the management won¡¯changed at all. It¡¯s not really that big of a deal. Currently, Dinome¡¯s Workshop has successfully reduced its burden in producing music boxes, while other workshops have been alloted work, allowing them to deal with their financial issues. As for the sales of the products and the financing, please allow me to take care of that.¡± [Serge] My deal with Dinome-san is that he will be the one to publicly appear as the developer of the music box. As long as he keeps that part of the deal, I have no right to say anything even if he merges companies or increases the number of craftsmen. If anything, being able to form a win-win relationship is something to be happy about. ¡°I believe this takeover will also bring much profit to you, Ryouma-sama. The magic tools that can be forged at Dinome¡¯s Workshop are limited to the neutral, fire, water, and light elements. But with the introduction of more craftsmen under Dinome-dono, demand of other elements can now be met should the need arise.¡± [Serge] I see. If Dinome-san keeps his end of the deal, it seems this turn of events will prove convenient to me. ¡°I believe it won¡¯t be long before he asks you if there¡¯s something you want.¡± [Serge] ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to think about it then. Should I use this opportunity to develop something new?¡± [Ryouma] As food for thought, I could give him an idea and have him develop a magic tool. That idea would then given birth to another idea. ¡­Eventually, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll run out of materials, but for now, this looks to be an infinite loop. Serge-san seems to have thought of the same thing, as he¡¯s wordlessly smiling at me like that. ¡­Ah, I¡¯m done. ¡°Gochis¨­samadeshita.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh?¡¡Done eating already? That was fast.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer, after all.¡± [Ryouma] Spending too much time eating will quickly use up one¡¯s lunch break and might cause one to miss out on his meal. So I quickly eat while talking. It¡¯s an indispensable skill I picked up while working as a salary man in my previous life. ¡°I¡¯ll go buy some drinks. What would you like?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can I ask you to get me some of that ¡®Barley Tea¡¯?¡± [Serge] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] I bought two cups of barley tea from the store and then came back. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­Fuu¡­ Ahh, this kind of tea is good too. It has a different aroma to black tea and herb tea, but I can¡¯t get enough of it.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Still¡­¡± [Serge] Serge-san glanced at my store. ¡°Your store sure sells a lot of strange things, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] Now that he mentions it, he¡¯s right. There are 8 products being sold at my store: Water Fruit Juice Barley Tea Reemiyen Stir-Fried Vegetables Dante Seed. Sesame Pastry Hot Dog For water, juice, and barley tea¡­ We¡¯ve already prepared them beforehand, so it¡¯s just a matter of pouring them. As for the other 5 products, they were picked out according to the results of the survey. Of the stranger things among our products, there¡¯s Barley Tea and Dandelion Coffee. Just as Serge-san said earlier, Black Tea and Herb Tea are most common in this country, and you won¡¯t find any barely tea here. Dandelion Coffee might be a thing somewhere, but it¡¯s definitely not something normal in this country either. And then there¡¯s Reemiyen. Due to the dangers and costs of travels, people aren¡¯t able to travel to different countries as easily. Because of that, save for a very small group of entrepreneurs, most people would see foreign culinary as something unusual. Moreover, Fei-san and Leelin-san¡¯s homeland, Zilmar, is a rather chaotic country that barely even engages in diplomatic relationships. Just recently, there were a lot of people who ordered Reemiyen out of curiosity. And there¡¯s Dante Seeds, which are a delicacy in one region, and Sesame Pastry, which is also a rare dessert. As such, 4 out of 8 of the products we sell, that is half of all of our products, appear as ¡®strange¡¯ to your everyday citizen. This is the result of analyzing the survey we gave out during the social gathering. ¡°As expected, people will get tired if you just sell the usual. From the looks of things, it seems people order those 4 strange products the most.¡± [Serge] When I looked around me, I noticed that he was right and many customers were indeed eating those unique dishes. ¡°Wow, so this is Zilmar Cuisine.¡± [Customer 1] ¡°Pasta mixed with soup¡­ This is pretty unique.¡± [Customer 2] ¡°It¡¯s hot. But it sure tastes good when paired up with this cold barley tea.¡± [Customer 3] ¡°So semisa could actually be turned into jam like this?¡± [Customer 4] From the murmurs I heard around me, it seems the customers liked the products a lot. ¡°By the way, what will you be doing in the afternoon?¡± [Serge] ¡°The ice sculpture to be used on stage is due today.¡± [Ryouma] Since Soldio-san started teaching me, I also found more opportunities to talk with the members of the troupe. I once mentioned I could sculpt something out of ice and they showed much interest. When I showed it to them in person, the leader of the troupe and the person responsible for building the stage was inspired, and the next day, much to my surprise, they handed me a written proposal which suggested to include the ice sculpture among the stage decorations. The Semroid Troupe would will be displaying the performances of the sword dancers and the acrobats during the day, which required a lot of movement, so the ice sculpture will be brought in when the sun sets. It will be brought in during the evening when music was the focus in order to help set the mood. ¡°I¡¯ve already prepared some magic tool lighting under the sculpture to light it up.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My subordinates informed me. It seems like it¡¯ll be quite a sight to behold.¡± [Serge] ¡°I plan to sculpt something that can be put on display, but as for whether I will have the leisure to watch or not¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°True. From the looks of things, I doubt you¡¯ll be able to take your time. As far as business goes, though, busyness is a good problem to have.¡± [Serge] We laughed and talked like that until we emptied our cups. Chapter 108.1 - FIRST DAY OF THE FOUNDING FESTIVAL III (1/2) ¡°Something like this, I guess.¡± [Ryouma] Within a room that was turned into something akin to a refrigerator through a combination of Barrier and Ice Magic stood a row of ice sculptures. ¡°Hmm¡­ Yep. This should do.¡± [Ryouma] Looks good, I thought, so I called Prenence-san over to check the sculptures. ¡°Prenence-san, the ice sculpture is complete. Please take a look.¡± [Ryouma] When I entered the room in the dormitory that had been opened up to be used as a dressing room, what greeted me was a pure white robe that was opened up in front. The only decoration on it was an embroidery woven with golden thread, which could be found on the chest part. Prenence-san appeared while wearing such clothing. Stain would stick out like a sore thumb should it get stained even a little, but without the slightest trace of blemish on it and Perence-san himself being a silver-haired adonis, it gives off a mysterious aura. ¡°Over here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh!¡± [Prenence] The room was cold to keep the statue from melting, but Prenence-san didn¡¯t seem to mind that at all as he looked at the row of sculptures from an angle. ¡°A pair of birds, a plate of fruits, a beast running, and my harp. It is exactly as I¡¯ve ordered.¡± [Prenence] The leading part of tonight¡¯s program tells the tale of a traveler who defeats a terrifying beast that has struck fear into the hearts of the people. I carved the sculpture with that theme in mind. The pedestal is made of wood. In order to carry these and set them all atop the stage, I had to use what the people of the troupe had prepared. ¡°Are we putting these on stage as planned?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll be able to bring these in after the next performance. I¡¯m sorry for asking you to do something so unreasonable so suddenly.¡± [Prenence] ¡°It¡¯s alright. It was in order to design a good stage, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fufufu¡­ We shall put on a performance that will not lose out to the beauty of the stage. You have my word.¡± [Prenence] After smiling that fearless smile and checking a couple of things, he went back to the dressing room. As for me, I went back to the stalls. ¡°Otsukaresama desu. Do you need help anywhere?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, boss, please help wash the plates used for reemiyen.¡± [Fei] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s common practice in this country to use a kind of leaf to wrap food with. And it¡¯s commonly done in stalls, but the leaves aren¡¯t suitable for dealing with liquid, so we had to use wooden tableware. One of the madams working with us, Mary-san, has a husband who works with wood, so we were able to easily get some. The customers return the tableware after eating to the return window, and then the people in charge divide the trash and the different types of tableware, and then they clean them. ¡°Tableware and trash received!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ussu!¡± [Fei] After dividing everything into bags, I carry them and bring them to the laundry room within the store. The return window at the stall is just there to gather the goods. After all, we have professionals to deal with the filthy dishes. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± [Ryouma] Although the goods we¡¯re talking about are a bit different than the usual stuff we deal with, the cleaner slimes can deal with them all the same. Meanwhile, while they¡¯re working on that, I bring the garbage to the basement for the scavenger slimes to deal. By the time I come back up, the dishes are already done. I then bring those back to the stall. The tableware have already been divided beforehand, so I don¡¯t have to think any further on it after retrieving them from the slimes, and all that¡¯s left now is for me to place them in the appropriate shelves. ¡°Next!¡± [Ryuoma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Fei] But there were a lot of customers. And dishes were sold endlessly, causing the used tableware to continuously pile up. ¡°¡­This is actually amazing.¡± [Ryouma] While I was transporting the dishes like a piston, the line of customers seemed to have actually increased. ¡°Carm-san!¡¡Should I reorganize the lines!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes please!¡¡I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡± [Carm] Carm-san is usually well dressed with orderly hair, but with how hot and busy the store was, he had no choice but to bundle his hair with a bandanna, making him look exactly like your stereotypical stall onii-san. I saw something weird. I supposes that just goes to show how busy it is, though. ¡°Ryouma-sama!¡± [Serge] ¡°Ahh, Serge-san. We met just a while ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You seem very busy. If you need some help, we have some free hands if you¡¯d like.¡± [Serge] ¡°By all means! Please!¡± [Ryouma] As I gratefully accepted his offer, I put up the rope for organizing the lines. ¡°Found him!¡¡Boss!¡± [Employee] ¡°Yes!?¡¡What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A customer who went to the washroom just now told me that the toilet has run out of water.¡± [Employee] ¡°Toilet water¡­ Ah, the water for washing hands!?¡¡Got it!¡¡I¡¯ll fix it immediately!¡± [Ryouma] I explained the situation to our reinforcements and left. ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m the manager. I need to take a look. Excuse me¡­ Oh, good.¡± [Ryouma] If it¡¯s just this, then I¡¯ll be able to fix it in a jiffy. Or rather, this isn¡¯t even really broken. There¡¯s no water service here, so I just filled the large container inside the water storage tank with water. The water can be refilled using the bucket that¡¯s been provided nearby. Currently, the container isn¡¯t even half-filled anymore. In other words, the only reason the water isn¡¯t coming out is because there¡¯s no water left. The public had already used it up. I quickly went where the tank was and filled it up with water. ¡°Done! ¡­Ah!¡± [Ryouma] The water was fixed now, but it suddenly came to my attention that the soap had been stolen. I¡¯d put it inside a net woven out of the sticky slime¡¯s threads and connected it with a cord just like the bucket, but someone actually went out of his way to cut the cord with a knife¡­ Chapter 108.2 - FIRST DAY OF THE FOUNDING FESTIVAL III (2/2) FIRST DAY OF THE FOUNDING FESTIVAL III (2/2) The net, the cord, and the soap are all hand made, so they¡¯re all virtually free, but if I don¡¯t report the soap having been stolen, my troubles might increase. Anyway, I¡¯ll take some precautionary measures, and after cleaning myself with the cleaner slime, I¡¯ll go back to work. Starting tomorrow maybe I should make the net and the cord with the hardest threads from the sticky slime¡­ But then again, if I use something harder, it might hurt more when rubbing. ¡°Excuse me, the person over there!¡± [???] ¡°Me?¡± [Ryouma] While I was thinking up a countermeasure as I walked, an auntie with sharp eyes called out to me. ¡°Are you someone from the store?¡± [Sharp-Eyed Auntie] ¡°Yes. Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About this kid, he entered the lot by himself.¡± [Sharp-Eyed Auntie] When the auntie moved her body to the side, the figure of a young boy was revealed. ¡°Apparently, he got lost from his parents because of the smell. Sorry, but can you call the guards?¡± [Auntie] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll call them now. Please take a seat and wait.¡± [Ryouma] I called Carm-san and asked him to give them some barley tea as service while I ran to the station. These sort of festivals are fun, but the livelier the festivities the busier the management gets. And then, evening came. When the clock ticked past 8, it was time for the first day to come to a close. Although the festival spirit didn¡¯t cool down, and there were those who were planning to continue at a bar, most women and children were already on their way back home. Most of the customers have also left, and the only customers left are those that came before we stopped taking orders. Everyone is cleaning the store up with a feeling of relief. As for me, I was with the butcher, Zeke-san, and his wife, counting the proceeds of the day and distributing profits. ¡°Well then¡­ These are the profits for today. These are the ingredients consumed for the day. After subtracting the cost for the ingredients consumed, the amount calculated as per our agreement is about 312 suits per person. Is this correct?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­It is.¡± [Zeke] ¡°We sure made a lot. With this, I¡¯m sure everyone will be happy.¡± [Pauline] Although it¡¯s not that much individually, but because we were able to keep down the expenses of the ingredients thanks to the wives, and because of the selling of a large amount of sales we made, we were able to turn over a profit. Even the payment for the people who helped out was increased. Instead of just giving them pocket change, we gave them enough to live off of for 3 days. ¡°Thank you for helping us.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What are you saying? We were compensated too. You don¡¯t have to act so reserved.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Once you hand out the wages of the employees, there might be some who will want to work here for real.¡± [Zeke] The two of them laughed as they said that. ¡°Still, they were amazing, weren¡¯t they?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. Well, a lot of things happened here like the performances and the new products of the Morgan Company.¡± [Pauline] ¡°There are a lot of things to attract people¡¯s eyes, and it was also convenient for people to take a rest at.¡± [Zeke] We¡¯ll be able to expect a lot of customers tomorrow too. ¡°Now then, we¡¯ll distribute the pay and then go home. Although they might be just next door, but I can¡¯t exactly leave my kids to themselves.¡± [Pauline] ¡°See you tomorrow. Do make sure to drop by during break time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Otsukaresamadeshita.¡± [Zeke] The two of them left the room. After greeting everyone I left. When I went outside, I saw the members of the Semroid Troupe gathered at the stage wing. ¡­What are they doing? They¡¯re gathered together but they¡¯re not talking. They¡¯re just looking at something quietly in the same manner. They had their backs turned to me, so I couldn¡¯t see what they¡¯re looking at, but they seemed really focused. It looked it would be better not to disturb them, so I waited for a few minutes. Then without any signal, something changed. ¡°Otsukaresama desu.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!? Otsukaresama desu!¡± [Male Performer] ¡°Otsukaresama desu.¡± [Everyone Else] I wonder if I startled them. I¡¯m pretty sure I saw the young guy at the very back jump when I called out.. ¡°Ryouma-dono, did you need something?¡± [Prenence] ¡°I thought I¡¯d say goodbye before leaving. What were you doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Praying. look.¡± [Maiya] A prayer. As Maiya-san said that, she pointed at the thing they were looking at. It was a masked sculpture wrapped in many colorful cloths. Each cloth was only about the size of a handkerchief, but with so many of them layered it looked like the sculpture was clothed in actual clothing. ¡°Is that the statue of a god?¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve never heard of this god, though¡­ ¡°It¡¯s weird, right?¡¡You might not be able to tell like this, but this is actually Manoairoa-sama¡¯s statute.¡± ¡°Manoairoa-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Ah, the name is present within the knowledge the gods. I haven¡¯t met him, but it should be a god like Gayn and the others. ¡°The god of the wind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. A great god who is the personification of the winds that travel this world and watches over people. Being also the god of travels and performing arts, there are many traveling entertainers who worship Manoairoa-sama.¡± [Prenence] Normally, everyone prays individually, but on days like this when they¡¯ve found much success, the troupe offers a prayer to Manoairoa-sama together. ¡°And the decorations?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We traveling entertainers do not stay in one place for a long time. Wind of the spring. Wind of the summer. Wind of the fall. Wind of the winter¡­ We visit the towns with the wind, and with the winds we look forward to our next destination. These cloths are proofs of our travels.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Meeting good people, increasing our members¡­ Or when a performance is a success. Whenever we make good memories like those, we buy a cloth at that town. We can¡¯t increase our luggage while traveling, so we make a remembrance of those things instead and begin a new journey. The cloths wrapped around the statue represent our gratitude for blessing us with such encounters.¡± [Maiya] ¡°In other words, it¡¯s a custom of traveling entertainers. I don¡¯t know when it started, though.¡± [Soldio] Maiya-san and Soldio-san explained to me. Back at Earth, there was also a way of remembering things by putting corresponding things on body parts, but the traveling entertainers of the past must have come up with this method themselves in order to leave behind their memories. While I was thinking something like that, I watched as the members of the troupe cleaned up the statue of the god. Chapter 109.1 The next day. ¡°Barley Tea, was it?¡¡Yeah, uh¡­ Three of that, and then two orders of water. This is enough, right?¡± [Customer] ¡°Yes!¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m tending to the store first thing in the morning. I can use Ice Magic, so I¡¯m in charge of the drinks. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡¡3 orders of barley tea and 2 orders of water.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really cold. This is great. Thanks.¡± [Customer] ¡°Please enjoy~ Next customer!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Two barely tea please.¡± [Customer 2] A few hours passed in the blink of an eye as I dealt with customer after customer, and then a face I was acquainted with appeared. ¡°Next~ ¡­Ah, Jeff-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like the stalls are a success.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Thanks to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyway, give me seven orders of barley tea.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly prepared the tray and the barley tea. ¡°Did you come with your friends?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t know if I¡¯d call them that, but they¡¯re some people you know. Look.¡± [Jeff] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] When I looked toward the direction he pointed at, I spotted some familiar faces¡­ ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Berk and the guys.¡± [Ryouma] It was the 6-man novice adventurer party. They seem to have split up and were buying food from our stalls. ¡°You gave them some advice recently, yeah?¡¡You advised them to talk to other adventurers?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Ah¡­ Yeah, I did. Wait, do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. That old man, Wogan, introduced them to me and now I have to watch over them.¡± [Jeff] ¡°Really? That¡¯s great to hear. Here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Good luck.¡± [Jeff] After paying, Jeff-san left and rendezvoused with Berk and the others. I didn¡¯t think Jeff-san would end up taking care of them, but he¡¯s a skilled adventurer himself and he also comes from the slums. He might be able to understand Berk and the others better. Although it¡¯s not really any of my business, it puts me at ease to know. After that they enjoyed the food and then went back home. Apparently, they were together for the festivities. As Jeff-san watched over the overly enthusiastic novice party, he left with a smile on his face. 10 minutes later. Another familiar face showed up. ¡°Yo.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Welcome!¡± [Ryouma] It was the guild master of the adventurers guild. Wogan-san came with Tigger-san from the weapon shop. ¡°Barley Tea for me. You?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ll have the same.¡± [Tigger] ¡°Understood!¡¡Sure is rare to see you together, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡We might look like this, but we used to be on the same party.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Huh, really?¡± [Ryouma] First I¡¯ve heard of that. ¡°It¡¯s a story from before we retired.¡± [Tigger] ¡°Tigger has always had a good eye for equipment. On that regard, he was the best in our party. He was also particular with money, so he managed our party¡¯s funds. After he retired, he moved full time into the weapon industry.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I didn¡¯t have good eyes. You were all just sloppy. If I left you alone, you¡¯d spend all your money on liquor and women, and then wake up the next day without a single suit.¡± [Tigger] ¡°We were young. And besides, it was a fitting lifestyle for an adventurer. No?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­¡± [Ryouma] If he¡¯s looking for affirmation, I¡¯m not sure he¡¯ll find it from me. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. It¡¯s better you don¡¯t copy him.¡± [Tigger] ¡°What was that?¡± [Wogan] ¡°You two sure get along well. ¡®Freeze¡¯ Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [RYouma] ¡°So this is barley tea.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Is this enough?¡± [Tigger] ¡°Yes. Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The two were about to leave, but then Tigger-san seemed to have recalled something. ¡°You haven¡¯t been coming lately. Is your equipment alright?¡± [Tigger] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s still fine. The armor and knife I purchased from you have been serving me well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­ What happened to your search for the katana?¡¡Haven¡¯t heard anything from you since then.¡± [Tigger] ¡°Ahh¡­ Lend me your ear for a bit.¡± [Ryouma] I briefly told him about my situation in hushed voices, then he closed his eyes. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you managed to solve that problem like that.¡± [Tigger] ¡°Sorry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you can use it, then it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not my place to tell you how to use your familiar. Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± [Tigger] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After that he left with Wogan-san, and after taking a breath, went back to town. ¡°Good day.¡± [Nun] ¡°Welcome!¡± [Ryouma] This time it was the sister from the church, Betta-san, who visited. She came with the children of the church. It¡¯s already around noon, huh. ¡°Thank you for helping us out yesterday. And Bell too. You really saved us.¡± [Betta] ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. If it¡¯s just something like that, I can help anytime. You¡¯re always taking care of me, after all. And I¡¯ve heard the stories.¡± [Ryouma] In the church, they look after children with no relatives. Their lives are by no means luxurious, but the two sisters are spending money despite having to be thrifty to allow the children to enjoy the festivals like a normal child. ¡°For 18 people, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, please. Come on. You kids too.¡± [Betta] ¡°Please!¡± [Kids] ¡°18 orders coming right up.¡± [Ryouma] As the voice of the children simultaneously resounded, pleasant eyes gathered from the people nearby. ¡°Yesterday we were at the bazaar, but today we¡¯re going to enjoy the festivities!¡±¡¡Said a child I worked with at the church. That kid bought several people¡¯s worth of hot dogs, but he smiled happily just like any child. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. There¡¯s a lot, so it¡¯s a bit heavy. Please be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Kids] ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Next customer~!¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 109.2 - Second Day of the Founding Festival (1/2) ¡°Yahoo!¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Ryouma, it¡¯s been a while, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Are you doing well?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Barley Tea for four please.¡± [Syria] This time it was Miya-san and Wereanna-san¡¯s party. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Haven¡¯t seen you lately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because we left town for a job. Miya was with us too.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I¡¯m glad you came back safely. Here. Barley Tea. I¡¯ve chilled it for you.¡± [Ryouma] The customers came one after another. I worked the stall while taking turns with others so I could eat and rest. We were really busy, but I could feel the zeal and the liveliness of the town on my skin. Before I knew it a faint darkness had already covered the world. The distant setting sun leaving behind nothing but a lingering memory. But despite that, the surrounding crowds seemed to suggest that they were just starting, as they grew even noisier. ¡°I¡¯m back~. Boss~ I¡¯ll take over, so you can have your supper~¡± [Maria] ¡°Thank you very much. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly ate my supper. I say ¡®supper¡¯, but all I would really be eating is our stall¡¯s special hot dog. ¡°Are you going to be having supper here tonight too~?¡± [Maria] The preparation period included, I¡¯ve been eating here a lot lately, so that¡¯s why she said that. The food tastes good, I can get the food without having to line up, and I can go back to work immediately, so it¡¯s really convenient. Hot dog provides carbs and meat. If I eat it with stir-fried vegetables, the nutritional value I can get is surprisingly good. I suppose the oil and salt content is a bit high, but it¡¯s hot throughout the day and with how much energy I consume, I think it¡¯s probably fine¡­ Yeah, it won¡¯t be a problem. I¡¯m young too. People say that this kind of thinking is a trap when someone becomes aware of their age, but¡­ I never had any problems in my past life, so I¡¯ve never really experienced it. As such, I ordered 4 hot dogs without a care and one plate of stir-fried vegetables. After pouring myself a cup of tea, I leave the cash and find myself a seat. ¡­Oh, is that seat free? There were three women seated on a four-seater table, who looked like they were about to stand up¡­ And then they did. Immediately, I secured the seat for myself. ¡°Itadakimasu.¡± [Ryouma] I bit my hot dog. Soft bread greeted my teeth, followed by an elastic skin, out of which poured out the juice of the meat. As I tasted the sourness of the ketchup layered over the hot dog, more and more of my saliva came out. There was quite a bit of girth to it, but it gradually managed to pass through my throat. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen!¡± [Prenence] Prenence-san¡¯s voice resounded loud and clear . Even though I¡¯m seated by the entrance, I could still hear his voice clearly despite all the tumult from the other tables and the crowds of people. After announcing that the performance would be starting, three female dancers went up the stage. They danced along with the music, gathering the attention of the onlookers and quietening the crowd. I¡¯ve seen them many times during practice, but they really are amazing. Maybe it¡¯s because of the influence of light novels,¡¡but when you talk about dancers, most would imagine them to be scantily dressed. Unlike that usual image, however, these women don¡¯t show much skin. The girls all wore the same dress, which was a one piece with a thick fabric and many colorful frills. Only a little bit of the sleeves and the feet were shown, and they would dance while lifting up their skirts a little. Moreover, because the tip of the skirt had weights, when they turned, from time to time, their skirts would expand. As such, the male customers near the stage would try to look up at their skirt and the female customers around them would glare at them coldly. For one, a husband who brought his family had just been slapped by his wife. ¡°This looks to be a success.¡± [???] ¡°Yes, fortunately. ¡­?¡¡Guild master!¡± [Ryouma] I wondered who it was that was talking to me, but then I found out it was actually none other than the guild master of the merchant guild, Grisiera-san. Moreover, behind her was the guild master of the tamer guild¡¯s Gimuru branch, Taylor, and a young man I wasn¡¯t acquainted with, who was carrying a tray. ¡°Is something the matter?¡¡Why are you here?¡± [Ryouma] I believe this is actually the first time we¡¯re meeting outside the guild by chance. ¡°It¡¯s not good for the body to stay cooped up inside all the time.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°We¡¯re using the festivities as an opportunity for us old people to walk around town.¡± [Taylor] ¡°I see. If it¡¯s no trouble, won¡¯t you accompany me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯d be glad to.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Excuse me. Oh, sorry to make you carry my food.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Something at this level, please don¡¯t mind it.¡± [???] ¡­Who is this man?¡¡I thought he might have been someone from the guild, but the atmosphere about him says otherwise. ¡°My apologies for my belated introduction. I am Arnold Bernheid. You are Ryouma Takebayashi-sama, yes?¡± [Arnold] He knows who I am.¡¡Anyway, I should return the greeting for now. Still, he looks to be human. He has a slender build and looks to be in between the latter half of his 20s to the first half of his 30s. His dress gives me a feeling similar to that of Carm-san, but his sharp eyes and his black glasses gives a strict impression¡­ At the very least, I shouldn¡¯t have met him before. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, have we been acquainted before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not directly. But I have heard of you from above.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Ryouma. This kid is¡­ You know¡­ You remember how those guys from the public office got scolded severely?¡¡He is the successor of the chief back then.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Oh, that time.¡± [Ryouma] Oh~ I¡¯d heard that someone new had taken up the post¡­ So, that¡¯s him. ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing rumors of you for some time now. Not only did you provide the impetus for discipline to come down upon the corrupt officials, you even provided support for the cleanup afterwards. Moreover, just recently, you accepted a job and contributed again.¡± [Arnold] By recently, I assume he¡¯s talking about the tunnel ants. ¡°Thanks to you, my work has been greatly reduced and I am able to focus on disciplining my staff.¡± [Arnold] ¡°I was simply doing what I wanted, but I¡¯m happy to have been of service.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By all means, please do continue to use your abilities as you have until now.¡± [Arnold] It seems he¡¯s wanted to meet me ever since taking up office, but due to the suddenness of his appointment, he had too much to deal with, from the leftover work to dealing with the subordinates, and it wasn¡¯t as if he could actually summon me just to thank me. Moreover, because they were investigating and exposing crimes of embezzlement and collusion, he didn¡¯t want to meet me carelessly. Looks like they chose a rather prudent person. Well, in order to straighten what is bent, it would be a problem if they didn¡¯t do that much. It also helps a lot that they¡¯re not causing me any trouble. If I can continue living and managing the store as I have until now, then I don¡¯t mind cooperating. ¡°Thank you. Although I can¡¯t give you special treatment because of my position, I will do my best to ensure that the law is followed dutifully. Of course, if you are able to contribute something, and provided it is true and is reported to the upper brass, then as a result of that, I might be able to give you some special privileges.¡± [Arnold] ¡°He said a lot, but basically, he¡¯s saying that you¡¯ll be treated like everyone else.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°It¡¯s not easy to make a contribution that would give you special privileges.¡± [Taylor] ¡°What I meant was that I was expecting much from Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Well, let¡¯s leave it at that.¡± [Taylor] ¡°He might actually do it. Who knows?¡± [Grisiera] As Grisiera-san said that, she glanced at Serge-san¡¯s stalls. ¡°¡­Did you tell him something?¡± [Grisera] ¡°What ever could you mean, I wonder.¡± [Ryouma] Although I don¡¯t really feel like hiding it from her, but I¡¯ll play dumb for the mean time. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How is life in town going for you?¡¡It¡¯s been some time since you came here. Is there anything you find inconvenient?¡± [Taylor] ¡°If you have anything on mind, just say it. You only meet this gramps rarely.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Right¡­ Everything is certainly different from before, but I¡¯m not particularly inconvenienced by anything. If I had to say then it¡¯s actually convenient now that I can buy whatever I need easily.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Still. I was originally born on Earth and was brought here after death. And then from the Forest of Gana, I came to Gimuru¡­ I sure traveled a long distance. When I look to my left, I see my comrades who work with me at my store. When I look to my right, I see my business partners. When I look in front of me, I see the troupe, who I became acquainted with just recently, currently performing. And beside me is the big wig of the public office, whom I just met today. Other than that, of the customers that came today, there¡¯s also the son of the book store, Dansbel-san. There¡¯s the gramps from the pharmacy, whose name I don¡¯t even known. There¡¯s also the neighboring wives, who I came to know during the preparations for this festival, and the members of the guild who remember me from our last job. I¡¯ve gotten to know a lot of people. I don¡¯t know if this place is better than the forest. The forest has its own charm. But¡­ ¡°Hmm. From the look on your face, I guess you¡¯re doing just fine.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes. I think so too.¡± [Ryouma] My current life isn¡¯t bad. As I reflected upon this happiness, the night gradually passed. Chapter 110.1 - The Last Night Chapter 110.1 ¨C The Last Night The next day. After the brilliant festivities came to an end and the night passed and the day came, Gimuru went back to how it usually was. Festival decors could still be seen here and there on the street corners, but they¡¯ll be cleaned up in a day or two. The merchants that came from elsewhere have already closed their stores, and there are even groups who¡¯ve already left town. ¡°Because of all the merchants that came for the tourists, the southern gate is so hectic right now.¡± [Guard] When I passed through the northern gate, the guard stationed there said that thoughtlessly. As for me¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll reuse that part!¡± [Stage Commander] ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll divide it then!¡± [Prenence] The person in charge of the Semroid Troupe¡¯s stage gave out orders as the members dismantled the stage. I specialize at carpentry too, but when it comes to stages and other related stuff, it¡¯s a bit different, as such, helping them out should prove to be quite educational. Even just by dismantling, I can somewhat understand the construct of these thnigs. ¡°Excuse me, what do I do with this screw-like pillar?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s for the stage setting, so we¡¯ll be reusing it. You use it by wrapping your hand around the knob under and lifting it up along with the people and stuff loaded on it. We didn¡¯t get to use it this time, though.¡± [Stage Commander] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] There are hidden apparatuses that can¡¯t be seen with a glance. These are all actually quite interesting. ¡°Boss!¡± [Dolce] ¡°Dolce-san.¡¡What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The guards came for the soap thief incident.¡± [Dolce] ¡°Got it. Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I heard you. We¡¯ll be fine, so just go.¡± [Soldio] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Dolce-san and I went back to the store together, passing by a great many crowd along the way. It¡¯s right after the day of the festival, but despite working a lot during the festivities, my store is in business as usual. At first, I was considering making today a holiday, but then the husbands and wives that worked with us told me that they had a lot of dirty clothes piled up because of all the preparations that had to be done, so seeing as there would be a demand, I decided to make it a regular working day. In exchange, I decided to hold a party in the evening like the social gathering we had before. My suspicions about were proven true when the customers this morning were 20% more than usual. Moreover, Arnold-San, whom I just met yesterday, was present too. The Founding Festival occurs every year, so the decorative cloths and flags used aren¡¯t one-time things. In the previous year, before people deposited their clothes, the job of sorting the clothes and washing them would be split, but this year, given our store¡¯s price and efficiency, they¡¯re actually considering asking us to take care of everything insead. It was for that reason that Arnold-san came. I¡¯m not sure if he¡¯s decided on us just yet, but we might be able to sign an unexpectedly huge contract. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] Now then, to meet with the guards. I entered the reception office, and the male guards stood up from the sofa. We went through the usual greetings as per formalities, and then we went on to the topic. ¡°The other day a report was filed for a thief who¡¯d stolen a bar of soap. We apprehended him just recently. Is this your soap¡± [Guard] A package was placed on the table in front of us, and then opened. Inside was the soap used at the store. It even had the net attached. Did they really catch him? No offense to the people who search very hard for these sort of stuff, but I honestly never thought that my stolen good would actually be returned to me. ¡°Of course, there are times when stolen goods never come back, but you see, the soap thief wasn¡¯t just into soaps, he was also a pickpocket. But he was not as successful as a pickpocket as he was a soap thief, and his poor attempts landed him with us. Caught him just yesterday, in fact. When we seized his luggage from the inn he was staying at, we found this. A report had been filed, so we were able to confirm that he was indeed the culprit.¡± [Guard] So, I got lucky. I¡¯ll pray to Gayn and the others later. While I was thinking that, they asked me to sign a form to confirm the return of the stolen item. After looking through the document, I signed it. ¡°¡­Yes. Everything is in order. Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The guard accepted the document with a smile and quickly left. Looks like the guards are busy too. ¡°FUN, FU, FU~N.¡± [Fina] After seeing the guards to the entrance, I heard Fina-san humming as she carried goods into the store. ¡°You sound like you¡¯re in a good mood today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°HIYA!?¡¡Oh, it¡¯s you, Boss. Since when were you there?¡± [Fina] ¡°Just now. The guards just left.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, from a while ago¡­¡± ¡°Did I startle you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A little¡­ Do you know this song?¡± [Fina] ¡°It¡¯s Prenence-san¡¯s song, right?¡¯ [Ryouma] She blushed, her face turning beet red. She was humming pretty well. I don¡¯t think there¡¯s really anything to be embarrassed about¡­ Rather than that, I wonder if something good happened to her. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. Listen to this, Boss. Actually, just now, a customer I was dealing with asked me, ¡®Aren¡¯t you going to sell those barley tea of yours anymore?¡¯¡¡And then he said, ¡®There were a lot of customers, you know?¡¯ ¡®It was really delicious.¡¯ ¡± [Fina] Oh¡­ So something like that happened. ¡°Until now tea made out of barely hasn¡¯t sold well at all, so hearing someone tell me those things made me so happy.¡± [Fina] That¡¯s also the reason why they had to leave their villages to work. But in that case, why don¡¯t they sell Barley Tea then? ¡°At this store?¡± [Fina] ¡°At your village. If you can¡¯t sell barley as is, then why don¡¯t you try processing it first?¡± [Ryouma] When it comes to processing raw ingredients and selling them, one has to first consider what product would sell, but in this case, they don¡¯t have to do that, as they already know that the people want barley tea. At the very least, it¡¯s guaranteed that there¡¯s a market for it. Incidentally, after calculating all of sales last night, we found out that 70% of the sales from beverages were made from barley tea. People didn¡¯t just buy the drink and try it once, there were also many returning customers who bought the drink more than once. If it could sell that well in just two days, think about how much it could sell were it to be sold properly. There might be even more people who¡¯ll come to like it. Their village cultivates barley, which is the main ingredient of barley tea. And then there¡¯s the process of transforming barley into something suitable for tea. Wouldn¡¯t it be good if with just those two things alone they were able to sell their crops to the public?¡¡If they are able to make this happen, they¡¯ll be able to reduce some of the crops they¡¯re making so much of and also increase the income of the village. If necessary, I could also write them a letter of introduction to Pioro-san. The barley tea sold at the festival were made by roasting the barley from their village. Even they could make it by themselves. If they work together with the Saionji Company¡­ Yeah, it could work. I might be being overoptimistic, but the possibility isn¡¯t zero. Chapter 110.2 - The Last Night The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 110: The Last Night (2/2) ¡°There¡¯s a lot of stuff to consider like the how much grain your village can produce, and I¡¯m sure a lot of work will have to be done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At the village, we plant many different types of grain to combat sickness. Barley makes up about 30% of all our crops, but we should be able to increase the yields starting next year. Still, is it really okay to sell the tea at the village?¡± [Fina] ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve said this to someone before, but even if I try to sell the tea myself, it¡¯s going to take a lot of effort. I might have a store, but my current goal is to go back to my village, so I don¡¯t really have the time to sell Barley Tea.¡± [Ryouma] But there are people who want barley tea, and there¡¯s a village that wants to sell their barley. In that case, it would be best if said village worked with the Saionji Company instead. At the very least, it would be a lot better than if the business just rotted in my hands. ¡°You once said that you would be willing to accept others who want to work at your store. If this works out well for our village, there might be less people who¡¯ll want to leave.¡± [Fina] ¡°The store isn¡¯t hiring right now anyway, so it¡¯s fine if only those who want to go to town come. If I can¡¯t get enough employees from your village, then naturally I will look elsewhere. Besides, it would only trouble me if the people who come to work here do so begrudgingly. Those who want to remain in the village should remain. There is also the saying that people only understand a parent¡¯s love when it¡¯s too late, so I believe if it¡¯s possible to spend time with one¡¯s family, then one should do so instead.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll be fine as long they send me some tea from time to time. ¡°¡­Boss, can I send a letter to my dad about this?¡¡I want to ask the entire village to consider it.¡± [Fina] ¡°Of course, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll send a letter to the Saionji Company too, so they can plan for it from their end as well. After all, we¡¯ll only end up troubling them if we just suddenly bring the topic up without giving them time to prepare.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fina!¡¡What are you doing!¡± [Jane] ¡°Ah, sorry!¡± [Fina] Oops. Talked a bit too much there¡­ Even though she was supposed to be in the middle of work. ¡°Sorry, Jane-san. I was the one who called her. Sorry to you too, Fina-san. Let¡¯s talk again later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Fina] I parted with the two and went back to help disassemble the stage. That night. At the food court, after most of the belongings within the store and on the stage have been put away, the same people from the previous social gathering were gathered. ¡°Boy, am I starving! Today, mom¡¯s again g¡ª!?¡± [Rick] ¡°Don¡¯t say unnecessary things.¡± [Pauline] Even the exchanges before the opening remarks were the same as last time. The party began with everyone smiling. Last time the food served were those that would be served in the stalls, but this time around, we¡¯re serving food that could be made from the leftover ingredients. For example, Shelma-san cooked a hearty dish full of ingredients like the sausages meant for our stall¡¯s hot dogs or the vegetables meant for our stall¡¯s stir-fried vegetables. As for me, my contribution was Shio Yakisoba (Salt Fried Noodles). I used the noodles and vegetables meant for Reemiyen, and then turned the chicken soup into a special sauce by adding the juice of lamon into it and seasoning it with salt and pepper. I then fried everything on top of an iron plate I made using alchemy¡­ A ¡®JUU¡¯ sound resounded as I cooked the dish and a fragrant aroma spread. ¡°Mmm!¡¡Smells great!¡¡I want a huge serving please!¡± [Maiya] ¡°Me too!¡± [Rick] ¡°Coming right up!¡± [Ryouma] Their appetite stirred by the aroma, Maiya-san and Rick were the first to ask for a serving, but they were most certainly not the last, as more and more people followed suit. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting!¡¡Has everyone received their portion?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s 7 more.¡± [Leelin] ¡°If you add us, that makes 10.¡± [Fei] ¡°Okay!¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll cook it all at the same time.¡± [Ryouma] I cooked the shio yakisoba (salt fried noodles) in front of the 10 people. Leelin-san and Fei-san were helping with the guests, but I made sure to prepare their portion too. Of course, I didn¡¯t forget to cook enough for myself as well. ¡­Now then, I thinks it¡¯s about time I ate too. But where to sit¡­ ¡°Boss!¡± [Carm] Oh, Carm-san is calling me. It seems he¡¯s with Serge-san and Prenence-san. Let¡¯s join them. ¡°Welcome.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Over here.¡± [Serge] ¡°First, a toast. But with what?¡± [Carm] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± [Ryouma] There are children my age too, so we should probably keep it to barley tea. ¡°Otsukaresamadeshita, everyone. Cheers!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone Else] The aromatic barley tea invigoratingly passed through my throat, leaving me with a pleasant feeling. ¡°Fuu¡­ It¡¯s only now that I can feel that the festival has finally ended¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. But this is also a new beginning for us.¡± [Prenence] ¡°Oh, right. You¡¯ll be traveling to another town soon.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Tomorrow we will be departing for a town called Dovana. There¡¯s another festival there.¡± [Prenence] So they leave as soon as the festival ends, huh? Must be difficult¡­ ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad this time for us since everything was already prepared for us, from the lodging to the venue.¡± [Prenence] In order for them to make a living as traveling entertainers, they sometimes have to leave on the very night a festival ends just so they could find a good spot in the next town they¡¯ll be performing at. Because of that there are times when they have to sleep in their carriages if they can¡¯t find an inn. In that case, I wonder if it was really a good idea that I called them out here.¡¡Aren¡¯t they just being forced to attend this party? ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. We have some room in our schedule. We can afford it. Besides, thanks to our contract with the Morgan Company, we won¡¯t be having as much difficulty in securing a venue and a place to stay at.¡± [Prenence] ¡°As much as possible, we need to provide a good place for the troupe so that the announcement of the music box goes well. As such, I¡¯ve already contacted the branch store and have asked them to secure a place.¡± [Serge] ¡°I see. So, that¡¯s how it is.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The music box we¡¯ve prepared sold out too, so we should be able to expect much from here on. ¡­And as far as things to look forward to go, there¡¯s also the prospect of selling this barely tea.¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh?¡¡Did Fina-san talk to you?¡± [Ryouma] Carm-san was the one who answered my question. ¡°She dropped by my place earlier, asking about the demand and the prospects of selling barley tea. She said you gave your permission. I don¡¯t know what the people of their village think, but from the looks of things, they¡¯re intent on convincing them.¡± [Carm] I see. ¡°So, what do you think?¡¡The prospects, I mean.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it¡¯ll be a lot cheaper than black tea, which goes to say that the commoners will be able to enjoy it. Considering the sales from the stalls, there¡¯s more than enough value in them to be sold in the store. At the very least, it shouldn¡¯t net a loss. And assuming we¡¯ll be cooperating with the Saionji Company, although I¡¯m a mere amateur on matters regarding food products, I do believe this is a good business opportunity.¡± [Carm] ¡°I agree. Although Carm isn¡¯t certain about being able to work with the Saionji Company, in my opinion, if it¡¯s Pioro, there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll reject you. He¡¯s not the sort of man to throw away any potential food product that comes his way.¡± [Serge] When the two of them said that, I heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°A drink sold at the corner of the festival will save a village that has been wandering for a long time¡­ Yes. I think I can make a song out of this.¡± [Prenence] There was just one guy who was looking at something completely different. You¡¯re going to turn this into a song? ¡°Stories of someone or something being saved are always famous. That¡¯s why many people choose that as a topic since there¡¯s a high probability that people will like it. But making a beverage the hero¡­ Now, that¡¯s really putting a new spin on a known formula, don¡¯t you think? Would you mind if I wrote such a tale? With the barley tea as the topic, I mean?¡± [Prenence] Things sure have taken an odd turn. A story about barley tea?¡¡What do I say to this? ¡°As long as you don¡¯t put my name on it, I suppose. And I¡¯ll have to talk to Fina-san and the others. They¡¯re the ones who¡¯ll be selling it after all. Them and their village.¡± [Ryouma] In the end, I decided to just delegate the issue. ¡°In that case, please excuse me.¡± [Prenence] He stood up and immediately looked for them. ¡°He¡¯s serious, huh¡­ No. Maybe he¡¯s drunk.¡± [Serge] ¡°He hasn¡¯t drunk that much though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I say just let nature take its course.¡± [Carm] I wonder what¡¯ll happen in the end¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun¡± [Maiya] ¡°Ah, Maiya-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s the last night, so how about you perform with us?¡± [Maiya] Several of the people from the troupe were gathered at the area next to the stage. The last, huh¡­ Alright. ¡°Excuse me, I need to go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do your best, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°Break a leg.¡± [Serge] After that, I was able to show off the results of my training while being accompanied by the sword dancers. The song emphasized the pace, and everyone would clap every time I cut the firewood. When the song ended, the crowd broke into applause. I got carried away and ended up taking out my guitar and playing anime songs that aired on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings. But by happily performing with everyone from the troupe, I was able to make some memories with them before parting. Chapter 111 - Gathering Job Volume 3 Chapter 111: Gathering Job It has already been one month since the Founding Festival ended and the Semroid Troupe left. The festival was like a turning point of some sort, as the summer gradually grew hotter this past month. When I went out to catch a slime to be donated to the church, I found a slime that liked to eat wind mana and was able to make it evolve. All the while, I never once slacked in my training. Before I knew it, it has already been half a year since I parted with the members of the duke¡¯s family. When I showed my face to the adventurers guild, Wogan-san called me. ¡°Ryouma, you¡¯ve been doing well lately. At one point, I thought you¡¯d go and become a merchant instead.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Ahaha¡­ Well, I¡¯m an easygoing guy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, when a man is put in a position over others, regardless of his natural inclinations, he will have to carry some responsibilities and do some work. ¡­Anyway, going back to the topic, are you free for 2 weeks starting next week?¡± [Wogan] I have plenty of waterproof cloth stocked up and I don¡¯t have any work that needs to be done soon. ¡°Yeah, I should be free.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, there¡¯s a job I¡¯d like you to take. It¡¯s just a gathering job, but because of the amount, as much as possible, I¡¯d like someone who can use dimension magic to participate. If you could accept the job as a transporter, it would be a huge help. Also, one of the monsters you want to fight will be making an appearance at the gathering point.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, the enemies will be treants. The material to be gathered will also be taken from them.¡± [Wogan] A treant! Treants are plant type monsters that take on the appearance of a tree. They hide among trees and attack people and other monsters. There¡¯s a lot of them living at the Great Shurus Forest. They¡¯re a dangerous breed of monsters that specialize in mimicry and surprise attacks. ¡°I will be briefing the other members for a more detailed explanation, so if you feel like you¡¯re up for it, drop by the guild again tomorrow afternoon. If you decide to take the job, you can register then.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Take care.¡± [Wogan] Having decided that, I had to inform the others that I would be going out. The next day. As promised, I dropped by the guild and was brought to a room, where Miya-san was. ¡°Nyaa?¡¡Ryouma, you were called too, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°They wanted someone who could use dimension magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re bringing back that much, nyaa? What in nyaa world are they building, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Who knows?¡± [Ryouma] We chatted idly like that while waiting, and then Wereanna-san¡¯s group came with Raypin-san. Asagi-san came too. The last one to arrive was Wogan-san, who then briefed us on the job. ¡°¡­And that¡¯s how it is.¡± [Wogan] To give a short summary of what he explained to us, the objective of the job is to secure lumber. To that end, it would be best to hunt the treant and bring their lumber back. We need to bring back at least 300 treants worth of lumber, and any extra will be compensated for properly. I don¡¯t know how big a treant is, so I can¡¯t say exactly just how much lumber 300 treants is equivalent to. Regardless, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s a lot. Now I can understand why they wanted mages that could use dimension magic like me and Raypin-san to come. The team will be departing in two days. I don¡¯t see any issues, so I think I¡¯ll participate. Everyone else also looked like they were planning to join. After the job application was concluded, Wereanna-san suddenly asked this. ¡°What are all these treant lumber going to be used for?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Ahh¡­ You¡¯re aware that the population of this town is decreasing, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Well, yeah. After all, one of the mines was mined out. Even if it¡¯s just one mine, there should be a significant number of people who lost their job.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°The head of the previous office wasn¡¯t so enthusiastic in that regard. Meanwhile, the newly appoint head ¨C although he¡¯s yet to do anything ¨C is actually quite enthusiastic. Population growth, profit increase, and the improvement of the city environment. In other words, he has a lot in mind. The job this time is because the proposal of the staff has been accepted, and now, they want to create a product that will garner fame and gather people. ¡­Unfortunately, this town doesn¡¯t have anything other than mines and iron.¡± [Wogan] Wouldn¡¯t the place where the rimel birds are often sighted serve as a decent tourist attraction? ¡°Someone proposed that too, but the rimel birds show up around the same time when the grell frogs are being hunted, so they can¡¯t be used to attract tourists. Stopping the grellfrog hunting would cause the profit from that to vanish, so that¡¯s no good either. Besides, the rimel birds aren¡¯t around all the time, and what the public office wants to is a famed product that¡¯s available all year round.¡± [Wogan] Huh¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure developing a town isn¡¯t that easy. I don¡¯t know much about it myself, but isn¡¯t it fine as long as you have something you can sell?¡¡There¡¯s no need to be picky, right? Just make the most of whatever advantages you already have. Kind of like the festival¡­ Yeah. Isn¡¯t that good enough? ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine even if it¡¯s not all year round?¡¡You could treat it like a seasonal event.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seasonal events are nice and all, but this is a mining town.¡¡When the mines are mined out and there¡¯s no fixed income, the only source of income will be those seasonal events.¡¡As such, the bigwigs want something that could be sold all-year-round.¡± [Wogan] Ah, I see¡­ Now that he mentions it, he¡¯s exactly right. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand where you¡¯re coming from. The situation isn¡¯t that bad just yet, so I also think it would be fine if we gradually worked at it¡­ But, anyway, that¡¯s how the discussion of the bigwigs went and now they want to build a tourist town beyond the southern gate. At the center of which, they will be building their new attraction, the Fighting Arena. Along with that, they will also be building inns to accommodate the participants and the spectators, as well as other facilities. The main point is to make money by selling tickets and getting people to gamble. It will take a lot of money until everything is completed, but the profit to be made afterwards is equally big.¡± [Wogan] ¡°A fighting arena and a gambling system, de gozaru? I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll bring a lot of money, but the public order is sure to suffer, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] Indeed. I can easily imagine all the thugs going around. ¡°And that¡¯s why it has to be a new town. The arena, the inns the participants and the guests will be staying at¡­ Everything is to be made at the new town. This town will continue as it¡¯s always been and remain a mining town. The management will just be managing both this and that town, so you can just consider it as a new town. The funds allocated to public order will also be greatly increased, so there will be many more guards than before. The gambling will be managed by the town and supervised throughly. And ¨C this is directly related to Wereanna¡¯s question ¨C but the construction of the arena has been entrusted to Perdre Bekentein.¡± [Wogan] Everyone else other than me was shocked when he said that. Is he famous? ¡°Who is he?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Mu, Ryouma, you don¡¯t know, de aru? ¡¡He is the second son of the Household of Viscount Bekentein. Supposedly, he should be assisting his older brother in managing their territory, but he has instead chosen to devote his life to his work as an architect, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°He is a celebrity among architects and is so renowned for his genius that it is said there are none who could match him, but at the same time, he is also renowned for his weird behavior.¡± [Syria] A deep person¡­ In more sense than one. ¡°Apparently, when they consulted him, he was able to suddenly come up with a good idea, so he accepted the job right there and then. But when he accepted the job, he demanded this one condition: ¡®I want all the important parts of the arena to be built with treant lumber! I will not build it unless it¡¯s with treant lumber!¡¯ ¡¡Or so the story goes. And that¡¯s why we want to start gathering treant lumber as early as now.¡± [Wogan] Is this the so-called loneliness of an artist?¡¡I asked around a bit, and it turns out that while Treant Lumber certainly has its place in buildings, it¡¯s usually used for the staves of mages and isn¡¯t really a known material for buildings. But Perdre Bekentein is a renowned architect so skilled that a little unreasonable demand like this would apparently be forgiven. They do say he¡¯s an unparalleled genius. While I was thinking that, the briefing ended and I left the area. On the day of departure. I¡¯ve been preparing all this time, but technically, all I really did was move the stuff inside my Dimension Home to the storage in the abandoned mine, closed the entrance with earth magic, and then prepared some countermeasures for thieves. That and I also finally tried expanding my Dimension Home just as Sebasu-san taught me. Each time I did it, I felt the burden on me increase, but by relying on my great mana reserves and training, I was able to expand my dimension home to the same size as the first floor of the employee dormitory at my store. I don¡¯t know how big a treant is, but I¡¯m sure this much space should be able to accommodate a respectable amount. While I was thinking stuff like that, I was still at the southern gate of Gimuru. ¡­I¡¯m not being idle. I¡¯m just waiting for the others. ¡°Are they not coming yet?¡± [Ryouma] When I looked around me, there was no one around. While I was wondering that to myself and looking around, I saw Raypin-san and Asagi-san walking from the distance. ¡°Good morning!¡¡Raypin-san, Asagi-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Good morning, RYouma. Are you doingg well today, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] ¡°I¡¯m doing fine. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After that we rendezvoused with Miya-san and the others, and rode on the carriage and two horses provided by the guild master. After receiving our food supplies, we set off on our journey. Incidentally, the carriage was meant for transporting goods, so it was Mizelia-san who drove it. The southern part of Gimuru was full of trees, so as we swayed inside the carriage, the scenery passing as by painted a tranquil scene. During that time we discussed our plans with our leader, Asagi-san. ¡°Inside the forest, Miya, Wereanna, and I will be the ones to fight the treants. Raypin and Ryouma will be responsible for transporting the defeated treants. On top of that, Raypin will also be in charge of searching for the treants, while Ryouma will be his escort. Is that clear, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] We all nodded to show our agreement. Although that was the gist of it, it didn¡¯t mean I wouldn¡¯t be fighting at all. Everyone already knows that I¡¯m participating to gain experience fighting treants, so they will also be providing me opportunities to accomplish that. After that we also discussed the strengths and weaknesses of the treant with the monster specialist, Raypin-san. From him I found out that since treants attack by moving their branches, we have to watch out for attacks coming from above. As for the weakness of the treants, apparently there¡¯s a lump on their body that looks like the face of a person. If you damage the area surrounding that lump or detach or break the part under it, you¡¯ll be able to kill them. This time, though, our objective is to gather treant lumber, so we have to minimize damage as much as possible. Although it wasn¡¯t necessary to focus on not damaging it so much, it was important to keep it in mind. We will also have to pay attention in case there¡¯s an advanced treant variant. Higher treant variants move slower, but their branches are thicker, so they resulting force is also greater. Moreover, because they can also use wood magic, they¡¯re a huge pain to deal with for the advance guard when they extend their branches and their vines. Also, the only way to tell the difference between treants and normal trees is by sensing the trace of mana on them. Other than the face-like lump on them, they¡¯re not any different from normal trees. And with the lumps sometimes being at a blind corner, it¡¯s very difficult to tell them apart just by looking at them. On the other hand, if you can easily sense their magic, then distinguishing them is a trivial task. Lastly, and I¡¯m digressing here a bit, but apparently, they can walk. They move slower than slimes, but they can uproot themselves and walk. It sure is a bit hard to imagine trees walking on their own volition, though. I mean that just goes beyond common sense. In the first place, just what are monsters? ¡°Monsters, de aru?¡± [Raypin] After our discussion concluded, I asked Raypin-san that question and as it turns out, monsters are beasts, plants, and other natural things that that mutate due to mana. Using treants as an example, treants are trees that absorbed mana and became a monster. If monsterification is a mutation caused by the absorption of mana, then I can come to terms with trees being a monster. Come to think of it, Pauline-san did mention monsterification to me before¡­ That time too she was talking about plants. ¡°Are humans not affected?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although there are cases wherein one absorbs too much mana and ends up in a state called Mana Intoxication, there are rarely any cases wherein so much mana accumulated in a human that it caused a mutation, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Humans know by instinct to protect themselves, so they would usually involuntarily release mana. As such, no such mutations occur among humans. I asked him about mana intoxication, and apparently, it¡¯s not an easy state for humans with huge mana reserves to find themselves in, and even for normal people, it usually only happens when they use too much magic stones or mana potions or eat too much monster meat. Raypin-san also says that most of an organism¡¯s mana lies in their blood, so there¡¯s actually no need to be that concerned about eating meat. The symptoms from mana intoxication are mild, so catching it from eating monster meat is a very rare case that one could only blame to bad luck. It was a topic that was apparently so trivial that Raypin-san could laugh while talking about it. While we talked like that, we leisurely proceeded even as we paid attention to our surroundings. Raypin-san also said that there were no monsters near Gimuru that would attack a carriage with 7 adventurers inside. Just as he said, not a single monster attacked us as we left town. I talked a lot with Raypin-san about monsters and slimes while we traveled. With Mizelia-san, I talked about all the places they¡¯ve visited, and with Asagi-san, I talked to him about miso and soy sauce. ¡°Miso Soup¡­ That sure is nostalgic¡­ Who would¡¯ve thought that you could get miso soup and soy sauce from Renauph¡­ Thank you for telling me, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°If you¡¯d like, I could make some miso soup for supper tonight.¡¡I have the ingredients for it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really!?¡¡By all means, please, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] And just like that, I was put in charge of our supper. Inside Raypin-san¡¯s dimension home, I brought out miso soup, meat and potato stew, and rice. Everyone enjoyed the food, but Asagi-san was so moved by the miso soup that he shed tears of joy. ¡°Asagi, you haven¡¯t been back to your village for a long time now, huh?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Umu. My village is in an island far far away. It¡¯s not easy to go back, de gozaru. Besides, at the dojo where I studied the way of the sword, we are basically kicked off the island and told to become an adventurer, de gozaru. And we can¡¯t return unless 50 years have passed or we become an S-Ranker, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°50 years?¡¡Why so long?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Apparently, the ancestor who founded our dojo traveled the world for years, de gozaru. One could sharpen his sword or broaden his perspective. Either way, our discipline demands that we survive the outside world. It is our training, de gozaru. After all, there are strong monsters and all sorts of people here that can¡¯t be found in the island, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°Is your island well protected?¡¡Won¡¯t they be troubled if someone strong leaves for 50 years and doesn¡¯t come back?¡± [Syria] ¡°Rest assured. The only ones sent out on a journey are those seeking to master the sword, de gozaru. Those who learn swords for self-defense, those who defend the village, those who are practicing at the dojo, the masters of the dojo. There are many capable people among those staying at the village, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] We talked like this over supper, and then when it was time to sleep, we all started preparing our sleeping bags. I have to say, though, this place sure is big¡­ ¡°There was a time when I couldn¡¯t go back for a long time because of my research. So in order to fit my Dimension Home with my research material and all my furniture plus my monster specimen, I kept on expanding my dimension home. Nowadays, though, I rarely leave Gimuru, so I usually leave most of my luggage at home. Because of the job this time, I had to take out even more stuff, de aru.¡± [Raypin] I don¡¯t know what to say about expanding his dimension home being quicker than just cleaning up, but¡­ The result sure is amazing. There¡¯s nothing here, so it feels even bigger than it is. It¡¯s easily twice as big as my dimension home. I have to keep working hard. After my sleeping bag was ready, there was nothing left to do, so I went to sleep. I quickly slept and the day after, we departed on sunrise. Chapter 112.1 Volume 3 Chapter 112: Meanwhile I (1/2) While Ryouma was traveling on a carriage, a class was being held in the academy at the imperial capital. ¡°Let¡¯s begin the class. First¡ª¡± The teacher uninterestedly read the contents of the textbook. It was a simple boring class and the students quietly listened. Among the crowd of students was a girl. It was Elialia. She corrected her posture and watched the teacher on the podium while doing her best to endure the boredom. When the morning classes ended, she stood up from her chair and went to the magic training area at the corner of the campus. The students were free to use the facility for their own personal training, but it was a rare sight to see anyone use it other than during class hours. In other words, it wasn¡¯t a popular place. Elialia sat herself on a bench at the corner of that training facility and started eating her packed lunch. When lunch time ended, she started practicing her magic. When afternoon classes end, she would go back to her dorm room. It has already been one month since she entered school, but this was usually how her days went. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Elia] Elia stopped casting magic and sighed. (It¡¯s only been a month, but I can¡¯t stand how boring it is anymore¡­ I didn¡¯t think the classes would be this boring¡­) From the first year to the third year, various foundational and cultural subjects are studied. From the fourth year to the sixth year, the focus shifts onto specialized subjects. And after graduation, each student would enter apprenticeship or training corresponding to the course they wish to take in life. The subjects Elia were studying were the most basic of basics. Basic history of the country and geography, math, magic, and swordsmanship training mostly meant to build the body. All of these first-year subjects are learned by nobles before entering the school. Because of that the classes were too simple for Elia and she found no sense of accomplishment even though her grades were good. On top of that, there were nearly 40 students in a class, but there was no one who tried to talk to her. Of course, they weren¡¯t ignoring her or bullying her, it was just that the commoner students and the nobles were too scared of her great magic prowess and her status as the duke¡¯s daughter, so they avoided involving themselves with her more than what was needed. Elia herself felt like they were avoiding her, so she didn¡¯t bother to try to mingle with them either. Although there were people that she was incompatible with personality-wise, but if she were to try and forcefully mingle with others, even if they were scared, they wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse her. She didn¡¯t want a relationship like that. As a result, despite having already spent one month in school, she still had no friends. She spent her days at the school passing the boring hours while enduring the loneliness. ¡°I knew it before enrolling, but¡­ Sigh¡­¡± [Elia] When she sighed for the second time, a voice suddenly called out to her. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Ojou-san.¡± [???] ¡°Huh!?¡± Elialia didn¡¯t know that a person had come, but before she knew it, there was a girl behind her. ¡°Oh, my¡­ You¡¯re Count Willdan¡¯s¡­¡± [Elia] When Elia turned around, the person behind her was shocked, but she bowed her head nevertheless. ¡°Excuse me. I am the oldest daughter of Count Willdan, Michelle. I couldn¡¯t tell it was the daughter of the Jamil family from behind. Please forgive my rudeness.¡± [Michelle] She was Michelle Willdan. Although she was the daughter of the count, she had little of the feminity one would expect from a female student. Her hair was cut short, so that it wouldn¡¯t touch her shoulders. For her bottoms, she wore a pair of men¡¯s pants and for her top she wore a shirt for women. Her personal effects focused on practicality rather than looks and she carried with her a plain large black bag. With her androgynous face, it looked like she was trying to disguise herself as a man. ¡°By all means, you weren¡¯t being rude. Differences in social status are irrelevant here. And I didn¡¯t notice you myself.¡± [Elialia] Students of this school, regardless of being commoners or nobles, are required to wear their uniform in order to avoid making them conscious of their difference in status. There were no stipulations on accessories, however. Because of that nobles intentionally wore golden hair ornaments, bracelets studded with jewels, or other expensive accessory in order to show off their status. The luxury of their accessories was also a way for them to display the wealth of their family. But Elia hadn¡¯t worn any such accessories. Although that was in the spirit of the school¡¯s ideals, to Michelle, the lack of accessory meant that she was a commoner female student. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Michelle] ¡°¡­Can I call you, Michelle-san?¡± [Elia] After saying that, Elia didn¡¯t feel that Michelle was avoiding her. Considering what she was thinking about just now, Elia decided to try and strike up a conversation. ¡°But of course, ojousama.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Please call me Elia. As I¡¯ve said before, social status doesn¡¯t matter here.¡± [Elia] As she said that, Michelle smiled again and answered Elia. ¡°¡­Fufu. In that case, I¡¯ll call you Elia. I¡¯d also prefer it if we could drop the formalities. It¡¯s exhausting.¡± [Michelle] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I prefer it that way myself.¡± [Elia] ¡°I see. By the way, as I was asking earlier, is something the matter?¡± [Michelle] ¡°No, I don¡¯t have any problems in particular. It¡¯s just that the classes of this school are a bit¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Ahh¡­ Yes, I share your sentiments. I myself am just pretending to be taking classes and just doing my best not to get caught up in some weird faction. Because of that I don¡¯t get to talk to people much during break time.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Oh, my. You too?¡¡I thought for sure you¡¯d be popular¡­¡± [Elia] Michelle laughed again when she heard that. ¡°Ha ha, that was true at first. There were girls who mistook me for a guy and embraced me, but as soon as I told her that I was just wearing these clothes because they¡¯re convenient and that I wasn¡¯t a man, most of them left. And I¡¯m not that sociable too. It¡¯s troubling, so sometimes I avoid others too.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Really? So is that why you¡¯re here?¡± [Elia] ¡°Ah, today is different. Today I¡¯m here to experiment with this.¡± As Michelle said that, she took out a paper from her bag. Chapter 112.2 - Meanwhile I The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 112: Meanwhile I (2/2) As Michelle said that, she took out a paper from her bag. On that paper was a magic formation draft drawn with a pencil. ¡°A magic formation¡­ Are you an alchemist?¡± [Elia] Michelle went wide-eyed when she said that, but she quickly smiled again and said. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m not an alchemist. I¡¯m merely studying magic formations.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Magic Formations, huh.¡± [Elia] Magic Formation is a minor field that originates from the magic formations of alchemy, which would emit light when mana was coursed through them. Why do magic formations give that reaction? Can that reaction be used for anything? The field of Magic Formation is one that seeks to answer such questions. After being explained that, Elia looked at the magic formation drawn upon the paper with deep interest. ¡°So there was a field of study like that, huh.¡± [Elia] ¡°It branched out from alchemy and hasn¡¯t achieved any major results, so it¡¯s becoming less and less popular. The reason I came to this school is because I heard that there¡¯s a teacher who teaches the subject here. Unfortunately, it seems the teacher in question retired last year. Now, I have no choice but to learn by myself. I have too much time on my hands.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Really?¡± [Elia] ¡°Really. By the way, Elia.¡± [Michelle] ¡°What is it?¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯m surprised you knew that alchemy uses magic formations.¡¡Even though there¡¯s so many rumors flying around that says that alchemy needs medicinal ingredients or sacrifices to be used. You also don¡¯t seem to have a bad opinion of alchemy.¡± [Michelle] When Michelle said, Elia realized that she¡¯d slipped. Michelle seemed to have picked up on that as she immediately added. ¡°I¡¯m not prejudiced against alchemy or anything. If anything, I¡¯m interested in it.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Interested?¡± [Elia] ¡°Magic Formations originated from the magic formations used by alchemy, so I¡¯m also interested in it. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s weird. I mean it is the origin of my field.¡¡Of course, I hate the frauds that give a bad name to alchemy, but it¡¯s not like all alchemists are frauds. There are also real alchemists in this world, who continue to research their field, hoping to bring out results, just like magic formation scholars. At least, that¡¯s what I think.¡± [Michelle] Elia was relieved when she heard that. ¡°I see.¡± [Elia] ¡°If possible, I¡¯d appreciate it if you could teach me alchemy.¡± [Michelle] But Elia wasn¡¯t an alchemist. Although she may have gained some knowledge from being acquainted with Ryouma, she wasn¡¯t skilled enough to teach others. And even if Michelle might not be prejudiced, Elia couldn¡¯t help but hesitate to introduce Ryouma when this was their first time meeting. ¡°Unfortunately, while I have met an alchemist in the past, I don¡¯t study the subject myself.¡± [Elia] Naturally, Elia refused her. Michelle didn¡¯t continue to pester her after that, and meekly backed off and prepared to perform her experiment. She placed the paper from before on the ground and took out a pink-colored powder from her bag and started mixing it with ink. ¡°Michelle-san. What is that?¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s ink. Just ink. The powder is made from crushing fire and neutral magic stones and mixing them together. The formations used in Magic Formation is different from the ones used in Alchemy. Mana can¡¯t course through them with just the magic formation alone. That¡¯s why I have to mix the ink with powdered magic stone and then write the magic formation with it.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Will something change if you do that?¡± [Elia] ¡°All I know is that the effect changes according the attribute of the magic stone mixed with the ink and the power changes according to the ratio of magic stone. For example, if you draw a formation using ink mixed with fire-type magic stone and course mana through it, you can create fire. The strength of the fire can be regulated through the ratio of magic stone in the ink and the fire itself can be controlled through the formation. You can¡¯t just draw the formation any order you want either. First, you have to draw a circle and then inside it draw the pattern. This part I don¡¯t understand very well.¡± [Michelle] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Elia] ¡°The efficiency varies according to the pattern drawn inside. But I don¡¯t know which pattern is most efficient. Because of that I have no choice but to draw all sorts of patterns to try them out and figure out which one fits for what purpose and which one is most efficient. Thanks to that, though, I need a lot of money to be able to purchase all the magic stones I need. Which consequently results in my research not progressing much all that much.¡± [Michelle] ¡°I see¡­ Michelle-san, why are you researching this?¡± [Elia] ¡°Because it¡¯s fun. A subject not researched by many and hasn¡¯t advanced as a result. Another way to put it is that there¡¯s still a lot more to be discovered. I want to discover those things and find out if they can be useful. Besides, I¡¯m the daughter of a count, and the household of Willdan has always been a line of researchers, so my family is supportive. ¡®If there¡¯s something you want to research, then go ahead and research it,¡¯ is what they told me. And they even gave me funds to help advance my research.¡± [Michelle] As Michelle said that, she couldn¡¯t help but think that she resembled Ryouma to some extent. Michelle drew the formation with the ink she mixed and then said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what reaction will come of this, so please keep your distance.¡± [Michelle] Elia immediately moved away from the formation. Seeing that, Michelle sent her mana coursing through the formation, causing a red light to illuminate. When Michelle saw that, she quickly ran away from the formation, and 5 seconds later¡­ A small fire ball flew out of the formation, shooting itself above the formation and giving rise to a sound akin to that of a firecracker. ¡°Kyaa!?¡± [Elia and ???] ¡°Ho, ho¡­ So, this is the kind of a reaction this one makes¡­ Hmm?¡± [Michelle] At first, Michelle was preoccupied with the reaction of the formation, but then she realized that there were two voices that cried out, so she turned around. When she did, she noted that the owner of the voice was a female student from the fox tribe who had entered the training facility. ¡°It seems I startled you. Sorry about that.¡± [Michelle] ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is a training area, after all. So, it¡¯s a given that there would be loud noises here. If anything I should be apologizing for intruding.¡± [???] ¡°Please don¡¯t. It¡¯s nothing like that. You¡¯re Miyabi-san, yes?¡± [Michelle] ¡°We¡¯re in the same class, right?¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s an honor to have the daughter of the Willdan family and the daughter of the Jamil family remember me.¡± [Miyabi] Miyabi answered formally just as one would expect when one spoke toward nobles. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal. Will you be training here?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Actually, I came here to pass a message to the daughter of the Jamil family.¡± [Elia] ¡°To me?¡± [Elia] ¡°Yes. An acquaintance entrusted me with a message. So, I thought I¡¯d call out to you today.¡± [Miyabi] Rumors might spread if others found out that it was a man who entrusted Miyabi with a message, so in order to avoid that, she took her time this past month, looking for a time when she could talk to her alone. One month after enrollment, she came to the training facility where Elia always went to alone, but for some reason, Michelle was here today, so she was actually panicking a little inside. Still, she was calm enough to be able to answer. ¡°A message for me?¡± [Elia] ¡°Yes. Does the name ¡®Ryouma¡¯ ring any bells to you?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°From Ryouma-san!?¡± [Elia] Ryouma hoped to give an opportunity for Elia and her to be friends, but whether they really became friends or not, whether they got along and got to know each other or not, was still something that depended on the both of them. Because of that although Ryouma did try to give them an opportunity to be friends, he didn¡¯t say anything to her. They have a common acquaintance, so it¡¯s not like they won¡¯t have anything to talk about. But another reason why Ryouma didn¡¯t tell her was because he wanted to surprise. So, yes, there was indeed a little bit of impishness regarding why Ryouma hadn¡¯t said anything to her. ¡°So, you do know him.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Yes, but how do you know him?¡± [Elia] ¡°I got acquainted with him through my dad. When I told him that I¡¯d be going to the academy, he asked me to pass you a message.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Elia] It was then that Michelle joined the conversation. ¡°Is that an acquaintance of yours, Elia?¡¡That Ryouma guy.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Yes. He¡¯s a bit weird, but he¡¯s my friend.¡± [Elia] ¡°Well, you¡¯re not wrong. He¡¯s definitely not normal.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Oh~¡± [Michelle] When Miyabi heard Elia say that, she muttered that out. And when Michelle heard that Ryouma was a strange guy, she couldn¡¯t help but become interested. ¡°So, what did Ryouma say?¡± [Elia] ¡°¡®Do your best¡¯. He seemed worried about you.¡± [Miyabi] Although it was only a few words, Elia could understand Ryouma¡¯s feelings from them. There was no reason to ask another person to pass on such few words. He could have just written a letter. So, he must¡¯ve remembered that Elia told him she had ¡®no friends¡¯ before they parted, and this was his way of helping her meet Miyabi. At the very least, this was Elia¡¯s conclusion. ¡°Thank you very much. I have indeed received his words. And, Miyabi-san¡­ Meeting like this must be some sort of fate. If you¡¯d like, won¡¯t you be friends with me?¡± [Elia] ¡°Are you sure?¡¡I don¡¯t know if someone like me is worth being told that.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Social standings don¡¯t matter at a place like this. And besides, it¡¯s too lonely to spend the rest of my days at school without any friends.¡± [Elia] ¡°In that case, please take care of me.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Can I join you ladies too? I don¡¯t have many friends myself.¡± [Michelle] Miyabi accepted Elia¡¯s offer with a smile. And Michelle joined in as well. Like this the three girls were able to meet and after shaking hands, their lunch break ended. When they got back to the classroom, they had to endure the boredom of the afternoon classes again. But on that day alone, they might have enjoyed themselves more than usual. Chapter 113.1 The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 113: Meanwhile II (1/2) After school the three girls talked idly at a corner of the courtyard. When lunch had ended and they had to return to their classroom, they took the opportunity to get to know each other along the way. After having gotten to know each other to some extent, Michelle proposed this. ¡°Hey, do you guys want to group up for training?¡± [Michelle] At this school, the students had to form groups of 5 to 6 people for magic and sword training. But because of personality issues, differences in perspectives, people with no sense of competitiveness, and nobles who did not want to be treated as equals with commoners, the grouping has been left to the students. Nobles would group up with other nobles. Commoners would group up with other commoners. And even if some students didn¡¯t follow that, they would still only form groups with those they acknowledged. Doing things that way minimized the odds of problems occurring or the group breaking up. But in the instance where there are still students with no groups left and the time given has already passed, the leftover students will be made to form a group regardless of social standing and/or add them into an existing group that lacks numbers. In those cases, the social standing of the students aren¡¯t taken into consideration. After all, the school has always remained steadfast on their policy not to discriminate students by their social status. But in that case, it¡¯s not hard to imagine that the students forcefully grouped together might end up with a terrible experience. If two ruffians were to be put in the same group, then the only thing the people within the group could do would be to pray they got along. Although Elia and Michelle would by no means be treated coldly, if there was someone they got along well, it would of course still be best to form a group with such people. That¡¯s why Michelle suggested to group up, and Elia and Miyabi also agreed. ¡°But in that case, we¡¯ll need two to three more people. After all, the groups need to be 5 to 6 people each.¡± [Elia] ¡°That¡¯s right. If we don¡¯t fill the whole group up, the students without a group will be pushed into ours.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Do the two of you know anyone who doesn¡¯t care about status and doesn¡¯t have a bad personality?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I can think of one such person.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Who?¡± [Elia] ¡°Riera Clifford. The eldest daughter of Baron Clifford.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Baron Clifford¡­ If I recall correctly, he used to be a knight, but was promoted due to his achievements. The Clifford family is known for producing brilliant knights every generation.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Exactly. Although she¡¯s a little proud and fussy about rules, she¡¯s not the sort of person to look down on other people because of their social standing and will acknowledge others if they have the skill. She treats every student equally.¡± [Michelle] ¡°She certainly fits the bill. Are you acquainted with her?¡± [Elia] ¡°There was a time when we met frequently. But then I became busy with my studies and my hobby research, while Riera was busy with her training, so we were no longer able to meet as frequently.¡± [Michelle] It was in this way that the three of them decided to invite Riera Clifford to their group. The three girls headed to the training area for swordsmen. When they arrived, Michelle pointed to a corner of the training area. ¡°She¡¯s over there. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Michelle] At the place Michelle pointed at was a girl who¡¯d tied her hair into a bundle behind her and was completely focused on swinging her sword. There was a dignified atmosphere about her. She was tall for her age and her face stood out from the crowd as she was quite the beauty. Although there were a lot of male students watching her from a distance, Michelle called out to her. ¡°Riera, can you spare me a minute?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Michelle? What¡¯s the matter?¡¡And those girls are¡­¡± [Riera] ¡°W-What¡¯s with that guy?¡± [Male Student 1] ¡°He actually has two girls with him¡­¡± [Male Student 2] ¡°And yet he¡¯s still calling out to Clifford-san?¡± [Male Student 3] ¡°Such a daring guy despite his frail body.¡± [Male Student 4] ¡°He¡¯s like a woman. Ah, wait a moment. When you look at his face¡­ Huh?¡¡Is that a guy?¡± [Male Student 5] ¡°Could he be a girl¡­ Hmm?¡± [Male student 6] ¡°¡­Anyway, let¡¯s find some place to sit and talk.¡± [Michelle] Under the impolite gaze of so many and being the object of misunderstanding, Michelle took Riera and brought her out of the training area. Elia and Miyabi followed them to an unpopular resting area. They sat themselves on the benches and explained the situation that led them to find her. ¡°I see. So you came to invite me? Thank you. I would love to join your group of three.¡± [Riera] ¡°Really?¡± [Elia] ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± [Michelle] Elia and Miyabi were elated, but Miyabi calmly asked Riera. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay with us?¡¡From what I¡¯ve heard, you have the top grades in swordsmanship and have been invited by several groups already.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve been invited, but they¡¯re all groups I can¡¯t find myself liking. It¡¯s obvious they just want to use me as a tool to improve their grades. And there were so many that didn¡¯t even bother to hide their lewd stares¡­ And besides, I can¡¯t people that look down and act against commoners. I don¡¯t want to be friends with those who mistakenly see their hubris as the pride of the nobles.¡± [Riera] Riera wore her youth and her zeal on her chest as she said that. Although still a student, her heart and mind were already that of a brilliant knight. Like this Riera was able to join them. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t know who to invite next. Chapter 113.2 - Meanwhile II The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 113: Meanwhile II (2/2) ¡°¡­I can¡¯t think of anyone. I don¡¯t know that many people.¡± [Riera] ¡°That¡¯s because all you care about is your sword.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Isn¡¯t the same true for you too, Michelle? All you care about is your studies. Although it might only be your curiosity but you can¡¯t really speak for others.¡± [Riera] ¡°True. But in that case, we¡¯ll have no choice but to rely on Miyabi. Being an apprentice merchant, I¡¯m sure you know a lot of people, right?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t really know that many people either.¡¡It¡¯s only been a month since school opened, and if I have to limit it to only the students with a decent personality that haven¡¯t entered a group yet, the number quickly goes down. Besides, we¡¯re all girls, so the new member has to be a girl too, right?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°If possible, a girl would be best. Although a guy is fine too as long as he doesn¡¯t look at us he doesn¡¯t give us weird looks.¡± [Riera] ¡°It¡¯s because your figure is so good, Riera-san¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Seriously, we were just on the same level before, so why is there suddenly such a big difference between us? ¡¡I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re so tight in all the right places too.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Where are you looking!?¡± [Riera] ¡°Hmm¡­ Everything?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Don¡¯t stare!¡¡We may be both girls, but it¡¯s still embarrassing!¡± [Riera] ¡°Calm down, Riera-han. But in that case, I really don¡¯t have that many candidates in mind¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°But you do have some in mind, right?¡± [Elia] ¡°Yeah, but then the balance of the group will break.¡¡I have four people in mind who can enter the group, but three of them are mages. If we go into combat practice now, the only one among us who¡¯ll be able to engage in close combat is Riera. If of those three, two of them were to join, then our group will be composed of one swordsman and 5 mages.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Right, that would certainly ruin the team¡¯s balance.¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯m not particularly concerned about our grades, but there¡¯s also some danger to practical training¡­¡± [Michelle] ¡°It would be hard for me to defend 5 people. If we get surrounded, it¡¯s over. The teachers will be monitoring and supporting us during practical training, but it¡¯s not good to rely on them. If possible, it would be best to have one more member who can fight in close combat.¡± [Riera] ¡°Unfortunately, while the last person I have in mind is not completely inept at fighting, she specializes at stealth missions and the use of traps, so more of a scout and less of a warrior¡­ And speak of the devil, she¡¯s here.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°UUu¡­ I was rejected today too¡­¡± [???] Elia and the others turned to where Miyabi was looking at, and there, a girl with dog ears and short hair was sitting on a bench. Although her head was hung low, she gave the impression of being a lively person. ¡°Is it her?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Her name is Kanan. A commoner. She¡¯s skilled with her fingers and specializes in making accessories and other devices¡­. After the basic education, her plan for the future is to become a craftsman.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I see¡­ So what do we do?¡± [Michelle] ¡°I have no complaints as long as her personality is fine. If she can¡¯t fight, I¡¯ll just do my best to protect her.¡± [Riera] ¡°I¡¯m okay with her too.¡± [Elia] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll call out to her. Wait here for a bit. ¡­Kanan-han, do you have a minute?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Kanan] When Miyabi called out to the girl who had her head down, her head suddenly sprung up. ¡°Ah. You¡¯re, Miyabi-san, right? ¡­Do you need something from me?¡± [Kanan] ¡°I¡¯m looking for members for our group, so I was wondering if you¡¯d like to¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Really!?¡± [Kanan] The moment Miyabi mentioned the word, Kanan jumped up and took her hands, startling her. ¡°Anyway, my other group members are here too, so let¡¯s talk first.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°By all means please!¡± [Kanan] Miyabi brought Kanan to where Elia and the others were. Kanan¡¯s eyes were sparkling as she introduced herself in a loud voice. ¡°I am Kanan Shuza!¡¡Please take care of me!¡± [Kanan] Michelle seemed to have noticed something from her last name and said. ¡°Please take care of me too. There¡¯s something bothering me, though. Your last name is Shuza? Could it be you¡¯re¡­¡± [Michelle] The moment Michelle mentioned her last name, Kanan¡¯s face grew cloudy, causing Michelle to be unable to finish her sentence. But because Kanan could tell what she wanted to ask, she answered her. ¡°Yes. It might sound arrogant to say so myself, but I am indeed from that famed magic craftsman family of Shuza. Unfortunately, I¡¯m no good as a magic tool craftsman, so please don¡¯t expect anything from me on that front.¡± [Kanan] ¡°No good?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Because I¡¯m an enchanter that uses special enchantment.¡± [Kanan] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Michelle] ¡°Sorry, but can I ask you to explain that further?¡± [Riera] Kanan, Michelle, and Miyabi seemed to understand, but Riera and Elia had no idea what they were talking about. Because of that Kanan had to explain enchantment magic. ¡°Since ancient times, Enchantment Magic has always been a branch of magic that only those with born with a special body could use. It is said that only to those who have inherited the lineage could use it. Presently, with the increase of descendants, enchanters are being born throughout the world, but from time to time, an enchanter is born with the same type of body as the first and is capable of special enchantment.¡± [Kanan] The person born with the constitution is unable to cast any magic other than enchantment magic. ¡°But enchantment magic needs to be used alongside the spell one wishes to enchant the object with, so since I can¡¯t use any magic other than enchantment magic, I can¡¯t make a magic tool alone.¡± [Kanan] ¡°I see¡­ Sorry for asking you something so sensitive.¡± [Riera] ¡°It¡¯s alright!¡¡Since you need to decide whether you¡¯ll be accepting me into your group or not, it¡¯s only natural to ask about it!¡± [Kanan] There wasn¡¯t a hint of hesitation in her as she said that so honestly. It¡¯s true that in practical training, which is still somewhat dangerous, one should say what one is capable of and not, but just because one ¡®should¡¯ say it doesn¡¯t mean that one should so easily divulge information that could be disadvantageous to oneself. If it¡¯s something hard to say, then one could be equivocal about it, and a bad person could just outright lie. What Kanan was saying now was essentially her saying that she was incapable of such things. Because of that the four girls looked upon her favorably. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s her. What do you guys think?¡± [Riera] ¡°I agree.¡± [Michelle] ¡°I too would love to have her join us.¡± [Elia] ¡°In that case, we¡¯re decided.¡± [Miyabi] When Kanan heard that, her jaws dropped to the floor. And what came out of her wide-opened mouth were a few words. ¡°¡­Huh? You¡¯re accepting me?¡¡Me? I can¡¯t use sword, you know? I can¡¯ use magic too!¡± [Kanan] ¡°We don¡¯t mind that at all.¡± [Elia] ¡°Your abilities aren¡¯t the important part.¡± [Michelle] ¡°If you can¡¯t fight, I¡¯ll just have to protect you.¡± [Riera] ¡°So join our group, Kanan-han. Of course, if you don¡¯t want to, you can refuse¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°No way I¡¯d refuse!!¡¡Thank you so much!!¡¡Groups have been rejecting me all this time, so I was really worrying what to do!!¡¡Thank you so much for taking me in! I look forward to working with you!!¡± [Kanan] On that day, Kanan was able to avoid having a terrible school life from having a split group. Although after this, when she finds out that the three girls other than Miyabi were all nobles, two of which was the daughter of a count and the other the daughter of a duke, she was so shocked she almost died, but let¡¯s leave that story for another time. What¡¯s important is that these girls were able to create friends they could talk with at ease. Though quarrels might occur between them from time to time, there was no denying that the school life of these girls have turned for the better. Chapter 114.1 - Searching the Forest I The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 114: Searching the Forest I (1/2) It¡¯s been three days since we left Gimuru. I spent most of time taking care of our food and learning how to handle horses from Miya-san and Mizelia-san. When we left Gimuru, monsters like goblins attacked us many times, but Raypin-san immediately dealt with them with his magic. Even when there were a lot of them, they couldn¡¯t reach us given that we had a carriage¡¯s worth of first-rate adventurers. There was little opportunity for me to fight, and with nothing to do, I had too much time on my hands. So having heard that being able to drive carriages would prove useful, I asked around and they happily taught me. Because of that, for the first time in my life, both in this life and my previous life, I¡¯m learning how to drive a carriage. ¡°You¡¯ve got most of the basics down. All that¡¯s left now is for you to familiarize yourself with it.¡± [Mizelia] Nice. Mizelia-san, who was watching me from beside me, gave me her seal of approval. ¡°Thank you very much, Mizelia-san.¡± [Ryouma] But I still can¡¯t say that I¡¯ve fully learned it just yet. If I don¡¯t keep practicing after this job is over, I¡¯ll forget it again for sure. Should I buy a carriage when I get back?¡¡¡­But I feel like I won¡¯t have much opportunity to use it, so it feels like a waste. I¡¯ll also be needing a horse. Hmm¡­ I better think it through first. 4 hours after that, the forest finally came to view. Another 20 minutes later, we could see the gate of a town. There will be a lot of pedestrian traffic from here on, so I switched seats with Mizelia-san. I leisurely watched the gate and the townscape, and as it turn out, this town is a lot smaller than Gimuru. But it was still fairly lively. All the buildings in town were built with wood and we often passed by carriages loaded with lumber. I wonder if this town is thriving with forestry. ¡­While I was thinking to myself, we arrived at our inn. We had 3 men and 4 women in our party, so we separated ourselves into two groups and checked in. After that we gathered intel on recent treant sightings at the guild and prepared for tomorrow. The next day. ¡°Are you ready, de gozaru?¡± [Asagi] At Asagi-san¡¯s voice, we all nodded and stepped into the forest. At the lead were Miya-san and Mizelia-san. Next were Syria-san and Wereanna-san. Then me and Raypin-san. And then at the rearmost was Asagi-san. The forest was dimly lit and thick. If it were just that it would be no different from the Forest of Gana, but something felt different. Somehow, the air felt stagnant, making the place feel stuffy. ¡°Mu¡­ There¡¯s one already. Miya, there¡¯s a tree a little thicker than the others 10 meters ahead, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Is that the one, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Yes, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Miya-san pointed to a tree and asked. The tree she pointed at was a needle-leaved tree that had a trunk with a diameter of 30 to 40 centimetersand a height of about 4 meters. It really looked no different from the surrounding trees. It was a little bigger than the other trees just as Raypin-san said, and I feel like the branches are longer too, but unless you really pay attention to it, it¡¯s not something you¡¯d notice. After Raypin-san confirmed the target and the others confirmed that there were no other treants nearby, Mizelia-san and Miya-san took out their axes and approached the tree. The enemy today is a treant, so the women have equipped themselves with a nata hatchet and a small axe. When they approached the tree, its branches suddenly bent and whipped at them from above. But they easily dodged them. It sure is surprising how those branches, which look so hard, are able to move about so easily. They even tried to wrap themselves around Mizelia-san after she dodged. But Mizelia-san just cut them down with her axe. When the branches of the treant drooped a little, its trunk tilted slowly. ¡°It¡¯s okay now, nyaa!¡± [Miya] ¡°It¡¯s dead.¡± [Mizelia] As we approached the two girls waving at us, I noticed that Miya-san¡¯s axe was stuck to the treant. I was standing at a shadow earlier, so I couldn¡¯t see very well, but it seems she¡¯d struck the face-like lump of the treant with her axe. Its forehead had been cleanly cut in two. ¡°If you dodge the branches and hit it like this, you can kill it, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°It¡¯s fairly easy to defeat when alone, so next time, why don¡¯t you give it a try yourself, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Thank you very much. ¡­?¡± [Ryouma] While I said that, I noticed that Raypin-san, who was beside the two girls giving me advice, was making a difficult face. ¡°Raypin-san, what¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We found one too quickly, de aru. Treants are monsters that favor the darkness of the deeper areas of the forest. It¡¯s rare to find one near the entrance of the forest like this, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Now that he mentions it, there weren¡¯t any reports of treants near the entrance of the forest from the information of the guild. ¡°There might be a lot of treants deep inside.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°It could also just be a stray treant, but we better be careful, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] At that, we all became alert. As we cut off the branches of the subjugated treant, we stored them in Raypin-san¡¯s dimension home and we started walking again. After walking for a while, we found another treant. ¡°Here¡¯s one, de aru. Ryouma, give it a try, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I stepped forward and drew my big iron slime katana. By the way, the sheathe is the big metal slime. Thanks to the harden skill, the big iron slime katana is plenty durable and sharp. They¡¯ve already gotten used to transforming, themselves, so in the rare instance where the katana is broken, they can just remake it instantly. ¡­Using my mana perception, I once again confirmed the target treant. I clad my body and katana in ki and held my katana in the eight directions stance. This treant is thinner than the previous treant. When I entered its attack range, its branches came whipping at me from above. As I dodged it, I got around to the right side, where I was able to see its lump that was its weakness. Immediately, I swung down my katanas and scraped off the face of the treant from the side. The moment I cut out its face, the treant let out a groan, but it didn¡¯t harm me in any way. The cut off lump fell and hit the root of the treants, then it rolled to the ground. It seems I was able to kill it with one stroke. As mana quickly left the treant, its branches drooped and its trunk tilted just like the previous one did awhile ago. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any problem, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°We need a lot more, so let¡¯s keep this up.¡± [Syria] The dangerous part about treants is their ability to mimic other trees and attack by surprise. Which goes to say that as long as you can spot them before entering their attacking range, their threat level quickly plummets. For the mean time, it seems we won¡¯t be having any problems with dealing with them in one-on-one scenarios. I don¡¯t know how we¡¯ll fare when fighting a forest of them, but we¡¯re about to find out very soon. After that we continued to hunt treants inside the forest until it was afternoon. Around the time when I had gotten the hang of fighting them, we found a forest of treants, so we killed them all and retrieved their lumber. When we counted our kills, we found out that we¡¯ve already managed to hunt 147 treants. Originally, this part of the forest was supposed to be open and be a place for people to rest at, but because there were so many treants, it looked like the forest was merely continuing. This wasn¡¯t in the report yesterday either. ¡°We still have time, so there¡¯s no need to rush securing the treant lumber. Right now I¡¯m more concerned about the discrepancy between the report and the actual number of treants here, de gozaru. We should report this to the guild as soon as possible¡­¡± [Asagi] There¡¯s certainly a huge discrepancy. If you include everything we¡¯ve hunted until now, we¡¯ve alerady gathered nearly 200 treants. Our minimum quota was about 300 treants, but now that we¡¯ve gathered more than half of that so quickly, we decided to go back to town for the time being. Chapter 114.2 - Searching the Forest I (2/2) Volume 3 Chapter 114: Searching the Forest I (2/2) When we reported the strange situation of the forest to the receptionist girl, erm¡­ woman would be better fit I suppose given she was a bit old¡­ But anyway, she made a mysterious face and said this. ¡°I see¡­ Thank you very much. Actually, there were others who came before you who reported that the forest was acting strange. We¡¯re actually in the middle of sending people deep into the forest to investigate.¡± [Receptionist Woman] ¡°I see. Do you have any idea what could be causing this outbreak, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°There¡¯s a possibility than an Elder Treant may have been born. Treants are always being born at that forest, and once every few years to a decade or so, we get a report of one being sighted.¡± [Receptionist Woman] ¡°So that really is the case¡­ Would it be a problem if we entered the forest?¡¡Regulation-wise, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Feel free to enter it as you please. There won¡¯t be any problems so long as you¡¯re A Rank or B Rank.¡± [Receptionist Woman] I¡¯m an E Rank, but I¡¯ll just keep quiet, I think. Besides, it doesn¡¯t seem like she plans on stopping just me from entering the forest. And as far as the woman was concerned, since we were going to the forest anyway, we might as well take a subjugation job. Adventurers could accept multiple jobs at the same time. Taking one job and then another job on top of that that could be done within the vicinity of the first job to increase one¡¯s income is common among adventurers that have the effort to spare. In this case, we can pick up a hunting job and be compensated for hunting the treants, and at the same time, we can also collect them and bring them back to Gimuru with us, allowing us to be paid a second time for a collection job. The only objective of the job here is to defeat treants, while the objective of the job from Gimuru is to gather treant lumber, so doing both at the same time won¡¯t cost us any extra effort, while giving us double benefits. We can complete the job if we just hunt treants like we did today. Like this we gathered information and also picked up a treant subjugation job. The next time we enter the forest will be tomorrow, so I¡¯m free until then. ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans, so now I have a lot of free time on my hands.¡± [Ryouma] It would be a waste to just kill time, so I entered my Dimension Home and trained with the slimes. Today I¡¯ll be training the spear with the poison slimes. As I set my mind on that, some 10 minutes later, an idea suddenly came to mind. What would happen if I gave Melzen¡¯s spear to the poison slime? That spear rotting in my Item Box. It might be a bit heavy, but surely even the poison slime should be able to use it as a spear. But I wonder if they could use it as a magic weapon.¡¡¡­I know now that when a slime evolves, it releases mana, but can it only release mana during evolution?¡¡Or can they do it anytime they want? Curious. I have to test it. I called over a poison slime and ordered it to release mana. When I did, it readily released mana. This might actually work! Now that it¡¯s come to this, I quickly took out Melzen¡¯s Spear from my Item Box. I ordered the poison slime to hold it and infuse it with its mana. The next moment, fire shot out of the end of the spear. ¡°!¡¡It worked!¡¡Can you swing the spear?¡± [Ryouma] The poison slime handled the spear in front of me. As expected, because the spear was heavy, its movements were slower than usual, but¡­ It can definitely use the spear. But as the slime continued to show off its skill with the spear, it gradually grew slower and slower. ¡°It¡¯s tired? Normally, I can never notice it when they¡¯re exhausted. Maybe it¡¯s out of mana?¡± [Ryouma] I better put a stop to this. But just as as I was thinking that. The poison slime dropped the spear and its body shrunk. ¡°What happened!?¡± [Ryouma] I ran over to the slime and examined it, but its life didn¡¯t seem to be in danger. It was still somewhat weakened, though. It¡¯s now about half the size of a normal poison slime and its movements are dull. ¡­For the meantime, I fed it poison-type mana while looking after it. ¡°I doubt it¡¯s because of the Shrink skill that it became smaller. After all, the poison slime doesn¡¯t know that skill.¡± [Ryouma] I used monster identify on it, and just as I thought, it didn¡¯t have the Shrink skill. Then why?¡¡Is it because I made it use mana?¡¡¡­I can¡¯t think of any other reason, but then why would its body shrink when it uses mana? ¡°Body¡­ Mana¡­ Could it be, it used its own body?¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t have any proof, but is it possible that slime bodies are made out of mana?¡¡With that I found an explanation on why the slime shrunk after using mana. I can¡¯t think of any reason other than that. But mana is neither something that could be seen nor touched like a slime¡¯s body. The slime¡¯s body being mana might be able to provide an explanation for the phenomenon, but¡­ ¡°¡­No. Let¡¯s put this matter away for now.¡± [Ryouma] For the meantime, I¡¯ll just accept the hypothesis that slime bodies are made out of mana. I¡¯ll reconsider it after talking to Raypin-san. When supper came, I asked Raypin-san, but he said he didn¡¯t know either. In the first place, there were barely anyone in the world who would give something as expensive as a magic weapon to a slime, so actually, just the fact that the slimes could even release mana was a shock to Raypin-san. In the end, however, the conclusion he came to was that it was possible. Monsters contained more mana within their bodies than normal animals, and even monsters that couldn¡¯t use magic were no exception. As such, the slimes being able to use mana wasn¡¯t anything surprising. But the argument that the slime¡¯s body itself is mana, which would be why they shrunk after using mana, wouldn¡¯t be able to hold for cases like the earth slime or the heal slime since they always use mana but don¡¯t shrink. More research is needed¡­ The next day. We¡¯re hunting and gathering treants today too. Still, there sure are a lot of treants. We¡¯ve been taking turns taking breaks from hunting from morning until noon, and we¡¯ve already gathered approximately 600 treant lumber. ¡°My Dimension Home is going to be full soon, de aru. I think we should end the day soon, de aru, but what about you guys, de aru?¡± [Raypin] We¡¯ve already accomplished our goal and we still have time. No one disagreed, so we decided to end our job for the day. ¡°!¡¡Ryouma!¡¡Look at that, de aru!¡± [Raypin] While on our way out of the forest, Raypin-san suddenly pointed at the sky and yelled. At the direction he pointed at was a small green ball floating between the trees. Is that¡­ A huge dandelion fluff on top of that thing?¡¡What is that? ¡°It¡¯s a slime, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡°A slime!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The fluff slime possesses the ability to fly, de aru. I believe you don¡¯t have this slime among your ooze, right, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Yes. In fact, I never even knew about it. Can we catch it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A trivial task, de aru. ¡®Pick Up¡¯¡± [Raypin] Raypin-san gazed at the slime above, stretched out his hand, and then chanted. Suddenly, the slime that should have been floating in the sky appeared just some distance away from his hands. ¡°What was that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A dimension spell that teleports the target near your hand. The condition is that you need to be able to see the target. Also, it¡¯s hard to aim, so it doesn¡¯t have much use, but depending on who or what you¡¯re using it against, you can use it to catch something without harming it at all. Which is why I use it to catch monsters for research, de aru. I used the same spell to catch the grell frogs I needed for research, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Now that he mentions it, during the grell frog outbreak, he did mention catching them with a spell. So this was the spell he used. ¡°Enough about the spell, hurry up and make a contract with it, de aru. This place isn¡¯t exactly safe, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Right.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly formed a contract with the fluff slime in front of me. It was just big enough to fit the palm of my hand. After forming a contract with it, I stored it in my Dimension Home, and then I thanked everyone for keeping watch for me. I might have walked a bit quicker than usual after that. The sun still hadn¡¯t set by the time we got back to town. I went straight back to our inn and used Monster Identify on the Fluff Slime. Fluff Slime Skills Flight Lv1 Accelerate Growth Lv5 Lighten Lv10 Photosynthesis Lv3 Absorb Lv1 Split Lv8 It has Photosynthesis, so I guess it doesn¡¯t need Digest. The Absorb is probably for water. As for the Flight, Accelerate Growth, and Lighten skills. They are skills I¡¯m seeing for the first time. And then there¡¯s¡­ Woah! The level of Split is so high!¡¡But since the fluffy parts do stick like dandelion fluffs, does that mean it reproduces just like dandelions do? For the meantime, I decided to lift up the Fluff Slime and test its Lighten skill. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] The moment the skill was invoked, all the weight vanished from the slime and it became light. Although, it was already lighter compared to the other slimes, it still had some weight to it. But now, even that weight was gone. It¡¯s still the same size, though. I¡¯m curious what¡¯s going on with its physical mass, but it seems the only thing it can lighten is its own body. Well, if it could affect other things too, then someone should¡¯ve long realized that it would be useful for carrying stuff. Hmm¡­ While the slime is under the effects of Lighten, the little wind I make from moving my arms is enough to send it flying. This is probably the Flight skill. ¡­I feel like it¡¯s closer to floating rather than flying, but it can change its altitude by changing its weight and/or the rate by which it gains or loses it. That being said, that doesn¡¯t really change the fact that it¡¯s just relying on the wind to move it. After observing it, I spoke to Raypin-san, and apparently, Fluff Slimes can ride on the wind and reach distant places. It¡¯s a monster that could be spotted pretty much everywhere. Just that there¡¯s rarely ever a lot of them. The Split level is so high, though, so why? When I asked that, the Fluff Slimes do spread just like dandelion fluff when splitting, but not all of the fluffs become a Fluff Slime. And in the case that a lot of Fluff Slimes are born, a nearby village could find them annoying and request that they be exterminated. As for what the Fluff Slimes are capable of, that¡¯s something I¡¯ll have to think about after this job is over. Chapter 115.1 - Searching the Forest II (1/2) The next day. We¡¯re hunting treants again today. If there¡¯s anything different, it would be that I¡¯ve already gotten used to fighting them. Because of that I was able to beat them a lot easier compared to when I first fought them during our first day. Thanks to that, the quota that would¡¯ve originally taken one week could now be finished much earlier. If our hunting rate were slow, it would¡¯ve taken us two weeks to meet it, but considering our hunting rate today, we might be able to finish up by today or tomorrow and be on our way back to Gimuru the next. ¡°Ha!¡± [Ryouma] With a stroke of my blade, I cut the face of the treant from the forehead to its jaw. Continuing, I slashed upward with my katana and cut the face of the treant to the right in half. A different treant came whipping at me with its branches from above, but I dodged it and cut its branches down. I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while now, but when I cut the treants from the side, their faces really look like a mask. While I was thinking something dumb like that, I finished defeating the third treant. When I looked around me, there were no more treants nearby. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve already gotten used to hunting treants, Ryouma.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Ryouma has always been good with the sword, so it didn¡¯t take him long to get used to them, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] ¡°There¡¯s no waste in his movements, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Thank you very much. My grandfather throughly beat my martial arts into me, so I¡¯m actually quite confident with it.¡± [Ryouma] Although the forest is a bit dangerous, we can still talk casually like this with each other. It¡¯s not good if we¡¯re too relaxed, but it also won¡¯t do us any good to be too tense. As we progressed deeper into the forest, the air changed. Mana Perception¡­! ¡°Raypin-san¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umu. There¡¯s a lot of them, de aru. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t tell how many of them there are exactly from here, de aru. Asagi.¡± [Raypin] ¡°There¡¯s probably an elder treant at the end of this, de gozaru. Let¡¯s proceed while making sure we have a path of retreat. If it¡¯s too much for us, we¡¯ll retreat and bring back information to the guild, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] We paid attention to our surrounding as we advanced. ¡°Ha!¡± ¡°Nyaa!!¡± ¡°¡ª!¡± ¡°EI!¡± ¡°Wind Cutter!¡± A new forest of treants appeared from the direction we were advancing in. The treants that noticed us moved toward us and attacked. There were so many of them that we couldn¡¯t deal with them all. The women attacked the faces with axes and nata hatchets, while Asagi-san cut below the faces with his long sword. Raypin-san supported with his magic, while I made sure to take down the treants that tried to go behind us to prevent us from getting surrounded. ¡°¡­¡± There was no end to the treants that came from the forest depths. Fortunately, the treants weren¡¯t strong individually. Moreover, the treants we were fighting had unrooted themselves so they could move, so whenever we beat them, they would tumble to the ground and free up our line of sight. ¡°We¡¯re still holding on, but there¡¯s no end to them!¡± [Syria] No one responded to Syria-san, but everyone knew that we all agreed with her. ¡°From my mana perception, almost all the trees in this area are treants, de aru!¡¡Let¡¯s cut them all down, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡°Don¡¯t push yourselves!¡¡It¡¯s not a shameful thing to retreat!¡± [Asagi] ¡°We know!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°We can only enjoy our life while we have it!¡± [Mizelia] Despite what everyone was saying, they weren¡¯t actually all that serious. After glancing at the enemy, we would quickly move to the next treant and fight. As expected, everyone was either an A Rank or a B Rank, and this level wasn¡¯t anything to them. I decided to focus on my job, as the treants coming my way increased a little. I sheathed my katana and ordered the Big Metal Slime, who was acting as a sheathe, to separate themselves. ¡°Mu!?¡¡What are you doing, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°I just thought I¡¯d up my pace!¡± [Ryouma] There were 100 metal slimes on my feet. I picked up two slimes and ordered them to transform. The metal slimes transformed into throwing axes. Throwing axes are projectiles, so naturally, I strengthened them with ki and threw them. ¡°O¡­¡± ¡°O¡­ Oo¡­¡± The two axes cleanly drew an arc and struck the face of the two treants that approached. In the next moment, the treants fell. I took another metal slime, turned it into a throwing axe, and threw it. Like that I just kept throwing one metal slime throwing axe after another! From my experiences until now, I know that the mana of the treants isn¡¯t distributed perfectly equally. The mana throughout the body of the treant may seem equal at first, but there¡¯s actually one spot where there¡¯s more mana than anywhere else. That place is none other than their weakness, their ¡®face¡¯. Apparently, the face of the treants is necessary in order to distribute mana throughout its body. In other words, it¡¯s the equivalent of a human heart to them. And when that spot is damaged, their mana would quickly leave their body, and they would die¡­ If you liken their face to the heart, and their mana to blood, then they¡¯re really just like humans. But unlike blood, the flow of mana can be grasped with Mana Perception. Which means that as long as you can use Mana Perception, you can find the weak point of the treants. That¡¯s why I know exactly where to aim. By attacking them from outside their range, I could take them down in a single blow. And since I¡¯m not using mana, I won¡¯t run out of mana nor will I get tired easily since my body is strengthened by ki. ¡­Honestly, treants are actually pretty easy now. Even better, had I been merely using normal throwing weapons, then I¡¯d eventually run out of axes and be unable to attack anymore. But what I¡¯m throwing are metal slime throwing axes. After throwing them, they can pick themselves up and roll themselves back to me. Therefore, my ammo is infinite and I don¡¯t even have to waste my time gathering my axes. Chapter 115.2 - Searching the Forest II Volume 3 Chapter 115: Searching the Forest II (2/2) The treants would attack the metal slimes when they tried to come back after being thrown, but given how slow the treants already were, chasing after another target only made them easier to hit and I could kill them before they could even get into range. This battle is actually now so easy it no longer feels like one. By the way, all the metal slimes that got hit were unharmed. There simply was no way for wooden branches to put a dent on what were basically lumps of iron. It was in this way that I one-sidedly gave the beatdown to all the treants that tried to get behind us, while the rest of the party took down the treants in front. In the blink of an eye, the number of treants dwindled and the surrounding area turned into a graveyard of treants. The normal trees in this part of the forest were sparse. ¡°Anyhow, it looks like we managed to survive that¡­ Still, it sure is strange, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°What is?¡± [Ryouma] When Raypin-san muttered that something was strange, I asked him what was bothering him. ¡°First of all, there¡¯s too many treants. In fact, I¡¯ve never seen these many gathered in one place, de aru. The second reason is this place. Treants are trees that become monsters due to mana, but I¡¯ve never heard of such a large area of trees being transformed into treants. Lastly, because of that, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Raypin-san pointed toward a giant tree in the distance. I could feel powerful mana coming from it, so it¡¯s most likely¡­ ¡°That¡¯s an elder treant?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So it seems¡­ But while I¡¯ve seen elder treants many times now, I¡¯ve never seen one that big and with such powerful mana to boot, de aru. I¡¯m also concerned why that elder treant isn¡¯t approaching us, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Miya-san had approached the tree and was a little closer to it. She asked before I could ask. ¡°Maybe it just hasn¡¯t noticed us yet, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Impossible. We¡¯ve killed so many of its brethren. It¡¯s possible it doesn¡¯t think it can win against us, so it¡¯s not attacking, but then it would be even stranger for it to simply stay rooted there instead of running away, de aru.¡± [Raypin] In that case¡­ ¡°Is there a reason it can¡¯t move from that spot?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Reason would lead one to believe so, but there¡¯s no precedence for such behavior. At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of an elder treant that¡¯s neither attacking nor fleeing, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°It¡¯s a bit dangerous to leave it alone, so we should either kill it or at least bring back some information to the guild. Raypin, Ryouma, how¡¯s your mana?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°No problem, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve barely used my mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right. I never thought you¡¯d actually turn your slimes into throwing axes and throw them, de gozaru. ¡­Alright. In that case, keep your guard up, and we¡¯ll rest a little bit more. After resting, we¡¯ll take down that elder treant, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] After making up our mind to hunt the elder treant, we went over the special traits of the enemy again. Just as was previously mentioned, the elder treant is a more advanced variant of the treant, so after being reminded that we had to watch out for its wood magic, we went to rest. During our resting period, everyone was interested in my slime projectiles. Especially, Syria-san, who used a bow. ¡ùSlime Weapon¡ù ¡°Ryouma-kun. Those weapons of yours were slimes, right?¡± [Syria] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all seen my huge scavenger slime from before. It¡¯s not much different from that. Just that the slimes I¡¯m using now are metal slimes and iron slimes. In other words, it¡¯s just an ooze of slimes fused with each other. I specialize in the katana, but unfortunately, it¡¯s very hard to get one nowadays, so this is how I solved it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s good that you were able to solve your problem, de gozaru. But your metal slimes turned into an axe, did they not?¡± [Asagi] ¡°Yes. My weapons are formed thanks to the special ability of the slimes to ¡®shape their body into anything¡¯ and the special trait of the metal and iron slimes¡¯ ¡®metal body¡¯. By taking advantage of these two traits, I¡¯m able to acquire a weapon that can transform into anything. Some few days ago when I went to buy equipment, I spoke with Tigger-san from the weapon store.¡± [Ryouma] He ran a weapon shop, so he was interested in the slime, and I talked to him about various things. We talked about many things, such as, ¡°If it can change shape, then it should be able to transform into other weapons¡± ¡°You should be able to change its shape according to the circumstance and the enemy¡± ¡°Even if the shape is the same, if it isn¡¯t strong enough, it¡¯ll just end up being dangerous to you instead.¡± In the end, I cooperated with Tigger-san, and successfully taught the slimes all sorts of different weapons. ¡°Knives and katanas were no problem right from the start, but weapons like axes, which I rarely used, were a bit harder. Tigger-san said that they still had a long way to go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And in the end, you were able to get a result like that scene just now. Wasn¡¯t it difficult teaching them so many weapons, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Not really. The slimes share their experiences while fused, so after learning the weapons as a big slime, they could still retain the knowledge after separating.¡± [Ryouma] Moreover, not only can the slimes come back on their own after being thrown, they also possess the skill of big slimes, ¡®Enlarge¡¯ and ¡®Shrink¡¯, so I can freely change the size of my weapon from a one-handed sword to a great sword. Because of that even if the katana gets dented, the slimes can just fix the dent immediately. ¡°What a crazy weapon.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Not only do you not need to spend time buying replacements, you also get to save money.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Forget the time and money, the reliability of a weapon that has infinite durability is ludicrous.¡± [Syria] ¡°Running out of ammo is normally a problem when using ranged weapon too, nyaa¡­ This is just cheating, nyaa¡­¡± [Miya] The women were all audibly very shocked. ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out a rope from my Item Box. ¡°Check out this rope. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s very durable?¡¡It¡¯s made out of the most durable thread that my sticky slime can puke out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s certainly slender and durable, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Try cutting it with this axe, Mizelia-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright¡­ Huh?¡¡I can¡¯t seem to cut it.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°It¡¯s durable, right?¡¡I spoke to Tigger-san about the material of this rope too, and in the end, he decided he would try using it to create an armor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma, one of these days your whole body is going to be covered in slime, nyaa.¡± [Miya] We chatted like that while resting. When break time ended and we started walking toward the elder treant, a change suddenly occurred on the metal slime. ¡°Please wait.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Asagi] ¡°The metal slime is¡­ afraid?¡¡¡­It seems to be scared of something.¡± [Ryouma] Because of the effects of the contract, I can tell how the metal slime is feeling. Right now, it¡¯s so scared it¡¯s barely able to keep itself from running away. This fear¡­ Is there something here that it¡¯s weak against? ¡°Is it okay, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°Unfortunately, my metal slime won¡¯t be able to fight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Withdraw them then. It¡¯s best not to push them needlessly.¡± [Raypin] I stored my metal slimes into my Dimension Home. Still, I¡¯m concerned. That fear wasn¡¯t normal. I thought maybe they have an enemy in the vicinity that¡¯s really strong against them, but the only thing in the area is an elder treant. ¡°Are elder treants especially strong against slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Never heard of it, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡­Just as he says, the only ones scared were the metal slimes. The iron slimes are perfectly fine. Just what is wrong with the metal slimes?¡¡¡­Well, at least the iron slimes can fight. I do have some spare weapons with me, but the iron slime katana is my best weapon. We continued on our way toward the elder treant while paying attention around us. This time a change occurred to our surroundings. ¡°The tree to the left!¡± [Raypin] ¡°Nyaa!¡± [Miya] When we passed by the sparse trees, they were just normal trees. I know this for sure because of my Mana Perception. Raypin-san was probably the same too. But from those sparse trees, one such tree beside us suddenly attacked. The tree had suddenly transformed into a treant. Fortunately, Raypin-san was able to immediately detect it and order Miya-san to kill it. ¡°What¡¯s going on, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Raypin?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°This tree was not a treant until just now, de aru. It just suddenly transformed. But such a thing should be impossible, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Treants are trees that mutated into monsters due to the presence of mana, but the mutation is not something that occurs in an instant. Normally, it¡¯s a slow process. While Raypin-san said those things, another tree among the sparsely placed trees transformed. ¡°Raypin-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umu. The treants are being born one after another, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Well, this is unexpected¡­¡± [Mizelia] ¡°There¡¯s no way we could have expected something like this.¡± [Asagi] There¡¯s way less of them compared to before, so they¡¯re not exactly a threat, but this unusual situation is still concerning. While thinking that, I focused my Mana Perception in order to be able to deal with the surrounding treants. As I did, I felt mana coming from the soil. ¡°There¡¯s something under the ground!¡¡¡¯Break Rock¡¯ ¡®Breeze¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] I broke the part of the ground where I sensed mana from with Break Rock, and then conjured a strong wind with my wind magic to blow the rest of the ground away. Underneath the ground was the root of a tree. It was from that that I felt the presence of mana. When Raypin-san saw that, he yelled. ¡°The root of an elder treant!¡¡¡­Could the elder treant be injecting its mana into the trees through its roots and transforming them into treants, de aru?¡¡That would explain why trees transform quicker when an elder treant appears. Still, I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s actually one strong enough to be able to use it to sneak attack on us. What a surprising discovery, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡°Leave the research for later! Defeat them first!¡± [Syria] ¡°Is the only way to solve our predicament to defeat the elder treant?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°It¡¯s likely, de aru. If we just leave the elder treant be, there¡¯s a chance more treants will appear, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°There¡¯s 500 meters until the elder treant. Let¡¯s make a run for it and take it down quickly, de gozaru. Ryouma, I¡¯ll leave the rear to you. We¡¯ll take care of the elder treant, so you take care of the pursuing treants, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] ¡°Understood!!¡± [Ryouma] It didn¡¯t take long for us to start moving. Wereanna-san, Miya-san, Mizelia-san, and Asagi-san took out the treants in front, while I, Raypin-san, and Syria-san followed from behind. Thanks to how slow the treants moved, they couldn¡¯t block our way. But as we neared the elder treant, its main body attacked us. We were still outside the range of its branches, but it was able to attack us through its roots buried in the ground. It used wood magic just as the intel said it could and tried to seize us it with its roots. Raypin-san cut the roots with his Wind cutter, while we cut at them with our weapons. There were a lot of them, however, and it was especially hard to dodge the attacks by our legs. ¡­Oh, I know! ¡°Pavement!¡± [Ryouma] This is a spell I used when building the pavement for the store. If I harden the ground with this, I should be able to buy some time. ¡°I¡¯ll support you!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks!¡± [Wereanna] Like this we were able to run up to the elder treant and attack it. Chapter 116 - Searching the Forest III Volume 3 Chapter 116: Searching the Forest III (2/2) Another reason why we decided to try out my plan is because it was likely that the elder treant could not make all metals rust equally. Although it is true that the impossible could be made possible through the conjuration spells born from the visualization of the phenomenon and the employ of mana, it doesn¡¯t mean that anything can be done so long as these two conditions are fulfilled. To some extent, the rules of nature are also in play. Yes. Nature can be twisted with the employ of a spell, which requires the union of mana and imagination, and yet the more the laws of nature are twisted, the more mana is consumed. Which goes to mean that there is a limit. And it is because of that so-called limit that I was able to predict that a piece of metal that was naturally difficult to rust would prove to be equally difficult to rust magically. Yet with just that, the iron slimes would still be in danger should the battle continue for a long time, so I made sure everyone understood that point. As such, before committing to the battle, we decided that we would first test the waters by throwing one slime at the treant. If this attack were to fail, then I am to quickly retrieve the slime and run away. Afterwards, I will heal the slime using the method Raypin-san taught me. The most important part of a slime is its nucleus. Some rust on the surface will not be a problem. As long as the spread of the rust can be contained before it reaches the nucleus, the slime can still be saved. But if the attack works, then we will continue with the battle. Using the information we got from our last battle with the elder treant, we came up with a plan to defeat it in as little time as possible. Once the battle is over, I will gather my slimes and heal them with light magic just to be safe. If we can¡¯t defeat the elder treant, then in that case, we can just run away again¡£ Everyone agreed to help me retrieve the slimes and retreat, so we challenged the elder treant to another round of war. ¡°Heave ho!¡± [Ryouma] This time, I¡¯m fighting at the frontlines as well, so the battle is a lot fiercer than before. In the first attack, the elder treant whipped its branches at me from above. In its second attack, it shot out a Dark Ball toward me. In its third attack, it blocked the road with its roots. The elder treant also tried to entangle me, but I cut its branches and forced my way through. And now, the face of the elder treant is right before me. I¡¯m going to keep running toward it like this and strike it with my sword. ¡°OOOOOO!!¡± [Ryouma] Or at least that¡¯s what I had in mind, but as expected, the elder treant wasn¡¯t about to just watch me cut its face, and as it prepared to shoot out another Dark Ball, it whipped its branches toward me. Twisting my body, I moved along the direction of the branches and spun counterclockwise, then with a stroke from my blade, I cut down the branches. The excised part fell to the ground. At this point, the Dark Ball finally launched itself toward me, but I dodged it and quickly found myself underneath its face. If this were a human, this would be the point where I lopped its neck off from left to right with a stroke of my blade, but while ki-clad sword cut through the elder treant like hot knife through butter, leaving a large wound in its wake from which a great amount of mana poured out, it was not down for the count just yet. ¡°UoOO!¡± [Elder Treant] Oh? Is the elder treant feeling threatened now?¡¡It seems to be the case since it reduced its attacks and started healing itself with wood magic. Unfortunately for it, there wasn¡¯t a soul here who was just going to watch it as it recovered. ¡°Flame Lance!¡± [Raypin] Raypin-san casted a fire spell and shot it straight into the elder treant¡¯s wound. It was the intermediate spell, Flame Lance, too. Shooting fire right into a wound is bound to be super effective. True enough, the regeneration rate of the elder treant immediately went down a level. Not willing to miss the opportunity, Miya-san and the others went all out, and traces of their weapons could be seen thoroughly engraved on and around the elder treant¡¯s face. But while they went all out on the elder treant, I didn¡¯t join them and instead prepared to launch my attack. I ordered the Big Iron Slime it to bring 15 slimes out of it and then transform. Very quickly, the big iron slime turned into an iron ball that could be carried with both arms. Iron thorns dotted it and there were even semi-circle handles that were open at the center on it. As for the separated iron slimes, I put them together to build a chain, then I attached them to the handles on the iron ball. It took me roughly 5 seconds to complete everything and change my weapon from a katana to an iron ball and chain. ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± [Ryouma] This iron ball specializes in dealing a lot of damage in a single blow. It¡¯s perfect for dealing with large-type monsters. When I pulled on the chains, it made a ¡®jara jara¡¯ sound. The only condition to use it is a strong physique or strengthening magic since the iron ball is heavy. As for me, I can use it thanks to my ki. When I swung the iron ball and chain, it made a sound like it was cutting through the air. I¡¯m not used to it myself, so I can only hit unmoving targets with it! ¡°Good. Clear the area!!¡± [Asagi] At Asagi-san¡¯s signal, everyone who¡¯s been attacking until now immediately stopped and cleared the area. My target was none other than the elder treant¡¯s face! ¡°HAa!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!!?¡± [Elder Treant] The iron ball hit it right at its nose. In the next moment, cracks appeared on the elder treant¡¯s face and even more mana poured out. Its face was already covered in wounds and was very fragile, so when the iron ball landed on it, its face gave in. I was originally planning on beating it 4 to 5 times, but it looks like I took it down with just one hit. The roots and branches around have already stopped moving. But¡­ It seems it¡¯s still alive, after all. ¡°Finish it, Ryouma.¡± [Asagi] ¡°You¡¯re the one with who contributed the most, after all, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Syria] ¡°End it once and for all.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] As I spun the chains again, I threw the iron ball with all my strength, hitting the forehead of the elder treant. ¡¯TOGO¡¯ resounded a loud dull sound, then the elder treant¡¯s face crumbled. Mana poured out powerfully from the elder treant, but it only lasted for a while, before the flow gradually weakened, and before long, I couldn¡¯t sense anymore mana. ¡°Is it dead?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It should be, de aru.¡± [Raypin] After confirming that there were no problems, I used my light magic to heal the iron slimes. It doesn¡¯t look like they got hurt at all, but just to be safe. Anyway, it¡¯s great that everything ended without a hitch. While I was thinking that, I shot Light Ball at the iron slimes. ¡°Well, it¡¯s over¡­ for now, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] As Asagi-san said that, his eyes turned to the piled up corpses of treants. Oh, right. We still have to gather those. How long is that going to take us? Not to mention, both mine and Raypin-san¡¯s dimension home are already full. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. As soon as you finish healing your slime, we¡¯ll go back to the town to report once. We¡¯ll get some help then to carry all of these. We can get the costs reimbursed at the guild when we get back to Gimuru.¡± [Asagi] And so, we went back to town and reported to the guild. We¡¯ll leave the gathering of lumber for tomorrow. For now, let¡¯s just get a good night¡¯s rest. Chapter 116.1 - Searching the Forest III (1/2) Volume 3 Chapter 116: Searching the Forest III (1/2) We ran for the Elder Treant while brushing aside the roots that attacked us. The surface of the elder treant was dark and the circumference of its trunk was greater than 10 meters. Being around 20 meters tall, it was a large tree and had a grace about it appropriate for its great stature. But because of the swollen lumps and cracks on its trunk, it looked more sinister than majestic. On top of that, the face on the trunk of the elder treant was an ellipse as big as an adult and was positioned near the roots. The texture and the size of it only served to make the whole tree appear spookier. ¡°Ryouma, Raypin! Stay away from branches and support us!¡¡Syria, you support them!¡± [Asagi] We confirmed that we received our orders and stayed where we were just as we were ordered to. While the ground was paved via Pavement, I turned my iron slimes into axes and threw them at the slow treants to wipe them out. Raypin-san supported me with his magic, while Syria-san cut the roots that approached me and Raypin-san. ¡­Asagi-san and the others were attacking the elder treant, but it was a lot more tenacious than expected. On top of its large body, the wood magic, Grow, was particularly troublesome. Originally, Grow wasn¡¯t a healing magic, but because the elder treant was a plant type monster, Grow could make it grow, thereby causing an effect that¡¯s essentially the same as healing. Right now, we have the advantage, but we can¡¯t let our guard down. ¡°OoOOOO!¡± I heard a strange sound I couldn¡¯t make heads or tails of. I don¡¯t know if it it¡¯s supposed to be a groan or a scream, but when I looked to the side, Mizelia-san had struck the face of the elder treant with her axe. They¡¯ve been hitting the elder treant for a while now, but this last attack was deeper than anything they¡¯ve dealt to it yet. Without a moment¡¯s delay, Wereanna-san and Miya-san attacked the elder treant again. But¡­ ¡°Tch!¡± [Wereanna] ¡°Nyaa!?¡± [Miya] The elder treant suddenly counterattacked. A black ball appeared from its mouth and shot toward Wereanna-san. Despite being taken by surprise, she was able to dodge, but because the elder treant followed up with an attack from its branches, she had no choice but to stop attacking. That spell just now¡­ That¡¯s the darkness-type spell, Dark Ball! Wereanna-san was forced to stop, but Miya-san was still continuing. This time the elder treant released a black mist from its mouth. When Miya-san saw that, she jumped back. ¡°What is going on, nyaa!?¡± [Miya] She cried out in surprise. When I took a closer look, I saw that her axe was quickly rusting. ¡°What was that just now!?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°That was a dark ball!¡¡This elder treant can use dark magic too¡¡That effect is probably from dark magic as well, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡­Hey, hey, this wasn¡¯t written in the intel. ¡°There are too many unexpected things surrounding this elder treant!¡¡Retreat for now! We need to come up with a plan first, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] At Asagi¡¯s behest, we didn¡¯t try to forcefully defeat the elder treant and instead decided to retreat. After leaving the attacking range of the elder treant, we rested while talking. ¡°Miya, how¡¯s your arm?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°My arm¡¯s fine, but this axe is a goner, nya..¡± [Miya] When Miya-san showed her axe us, the metal part was clearly rusted and the edge of the blade was already crumbling. ¡°When that black mist touched it, this happened, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°This is terrible.¡± [Asagi] ¡°If our weapons get turned into this, there¡¯s no way we¡¯ll be able to fight.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Raypin, can¡¯t you think of a way?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of an elder treant that can use any magic other than wood magic. I¡¯ve also never herad of a darkness-type spell that can cause weapons to rust. One way to deal with dark magic is to use healing magic as light magic to purify the mana, but¡­ That¡¯s not something we can regularly rely on during battle, de aru.¡± [Raypin] So the effect of that darkness-type spell is rust?¡¡¡­Could it be that¡¯s the reason why the metal slimes were so scared?¡¡But in that case, then why? Wait, now that I think about¡­ It¡¯s still a hypothesis, but I should mention it to the others. When I told everyone my hypothesis, we decided to go back and fight the elder treant. There¡¯s a lot of unexpected things surrounding this elder treant, but it¡¯s not actually that strong. And even if things do get dangerous, we can easily run from it, so it wasn¡¯t all that risky to try out my plan. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± [Asagi] ¡°Pavement!¡± [Ryouma]¡± I turned the road into pavement again to block the elder treant¡¯s root attacks. When we neared the elder treant, the elder treant started releasing black mist. Looks like it¡¯s wary of us. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Let¡¯s try it!¡± [Ryouma] I threw an iron slime throwing axe. I aimed at the face of the elder treant and threw it with all my strength. The axe drew a parabola in the air as it plunged into the black mist. ¡°OOOOO!¡± The iron slime axe splendidly landed on the forehead of the elder treant. Due to the effects of the contract, I could tell how the iron slime was feeling. Because of that I knew that it was alright. ¡°It¡¯s unharmed!¡¡As I thought, that spell can¡¯t affect the iron slime!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s finish this treant, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] As Asagi-san said that, he moved for the elder treant¡¯s face. Miya-san, Mizelia-san, and Wereanna-san followed too. The last to follow was me, as I was casting Fire Arrow while attacking. The plan I proposed to everyone was to use the iron slime weapons and armor to fight. When I recalled how the metal slimes were so scared before fighting the elder treant, I figured that the metal slimes must¡¯ve naturally feared it because it was metal. Raypin-san could see where I was coming from. As such, since the iron slimes weren¡¯t scared, then I figured they must¡¯ve had some way to resist that mist. But it wasn¡¯t all conjectures too. Another reason for my plan was fueled with a piece of otherworld knowledge, which I taught to them under the excuse that it was my grandpa who taught me. The purer the iron is the harder it is to rust. And the iron slimes evolved after eating nothing but the iron produced from my alchemy. In other words, they possess a body of super high purity iron. . Chapter 117.1 - Searching the Forest IV Volume 3 Chapter 117: Searching the Forest IV (1/2) The next day. The adventurers guild sent 15 adventurers to the place where we fought the elder treant yesterday. Today we¡¯ll be relying on their help to gather the lumber, but everything that can¡¯t be stored in Raypin-san¡¯s Dimension Home will have to be stored at the guild¡¯s storage temporarily. The guild will deliver them by carriage at a later date. Why? It¡¯s simple. We killed too many treants. So many, in fact, that even the adventurers that were dispatched to help us were shocked when they saw the scene of carnage. That was a staggering forest of over 1000 dead treants. There were just too many of them during the battle that we really couldn¡¯t do anything unless we beat them first. And with every member of our party within their attacking range, we ended up defeating every single one of them. When all was said and done, this was the result. Actually, I was pretty worried about the forest considering how many treants we killed, but when I asked the local adventurers about it, they said it was fine. Apparently, the trees of this forest are a type of tree called Torigiri, and while there¡¯s not that many places they can grow, they possess a powerful life force. In fact, they grow so fast, it only takes them half a month to grow back after being cut. And even in seed-form, they¡¯re ridiculously fast, needing only about a year before they can be harvested as lumber. That¡¯s why even if we cut so many trees today, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Come next year, this place will be thriving with the lush green of life, almost as if nothing had ever happened. In the first place, there¡¯s not a lot of people who go this deep into the forest to harvest lumber, or at least that¡¯s what the guy tells me. And while his explanation managed to convince me that everything would be alright, it also served to remind me that I really am in another world. How many years would it take for a seed to grow into a tree back on Earth? It would take decades for sure, and yet the seeds here only need a year. It seems Earth¡¯s common sense doesn¡¯t always work around here¡­ ¡°Let us begin, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] At Asagi-san¡¯s behest, we started gathering the treants. From time to time, we would happen onto a living treant, so we would swiftly take care of them, and then go back to gathering lumber. Asagi-san and the others gathered the lumber in one place, then Raypin-san and I stuffed them into our Dimension Homes and went back to the village to store them. Rinse and repeat. By working together and transporting the lumber with magic, we managed to finish everything by 3PM. I also sent Eins to the adventurers guild at Gimuru, so they could prepare to receive the lumber. In any case, with this we have managed to complete another objective for our treant lumber gathering mission, and the adventurers that came to help us went back to town. As for us, though, we still had one more job left to do. ¡°Sure saved the best for last, didn¡¯t we?¡± [Syria] It was time to disassemble the elder treant and claim our spoils. The job we received from Gimuru was to gather lumber from the treants. The elder treant wasn¡¯t part of our contract. At times like this, its up to the discretion of the hunter on what to do with the hunted prey. In our case, we¡¯re going to be using it to pay for the help we got from the adventurers guild. Or at least a part of it anyway. Elder treant lumber is actually a really good material to make staves with. They¡¯ll surely sell for a high price in the market, so it would be really wasteful to just throw them away. As such, we¡¯re going to be claiming a part of the treant for ourselves. We sure got our work cut out for us, though. ¡°Well, it¡¯s the last job. Let¡¯s hurry it up and get this over with.¡± [Wereanna] Wereanna-san took out her nata hatchet. First things first was cutting the branches. I climbed up the ladder I prepared beforehand, but the elder treant was so big, there were still places I couldn¡¯t reach even with the ladder. So, I asked the others to deal with the branches I couldn¡¯t reach, while I took care of only the ones I could. Of the tools I used was the durable rope woven out of the sticky slime¡¯s thread and the metal slimes that were turned into metal fittings for securing stuff. First, I took the end of the rope and made a knot and a loop, then when I was sure that the metal slimes were in place and secured, my grappling hook was completed. I swung my grappling hook, and with my eyes set on the target, I threw it. The grappling hook flew into the air just as I¡¯ve intended, wrapping itself around the thick branches. I tugged on the rope several times, but it didn¡¯t even budge. Looks plenty sturdy to me. Using the rope, I climbed up the tree until I was in a good position to aim, then I cut at the branches one by one using my Wind Cutter. When I¡¯d run out of branches to cut, I changed positions and repeated the same thing. At first, I thought it would be easier to just let the branches fall to the ground, but apparently, the branches are better suited for making wands or staves than the trunk, so since they¡¯re likely to break if I cut them off from the tip, I had to do it the hard way. Slowly but steadily, I cut the branches one after another, until eventually, there was nothing left to cut. I was able to finish cutting the branches within the day, but there was still work to be done. We decided to just leave it off for tomorrow, though. As expected, climbing up and down a tree over and over is really exhausting. Chapter 117.2 - Searching the Forest IV The next day. Today, we¡¯ll be working on the elder treant again as a continuation of our work yesterday. We¡¯re done cutting off the branches, so today we¡¯ll be digging out the roots and then cut them off. ¡°Hey, guys! Check this out!¡± [Ryouma] But something unexpected happened. When I dug out the roots with me and my earth slime¡¯s earth magic, many rotted crates right under the elder treant appeared. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Syria] ¡°Did something happen?¡± Mizelia] ¡°It seems something has been buried here. Look.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are these¡­ crates?¡± [Mizelia] ¡°There¡¯s a lot, nyaa.¡± [Miya] ¡°Why would these things be buried here?¡± [Wereanna] ¡°For the mean time, let¡¯s take a few of them out and see what¡¯s inside, de aru.¡± [Raypin] As Raypin-san said that, we carefully retrieved the crates and opened them. Inside one of the crates were many cloudy-white-colored stones. ¡°What are these things?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re magic stones, de aru¡£Used ones. When magic stones have mana, they¡¯re transparent like a crystal, but when they run out of it, their color changes to that of a cloudy white. So all of these have already been used up, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°¡­It might be a good idea to inform the guild about this.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and inform them, de aru. You can keep digging and examining the crates, de aru.¡± [Raypin] No one disagreed with him, so Raypin-san teleported back to town. As for us, we recovered the rest of the crates one after another and opened them. Most of them were filled with used-up magic stones. But there were also some magic stones that haven¡¯t been used up yet. Among those, we found some neutral-type and darkness-type magic stones. We also found out why there were so many magic stones here. ¡°I¡¯m back. Did anything happen, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Good day. I was sent by here by the guild¡­ Eek!?¡± [???] The girl Raypin-san brought back with him wanted to greet us, but because of that she saw the things by our feet. I¡¯m sure anyone would be shocked if they didn¡¯t have the time to prepare themselves. After all, the things by our feet are corpses. Skeletons, in fact. ¡°T-Those are?¡± [Guild Girl] ¡°They were buried with the crates, de gozaru.¡± [Asagi] Although their bodies have long rotten, it could still be seen from structure of the bones that they probably belonged to several men. ¡°They still have some of their belongings with them too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much¡­¡± [Guild Girl] ¡°Are you alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, I¡¯m okay with blood and wounds, it¡¯s just corpses like these that I¡¯m bad with¡­ Sorry about that. Please let me help you.¡± [Guild Girl] I examined the corpses¡¯ belongings with the frightened girl, and from the ledger they had with them, we found out that they were magic stones merchants. The illegal sort. These magic stones were probably the goods they were smuggling. We still don¡¯t know if the reason they chose a place this deep into the forest was just for a deal or if this was were they hid their smuggled goods, but we do know that it was because th elder treant was able to suck so much mana from these magic stones that it was able to grow so big. Its also likely that it was because of these stones that it was able to summon so many treants and even became able to use dark magic. The reason the elder treant couldn¡¯t move from here was most likely because it couldn¡¯t run away while carrying all these crates full of magic stones. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. I¡¯ll leave you to continue your work. Have a nice day!¡± [Guild Girl] Looks like she just came here to check the situation rather than investigate. She looked like she was running when she left. After watching her leave, we went back to work. Now that the elder treant has been laid on its side, I had the iron slime and metal slimes turn into large saws, and with those we cut the elder treant apart and then stored it in my Dimension Home. With that, we¡¯ve completed all that we needed to do at this town. Unfortunately, because of what we found at the end, the sense of accomplishment that we should be feeling has turned complicated. And so¡­ ¡°How about we drink today?¡± [Ryouma] In order to get rid of that strange atmosphere, as well as reward ourselves for the job we¡¯ve done until now, we decided to treat ourselves to a drink after supper. The place we would be drinking at was my Dimension Home. ¡°We still have to travel back to Gimuru, but at least, we¡¯ve already secured the needed lumber. This job is as good as done. Tonight, let us toast, de gozaru. Cheers!¡± [Asagi] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone Else] At Asagi-san¡¯s toast, we all started drinking and ate the snacks in front of us. The snack we chose to go with our drink tonight is tempura. Apparently, you could get a lot of wild vegetables at the forest where we hunted treants. There was a lot being sold at the town grocery. Only Asagi-san knew about tempura, but I talked a lot with the others on our way here, so they were already interested in trying out Japanese cuisine. What was even more surprising, though, was the fact that the people of this country apparently don¡¯t have many opportunities to eat deep-fried food. ¡°And here I thought French fries were commonly sold considering the Founding Festival we just had recently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have deep fried food, but you know how deep fried food wastes a lot of oil?¡¡Well, because of that it costs a lot of money, and it¡¯s also a bit wasteful throwing all that oil away. To top it off, you can¡¯t reuse the oil because they say it¡¯s bad for your health.¡± [Syria] ¡°And if you don¡¯t know how to cook well, you¡¯ll end up starting a fire. That¡¯s why that sort of cooking is usually eaten at festivals.¡± [Mizelia] So that¡¯s why people tend to avoid it at normal households¡­ I think that¡¯s a bigger waste, though. Using a lot of oil is the right way to cook. And besides, the reason why reusing oil is bad for the body is because of the oxidation, but in my case, I can just use alchemy to separate oxygen from the oil, and as long as the oil is clean, I can use it again. ¡­In fact, even if it¡¯s dirty, I could just use Alchemy to separate the filth from the oil and I could still use it. I know it¡¯s a bit late for me to be saying this, but I just realized that I¡¯ve been using alchemy for cooking like with oil and juices. I wonder, am I really using alchemy correctly?¡¡Well, it is convenient, so I don¡¯t plan on stopping using it anytime soon. ¡°I gotta say though, Ryouma, your slimes sure are weird.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°Slimes are omnivorous, so I suppose it¡¯s not that strange to see one drinking, de aru, but¡­¡± [Raypin] ¡°It¡¯s really tasting it. It¡¯s even eating snacks.¡± [Syria] Right. On top of the 3 men and 4 women in here, we also had a special guest. Mr. Slime. Ever since I gave it ale, it would approach me whenever I started drinking by myself. At first, I thought it was just like the slimes that drank water, but it jumped straight into my mug of ale. I eventually made a sake cup especially for it, and then gradually, it got more and more used to drinking. Lately, it would even pour for me by itself whenever my cup went empty, and it also started eating snacks. While I was telling everyone that, the slime suddenly started shaking. ¡°Oh, could it be?¡± [Raypin] ¡°What¡¯s going on, nyaa?¡± [Miya] ¡°The slime is evolving.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Kanan] There¡¯s no doubt about it. It¡¯s evolving. When I told everyone that, all eyes gathered on the slime. Just like the other slimes, it started releasing and sucking mana, then after about 10 minutes, it evolved. ¡°¡­It stopped, de aru.¡± [Raypin] What kind of slime did it evolve into? Drunk Slime Skills: Produce Alcohol (Ethyl) Lv4 Disease Resist Lv3 Absorb Lv1 Split Lv1 Divine Protection: Divine Protection of Tekun the God of Wine ¡­Wait just one moment. It drinks alcohol, so it¡¯s fine that it¡¯s called drunk slime. It also makes sense that it learned the new skill, Produce Alcohol (Ethyl). That makes perfect sense since it likes to drink alcohol. But why in the world did it also receive Tekun¡¯s divine protection? Can you even give a slime a divine protection? ..Ah, whatever. I¡¯ll just ask Tekun about later. For the mean time, let¡¯s check its mana¡­ Darkness, Water, and Wood, huh. Raypin-san called out to me. ¡°Ryouma, what did it evolve into, de aru?¡± [Raypin] ¡°Ah, umm¡­ It seems it evolved into a Drunk Slime. It also learned the Produce Alcohol (Ethyl) skill. It¡¯s probably a skill to produce alcohol.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So another weird slime, de aru?¡± [Raypin] I took out a new mug and asked the slime to show off its new Produce Alcohol (Ethyl) skill. As expected, when the Drunk Slime started puking out its guts into the mug, the substance stank of alcohol. According to the results of Identify, the slime puke was about 40% alcohol and was safe for human consumption. But¡­ ¡°Fuu¡­ It¡¯s liquor, alright. But¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But?¡± [Raypin] ¡°It¡¯s all strength and no taste.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not particularly tasty nor smelly, it¡¯s not delicious too. This isn¡¯t something you drink by itself. You gotta soak it with something like Japanese plum brandy or some fruits and turn it into a fruit wine of sort. Yes. This needs researching. While I was thinking that, we toasted again to celebrate the slime¡¯s evolution. And as we enjoyed ourselves with the liquor and the snacks, we concluded the day in pleasure. Chapter 118.1 - An Invitation to Training (1/2) A few days later. When we returned to Gimuru and reported to the adventurers guild, we were swiftly brought to the adventurers guild. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. I got the gist of it from Ryouma¡¯s message. I¡¯m glad you all made it back in one piece. So, yeah. Let¡¯s hear that report.¡± [Wogan] At the guild master¡¯s behest, Asagi-san started his report. His report wrapped up the main points well, so it was easy to understand, and the whole thing didn¡¯t even take 10 minutes. After getting permission to leave, however, the guild master spoke. ¡°Oh, sorry. Ryouma, I need you to stay.¡± [Ryouma] And he asked me to stay behind. I don¡¯t know why, but if the guild master says so, then I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Like that I found myself alone in a room with the guild master. ¡°Give me a sec¡­ I know it was here somewhere¡­¡± [Wogan] The sound of pages of documents being flipped filled the room. ¡°¡­Found it! It¡¯s this one. Because you came back a lot earlier than expected, they¡¯re still accepting applications. Want to give it a shot?¡± [Wogan] The words ¡®Training for New Adventurers¡¯ was written on the document the guild master handed to me. ¡­According to this, the training will last for 5 days starting in the morning 5 days from now. The training will be about ¡®Camping Techniques¡¯, which are necessary for any adventurer to work. It will be held at a place known as the ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯. As for the application, the lower part of the document is actually it, and if I fill in the name section and submit it, I¡¯ll be able to join. There¡¯s nothing strange about that, but there¡¯s just one thing. This form isn¡¯t actually an application for a trainee. Rather, it¡¯s an application for an instructor. ¡°It¡¯s a training program about camping for new adventurers.¡¡It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be going some place particularly dangerous like a snowy mountain. And besides, what¡¯s the point in sending a guy who¡¯s lived all alone by himself out in the woods for so many years to ¡®camping¡¯ training?¡± [Wogan] Point taken. So, that¡¯s why he wants me to teach them? ¡°It¡¯s part of it. But this job is also for your sake.¡± [Wogan] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You want to raise your rank to go to the Great Shurus Forest, right?¡¡Well, the thing is, you can¡¯t just raise your rank by being strong. If you take jobs like this proactively, though, you¡¯ll be able to raise your rank a little faster.¡± [Wogan] Huh¡­ I didn¡¯t know that. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s provided that one has the strength appropriate for the rank in the first place. It would be a huge problem for the organization if the low rankers don¡¯t receive proper training, so we treat people who help us out on that front a little better. In your case, there¡¯s nothing to complain about as far as ability goes, but your age is definitely an issue. You¡¯re too young. In the first place, the so-called C Rankers, which is the rank at which you¡¯ll be able to enter the forest, are people who¡¯ve given up on improving their rank any further and have switched it up to making a moderate living while preparing for retirement. It¡¯s a rank a normal guy would achieve after much effort through the years. So, if you want to rank up quickly, then it would be best if you take jobs like this.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As your rank rises, so does the difficulty and danger of the jobs increase. There will be more jobs you can¡¯t accept alone, and there will be more cases where you¡¯ll have to make an impromptu party with people you¡¯re meeting for the first time. ¡­I¡¯ve been thinking this since I saw you register at the guild. You¡¯re the type of guy who prefers to be by himself and doesn¡¯t like working with others, right?¡¡If you include this last job and the latrine pits, you worked with Asagi and the others twice. If you add the time you entered the abandoned mine with Miya¡¯s group, that makes three. You formed a group with others that many times, and I¡¯ve never heard of anyone complaining about you. It¡¯s also unlikely that you wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with others, although you might find them a bother. Anyway, I won¡¯t say anything bad. But you should get used to forming groups with other people from now on. Get used to forming parties with people you don¡¯t know.¡± [Wogan] Is this job that helpful in that regard? ¡°I think so. The impromptu parties I mentioned earlier mostly choose their leader based on who¡¯s the highest ranked or the strongest. You¡¯re aiming for the top, so it would be really pathetic if the time came and you said ¡®I can¡¯t do it¡¯.¡± [Wogan] ¡­The guild master did personally recommend the job¡­ And it¡¯s for my benefit, so¡­ Why don¡¯t I give it a shot? As awkward as I may be at it. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do it. One thing, though. This document only mentions the destination and the schedule. Who are the other instructors?¡± [Ryouma] Shouldn¡¯t I talk to them first about how we¡¯re going to teach the students? ¡°Ahh, don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll get to know them on the day of training. That¡¯ll be enough.¡± [Wogan] When the guild master talked about the details a bit more, I found out that the training camp is a bit different from what I¡¯d imagined. First, the new adventurers that will be participating are either coming alone or as a party. They will be doing their own preparations for the camping, and then they¡¯ll meet with the instructors and leave town together. But there won¡¯t be anyone who¡¯ll be put in charge of the students. ¡°I left the management of the event to an experienced adventurer I picked. As for you, your job is to aid him. Make the necessary preparations and gather at the designated time. As for what to teach, you can just teach them how you camp. That¡¯s also how the other instructors do it. Besides, I say camping, but it¡¯s really just people bringing their stuff and making do with whatever is out there. There are a lot of ways to make things work. As long as the adventurers can see how veteran adventurers do things and learn the ropes, then I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll prove useful and be of help to them someday.¡± And that¡¯s why he¡¯s just letting us do it our way, huh? ¡°You don¡¯t have to do or say anything extra to teach. Those who want to learn and feel like learning will learn from how you do things. Just be sure to answer when they ask you a question. The most important part about being an instructor is to make sure that everyone¡¯s safe. So if you see them doing something dangerous, stop them. But you can heal them with healing magic, so it¡¯s fine to let them get hurt a little.¡± [Wogan] What a rough teaching policy. It¡¯s almost as if they want the students to get hurt. And the job of the instructors is to ensure that that ¡®hurt¡¯ isn¡¯t permanent. ¡­Huh. But then again, maybe they¡¯ll remember it better that way. Interestingly, though, the responsibility of an instructor with a curriculum like this might actually be heavier than normal. Chapter 118.2 - An Invitation to Training (2/2) ¡°Good day, Maelyn-san.¡± [Ryouma] After leaving the meeting room, I went to the designated location and dropped off the treant lumber from my Dimension Home, then I went to see the receptionist. ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun. You¡¯re here to receive your compensation, I take it?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°That and I¡¯ll also be applying for the training next week. I would also like to purchase some information.¡± [Ryouma] I presented my guild card and my application form. ¡°Information¡­ Alright. How about this booklet?¡± [Maelyn] The receptionist took out a booklet from under the reception desk. It seemed to have the information regarding the ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯. ¡°I thought this might fit the bill since you just wanted to purchase information on the ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯ to prepare for the training camp. What do you think?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Yeah, this could work. But how much information does this booklet actually have?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It has information on the poisonous insects presently living in the area. Information on the medicinal herbs that could be gathered from the area. And finally, it also provides geographic information through the inclusion of a simple map. It was made just for the training camp, so it actually has all the necessary information.¡± [Maelyn] That¡¯s what she says. I guess I¡¯ll take her word for it. ¡°I¡¯ll take it then. Take the payment from the payment for the treant lumber.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for using our services. How about taking another job while you¡¯re at it?¡± [Maelyn] This time she handed me a list of jobs. ¡°This is?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The training camp isn¡¯t just about going there and camping. Doing work while you¡¯re there is also a part of it. In fact, one of the obligations of a trainee is to perform a job during training. Although you don¡¯t have to do any since you¡¯re an instructor, but if you do take a job with you, you¡¯ll be able to make a little extra.¡± [Maelyn] Hmm¡­ Huh? When I looked through the list, I noticed there were a lot of collection jobs for poisonous insects and medicinal herbs. Every one of these things can be used to concoct medicine, so it¡¯s not that strange, but¡­ ¡°Excuse me. About the job to collect the roots of the Giamana Herb, would it be alright if I brought the goods to a branch in another town?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not difficult to find Giamana Herb and gather them, but you have to bring them back quickly, as you only have about half a day after digging one out ¨C or at most, within the day ¨C to bring them back before the herbs can¡¯t be used anymore. I don¡¯t know where the Field of Poisonous Insects is, but considering the schedule of the training camp, it¡¯s likely that the herb and its roots will go bad if I have to bring it all the way back here. They might still pay for it, but I doubt they would considering it would be an inferior product then. There were also other herbs on the list that either require special handling or are difficult to gather. Especially, this ¡®Bark of Tormak¡¯. Isn¡¯t it out of season to be looking for something like this? When I think of Tormak Bark that¡¯s meant to be used as an ingredient for medicine, the only thing that comes to mind is that naturally peeling bark that can be found at the end of winter at the onset of spring. Even if you scrape the surface of trees right now, the material you¡¯ll get won¡¯t have the potency expected of a medicinal ingredient. ¡°Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. Hey, lend me your ear.¡± [Maelyn] Maelyn-san leaned over the counter and brought her beautiful face near mine. ¡°I can¡¯t talk too loudly, but the thing is this list actually also includes ¡®traps¡¯ as part of the training curriculum. All these jobs can be done ¨C either via completing them or giving up on them ¨C as long as one gathers information beforehand properly, but without that, there are also jobs here that¡¯s sure to fail. Of course, these won¡¯t leave a mark on their record.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Ahh, I thought it might be like that.¡± [Ryouma] I wonder if this is how things are usually done. ¡°That¡¯s a bit hard to answer. All guilds train their members, but the circumstances change according to the environment, so the methods are usually left to the discretion of each branch¡­ I¡¯m sure there are other places that do things like we do here, but I¡¯m sure there are also those who would prefer to study intensely for a month in a classroom instead. So, in other words, it¡¯s completely dependent on what the people in charge want. Oh, as for the methods we¡¯re applying at this branch, they¡¯re all the guild master¡¯s ideas.¡± [Maelyn] Well, he did pull a surprise attack on me during my registration exam. Figures, I guess. ¡°You can tell other instructors about this if you want, but please keep it a secret from the trainees. Please.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Alright. Also, I won¡¯t be taking any other jobs this time. This way I can pay better attention to the students.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure. Now, here¡¯s your payment for the last job you took. Your party members¡¯ share has already been split and the cost for the information has also already been deducted. You can have your guild card back too.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I stored the payment in my bag, then I left the guild. Chapter 119.1 - A Legacy’s Burden (1/2) I dropped by the store to let everyone know that I was back, then Carm-san came to give me a report of what happened in my absence. Everything was going well as usual, but there were two matters unrelated to the store that needed my attention. ¡°This was from Vyezen.¡± [Carm] As Carm-san handed me a letter, two frames with a note could be seen on the desk in the office. Vyezen¡­ Where did I hear that name before? Oh, yeah! That¡¯s the name of Fina-san¡¯s village!¡¡It was written in their resume, but I¡¯d completely forgotten about it already. Right. That¡¯s what their village is called. ¡°Huh. This letter is from the village headman of Vyezen.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The letter spoke about their decision to sell barley tea. They also expressed their gratitude to me in it. The cooperation between the Saionji Company and the village seems to be going well. They¡¯re actively processing the barley kept by each family, and they¡¯re even planning on talking to Pioro-san about the construction of a larger plant to increase the yield and processing rate of barely. Apparently, the company president himself visited them after I sent him a letter of introduction and a sample. When he did, he was so happy he purchased the other excess grains they had. As proof of their gratitude, they are giving me a formal framed letter of gratitude, as well as the position of ¡®Advisor¡¯ for their barley processing plant. These are the contents of the two frames. This ¡®Advisor¡¯ position is an honorary position, so it doesn¡¯t have any responsibilities. There¡¯s no reward too, but they¡¯ll be sending me barley tea regularly under the pretense of needing my input regarding the quality and taste of their product. ¡°Congratulations on becoming the advisor.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t really do anything, but Ill take it. ¡°What¡¯s the other issue?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a rumor that¡¯s been going around lately. As the rumor goes, apparently, the city wants to destroy the slum and chase out the people in order to build the new town.¡± [Carm] ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very peaceful.¡± [Ryouma] What¡¯s going on? I mean know what the words mean, but I don¡¯t understand why this is happening. Carm-san was similarly confused, so he had immediately investigated the issue. ¡°Through the merchant guild I was able to find out that there were no such plans. But before we had established ourselves here, the government office had a scandal, right?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. Because of that they appointed someone else to lead the administration. Do you mean to say that the people don¡¯t trust the current administration?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Although the administration was able to calm things by doing away with the previous head and replacing him, it¡¯s not such an easy thing to regain the lost trust. And suspicions beget more suspicions¡­¡± [Carm] Hmm¡­ I remember the man I met at the Founding Festival. He must be having a hard time having to deal with this mess his predecessor left him. ¡°Will this have an effect on the store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So far, no. But the past few days, the slum people have been looking for work and have actively been visiting stores that are recruiting. The store isn¡¯t recruiting right now, but there¡¯s a possibility that they might come to look for job later. We need to decide what to do if such a thing were to occur.¡± [Carm] ¡°Hmm¡­ We have enough people right now, don¡¯t we?¡± [Ryouma] I can afford to hire a few more hands, but the store is doing just fine with the current employees. Even if I am going to be increasing the number of stores in the future, is there any reason for me to quickly increase my workforce? I can¡¯t think of any. But the people of the slum did help my store a lot at the start. I know many people from the slums too. If they¡¯re having a hard time, I¡¯d definitely want to help. ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone has their opinion on the matter, but after working with everyone, I believe the slum people are good people.¡± [Carm] ¡°At first, I also imagined the slums would be more dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, you¡¯re not wrong. After all, it¡¯s not strange for there to be places that even the guards can¡¯t enter as the town gets bigger, but when you think about it that way, just the fact that the slums in this town can still be entered shows that they¡¯re still quite safe.¡± [Carm] Is that so? ¡­Oops. We ended up digressing again. Anyway, I could probably hire some more people if it¡¯s just to help carry stuff, but¡­¡¡Maybe I can just increase the number of employees when it¡¯s busy.¡¡I could hire part-timers just for the busy hours. Doing so should lessen the workload, and I could even increase the number of counters. If people are able to process their transactions quicker, then the time the customers have to spend waiting should also lessen. As I thought of that, I suggested it to Carm-san. ¡°What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] Save for cases like the previous interviews or that incident where we needed to prevent the cleaner slimes from being kidnapped, we can¡¯t really afford to hire more people, so I think this idea is fine. And if we find some people with good potential, we could consider hiring them permanently as well.¡± [Carm] ¡°Then, can I leave it to you to come up with a more detailed plan?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Well then, this concludes the report for the day.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you as always. I¡¯ll be leaving again in five days, so please take care of the store then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please leave it to me. What will you be doing now, Boss?¡± [Carm] ¡°I¡¯m planning on going back to the abandoned mine to check up on things, and I might have to take out any monsters that have settled down lately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You just came back from a trip, so please do make sure to rest.¡± [Carm] ¡°I will. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] After finishing his report, Carm-san saw me off. I took him on his offer and left early. Chapter 119.2 - A Burden Inherited (2/2) ¡°Oh, hey.¡± [Ryouma] When I took the road along the residential area to the north gate, a refreshing and sweet smell wafted up my nose. The smell was coming from¡­ a house? ¡­Huh?¡¡Is this a store? ¡¯Cat¡¯s Forehead Teahouse¡¯ ¡®Open¡¯ I thought it was just a small wooden house, but given the nameplate-sized signboard by the entrance, I guess it¡¯s a store, after all. It¡¯s almost lunch time, so why don¡¯t I go ahead and eat lunch here? I wonder if it would be alright, though. The sign says it¡¯s open, but I don¡¯t see any customers. The writing on the signboard is sloppy too. Maybe this is just some kid¡¯s prank. ¡°What are you doing there,¡¡Takebayashi-sama?¡± [???] ¡°Huh¡­ Ah!¡± [Ryouma] When someone called out to me and I turned to the voice, I saw a well-groomed man carrying a slightly worn small bag. It was none other than the head of the government office, Arnold Bernheid. ¡°Good day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A good day to you too, Takebayashi-Sama. Will you be eating here as well?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I found myself here because of the appetizing aroma, but I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s actually alright to go inside.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very understandable. This place looks like a house at first glance, after all. I myself was hesitant at first. If you don¡¯t mind, how about accompanying me to lunch?¡± [Arnold] I took him up on his offer. I¡¯m starving myself, so why not? ¡°Welcome!¡± [Old Cat Woman] ¡°We¡¯ll have the usual black tea and daily sandwich. Also, a lamon pie please. There¡¯s two of us today, so please give us double the usual.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Seat yourselves then.¡± [Old Cat Woman] When we entered the store, a counter was the first thing to greet us. Tending to that counter was an old cat woman sitting on a chair. She coldly took Bernheid¡¯s orders, then vanished to the back of the kitchen. ¡°Over here.¡± [Arnold Bernheid] The table he led us to was a four-seater positioned by the right stonewall facing toward the counter. There¡¯s another table to the left side, but these two were apparently the only tables in the restaurant. It was a restaurant for eight. ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s not a very big restaurant. There¡¯s also only three items on the menu. And we ordered them all. But the taste is real. That I can vouch for.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Huh. Are you a regular here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. In fact, lately I¡¯ve been eating here five times a week.¡± [Arnold] That¡¯s basically everyday. ¡°The other two days I buy food from a store near the government office. I can¡¯t cook for myself, you see.¡± [Arnold] ¡°You must be very busy. I hear you¡¯re building a new town to the south.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re well informed. We¡¯re still preparing for it, so it¡¯s not that busy just yet, but it¡¯s about to become very busy soon, however.¡± [Arnold] His expression when he said that was just like my colleagues¡¯ in my past life. ¡°¡­Sorry if I¡¯m mistaken, but by any chance, are you tired?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is it so obvious?¡± [Arnold] ¡°No, it¡¯s just that the air about you is something I¡¯ve seen a lot before, so I thought¡­¡± [Ryouma] Bernheid looked at me and sighed deeply. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s no point trying to keep up appearances.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Old Cat Woman] I listened to him while we ate our sandwiches. If I were to sum up our conversation and put it lightly, you could say that he had a lot of problems. First of all, a lot of people have been laid off with the previous head, which was basically a festering pus as far as the government office was concerned, but because of that they now had a lack of manpower. They¡¯re recruiting new hands to help out, but those people aren¡¯t something that they could rely on immediately. There are senior employees that managed to avoid being laid off, but since their authority was given to them by the previous head and they couldn¡¯t go against him, although they understood the situation at hand, there were many among them who were not proactive with their current work. ¡°¡­That sounds difficult. Really¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you have employees like these at your store too?¡± [Arnold] ¡°Oh, no. I¡¯m satisfied with my employees at my store. It¡¯s a story from long ago.¡± [Ryouma] Not good. Gotta change the topic stat or he¡¯ll find the holes in my story. ¡­Come to think of it, he¡¯s only been talking about the government office and hasn¡¯t talked about the slums at all. I wonder what¡¯s actually happening. Let¡¯s try bringing it up. ¡°You know that too? The town construction project doesn¡¯t include chasing the slum people away. We have no intentions of doing that. But¡­¡± [Arnold] He knitted his brows and drank his black tea. It seems there¡¯s a reason behind that rumor after all. It¡¯s probably a complicated and headache-inducing problem. ¡°There are people in that part of the town without a house and are living on the streets. A good number of them obstruct the road with their makeshift houses and there are just as many living in abandoned buildings that obviously do not meet safety standards. ¡­People like these need to either move their things away, relocate, or do some necessary repairs. This is the law and if we fail to uphold them to it, we would be neglecting our duties.¡± [Arnold] ¡­And after word of that got around, it was somehow turned into ¡®chasing the slum people away¡¯. ¡°I checked the records, and I found out that accidents from buildings collapsing and homeless people freezing to death have been on the rise these past few years. We can¡¯t just leave them alone.¡± [Arnold] But even he wasn¡¯t thinking of asking the slum people to relocate or repair their buildings immediately. He knew full well that they were having financial difficulties, so he took their reaction into consideration and refrained from forcefully evicting them, keeping the methods of the government office only to talking. They seemed to have already set up a special department to deal with the problem, and it¡¯s likely that they intend to receive job applicants looking to help in the construction of the new city. Be that as it may, the issue with the homeless people is still not an easy problem to solve. ¡°Yes. But as much as possible we want to solve the issue without pushing them away. That is our duty, after all.¡± [Arnold] ¡°You have my respect for that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­I wonder. Did the previous administration not have this problem? Or did they ignore this issue too? ¡°Here¡¯s your lamon pie.¡± [Old Cat Woman] ¡°T-Thank you very!?¡± [Ryouma] What in the world? That¡¯s a pie on top of the plate, all right, but why is an entire pie on my plate? Is this for the both of us? ¡°I¡¯ll take your empty plates.¡± [Old Cat Woman] After that she brought another plate with a lamon pie. That whole pie is just for one person!? ¡°This¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My deepest apologies. This is probably because I asked for double the usual.¡± [Arnold] ¡°You mean to say¡­ You usually ordered an entire cake for your desert every time you came here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, eating everything in one go is too much for me too, so I would bring the leftovers back with me to eat during break time. You see I have this habit where when I¡¯m tired I look for sweet things.¡± [Arnold] He¡¯s all embarrassed and smiling in front of the pie ¨C the first time I saw him smile today, in fact ¨C but I can already see the diabetes waving from a mile away. I kept those thoughts to myself while I took a bite. ¡­The simple warmth of the dough coupled with the fresh aroma of the lamon and the sourness of the cream that stood out all meshed together and exploded within my mouth. It was delicious. There weren¡¯t much sugar in the cake, but I still found myself eating several slices¡­ I¡¯ll take the rest back home. ¡°¡­¡± [Arnold] Arnold Bernheid. The most at ease I¡¯ve seen him today is when he¡¯s in his own world eating pie. ¡­It¡¯s a small slice of heaven, a momentary reprieve from the hell that is his work. It would be cruel of me to rain on his parade, so let¡¯s just let him enjoy himself. Chapter 120.1 - The Perspective of the Slums Volume 3 Chapter 120: The Perspective of the Slums (1/2) The next day. It¡¯s my first time coming here again since I came here to recruit Caulkin-san and the others. I knocked on the door of a bigger house. When I felt the presence of mana, the door opened. ¡°Enter!¡± [???] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] I obeyed the voice and went inside. Inside was the same man from before. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Revel-san.¡± [Ryouma] The rumor yesterday had me concerned, so I asked Dolce-san to get me an appointment with someone who knew more about the situation. The person he introduced me to was Revel-san. He is both the counselor of the slum and the person that negotiates with the government office, so according to Dolce-san, there was no person more appropriate than him. ¡°Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it¡¯s just talking, then I don¡¯t mind. Use that chair over there.¡± [Revel] I borrowed the chair from the corner of the room and sat myself in front of him. ¡°From what Dolce tells me, it seems you¡¯re hiring again.¡± [Revel] ¡°It¡¯s only for part-time work, but yes, we are preparing to hire more hands.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That will do. As you know, there have been more restless people in the slums these days¡­ That¡¯s what you came here to talk about, right?¡¡But what exactly do you want to know?¡± [Revel] ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, everything.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Haven¡¯t you investigated the rumors already?¡¡I¡¯m sure there are things you already know about.¡± [Revel] He¡¯s heard that Carm-san has already investigated the rumors. He¡¯s also heard that I met the head of the government office coincidentally yesterday. But despite that, I barely know anything about the situation at the slums. After talking to just two people, at most, all I can do is guess, but whether that guess is right or not, I don¡¯t know. There could be false rumors and misunderstandings between the residents and the government office. And besides, I¡¯m sure the slum also has something to say about the situation. That¡¯s what I want to find out. If there¡¯s anything I can do, I¡¯d like to help, but without sufficient knowledge, I might just end up getting in their way instead. ¡°In that case¡­ Let¡¯s start with the cause of the rumors. It¡¯s true that we can¡¯t trust the government office. We¡¯ve been agreeing to their inspections for a while now, but because of the people being evicted, the people are growing restless.¡± [Revel] ¡°So what is the reason you can¡¯t trust them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Everyone knows that the head has changed. But that doesn¡¯t mean we can just forget about how they treated us before. It¡¯s still too early for everyone here to forget what the previous administration did.¡± [Revel] ¡°It hasn¡¯t even been a year, after all¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh¡­ But I actually want to try believing in the current administration.¡± [Revel] Oh?¡¡This might be rude on my part, but that¡¯s unexpected. ¡°Why do you want to trust Bernheid?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because he came here just like you did. And we talked about the situation over at the office and the situation here, as well as the reason for their requirements, and then he left. Settling at the roads, obstructing the roads, and the danger of collapsing buildings¡­ I think he¡¯s right. The previous administration never really bothered to come here and inspect, so there are many here who¡¯ve grown negligent. I can¡¯t deny that.¡± [Revel] He paused for a moment, then continued. ¡°But¡­ There are people who lost their homes because the government office refused to pay for the cleaning of the latrine pits.¡± [Revel] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I was speechless. As I quietly listened to him, it turns out that a portion of the people, who relied on cleaning the latrine pits to make a living, were unable to pay their rent and were chased out when their pay was cut. Because of that they had no choice but to live on the roads or in abandoned buildings. In other words, the previous administration was the cause for the increased homeless on the streets. These people were victims. And to have the people who took their houses away from them and tell them ¡®Don¡¯t live out here in the streets! Find a proper house!¡¯ was just flat out insulting. ¡°Well, it¡¯s something like that. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a lot of dissent among the people. Those who¡¯ve lost their homes are renting a room from their acquaintances, but everyone¡¯s been doing that since they started being chased out of their homes. Things aren¡¯t going to change just because the public office started talking. There are volunteers that help out with the repairs, especially those with construction-related skills, but it¡¯s just not enough¡­¡± [Revel] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] It seems the slum people are already doing what they can. ¡°We¡¯re currently looking for another way to remedy the situation¡­ The new head, that youth, Arnold, says he¡¯s preparing jobs for us, but there¡¯s a lot of people wary of him. They say that even if the head changes, the things the government office does won¡¯t change.¡± [Revel] Given the circumstances and the state of mind of the affected people, it¡¯s only understandable. The trust needs to be fixed¡­ Hmm? ¡°Excuse me. I have a question.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Revel] ¡°Are the people able to make a living?¡± [Ryouma] If I recall correctly, it was after the day I cleaned the latrine pits¡­ ¡¡When I received the payment for the job¡­ ¡°This is a mining town, so as long as you don¡¯t mind getting your hands dirty, there¡¯s plenty of jobs to go around.¡± ¡°If you can make a living elsewhere, there¡¯s no reason to waste your time cleaning the latrine pits.¡± Right. Those were the reasons Wogan-san gave on why the people refused the latrine pits job. ¡°Ahh¡­ There were some stubborn guys right after the incident, but if we help each other out, we can get by if it¡¯s just food. There wouldn¡¯t have been a fuss if the administration just kept quiet.¡± [Revel] ¡°The credibility of the government office aside, hypothetically speaking, what would happen if the housing problem were to be solved?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The people wouldn¡¯t have any reason to complain and the rumors will also calm down¡­ What about it?¡± [Revel] ¡°¡­I think I might have been looking at this the wrong way all along.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 120.2 - The Perspective of the Slums Volume 3 Chapter 120: The Perspective of the Slums (2/2) At first, I was told ¡®the slum people are looking for jobs¡¯, so I was looking at the problem from an income perspective. But it seems the reason they want money is so they can buy a house and allow themselves to continue making a living. ¡°Yeah. Having to rent a house means straining their already strained financial resources, and when they¡¯re chased out once for failing to pay their rent, it becomes that much harder to find another place to stay at. Word gets around quickly between people of the same trade in the same town, so there¡¯s no escaping it. Even if they do manage to find a place to stay at, if they can¡¯t pay up, they¡¯ll wind up back in the streets.¡± [Revel] ¡­The trust issue with the administration is entangled with a lot of other issues, but if the housing problem could be solved, the situation should calm down temporarily. But even with the problem narrowed down, there is still a lot to think about. ¡°The people looking for work proactively are still alright since they at least want to graduate from being homeless, but the people that don¡¯t have such ambitions may not change even if you give them the whole set: money, work, and a house. There are plenty of cases where things go fine at the start, but they end up homeless again anyway. ¡­In other words, everyone has their own circumstance.¡± [Revel] ¡°It¡¯s really a difficult problem¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡­What would I do if I ended up in their situation? ¡­If I have land, I could either build or rebuild my house. If I don¡¯t have land, then I can leave town. ¡­Hmm. Using myself as a reference doesn¡¯t seem to do any good. I continued talking to Revel-san after that, but in the end, I came to the conclusion that all I could do was watch things patiently while doing what I could do. ¡°I¡¯m happy that you¡¯re thinking about us, but you don¡¯t have to worry about it so much. This is our problem. Just providing a safe job for us is plenty.¡± [Revel] Revel-san told me that before I left, then I bowed to him and went back to my house. Continuing this quarrel with the government office won¡¯t profit anyone. I¡¯m sure everyone understands that, but¡­ Oh, I¡¯m home already. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I released my monsters. ¡°PIRORORORO¡± The first ones to fly out were the rimel birds. After six birds lined up and flew high up into the sky, they approached the countless tunnels and evaluated them. Are there still monsters nesting here?¡¡Should I blow up the entrance? But the monsters that nest themselves here can also serve as feed for the rimel birds. They can even feed the slimes when there¡¯s a lot of them. While I was thinking that, a light pop resounded. Did the rimel birds find a prey? I have to go and check up on them¡­ ? ¡°¡­Something moved just now.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s something camouflaged right next to my house. I have a strange feeling about the entrance to my charcoal-maker. When I approached, I spotted traces of something crawling through the ashes. ¡°¡­Ah!¡± [Ryouma] When I cautiously took a peek at the kiln of the charcoal-maker, I saw a slime desperately trying to get under the ashes. I immediately captured it and formed a contract with it. ¡°Did it just get lost?¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯s been here too. But it seems this slime was eating the ashes, as there¡¯s a lot less ash here than I last recall. To test it out, I gave it some ashes, and it happily ate. Is this a candidate for another slime evolution? ¡°There¡¯s also the fluff slime from this last job¡­ I think I¡¯ll go and make a list of everything.¡± [Ryouma] I moved to a room inside the tunnels and wrote down the different slime variants. The slimes I¡¯m currently raising are¡­ Poison Slime Acid Slime Sticky Slime Cleaner Slime Deodorant Slime Scavenger Slime Metal Slime Iron Slime Bloody Slime Medicine Slime Heal Slime Earth Slime Wind Slime Dark Slime Light Slime If you add the fluff slime and the drunk slime from the other day, that totals to 17 variants. On top of that, I have this slime I just caught that is likely to evolve into a new variant. Actually, this isn¡¯t the only slime that¡¯s likely to evolve into something new. I¡¯ve also recently found individuals among the acid, cleaner, and sticky slimes that have a unique preference. I¡¯ll use this opportunity to summarize everything. The eccentric from the acid slimes like to eat caustic soda, which I used to make soap, as well as the resulting alkali solution of the entire process. It would be dangerous to just throw these chemicals away, so I had the acid slimes neutralize them. But after they were neutralized, I saw an acid slime drinking the neutralized chemical. Since then I have been feeding the neutralized chemical to that slime, but I¡¯m still waiting for its eventual evolution. The soap-making is also the reason why I found an eccentric among the cleaner slimes. But this one had no interest in the caustic soda, and only wanted to eat the completed soap. I¡¯m waiting for this one to evolve too. As for the eccentric from the sticky slime, it¡¯s eating the stem of the dante flower that I raise to make dandelion coffee. I discovered it during the preparation for the Founding Festival. I don¡¯t know why it insists on eating the stem when it can eat the roots and the seeds¡­ I can somehow guess what the other two slimes would turn into, but this one, I¡¯m completely clueless. With the ash-eating slime on top of these three, I eagerly await the day of their evolution. Chapter 121.1 - The Training Begins Volume 3 Chapter 121: The Training Begins (1/2) 3 days later. Today is the day the training camp begins. Just as I¡¯ve been told, I went to the guild an hour before the assembly. When I got to the designated place, some young and hasty adventurers were already present. They were probably the attending students. I passed them and went up to the second floor. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] The moment I entered the designated meeting room, eight people turned to me. They were all strangers and I did not know a single person among them. Because of that they all looked at me with a gaze that seemed to be saying ¡®What¡¯s this kid doing here?¡¯ ¡°Hey!¡± [???] Is he going to pick a fight with me!? As soon as I thought that¡­ ¡°Are you Ryouma!?¡± [???] ¡°Huh?¡¡Umm, yeah, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] The middle-aged man that called out to me approached with a carefree smile. He appeared friendly and even called me by name. Well, he¡¯s probably the person-in-charge for the training camp. He¡¯s probably not a thug, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, did we meet somewhere before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. My name is Roche. You seem to have forgotten, but you saved me once before. Hey! You guys come too!¡± [Roche] Beside the man called Roche were two middle-aged men and two middle-aged women. ¡­I do feel like I¡¯ve met them before, as they all seem familiar, but I just can¡¯t quite remember where I saw them. ¡°You can¡¯t remember, huh?¡± [Roche] ¡°That¡¯s only normal. There were a lot of people there too, after all.¡± [Woman 1] ¡°There¡¯s no way you could remember all of us, right?¡¡Our meeting only lasted for a moment too.¡± [Woman 2] ¡°¡­?¡¡I¡¯m sorry. I really can¡¯t remember.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There was a job to hunt the goblin outbreak at the north during spring, right?¡¡Do you remember now?¡± [Roche] ¡°That¡¯s¡­!!¡± [Ryouma] Ah, I remember. Roche-san and his four friends were definitely there. ¡°Are you the people I healed back then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, you remembered! You really saved us back then. If not for you and your heal slimes, we might be dead already.¡± [Roche] ¡°You healed me and this guy too. Although we were only lightly wounded.¡± [Man 1] ¡°I¡¯m Howard. This one here is Lucas.¡± [Howard] The two men pointed at each other. After taking a closer look at the two women, I can tell that they were one of those that thanked me while crying back then. It seems I did something really rude. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyway, since you¡¯re here, are you an instructor too?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. The guild master suggested for me to go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see! In that case, let¡¯s introduce ourselves again. I¡¯m Roche. I¡¯m going to be the leader for the job this time. I¡¯ll give a short explanation of how things are going to go, but if you have any questions, just go ahead and ask.¡± [Roche] ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯m used to camping, but I¡¯ve never taught anyone before. Please take care of me.¡± [Ryouma] In any case, it looks like we¡¯ll be able to start this job without anything bad happening. Still, this sure is a strange coincidence. By the way, the two women are Lucy-san and Mimil-san. They¡¯re both mages. ¡°Students!¡¡Attention!¡± After confirming that all the instructors have gathered, we had a brief meeting, and then we moved out. As soon as we showed our face at the corner of the guild, Roche-san called out to the gathered students. His tone changed a bit, but this is probably his teacher-mode. From what they¡¯ve told me, he and his friends have mostly retired as adventurers and are mostly focusing their attention to raising young adventurers. Although they¡¯re all veteran adventurers, just as Wogan-san said, they also have a lot of experience teaching. After explaining what the students needed to pay attention to, each instructor gave a short introduction. Roche-san¡¯s party introduced themselves in turn. I was the last person to introduce himself, being the 15th person. ¡°Good morning, everyone. My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. Before coming to this town I lived out in the wilds at a forest called Gana for 3 years. I mainly sustained myself through hunting. Because of that despite only being an E Ranker, I have sufficient knowledge at making camp, securing food, and distinguishing between poisonous herbs and medicinal herbs. The guild master can vouch for my skills. I might appear younger than you, but please don¡¯t worry about my age. When it comes to weapons, I specialize at using the bow and the katana. I¡¯m also learned in the basics of magic and can even use High Heal. Should you get hurt along the way, please feel free to call out to me. Let¡¯s get along during these 5 days of training.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please take care of us.¡± [Students] ¡­Hmm¡­ Although they haven¡¯t openly expressed their disapproval, their reaction isn¡¯t that good either¡­ Well, it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°And with that, the introductions are over. We have 5 carriages outside, so we¡¯ll divide you into groups of 3!¡¡Each carriage will have 3 instructors!¡¡We¡¯re departing in 10 minutes!¡¡So you have that much time to decide your seats and do whatever else you need to do!¡¡Understood?¡¡Good! See you in 10 minutes!¡¡Dismissed!¡± [Roche] At that, all the people in the area began moving. There are 15 instructors and 30 students all in all. That¡¯s 45 people all in all, so as one might expect from having that many people move out all at once, the entrance is really crowded. That being the case, I think I¡¯ll go to the toilet first. Chapter 121.2 - The Training Begins Volume 3 Chapter 121: The Training Begins (2/2) After passing the time leisurely, I exited the guild. Most of the students were already inside their respective carriage. Now which carriage should I ride¡­ Oh? ¡°Yo, Ryouma.¡± [Rick] ¡°Huh? Oh, Berk. You guys participating too?¡± [Ryouma] There was a group of 6 I was familiar with riding on the carriage at the center. ¡°Elder Brother Jeff taught us a lot, so we were somehow able to save enough money.¡± [Berk] ¡°Elder Brother Jeff has work, so¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°While he¡¯s not around, we decided to go train.¡± [Finia] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was wondering what you were doing at a place like this, but it looks like you¡¯re an instructor.¡± [Berk] ¡°The guild master advised me to. Let¡¯s all do our best.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I parted with them. There was an empty seat in their carriage, but I figured it would be better to avoid supporting someone I know, so I got into a carriage with Roche-san and a party I don¡¯t know. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The silence is deafening! When the carriages moved out and lined up, this carriage ended up being at the very center. Because of that you can hear all the happy voices coming from the carriages at the back and front. All the adventurer students riding this carriage are participating alone. Because of that not a single one of them is talking. ¡°¡­Ryouma.¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be carrying a lot with you. Will you be alright?¡± [Roche] Looks like Roche-san finally couldn¡¯t bear the silence. Just as he says, I only have one knapsack made of pelt with me. Compared to Roche-san and the other participating adventurers with several knapsacks filled with sleeping equipment and other camping equipment, I¡¯m undoubtedly lightly equipped. ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve stored enough items for 5 days with my Dimension Magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can use Dimension Magic?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. I want to make myself as mobile as possible, so I¡¯ve made sure to put only the bare necessities in this knapsack. I¡¯m confident in being able to camp for a few days with just this knapsack, but if I include the contents of my Item Box, I have more than enough for 5 days.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Dimension Magic users sure have an easy time when it comes to luggage. I tried learning it myself in the past, but not just anyone can use it. I tried looking for a magic tool to do the job, but those things can really burn a hole in your wallet. On top of that, they can¡¯t store much, so I just gave up. Hey, you guys can talk too. There¡¯s no penalty for talking, you know?¡± [Roche] ¡°If you¡¯re that serious all the time, you¡¯ll get tired quickly. So let¡¯s relax until we get to the camp site, alright?¡± [Lucy] As Roche-san and Lucy-san said that, the atmosphere inside the carriage softened. But the six students were troubled because they didn¡¯t know what to talk about. Suddenly telling them to talk to each other would only make things worse. I understand that all too well. To the point of pain, in fact. ¡°Roche-san, don¡¯t you have a topic everyone could talk about?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A topic¡­ Alright. What do you guys think an adventurer needs to aim for the top?¡± [Roche] ¡°¡­Strength?¡± [Student Adventurer] When Roche-san asked that question to the students in the carriage, a boy timidly said that. That was the impetus for everyone to start talking a little. Strength. Practically speaking that would be referring to one¡¯s skill in the sword or in the arcane arts. There was also someone who said endurance was the key. Roche-san responded to their answers. ¡°Your answers are all more or less correct, but the more precise answer is ¡®cooperation¡¯. The ability for an adventurer to interact with other people. As an adventurer¡¯s rank increases, so does the difficulty of the tasks he faces. The jobs also become more dangerous. That¡¯s why adventurers form parties. I won¡¯t say it¡¯s absolutely necessary, but the number of adventurers that go solo rapidly decrease from D Rank. From C Rank and above, only a handful continue without a party. At that point, what becomes necessary is the ability to ¡®cooperate¡¯ and ¡®interact¡¯ with others.¡± [Roche] ¡°Ideally, the party should be organized to cover each other¡¯s weakness, but don¡¯t assume you¡¯ll immediately find the perfect party. As you work alongside each other, not only your individual abilities, but also your affinity with each other and your ability to work together will improve. It¡¯s common to go through several parties before finding the right one.¡± [Lucy] There¡¯s a lot of situations where adventurers have to negotiate with others. A member could suddenly be replaced due to injury or retirement. Adventurers could find themselves arguing over the distribution of compensation. And sometimes clients ask too much. ¡°Normally, the guilds talk to the clients and decide an appropriate fee for their request. But there are many clients that try to talk directly to adventurers to bargain down the job fee. After all, the higher ranked the job becomes, the more expensive it gets.¡± [Roche] And it¡¯s not only adventurers who can do the job. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to learn it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s right. Saying that one¡¯s own skill is necessary isn¡¯t wrong, but it¡¯s impossible to raise your rank with just ability alone. At least, without making any mistakes. ¡­But in that case, the road to promotion becomes all that more difficult. Any questions?¡± [Roche] ¡°Is there a trick to forming parties?¡¡Like where to go or what kind of bar to look for.¡± [Student Adventurer] The students gradually became more and more active. ¡°For the meantime, the safest place is the guild.¡± [Roche] ¡°Right. If you consult the receptionist desk, they¡¯ll introduce you to some other adventurers. It¡¯s a lot safer than going to some strange place to meet adventurers of unknown origins. After all, the receptionist will tell you beforehand if the adventurer has a poor reputation.¡± [Lucy] Come to think of it, there was a group of people who found a party at a bar, only to be turned into bait and abandoned. ¡°What you need to pay attention to when choosing a party is ¡®frequency¡¯. If a party is frequently recruiting members, then that would mean it has a high turnover rate. If so, then there must be a reason behind that. Similarly, you should also be wary of recruitments that have been left open for a long time. A party with no problems should be able to immediately fill a spot.¡± [Lucy] As Lucy-san answered the question, Roche-san remembered something and added. ¡°You should also pay attention to the friends of the people you¡¯re dealing with. It¡¯s important for adventurers to make connections, but from time to time, there are those that try to gather people without the guild¡¯s intervention. There¡¯s nothing particularly wrong with that, but there are people who use such groups to commit criminal acts. Just this spring we had a group of delinquent adventurers called the Fang of Orbtem¡­¡± [Roche] ¡­Oh, yeah. Those guys were a thing¡­ As I thought back to that somewhat distant memory, the two instructors talked about the incident to the students. It¡¯s likely none of the students here were present then. I listened as the two of them told the story. ¡°¡­And just like that, they were beaten at their own game and their plans foiled.¡± [Roche] By the end of the story, they all wore a grim face. I wonder if they¡¯ll remember this when they search for party members?¡¡¡­It would be nice if it helps them find some good companions¡­ ¡°Speaking of which, the young adventurer that beat them is this Ryouma over here, who¡¯s acting like he¡¯s completely unrelated.¡± [Roche] ¡°!?¡± [Students] ¡°Hey!¡± [Ryouma] The six students looked at me in shock. In the next moment, questions came at me one after another. Now that the students have become active, they spared no effort to ask me one question after another. It was only after the carriage stopped that I was released from my interrogation. Chapter 122.1 - First Day of Camping Volume 3 Chapter 122: First Day of Camping (1/2) ¡°Bring your belongings and assemble!¡± [Roche] At Roche-san¡¯s behest, everyone other than the instructors dealing with the carriages gathered. ¡°I think there are some of you who already know, but for everyone¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll start with the basics. In roads with a lot of pedestrian traffic, there are usually areas that are easy to turn into campsites. This place here is one of those. As you can see it¡¯s just the open part of the road cutting through the mountain, but take a look behind us. There¡¯s a standing signboard, right?¡± [Roche] Indeed. On the signboard was the drawing of a river and an arrow, which indicated where where one could get water. ¡°Usually, these spots make it easy to set up a tent and there¡¯s also a nearby source of water. The people responsible for these lands specifically prepared them for adventurers like us. Adventurers that came here before us prepared it for later adventurers like you or me. That¡¯s the kind of place this is. That¡¯s why anyone can use these campsites. Of course, we have the right to use them too. But when you use them, there¡¯s a rule that you have to protect¡­ Well, it¡¯s mostly common sense.¡¡There¡¯s not a lot and they¡¯re not difficult to keep either, so don¡¯t brace yourselves so much. From now on we¡¯ll be making sure to adhere to these rules and then prepare to build our campsite. If there¡¯s anything you don¡¯t know or understand, make sure to ask us instructors. At night, we¡¯ll have to take turns keeping watch, but other than that, you can ask us anytime you want. If you have time to spare, feel free to take a break or gather food in advance for the days later. As long as you don¡¯t get in other people¡¯s way, you can do whatever you want.¡± [Roche] After giving a rough explanation of the program here, he warned the students on a number of things. Don¡¯t dirty the campsite. As much as possible, keep it the way it was after use. He talked about all sorts of rules from the very basics to what to do when there are other people using the site. And then just as planned, we moved on to the main objective of our training today. The beginning of the preparation of our camping. First, we need to prepare a place to sleep. Like that the instructors also started preparing theirs. I too went to a corner of the camping site to prepare my own. In my case, I¡¯ll be using earth magic. ¡± ¡®Earth Wall¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] I erected four walls from the land and formed a rough enclosure. I made two of the walls a little longer than the others, then I divided the space inside and made sure to provide room for a bed and a toilet. And then I made another two walls. Unlike the others though, I cut them thinly and made a roof with them. I filled the gaps in the enclosure and the roof with earth, and hardened it with the Rock spell. With that my lodging was completed. Now for the finishing steps. ¡± ¡®Item Box¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] Umm, where did I put it¡­ ¡°Umm¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± [Student] When I turned around there was a group of 5 boys and girls looking at me strangely. They were all kids from a different carriage than the one I was riding. Actually, they¡¯ve been watching me for some time now, and it¡¯s just now that they finally called out to me. ¡­To be honest, I was wondering when they were going to call out to me, so I was actually a little nervous. ¡°I see you¡¯re using magic. You are preparing for camp, right?¡± [Assertive Boy] ¡°Right. It might just look like a box now, but I¡¯ll open some more holes and then I¡¯ll attach these things.¡± [Ryouma] As I answered the assertive boy, I took out some doors and mosquito screens that I¡¯d prepared before hand, then I attached them to the house. ¡°Do you really need to use that much mana to prepare your lodging?¡¡Shouldn¡¯t adventurers leave some spare mana in case of emergency? At the very least, from what I¡¯ve learned, mages are not supposed to waste their mana.¡± [Strong-willed Girl] This time it was a strong-willed girl who asked that question. Based on her light armor and her staff, I assume she must be a mage. ¡°Right. But when working outside of town, it¡¯s hard to get sufficient rest like you would be able to at a safe town, right? I agree that one shouldn¡¯t waste mana to prepare for the worst, but bt I don¡¯t think using mana to be able to rest effectively is a ¡®waste¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] The quality of rest that one could get from a comfortable environment is different from that of a poor environment. The preservation of strength. The preservation of one¡¯s focus. Creating an environment that allows one to work at optimum performance is by no means a waste. I have a lot of mana, so I can use my magic without holding back. But while that¡¯s true for me, it¡¯s not the case for others, so they might find it difficult to copy me. But what if it¡¯s just a part of what I¡¯m doing? ¡°Come here.¡± [Ryouma] I brought the five with me and moved to a space next to the house I¡¯m still building. I erected four columns with earth magic, then I attached a rope to them and created a square frame. I joined together the rope, and in the blink of an eye, I was able to create a hammock. I jumped on the hammock and I was able to confirm that it had sufficient strength. I took out a huge waterproof cloth and placed it on top of the column to create a cover in the case of rain. ¡°You can also prepare a bed with four columns like this. With a setup like this you can avoid bugs crawling on the ground and you won¡¯t have to be too picky with your location. And more than anything, the consumption of mana will also be a lot less. With something like this, you won¡¯t have to consume that much mana. Yes, for example you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Me!?¡± [Assertive Boy] I asked the assertive boy from earlier. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a mage, but can you use magic when fighting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ I mean I can¡¯t.¡± [Assertive Boy] ¡°But you do have mana, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A little. But even if I use it, at most I can just cast 2 or 3 attack spells.¡± [Assertive Boy] ¡°In that case, you won¡¯t mind using that mana for something else, right?¡± [Ryouma] He could use that mana to erect a wall and use it to protect against the wind or the sun. Even if he becomes unable to use magic, there are still magic tools. For people that don¡¯t rely on magic when fighting, so long as they take care not to completely run out of mana, using up their mana shouldn¡¯t be a problem. They don¡¯t rely on magic as much as I do, so isn¡¯t it fine for them to use their mana to make their lives a little more convenient? When I told them that, they thanked me and left. ¡°So there¡¯s also that kind of thinking. But a magic tool, huh.¡± [Assertive Boy] ¡°Why don¡¯t you practice your spells so you can do something like that?¡¡If it¡¯s just the basics, I can teach you.¡± [Strong-willed Girl] ¡°Still, he sure was surprisingly decent¡­¡± [Assertive Boy] Hey! What do you mean by ¡®surprisingly decent¡¯? ¡¡My knowledge and my teaching abilities aside, are you telling me you guys don¡¯t even think I¡¯m a decent person?¡¡¡­And here I was thinking of teaching them stuff only I knew about like about slimes or alchemy. Although I guess it¡¯s still a bit early to be giving advice like that¡­ Chapter 122.2 - First Day of Camping Volume 3 Chapter 122: First Day of Camping (2/2) ¡°Ku ku ku¡­ Good job teaching them, beginner teacher.¡± [Howard] ¡°Ah, Howard-san. Good job to you too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like you can hold your own pretty well.¡± [Howard] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. They looked like they understood what you were trying to get at. And you also got them thinking. Not even knowing what to tell is usually the sign of a guy who really sucks at the job. From that perspective, you¡¯re actually pretty good.¡± [Howard] ¡°That¡¯s good then.¡± [Ryouma] Howard-san gives me the impression that he¡¯s not very serious, but he might just be trying relieve the tension. He was here already, so I asked him about something that was concerning me. ¡°By the way, is my camping method weird?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Which part? Just as was mentioned earlier, there are people who believe that one should conserve mana and stamina. You say it¡¯s not a waste to put effort in improving one¡¯s campsite, but the orthodox method is still to bring a tent and some tools when leaving town. Dimension Magic experts can store their belongings in their conjured spaces, but that¡¯s impossible for a beginner. At most, a beginner would be able to start a fire with a fire spell or sate his thirst with water magic when he¡¯s out of water. You look fine, but do you still have mana left?¡± [Howard] ¡°I¡¯ve got plenty. I¡¯m the type that has a lot of mana. In fact, people say I have enough to be compared to a royal court magician.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re that calm. If you¡¯re not pushing yourself, then I guess your method works too.¡± [Howard] ¡°Ryouma, can I have a sec?¡± [Lucas] Oh?¡¡It¡¯s Lucas-san. He¡¯s the tallest of his two friends. Although, he¡¯s only about a head bigger than them, with that large hammer on his back, he gives the appearance of a vigorous and powerful man. That powerful man was currently holding a wooden plank atop which was a feathered pen and paper, however. In between the small finger and ring finger of his left hand holding the plank was a small bottle of ink. ¡°It¡¯s about the night watch. What time do you want?¡¡We¡¯re asking out of consideration for people bad at waking up or those that have some health problems.¡± [Lucas] ¡°I¡¯m fine anytime, as I¡¯m pretty good with nighttime. In fact, I can even hunt during the night, so my eyes are pretty good during it too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No health problems. No preferred time. Good at night and has sharp eyes. Alright.¡± [Lucas] Lucas-san repeated what I said to himself as he wrote them down on the paper. I wonder if there are also adventurers with low blood pressure. ¡­I don¡¯t have any experience with it personally, so I don¡¯t really know, but when I think back to my coworkers in my previous life, it seems pretty dangerous. ¡°Alright. Thanks for cooperating. The allotment of work will be announced later, so look around if you have the time. You too, Howard.¡± [Lucas] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] Despite his looks, he¡¯s taking care of the more subtle jobs. ¡°Hey, pull it more.¡± [Student 1] ¡°I¡¯m pulling. I¡¯m pulling.¡± [Student 2] ¡°I¡¯m going to go get some water.¡± [Student 3] After completing my own preparations, I went with Howard-san to look around. ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any problem here.¡± [Ryouma] There were some people struggling a little, but not to the point where we needed to intervene. ¡°It¡¯s the first day, after all. There shouldn¡¯t be anyone causing problems¡± [Howard] ¡°What did you say!?¡± [???] ¡°And as soon as I say that, someone goes and causes trouble. Good grief.¡± [Howard] ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] Going around a tent, we went to the source of the voice. There, Berk¡¯s group was glaring at a group of four boys. For some reason, the atmosphere was hostile. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?¡± [Howard] ¡°!¡± [Students] ¡°Nothing important enough to get your attention, sir.¡± [Berk] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Adventurer 3] When Howard-san spoke up, the two groups suddenly seemed to be in agreement and denied there being a problem. ¡°We were just talking about looking for food.¡± [Rumil] ¡°They started nitpicking then, so I just ended up raising my voice.¡± [Berk] ¡°You¡¯re the ones nitpicking!¡± [Adventurer 1] When Berk-said that, the other four responded. The vague atmosphere turned hostile once again. ¡°Ryouma. It¡¯s probably best that we split this two groups and hear them out.¡± [Howard] ¡°Right. In that case, I¡¯ll take charge of the group of 6.¡¡I know them, so they¡¯ll probably have an easier time talking to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll take the group of four then.¡± [Howard] And so, I took the group of six to the front of my lodging. I made a simple table and some chairs with earth magic, then heard them out. ¡°So, what was that about?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just the usual¡­ We told you before, right? That there are guys that make fun of Wist? ¡¡Those guys were exactly that sort.¡± [Berk] Ah, he did say something like that. So those four were like that, huh. ¡°They¡¯re strong, you know? Although I don¡¯t like their personalities, they¡¯re good at hunting.¡± [Berk] ¡°Umm¡­ between picking herbs and hunting, hunting is usually the more profitable work. So, since those guys do nothing but hunt, they make more than us, who mainly pick herbs¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Guys like those like to poke fun at herb-gatherers like us¡­ desu.¡± [Finia] ¡°When we talked about looking for food, they told us, ¡®What? You¡¯re going to pluck herbs here too?¡¯¡± [Rumil] So that¡¯s what started the fight. After asking for more details, I don¡¯t know if I should say it¡¯s just as I expected it, but the one quarreling was mostly Berk. One guy provoking, the other being provoked. It¡¯s the usual story. But just like the previous cases, no one really fought for real. ¡°Alright. I think I¡¯ve got the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm¡­ Are we going to be punished?¡± [Wist] ¡°I don¡¯t know what decision Roche-san and the others will make, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, a light warning should do. No one left any lasting injuries, and it¡¯s not like you fought in the first place, and from the sound of things, it seems the other group is the one at fault. I do think you should control your temper a little better, though, Berk, but I guess this is still better than not saying anything when someone is making fun of your friend¡­¡± [Ryouma] His attitude makes it easy to provoke him, but it¡¯s not something I dislike personally. In any case, I¡¯ll just give them a warning for this incident. After telling them to reflect on this incident, I left to give my report. In the end, the punishment to be given out wasn¡¯t much different from what I had in mind, and only a warning was given. On top of that, a reminder was given that the instructors wouldn¡¯t be interfering unless it is to exchange information pertaining to bandits or monster appearances or other such information related to the safety of the students. Chapter 123.1 - Field of Poisonous Insects Volume 3 Chapter 123: Field of Poisonous Insects (1/2) The next day. We left the camp early morning. Around the time when the sun was at its peak, we arrived at our destination, the Field of Poisonous Insects. ¡°Is everyone here?¡¡¡­Good!¡¡For the next 3 days, this place will be our base. First, go prepare your camp just like you did yesterday!¡¡After that, I¡¯ll explain the rest of the program here. Dismissed!¡¡Go prepare!¡± [Roche] The participants dispersed in small groups. This is the ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯¡­ A huge grassland with gentle hills. If you walk a little, you¡¯ll see that there are trees that have already began to change color. It¡¯s a gentle place where the wind smells like grass. There are no strong monsters here either. Recently, the sun has also gotten weaker, making this place perfect for a picnic. But one still has to pay attention to the ¡®poisonous insects¡¯ here. True to its name ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯, there are many poisonous insects here that can bite humans. 1. Avoid showing skin. 2. Bring some insect repellent and use it before entering. 3. If spending the night, prepare countermeasures to deal with the insects. These are the three points one should pay attention to when visiting this place. Failing to meet these three points will result in¡­ ¡°I¡¯m kinda itchy¡­¡± [Student Adventurer 1] ¡°Did you get bitten by an insect?¡± [Student Adventurer 2] ¡°Probably¡­¡± [Student Adventurer 1] ¡°That¡¯s some rotten luck you¡¯ve got there.¡± [Student Adventurer 2] Looks like some students have already been bitten. According to the information I purchased, there shouldn¡¯t be any insects here that can threaten a human¡¯s life. But without any protection against the insects, they¡¯ll be itchy and in pain the next morning. But depending on one¡¯s physical constitution, these bites could prove to be fateful, so caution is advised. ¡­Alright. This should do. ¡°For the meantime, I¡¯m done securing my sleeping space.¡± [Ryouma] Just like yesterday, I built my sleeping space with earth magic. But to make it harder for crawly poisonous insects from entering, I made sure to raise the floor and attached an insect screen to the windows. ¡°Next is¡­ Ah, Roche-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You need something?¡± [Roche] ¡°I¡¯m going to burn some insect repellent. The smoke might be a little thick, so I just thought I¡¯d inform you beforehand. I saw you making rounds, so I figured I might as well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. No problem. You do you. Still, you sure know how to camp. I had the same impression yesterday too, but this¡­ This is basically a cabin already.¡± [Roche] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] Indeed. Almost everyone else is using a normal tent. I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s made his ¡®tent¡¯ out of something durable like walls of rock. Moreover, because of the raised floor, it¡¯s also a head taller than the others, making it stand out. ¡°Hmm?¡¡Are you wounded?¡± [Roche] Wounded?¡¡Ahh, he must be talking about the bandages I took out from my luggage. ¡°These are insect repellents. I soaked them in medicine and let them dry to make them easy to carry. I¡¯ve also prepared other types like liquid-types that you apply on your body or aromatic-types wherein you knead herbs together, but for something as big as a structure, this type is best. It¡¯s reasonably priced and effective, and because there¡¯ll be a lot of smoke, it¡¯s easy to use.¡± [Ryouma] While explaining, I tore off a bandage that¡¯s about a meter long, and then set its end aflame with magic. It¡¯s made out of cotton, so normally it would burn really quickly, but because it¡¯s been soaked in medicinal liquid, it doesn¡¯t burn as easily. Just like an incense stick, smoke wafted up from the part that was on fire. The smoke was white and thick enough that it could cover one¡¯s vision. After confirming that the fire was burning well, I threw it from the entrance and closed the door. If I let it burn for 10 minutes, my tent should be insect-proofed. While waiting for those 10 minutes to pass, I took the three-pronged iron spit I¡¯d prepared beforehand ¨C by the way, the handle is made out of wood ¨C and stabbed the remaining bandages with it. I¡¯m going to be burning all of these, so I placed the rest of the bandages under the raised floor, and lit it up with a fire ball, causing the smoke to cover my whole ¡®tent¡¯. I especially made sure to place the bandages under the windows and the entrance. ¡°Good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You said you had a number of insect repellents with you, right?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. I have more of those, and I also have medicines to cure itchiness and other ailments.¡± [Ryouma] I made the medicines not just to prepare for this trip but also to study, so there¡¯s quite a bit inside my Item Box. ¡°I see¡­¡± [Roche] ¡°What¡¯s on your mind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I was just thinking it might be easier this time.¡± [Roche] ¡°Sorry, I don¡¯t follow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When we teach people here, there¡¯s bound to be a handful of people who get the short end of the stick when it comes to bugs. People who underestimated the bugs. People who didn¡¯t prepare enough protection for the bugs. People who cheaped out on medicine, and ended up not having enough along the way. We¡¯ll be spending three days here this time around, so I figured it might turn into quite the commotion tomorrow or the day after. Because of that I made sure to bring some spare medicine, but someone also needs to distribute it. Having someone who knows a lot about medicine is a huge help. We also use this inevitable incident as an opportunity to tell people about the importance of insect repellents and common medicine, but there are some guys who become really enthusiastic about asking detailed question, so again, someone good at medicine is really a huge help.¡± [Roche] Chapter 123.2 - Field of Poisonous Insects Volume 3 Chapter 123: Field of Poisonous Insects (2/2) ¡°You mean there are students that ask problematic questions?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, they don¡¯t mean bad. I can also answer some of the questions myself, but I¡¯m not a specialist, so there are some questions I can¡¯t answer well.¡± [Roche] ¡°Do you refrain from answering then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Can¡¯t exactly give a random answer just because I don¡¯t know the actual answer. In Mimil¡¯s case, when someone asks her questions like that, she says she¡¯ll look it up after getting back to town. Because of that she¡¯s actually the one who knows the most about medicine among us, and as such, she¡¯s also the one in charge of the medicine. She even took the Emergency Medicine Adventurer Qualification recently.¡± [Roche] Emergency Medicine Adventurer Qualification?¡¡I can sort of guess what that is, but is that a thing? ¡°Interested?¡± [Roche] ¡°It¡¯s my first time hearing about qualifications. How do you get one?¡¡And what are the different types?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are all sorts of qualifications from those that handle all sorts of weapons to making traps and disarming them¡­ There¡¯s a lot, so it¡¯s hard to explain all of them. But no matter which qualification, you have to apply for it at the guild first. After that you have to take specialized training and pass a practical exam. If you pass, you can get your qualification. There are some that you can just take an exam for immediately but for the Emergency Medicine Adventurer Qualification, the guild requires that you first receive training at a designated Medical Guild. As for the details, you¡¯ll have to ask for them at the receptionist desk.¡± [Roche] I didn¡¯t know the guild dealt with stuff like this too. ¡°Are there any qualifications I should take?¡± [Ryouma] In my past life, having different qualifications makes a difference in salary and employment, so it¡¯s definitely something to be concerned about. ¡°I would recommend Etiquette Training. As an adventurer, you¡¯ll have to deal with clients, and from Rank D onwards, you¡¯ll have more and more instances where you have to meet with the managers of large store. Jobs from nobles also require the Etiquette skill.¡± [Roche] Etiquette Training, huh¡­ This part is no different from my past life. ¡°But a qualification is just proof that an adventurer has mastered a certain skill. What¡¯s really important is learning the ¡®techniques¡¯ and the ¡®knowledge¡¯. If you can just get those, then even without the so-called ¡®qualifications¡¯, as long as you have the status board from the church, you¡¯ll be fine. After all, a status board is a reward from the gods. Humans can¡¯t mess with them. A status board is actually more credible than some qualification. In fact, it¡¯s the most credible proof there is.¡± [Roche] In that case, getting a qualification is just a way to learn the skills. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how it is. If you have the skills already, you don¡¯t have to bother getting one. Well, having a qualification doesn¡¯t hurt, but not having it won¡¯t cause you that much problem either. That¡¯s why although the guild has a number of training sessions it recommends to beginners, it doesn¡¯t really recommend any qualification training. Although, from time to time, I do hear some people with really bad manners being required to take Etiquette Training, and I hear there are also those who collect them as a hobby.¡± [Roche] ¡°Huh¡­ I¡¯ve never received training from the guild before, so this was really enlightening.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you already had abilities other than camping when you registered?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yeah. My grandparents were former adventurers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re doing fine now. But you should take care since the jobs get harder the higher the rank gets. When you feel the job getting difficult, don¡¯t force yourself, and consult with the guild receptionist.¡± [Roche] ¡°I understand. Thank you very much!¡± [Ryouma] Although I¡¯m participating here as an instructor, there¡¯s still a lot for me to learn. 10 minutes later. After everyone finished preparing their tent, the participants all gathered in front of the carriage. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll explain to you our schedule. First of all, it¡¯s fine if you students want to rest or gather food. But! All of you should have taken some kind of job from the guild at Gimuru. Including today, we will be staying here for three days. I¡¯d like for all of you to do your best to fulfill the jobs you took in those three days. Most jobs have a due date. Even if the date given is short, once you¡¯ve accepted a job, you have to complete it. Otherwise, it¡¯ll be considered a failure. On top of having to pay the penalty for breaking a contract, your reputation at the guild will also take a hit.¡± [Roche] ¡¯Failed job¡¯ ¡®Penalty fee¡¯ Every time those words came out, the countenance of the students would worsen. ¡°The penalty will apply even if you gets sick or injured. There are exemptions, of course, but if you¡¯re hoping for an exemption, then you¡¯re not fit to be an adventurer. I pray you¡¯ll be able to complete your jobs in these three days. Also, while you¡¯ll have to do your job on your own, feel free to ask us instructors for advice or if you have a question. Our job is to teach you guys as many skills as possible while you¡¯re here. So don¡¯t hesitate to ask us questions. Who knows? You might just learn information that¡¯ll be helpful for your job.¡¡Alright. Did you get all that!?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes, sir!¡± [Students] ¡°Alright!¡¡Next, about communicating with your instructor. Most of the time, we¡¯ll be camping the way we usually do, but for the sake of any unexpected incidents or to teach students, there will be five instructor stationed here at any given time. I remember the schedule for duty was decided when we met, but I¡¯ll confirm it just to be sure.¡± [Roche] Roche-san read the schedule for the instructors¡¯ duty. Today, my duty is from 5PM to 8PM. I¡¯m still free to answer questions even outside of that time slot. The time slot is just the period of time when I¡¯m stationed here specifically. It also doesn¡¯t matter what I¡¯m doing as long as I can answer the questions of the students. I could be eating, I could be lying down, I could be doing anything, and as long as I¡¯m able to answer, it¡¯s fine. ¡­This isn¡¯t all that related, but there are sports-oriented part time jobs in my past life where beginners weren¡¯t allowed to sit during break time. Compared to that, the conditions here are quite lax. But that¡¯s what the veteran is saying, and there¡¯s no reason to go out of my way to say otherwise, so I¡¯ll just take it. ¡°Lastly, the schedule for the night watch will be the same as last night. Students, instructors, I look forward to working with you all. Dismissed! Students, you may go and attend to your errands. Instructors, stay!¡± [Roche] Like this the training at the ¡®Field of Poisonous Insects¡¯ began for real. Chapter 124.1 - Getting Food Volume 3 Chapter 124: Getting Food (1/2) I have free time until duty. I¡¯m done with my tent, so next I need to secure water and food. On top of the usual equipment, I¡¯ve also equipped myself with a leather bag and a pair of leather gloves. ¡°I¡¯m off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Be careful.¡± [Roche] Just to be safe, I informed Roche-san first, then I walked for the woods. One of the key points this training camp seems to want to impart to its students is the importance of preparing beforehand, considering that the difficulty of the camp greatly changes depending on whether one has studied up on the place or not¡­ The booklet I purchased includes the things one should pay attention to when camping, from the location of the river to the different types of grasses that could be eaten. So long as one takes the time to memorize the contents of that booklet, even someone inexperienced should be able to survive here. ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] As I walked along the road used by carriages, I suddenly felt someone looking at me. When I turned to its direction, I saw a student. He probably didn¡¯t have any business with me and just happened to see me. When I turned to him, he bowed his head, then made his way for the grasslands. Is it for a job? Or maybe he¡¯s looking for food like I am? I don¡¯t know why they¡¯re going to the grasslands, but I saw other students going the same direction from time to time. As I prayed for their safety, I arrived at my destination. ¡°Now, I wonder what I¡¯ll find first¡­ Oh!¡¡Akakasatake.¡± [Ryouma] (Aka = Red, Kasa = Umbrella, Take = Mushroom) As soon as I entered the woods, I found a mushroom that could be eaten. Just as the name implies, it¡¯s a mushroom that looks like a red umbrella. It looks poisonous at first glance, but it¡¯s not. It smells good and has plenty of umami. A delicious mushroom. This is a good sign. Oh! Under the shadow of a nearby tree was an ¡®Enokutake¡¯ growing, and by its roots were were some dangerous looking ¡®Yarijuppon¡¯ sticking out of the ground. They¡¯re both mushrooms and they¡¯re both also edible. If you stew all these together, you can come up with something really delicious. ¡°Come to think of it, I guess it is that time of year.¡± [Ryouma] After summer comes autumn. And autumn being the season of mushrooms is also true for this country. Even back at the Forest of Gana, it was during this season that I would see a lot of mushrooms and would be able to enjoy all kinds of varieties. Let¡¯s gather a lot today and have a sumptuous supper. I¡¯ll first cook the ones that I can¡¯t keep for long, so I can dry the leftovers and take them with me on the way back. In that way, I¡¯ll be able to entrust them to Shelma-san when I get back and have her cook them for the store. This country has yet to grasp how to artificially cultivate mushrooms, so the only mushrooms that can be eaten are naturally growing ones foraged from the forest. Because of that how many mushrooms one can get is a question of luck. The weather can also influence how many mushrooms one can get, as well as the animals looking for food as the season turns to winter. Even back at Japan, until the Edo Period, dried shiitake mushroom was considered a luxury. This country values it similarly. Being able to gather different types like these and eat them while they¡¯re still fresh is one of the merits of being a hunter or an adventurer. They¡¯re delicious to eat, and they can also be used to make dashi (Japanese soup stock). It sure would be great if I could buy them throughout the year at my convenience, though¡­ ¡°Should I start growing it myself?¡± [Ryouma] There are two ways to cultivate it. One is through ¡®Log Cultivation¡¯, and the other is through ¡®Sawdust Substrate Cultivation¡¯. Log Cultivation grows mushrooms by taking wood fragments soaked in mushroom fungus and planting them into a tree. Sawdust Substrate Cultivation grows mushroom through a culture medium made from mixing fungal filament and a source of ingredients¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s how I think it goes. I don¡¯t know about the other specific details like the temperature or the level of humidity, but I have a rough idea of how it¡¯s supposed to go. ¡­I¡¯ll give it a shot. After all, even if I don¡¯t know the specifics, as long as I have a rough idea of what I¡¯m supposed to do, the chance of success should be fairly high. If it works, I¡¯ll make a killing!¡¡But it¡¯s not unheard of for people to invest too much in mushrooms and end up bankrupt, so I better keep things in moderation. I¡¯ll go at it with a leisurely attitude, and only consider success as luck. But not now. Right now, I should prioritize gathering food¡­? ¡°Is it here?¡± [???] ¡°What about there?¡± [???] ¡°Nope. What about there?¡± [???] ¡°We just can¡¯t seem to find it.¡± [???] I heard the voice of children coming from the trees. It looks like they¡¯re searching for something. I was curious, so I stealthily approached them, and it turns out it was Berk¡¯s group and that group of four from the first day. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s really at the grasslands instead?¡± [Berk] ¡°Rock Lizards are lizards that pretend to be rocks, right?¡¡But this place is full of trees and grasses. There¡¯s nary a rock here.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡­These kids. They fell for a trap job. The name ¡®Rock Lizard¡¯ isn¡¯t written in the booklet I bought. If they bought the booklet and read it, they would¡¯ve able to avoid falling into this trap. Maybe they were trying to save money? Anyway, I better go. If they find me, they might ask for my opinion, and then it¡¯ll become troublesome. I hid in the shadow of the trees and quietly left the place. Chapter 124.2 - Getting Food The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 124: Getting Food (2/2) 10 minutes later. ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good job.¡± [Howard ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Lucy] I left my luggage at my base, and then reported my arrival. The stationed teachers were the ones to respond to me. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of food at the woods here. They¡¯re easy to find too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh. Then maybe this time there won¡¯t be any children crying because they couldn¡¯t find food.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Are there people like that, Lucy-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s actually a lot of children not used to camping. And there¡¯s a lot of instance where you end up with no food. Sometimes you bring less food than you should¡¯ve. Sometimes food spoils because of some trouble. There are all sorts of reasons. So it¡¯s a good idea to teach the students here how to procure food in such cases provided that there¡¯s a land to source food from.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Right. ¡­How do the rest of the students spend their time?¡¡I saw some of them at the woods.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re all the same.¡± [Lucy] ¡°They¡¯re either doing a job or gathering food from the woods or the grasslands. That¡¯s why other than taking care of the horses, there¡¯s not actually a whole lot for us to do.¡± [Howard] ¡°That makes our life easy, but it sure is boring. Ha ha.¡± [Lucas] So all the students are outside. Well, at least they¡¯re feeling up to it. Oh, right. There was something bothering me when I was inside the woods. ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something bothering me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it?¡± [Lucy] ¡°Those woods. There was a lot of mushrooms growing in them. There were edible ones, but there were also edible-looking ones that were actually poisonous.¡± [Ryouma] I was again reminded not to point out to the students when something is suspicious, but they might accidentally eat something bad. ¡°It might be a good idea to double our efforts in checking what they¡¯ve gathered.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Yes. I think that would be for the best. I¡¯ve brought a lot of medicine with me, so do call me when you need some. Depending on the poison, I can also make antidotes using the ingredients of the forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it. At that time, I¡¯ll be sure to call you.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Alright, see you later.¡± [Ryouma] I have to process the ingredients I¡¯ve collected. First comes water. Just as was written in the booklet, I was able to find a river inside the woods. It wasn¡¯t hard to find, but the problem was the quality of the water. It¡¯s not very clear, so I want to filter it first. Outside my base that had been throughly smoked and cleared of insects, I gathered some soil. I used that to make sand and gravel with earth magic, and then I placed a tank with a cylinder attached to it on top of a huge funnel. Next I brought all of those back to my base, then I took out some cloth and some crushed charcoal from my Item Box. I then laid out the cloth inside the tank, and then added charcoal on top of it. I laid out another layer of cloth, atop which I placed the sand, and then another layer, and then the gravel, and again the cloth. I figured I would be able to remove the dirt from the water if I layer these out like this with the cloth. I placed that apparatus at the corner of my room and prevented water leakage with a cloth and a pipe. ¡°Simple Water Purifier complete!¡± The river water has been stored in a portable water vessel. When I need it, I¡¯ll filter it and boil it. That should be enough to give me clean drinking water. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get to it.¡± I poured water into the tank while confirming the steps for the filtration process. Let¡¯s do something else with the excess gravel and sand while the water is being filtered. Gather the gravel and smooth it over with magic. It doesn¡¯t need to be deep. I made a large flat planter, and then threw the fertilizer of the scavenger slime on it. I then turned the remaining gravel into soil and mixed it with the fertilizer. Very soon I was done with my preparations. ¡°Next, I need to scatter these¡­¡± [Ryouma] I scattered sesame-seed-sized beans on top of the planter, moisturized them with water, placed a cloth on top, and then brought it to a dark room. After that I forced them to germinate with wood magic, and in the blink of an eye, the beans sprouted. Their white skin rose within the darkness. ¡°Bean sprouts complete.¡± [Ryouma] When I took off the cloth covering the planter, the light of the sun passing through the windows illuminated the thin white skin of the bean sprouts. I¡¯ll take enough for tonight¡¯s supper, then I¡¯ll let the remaining ones grow more. These beans grow quickly like weeds, so you can easily make more of them with a combination of fertilizer and magic. If I take just those, then I can produce bean sprouts for the following days as well. These beans helped me out a lot back at the Forest of Gana. It¡¯s kind of nostalgic. ¡­Right. Speaking of nostalgia, there¡¯s another ingredient that fits the bill. ¡¯Kotsubuyarikusa¡¯ (Kotsubu = small grain; Yari = spear; Kusa = grass) A plant resembling the susuki (Japanese pampas grass) that grow by the river. It grows really long, and at the tip of its grown body are a lot of seeds. Because of that, depending on one¡¯s perspective, it might appear to resemble a spear. Placed in the same category of grains as rice and wheat, when turned into flour, it can allow even things like unfermented bread to be cooked. It¡¯s a convenient grass. But this only means that it¡¯s edible. It actually tastes terrible. Because of that bitter taste, the world only sees it as a weed. There¡¯s barely anyone who regularly eats it. But that¡¯s only a given. After all, unless you really had to, you would usually just eat bread made with wheat flour. Still, with the various types of mushrooms, the bean sprouts, and the kotsubuyarikusa. I was able to gather a lot of wild edible plants and wild grasses, and I also have the seasoning and preserved food that I brought with me. It seems I¡¯ll be able to have a decent meal tonight too. Chapter 125.1 - Work and Reputation Volume 3 Chapter 125: Work and Reputation (1/2) ¡°Did you get any?¡± [Teacher] ¡°Of course! [Student] ¡°Oh?¡± [Teacher] The students came back one after another and the camp became noisy. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± [Ryouma] When I turned to the direction of the windows, I noticed that a crowd had formed beside the carriage. ¡°They¡¯re checking their food, huh.¡± They said they would double their efforts in checking their food, so they must be having a hard time with so many students coming back. It¡¯s still a bit early for my duty, but I guess I might as well do my job. ¡°Good job, everyone!¡¡Please let me help!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks!¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°Help us check their food!¡± [Teacher 2] ¡°Okay!¡¡Next!¡¡You can have your stuff checked here too!¡± [Ryouma] Of the students lined up, one walked to me. ¡°Please.¡± [Student 1] ¡°Sure, no problem. You sure gathered a lot.¡± [Ryouma] I used the rack on the carriage and checked the contents of the bag. ¡­This person seems to have some knowledge of plants. He focused on gathering leaf buds and edible wild grasses. But¡­ ¡°Most of this is fine, but this mushroom is no good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Student 1] ¡°It might resemble an Akakasatake, but if you compare the back of the umbrella with the real thing¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, it¡¯s different.¡± [Student Adventurer] ¡°Yes. The back of the umbrella of an edible ¡®Akakasatake¡¯ is a beautiful red. But when the back is a dull brown-like color, that¡¯s the poisonous ¡®Benikasatake¡¯. If you eat this, you can get anything from a stomachache to diarrhea to vomiting, and even vertigo, so please be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Student Adventurer] ¡°For the meantime, I¡¯ll be taking this. Considering that you were able to get so many edible food, I¡¯d say you did a pretty good job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Student 1] ¡°Yes. Next!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Usu!¡± [Student 2] Hmm¡­ This one also seems like he knows a thing or two about gathering food, but his method of collecting the ingredients is really sloppy. This leaf bud can be eaten, but you¡¯re only supposed to pluck the terminal bud. By plucking the other buds too, although doing so gives you more food, there won¡¯t be any left the next year. The tree this leaf bud is attached to is also weak, so if you¡¯re not gentle, it¡¯s easy to break. He had a couple of other buds in his bag along with the branches. After I explained to him the issues with the way he foraged food, a student with food other than plants and vegetation appeared. ¡°Excuse me, can you teach me how to handle my quarry?¡± [Student 3] ¡°Your quarry? In that case, ask that person over there. He¡¯s in charge of that stuff.¡± [Ryouma] I told him about another male teacher under the shadow of the carriage and had him go there. I¡¯m currently in charge of mushrooms and plants. ¡°When handling quarry, we start by letting the blood out first. Understand?¡± [Teacher] ¡°Yes!¡± [Student 3] ¡°But you need to be careful where you do this. As much as possible, choose a place that¡¯s safe, as other monsters might come because of the smell of blood. This time is fine, but when you do it, it would be best to do it somewhere away from your camp.¡± ¡°What about when I really have to do it at my camp?¡± [Student 3] ¡°In that case, you can dig out a hole and bury the blood and all the other unnecessary parts. It¡¯s a lot better to bury them than otherwise. If you have money and space in your luggage to spare, you could consider buying this one too. The Bamboo Forest¡¯s ¡®Deodorizing Liquid¡¯.¡± [Teacher] Huh?¡¡Isn¡¯t that our store¡¯s product!? ¡°Deodorizing Liquid?¡± [Student 3] ¡°Never heard of it?¡¡Bamboo Forest is an inexpensive laundromat that got into business this year. They sell this there. If you get the strong stuff, you can deodorize even the smell of goblin blood. It¡¯s very convenient. There are even beast tribe members that can¡¯t stop using it after trying it out once. Unfortunately, you can only buy it at the store at Gimuru or Renauph for now.¡± [Teacher] Huh. So, it was being used for camping¡­ Even though it¡¯s my store¡¯s product, I had no idea. ¡°Next. Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Oh. It looks that student just now was the last. There¡¯s no line anymore. ¡°Ryouma-kun, are you done?¡± [Mimil] ¡°Mimil-san. Yeah, apparently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then can you gather all the food that can¡¯t be eaten. I want to dispose them.¡± [Mimil] ¡°Got it. ¡­By the way, can I have the poisonous mushrooms?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The poisonous mushroom?¡¡Well, I was just going to dispose them anyway, so I don¡¯t mind, but¡­ Oh. I get it. You want to feed them to your slimes?¡± [Mimil] ¡°Yes. While they may be poisonous to humans, the poison slimes can eat them just fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, please feel free to take them. But do be careful not to accidentally eat them.¡± [Mimil] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] She gave permission, so I cleaned everything up and gathered even the inedible food from the other teachers. I also took the opportunity to talk to the man that was teaching the student how to handle a quarry, and was able to get him to agree to give me blood. I went back to my base and stored the poisonous mushrooms in my Dimension Home. In exchange, I took out vials filled with bloody slimes and went back. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] At the place where animals were gutted were animals hanging from wooden racks, dripping with blood. ¡°I don¡¯t need to do anything special, right?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already placed the slimes in the tubs, so just drain the blood normally and it¡¯s all good.¡± [Ryouma] While explaining, I placed three slimes each in the three large tubs that were meant to hold the blood. The bloody slimes have been increasing in number, but they¡¯ve yet to cross 2 digits. I need to increase their numbers faster¡­ As usual, they¡¯re hard to distinguish when mixed with a puddle of blood. ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [???] ¡°Sorry. I need to go.¡± [Ryouma] Someone seemed to be calling for me, so I quickly ran to the back of the carriage. Chapter 125.2 - Work and Reputation ¡°Ah, found you!¡± [Teacher] ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] When I got there, what was waiting for me was a female teacher and a boy. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The medicine I bought isn¡¯t working.¡± [Boy Adventurer] ¡°I think he might have gotten a fake medicine, but I¡¯m not particular with this kind of stuff, so I¡¯m not sure. You said you knew a lot about medicine, right?¡± [Female Teacher] ¡°I do have some knowledge on the subject. Can I see that medicine?¡± [Ryouma] Fake Medicine?¡¡That shouldn¡¯t happen if you buy at a normal store. ¡°It¡¯s this. It¡¯s from the pharmacy and was a little expensive, but I was told it¡¯s very effective, so I splurged on it.¡± [Boy Adventurer] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± [Ryouma] The boy seemed to be itchy as he was rubbing himself atop his clothes. He took out a small bottle and handed it to me. When I examined it, I was able to get a rough understanding of the situation. ¡°When did you start using this and how many times have you used it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I just started using it this morning. It didn¡¯t seem to be working, so I used it 5 times¡­¡± [Boy Adventurer] ¡°Alright. This isn¡¯t a fake. It just deteriorated.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Deteriorated?¡± [Boy Adventurer] ¡°Did you place the bottle under direct sunlight?¡¡It¡¯s true that it¡¯s an insect repellent concocted using some fairly good ingredients, but its weak against sunlight. That¡¯s why you have to store it someplace away from the sun or its efficacy will go down. Also, if people with weak skin use it too much, they might irritate their skin. So, that itchiness your feeling might not just be because of the insects. Didn¡¯t the clerk explain this to you when you purchased it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all!¡± [Boy Adventurer] Did the clerk really not explain it or did this adventurer simply not hear it? I don¡¯t know, but either way this medicine is the real thing. ¡°Thank you for explaining. I can take care of the rest.¡± [Teacher] ¡°I¡¯ll leave it in your hands then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [???] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m going!¡± [Ryouma] ¡­There were quite a lot of people asking me questions. From the atmosphere on the first day, I thought I wouldn¡¯t be relied on too much, but it¡¯s surprisingly busy. In any case, I did my best to answer those that asked me questions. I spent one hour trying to teach them all. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s nearing winter, but recently the sun has been setting early. Thanks to most of the students have coming back, the wave of questions finally calmed down. ¡°Ryouma, can I have a sec?¡± [Roche] ¡°What is it,¡¡Roche-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are still some students that haven¡¯t come back. It¡¯s that group of four that caused a problem on the first day. Have you seen them by any chance?¡± [Roche] ¡°I saw those four in the woods some time ago hunting a monster for a job. But I haven¡¯t seen them since then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, can you take a look? You saw them in the woods right?¡± [Roche] ¡°That is where I saw them, but.. Can you lend me your ear for a bit?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡± [Roche] ¡°¡­Those four fell for a trap job. They couldn¡¯t find any rock lizard at the woods, so they were considering going to the plains to look for one.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s why I¡¯m not confident they¡¯ll be at the woods. ¡°I see. In that case, it might be a good idea to send someone there too¡­ Never mind. It looks like that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± [Roche] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Roche-san suddenly changed his mind. Before I could ask him why, he pointed his thick finger behind me. ¡°¡­I see.¡± [Ryouma] When I turned around, that group of four was already walking back. From the way they walked, they appeared somewhat lethargic, but at least, they don¡¯t seem to be wounded. They¡¯re probably just tired from having to carry their quarry. ¡°Sorry we¡¯re late.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Sorry!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°We ended up taking more time hunting than expected.¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°But we sure were able to hunt a lot!¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°Look, look!¡± [Adventurer 1] The four of them spoke to Roche-san like that as they raised up their hunted game and showed off. ¡°Grass Rat, huh. And 8 of them too.¡± [Roche] ¡°Usu!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°We¡¯re good at hunting.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Something like this is easy as long as you can find their nest!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Idiot! Sorry.¡± [Adventurer 4] When I tried to talk to them, the four of them suddenly behaved like a pounce of borrowed kitten. Hmm?¡¡Why are they acting like this toward me? ¡°Umm~ Did I do something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re the owner of the Bamboo Forest, right?¡± [Adventurer 1] The least reserved of the four mentioned the name of my store. ¡°I see. Is this related to my store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You and your store are helping out the slum people, right?¡¡Because of that we were told not to trouble your store or people related to it.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Who told you that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The adults at the slum. Look. We¡¯re poor, right?¡¡Even if we don¡¯t do anything, most stores wouldn¡¯t appreciate us approaching them and they would push us away. Even if they¡¯re not that blunt about it, it¡¯s clear that their attitude toward us is bad. That sort of stuff spreads quickly. Even if don¡¯t go out of our way to cause trouble for others, if anything happens, people will tell children not to approach us. On the other hand, if it¡¯s a store like yours that treats people like us well, we get told by the slum adults not to cause you problems.¡± [Adventurer 1] Good reputation and bad reputation are shared by the people within the same circle, huh. ¡°We¡¯ve long heard about how the owner of the store is a kid and how he beat up some delinquent adventurers and thugs and threw them at the guards. But we¡¯ve never seen your face before. So when we found out yesterday that you¡¯re the rumored store owner, these guys pissed their pants. They didn¡¯t know if they were going to be scolded by the adults first or be beaten by you first.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°We didn¡¯t piss our pants!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°We were just trying to talk politely.¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Yeah! You tell him!¡± [Adventurer 4] The boy adventurer laughed as he explained the situation and his friends booed him. But¡­ ¡°I understand the reason now. But you don¡¯t have to worry about the incident yesterday. I won¡¯t beat you up just because you did something I don¡¯t like. Unless you try to kill me anyway.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? I told you right? Even if you don¡¯t do that, the adults told us not to approach you. Ah, I¡¯m Gazel, by the way. It¡¯s nice to meet you!¡± ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± [Ryouma] He seems like an honest child. I hear these children often pick fights with Berk¡¯s group, but they don¡¯t seem malicious. If anything, they strike me as a group of open-hearted children.¡¡They¡¯re still young, so it¡¯s good they¡¯re this lively¡­ Or at least that¡¯s what I think anyway. ¡°Right. We want to handle our quarry. Is there a designated place for that?¡± [Gazel] ¡°You can go to the back of that carriage then.¡± [Roche] ¡°Thanks. We¡¯ll go settle our business then. Let¡¯s go!¡± [Gazel] As Gazel took his friends with him, they disappeared to the back of the carriage. ¡°He seems like a lively kid.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. The presence of a person like that can liven up a party¡¯s atmosphere. Well, there are also those that are too lively and end up causing problems¡­ You were there too yesterday too. But if you try talking to him, you¡¯ll find that he¡¯s not a bad guy. It feels like he¡¯s not being honest, though. But then again, when you were young too, you¡­¡± As Roche-san was talking, he suddenly stopped. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing. I was about to talk about your youth, but then I remembered you¡¯re still a kid yourself¡­ When I¡¯m not looking at you, it feels like I¡¯m not talking to a kid. It feels like I¡¯m talking to an adult.¡± [roche] ¡°I get that a lot.¡± [Ryouma] Because you know I¡¯m actually an adult. This kid you¡¯re talking to has the heart of a middle-aged uncle. ¡°By the way, Roche-san. They mentioned something about hearing about me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The youngest of the instructors. Someone who¡¯s even younger than the students themselves. And with that house of yours for a tent, of course, you¡¯d stand out. Because of that a lot of the students asked about you. Although there¡¯s a lot among the students who¡¯s just registered. There¡¯s a lot among the instructors who participated in the previous goblin subjugation job. Beating up a group of delinquent adventurers or a horde of goblins, owning a store, taking out a powerful bandit¡­ Any newcomer who does all that is bound to have word of him spread.¡± [Roche] True. I might have been a bit violent. ¡°And now word has gotten out that I¡¯m the person from the rumors.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. But isn¡¯t it fine? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re looking down at you.¡± [Roche] ¡°That might be true.¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t decide right now if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I suppose this means that they¡¯ve at least acknowledged my abilities. More than anything else, at least we¡¯ve now confirmed that all the students are safe. Beneath the dazzling night sky swayed the bonfire of the students. To cook their food¡­ To warm themselves from the cold wind of the night¡­ As I watched the smiles of the students surrounding the bonfire, my mood gradually turned peaceful. ¡°Uwaah!?¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°!?¡± But it was at such a time that something happened. Within the quiet camp, beneath the starry sky, suddenly screamed a person. Tl Note: Correction from one of the previous chapters. The adventurer students that got the trap job isn¡¯t ¡®Berk¡¯s group and the four guys they fought with¡¯. Instead it¡¯s the ¡®four guys Berk and his group fought with¡¯. Also, I don¡¯t know who those last three screaming are. Could be Ryouma. Could be teachers. Could be students. Could even be me. Or maybe you. Who knows? Chapter 126.1 - Trouble ¡°What happened!?¡± [Ryouma] I followed after Roche-san to the back of the carriage and found the place designated for handling quarry noisy. ¡°What happened? Is anyone wounded?¡± [Roche] ¡°When they tried bloodletting, the tub of blood suddenly started moving. They were just startled by that. No one is wounded or anything. But what was that?¡¡Did an animal fall or something?¡± ¡°Oh, those are just my slimes. I placed them in the tub¡­ Still, this sure is strange, though. I wonder why they¡¯re panicking all of the sudden.¡± [Ryouma] The bloody slimes appear to be panicking because of something. I don¡¯t sense anything that could be an enemy¡­! ¡°Gazel-kun!¡¡Which quarry did you bleed before this happened!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Quarry?¡¡That one at the end.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] I examined the hanging meat. Grass Rat corpse. An herbivorous rodent. Lives in plains with many plants and vegetation. Its body is fresh, but it¡¯s been poisoned. This poison is harmless when taken orally unless the mouth is already wounded prior to taking it. It can still be eaten. ¡°As expected. This grass rat is poisoned.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Poison!?¡± [Gazel] ¡°But we didn¡¯t use any poison!¡± [Adventurer 1] That¡¯s what Gazel-kun and his friends say, but the results of Identify is clear. Still, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re lying. In that case, there must be something else to this¡­ Found it! ¡°It¡¯s this.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s hard to see because of the blood and the fur, but there are two holes at the inner part of the forelegs. They were lined up horizontally. ¡°The bite marks of a snake. This grass rat was probably attacked by a venomous snake before you guys caught it.¡± [Ryouma] It probably just barely survived. But then while it was hiding inside its nest, Gazel and his friends came and attacked it. All the while, the poison in its blood remained, and that poison fell to the tub of blood slimes. The reason the slimes were moving violently is probably because they were trying to avoid the poisoned blood, but¡­ ¡°Oh?¡¡They calmed down.¡± [Roche] ¡°¡­It seems the blood slime drank even the poisoned blood.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It that alright!?¡¡Do you need medicine?¡± [Roche] A venomous snake¡¯s venom from these parts. Moreover, the sort that¡¯s harmless when ingested orally. It should be the bush snake. I do have medicine to help with that, but it¡¯s only meant to be taken orally. It¡¯s not something to be injected directly into the blood. First, I should dilute the poison as much as possible. I retrieved the bloody slimes from the other tubs and gathered as much blood as I could. ¡°There are still 7 grass rats left, right?¡¡If those rats aren¡¯t poisoned, do you mind if I take their blood?¡¡This isn¡¯t related to the training camp, so I¡¯ll pay for it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is our fault in the first place, so you don¡¯t have to pay us. Right, boys?¡± [Gazel] ¡°Y-Yeah. I mean if it¡¯s blood, you can just get as much as you want.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°We¡¯d just throw it away anyway.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] I quickly examined the 7 grass rats and bled them out. ¡°Hopefully, this¡¯ll be enough to dilute the poisoned blood¡­ And even if it¡¯s not enough, this much blood should have given them plenty of nutrients.¡± [Ryouma] The bloody slimes are in pain, but they¡¯re not in any danger. The poison of a Bush Snake is weak anyway, and the bloody slime has Poison Resist. Although their resistance isn¡¯t strong enough to resist real poison, a lightweight like this should be no problem. I¡¯ll watch the slimes¡¯ condition for a while after this attempt to dilute the poison and give them nutrients. In the worst case, I¡¯ll have to use medicine that¡¯s never been tested on slimes before. ¡°I¡¯ll let their situation stabilize like this for now. Thank you, Gazel-kun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. I mean I didn¡¯t even do anything.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Just giving me blood is plenty. This is also my fault because I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the slimes, so please don¡¯t mind it so much. You three too.¡± [Ryouma] The three of them replied positively, but they seemed uneasy. Roche-san went behind them and lightly hit their back. ¡°It might be a bit hard not to mind, but even if you mind it, nothing will change. So don¡¯t be discouraged, and instead reflect on this and think of how to make the most out of this experience for next time, alright? Ryouma, you¡¯re fine with this, right?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Although the poison was basically harmless as long taken orally, they still might have ended up eating meat without realizing that it was poisoned. If the poison was effective even when taken orally, then it could¡¯ve been bad. If the worst case scenario where to happen, they would find themselves be in a perilous situation. ¡°Listen. When people get used to doing something and they start getting complacent, that¡¯s when mistakes happen. Complacency is a fatal mistake for adventurers like us. Let this experience be a reminder for you four. Never let your guard down even if it¡¯s at something you specialize at like hunting.¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes!¡± [Student Adventurers] ¡°Carry on then. Ryouma, I don¡¯t know much about how to heal slimes. But if there¡¯s anything I can do to help, just let me know. I¡¯ll do my best to cooperate.¡± [Roche] ¡°Us too!¡± [Gazel] After Roche-san said that, Gazel-kun and the others also said that they would cooperate. They wanted me to ask them for help if there was anything I needed. The morning of the next day, when the sun was yet to rise¡­ ¡°Ah, is it time to switch?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep.¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°Good job. Let¡¯s switch then.¡± [Ryouma] I held my post while carrying a jar filled with bloody slimes. After a while, someone came to switch with me. ¡°I heard your slimes ended up drinking poison. How are they?¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°They¡¯ve mostly calmed down now.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 126.2 - Trouble Although it was time for my duty, the teachers and the students who knew my situation accommodated me to help me take care of my slimes. Because of that I was able to hunt monsters near the camp under the pretense of ¡®doing my rounds¡¯ and was able to secure the needed blood for my bloody slimes. Thanks to that the bloody slimes were able to safely get through the most difficult part. Although they still seem weak, unlike earlier, they are no longer in pain. Actually, they¡¯re recovering a lot faster than I expected. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°It¡¯s thanks to everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Still, Ryouma-kun. You really do bring your slimes with you, huh.¡± [Teacher 1] What does he mean by that?¡¡From the tone of his voice, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s looking down my slimes and thinking, ¡®Why are you carrying such weak monsters with you?¡¯ ¡°Oh? You don¡¯t know what the people call you?¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°They call you the adventurer with a slime. Nowadays, anyone from Gimuru would be able to recognize that title.¡± [Teacher 2] ¡°¡­Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Whether it¡¯s beating up a lot of monsters and thugs at the mines or opening a strange store, you¡¯re plenty famous, you know?¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°Although there probably aren¡¯t as many who know you by face and name. Even I didn¡¯t know who you were at first. But when I saw your slimes, I immediately knew you were the rumored adventurer.¡± [Teacher 2] Huh¡­ Before I knew it, it seems I¡¯ve gotten famous. It was starting to get embarrassing, so I kept our conversation short and excused myself to get some rest. ¡°There¡¯s still tomorrow. So, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Rest well.¡± [Teacher 1] ¡°Good night.¡± [Teacher 2] I went back to my base, but because of the bloody slime¡¯s condition, I didn¡¯t feel like sleeping at all. Their condition is stable, so there shouldn¡¯t be any reason to worry. ¡­Shouldn¡¯t be, anyway¡­ Still, it sure has been awhile since a slime other than the poison slimes ingested poison. In the past, I fed the slimes poisonous herbs to try and get them to evolve, but I was able to keep things safe since I only gave the herbs to those who wanted to eat them on their own volition. I haven¡¯t fed my slimes poison since then. This would be the first in a long while. Unless my memory is failing me. ¡°¡­ Monster Identify.¡± [Ryouma] When I tried using Monster Identify on one of the bloody slimes that ingested poison. Skills: ¡­I found out that Absorb and Poison Resist had grown by a level. The increase in the level of Absorb should be because of all the blood I¡¯ve fed it until now. But as for Poison Resist¡­ I don¡¯t recall feeding it anything poisonous. Disease Resist hasn¡¯t leveled up. Well, the level of its Disease Resist has always been higher, so maybe that¡¯s why it hasn¡¯t changed. I wonder if there¡¯s something mixed in with the blood of its food. ¡­No. That shouldn¡¯t be the case. The blood I feed the bloody slimes are either extracted by myself personally from animals I¡¯ve hunted or blood from Zeke-san¡¯s butcher. If the blood isn¡¯t the culprit, then the reason behind the level up of the Poison Resist skill should be this recent incident. As its situation stabilized, the level of its Poison Resist increased by a level. ¡°¡­It overcame it in this short of a time?¡± [Ryouma] The Poison Resist skill, just as the name implies, is a resistance toward poison. The power to resist poison. It¡¯s not about technique like spear mastery or sword mastery. Instead, it¡¯s about one¡¯s constitution and experiences just like Disease Resist. It¡¯s also related to one¡¯s immune function. In that case, is Poison Resist ¡®antibody¡¯? But if so, then there¡¯s no way it would be able to overcome the poison in just a night¡­ Or maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s a slime? Slimes are monsters gifted with the ability to adapt to their environment and reproduce. The one who said this was none other than the God of Creation who birthed the slimes and this world. There¡¯s no way this information is wrong. Perhaps it¡¯s because the bloody slime also possesses that adaptive power that it was able to overcome the poison within just one night¡­ I don¡¯t have proof, but¡­ ¡°Bloody Slime, blood, diluted poison, antibody¡­ With all these, I wonder if it would be possible to create an ¡®antiserum¡¯. That thought suddenly flashed through my mind. I might be able to find out if the antibodies exist with a little investigation. ¡°Lend me your body for a little.¡± I took a sample from the bloody slime that ingested poison. ¡­I retrieved a sample from the bloody slime in the same way I retrieved samples of acid, poison, and deodorizing liquid. A normal slime would die without leaving a trace, but I wonder if evolution would bring their characteristics closer to that of the food they eat. ¡­Well, that¡¯s not a topic I should be pursuing right now. Right now I need to think about the blood serum. Blood Serum is mixed in with the blood, so I need to use Alchemy to separate it. I could also get it by leaving the blood on its own for a while, but I want to get results now. ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] I used Identify on the orange liquid left inside the vessel¡­ ¡¯Blood Serum¡¯ It¡¯s the blood serum I was able to extract from the bodily liquids of the bloody slime. There¡¯s an antibody for the bush snake poison mixed in. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] It was at this moment that the presence of antibodies within the blood serum of the bloody slime was proven. I still don¡¯t have a hypothesis for their adaptability. But I was at least able to confirm the presence of antibodies in their blood serum. I have an antidote for bush snake poison that¡¯s fit for human use. But it¡¯s not like I have an antidote for every poison. They might all be called snake venom, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re all the same. Depending on the type of snake and its growing condition, the composition of the venom will change. As such, although there are many known poisons, there are not that many antidotes. ¡­I don¡¯t know just yet if this blood serum can be given as an anti-poison serum to humans and whether if it will be safe or not. But it¡¯s also true that in my past life, a horse was once given an antigen, and then doctors used its blood serum to heal people. The possibility isn¡¯t zero. More than anything else, it doesn¡¯t cost anything to produce this serum. I do need to think of a way to store it in case of emergency, however, but depending on the type of poison, I might be able to prepare the antibody on the spot and still make it in time. The more bloody slimes I have, the more I¡¯ll be able to produce as well. I¡¯d like to prepare some just in case of an emergency. I¡¯ve been using Earth knowledge until now, but the discovery of blood serum had a huge effect to the field of Medicine on Earth¡­ Given how big of a deal this is this time, I better proceed cautiously. For now, I¡¯ll secretly research blood serums. Chapter 127 - Harvest ¡°Look. This here is the Balminist. A herb filled with things that bugs hate. If you crush it and add it to water, you can make an insect repellent. It¡¯s simple, but it¡¯s very effective. The downside is that it can¡¯t even last for an entire day. Of course, this also depends on the concentration, but either way, this means that you should gather the herbs while taking care not to crush them. Also, it¡¯s harmful to the skin, so don¡¯t rub it directly on your body. For the meantime, let¡¯s get enough herbs for tonight and enough to fill our hands.¡± [Berk] ¡°Got it.¡± [Berk] With our backs turned on each other, we quietly began gathering herbs. There were no eyes or ears around us. We were all alone. Plants and vegetation danced as the winds passed by, giving rise to sounds of grazing. ¡°Hey.¡± [Berk] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] Looks like he¡¯s finally ready to talk about whatever is on his mind. Berk quietly opened his mouth. ¡°I heard Gazel and the others caused you trouble. About that¡­ Sorry.¡± [Berk] ¡°Huh?¡¡That¡¯s what you wanted to talk about?¡¡Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What do you mean why? They¡¯re just like me too, after all. Slum brats. I¡¯ve known them since forever. We didn¡¯t even get along all that bad until we became adventurers.¡± [Berk] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I might be complaining at you a bit too much, but before registering at the guild, we were actually thinking of partying together.. But then I heard about Wist-kun registering, and I became concerned, so I decided to go with them instead. Because of that we ended up walking different paths, and before we knew it our relationship turned into this¡­¡± [Berk] I see. At least, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s thinking, ¡®We haven¡¯t gotten along for a long time, so it¡¯s not like I care about them or anything!¡¯ ¡°But you know it¡¯s a different story when they¡¯re making fun of Wist and the others. I can¡¯t stand that. And I won¡¯t compromise on that point!¡± [Berk] ¡°I see¡­ But you can be at ease. I¡¯m not that concerned about that incident anymore. In fact, I told them this too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡I didn¡¯t know that.¡± [Berk] It seems Berk himself wasn¡¯t there at the time and had only heard of the incident from other people. ¡°Still, did you really think I would punish them so much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah. I mean aren¡¯t you the sort of person who¡¯s understanding to others, but merciless to his enemies? Word has it that the thieves that aimed for your slimes always get beaten black and blue. I also often hear people saying ¡®Don¡¯t go after Ryouma¡¯s slimes unless you want to see hell!¡¯¡± [Berk] ¡°¡­Hmm. Alright, it¡¯s true that I beat thieves up, and I¡¯ve also heard about these so-called rumors from Gazel-kun and the others, but¡­ Really?¡¡Do you really hear these things about me so frequently?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no point in lying to you, is there?¡± [Berk] Perhaps, I should get Carm-san to confirm this matter when I get back. After collecting the insect repellent herbs, Berk was finally put at ease. But because he had to go out of his way to talk with me, he was separated from his friends, and now, he has no idea where his friends are. We¡¯d already met up, so he decided to take this opportunity to help me out with something as thanks for forgiving Gazel and the others. As such, we went to the woods to gather another ingredient. ¡°This is pretty deep into the forest.¡± [Berk] ¡°I already went to the shallower parts of the forest and the place near the river to get water and secure food yesterday. So, it¡¯s probably deeper inside.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gilkoda Leaf, was it? Does that sell for a lot?¡± [Berk] ¡°Not at all. There¡¯s poison mixed in with its medicinal components, so not even pharmacies handle it. But despite that it can be used to protect books and clothes from insects.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s acknowledged as a medicinal herb, but it¡¯s an ingredient that¡¯s rarely seen. I¡¯ve never seen the real thing myself, but I saw the name of the herb and an explanation to go with it on the information provided for this area. ¡°The special trait of a Gilkoda is the stinky fruit attached to it. You¡¯ll get a rash if you touch the fruit, so be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it stinks, then wouldn¡¯t it be easier to find if Ruth or Rumil were around?¡± [Berk] (The RAWs say Mimil, but based on the context, the author probably means Rumil, so I changed it.) ¡°The pair of dog-man tribe siblings, huh¡­ They might be able to find it, but I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll loathe the experience.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It smells that bad?¡± [Berk] ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it in person, but it¡¯s a leaf with a special trait and a medicinal component.. It even has a poisonous component too, so I want to see it once.¡± [Ryouma] The Gilkoda Tree that has stinky fruits. When I investigated it, I found out that its traits were similar to that of the Maidenhair Tree, also known as the Ginkgo Biloba, that were used as roadside trees in Japan to add color during autumn with its leaves. Although this world has monsters and plants and vegetations not present on Earth, it also has specimens similar to those of Earth, like the wheat and the potatoes often used in cooking. And when it comes to medicinal herbs, there is Yomugi, which resembles the Yomogi (Japanese mugwort) on Earth. There are all sorts. If Gilkoda Tree is really a Maidenhair Tree just as I think it is, then¡­ As I was thinking that to myself, the wind carried with it a stench that wafted up to my nose. ¡°This stench¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°It¡¯s over there. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Berk] We walked against the direction of the wind for a few minutes. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Impressive, but it stinks¡­¡± [Berk] The world before us was dyed in bright yellow as the jostling maidenhair trees glimmered under the light of the sun. ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] ¡¯Gilkoda Leaf¡¯ A leaf that possesses both medicinal and poisonous components. Medicinal Components: Flavonoid, Ginkgolide Poisonous Components: Ginkgolic Acid When I used Identify on the fallen leaves, names that I recognized appeared. There¡¯s no doubt about it. This is maidenhair tree. ¡± ¡®Item Box¡¯ Berk. Use this. It¡¯s a hand towel and a deodorizing liquid. Also here¡¯s a basket for collecting stuff to put on your back and a bag too.¡± [Ryouma] Supposedly, only unfruiting male maidenhair trees are used in the roadside back at Japan, but obviously, such considerations haven¡¯t been taken here. This is a natural grove of maidenhair trees. While impressed by the beautiful autumn leaves, I took measures against the stench and the rash, and began gathering the leaves. ¡°Thanks for helping me. Thanks to you I was able to gather a lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. I also got some nice souvenirs to give Wist and the others.¡± [Berk] We quickly finished gathering the Gilkoda leaves and were able to return to camp safely. ¡°I¡¯m going then. I have to make some insect repellent before they come back. I just have to crush them and mix them in water, right?¡± [Berk] ¡°Right. Just take care to avoid touching it directly with your skin and be careful where you apply it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it!¡± [Berk] Berk took a mountain of Balminist with him and went back to his tent. ¡°I should go about my business too.¡± [Ryouma] I went back to base and opened my Dimension Home. Before my duty time comes, I have to deal with the things I¡¯ve gathered. First, the maidenhair tree leaves. I have two baskets full of them, but there are still grains of sand and other garbage mixed in. First, I moved all of the leaves to a large container, then I used alchemy to remove all of the garbage. Only the container and the leaves were left inside the formation, while the garbage have all been moved outside. I ordered the scavenger slimes to deal with the garbage produced, and then I used alchemy to also remove the poisonous ginkgolic acid. After doing all that, I have successfully neutralized the maidenhair tree leaves! ¡°I¡¯ll just leave this here for now¡­¡± [Ryouma] Next comes the mushrooms I gathered along the way back. These are for a mushroom cultivating experiment. I didn¡¯t have the time last night because of the incident with the bloody slimes, but today I have time again. ¡± ¡®Item Box¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] I took out the fallen trees I found along the road. Using alchemy, I once again removed the bugs and other garbage on it, then I had the scavenger slimes deal with them. ¡°¡®Polish Wheel¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Afterwards, I turned the fallen tree into sawdust. The half-dried fallen tree was gradually crushed by the high-speed rotating wind and sand. ¡­It feels a bit crude, but this is the first experiment, so this much should be fine. I placed the completed sawdust to the side for now. Next, I moved the mushrooms to the container and used alchemy to separate them. I¡¯m going to try and cultivate these mushrooms, so I need to have some bacteria with me. Using the sawdust as the growth medium, I was able to acquire the fungal filament that will serve as the seed. Moreover, I also got some fertilizer to serve as a source of nutrients from the scavenger slimes that ate all the garbage mixed in. I mixed all three of these evenly with alchemy, and then I moved the resulting compound to a flat container that was about the size of a tatami mat and added a moderate amount of water to it. ¡°I wonder how this is going to turn out¡­¡± [Ryouma] I have no experience cultivating mushrooms. It would be great if things went well and it turned into a mushroom bed, but¡­ All I can do is leave things up to fate. ¡°Next is¡­ Ah, right.¡± [Ryouma] I spent the night last night at my Dimension Home, but tonight, I¡¯ll be properly sleeping at my base. I have to prepare for that too. I took about 20 sticky slimes with me and went out of my Dimension Home. ¡°I¡¯m relying on you guys.¡± [Ryouma] When I gave out the order, the sticky slimes quickly crawled up the walls and stuck themselves to the ceiling, then they stretched their tentacles downwards, turning themselves into simple flytraps. With this they¡¯ll be able to take care of all the small flying insects that try to get in! Seeing the slightly swaying tentacles motivated me. These slimes are really reliable. After that I installed a mosquito net and a pig-shaped incense-stick holder with an insect repellent. And after all that I should be able to comfortably spend my time here. Hmm¡­ What should I do next? Like that I continued to work on my environment until it was time for my duty. Chapter 127.1 - Harvest ¡°Fu fu fu fu¡­ What a huge discovery¡­¡± [Ryouma] The bloody slime that raised the level of its Poison Resist skill because it was able to produce antibody. But what about Disease Resist?¡¡When I investigated the matter, it turns out that the bloody slimes also possessed antibodies toward pathogenic bacteria. And they were even more varied than the ones for poison. The bloody slime¡¯s serum might just hold the possibility to become a blood serum for poison and bacteria. ¡°Hold on a sec, what time is it¡ª!?¡± [Ryouma] When I took out my clock, the hand was already pointed at the time 2 minutes before assembly. ¡°Oh no!¡± [Ryouma] Quickly, I rubbed insect repellent all over me, then I jumped out of my Dimension Home and ran for the carriage. When I get back, I¡¯m going to Dinome-san¡¯s place, and I¡¯m gonna ask him to make me a clock with an alarm function! As I decided that in my mind, I made a run for it. Eventually, I could see the back of the students. A great crowd had already gathered. I went around the crowd of students and went to where the instructors where. ¡°Yo, Ryouma. You barely made it on time.¡± [Roche] ¡°Sorry, Roche-san. I was preoccupied with the slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. What happened then?¡± [Roche] ¡°Thanks to everyone¡¯s help, their condition has finally stabilized.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see!¡¡That¡¯s great then.¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. Sorry for causing you all trouble!¡± [Ryouma] Fortunately, the designated place to gather was near the camp, so I barely managed to avoid being late. It seems the people here have already been informed of what happened last night. Everyone was listening attentively, so I decided to make a report on my situation. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s about time already, so let¡¯s get this morning assembly started. Attention!¡¡¡­Students!¡¡How are you?¡¡What are your thoughts after spending a night on the Field of Poisonous Insects?¡± [Roche] ¡°I¡¯m itchy!¡± [Student 1] ¡°I couldn¡¯t sleep¡­¡± [Student 2] When I listened to the answer of the students, it turns out that most of them were bitten by insects. The main purpose of the morning assembly is to take a roll call and confirm the safety of the students, so it didn¡¯t take that much time. Roche-san said just one last thing before dismissing them. ¡°Those of you who were bitten by insects probably didn¡¯t prepare enough preventive measure for the insects. After treating yourselves as much as you can, make sure to double check the condition of the tools you¡¯ve prepared and their usage!¡¡We have two days left in this camp! If you don¡¯t do anything to improve your situation, you¡¯re going to have a hell of a time! Also, I¡¯ve said this before, but I¡¯ll say it again. You¡¯re free to ask your instructors questions!¡¡That will be all! Dismissed!¡± [Roche] At Roche-san¡¯s behest, the crowd was dismissed, and the students started walking back to their tent or toward the teachers. Hmm?¡¡Roche-san is walking toward me. ¡°Ryouma. Can I get your advice on something?¡± [Roche] Advice? ¡°There are several students getting advice from the teachers on weapons and fighting. It¡¯s not a part of the schedule, but the teachers are thinking of having a mock battle as a visual aid, and then using that to help explain to the students.¡¡We were just discussing it a while ago, actually. If you don¡¯t mind, can you participate as an archer?¡± [Roche] ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but does it have to be only as an archer?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no. I won¡¯t limit you. I¡¯m sure you have your own style of fighting. But it would be best if we could show the students as many different types of weapons and different styles of fighting. The teachers participating are mostly close-combat fighters, so we were hoping to get someonne who could fight from a distance. I just heard this by accident, but apparently, you took down a bird during night watch?¡± [Roche] Someone on watch must¡¯ve heard him. I needed to get blood for the bloody slimes, so I took out some nocturnal birds. ¡°If you¡¯re that good of a shot, then I¡¯m sure the students will learn a lot from watching you. Can you do it?¡± [Roche] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I could refuse him, but my job right now is to be a teacher. It¡¯s my duty to help the students learn as much as they can. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go and make some arrows with a blunt rock for the tip so there won¡¯t be any penetration during mock battle.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see!¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll let the others know. I¡¯ll contact you again later. Alright. I¡¯ll be off then. Can¡¯t let the students wait too long.¡± [Roche] Ah. ¡°Berk?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yo.¡± [Berk] I¡¯ve always seen Berk with his friends, but for some reason, he¡¯s alone right now. He wasn¡¯t talking to anyone. He was just watching me, and when Roche-san left, he approached me. Does he need something? ¡°¡­Uhh. The thing is the uh¡­ bugs just won¡¯t stop getting into the tent. I keep trying to do something about it, but it just doesn¡¯t seem to be working¡­ And so, I thought I¡¯d ask you if you knew a good method to keep them away¡­¡± [Berk] Berk is usually a brave kid, never unafraid, but today, he seems to be a bit timid. ¡­Reminds me of my old subordinate, Tabuchi-kun. ¡°The insects keep getting in, huh¡­ The thing is even if you take some preventive measures, they could still get in when people enter. You have to make sure they¡¯re not on your clothes or in your shoes when you enter¡­ If you want, I can teach you a way to make a simple insect repellent.¡¡It can be made with the herbs that could be gathered from around these parts. If you apply it near the entrance, flying insects will have a hard time approaching.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Teach me.¡± [Berk] And so, I took Berk and went to the plains. ¡°Is this place okay?¡¡We barely walked.¡± [Berk] ¡°The herbs can be found anywhere as long as it¡¯s a grassy place with plenty of sun.¡± [Ryouma] In fact, I think we could have found it even if we didn¡¯t leave the camp. Chapter 128 - Private Viewing and Tea Break Volume 3 Chapter 128: Private Viewing and Tea Break ¡°So this is how it is inside your house.¡± [Student 1] ¡°The ceiling is full of slimes, but because of that they can get the insects.¡± [Student 2] ¡°This here is the toilet of the shed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously?¡¡You even installed something like that that?¡± [Student 3] ¡°What¡¯s this pipe?¡± [Student 4] ¡°That¡¯s a water filter. It filters water to clean it¡­¡± [Ryouma] Presently, I¡¯ve opened my base to the students. As soon as my duty on the second day started, a boy asked me to show my base, so I gave him permission, but when the other students got word of it, a ended up gathering. Actually, there¡¯s just six of them, but the rooms themselves aren¡¯t that big, so it feels really crowded. ¡°Ryouma, are you there?¡± [Gazel] ¡°Hmm?¡¡I¡¯m here.¡± [Ryouma] I heard Gazel¡¯s voice from outside. I wonder what¡¯s the matter. ¡°Look! Look!¡± [Gazel] When I showed my face by the entrance, he raised up a quarry with both hands. I had the higher ground, so it looked like he was pushing his quarry into me from below. I brought my face near it. ¡°So you got some birds today too, huh. Some pretty big ones to boot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡¡We set the trap yesterday.¡± [Gazel] ¡°I see. So that¡¯s why you were late coming back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah. Anyway, we managed to trap it well, so we¡¯ll give the blood to you. The blood is nutritious for your slimes, right?¡± [Gazel] I¡¯m grateful. Still, these children sure are good at hunting. ¡°This is all we¡¯ve caught for now, though, so you¡¯ll have to give us back the meat afterwards. We¡¯d love to be more generous, but¡­¡± [Gazel] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll get ready to remove its blood. As thanks, why don¡¯t you come in and drink some tea while waiting?¡¡I¡¯ll pour you some herb tea made with river water and some herbs.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll have some if you¡¯re offering it. But can I take a look around too?¡± [Gazel] He really is an honest child. Another way of putting it is that he¡¯s easy to understand. ¡°Of course. Ah, everyone else can drink too.¡¡The tea is made from the ingredients gathered from these parts.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± [Student 1] ¡°Me too. We have to prepare for tonight.¡± [Student 2] ¡°Yeah. We should be going soon.¡± [Student 3] ¡°Thank you for showing us around.¡± [Student 4] ¡°I learned a lot.¡± [Student 5] ¡°Thank you very much!¡± [Student 6] I saw the six students that entered my room off and prepared some tea. ¡°Brush off the insects on you first before you enter.¡± [Ryouma] Gazel-kun obediently followed my orders, but as soon as he entered, he found himself staring at the wall. ¡°Something catch your attention?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was just thinking that you had good walls here. Our house¡¯s walls are old, so the wind can get in. Compared to that, this here is a much better place.¡± [Gazel] ¡°So, that¡¯s what.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If only I could use Earth Magic too¡­¡± [Gazel] Are you bad with Earth Magic? ¡°Not just earth magic in particular, but all magic. But looking at this, I figured if I could use magic, then I should be able to do something about the walls at my place.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Is it that old?¡± [Ryouma] I asked him that while pouring him tea, and he nodded with a smile. ¡°Hot. Fuu¡­ Our house is still better off, though. The adults take care of us, they listen to us when we have something to consult them about, and as long as we mend the walls a little, we can get by just fine. The house might appear dirty, but it¡¯s livable. What¡¯s really bad is the house of the grandma next to ours, right?¡± [Gazel] ¡°Right?¡¡Even if you tell me that, I don¡¯t really know¡­¡± [Ryouma] Is she living in one of those places I heard about a few days ago? Those abandoned buildings? ¡°But it¡¯s only a matter of time now.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Matter of time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡¡I¡¯m an adventurer now. Although I¡¯m still a low ranker, I¡¯m going to get stronger from here on and make more and more money. Soon I won¡¯t just be mending our house but completely rebuilding it. I¡¯ll make it so big that everyone can live together.¡± [Gazel] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] So, he¡¯s the ambitious type. ¡°But exactly how long do you think you¡¯ll take?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How long¡­ I haven¡¯t thought about that.¡± [Gazel] Somehow, it feels like he¡¯s down all of the sudden. ¡°Well, you can just take your time thinking about it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve decided!¡± [Gazel] ¡°That¡¯s fast!?¡± [Ryouma] Huh?¡¡What?¡¡He just decided it like that after thinking about it just now?¡¡Isn¡¯t he deciding too quickly? For the meantime, I tried asking him about it¡­ How big of a house is he thinking about anyway? ¡°How big is your store?¡± [Gazel] ¡°Why?¡± [Ryouma] Why is he thinking about my store all of the sudden? ¡°I just remembered. That store of yours is 2-stories tall, right?¡¡That¡¯s why.¡± [Gazel] ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re concerned about!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I mean if it has two floors, it must be pretty big, right?¡± [Gazel] ¡°It¡¯s true that there¡¯s plenty of living space, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right?¡¡Besides, structures with two floors are rare, so it stands out.¡± [Gazel] Really? But asking a carpenter to build one will take time and money, so you can¡¯t just rebuild a house that easily. I feel like he should think about things a lot more carefully, but I¡¯m sure saving is a bigger priority for him right now. Even if it¡¯s just a rough image, having a goal is a good thing. As such, I avoided saying anything unnecessary and just honestly encouraged him. ¡°Oh, right. Awhile ago, you said ¡®our house¡¯, right? Do only children live there?¡± [Ryouma] Are the adults taking care of them? I¡¯m a bit concerned, as it sounds like there¡¯s no adult with them. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s different from the church and the orphanage, but it¡¯s a place for kids like us with no parents to gather. We spend the night there, and go out to work in the morning.¡± [Gazel] ¡°What about the rules when living together?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The older ones look after the younger ones. The neighboring adults help us out too and teach us various stuff. We ourselves learned how to hunt from an old man, who was a former adventurer¡­ Ah, it¡¯s almost that time of the year where we gather firewood from outside of town. During this time, the guys with nothing to do go out to gather some twigs. I guess you can call this a rule too? Anyway, that¡¯s how we live. We might not have any money, but everyone¡¯s able to get by. That¡¯s why everyone is like a sibling to each other. The three guys in the party with me all live in the same house with me.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Huh.¡± [Ryouma] So the parentless children are supporting themselves while getting some aid from others. So that¡¯s why they have such a strong sense of brotherhood and why they get along with people on their level so well¡­ Thanks to this opportunity, I was able to find out more about the life inside the slums that I didn¡¯t know about. Before I knew it, he¡¯d emptied his cup. ¡°Thanks for the tea. It was delicious.¡± [Gazel] ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll be going then. I have to find that beast for the job, after all.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Ah¡­ Right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡I see. So, the instructors aren¡¯t allowed to talk about the jobs. In that case, this topic is probably no good, huh.¡± [Gazel] ¡°Yeah. Something like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I guess I have no choice but to look for it with my own strength. See ya!¡± [Gazel] Like that Gazel-kun left in high spirits. But what he doesn¡¯t know is that the beast he¡¯s looking for doesn¡¯t live around here¡­ ¡­I should go back to my post. Chapter 129.1 - The Leader Saw ~Side Roche~ ¡°And so, the match will be held from 3PM. The place is the plains. The exact location is visible from here and there will be spectator seats built by Ryouma. So use that as your landmark. Attendance isn¡¯t compulsory. I¡¯m sure there are some of you who haven¡¯t completed your job just yet, so you can go ahead and prioritize those. But if you¡¯re done with your work, then do drop by and watch. The rest is your responsibility. Dismissed!¡± [Roche] When the morning assembly ended, the students could be seen going about their own business. Some immediately went off somewhere, while some talked with someone else for some time. ¡°Roche, can I have a sec?¡± [Lucas] ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Lucas?¡± [Roche] ¡°We¡¯re done deciding the groups for the match. Here. See if there aren¡¯t any problems.¡± [Lucas] After receiving the document from Lucas, the names of the participants of each group of two and their specialty were written. ¡°As detailed and faithful as ever¡­ We have 10 people, so that¡¯s 5 matches in total. I don¡¯t see any problems in particular. We can also just follow this for the order.¡± [Roche] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll inform the participants.¡± [Lucas] ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. By the way, what do you think about the students this time around?¡± [Roche] ¡°Their techniques are still sloppy, but there¡¯s a lot with a good disposition. And Ryouma is around this time too, right?¡¡Having a kid their age or younger than them working as an instructor with the adults is bound to be a concern for them. I¡¯m sure there are a lot of students conscious about it.¡± [Lucas] ¡°Yeah. But if they¡¯re adventurers, being that confident is better.¡± [Roche] ¡°Is that why you revealed Ryouma¡¯s matter on the first day in the carriage?¡± [Lucas] ¡°Well, it would have been hard for him to do his job if they looked down on him. He also didn¡¯t seem like the type to assert himself, though his skills are the real thing.¡± [Roche] Just one look at his base was enough to give one an idea of how much mana he had and how skilled he was at Earth Magic. I¡¯m sure there are other adults who can do the same thing. But if you¡¯re talking about kids his age, well¡­ Finding another one capable of the same thing might prove to be difficult. It gets even harder when you add the condition that they need to be able to build the house while acting as if they hadn¡¯t spent a drop of mana. Just based on that he¡¯s far and away from the usual kids his age. Yes, completely unlike your average kid¡­ ¡°Hey, Lucas. Did you hear?¡¡Although Ryouma is like that, his magic is still just that of a ¡®mage in training¡¯, and his real specialty lies in his close combat just like us.¡± [Roche] ¡°What?¡¡But in today¡¯s match, he¡¯s¡­¡± [Lucas] ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s because I asked him to join as an archer. Still, it seems like he can use all sorts of weapons. I don¡¯t know his actual skills, but he seemed confident, so his fighting skills are probably above his magic.¡± [Roche] ¡°Considering how much room he has left to grow¡­ What a terrifying child.¡± [Lucas] ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m so troubled.¡± [Roche] ¡°Troubled?¡± [Lucas] ¡°You know that the guild master talked to me before, right?¡¡That he asked me to make Ryouma participate?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Lucas] ¡°But now that I think about it, I feel like there was a strange implication there.¡± [Roche] He kept explaining this and that. Like how he had enough skill and camping experience and how he¡¯s a calm guy and stuff. ¡°At the time, I thought he was just watching over a new kid like he usually does, but when I saw Ryouma himself, I started to think differently¡­ Ryouma still doesn¡¯t have any party members. There are many times when you have to form parties for a job on the fly. But that¡¯s all.¡± [Roche] ¡°¡­Is he asking us to have Ryouma party with the students?¡¡It¡¯s true that they¡¯re all new adventurers. Their experience should be roughly the same. But there¡¯s a large gap in their skills. There¡¯s no way he doesn¡¯t understand that.¡± [Lucas] I get where Lucas is coming from. While having differences in the abilities between members is given within a party ¨C after all, it¡¯s a gathering of humans ¨C if the difference in abilities is too great, problems will occur. That is especially true with the younger adventurers. ¡°I also can¡¯t agree with making Ryouma form a party with the students. I¡¯m sure that person thinks so too. In that case¡­¡± [Roche] In that case, maybe we should look at it not as getting Ryouma to form a party with others but getting others to want to form a party with him? ¡°Aren¡¯t you thinking about it too much?¡¡It hasn¡¯t been a year since that child registered. He¡¯s done a lot of dangerous jobs, and he also has a background of living out in the forest alone. There shouldn¡¯t be any reason to help him get a party so quickly using such an indirect method, is there? Or is there another reason?¡± [Lucas] ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand.¡± [Roche] I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just my imagination, though¡­ ¡°He saved our friends, so I want to help him if possible. But we haven¡¯t received an actual job. We have to prioritize the job at hand. The guild master hasn¡¯t made his intentions clear either, so we have a reason not to act too¡­ Unless he just forget to say it, anyway.¡± [Lucas] ¡°Right.¡± [Roche] First, let¡¯s prioritize the job at hand. Chapter 130.2 - The Leader Saw ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡¡Winner, Lucas!¡± [Roche] As soon as I announced that, the spectators cheered. The third match ended without incident, and the victor was our party¡¯s Lucas. Winning or losing here doesn¡¯t really mean anything, but I¡¯m still happy to see my party member win. Of course, I have to be impartial since I¡¯m the referee. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s time to study. You two. Please explain to the students. Let¡¯s start with you Lucas.¡± [Roche] ¡°Got it. Just as I said when I introduced myself, my weapon is this hammer. It¡¯s heavy, so people say it¡¯s hard to use, but just as you¡¯ve seen, that¡¯s just a question of strength. So long as you train, you¡¯ll be able to handle it just fine. And more than anything else, if you can get a clean hit in, the resulting power is amazing.¡± [Lucas] ¡°You got that right. I was sent flying with my shield.¡± [Teacher 1] The swordsman he was fighting chuckled. He handled his one-handed wooden sword with his right hand and his shield with his left hand effectively, but one straight-up hit from Lucas¡¯ hammer immediate changed the situation. There are all sorts of shields. The shield this guy is using is a one-handed type that¡¯s not really meant to stop other people¡¯s attacks. The shield he¡¯s using is meant to parry. But he failed to do that and instead ended up receiving the hammer with his shield. As a result, his shield dented a little and his left hand became unable to put strength into it. As the two reviewed their match, they talked about the special traits of their weapons and concluded their discussion. When it was time for the next participants to come, I called out to him. ¡°Carmine, is your hand okay?¡¡Are you wounded?¡± [Roche] ¡°It was numbed when I got hit, but it didn¡¯t hurt afterwards, so it should be fine.¡± [Carmine] The hammer¡¯s special traits are its weight and its power. That¡¯s why I got him and Lucas into a match, so they could duke it out with their hammer and shield. ¡°That¡¯s good then. Don¡¯t push yourself too much. Just to be safe, you should drop by Ryouma¡¯s station. Get him to cast healing magic on you. His slimes, I mean.¡± [Roche] Before the first match started, Ryouma informed me that he had taken his heal slime with him. He said the slime will be healing the participants in his place, so he can conserve his mana. Currently, the slime could be found rested on top of his head. ¡°He says it¡¯s free during this teaching session.¡± [Roche] ¡°I¡¯m happy to hear that. Maybe I should get him to do a full body inspection¡­ But then again, he might find out I have some weird disease. That would be scary¡­¡± [Carmine] ¡°No. If you have some kind of disease, the sooner you find out the better.¡± [Roche] Besides, healing magic can only heal wounds anyway. And what does he mean by weird disease? Could it be he actually thinks he has something? ¡°Roche!¡¡We¡¯re ready!¡± [Lucy] ¡°Oops. I¡¯m going right now!¡± [Roche] It seems the next match is ready to start. ¡°See ya. Be sure to get him to examine you.¡± [Roche] I left Carmine and went back to my job as a referee. ¡°Lucy the Mage versus Bosco the twin-swords-user!¡¡Fourth match! Begin!¡± [Roche] Cheering voices rose up once again. But¡­ ¡°Uo, Oo!?¡¡AaAAAA!?¡± [Bosco] But deep voice suddenly cried out, drowning out the cheers. The source of that voice was none other than Bosco, whose body had sank into the ground. He had already let go of his sword and was clearly suffering. He was not doing this on his own will. Looking at his enemy, Lucy¡­ I guess this is about what I expected, but¡­ She sure is looking at me indifferently. ¡°Ah¡­ That¡¯s enough. Winner, Lucy!¡± [Roche] Although I¡¯d announced the victor, this time no one is cheering. Instead, the students were making a commotion, unsure what had just happened. But before that, I have to do something about Bosco. How many people do we need to bring this guy away? At least, it doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s injured. He¡¯s covered in dirt, though. I¡¯ll ask Ryouma to do something about that later. He¡¯s also responsible for healing, but he¡¯s really working proactively behind the scenes¡­ That guy. He works fast too. Having someone like him sure is a huge help. ¡°Lucy. Explain.¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. Yes. Attention!¡¡Umm¡­ For starters, you guys do understand that I made this situation happen, right?¡± [Lucy] Well, yeah. They should at least know that much considering I declared you victor. The students are all also nodding. ¡°I am a ¡®Mage¡¯. Naturally, this is a result brought about by magic. But what kind of magic did I use? Does anyone know?¡± [Lucy] ¡°Earth Magic!¡± [Student 1] ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s Water Magic!¡± [Student 2] ¡°But the adult was buried all the way to his neck. That has to be earth magic, right?¡± [Student 3] ¡°Look at the ground. Didn¡¯t she just use water magic to soften the ground?¡± [Student 4] Most of the opinions were either earth magic or water magic. They¡¯re not wrong, but their answers are lacking. ¡°Was that a Compound Spell that utilized both earth and water magic?¡± [Ryouma] Oh! A student got it right!¡¡Wait a sec, that¡¯s Ryouma! What are you doing blending in with the students so naturally!? ¡°You¡¯re exactly right, Ryouma-kun!¡¡It¡¯s an advanced technique, but mages don¡¯t always use just one element. They can combine multiple elements too. These combination of spells is what we refer to as ¡®compound spells¡¯. They¡¯re hard to use, but with them, the number of things one can do greatly increases. For example, the spell I just used was a combination of earth and water attribute. It¡¯s a spell known as ¡®Mud Magic¡¯. The attribute, ¡®mud¡¯, doesn¡¯t actually exist, but it¡¯s a common name. As you can see, you can turn the ground into a bottomless quagmire with it.¡± [Lucy] ¡°She prepared the spell before the start of the battle and activated it as soon as the signal to start was given.¡± [Roche] Bosco¡¯s strong point is his speed. He¡¯s not weak by any means, but the mud completely crushed his strong point. ¡°Concentrating is crucial when using magic, so you¡¯ll always be left defenseless right before you cast a spell. That¡¯s why children who are aiming to become magicians should first get some distance before using spells. You should also take measures to prevent the enemy from approaching you. It¡¯ll also do you a lot of good to learn some close combat abilities too.¡± [Lucy] Her teachings aren¡¯t wrong, but ideally speaking, I think she should have chosen her methods better. It was really childish of her to do that to the person next youngest to Ryouma. He¡¯ll definitely be depressed, you know? But then again, this will be a good lesson to him¡­ I¡¯ll just do something about it later. Now then, the next match is the last one. Ryouma and Howard stepped forward. ¡°Ready?¡± [Roche] ¡°I¡¯m good to go. What about you, Ryouma?¡± [Howard] ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± [Ryouma] Howard¡¯s weapon is a makeshift spear made out of shaved spear with a cloth wrapped around its end. Ryouma is using a one-handed bow and has a large quiver on his shoulder. ¡°What¡¯s inside that?¡± [Roche] ¡°Spare jintouya (a type of arrow not meant to harm others).¡± [Ryouma] Jintouya? I asked him to show me the arrows, and the tip of the arrows had been changed with something akin to the weight used in fishing. ¡°So these arrows are called jintouya in your hometown?¡± [Roche] ¡°Right. They¡¯re probably not so common around here, though.. Normally, they¡¯re to be made with wood, but I was in a hurry, so I just made them with earth magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, as long as they won¡¯t penetrate me, it¡¯s all cool. Please take care of me, Ryouma.¡± [Howard] ¡°Please take care of me too, Howard-san.¡± [Ryouma] Although it¡¯s right before a match, they sure have a peaceful aura about them. Well, Howard is always easygoing, so that¡¯s nothing unusual for him, but isn¡¯t Ryouma nervous? ¡°A few years ago, I showed off my skills to others as entertainment to celebrate the end of the year. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t know any other art to show at the time. I also have experience going up the stage because I was acquainted with some sword dancers during the Founding Festival.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Roche] ¡°Ah, but I don¡¯t actually have any experience with fighting matches¡­ Whenever I showed off my abilities in front of others, it was always with a partner.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Matches aren¡¯t that much different. Don¡¯t think about it so much and just shoot!¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes!¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma gave me a good reply as he ran to his position. The weakness of the bow is too obvious, so I had them start with a distance of 20 meters between them. ¡°I¡¯ll be going then.¡± [Howard] ¡°Good luck¡­ Howard.¡± [Roche] ¡°Hmm?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Howard] ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡¡Ryouma is supposedly strong.¡± [Roche] ¡°Ahh. You¡¯re talking about that story, huh? I know.¡± [Howard] Howard¡¯s expression seemed to cramp a little just then. Although he might appear like he¡¯s not thinking most of the time, he¡¯s actually a man who can get the job done when it comes to it. Despite how he looks, he must actually be quite tense. ¡°Ready?¡± [Roche] I asked them one last time as the two adventurers faced each other ¡°Ready whenever!¡± [Howard] ¡°I¡¯m ready!¡± [Ryouma] In that case, let¡¯s begin. ¡°Fith match! Begin!¡± [Roche] I raised up my voice and announced the start of the match, but as soon as I did that. ¡°Begin¡ª!?¡± Suddenly, something changed. It was the air. The change was so apparent that I could feel it from my head to my skin. Until now, the air was normal, but suddenly, it was so painful it felt like I would be crushed. Tl Note: The last release is slightly longer than usual and this one is significantly longer than usual, so this¡¯ll be counted twice against the queue. Chapter 131 - The Leader Saw ORAaA!¡± [Howard] Howard!? Howard stepped over the grass and jumped out from the starting position. He cried out a battle cry to encourage himself and threaten the enemy. Although thin and not obvious from his appearance, Howard has actually inherited the blood of the beast tribe, causing him to have this bad habit of screaming before fighting. When he was young, he would unconsciously scream even when trying to take the enemy by surprise in the night. He suffered a lot because of it. Somehow, he managed to correct it, so it¡¯s rare to hear him scream nowadays. If he¡¯s screaming now, then that means he¡¯s serious. It also means that this is one of those rare situations where he feels compelled to scream. From the way he¡¯s moving, it looks like he has strengthened his body and his weapon with ki too. It¡¯s only natural to be afraid of him when he¡¯s like this. In fact, his violent appearance has already caused the spectators to stir, but¡­ Ryouma, who was taking the pressure coming from him head on, was¡ª Completely unaffected. I can¡¯t believe he can still keep his face like that. Even though he was standing directly opposite of Howard, Ryouma was as calm as still water. Not a twitch could be seen on that cold expression of his. And yet his eyes were sharp like a pair of swords, ever pointed at the opponent that would be the target of his attacks. Not a trace of any intimidating aura could be felt coming from him. He was here to hunt. To hunt and only to hunt. He¡¯s completely different from his usually gentle appearance. The sensation of having a weapon mercilessly pointed at me and the feeling of standing along the path to Ryouma¡¯s prey made my skin break out in goosebumps. It was like a battle between a hunter and a fierce beast. I didn¡¯t even have the time to wonder if the match should be stopped before an arrow was shot toward Howard. ¡°That¡¯s not going to hit me!¡± [Howard] The arrow cut through the wind and accurately flew to Howard¡¯s location, but we were at the plains. Unless you hide yourself before shooting, the exact timing of the arrow being shot can be easily grasped here. Besides, this is a match. Howard knew right from the start that he was being targeted. Perhaps, if Ryouma had showered him with arrows, he might hit him, but just one arrow couldn¡¯t possibly hit him. All Howard had to do was change his direction a little, and he would be able to easily dodge the arrow. In the next moment¡­ ¡°Tch!¡± [Howard] Howard swept with his spear and deflected the incoming arrow. ¡°So Ryouma had anticipated that he would dodge the first arrow, so he shot another arrow to where he thought he would dodge¡­ That sure was quick, though. There wasn¡¯t much of a gap between those two arrows.¡± [Roche] While I muttered to myself, Ryouma continued to shoot arrows. He didn¡¯t just aim at the body, he even went for the legs that were hard to hit and even the hands that held the spear themselves. He probably wasn¡¯t aiming for the head or the chest since this is just a match. Even if the tip of the arrows have been rounded, it would still be dangerous if he hit those parts. As such, he¡¯s likely aiming to slow down Howard to keep his spear away or to destroy the spear itself. The barrage of arrows showed no end. It was as if there were two or three archers shooting at Howard. Although none of them managed to hit, they still slowed him down. ¡­I¡¯m surprised he can maintain this pace of such precise arrows alone, but because of this he¡¯ll also also run out of arrows sooner. Just like magic, bows also have a limit on the number of times they can be used. And Howard should have no intentions of allowing himself to lose so easily. He looks like he¡¯s struggling right now, but from the look on his face as he continues to run through the plains, it seems he¡¯s enduring for the time being, while looking for a chance to attack. Still, Ryouma¡¯s skill with the bow isn¡¯t that of a kid¡¯s. Lv4?¡¡I think he could even reach the lower-end of Lv5. Howard is just managing to endure thanks to his experience and stubbornness. If he slackens for even a moment, he¡¯ll immediately be shot down. If something of this scale were to take a party by surprise in a forest, it¡¯s very possible they could be wiped out. But with the circumstances at hand in this place, Ryouma is lacking a trump card. As if to affirm those thoughts, the balance suddenly broke. ¡°Got ya!¡± [Howard] Ryouma¡¯s arrows started to slow down ¨C probably because he was starting to run out of arrows ¨C and Howard used that opportunity to jump at him. ¡± ¡®Earth Fence¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] But suddenly, a great number of evenly spaced poles suddenly appeared and blocked him. He must be intending to use that to prevent Howard from approaching him. Meanwhile he can shoot at him through the gaps. But if Howard is serious, that won¡¯t be enough to stop¡ª ¡°URAa!¡± [Howard] ¡± ¡®Break Rock¡¯ ¡®Storm¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] !! The consecutive invocation of spells caused clouds of dust to rise up. ¡°Uoo!?¡± [Student 1] ¡°Wait!?¡± [Student 2] ¡°It¡¯s coming here¡­!¡± [Student 3] His voice¡­ It reached even the spectator seats, huh. Still, this sure is a lot of mana. Although the spells he¡¯s using are only basic ones. Howard tried to break the poles blocking his way, but Ryouma noticed that and broke them himself, then he used the wind to stir them up. They can¡¯t be aggressive here, the field of vision is bad¡­! I saw a small shadow running inside the cloud of dust going to where Howard was. With the distance between them so close, Ryouma didn¡¯t use his bow and instead directly struck out with his arrow. ¡°What!?¡¡Are you serious!?¡± [Roche] He was aiming for Howard¡¯s eyes and throat. Although a real arrowhead was small, it¡¯s no different from a sharp blade. It can easily damage a person¡¯s eyes. And depending on the distance, arrow can even penetrate armor. So you can also thrust someone with them. It¡¯s my first time seeing someone use an arrow in close combat, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s gotten desperate. Quickly and skillfully, Ryouma changed his hold over the arrow from an overhand grip to an underhand grip, then he began thrusting his arrow with different trajectories. ¡°That¡¯s crazy!¡± [Roche] Was it enough to change the situation after his enemy had gotten close to him? As Howard was forced to back off, Ryouma backed off as well. Immediately after, an arrow grazed Howard¡¯s cheeks. ¡°OOO!?¡± [Howard] As soon as the distance opened up between them, Ryouma took the arrow he used in close combat and shot it. As the wind cleared away the dust and the two could see clearly again, the consecutive shooting resumed. After having broken the distance between them once more, a full quiver could be seen on Ryouma¡¯s shoulder. Around his feet could be seen many empty quivers. ¡°So he hid them in his Item Box.¡± [Roche] If he fills up his Dimension Magic with quivers, then he can compensate for the weakness of archery. It looks like the arrows he showed us weren¡¯t everything he had. I don¡¯t know how many he has, but it¡¯s not against the rules. Howard had jumped out thinking it was a chance, but was pushed back. Now the situation is back to how it was five minutes ago. ¡­How are they going to move from here? ¡± ¡®Teleport¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] So that¡¯s how! ¡°Where did he¡ª!?¡¡That was dangerous!¡± [Howard] ¡± ¡®Teleport¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma suddenly appeared at a blind spot and attacked, then vanished again. Just losing sight of him once was enough to slow Howard¡¯s reaction. Fighting like this would consume a lot of mana, but everyone knows that Ryouma has deep mana reserves. ¡°Ryouma has completely taken the pace.¡± [Roche] After watching the battle to this point, I think I know now why the guild master is fussing over Ryouma. It¡¯s because he¡¯s strong. I don¡¯t know what school he came from, but he has fully learned its techniques. That¡¯s the sort of movements he¡¯s showing. And although it¡¯s not as good as his weapons, his magic is also good. His consecutive spell invocation earlier was fast and he has an absurd amount of mana to back it up too. He has good survival skills. It¡¯s not just because of his house made with earth magic, but also because of his vast knowledge on medicine. He can procure food without problems. He has a store back in town.. Even if he doesn¡¯t do anything, he can live on just fine. Everything about him is far and above average. Having this much skill at his age leaves me with nothing but shock. If he seriously goes at it, he can reach B Rank or higher in less than 5 years. I¡¯d bet my money on it. Ryouma won¡¯t have much problem with most things the way he is now. ¡­But that also means that he ¡®won¡¯t need to be saved.¡¯ Generally, the reason people seek help from others is because they can¡¯t do everything alone. Even if others try to help him, they¡¯ll just get in the way. Because Ryouma is so skilled that he can do anything, he¡¯ll end up alone. At least, that¡¯s what I thought at first, but after watching over this match in person as a referee, I now realize that I was wrong. Adventurer work goes hand in hand with danger. The higher the rank, the more dangerous the job, and the less safe jobs are available. Normally, a person would trip while still at a low rank and be forced to realize that he can¡¯t do everything alone; thereby, causing him to search for party members. Unfortunately, Ryouma probably won¡¯t experience such a thing. If he lets his guard down and fails at something, then it¡¯s still fine, but¡­ ¡¯Skilled beginners die young¡¯ The less conceited a person is and the more seriously he takes his work, the less likely a person is to fail at the lower ranked jobs. The work gets even faster when a person is skilled. Someone who climbs up the ranks quickly will find it too late to turn back by the time he realizes his limits. It¡¯s not something we like to talk about, but any adventurer who¡¯s been at the field long enough knows it. ¡¯Why did he have to do that?¡¯ ¡®Even though he was so strong¡­¡¯ ¡®If only he hadn¡¯t pushed himself, his future would have been¡­¡¯ Hearing such things at the guild isn¡¯t a rare thing. People who lacks skills so much that they could be called dullards are the ones who are able to stay at this field the longest. That¡¯s probably why the guild master is looking after Ryouma. Even I can tell. Ryouma Takebayashi is a talent. And the sort that¡¯s likely to die young. His skills are several levels better than I expected, but because of that he¡¯s likely to go somewhere even more dangerous. Unless he has party members to stop him, that is. ¡°I want to do something about him while it¡¯s not too late yet¡­¡± [Roche] A minute later, the rain of arrows finally hit Howard. Tl Note: Twice as long as the usual, so this will count twice against the queue. Chapter 132.1 - After the Match ~Side Ryouma~ After the match ended, the way the people looked at me were divided into two groups. It did not matter whether they were students or teachers. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡That was a great match just now!¡± [Gazel] ¡°What kind of training do you do?¡± [Finia] ¡°That was amazing!¡¡But we¡¯re not going to lose!¡± [Berk] ¡°I¡¯m going to start learning the bow from now on. How long do you think it¡¯ll take for me to be able to use it like you did just now?¡± [Student 1] One group acknowledged my abilities and were favorable to me. This included Gazel-kun¡¯s group and Berk¡¯s group. After the commentary ended, they called out to me like this and talked to me. This group was favorable to me. The other group was just watching me from a distance. Somehow, it felt like they were avoiding me. After Roche-san showed appreciation for the participants and dismissed everyone, the people of this group immediately left. It was almost as if they were running away¡­ No matter how you look at it, the reason they left has something to do with what happened in the matches. ¡°Did I do something bad?¡¡I feel like they¡¯re scared of me or something¡­¡± [Ryouma] After answering the questions of the students, I decided to consult Roche-san about this matter. ¡°¡­Well, I think fear is a good part of it.¡± [Roche] As expected. Am I really that scary? No matter how you put it, I should definitely belong to the weak-looking category. Even Berk and the others looked down at me at first. ¡°Unfortunately, the cat is out of the bag. Everyone knows now that you¡¯re strong. And you might have just been trying to do your best, but you changed so much just like that. Even I thought you looked like you were lacking some humanity when you fought earlier¡­ Perhaps this feeling is akin to what an animal feels when its natural enemy is eyeing it.¡¡Something like that.¡± [Roche] ¡­Even though people have stopped being scared of me ever since I started looking like this. I never thought about how I looked to others when fighting, so now I¡¯m a little worried. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it so much. It was just so sudden, so I¡¯m sure everyone was just a little shocked. Given time, I¡¯m sure there are some guys who will calm down too.¡± [Roche] Roche-san consoled me. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s change the topic. Awhile ago, I asked you why you became an adventurer, remember?¡¡In relation to that, what¡¯s your goal as an adventurer?¡± [Roche] I thought he just wanted to avoid the topic, but he¡¯s talking too earnestly for something like that. I corrected my seating posture, then I told him that my current goal is to go to the Great Shurus Forest. ¡°Of all the things, that¡¯s what you want to do?¡± [Roche] After hearing me out, Roche-san seemed to have come to terms with something himself. But at the same time, he seemed greatly perplexed. Is there a problem with my goal? When I asked him about it, he told me that he thinks the guild master wants me to form a party. He¡¯s only guessing, though. He thinks it might be why he introduced me to this job in the first place. ¡°A party, huh? Actually, are you sure you should be telling me that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not like the guild master actually told me anything. I¡¯m just guessing. He didn¡¯t tell me not to say anything either too, so I¡¯m just telling you what I think. When it comes to adventurer work, the higher ranked the job gets, the more dangerous the job becomes. The same is true for the Great Forest of Shurus that you¡¯ve set as your goal. The minimum requirement of a C Rank to go there is just the minimum requirement to work at the place. It doesn¡¯t mean that a C Ranker can actually go in there alone. That¡¯s just suicide. Understand?¡± [Roche] Roche took a fallen branch and drew two circles on the ground. ¡°There might be some differences with the locals or with people with a different point of view, but¡­ Take everything I¡¯m about to say here as how the outsiders generally see things. First, as you enter the Great Shurus Forest, the deeper you go in, the stronger the monsters become. If these are the Great Shurus Forest, then at most, a normal C Ranker can move in the outer part of the forest. They can only really enter a shallow portion of the forest, but once you actually step inside, B Rank and A Rank monsters will start appearing regularly. And then the center of the forest is so dangerous that it simply cannot be reclaimed. I don¡¯t know where your hometown is, but from what you¡¯ve told me, it doesn¡¯t seem to be in the outer part of the forest. It¡¯s probably deeper in. As such, you won¡¯t be able to avoid fighting a series of battles. Moreover, just as the real Great Shurus Forest is called, it¡¯s as vast as you¡¯d expect from a great forest. Even without any monsters, it¡¯s not a place you can cross in just one or two days. Even if you use the stopping points and rely on your dimension magic, it¡¯ll still be difficult.¡± [Roche] Roche-san honestly taught me the dangers of going there alone. ¡°Honestly speaking, neither the guild master nor I have any right to stop you. I¡¯ve said it many times during Morning Assembly, but adventurer is an occupation wherein a person has to take responsibility for himself. So long as you¡¯ve reached the required rank, to go or not to go is completely up to you.¡± And that¡¯s why the guild master introduced this job to me and has asked Roche-san to talk to me like this. But, still¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really can¡¯t imagine myself partying with anyone right now.¡± Chapter 132.2 The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 132: After the Match (2/2) I¡¯ve partied with Jeff-san and Miya-san and the others on the fly many times. I¡¯ve worked with Berk and the others before the Founding Festival too. I didn¡¯t have any problems either time. But every time?¡¡Or what about if we always worked together?¡¡When I think that, I can¡¯t get a clear answer. I tried thinking about it again, but there was this strong sense of unease that I just couldn¡¯t rid myself of. ¡°Then you don¡¯t have to form a party now. Honestly, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have a problem with the shallower parts. You fought so well earlier that I could feel your strength on my skin. But just remember that it¡¯s precisely because you¡¯re like that that it¡¯s dangerous. The only reason I¡¯m still alive today is because I have my party. Comrade-in-arms who fight with me. They stopped me whenever I was about to make a mistake. They saved me so many times. It might be difficult to find people that can walk with you, but do think about it before going to the great forest.¡± [Roche] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t answer right now what I¡¯m going to do, but I¡¯m grateful for his feelings. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. This too is my job as your senpai. Besides, I hate seeing the young die needlessly. All the more so when it¡¯s someone who¡¯s saved my life. If I were a bit younger, I could go with you, but as it is¡­ I¡¯ll just get in your way.¡± [Roche] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] Roche-san turned his shoulders and breathed. ¡°In the past, I got close to promoting to A Rank, but nowadays even a goblin knight can kill me. You should have seen it. I mean you were the one who healed me, remember?¡± [Roche] Ahh, that time¡­ Wait. Roche-san is a former B Rank? ¡°Didn¡¯t you introduce yourself as a C Ranker?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Everyone in my party is B Rank, but we lowered our rank by one level down to C. There¡¯s not a lot of people who do it, but as long as you have a good reason for it, you can apply for a demotion. In my case, I was reckless in my youth and got myself hurt many times. Thanks to that my body is all worn out now. Especially, these past few years. It might also be because of my age, but my stamina has really gone down. I can still fight well if it¡¯s just for a short time, but having to fight consecutively like I would have if I were to go to some place like the great forest, then it¡¯s a bit difficult. I was troubled too because of the A Rank promotion, but it was dangerous to do jobs halfheartedly. My party members taught me that. In the end, I decided to give up on the promotion. We talked it out and decided that it might be a good idea to demote ourselves to rid ourselves of any lingering feelings¡­ Ah¡­ What am I talking about all this for?¡± [Roche] Roche-san embarrassingly scratched his cheeks. ¡°Anyway, we decided to use our remaining time to educate our junior and save up money for retirement.¡± [Roche] I see. So, this is also a choice that adventurers can make¡­ It kind of makes me feel sorry for them. ¡°Come to think of it, Roche-san. Do you know a lot about the Great Shurus Forest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not that much. I have gone to it many times, though.¡± [Roche] So he¡¯s experienced!? ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can you tell me more about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but aren¡¯t you from there?¡± [Roche] ¡°When I was at the forest, I barely had any chance to talk to the villagers. I was almost always with my grandparents when they were still alive, and when they died, I left the forest immediately.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand. If I were a parent myself, I wouldn¡¯t want my kid getting used to the atmosphere in that place¡­¡± [Roche] What does he mean by that? ¡°Ah, sorry. I don¡¯t mean to speak ill of your hometown.¡± [Roche] ¡°No. Other than my grandparents, I don¡¯t particularly care about the place either. I¡¯m just curious what you meant. Please tell me how outsiders see the place.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡¡­Then to put it simply, in the great forest, ¡®strength is justice¡¯. It¡¯s a dangerous place, so the strong are sought out and powerful adventurers are worshiped. This is more or less true everywhere, but the great forest takes it too far. For example¡­¡± [Roche] Roche-san pointed at the camp. ¡°Everyone is camped there, but what if this place wasn¡¯t crawling with poisonous insects but rampant with powerful monsters? What do you think would happen?¡± [Roche] Normally, the teachers would have to focus on protecting the students. ¡°Yeah. But what if we threw out the students in that situation?¡± [Roche] ¡­It¡¯s not a pleasant thought, but it would turn into a terrible sight for sure. ¡°Adventurers have these things called stopping points to help them. In these stopping point, adventurers sell the ingredients they¡¯ve gathered, supplies can be purchased, and maintenance of weapons and armor can also be done. There are a lot of merchants and craftsmen engaged in such work. Without them, adventurer work will become difficult. They are the ones that support adventurers. Because of their support, adventurers can focus on defending their base and working outside of it.¡± [Roche] ¡¯That¡¯s why the relationship between these supporters and the adventurers were originally equal¡­ ¡® Roche-san grumbled for a moment before continuing. ¡°A long time passed and the power relationship of ¡®the defenders¡¯ and ¡®the defended¡¯ was twisted. The strong are great and the weak can¡¯t live unless they¡¯re protected. The last time we went there was 10 years ago, but that was the kind of atmosphere in the place¡­ The people who¡¯ve lived there for long also ended up being affected by that atmosphere. ¡°What happened then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At the great forest, the violence that people pretend not to exist would displease people were they to do them outside. As such, it¡¯s hard for people from the forest to live outside. That¡¯s why there are people who come back to the forest. There¡¯s also a trend that as long as you¡¯re strong, people will close one eye toward some things. This makes it easy for adventurers with bad reputation to gather.¡± [Roche] Adventurers with bad behavior, those that are borderline criminals, and those that have been deprived of work by another guild¡­ As long as they¡¯re strong, these adventurers can get work at the forest. It¡¯s not on the level of culture anymore. The Great Shurus Forest has a completely different perspective of things. ¡°That¡¯s why I would only go there for work. Not once would I consider that place to raise a kid in. That¡¯s also why I was surprised to hear that you came from there. It seems you had an upright and respectable family.¡± [Roche] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I was a bit disappointed after the match, but because of that I was able to get some advice and got information from someone who¡¯s been to the Great Shurus Forest. I don¡¯t know if I can give a positive answer to Roche-san and the guild master¡¯s concern, but I¡¯ll research the party thing when I get back to town. Chapter 133.1 - On the Way Back, but… The next day. Although a lot happened, somehow everyone was able to get to the last day safely. As our stay came to an end, it was now time to go back to Gimuru. I started preparing first thing in the morning, had lunch early before noon, and then rode the carriage that went the same way we came. ¡°It¡¯s already been 5 days, huh.¡± [Student 1] ¡°Time sure flew by quickly.¡± [Student 2] ¡°I thought it would feel a lot longer.¡± [Student 3] The groupings for the carriages were the same when we came here. So I was with the same people on the first day. Only, they¡¯ve already gotten to know each other, so they weren¡¯t as quiet as before. On the fist day, Roche-san had to interfere to get them to talk, but now, they¡¯re talking naturally without anyone pushing them to. ¡°Don¡¯t make too much merry now.¡± [Roche] ¡°That¡¯s right. We may be going back right now, but this training session isn¡¯t over just yet.¡± [Lucy] Roche-san and the others warned them. They said that they understood their feelings, but there was always a chance to happen upon monsters outside of town. After the students were warned, they immediately started paying attention to their surroundings. They¡¯re serious, but it¡¯s obvious they¡¯re not used to this. They were so tense it was exhausting just looking at them. Seeing that, Roche-san and Lucy-san wryly smiled. Now a peaceful atmosphere filled the carriage. We didn¡¯t happen upon any monsters or bandits and we were able to peacefully arrive at the camp. But¡­ ¡°Roche-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. It seems we¡¯ll be sharing today.¡± [Roche] When it was time to unload the luggage, I heard the sound of wheels, so I turned toward the direction of the sound. There, I saw a wagon with a large curtain headed toward ouro direction. As the wagon approached us, they opened up some distance and lined up beside us. ¡°The corner is fine. Are there any open spots left?¡± [Coachman] ¡°There are. Feel free to take it.¡± [Roche] The coachman of the wagon exchanged a few words with Roche-san, then he went to a corner of the camp. At the same time. ¡°Attention!¡¡Students, by now, you have all been taught the rules of the camp.¡¡Today, we aren¡¯t the only ones using this camp. Make sure you don¡¯t cause trouble for other people. Those of you who¡¯ve forgotten the rules, come see me!¡± [Roche] I also warned the students not to cause problems to unrelated people. All the instructors were wary of the wagon. At camps like this, it¡¯s common for bandits to dress up as travelers and then attack. There are those that rely on strength and numbers. Some attack while others are sleeping. Others approach their campmates with a smile and offer drugged liquor and food. As such, the general rule when sharing camps like this is to not get in each others¡¯ way as much as possible. But in the end general rules are just general rules. There are exceptions. ¡°Can I have a moment?¡± [???] This must be the person inside the wagon. A moderately well-dressed man. There was a man with him who seemed to be his escort. ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did you come from that direction?¡¡If so, I¡¯d like to ask about the way from here. Mainly regarding the condition of the road and if monsters appear or not. Stuff related to our safety.¡± [Moderately Well-Dressed Man] ¡°In that case, please talk to our leader. He should know more. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°That would help. Thanks.¡± [Moderately Well-Dressed Man] The condition of roads is a topic of life and death to travelers. If they carelessly step onto a dangerous road, they could lose their lives. It¡¯s standard procedure to get information before leaving town, but the condition of the road could change along the way. Because of that travelers also exchange information with each other. ¡°Leader. These people want to learn about the road.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it.¡± [Roche] I left them to Roche-san, but he asked me to stay behind to see how these things go. Still, it wasn¡¯t as if they did anything special. They didn¡¯t bother with idle talk and just went straight into talking about the condition of the roads. Their conversation didn¡¯t even last 10 minutes. The two men didn¡¯t bother to stay and just quickly left the carriage. ¡°¡­Ryouma, what do you think about them?¡± After seeing the two men off, Roche-san asked me that in a quiet voice. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem particularly suspicious, but¡­ They did look like they could fight. It¡¯s not just the guard. That person who claims to be a merchant could fight too.¡± [Ryouma] The guard being able to fight is a given, but the man who claimed to be a merchant also had calluses that suggested he was used to holding weapons. His movements did not seem as refined, however¡­ ¡°I¡¯d say he¡¯s about as strong as the guard¡­¡± [Ryouma] From experience, there are a lot of bandits that feel like that person. But in a world like this crawling with monsters and bandits, not just relying on a hired guard but also learning the sword isn¡¯t that strange. From the merchants I know, Pioro-san from the Saionji Company also had calluses from weapons. I didn¡¯t feel like it was something worth asking about, but it seems he knows how to handle a short sword at least. Serge-san from the Morgan Company doesn¡¯t seem to know how to use a weapon, but I did see him walking with a self-defense magic tool. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think they¡¯re suspicious just because of that. ¡°Is there something suspicious about them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. I share your opinion. They don¡¯t seem particularly suspicious. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s almost that time of the year¡­¡± [Roche] That time? ¡°It¡¯s almost winter, right?¡¡The period from winter to summer, especially, the New Year, is when nobles are most active in their social life.¡± [Roche] Chapter 133.2 - On the Way Back, but… ¡°With that comes the food and liquor for parties. Dresses, accessories, and other things. Moreover, the period before winter is also the harvest season. Hence, this is the season for profits, both for the merchants selling and the bandits eyeing their goods.¡± [Roche] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Now that I think about it, it¡¯ll be New Years in just a few months. When I was at the forest, it would get cold as the seasons changed from autumn to winter. Once it starts get warmer, I know spring has started, but I was never that conscious when the year began¡­ ¡°Well, for the time being, it¡¯s better to stay alert. You¡¯re night watch today, right?¡± [Roche] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll be relying on you then. Also, in the case of an attack, will you be alright? Do you have any experience dealing with bandits?¡¡Can you kill people?¡± [Roche] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I got the bounty for killing ¡®Melzen the Red Spear¡¯ in the past.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah. I guess your techniques does seem catered for that.¡± [Roche] Roche-san seemed to already know that I was capable of killing people and was just asking to be safe. But what does he mean by ¡®catered for that¡¯? ¡°Anti-Personnel Combat. I don¡¯t know if the school your technique originated from meant their techniques to anti-personnel combat techniques or your grandfather who taught you was being cautious of the other villagers,¡¡but when you fought with Howard, your fighting style reminded me of mercenaries and soldiers.¡± [Roche] ¡°You could tell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After being at this job for so long, yeah. Adventures deal with all sort of enemies, but humans and monsters move differently. If you specialize in dealing with monsters, then you take monster subjugation jobs. If you specialize in dealing with humans, then you take bandit subjugation or escort jobs. There¡¯s a lot of adventurers that specialize themselves like that, so I could naturally tell. I more or less expected that you¡¯d be capable, and if you¡¯re strong enough to earn a bounty reward, then that¡¯s more than enough. If it comes to it, I¡¯ll be relying on you.¡± [Roche] ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And in case we actually do get attacked¡­¡± [Roche] There¡¯s a difference in fighting as a group and fighting as an individual, so Roche-san told me a secret plan ahead of time. And then, night came. Those on night duty prepared to intercept any attacks. ¡°It¡¯s my turn.¡± ¡°Thank you very much. Good job.¡± [Ryouma] But nothing happened during my duty and I switched with the person after me. The next day. ¡°Good morning. Howard-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, good morning.¡± [Howard] I thought they might attack at dawn when sleep was deepest, but no one attacked. ¡°Nothing happened, huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It happens a lot. It¡¯s hard to distinguish between bandits and regular people¡­ If they just went and made it obvious that they were bandits, our lives would be a hell of a lot easier.¡± [Howard] ¡°¡­I feel like that would also make me hesitate too in a different sense, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha. Yeah. There¡¯s no bandit who would so brazenly appear before people like that. Still, there are bandits that aim at you from behind, so don¡¯t loosen your guard just yet, alright?¡¡We¡¯ll depart when everyone is ready. If you have time to spare, do check on the students.¡± [Howard] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve already prepared my luggage and all that¡¯s left is to store them into my Item Box. I¡¯ll go do some rounds after that. When I did that, I happened upon Wist-kun walking from the direction of the watering place. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°G-Good morning, Ryouma-san. Patrolling?¡± [Wist] ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m done preparing, so I¡¯m doing some rounds.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. You sure are quick.¡± [Wist] ¡°You¡¯re drawing water and washing?¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s carrying several water bottles with him and a portable pan, so I¡¯m probably right. ¡°Yep. I¡¯m also doing some maintenance on this¡­¡± [Wist] When he turned, there was a huge shield on his back. It was huge for his age, but Wist-kun was so big that he was able to hide it behind him. He kind of looks like a rhinoceros beetle when seen from behind. Are those insect carapace on his limbs?¡¡He¡¯s wearing that glossy protector, so all the more. Now that I think back on it, Berk was also wearing an armor from the same material. His armor didn¡¯t seem as solid as Wist-kun¡¯s though. ¡°Your equipment sure has changed a lot since we last met.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. We saved up money while Jeff Onii-san taught me various things about the shield. The armor is made from the tunnel ants that you helped us with last time¡­¡± [Wist] When fully outfitted, he looks pretty strong as long as he doesn¡¯t talk. ¡°You focused on defense?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­ I have a short spear that I can use with one hand under this, but I¡¯m still a bit shy when attacking. I have strength, though. So, I think I can protect people now¡­ Well, maybe. Kind of¡­¡± [Wist] You can just say it straight, you know? Still, it seems he¡¯s also gradually looking for a way for him to be useful. ¡°Let¡¯s do our best. Ah, if you¡¯d like, we can work together in the future.¡± [Ryoma] ¡°Huh!?¡¡I can¡¯t keep up with your work just yet.¡± [Wist] ¡°I do miscellaneous work too, you know?¡± [Ryouma] They work with Jeff-san too as their teacher, so unless I¡¯m causing them problems, I¡¯d love to work with them. My rank is closer to them too than Jeff-san¡¯s. And it¡¯ll be good practice for me in working with others. ¡°Well, we can just do it when you feel like it. If the opportunity presents itself, do take care of me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yeah! Me too! I¡¯ll tell everyone too!¡± [Wist] Everyone, huh¡­ When he said those words so naturally, for a moment, I paused and watched him walk away. ¡°Ah, good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Teacher 2] ¡°¡­¡± [Teacher 2] I greeted two male teachers passing by, but they ignored me. ¡­I¡¯m really starting to worry about my communication skills¡­ Chapter 134.1 - The Guild Master’s Decision 30 minutes since departure. The carriages lined up alongside each other and traveled through the mountain road surrounded by trees. It was dim due to all of the trees and while the cold was a little unpleasant, the winds were refreshing. While I was enjoying the atmosphere like that, Roche-san called out to me. ¡°Say, Ryouma. Don¡¯t you have any plans of getting monsters other than slimes?¡± [Roche] His gaze was pointed at the heal slime on my head that was helping us keep watch. ¡°Actually, I have rimel birds too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡And here I thought you had nothing but slimes with you.¡± [Roche] ¡°Well, most of my monsters are slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How about getting other types too?¡± [Roche] ¡°Ah¡­ It¡¯s not like I¡¯m obsessed with slimes or anything, but the slimes have a lot of variants, so they¡¯re interesting. I¡¯m in no particular trouble, so I don¡¯t really feel the need to proactively go out and look for other monsters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ The thing is if you¡¯re no good with people, I was thinking you could also supplement your strength with monsters.¡± [Roche] Use monsters in place of a party?¡¡Wait a sec. What does he mean by ¡®no good with people¡¯? ¡°Roche, I know you¡¯re worried about Ryouma-kun, but you don¡¯t have to rush him so much.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, yeah. It¡¯s just when I start thinking about it I can¡¯t help but worry¡­¡± [Roche] ¡°Good grief. If you¡¯re like this too, then you¡¯re not in any place to be making fun of the guild master, are you? Ryouma-kun, sorry about this. I know he¡¯s annoying.¡± [Lucy] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m happy he¡¯s concerned about me.¡± [Ryouma] When I told her I was grateful for his concern, Lucy-san laughed and said ¡®What a nice kid you are.¡± ¡°There might be a lot of people trying to poke their nose into your business, but you don¡¯t have to listen to all of them, okay? Although I do share their sentiments that you shouldn¡¯t do anything dangerous or reckless, but I also think that you shouldn¡¯t hold back if there¡¯s something that you really want to do.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Ah, but let me say this, it might be a waste if you just keep slimes as your monsters. It¡¯s fine to gather slimes, but since you can use Monster Taming, don¡¯t you think it would be a waste if you don¡¯t check the other monsters out too? For example, if you had a horse-type like a red horse or a battle horse, then you could ride them and get around much easier. I think it¡¯s really convenient to have a monster that could substitute for your pair of legs.¡± [Lucy] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] Presently, I¡¯m able to get around through my dimension magic. That¡¯s not really a problem, but if I had a monster that could help me move about, then I would be able to conserve my mana and my stamina. It¡¯s impossible for the slimes and the rimel birds to carry me, and even if they could, it would still be faster for me to move by myself, so if I¡¯m to carry out her suggestion, I would have to catch a new monster. ¡°If you¡¯re worried, why not consult the tamer guild once?¡¡If I recall correctly, they should have a reception window for dealing with that sort of stuff. Actually, didn¡¯t they recommend you to do just that?¡± [Lucy] ¡°Actually¡­ I have registered, but I only had slimes at the start, so I couldn¡¯t get any work. Ever since I opened my store and had to turn in the people from the guild that were pestering me, I¡¯ve rarely visited the place. I don¡¯t particularly have an issue with the guild or anything, it¡¯s just that I find it difficult to go if I don¡¯t have any business there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then why don¡¯t you use this as an opportunity to drop by? From the looks of things it seems you haven¡¯t taken the ¡®Monster Tamer Affinity Diagonsis¡¯ either, have you?¡± [Lucy] ¡°I haven¡¯t. Is that a thing?¡± [Ryouma] First I¡¯m hearing of it. ¡°The tamer guild provides various monsters, so you can try forming a contract with them. They take the results and compare it with your previous results to try and find out which monsters you¡¯re good with and which you¡¯re bad with.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Isn¡¯t it free for first timers?¡± [Roche] ¡°It is. If I¡¯m remembering correctly, anyway. That¡¯s why you should drop by and give it a shot.¡± [Lucy] Indeed. It¡¯s not inconvenient for me right now, so it does seem like a good idea to take it. I¡¯ll go once before I forget. ¡°What kind of monsters are useful to adventurers?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°For me it¡¯s the ones you can ride on. I¡¯ve always looked up to those guys who can ride on their wyverns and soar the skies.¡± [Roche] ¡°For me it¡¯s the fairy types.¡¡I can use magic and supposedly these fairies can heighten the effects of my spells. Unfortunately, monster taming is difficult and finding the fairies is also a problem.¡± [Lucy] These two veterans really talk about some interesting stuff. But while talking to them like this for a while, we eventually ran out of topics and became silent. ¡°¡­¡± The atmosphere in the carriage is really heavy when it¡¯s quiet like this. ¡°¡­!¡± When I turned my eyes to the students, they all froze up. Ever since the match there¡¯s been a portion of the students who have been avoiding me, but these guys are part of the group that acknowledged me. It¡¯s just that they ended up adopting the ¡®anyway, he¡¯s amazing¡¯ mindset when it comes to me, and now they have no idea how to approach me. They can talk to Roche-san and the others just fine, but when I join the conversation, they stop talking. And in the end, we ended up like this. The way they look at me almost reeks of envy, and unfortunately, that¡¯s also a problem in its own way. Still, this is better than the atmosphere you¡¯d see when the boss of a disliked person enters the bus for a company outing. Chapter 134.2 - The Guild Master’s Decision Inside the peaceful carriage, a refreshing wind shook the carriage. Because of the all nighter last night, I was gradually getting sleepy. ¡°Please make him retire¡­ Please¡­¡± ¡°I have psychological problems now because of you.¡± ¡°Please stop it already!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t group me with you¡­ Not everyone is as strong as you mentally or physically.¡± ¡­ ¡°You¡¯re putting me in a pinch, Takebayashi-kun. You have to look after your people better. You¡¯re an educator, right?¡¡Don¡¯t you understand how much effort it takes to hire people? We have to train the beginners again from the start. Do you know how much problem you¡¯re causing us? Do you understand?¡¡Huh?¡¡Do you understand!?¡± ¡°Did you hear?¡¡That Takebayashi guy. He crushed another rookie again.¡± ¡°Puha!¡¡Again? That¡¯s hilarious!¡¡What year does this make this?¡¡He can¡¯t even teach his subordinates properly?¡± I intended to teach them properly. But the kids I was in charge of just came to hate me more and more. In the end, most of them retired. I never raised my hand. I never yelled at them either. I talked to them calmly and whenever there was something they didn¡¯t understand, I would teach them. I balanced the workload I gave them to avoid burdening them too much. As a general rule, I only taught them during work time, so they could take a break during break time. I tried all sorts of methods, but in the end, the results never changed. What did I do wrong? What am I doing wrong? ¡°I can see it!!¡± [???] ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­It seems I fell asleep a little. That was nostalgic. I saw a dream when I was still young. Come to think of it, there was a time when I was concerned about things like that. Dreaming something like that now¡­ It¡¯s as if I¡¯ve gotten younger. ¡­Oh, wait. I have gotten younger. This isn¡¯t good. I have to wake up properly. Did I sleep that much? When I looked around me, the position of the sun hadn¡¯t changed that much. But the gates of Gimuru could be seen from a distance. ¡°We¡¯re finally here¡­¡± [Student 1] ¡°We¡¯re back.¡± [Student 2] ¡°Thank goodness.¡± [Student 3] As the students were relaxed and they let their guard down, the atmosphere softened. ¡°Oh?¡¡That¡¯s a fairly big crowd gathered outside town. They don¡¯t look like adventurers, though.¡± [Lucy] ¡°Right. They seem to be surveying something.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I hear there are plans to expand town, so it¡¯s probably for that.¡± [Roche] Although they¡¯re still at the planning stages, it seems progress is being steadily made. I glanced at the people working while we passed through the southern gate and headed straight for the guild. ¡°Welcome back!¡± [Wogan] The guild master seemed to have been waiting for us, for when we got to the guild, he was standing there ready to greet us. ¡°All the students that participated are to gather here!¡¡¡­Looks like everyone was able to come back safely. How was it?¡¡Did you learn something new from the training?¡± [Wogan] He gathered the students to a corner of the guild and the students answered his questions. ¡°I see. Roche, I¡¯ll leave it to you to close this class.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Alright¡­ Students!¡± [Roche] ¡¯Congratulations to everyone who participated in the training these past five days. I pray that everyone learned something that will be useful to them in the future.¡¯ If you summarize it, that¡¯s pretty much what he said. And then after the jobs taken by the student were reported to the guild, the training session was put to an end and everyone was dismissed. ¡°Good job out there, Ryouma.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Guild Master.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How was it?¡¡Your first training.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Well¡­ I learned a lot from Roche-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That sounds like the kind of impression a student would have.¡± [Roche] ¡°There were a lot of things I learned for the first time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true. No matter how much you know, there are always new things to learn. ¡­Come with me for a bit.¡± [Roche] The guild master invited me with a serious face. ¡°Guild Master, can I come too?¡± [Roche] ¡°Roche? Well, you have to report anyway. You come as well then.¡± [Wogan] We were brought to the office of the guild master. First, Roche-san reported about the events during the training, then the conversation shifted to me. The topic was as I¡¯d expected. It was regarding the events after the match. ¡°After seeing Ryouma¡¯s face, I thought something might have happened, and it turns out to be that sort of stuff.¡± [Wogan] The guild master placed his elbows to the desk and supported his head with his hands, seemingly worried. ¡°Roche. Give me a more detailed report of how the others reacted. How were the guys avoiding Ryouma like?¡± [Wogan] ¡°At first, they were scared and confused, but eventually, they calmed down. There are also those that have fixed their behavior since then. This is the case for half of the students. As for the teachers, the older ones either acknowledged Ryouma right from the start or came to terms with things this morning. The ones avoiding him are mostly the younger ones. Several young teachers like Bosco are pretty obvious about it.¡± [Roche] ¡°Bosco is still young himself. So, the others were flustered when they saw Ryouma¡¯s strength, huh.¡± [Wogan] ¡°My deepest apologies.¡± [Roche] ¡°Don¡¯t apologize. You had him show his abilities because you thought it would help the students, right?¡¡You didn¡¯t do anything wrong. It¡¯s just that the results are a little disappointing. So, Roche. What do you think of Ryouma¡¯s abilities.¡¡Give me your honest thoughts.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Frankly, I wouldn¡¯t be able to beat him even if I were at my peak. If I were the same age as Bosco and if I weren¡¯t planning on retiring, I might have responded like Bosco did.¡± [Roche] Roche-san thinks highly of my abilities. When the guild master heard that, he wordlessly nodded. ¡°I heard Ryouma won against Howard. He did use ki, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°He definitely went all out.¡± [Roche] ¡°I see¡­ I understand. Ryouma.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master took out a piece of parchment and started writing something on it. ¡°We guild masters possess the authority to restrict the activities of adventurers, but at the same time, we also possess the authority to remove certain restrictions. One of these restrictions involves ¡®jobs pertaining to bandits¡¯. These kind of jobs are often reserved to C Rankers and above due to having to fight other people. That¡¯s why the restriction is automatically lifted upon promoting to C Rank, but¡­ In special cases, the guild master has the right to give permission to those he has acknowledged to take on such jobs despite still being below C Rank.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Guild master?!¡¡That¡¯s¡ª¡± [Wogan] Roche-san was about to voice out his complaints, but Wogan stopped him with his eyes. ¡°Roche, I understand your feelings. I¡¯ve also thought about the things you told him. I was worried about how to handle him, but he can look after himself. That¡¯s also why I was worried that if left alone, he will walk further and further ahead by himself. But that is Ryouma¡¯s business. You understand this too, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡­¡± [Roche] ¡°If a parent prepares everything, a child can grow up safely. But as a result, when one¡¯s parents are no longer around, the child won¡¯t be able to do anything. I have no intentions of raising him up like that as a guild master. Besides, Ryouma never needed protection ever since he joined the guild. He was already able to walk by himself when he came here. ¡­I left him to you to test him one last time. I wanted to know how Ryouma looked from another person¡¯s eyes. I wanted to know how he looked from an objective perspective. I wanted to know if your opinion would match mine.¡± [Wogan] ¡°So that¡¯s how it is.¡± [Roche] ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s why¡­ Even if I want to support him, I¡¯ll only be getting in his way.¡± [Wogan] As the guild master said that, he handed me the parchment and looked at me with a serious face. ¡°Ryouma. With the power vested into me as the guild master of the Gimuru Branch Adventurers Guild, I hereby grant you the right to accept ¡®Bandit Subjugation¡¯ jobs. On your way back, submit this along with your guild card to the receptionist. Do this and a permission will be granted to your guild card. If you use this permission, you will be one step closer to promoting to C Rank. Just know that I am only giving you the right to take on bandit subjugation jobs, not the right to do everything by yourself. If you can form a party, then do that. And if there¡¯s anything on your mind, be sure to come talk to me. ¡­Don¡¯t you ever mistake that alright?¡± [Wogan] ¡°¡­!¡¡Yes!¡¡I understand!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good. That¡¯s a good reply.¡± [Wogan] After hearing my response, he released the parchment from his hands. ¡°Ah¡­ About how other people look at you. You probably won¡¯t be able to avoid that. It¡¯s something that more or less happens even when a normal guy is promoted. Don¡¯t mind it too much. Just do what you want to do. Of course, as long as it¡¯s not illegal.¡± [Wogan] What I do want to do? That¡¯s obvious. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Nothing will change. I¡¯ll just keep working as I have been until now.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not as if I¡¯m planning to isolate myself in the forest again just because people are avoiding me. In the first place, it¡¯s impossible for everyone I meet to like me. I may have been blessed with relationships with good people ever since coming here, but this sort of stuff will be more common as I get more opportunities to meet others. It¡¯s not like my relationship with good people have been affected or anything, so I¡¯ll just keep on going as I have until now. ¡°Nothing will change, huh. Yeah. That¡¯s how you are. For better or for worse.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Ah, I may have said nothing will change, but I¡¯ll think about forming a party.¡± [Ryouma] After all, Roche-san and the guild master went out of their way to warn me. It¡¯s only unfortunate that I can¡¯t say for sure that I¡¯ll form a party. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself now.¡± [Wogan] After the guild master said that, I was granted permission to leave his office. The guild master looked really tired. Tl Note: Almost twice as long, but not quite. We¡¯ll still count this release as twice against the queue and I¡¯ll just compensate for it in the next release. Chapter 135.1 - Even in Another World It’s Busy near the End of the Year Now that I¡¯ve finally gotten back to town, there¡¯s a mountain of things I want to do and have to do. First, let¡¯s drop by the store and get a report on what happened when I wasn¡¯t around. ¡°Welcome back, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°Carm-san?¡± [Ryouma] When I went to the store after 5 days of absence, Carm-san welcomed me. Considering he was standing by the employee entrance, could he have been waiting for me all this time? ¡°I had an idea of when the guild training would come to an end.¡± [Carm] As expected, he wasn¡¯t waiting all this time. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching them.¡± [Carm] ¡°Them?¡± [Ryouma] When I glanced to the side, I saw some unfamiliar women carrying luggages. ¡°The new employees?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. A few days ago I implemented the condition of ¡®Employ More People Only When It¡¯s Busy¡¯.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] So they¡¯re working part-time here. ¡°I have several reports to give, so please wait at the office.¡± [Carm] Several? That¡¯s rare. He usually just gave me a summarized report. I wonder if something happened. I waited at the office just as he told me to. When he came, he was carrying a lot more documents than usual. ¡°Shall be begin with the earnings call as usual?¡± [Carm] ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] This part we¡¯re already used to. There wasn¡¯t anything strange on the report. Our revenue hasn¡¯t increased, but there didn¡¯t seem to be any problems, so next. A list of supplies to replenish. No problem. Permission granted. The report from the branch store at Renauph. No problems. Most things were taken care of by Carm-san, and my job was generally just to double-check and grant permission. The work I have to do now is way easier compared to before. As we gradually wrapped up the work to be done, we eventually got to do the last document of our usual routine. ¡°Thank you very much. There are also some people who have contacted you. First¡­ There has been some movement among the slums and the government office that you were concerned about.¡± [Carm] ¡°What happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The government office compromised on some parts, so the situation in the slum has finally calmed down.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] While relieved to hear that, I asked for more details. It turns out that the government office investigated some of the open areas the homeless people were illegally staying at and acknowledged some of them to be suitable for living. ¡°The general policy of the government office won¡¯t change, but by showing that they have no intentions of taking a firm stance, the slum people are now able to calm down. People responding to the government office¡¯s employment offers have also started appearing. Although there are still many of them wary of the government office, at least, the relationship is finally beginning to be mended.¡± [Carm] There are still problems, but with this, things should finally calm down¡­ Maybe I should go to that teahouse again. He did say he was there five times a week. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°An invitation from Serge-sama of the Morgan Company.¡± [Carm] He was inviting me to greet the Jamil family. Just as Roche-san said a few days ago, this is the season for merchants to make profit. During this time of the year, merchants would get a lot of orders from valued clients, and since the nobles will be busy come the end of the year, the merchants also use this time to greet the various noble houses. Especially in Serge-san¡¯s case, as he knows many noble families. If he doesn¡¯t start now, who knows when he¡¯ll be able to finish. In fact, it seems he¡¯s already greeted a number of people. As such, he wants to invite me to meet at the residence of the duke¡¯s family next month and greet them together. ¡°Will you be going?¡± [Carm] ¡°Can I go? ¡­I mean I would love to go, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand your worries. Our business might be going well, but we are still novices at this. And there is no end to the merchants that seek profit and want to keep up an acquaintance with the duke¡¯s family. As such, it must be difficult for the duke to spare time for novices such ourselves.¡± [Carm] ¡±But,¡± Carm-san added. ¡°That was only true if your situation were normal, Boss.¡± ¡°The duke¡¯s family has already taken a liking to you. As long as you ask for it, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll give you the time of day. If they¡¯re willing to meet you, then nothing could be better. It¡¯s also common to take someone along when going to greet a noble, so you shouldn¡¯t stand out even if you do accompany Serge-sama. You might be mistaken for a servant, however, but¡­ That¡¯s that.¡± Greeting a family is standard procedure, so maybe I should take him up on his offer, but in that case¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be needing a formal set of clothes and a gift, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve already searched for tailors and clothes shops that sell ready made clothes. I¡¯ve summarized these stores already, so please wait for a moment.¡± [Carm] As expected, he sure works fast. ¡°The problem then is what gift to bring. Store-owners generally gift their own products, but¡­¡± [Carm] ¡°Our store only has deodorizing liquids¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can prepare something safe like liquor if needed, but I was thinking that perhaps you could find something more unique.¡± [Carm] ¡°That would probably be best.¡± [Ryouma] We decided to split the work and look for a suitable gift. ¡°Also¡­ Please take a look at this list.¡± [Carm] ¡°These are¡­ Medicine. All of them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s from Grisiera-sama, the guild master of the merchant guild. The medicine in that list are sold higher than the normal price, so if you have some stock or could make some, the guild would like to negation with you for them. They¡¯re also in season.¡± [Carm] ¡°¡­So demand has gone up from the side of the nobles, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The people carrying them on their person just to be safe have increased.¡± [Carm] All of the sudden, the whole world is moving¡­ ¡°This is the last one. Tigger-sama from the Tigger¡¯s Arms Store has completed a prototype. And has left behind a message asking you to visit his store when you have the time.¡± [Carm] Oh, right. I did ask him to see if he could make adventuring equipment with slimes as the material. So he completed it, huh. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll drop by in the near future.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And that concludes my report.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked Carm-san for reporting to me, then I went and made a list of jobs. Perhaps because the year is gradually approaching its end, the amount of work to be done has increased. If I don¡¯t write everything down, I won¡¯t be at ease. Let¡¯s start with the priority. Naturally, this would be the matter relating to the duke¡¯s family. I should order my clothes first before thinking about the gift. Next on the list would be Tigger-san¡¯s store, and then the Affinity Diagnosis from the tamer guild. Timewise, I think I¡¯ll set this to tomorrow. When I get back, I¡¯ll have to check the mines, replenish the feed of the slimes and rimel birds, and I also want to experiment with the bloody slimes, but¡­ I don¡¯t have to rush that one. I should rest a bit and find a better place for the mushroom cultivation experiment¡­ As expected, it¡¯s really going to be busy. After writing down all the work I thought of and confirming that I hadn¡¯t overlooked anything, I started working on the list starting with the top. Chapter 135.2 - Even in Another World It’s Busy near the End of the Year Volume 3 Chapter 135: Even in Another World It¡¯s Busy near the End of the Year (2/2) ¡°So, this is the place.¡± [Ryouma] I took Carm-san¡¯s info and visited a tailor. There were various clothings on display that could be seen from outside the window. These are probably samples. The store wasn¡¯t that big, but there was a warm aura about it what with the flowerbeds by the entrance, and there was also a sense of luxury from the balcony looking down from the second floor. Everything seemed well maintained. It seems this store is fairly expensive. I suppose at a place like this, made-to-order is a given. ¡°Welcome!¡± [Clerk] When I entered, a refined man called out to me. His outer garment was long and somewhat resembled a tuxedo. ¡°You are Takebayashi-sama of the Bamboo Forest, yes?¡¡We¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± [Clerk] ¡°You know me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your assistant-manager, Carm-sama, inquired with us some time ago. He said that you will be needing some formal clothing to meet with some nobles. Congratulations, Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Clerk] I see, so he spoke to them when he was checking out the stores. He works fast. I suppose that just goes to show how spirited he is regarding this matter¡­ ¡°Thank you very much. I would like to order some formal clothing, but I don¡¯t which style to pick. Can I consult you about that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Please take a look.¡± [Clerk] The surface of the wall in the store was like a closet and several sets of clothes could be seen hanging above and below. There were some clothes other than formal wear too, but every one of them seemed to be made of either expensive cloth or leather. There were so many different types. ¡°Everything prepared here is a sample, so you can pick out which shape, material, and color you like. Let¡¯s start with the shape. For formal wear, these are the standard types.¡± [Clerk] The place he pointed to only covered a small part of the whole display, but there were still so many clothes that I wouldn¡¯t be able to carry them all. I looked through them one by one, and they all reminded me of the clothes on the textbooks. I saw back in my previous life. Unfortunately, because of the difference in era, everything appears so crazy to me¡­ Uwaa. That¡¯s a really gaudy erm¡­ lace necklace? Its radius is about 1m. ¡°Do you like that ruff (ruffled collar)?¡± [Clerk] ¡°I suppose. It¡¯s big and it catches attention. Is this popular among nobles?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. Noble customers love big and gaudy ruffs. There are many who show off their wealth through such small details. That¡¯s why there are some who get angry when a merchant is wearing a ruff more extravagant than theirs. Takebayashi-sama, given your youth, I believe a more reserved style would suit you. Of course, some decorations will still be needed.¡± [Clerk] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m not that fond of gaudy things.¡± [Ryouma] It would have been a disaster if he recommended this. ¡°In that case, what about this one?¡± [Clerk] ¡°This¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ah, the princely fashion I never once saw outside of plays¡­ ¡°Its haut-de-chausses (padded breeches) and bas-de-chausses (stockings) are made with high-quality silk. Not only does it look good, it is also comfortable to wear. The quilting carefully made by the artisans for the doublet and the slash (tear) in the arms show a little of the strength of an adventurer¡­¡± [Clerk] There was no end to his sales talk. He could tell I wasn¡¯t that interested in this set, so he moved on to the next one. But I just couldn¡¯t find something that gave me a ¡®This could work!¡¯ impression. I understood the things he was telling me, but my sense of aesthetics is from my previous life. So, no matter how much he tried to make me understand how amazing these clothes are, I just could not understand it¡­? ¡°Excuse me. Is that set formal wear too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This one.¡¡Yes, this is still a part of the formal wear section, but¡­¡± [Clerk] ¡°Please show me that one!¡± [Ryouma] He had to pull it out since It was buried under the clothes covered in laces and was actually hard to see. ¡°As expected¡­¡± [Ryouma] There was no way I could¡¯ve been mistaken. The clothes closest to my past life, the business suit! ¡­Actually, business suits and formal wears are different, but if it passes as formal wear in this world, then that¡¯s good enough! ¡°This is a traditional formal clothing that was said to have been preferred and popularized by His Majesty the King some hundred years ago, and is still popular among nobles that put much emphasis on tradition. Wearing this won¡¯t be a problem wherever you go, but it doesn¡¯t adhere to the current fashion trend. Is that fine?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Perfectly fine. I¡¯ll take it!¡± [Ryouma] The best clothes are the ones you¡¯re used to!¡¡Actually, this is the only set of clothes I can wear from this store! ¡°Of course. Then we¡¯ll set this ¡®suit¡¯ as the shape. You seem to have taken a liking to this, but what shall we do about the color? Will the current white do?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Let¡¯s make it black or dark blue.¡± [Ryouma] White suits remind me of comedians and male hosts. ¡°Black or navy blue. That certainly matches your hair and eyes. What about the embroidery?¡± [Clerk] ¡°Let¡¯s make it plain if possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But in that case, you will be needing some accessories. Let¡¯s add some glamor to it.¡± [Clerk] ¡°What kind of accessories?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A lot of men wear rings or bracelets. Necklaces and earrings work too, but since you¡¯re wearing a suit, you could also attach a jewel to the suit¡¯s ¡®necktie pin¡¯ that¡¯s attached to the chest.¡± [Clerk] After that I still had to choose the material of the accessory as well as the jewel to be used. There was a lot of choices left to be made. Although I wasn¡¯t familiar with this world¡¯s standards regarding the selection of formal clothes, the clerk was thorough in helping me make my decisions. Also, thanks to finding a suit from the heaps of extravagant clothing, I found myself strangely relieved. Chapter 136.1 - The Principle of Having Just One Luxurious Article Although I spent a lot of time ordering clothes, the sun was still high up in the sky, and I had plenty of time left, so I went ahead and dropped by Tigger¡¯s Arms Store. ¡°Good day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you, Ryouma. That thing you asked for has been completed.¡± [Darson] After the shopkeeper, Darson-san, said that. He went into the inner parts of the store. After waiting for a while, he came back out with a wooden box. ¡°This is the completed product.¡± [Darson] Inside the box was a light green shirt, pants, and a manteau. At first glance, it looked like two sets of normal clothes. ¡°Just as you¡¯ve ordered, these have been made using those excessively strong threads of yours. This was actually made by an armor craftsman I¡¯m friends with, but I checked the quality myself and I can vouch for it. It might just be a prototype, but I have full confidence in it.¡± [Darson] He took out a piece of cloth and a knife from the box. ¡°Look at this.¡± [Darson] He tried to cut the piece of cloth, but no matter how hard he tried to cut it, he couldn¡¯t penetrate it. The cloth couldn¡¯t be torn. ¡°This piece of cloth is a double-layered cloth made using those threads you brought. All these clothes were made using this, so you can expect a lot from them in regards to defending against sharp objects. They look and feel just like normal clothes, but they¡¯re closer to chain mail in quality. If you consider these clothes as something to wear underneath another armor, their defensive prowess is really exceptional.¡± [Darson] ¡°How much does it cost to make one of these? And how many can you produce at a time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ These things are really strong, so it takes a lot of time to cut the cloth. But you did bring the ingredient yourself, so it should be more affordable compared to an armor with similar material. It shouldn¡¯t cost that much.¡± [Darson] ¡°Similar material?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Metal Spider Thread. It¡¯s weak to heat, so if you just warm it up a little, you can easily cut it. It¡¯s definitely a lot easier to handle than your material. But being easy to handle is also a weak point. To compensate for that, we usually weave it along with enchantment magic and another compatible material, turning it into a magic equipment that can resist fire and heat. Metal Spider Thread is fairly expensive by itself. And on top of that, you still need to pay for the enchantment, so it¡¯s quite expensive. It can be considered a luxury good.¡± [Darson] Considering the time it takes to make it, the cost performance seems pretty good. I took the cloth and examined it, and it turns out the texture for the inner part was different from the exterior. It was smooth and felt good to the skin¡­ ¡°Was silk used for the interior?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Your thread had zero absorbency. The same goes for the cloths made from them. My friend probably realized that would be an issue, so he went and used silk for the inner part.¡± [Darson] ¡°I see. Thank you very much. With this, I shouldn¡¯t have a problem even if I went inside a thicket.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A thicket? Not even fangs or swords could penetrate your skin with those clothes on. You will still suffer from the impact, however.¡± [DArson] ¡°So, how much is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°5 small gold coins.¡± [Darson] That is affordable. Especially, considering this was made-to-order. ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You brought the materials yourself, and while it did take a lot of effort to cut and sew the cloths, no special procedures were needed. The armor craftsman was also happy to be able to work with a rare material. Even with the long time spent making everything, 5 gold coins are plenty.¡± [Darson] ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] If it¡¯s this cheap, maybe I could outfit all my employees with them. At the very least, I should outfit the guards with them. ¡­I wonder what the duke¡¯s family would think of these?¡¡They have guards, but the end of the year is approaching, and everyone seems to be stocking antidotes, so¡­ I know, I¡¯ll just ask the shopkeeper what he thinks. ¡°The nobles have probably already taken precautions themselves, but I don¡¯t think they would consider it rude if you gifted them these. As for me, as long as you provide the materials and pay, I don¡¯t mind getting them made. But if you¡¯re going to be gifting them, then you should take a sample with you first. A normal-sized one that fits adults, that is. You can use that to get the right measurements, then you can just send the real thing at a later date. You can bring your employees here too if you want. It¡¯s all perfectly fine. And if you¡¯re going to be ordering a bunch, I can give you a discount.¡± [Darson] And so, I ended up ordering a sample. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the threads by tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll contact the craftsman on my end too.¡± [Darson] With this I¡¯ve found a candidate for my gifts. But if we¡¯re going to be making a bunch, then I¡¯ll need a considerable amount of threads. ¡­Maybe I should use this opportunity to prepare some winding machines for the sticky slimes. Let¡¯s go back after dropping by Serge-san¡¯s store. Chapter 136.2 - The Principle of Having Just One Luxurious Article ¡°Well, I guess it would be something like this.¡± [Ryouma] I released the slimes from my Dimension Home, and then I checked up on the rimel birds and the tunnels. I was only gone for 5 days, and yet the cave mantises have started taking nest again. I got rid of them immediately, but maybe I should keep the entrance closed tighter¡­ Although, I guess it¡¯s not really too bad since I can just hunt them and use them for food, but¡­ ¡°Next is¡­¡± [Ryouma] Somewhat deep into the mines, I chose a tunnel that was a little damp and created a simple stand in it using earth magic. I¡¯m going to move the mushroom bed that I made a few days ago in my Dimension Home and set it up here. ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s strange¡­ There were already some slender enoki-like mushrooms growing from the mushroom bed made with alchemy. I didn¡¯t accelerate their growth using magic, so if they¡¯re growing this quickly, could it be that these are actually a different kind of mushroom?¡¡Still, the mushrooms did successfully grew, so should I take this to mean that my mushroom cultivation is a success? ¡­Either way, let¡¯s just keep observing these guys for now. I moved the mushroom bed to the tunnel, then I added a door to prevent enemies from entering. ¡°Next is¡­ Ahh.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s the extra job I made for myself. But with this I can take care of both at the same time. I gathered the sticky slimes at the place where the waterproof cloths were normally made and lined up the winding machines I purchased. They only had five in stock, but five should be plenty. The winding machines I purchased were built simply and they looked just like a sewing machine placed on a tabletop. I turned the knobs at the side and spun the spool supported by pillars on the tabletop. By attaching the end of threads around the empty spools, I could wind the threads around the spools. First, I¡¯ll have one sticky slime puke out its threads, then I¡¯ll turn the knob and teach the slimes how to do it themselves. I told the slime to pay attention on the distribution of threads on the spool. We don¡¯t want the threads to be gathered only at the center, it has to be even. Then I had another sticky slime change places with it, and left the turning of the knob to the other slime. It¡¯s not a job that requires a lot of power, so there weren¡¯t any problems. ¡­With two slimes paired together, they were able to wind the threads properly. I stationed slimes for the other four winding machines as well and had them practice. While they were doing that, I left to do another job. While the sounds of threads being winded resounded, I prepared some charcoal and drew a magic formation on the ground. What I¡¯m about to make now is a ¡®jewel¡¯. A jewel formed from carbon known as ¡®diamond¡¯. ¡°I¡¯m a bit nervous¡­ But a slightly big diamond should do just fine.¡± Personally, I¡¯m fine with a plain navy blue suit, but it¡¯s too plain according to the standards of this world, so the nobles probably won¡¯t like it. Formal wear that¡¯s too plain will make me look shabby and might cause problems for the person that invited me. ¡­As such, i had the clerk working with me advise me. I feel like 80 percent of what he was saying was true and the other 20 percent was just sales talk, but anyway, he says that the best way to deal with the lack of extravagant clothing is by attaching some expensive accessory. But that supposedly plain suit alone cost 500,000 suits. That¡¯s 50 small gold coins. That¡¯s a lot of money at this point in time for me, but the other clothes were 2 to 3 times more expensive. Apparently, when high-ranking nobles buy clothes and accessories, they actually spend platinum coins. You¡¯re driving the prices up too much, nobles!¡¡Well, the money will still flow into society, so whatever. Anyway, since I¡¯m going there to greet them, then I might as well spend money like a commoner and bring myself up to a level that could match the people I¡¯m going to be meeting. I understand that much. But exactly what am I supposed to do? I generally don¡¯t wear jewels and it¡¯s bad taste to cover oneself in jewels. As such, I decided to instead wear just one big jewel as dictated by necessity. Acquiring an expensive jewel seemed like it would be difficult, however, so I just decided to go and make one! I¡¯ll just pass it off as an inheritance from my grandmother. ¡°First, I¡¯ll use Separation on the carbon and remove it of all impurities, and then¡­ Fusion!¡± [Ryouma] Diamond, just like graphite, is an allotrope of carbon. It¡¯s essentially a lump of pure iron. The difference lies in its bonds. It¡¯s because of that that it¡¯s hard, transparent, and insulated from heat and electricity. As I ruminated on my knowledge one by one, I watched the glowing magic formation as the fine powder of carbon turned into a transparent lump. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I waited for a little longer, and when the light vanished from the formation, what was left was a distorted, transparent lump. ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] A special diamond with no impurities. Color: Colorless Weight: 218.34g = 1091.7 carats ¡°Plume?¡± [Ryouma] It became a diamond as I¡¯d intended, but what¡¯s a plume?¡¡This ¡®special¡¯ under the description has me concerned. ¡­I should ask someone I can trust about this. And the size is clearly strange. If I recall correctly, 0.2g should translate to 1 carat, and the biggest diamond should be either 500 or 600 carats. But the diamond in front of me is 1091.7 carats. ¡°Did I put too much material in?¡± [Ryouma] For the mean time, let¡¯s divide it into smaller parts and adjust the shape. Chapter 137.1 - The Mystery of the Jewel The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 137: The Mystery of the Jewel (1/2) ¡û The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 136: The Principle of Having Just One Luxurious Article (2/2) The next day. I visited the merchant guild at a time that was a little late to be called morning. ¡°Welcome. What may I do for you today?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°The guild master, Grisiera, contacted me the other day¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve been preparing since last night and have made several of the medicines from the list. I was planning on speaking with the guild master while selling the medicine, but¡­ ¡°If it isn¡¯t Takebayashi-Sama. Welcome to the merchant guild.¡± [Other Receptionist] The staff member I¡¯ve dealt with many times before came out from the back of the receptionist desk and brought me to the reception office. It seems he already knows me by face. ¡°Welcome. You¡¯re here to sell medicine, right?¡± [Grisiera] As soon as we saw each other, the guild master guessed why I came here. ¡°I see you know already.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I requested for it, after all. So I¡¯ve already prepared to meet your demands. Also, I heard you went to the training of the adventurers guild. After you came back and got my message, some time has passed since then, so considering the time it would have taken you to make medicine, it¡¯s not too hard to infer. Still, I was actually expecting you to come either tomorrow or the day after.¡± [Grisiera] As usual, her foresight is terrifyingly accurate. But that isn¡¯t all that I came here for. ¡°There¡¯s actually something else I¡¯d like to talk to you about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh?¡¡Then best we settle our business with the medicine quickly then.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Please. ¡®Item Box¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] I took out 50 vials of medicine that I¡¯ve concocted. ¡°I made them with the ingredients I had on hand. I still had some grell frog ingredients left.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you make the medicines as long as you have the ingredients?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°If it¡¯s something I can make, yes.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master snorted as she took one of the vials and used Identify on it. ¡°Was there a medicine on the list that you can¡¯t make?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°There are some medicine that I¡¯ve never made before, though I do know the concoction method. I came here today partly to confirm some things in regard to those.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. From what I¡¯ve seen, these medicines of yours all have the same quality and there¡¯s no problem with their effects either. No reason to be miserly then. I¡¯ll get you the ingredients you need. Can you bring the other medicine then?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, she immediately called for staff members to assess the quality of the medicine and take them into the guild storage. Not long later, she told them to prepare the payment and the ingredients. When the staff member left again, she spoke to me. ¡°So?¡¡What is this other business you came for?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Plume Diamond.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I mentioned those words, her eyes became sharp. ¡°Do you know about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After being at this job for so long, yeah. You have one with you?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°An article belonging to my grandmother. She told me to sell it whenever I¡¯m in need.¡± [Ryouma] I also told her that I was preparing a set of formal clothes. ¡°¡­And so, I was wondering if I could use it as an accessory, but I didn¡¯t know its value and didn¡¯t know whether it could be used or not.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You get points for not bringing it to some place strange and talking to me instead. Do you have it with you?¡± [Grisirea] I took out a cloth from my Item Box. Inside it was a plume diamond that had been divided into the size of a thumbnail. I¡¯d only split and modified its shape, so nothing should have been changed as far as the Identify results go. I expect it to still be a plume diamond¡­ When I revealed the contents of the cloth, the guild master looked at the diamond as if she were licking it, then she used Identify. Afterwards, she exhaled in astonishment. ¡°Is it fake?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s real. I can hardly believe that you have such a huge plume jewel with you. It has the transparency you¡¯d expect from a plume. On top of that, it¡¯s a diamond and is beautifully colorless¡­ The cut is a bit disappointing, but it¡¯s still a first-rate item.¡± [Grisiera] Apparently, the ¡®plume¡¯ is a special word that signifies the grade of a jewel, and means ¡®special¡¯ in an old language somewhere. ¡°In other words, this is a top quality product.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not top quality. ¡®Special¡¯. Understand?¡¡Jewels, you see, have extra things like grains of sands, fine scratches, and/or dents¡­ Usually.¡± [Grisiera] Ah¡­ Now that she mentions it, I remember now. In the process of a jewel becoming a jewel its components end up with inclusions or cavities. ¡­But a jewel made with alchemy has no such thing. ¡°¡­How do you know that when you don¡¯t even know about plume?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I just remembered.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your knowledge is really imbalanced. Well, if you know that, then that makes this quick. This jewel has no inclusions. That is the condition required for a jewel to become a plume. But such jewels haven¡¯t appeared in present time.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Present time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t know if these jewels were always like this from the start or if the part of the jewels without inclusion had simply been cut out, but a long time ago before an old hag like me was born. A long long time ago. It is said that these jewels were either found in some historic ruins or passed down as a national treasure in some kingdom for a long time. Either way, these jewels flowed into the market, and the nobles tried to acquire them all. Currently, most of these things are being treated as heirlooms.¡± [Grisiera] If these things existed in the past, then there must¡¯ve been a human alchemist who made them. An otherworlder like me¡­ Maybe it¡¯s the ¡®Alchemy King¡¯ I heard about from Gayn and the others. ¡¡I¡¯d like to investigate it if the opportunity shows itself. Chapter 137.2 - The Mystery of the Jewel Would it be a bad idea to use it as an accessory?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No need to worry about that. If you announce it and go around, showing it off, it might be a problem, but all you¡¯re doing is greeting the duke¡¯s family, right? ¡¡Then in that case, it won¡¯t be a problem. But if some strange noble does notice it, it¡¯s unlikely that he¡¯ll cause problems immediately. If anything, he¡¯ll first ask you to sell it. At that time, you can just sell it. You said it belongs to your grandmother, but it¡¯s not like you feel much attachment to it, right?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°You can tell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can tell that much.¡± [Grisiera] The guild master grinned. I won¡¯t pursue it, but this part of her is so suspicious¡­ Whatever. I won¡¯t say anything unnecessary. ¡°Well, if you¡¯re really worried about it, then just sell it off quickly and you won¡¯t have a problem.¡± [Grisiera] In other words, it will be too late to worry about it when I take it with me. Then in that case, I¡¯ll use one as an ornament. As for the rest, I think I¡¯ll crush them and have the slimes eat them.¡¡I could also give them to the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Excuse me. The payment and the materials have been prepared.¡± [Staff] Oh, the person from before came back. The guild master pushed the diamond to me. She seemed to be telling me to put it away already. ¡°Enter.¡± [Grisiera] After confirming that I¡¯d put the jewel away, the guild master gave permission for the staff to enter. Three staff members entered the room. One brought with him a heavy-looking leather bag, while the other two were carrying bags of various sizes. They lined up the bags on the table, then they handed a paper to the guild master and left. The guild master looked over that paper, then she nodded and turned the paper to me. ¡°Confirm the payment and the ingredients.¡± [Grisiera] ¡­I checked the list just as she told me to. When I got to the payment portion, it was written there that the medicines I brought sold for 3,000 suits per vial. ¡°Isn¡¯t this too much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Demand for good antidote won¡¯t run out anytime soon, and the customers are all rich nobles. Besides, I have to make sure to have enough stock that the people who actually need them will be able to get some. For that, I need the manufacturers working hard. Your antidote is of high quality, so considering the season, the price is just right. But when the season ends, the price will go back to normal, so you should quickly turn those ingredients into medicine.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t have plans to go on a trip for a while, so I should quickly concoct them. ¡°By the way, Ryouma. I hear you received permission from Wogan to accept bandit subjugation jobs.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From the person himself. He mentioned it while we were talking about something else. ¡­So, are you planning to take on bandit jobs?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Yes. I specialize in combat, after all. I don¡¯t have any problems with fighting other people too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know. That¡¯s why that kid gave you permission. But if that¡¯s the case, then do drop by the guild frequently. The movement of the bandits affect our work, so our guild¡¯s information should prove invaluable to you.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A merchant is someone who uses whatever can be used. If you can use that information to hunt bandits, then that too will result in our profit.¡± [Grisiera] ¡­That¡¯s true too. So, the guild master¡¯s advice also considered her profit. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anytime¡­¡± [Clerk] I thanked the clerk from yesterday and after handing him my diamond, I left the store. Unlike me, he knew the value of the plume diamond. He¡¯s probably privy to jewels due to the nature of his work. The moment I showed him the diamond and said that I wanted to use it, he immediately knew that it was a good diamond. Moreover, after he examined the diamond, his attitude toward me changed. He was polite from the start, but after examining the diamond, he became even more polite. I paid him a bit more to keep him quiet, but considering I used the diamond I made myself for the decoration of the suit, I didn¡¯t really lose out. I also got to learn the important points of making a jewel, so when you look as it as a learning fee as well, it¡¯s actually inexpensive. Alright. Next on my schedule is¡­ Ah, yes. The monster affinity diagnosis that I learned from Roche-san. I walked leisurely to the tamers guild. Or at least, I was planning to, but I reached it almost immediately. The tamer guild was a lot closer to the store than expected. ¡°Good day. I heard I could take the monster affinity diagnosis here. Can I take it today?¡± [Ryomua] ¡°Welcome to the tamer guild. The affinity diagnosis?¡¡Yes you can take it. Please show me your guild card.¡± [Receptionist] It¡¯s been a while since I showed my face to the receptionist, so I showed my card as instructed. ¡°Oh my?¡¡Have you never taken it once?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve always had a monster since I registered, so I felt no need for it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? The affinity diagnosis is free for first timers. Please take this to the eastern gate of Gimuru.¡± [Receptionist] She came back with my guild card and a document. It seemed to be some kind of admission ticket. ¡°The eastern gate, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The affinity diagnosis will have the tamer form a monster contract with various monsters. Which monsters you¡¯re compatible with will be based on the common points and trend of the result. Because of the number of monsters, a plot of land needed to be provided. At the eastern gate of Gimuru is our lodging facility for large-type monsters. The monster affinity diagnosis is also managed there. So that¡¯s why she¡¯s sending me to the eastern gate. ¡°Thank you very much. I understand now. I¡¯ll be going then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re welcome. I pray for your good fortune.¡± [Receptionist] Like that I ended up heading toward the eastern gate. ¡­Come to think of it, this isn¡¯t my first time going to the eastern gate, is it? Chapter 138.1 - Monster Affinity and a Great Achievement in the Past (1/2) ¡°Yes, you may pass. Do your best at your exam.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The guard watching the gates seemed to have misunderstood since he encouraged me, but either way, I passed through the gates. When I did, a scene unlike the north or the south greeted me. ¡°So this is how it looks here¡­¡± [Ryouma] Wooden fences were erected on either side of the road and cattle and horses could be seen inside of the enclosure. There were also large-type monsters I¡¯ve never seen before peacefully passing their time. It was like a farm. After walking for a while, a large building came to view. That¡¯s probably the tamer guild branch. But because of the silo-like towers lined up beside it, the whole place really looked like a farm. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] The atmosphere inside was also different from the guild. Everyone was wearing work clothes. If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have mistaken this place for a resting area. When I took a closer look, I saw that the people standing directly in front of the receptionist were wearing casual clothing that seemed easy to move in. ¡°Welcome.¡± [Receptionist] The female receptionist must¡¯ve thought I was confused, as she called out to me. ¡°Good day. I heard I could get the monster affinity diagnosis here. Here are my documents and guild card.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. Ryouma Takebayashi-kun¡­ I see it¡¯s your first time. The assembly hall is inside. If you go straight through that passage, you¡¯ll find a room at the end. Please enter that room and pass this to the staff inside.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I did as the receptionist told me to and passed by the left of the reception desk, then went through the hallway inside. When I entered the room at the end, I noticed there were benches lined up along the right side of the room, while on the left side were five counters. It was like the waiting room of a bank. There weren¡¯t a lot of people taking the affinity diagnosis, though. Only two of the counters were open and there wasn¡¯t even a single person waiting on the bench. ¡°Ah, please take a seat in front of an open counter and wait.¡± [Receptionist 2] The woman in charge rang a bell. She was probably calling the staff. I took a seat in front of the nearest counter, and at roughly the same time, I heard the sound of a door opening from the direction of the counter. ¡°Sorry to keep you wait¡ª Oh?¡¡Ryouma-kun.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Branch Head!¡± [Ryouma] The staff that came was for some reason Branch Head Taylor himself. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is also a part of the tamer guild. So from time to time, I go here to do work while observing. If I don¡¯t do stuff like this, I won¡¯t have any opportunities to meet the youths and I¡¯ll forget what the current atmosphere at the guild is like. So you came here for the affinity diagnosis, huh. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t recommend you to take it during your registration.¡± [Taylor] ¡°We went straight to the adventurers guild afterwards, so it can¡¯t be helped. Besides, I didn¡¯t have any intention of changing my monsters at the time, so¡­ Oh, but please don¡¯t be mistaken, I still don¡¯t plan on changing my monsters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind. There¡¯s no harm in knowing what monsters you¡¯re compatible with.¡± [Taylor] The branch head filled out some documents on the other side of the counter, then as he carried those with him on one hand, he pointed toward a door opposite the door I entered. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started quickly then. The monsters meant for the diagnosis are gathered on the other side of that door.¡± [Taylor] There were two doors beside each other across the counter. When I passed through one of the doors, a stench immediately wafted up to my nose. This stench¡­ Zoo? No, I think the stench might actually be closer to that of a pet shop. There were a large number of cages inside the room, inside of which were various monsters. There was a slime, of course. There were also small rats and cave bats that I¡¯ve already gotten used to seeing since coming to this town. There¡¯s also the crew bird that I once formed a contract with. ¡°This is the room where we gather small-type monsters. If you go further in, you¡¯ll find the slightly bigger medium-type monsters. Further in and you¡¯ll find the large-type monsters.¡± [Taylor] Branch Head Taylor explained as he came out of the other door. ¡°As you can see, all of these monsters have been prepared here for you to form a contract with, but we can forget the slime and the rimel birds since we already know those. Are there any other monsters you¡¯ve formed a contract with before?¡± [Taylor] ¡°I¡¯ve contracted with the crew bird once.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did you experience any problems then?¡¡Did it properly listen to you? Could you understand its emotions?¡± [Taylor] I was fine at both of those. I was even able to share vision with it. ¡°If that¡¯s your first time practicing with it, then your compatibility with it must¡¯ve been good¡­¡± [Taylor] The branch head started filling out the paper. I took a peek at the paper, and it turns out he was putting a mark on a table on which was listed the names of many monsters. ¡°Curious?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes, a little.¡± [Ryouma] I honestly answered that and the branch head faintly smiled. ¡°This table covers which monsters you¡¯ve successfully formed a contract with and which ones you failed with. In the case of success, the examinee¡¯s thoughts on the contract are requested and the examiner then grades the contract in four levels. The diagnosis will look for the common points from these results to find out which monsters you¡¯re likely to be compatible with. It¡¯s because of that that there¡¯s so many monsters here.¡± [Taylor] If I¡¯m supposed to form a contract with every monster here, this is going to take a lot of time and mana. Chapter 138.2 - Monster Affinity and a Great Achievement in the Past (2/2) But just as I was thinking that, he told me that most people figure out where their affinities lie fairly quickly. ¡°Most monster tamers only need to find what major category they specialize in, such as mammal-type, reptile-type, or bird-type, then from there, we can start to narrow it down to the special categories. What takes time is finding exactly which monster under that bigger category a monster tamer specializes at. That or if you need some kind of special condition. You should know too about the people of the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Taylor] ¡°If I recall correctly¡­ Reinhart-san needs monster beasts with four legs. The madam can only tame wolf-type monster beasts. And Reinbach-sama needs monsters with scales. I think that was it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Elize had an affinity for the mammal-type, but she specialized with wolf-type monster beasts. So long as she contracted monsters of that lineage, she can contract pretty much anything. On top of that, she can also tame more monsters than other people when it comes to wolves. Reinhart could tame any monster that has four legs regardless of their lineage. The one exception are bird-types.¡± [Taylor] When he said that, I remembered about that time when we tamed rimel birds. At that time, he refused to even approach the rimel bird of the ojousama¡­ ¡°What about Reinbach-sama?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He is¡­ special. It was as if the good points were taken from Reinhart and Elize and put together. As long as the monster has scales, Reinbach-sama can tame anything, be it a lizard man or a dragon. He can also tame a lot of them. And just like his son, there¡¯s no lineage he can¡¯t form a contract with. Well, there are things he¡¯s not good at too, but they¡¯re not enough to be considered a defect.¡± [Taylor] I¡¯ve heard that Reinbach-sama could tame dragons, but I guess he really is an amazing person. ¡°You didn¡¯t know?¡¡I¡¯m pretty sure his tale has already been written of in books and has spread throughout the country.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like you really didn¡¯t know¡­¡± [Taylor] ¡°I have heard of things, such as about his military exploits in the past or about how the madam also says he¡¯s extraordinary, but that¡¯s all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The most famous story would probably be that. It¡¯s true that he¡¯s exceptional. You can¡¯t use him as a standard.¡± [Taylor] What does he mean? ¡°in this world, there are things known as divine beasts that have received the divine protection of the gods. They¡¯re special monsters. They received their divine protection along with their duty of protecting certain territories. Since then they have been protecting these places as their own turf. Their power is far beyond that of humans and even those monsters that we consider to be S Rank.¡± [Taylor] ¡°¡­Since you¡¯re bringing this up now, could it be?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Reinbach-sama has formed a contract with a divine beast.¡± [Taylor] So that really was the case¡­ ¡°It¡¯s a story when he was still young and affiliated with the army. ¡­In one of the borders of this country is a place known as the Flame Dragon Mountains.¡± [Taylor] Branch Head Taylor looked into the distance as he started telling the story. ¡°To this day, the volcanoes of the Flame Dragon Mountains remain active. It is an environment extremely harsh for humans. At the center of these mountains is the territory of a divine beast, also home to many powerful monsters. But while these powerful monsters exist in this place, there are also many magic gems, magic stones and various ores here. It is a treasure trove of resources to humans. In the past, a neighboring country once sent soldiers for those resources.¡± [Taylor] As a result, the soldiers incurred the wrath of the divine beast and were trampled in the blink of an eye. But if that were all, then the story would have ended with the country having gotten their just deserts. ¡°Borders are things that humans decided for themselves. To the divine beast, both the neighboring country and our country that was connected to the mountains were enemies. As such, the dragons under the divine beast started rampaging in the area near the border. Because of that an army was sent to protect the country. One of the men leading a platoon at the time was Reinbach.¡± [Taylor] ¡°And that¡¯s when Reinbach formed a contract?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. There was no other way. They would have had to sacrifice countless soldiers in order to kill just one dragon, much less 10 dragons. Had they fought, their destruction would have been guaranteed. But that might actually have turned things for the better. Since in order to avoid the battle, as a last resort, they attempted to use the monster taming ability to form a contract with the monsters and try to negotiate with them. Given Reinbach¡¯s lineage and his high compatibility with the monsters, he was appointed as the person in charge of the taming. No one actually thought he would succeed.¡± [Taylor] ¡°So they were able to negotiate with the divine beast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, fortunately the divine beast was intelligent enough for negotiations. There was a fairy-tale about them being able to talk, but Reinbach was the only one to actually go and confirm it for himself. After negotiating with the divine beast, Reinbach came back and said that the divine beast gave a condition ¨C well, it was more like an order ¨C to ¡®do something about the humans attacking¡¯.¡± [Taylor] As soon as the people in charge got word of that, they changed their target from the dragons to the neighboring country. Everyone agreed that it was much better to pick a fight with the soldiers of the neighboring country than some dragons they had no chance of defeating. Morale of our soldiers ran high, and because they had chosen to negotiate with the dragons instead, they hadn¡¯t received much casualties. Meanwhile, because the neighboring country had taken an aggressive stance earlier, their strength was greatly reduced and their morale plummeted. The result was clear as day. The battle lasted less than three days before the soldiers of the enemy country were forced to retreat from the Flame Dragon Mountains. ¡°Since then a lot of things happened politically between the two countries, but the end result is that we were able to safely avoid a war with the divine beast and the dragons under him. Moreover, Reinbach was permitted to keep his contract with the divine beast and was also allowed to form a contract with his dragons under the condition that his territory would not be tampered with. Permission was also granted to mine resources from places other than the divine beast¡¯s territory.¡± [Taylor] ¡°That must have caused a huge commotion.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a huge commotion.¡± [Taylor] The branch head laughed in astonishment. ¡°Although it was only in the places permitted by the divine beast, just being able to receive permission to mine resources from the Flame Dragon Mountains was a huge achievement. On top of that, by forming a contract with several dragons, he was also able to acquire great power.¡± [Taylor] And because of this course of events, Reinbach-sama gained influence everywhere. Politically and militarily too. With both social standing and achievements in his hands, it was hard for any organization to handle him. And in the end, he left the army. ¡°They feared that any faction he joined would quickly destroy the power balance and cause needless chaos. It was also then that his elder brother was met with misfortune. So in order to focus his efforts in managing the Jamil Territory in place of his older brother, he decided to leave the politics and military behind.¡± [Taylor] ¡°He had a tough life, huh¡­ It¡¯s something I can¡¯t imagine.¡± [Ryouma] I truly do think that from the bottom of my heart. But there is one thing that I do understand¡­ Reinbach-sama is an even bigger cheat than I am. Chapter 139.1 Chapter 139: The Results of the Affinity Diagnosis and a New Slime (1/2) Oops. This isn¡¯t the time to be talking about this, is it?¡± [Taylor] Branch Head Taylor looked down at the chart on his hand. ¡°If I recall correctly, you are raising more than 1,000 slimes, right?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although slimes are easy to form a contract with, 1,000 is still a lot of monsters. I have a feeling we¡¯re going to be spending a lot of time here. Well then, shall we start?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± [Ryouma] Come to think of it, how many monsters can people normally be able to form a contract with? ¡°From what I know, the person who tamed the most monster beasts was able to tame about 300 ¡®Chain Bugs¡¯. But even without taming that many, just being able to tame about 20 monsters is enough to be considered a lot. I don¡¯t know what number counts as a lot for slimes, though, since people normally don¡¯t tame that many of them. But no matter what type of monster it is, I¡¯ve never heard of anyone taming more than 1,000.¡± [Taylor] In that case, I guess the number of monsters I have tamed really is exceptional. After Branch Head Taylor answered my abrupt question, we finally began the affinity diagnosis. ¡°Hmm¡­ I see.¡± [Taylor] 2 hours later. It¡¯s only been 2 hours, but I¡¯ve tried forming a contract with so many monster beasts. Just the bird-type monsters alone had all sorts from tree sparrows to eagles to owls, and so on and so forth. Branch Head Taylor would change the type of monster and have me form a contract with them and then revoke the contract repeatedly. Whether it was a bug or a fish or a mammal or a reptile, I repeated that process for all of them. I was able to succeed with each one of them too. Until now, there hasn¡¯t been a single monster beast that I couldn¡¯t form a contract with just yet. But while I might have been able to form a contract with all of the monsters so far, there were a lot of monsters that I had difficulty giving orders to compared to the slime. Monsters like those were stubborn and refused to listen to orders. As expected, everyone has something they¡¯re good at and bad at. The problem is we had no idea what the conditions were for my monster taming. I was told the name of the monsters and their appearance in between the monster contracts, but I didn¡¯t know much about their ecology. There were a lot of monsters here that I didn¡¯t know about. Eventually, Branch Head Taylor seemed to have figured it out. ¡°I think you have an affinity for monsters that tend to flock together.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Tend to flock together?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s probably it. That¡¯s the trend I¡¯m seeing after comparing the monsters you had good compatibility with. Rimel birds are monster beasts that move in flocks, and as for the slimes, it¡¯s probably related to the results of your research. If I were to provide another possibility, it would probably be ¡®fecundity¡¯. Although not as many as the monster beasts that tend to gather together, if this is the condition required for your monster contracts, then there¡¯s still a lot of monsters that you¡¯ll be able to form a contract with. I¡¯d love to explain everything one by one, but if I did, it would take too much time. I¡¯ll introduce you to a book, so just read up on the more specific details with that. You could also buy one if you¡¯d like, but you can read it for free inside the guild¡¯s reference room. Knowledge pertaining to monsters should also prove useful to you as an adventurer.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll study on my own for the rest. Still, ¡®monsters that flock together¡¯, huh? ¡­Why would the condition for my monster taming be that? ¡°It is said that one¡¯s affinity has to do with one¡¯s disposition and way of thinking. ¡­In short, I don¡¯t really know the reason all that well. Your affinity pertains to your individuality, so you should think about it yourself. Also, what¡¯s important isn¡¯t what ¡®condition¡¯ your ability requires, but ¡®what to do¡¯ now that you know it. When you figure that out, why don¡¯t you look for some monsters you¡¯re compatible with to widen your prospects?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Now that I know, huh? ¡­I am interested in fast monsters that I can ride.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve previously considered making a bicycle using metal slimes transformed into wheels. But they moved by relying on their gravity to make themselves spin. If I ride on them, they won¡¯t be able to move anymore, so there¡¯s no point to it. Technically, I could ride a huge slime, but it would be too conspicuous, so that¡¯s no good. The slimes could do pretty much any basic stuff, but unfortunately, they don¡¯t have a way to serve as transport. Besides, it¡¯s my job to do something about transportation anyway. Still¡­ ¡°Some adventurers I worked with a few days ago recommended me to get a monster that could serve as my legs. They managed to pique my interest, so now I¡¯m looking for something that could fit the bill. The adventurers guild also gave me permission to take on bandit subjugation jobs, so the scope of the jobs I take from here on might get bigger.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. If you want something for transport, normally, you¡¯d rely on horse-type monsters. You can ride them, have them pull a carriage, and they also tend to gather together, so you should have good affinity with them. If you can come to understand each other with your monster taming abilities, then you should also be able to reduce the workload of handling a horse-type monster.¡± [Taylor] Chapter 139.2 - The Results of the Affinity Diagnosis and a New Slime (2/2) The choices varied depending on what I wanted to achieve with the mount. If I wanted to cover more distance in a day, the branch head recommended that I pick a type that had plenty of stamina. The recommended type varied depending on how much luggage I wanted to carry and how much distance I wanted to cover. Branch Head Taylor said that monster tamers need to know their monsters well, as they need to know how to make the most out of its strengths and how to compensate for its weaknesses. I should probably study more before looking for a new monster. Did we end up talking too much?¡¡When I left the guild, the sun was already starting to set. Still, it was time well spent. Not only did I find out my affinity, but after seeing all those different monsters, I also thought of a new way to make use of my slimes. I¡¯ll go check on the store, then I¡¯ll go back home. ¡­When I dropped by the store¡ª ¡°Boss, good timing.¡± [Jane] ¡ªInterestingly enough, something actually happened. I waited at the office and Carm-san brought a wooden box I hadn¡¯t seen before. ¡°This is?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Inside the box is an advanced slime variant. It¡¯s probably a variant you don¡¯t have yet, Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°A slime!?¡± [Ryouma] Of course that would pique my interest. But what is it doing here? ¡°It was brought in earlier. Apparently it was found along the path from the town toward the mine. Didn¡¯t you purchase a slime from somewhere before?¡± [Carm] ¡°I bought the bloody slime from a party of adventurers in the past.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it seems the person got word of that from somewhere. Because of that he brought this slime here after finding it, hoping to exchange it for money. It¡¯s a bit sudden, but I¡¯ve never seen it before after working with you for so long, so thinking that you might want it, I bought it.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you for thinking about me. It makes me happy. How much did you pay for it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°1000 suits.¡± [Carm] Huh? That cheap? ¡°It¡¯s a slime, after all. It can¡¯t use magic too. If it were someone else, they would have haggled the price down even lower. In fact, there¡¯s no telling if it could even sell. The person who brought it was happy with the price too.¡±[Carm] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Well, I guess it¡¯s fine then. ¡°If something like this were to happen again, should I buy the slime?¡± [Carm] ¡°If it¡¯s no trouble to everyone, then please do buy them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. In that case, if someone comes by wanting to sell a slime, I¡¯ll have him go inside to negotiate with him. By the way, can I have a list of the slimes that you have, Boss?¡¡I want to use it as a reference to know what to buy and at what price.¡± [Carm] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s no problem at all. ¡°Oh, and one more thing. The nun, Bell-san, left a message. Apparently, grass has started to grow on the body of the slime they¡¯re raising at the church and is worried that the children might get sick. If you have the time, she hopes that you¡¯ll be able to drop by the church.¡± [Carm] ¡°Does the slime appear sick?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, she didn¡¯t mention anything of the sort. Just that grass had started to grow on it.¡± [Carm] ¡°Then it might have just evolved¡­ Alright. I¡¯ll go take a look immediately after this.¡± [Ryouma] Because of that it was decided that I would be going to the church on my way back home. But, first I better take a look at the slime inside the box. After confirming that there were no more messages left for me, I opened the wooden box. Inside was¡­ ¡°¡­A stone?¡± [Ryouma] Inside was a common fist-sized stone. For a moment, I was worried that we may have been tricked, but when I thought about it again, there was no way that Carm-san would just buy without checking. For the mean time, to make sure that it won¡¯t be able to escape¡ª ¡± ¡®Familiar Contract¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªWhen I used my magic, I was able to successfully form a contract with it. It¡¯s definitely a monster. When I used Monster Identify on it¡­ Skills: It¡¯s a slime, alright. Its skills are similar to that of the metal and iron slimes. But it has a Mimic skill that they don¡¯t have. Moreover, its level is exceptionally high. ¡­The Mimic skill is probably the same as the bloody slime¡¯s ability to be indistinguishable from blood unless they moved. It looks just like a stone to me, but¡­ Wait a second. Now that I think about it, how did that guy even notice this? He must have had some crazy eagle eyes. ¡°Apparently, things didn¡¯t go well with a coworker of his and he ended up venting his frustrations by kicking a stone. When the stone fell to the ground, it suddenly moved, causing him to ¨C of course ¨C be shocked.¡± [Carm] ¡°What a lucky person.¡± [Ryouma] The slime¡¯s diet is definitely ¡®stone¡¯. But the real question is whether it has a preference for certain types of stones. I should pick up stones from various places and figure out what this slime can do. ¡°Boss, please excuse me.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ah, Yes. Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After Carm-san left the office and went back to work, I started pondering about the stone slime. Chapter 140.1 - The Promise with the Church (1/2) ¡°Oh, so you came back from the monster affinity diagnosis today.¡± [Gayn] ¡°That¡¯s right. And when I dropped by the store, it turns out someone came to sell a stone slime. Because of that I found out that the pet slime of the church has been acting weird, so when I went to take a look, I found out that it had evolved into a Weed Slime. It was a lucky day for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Both types can use the Mimic skill, so they¡¯re hard to find. That¡¯s great.¡± [Gayn] ¡°But wasn¡¯t that weed slime the children¡¯s pet?¡¡Didn¡¯t they cry?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Well, that was dealt with somehow. It¡¯s true that there were children who found it disappointing, but the weed slime didn¡¯t just grow weed on its body, it also possessed the power to grow weed on everything around it. Because of that the entire garden of the church has been overrun with weed. Moreover, when I checked it with Monster Identify, I found out that it possessed an absurdly high level of the Split skill at Lv8. It was obviously a slime that reproduced really quickly. So I talked to the two sisters and got them to persuade the children. Of course, I promised to take care of the slime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Well, it¡¯s good that it didn¡¯t leave a bitter taste. Another cup then. Your cup will go empty, you know?¡± [Tekun] Tekun heartily laughed as he took out another bottle of liquor and turned it over. I hurriedly received the pouring liquor with my cup to prevent it from spilling. When I drank it, the mellow fragrance of grapes filled my body. ¡°Still, I sure have gotten used to being summoned to the divine realm.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Someone calls us too every time you pray at the church.¡± [Kufo] ¡°The number of gods you¡¯ve been acquainted with has also increased.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I might be acquainted with more now, but it¡¯s just Tekun and Fernoberia-sama on top of you Gayn, Kufo, and Rurutia, you know?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You haven¡¯t even met half of the gods yet?¡± [Tekun] ¡°I have heard of Manoairoa-sama. Although I haven¡¯t actually met him. What kind of person is he?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Manoairoa, huh? ¡­That¡¯s a difficult question.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to answer if it¡¯s difficult, Kufo.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, that¡¯s not it¡­ It¡¯s just that I haven¡¯t seen him myself in years.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Same.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Haven¡¯t seen him either.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Huh?¡¡You mean even though you¡¯re all gods you don¡¯t meet each other?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because he likes to wander¡­ He¡¯s definitely in the divine realm, but he¡¯s always going here and there. I wonder what he¡¯s doing now.¡± [Gayn] ¡°He is also the God of Fine Arts, so he has various shapes and forms. There are times when he looks normal and times when he looks completely outrageous. Moreover, he gets bored easily. He¡¯s a weird god.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Now that you mention it, wasn¡¯t he going around saying, ¡®this is natural beauty!¡¯ while stark naked?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Ah!¡¡He did! He did!¡¡He wasn¡¯t even wearing a loincloth. Rurutia and Kirillel got so mad at him.¡± [Kufo] I guess there are all sorts of gods¡­ ¡°By the way, where is Rurutia?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think they¡¯re at some gathering meant only for goddesses?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s something she picked up from Earth. Haven¡¯t a clue how it¡¯s difficult from parties, though.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I think she mentioned they weren¡¯t good at gatherings¡­ So, she¡¯s accompanying some goddesses that looked out for her.¡± [Gayn] There really are all sorts. ¡­Ah, speaking of which. ¡°Mind if I change the topic a bit?¡¡There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask Gayn and Kufo.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Gayn] ¡°What happened?¡± [Kufo] ¡°I mentioned taking the monster affinity diagnosis before coming here, right?¡¡As a result, I found out that I have an affinity for monsters that tend to herd together. I got my powers and knowledge on monster taming from you guys when I was brought into this world.¡¡And I can also form a contract with an abnormally large number of slimes. Is there a reason behind why you gave me those powers?¡± [Ryouma] When I suddenly asked that, Gayn and Kufo became thoughtful. ¡°We didn¡¯t intentionally give you those powers, but we¡¯re not wholly unrelated either.¡± [Gayn] ¡°At the time, you said you wanted the ability to form a contract with monsters, but you didn¡¯t specify exactly which monster.¡¡So we just left your affinity to you.¡± [Kufo] ¡°So in other words this affinity is born from my nature?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Rather than nature I¡¯d say it¡¯s closer to ¡®wish¡¯.¡± [Kufo] ¡°After all, we did give you the power you longed for. Your desires probably came into play as well. As such, they might have had an effect on your powers. That¡¯s probably why your compatibility with the slimes is so good.¡± [Gayn] So if I had wanted to form a contract with dragons, then my compatibility with dragons would have increased? ¡°If you wished for it from the bottom of the heart, yes. If you just wanted to try forming a contract with one. A yearning of that level won¡¯t be enough.¡± [Gayn] ¡°And so, the one who chose the slimes was none other than myself.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like I¡¯m starting to figure out how this works. Still¡­ ¡°The powers you have been given should have been decided when you arrived at the Forest of Gana. Your affinity for monster taming should be the same too. Even if you begin researching and showed interest later on, your affinity shouldn¡¯t change. We didn¡¯t tamper with your abilities to that extent.¡± [Gayn] ¡°And even if it does change, it might simply shift from an affinity with monsters that tend to herd toward a full slime specialization. At least, in your case. It¡¯s probably because of the environment in your past life.¡± [Kufo] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 140.2 - The Promise with the Church (2/2) Volume 3 Chapter 140: The Promise with the Church (2/2) ¡°It¡¯s a bit hard to say, but weren¡¯t you always alone back on Earth?¡¡Even when you were employed, although you had subordinates and coworkers, there weren¡¯t many people you were close with.¡± [Kufo] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although you¡¯re fine being by yourself and not being a part of a group, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re not interested in being a part of one, right? So, I think you might have been yearning for something like that unconsciously, and that had an effect on your monster affinity.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ That¡¯s just really sad!!¡± [Ryouma] What kind of depressing reason is that!?¡¡I mean it¡¯s one thing if I were to say it myself, but having someone else tell me that straight to my face really hurts. Not to mention, it¡¯s a god saying it! The trust factor is too darn high! ¡°Ha ha ha!¡¡Well, stuff like that happens when you¡¯re alive. Go on, drink.¡± [Tekun] Tekun poured more liquor to my cup and I emptied it. ¡°But because of that you can form a contract with so many types and in such huge numbers too. Isn¡¯t it fine?¡± [Kufo] ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯m not dissatisfied with the power.¡± [Ryouma] I may not be happy with the reason why, but I¡¯m not exactly unhappy with my affinity. As the mood changed, I took the opportunity to ask about divine beasts. ¡°I heard that Reinbach-sama formed a contract with a divine beast. What is a divine beast?¡¡From what I hear, they¡¯re supposed to be beasts that have received a divine protection from the gods and has been given the duty to protect its territory.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. As expected, just by having a contracted human, Riforu Kingdom was able to get the right information.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Are those lands important to you gods?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re important to us, but they¡¯re also important to the world and to its inhabitants. The territory of the divine beasts, also known as the holy lands, they are the pillars of this world that produces mana.¡± [Gayn] ¡°That sounds interesting¡­ Can I hear more about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, it¡¯s not unrelated to why you were brought here.¡± [Gayn] ¡°In fact, it¡¯s something that you should be made privy to. After all, you¡¯re going to be related to the holy land from now on.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Related from now on?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, I suppose we should start with an explanation of what the holy lands are. They¡¯re not actually that amazing, though.¡± [Kufo] Kufo gathered his thoughts and began talking slowly. ¡°First, this world has something called mana. The people of this world and the monster beasts use it. Mana is exactly as you understand it, Ryouma.¡± [Kufo] ¡°But it¡¯s being consumed faster than it is being made, so you had to supplement this world¡¯s mana with that of Earth¡¯s. And that¡¯s why I was brought to this world.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Although it¡¯s unfortunate that the balance between demand and supply is broken, this world continues to produce mana. As for what it is that produces mana, the answer would be the ¡®natural environment¡¯.¡± [Kufo] Plants and vegetables, stones, rivers and valleys¡­ These natural components of the environment greatly affect the production of mana. ¡°But while mana is being produced in normal forests, it is also produced in human towns. That being said, the production of mana is higher in places where nature is denser, so the amount produced in towns is insignificant.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Mana can be born anywhere within this world. The so-called ¡®holy lands¡¯ are just places where the production rate is especially high. They¡¯re highly-efficient territories. As for the conditions, they include: ¡®an undeveloped land untouched by humans¡¯ ¡®has met a certain size¡¯ ¡®abundant with nature¡¯¡­ Something like that.¡± [Gayn] ¡°But because of that humans that come from outside and monster beasts that get lost could ruin the place and cause us a lot of headaches. To prevent that, we prepared special monster beasts that we bestowed divine protection upon to protect these places.¡± [Kufo] That makes sense. And I think I have an idea of what they meant when they said that I would be related. After all, I¡¯m trying to go to a place abundant with nature that¡¯s hard for people to enter. ¡°The Great Forest of Shurus is also a holy land, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. The holy land is located at the center. It is because of the mana produced from the holy land that there are so many precious stones and herbs in the forest. There¡¯s no divine beast, though.¡± [Kufo] So not all holy lands were provided with a divine beast, huh? ¡°Is that alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s far from humans, so it¡¯s still fine. Besides, while there are no divine beasts, we made sure to tighten the defenses. Well, at least Fernoberia did.¡± [Tekun] He¡¯s saying that full of confidence and satisfaction, but it¡¯s not like he¡¯s the one maintaining the defense. ¡°It¡¯s because the Great Shurus Forest is under Fernoberia¡¯s management. One day, he said, ¡®Why don¡¯t I station a divine beast too?¡¯¡¡But then he changed his mind and said, ¡®It would be easy if I simply bestowed great power upon a monster beast and left things to it, but that¡¯s too simple¡¯, so he went and tightened the security using only a combination of normal monster beasts and some arrangements with the environment. What do you think about that?¡± [Kufo] ¡°I know this is a big deal for me to be putting things this way, but if I were to liken the situation to a game, I would say it¡¯s akin to a self-imposed challenge?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know what a games is, but ¡®self-imposed challenge¡¯?¡± [Kufo] ¡°It¡¯s when you intentionally don¡¯t use a tool that you have and limit yourself to accomplish an objective in a game.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah! That¡¯s exactly it!¡¡That¡¯s exactly how he¡¯s like!¡± [Kufo] ¡°You agree with him!?¡± [Tekun] ¡°But Fernoberia isn¡¯t playing, you know? He just wanted to make more work for himself. And because he¡¯s so good at delicate stuff like that, he has the nerve to look at my holy land and call it ¡®crude¡¯.¡± [Kufo] ¡­Apparently, Kufo had an issue with Fernoberia regarding that and he ended up complaining at me until it was time for me to go home. But I was able to find out about the ecology of the Great Forest, so I¡¯d say the trip to the divine realm this time was worth a lot. Chapter 141.1 - Strange Phenomenon (1/2) Slime Observation Record¡ª Today, two new slimes were added to my monster collection. I¡¯ll use this opportunity to summarize my findings. Stone Slime Skills: A slime that looks just like your everyday stone that could be found anywhere outside. Just as one might expect, its diet consists of stones. So far, I have seen no signs of preference for certain types of stones or minerals contained within. But when I gave it a stone, the slime did change its color to imitate it. Moreover, it was even able to replicate the texture. I tried closing my eyes and allowed the stone slime to tumble onto the ground. When I opened my eyes next, I had lost track of the stone slime. I was able to retrieve the stone slime thanks to the effects of the contract, but it is certainly difficult to find it with one¡¯s senses alone. Also, because of another experiment, I was able to find out that the stone slime likes earth-attribute mana. I was also able to find out that earth magic has an effect on its body. I look forward to increasing the stone slime¡¯s numbers and finding other slimes that show a response for other stones, such as magic stones, ores, and gems. Weed Slime Skills: This is a slime that grows weed from its body. Just like the stone slime, the weed it grows is your everyday weed that can be found anywhere. When this slime is hidden among bushes, it is very hard to find. Its diet consists of weed. I tried feeding it my stock of medicinal and poisonous herbs, but it showed no interest. However, it did eat the Kotsubuyarikusa that I picked up during the training session. It¡¯s possible that it¡¯s a kind of weed, but it¡¯s also possible that this guy just also happens to like grains. I haven¡¯t come to a conclusion on that just yet. First, I¡¯d like to increase its numbers, so I have another specimen to compare it with. Fortunately, the weed and fertilizers that it feeds on are easily acquired¡­ And for free too. The weed slime reproduces quickly. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have a whole family of weed in no time. Also, maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s related to plants, but it likes earth, wood, and water-attribute mana. Also, I tried giving it the fertilizer that the scavenger slime makes and it was happy to receive that too. The fluff slime was also happy with the fertilizers, so maybe all plant-type slimes like them. More observation and experimentation is necessary. ¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D¨D I can¡¯t really get started on either unless I increase their numbers first. ¡°Oh, right. Speaking of increasing numbers¡­¡± [Ryouma] Bloody Slime Currently Under Observation. But it¡¯s no longer poisoned, so that¡¯s one source of relief. So far, I¡¯ve confirmed the presence of antibodies toward bush snake poison within the blood slimes. But they have always possessed the Poison Resist and Disease Resist skills. As such, I expect that the bloody slimes should also possess antibodies toward other poisons and diseases. I would like to confirm the existence of those. To that end, I need to increase their numbers, but for that, I will be needing a considerable amount of feed. Presently, most of the feed are procured from Zeke-san¡¯s store. But he is already generously giving me all the blood his store has. Asking for any more is simply impossible. As such, I need to find another source. One candidate I thought of is the Saionji Company. They offer butchering services as well. But if I were to rely on them, I will have to entrust a bloody slime to someone in the branch store at Renauph and have the bloody slime increase its numbers there. If I were to think of someplace nearer that blood could be sourced from, the adventurers guild appears to be a prospective candidate, given that they are supposed to have a place allocated for gutting monsters. I heard about that during the training a few days ago. Apparently, anyone could use it as long as they paid the fee. I have never used it before, however, so I don¡¯t know how they deal with the garbage from gutting the monsters. Still, I might be able to get blood from there. And even if I can¡¯t get blood, I might able to acquire thrown bones and meat parts to feed to the slimes. There¡¯s no harm in asking. So, yes. Let¡¯s try asking them. ¡°¡­Something like this, I guess.¡± [Ryouma] After thinking all of that to myself, I wrapped up my notes and put them away. I¡¯ve already eaten supper. Is there anything else I¡¯m supposed to be doing today? ¡­Ah. ¡°Come to think of it, what happened to my mushrooms?¡± [Ryouma] Yesterday, some thin stuff grew out of them. I should go take a look before I sleep. Having decided that, I went to the tunnels where I left the mushroom bed. ¡°¡­Why is it so noisy?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I opened the door I installed yesterday, a sound reached my ears. Something small seemed to be clawing from the other side of the door. Did some small rats get inside? ¡°¡®Search¡¯¡­ !?¡± [Ryouma] Just to be safe, I casted Search. I got a response. There¡¯s something on the other side of the door. There seems to be more than 10 or 20 of them too. Moreover, these aren¡¯t small rats. They¡¯re something smaller. I immediately called out my sticky slimes and had them prepare sticky traps. Chapter 141.2 - Strange Phenomenon (2/2) ¡°I¡¯m ready.¡± [Ryouma] I checked the viscosity of my traps.. I checked the brightness of my light magic. I double checked that the door behind me was closed. And then as I kept my guard up just in case something were to come, I opened the door. When I did that¡­ ¡°!!¡± ¡°!!¡± ¡°¡­?¡± The mushrooms were running. Two legs had grown out from the hard tip of the mushrooms. Are these mushroom-type monster beasts? When I opened the door, the mushrooms ran away from me and crashed into the walls, causing them to tumble to the ground. ¡°¡­Are these ¡®Running Mash¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know much about them as monsters, but I do know them as medicinal ingredients. ¡¯Running Mash¡¯ As the name implies, running mash are running mushrooms. They are mushrooms that have monsterified due to the influence of mana and are an extremely rare magic potion ingredient. They can strengthen one¡¯s body and reform one¡¯s constitution. But what¡¯s really good about them is that they can increase the efficacy of a completed medicine. But if the original mushroom contains poison and some other medicinal effect, those effects will also be strengthened, so caution is necessary when handling them. Not only are these mushrooms rarer than regular mushrooms, they also have legs with which to run with, so they¡¯re really hard to get. These mushrooms are usually found in wetlands and are especially abundant when there¡¯s a rain forecast. But these mushroom aren¡¯t just rare. People also say that when these mushrooms are found, the place where they were found will have more mushrooms the next year. They are also said to bring good fortune and wealth. But even though these mushrooms are supposedly so rare, right now, there are about 70 to 80 of them running in front of me. ¡°Maybe these mushrooms are different¡­ ¡®Monster Identify¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Running Mash Skills: Ah, it looks like I was right. They really are Running Mash. And from looking at the skills, I think I know know why they say that there will be more mushrooms the following year in the place these mushrooms are found. ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s safe to say that these guys aren¡¯t here naturally¡­¡± [Ryouma] I mean obviously these guys came from the mushroom bed I was cultivating. A closer look at the running mash show that other than the sharp-looking nails and protruded feet, all the other parts are exactly the same as the mushrooms I was cultivating. ¡°I was planning to cultivate just normal mushrooms, but¡­¡± [ryouma] Running Mash are the monsterified mushrooms. Monsterification is a phenomenon that occurs due to mana. As such, the reason this happened has something to do with mana. ¡­But just where could they have possibly absorbed the mana from?¡¡I used water magic when I watered the mushrooms, but is that enough to cause monsterification?¡¡¡­Running Mash are really rare, so I don¡¯t think they can monsterify with just a little mana¡­ Oh, I know. Maybe it¡¯s because of the scavenger slimes¡¯ fertilizer?¡¡After all, there¡¯s a possibility that the body of the slime itself is mana. So if there¡¯s mana imbued in the fertilizer of the scavenger slimes, then¡­ But either way, I can¡¯t grow these mushrooms normally anymore. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly a loss, but it¡¯s still a pity¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡­For the meantime, let¡¯s catch them and deal with them. I¡¯ll think about the rest after that. These mushrooms are medicinal ingredients, so maybe the medicine slimes can eat them? I have to make some medicine anyway, so maybe I should try making some with them. While I wondered what to do after catching the mushrooms, I chased them into my traps like a sheepdog. One hour later. I messed up¡­ But maybe this is good in its own way? The medicine slime tumbling about on the floor of the medicine slime is sending me a lot of happy thoughts through the contract after gorging itself on the running mash. ¡°It sure ate a lot¡­.¡± [Ryouma] I was the one who gave it a running mash, but I was only planning on giving it one. Unfortunately, when I went to make a new mushroom bed, I left the basket full of running mash. The medicine slime then used its tentacles to eat the running mash one after another. By the time I noticed it, it had already eaten 10 running mash. I only gave it one at first because I wanted to see first how it would react. Fortunately, it doesn¡¯t seem to have been harmed by eating them. Still¡­ ¡°¡­ Monster Identify.¡± [Ryouma] Medicine Slime Skills: ¡­You can really see the effects of the mushrooms. The Produce Medicine skill has risen by two levels. Moreover, when I took a look at the types of medicine it could produce¡­ These three types have been added to the list. ¡°Liquid that could be made into a nutrient solution or tonic¡­¡± [Ryouma] It would appear that due to the effects of the running mash, the medicine slime has become able to produce a liquid with similar effects. These look difficult to use. Especially the third one. ¡®Medicine Tonic¡¯ A liquid that reacts with the mana inside a medicine to strengthen te efficacy of the medicine. Sometimes a medicine that¡¯s too effective can be poison, so I have to be careful when using it. I don¡¯t know how much it can increase the effect of a medicine. There are existing recipes that use the running mash with the proper does listed, but there¡¯s no such thing for the medicine slime¡¯s Medicine Tonic. Moreover, it remains to be seen if this medicine tonic works exactly the same as the running mash (ingredient). I¡¯ll need to run some experiments first or there¡¯s no way to be sure. Either way this doesn¡¯t look like something I can use right away. I¡¯ll add these new findings to my notes too, so I can go back to them later¡­ The next day. ¡°A child like you is really¡­¡± [Grisiera] I used the medicine I produced as a pretext to meet the guild master of the merchant guild. When she found out what I really came for, she looked like she¡¯d had enough. ¡°Seriously, it¡¯s just one thing after another with you. You really know how to keep people¡¯s interest piqued, don¡¯t you? I could still understand it if you brought 4 or 5, but¡­ I can¡¯t believe you actually brought 30 running mash with you all at the same time.¡± [Grisiera] Actually, these are just the leftovers the medicine slime. ¡°Sorry to always cause you trouble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You wanted to try cultivating your own mushrooms to eat, but when you went and put your ideas to practice, you ended up turning all of your mushrooms into running mash, so now you¡¯re here because you want to know how to cultivate normal mushrooms?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°That¡¯s right. I was thinking they would turn out normal if I just used fertilizer without mana. So, I was wondering if you could tell me about fertilizer without mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even if you tell me that¡­ I¡¯ve never dealt with fertilizer for mushrooms. In the first place, cultivating mushrooms is just way too luxurious¡­ Can¡¯t you just eat your running mash?¡¡I mean from the looks of things it seems they¡¯ve already returned to being edible mushrooms. And running mash are supposedly delicious anyway.¡± [Grisiera] Really!?¡¡I only knew about their medicinal effects. ¡°I¡¯ve never tried them myself, though. I couldn¡¯t possibly do something so prodigal.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] After all, there are a lot of medicine that uses running mash as its ingredient. Some of those are even used to treat diseases said to be incurable. As such, a single running mash goes for about 100,000 suits. If you choose the place and the season, the price can even go up. If I sold all these, I could make a fortune. But what¡¯s important to me is the taste. ¡­Huh?¡¡But since it tastes better than normal mushroom, maybe this will do just fine? ¡­But then again, if some weird stuff happens because of the medicinal effect, that would be really troubling. ¡°Then I¡¯ll help you search for some normal fertilizer used by farmers. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll work with mushrooms, but you can figure that out on your own. In exchange, give me one running mash and concoct a medicine for me. Consider the labor and payment free with that.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. After all, you¡¯re helping me make a profit with your medicine too.¡± [Grisiera] We talked idly while her people were preparing the ingredients. During our idle conversation, she said something that concerned me. ¡°Bandits?¡¡Around these parts?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ve been getting reports of suspicious people moving here. But there¡¯s only about four or five of them. There was a bandit group that was destroyed at Gaunago, so maybe they¡¯re the surviving members. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re planning to work here, but you should be careful if you decide to go out of town. After all, they might think you¡¯re easy prey. Of course, reality might beg to differ.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Thank you for the information.¡± [Ryouma] Let¡¯s go and see if there¡¯s a job posted on the adventurers guild after this. Chapter 142.2 - Search Job (1/2) ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [Maelyn] When I dropped by the guild, the receptionist suddenly called me. ¡°Good timing.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Good day, Maelyn-san. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We got word from the guild branch in a town near Ratoin Lake. It¡¯s related to the Mud Salamander.¡± [Maelyn] Mud Salamander!¡¡That¡¯s one of the monster beasts I want to fight. ¡°Every year before going into hibernation, the mud salamanders of Ratoin Lake would appear to eat their fill. This causes all sorts of problems for those related to the fishing industry of the lake. In some cases, such as in smaller fishing villages, it can be a problem concerning life and death.¡± [Maelyn] Ratoin Lake¡­ That should be the place where those people that gave me the Bloody Slime came from. ¡°Is the village called Shikumu also affected?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The mud salamanders will appear all over the Ratoin Lake, so Shikumu probably won¡¯t be exempted. Anyway, there¡¯s a lot of places that have to be protected, so they need people to deal with the mud salamanders. As such, they¡¯re currently hiring adventurers that will aid them in defending the villages and subjugating the mud salamanders. They also want adventurers to help out a little after subjugating the mud salamanders. So, interested?¡± [Maelyn] I definitely want to go. But when does this job start? ¡°The mud salamanders seem to hit the hardest 2 months later, so you can go then. Are you busy?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°2 months later is fine. I¡¯m busy next month, but I should be free in the next. I¡¯ll go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Alright, what work will you be doing today?¡± [Maelyn] Right. ¡°I heard from the guild master of the merchant guild. Apparently, there¡¯s a possibility that a group of remnant bandits might be migrating to Gimuru. Do you have information or jobs pertaining to bandits?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, so you¡¯ve already received permission. Please wait for a moment.¡± [Maelyn] She took out a bundle of parchment from under the counter. ¡°We have two pieces of information regarding recent bandit movements. One is about the bandit remnants that you heard about. The other is a group of bandit that might have a connection with that. But these bandits have already been dealt with near the town of Gaunago, so there¡¯s no job pertaining to them anymore. As for the suspicious people, we don¡¯t know for sure just yet if they¡¯re really bandits since we don¡¯t know exactly where they are.¡± [Maelyn] So they¡¯re just being cautious. In that case, maybe I¡¯ll just go and make medicine again today¡­ ¡°Umm~¡­¡± [Paena] Hmm?¡¡Just when I was wondering who it was, it turns out to be the capable newcomer, Paena-san. As timid as ever, this one. ¡°Sorry, Ryouma-kun. Please wait for a moment.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I¡¯m so sorry! Even though you¡¯re in the middle of talking!¡± [Paena] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Go ahead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even Ryouma-kun is okay with it, so say it already. What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°There¡¯s a client who wants a job posted and¡­¡± [Paena] As the two guild employees quietened their voices, I averted my eyes from them and looked around at the rather empty guild. ¡­Is everyone on break? Apparently, at this time of the day, most adventurers are either absentmindedly looking at the bulletin board or talking idly with a nearby adventurer¡­ Hmm? A man with a bearded face was walking from the end of the counter. From his height, he must be a dwarf. ¡°Sorry, boy. But can you move for a sec? Ojouchan!¡± [Male Dwarf] The man went to the counter where I was and called out to Paena-san, who was inside. ¡°Yes? Ah!¡¡You can¡¯t!¡¡I¡¯ll deal with it properly, so please go back and wait.¡± [Paena] ¡°Sorry. But it will be faster if I just talk to her directly. I need Pedro found as soon as possible.¡± [Male Dwarf] Huh. Looks like someone is missing¡­ As the man suddenly bowed his head, Maelyn stepped forward with a complicated expression on her face. ¡°Guts-sama, yes?¡¡I¡¯m sorry, but the money you gave is not enough¡ª¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I know I¡¯m being unreasonable. But that¡¯s all the money I have at hand right now. Still, if Pedro can be found, he should have cargo with him. If I sold those, I can pay more. But even without those, as long as I¡¯m given time, I can prepare more money. The problem is time.¡± [Guts] The situation is looking like it¡¯s at a deadlock¡­ Even the few eyes inside the guild have started to gather. ¡°It¡¯s not that far. Isn¡¯t there any adventurer willing to look?¡± [Guts] ¡­ ¡°Paena-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡Yes, what is it?¡± [Paena] ¡°Can you tell me about the job he¡¯s talking about?¡± [Ryouma] I started to get curious myself, so I called out to Paena-san, who was being ignored like me. When I did, she became thoughtful, then looked at me and the two people talking. ¡°Umm¡­ We haven¡¯t decided to accept his request just yet, so talking about a person¡¯s circumstances is a bit¡­ But if it¡¯s you, you might be a good fit for the job, actually¡­¡± [Paena] I felt sorry for causing her trouble. Anyway, since she wasn¡¯t willing to talk, all I could do was to prick up my ears and listen. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but can we start over from the beginning?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Sure. I¡¯m Guts. I run a small smithy at the western district. Just a few days ago, I sent a weapon I made to Kereban, but this morning, a letter came from the customer that he hasn¡¯t received anything¡­ I want to look for the guy called Pedro who was supposed to deliver my weapon.¡± [Guts] ¡°Exactly how long is ¡®a few days ago¡¯?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Three days ago. If things went as scheduled, he should have already arrived at Kereban and be on his way back already.¡± [Guts] ¡°But you said the goods haven¡¯t been delivered?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Right. The customer contacted me in a hurry. That¡¯s how I know.¡± [Guts] Maelyn-san continued to ask him questions. ¡°What are the odds that the delivery has merely been delayed?¡± [Maelyn] ¡°I¡¯ve asked him to do the same job many times already. He knows the way well. And the weather hasn¡¯t been bad lately. Unless something really unexpected happens, there¡¯s no reason for him to be delayed.¡± [Guts] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­¡± [Maeyln] I wonder if he has an idea of what¡¯s causing the delay. As soon as I thought that¡­ ¡°Takebayashi-san, please come here¡­¡± [Paena] Paena-san seems to have made up her mind. Chapter 143.1 - Inn Town (1/2) ¡°A carriage caught in an accident?¡¡Can¡¯t say I¡¯ve seen any. You?¡± [Man] ¡°I haven¡¯t seen anything either.¡± [Woman] ¡°Figures. Sorry to take up your time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. Why not ride with us?¡¡It¡¯s not long until the town and it¡¯s almost dark.¡± [Woman] ¡°Thank you very much. But I want to keep searching as I make my way to town. Thank you for your cooperation.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Good luck on your job then.¡± [Woman] ¡°Be careful on the road!¡± [Man] ¡°You too!¡± [Ryouma] I watched as the old couple¡¯s carriage drove away. ¡°¡­Fuu.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve already made my way through most of the road from Gimuru to the inn town. The rimel birds are doing their best too, but there¡¯s a lot of things blocking their line of sight, so we still haven¡¯t found any clues. This mountain is about 1,000 meters above ground level. So, there¡¯s no need to worry for altitude sickness. It¡¯s an easy road to cross. But if you veer off the path, you¡¯ll immediately find yourself covered in the shadows of the countless trees, leaves, and branches¡­ But there¡¯s a convenient road here, so people probably rarely venture into the forest¡­ if ever. Did I overlook something? Or maybe it¡¯s still up ahead? Maybe he left the highway? If so, then he would have gone either left or right, but which one? ¡°If only I had a clue of some sort¡­¡± [Ryouma] If I could just narrow down the scope of search a little, I could mobilize all of my slimes. Mobility might become a problem, but with over 6,000 slimes, it should be possible to cover every nook and cranny. That is the power provided not by human-wave tactics but by slime-wave tactics. In any case, I need a clue. I never stopped walking around the highway as I became thoughtful, making sure to keep an eye out for the areas between the trees that have become even harder to see. Eventually, I arrived at the inn town. There was a simple wall made out of wood around the town. They probably made these by harvesting the nearby woods and driving them into the ground. ¡°Hey, you!¡¡¡­Are you a traveler?¡¡Suspicious. What are you doing at a time like this?¡± [Guard] Is he suspecting me? Right before I reached the entrance of the town, the man watching the gate called out to me with a grim expression. ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer from Gimuru. I received a job to search for a missing person. Here¡¯s my guild card and the job request. Please examine it.¡± [Paena] ¡°¡­Right. There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± [Guard] I slowly approached the guard and presented my proof of identity and papers. When I did, the man¡¯s expression loosened. ¡°Sorry for being so suspicious. You may pass.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you. By the way, have there been reports of missing people appearing here lately?¡¡Or have you gotten word of any sightings of a broken carriage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Haven¡¯t heard anything in particular. In fact, I¡¯m honestly a bit doubtful of that job you took.¡± [Guard] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°Are you planning on spending the night at the town inn?¡± [Guard] ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± [Ryouma] I still have energy to spare and I specialize in moving in the night, but searching is more difficult in the night than in the day. If I work in the night, my efficiency will plummet. Besides, the terrain changes with the area. I can search the Forest of Gana the whole day without problem, but I¡¯m not used to this mountain. The rimel birds are with me, so I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll have a case of the rescuer needing rescue, but given the risk, it¡¯s not a very good idea to search during the night without any clues. So I¡¯m thinking of looking for clues in town tonight instead. ¡°A good decision, if I say so myself. Although there are good roads here, if you veer off the path, the slope can get pretty steep.¡± [Guard] ¡°I see¡­ Any recommendations where I could stay for a good night?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Walk straight through the main street and you¡¯ll find a sign board that reads ¡®Terecy Restaurant¡¯. The inn facing that restaurant has a reputation for offering clean rooms at a decent price.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I sent the rimel birds back to the dimension home and immediately headed for the inn I was recommended. ¡­I guess it should have been obvious, but this inn town is smaller than Gimuru. Still, because of the lighting from the wooden inns and restaurants along the main street, it¡¯s actually quite lively. ¡­Oh, this must the place. That was pretty close. ¡°Good evening. The person keeping watch recommended this place. Do you have any rooms free?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We do. 50 suits if you¡¯ll only be spending the night. If you want some food to go with it, 70 suits.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I¡¯ll take the option with food please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Happy to have your business!¡± [Receptionist] After paying up, he gave me a wooden tag he took out of her pocket. ¡°Give this to the restaurant facing our inn when it¡¯s time to eat.¡± [Receptionist] So, a meal ticket, huh. ¡°I can eat if I hand this over?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The menu is bread and soup. Salad is also recommended. Any dish other than those and you¡¯ll have to pay a different fee.¡± [Receptionist] After the receptionist gave me a brief explanation, I went to my room. Chapter 143.2 - Inn Town Volume 3 Chapter 143: Inn Town (2/2) When I got to my room, it was indeed clean. It seemed they properly cleaned the rooms here. Not a speck of dirt could be seen in the room. But the room was small, and just the bed and a small table alone took over 70% of the room. The room also didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of decoration. Well, it is an inn town. I guess this is about what you¡¯d expect for inns aimed at the general populace. If people are just traveling for work, then there probably aren¡¯t many customers that stay here for two or more nights in a row. It somehow feels like a capsule hotel, but with how tight everything is, I actually don¡¯t hate it. ¡­There¡¯s nothing to see here in particular, so let¡¯s go get some grub. ¡°Welcome!¡¡Umm, are you alone?¡± [Girl] ¡°Good evening. I¡¯m staying at the inn on the other side. Here¡¯s my food slip.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gotcha. I¡¯ll lead you to a suitable seat then~¡± [Girl] When I went to the Terecy Restaurant, a cheerful girl led me to my seat. The place was packed and the voices of people laughing as they ate and drank liquor could be heard. The restaurant was big, being a two-story building, but the whole place was brimming with the warmth of people. It resembles the beer garden Serge-san brought me to before, but it¡¯s a little cozier. Although there are people making merry, it feels more like families getting together. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting~¡± [Girl] The food comes out quickly too. This place seems to be well liked even by individuals. Let¡¯s dig in then. ¡°Itadakimasu.¡± [Ryouma] I took a mouthful of the thick soup that resembled a stew. The first thing I felt was warmth. It traveled from the top of my tongue to my throat, and all the way through the esophagus until my stomach, warming my body from its very core. My body might have been a lot colder than I¡¯d thought. There was a natural sweetness that oozed out from the well cooked vegetables and aroma from the herbs that erased the stench of the cut meat and gave a wild umami to the meat. ¡°¡­Delicious.¡± [Ryouma] Just one word leaked out of my mouth. The bread was black and hard, but after dipping it into the soup, it softened and became edible. The fragrance of the wheat permeated the taste of the soup when I dipped it too. Also, with the bread around, that¡¯s one more dish to fill my stomach on top of the soup. The salad consisted of boiled leaf vegetables and red beans with dressing on top. There was a sweetness to the beans that complemented the moderate sourness from the lamon. I quietly ate by myself, and eventually, my plate was completely empty. ¡°That was delicious¡­¡± [Ryouma] With both my mind and my body warmed up, I think I can work hard again. Now then¡­ ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes? Oh, done already?¡± [Girl] ¡°Yes. It was very delicious.¡± [Ryouma] As she cleaned up the plates, I went ahead and asked her. ¡®I¡¯m looking for a person called Pedro-san. Would you happen to know a person by that name?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm~ What kind of person is he?¡± [Girl] According to the client, he¡¯s supposed to be about 170cm tall and a bear man with brown hair for both his hair and his beard. His most defining trait is his ¡®green nose¡¯. When I told her that¡ª ¡°Ahh!¡¡That man.¡± [Girl] ¡°You know him?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just by face.¡± [Girl] ¡°Do you remember when he last came here?¡± [Girl] ¡°Hmm~¡­ I know he came here several times, but¡­¡± [Girl] The girl became thoughtful. I quietly waited for her to finish thinking. ¡°¡­Ah!¡± [Girl] ¡°Did you remember!?¡± [ryouma] ¡°No, sorry. I can¡¯t remember.¡± [Girl] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°But he had people he often ate with. Those people might know.¡± [Girl] ¡°Can you tell me where those people are staying?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, no problem. They¡¯re situated here in this town, so I think you can meet them. They¡¯re alllll the way on the other side of the road here.¡± [Girl] Looks like my information gathering is off to a good start! ¡°¡­Over here, huh.¡± [Ryouma] I followed the information I got from the Terecy Restaurant and looked for the people that often ate with Pedro-san. When I did, I found myself in a street with more room for the carriages than the pedestrians. There were relatively large buildings lined up along the surroundings and there were people who looked like guards unloading cargo. ¡­Looks like this is a warehouse district of some sort. Maybe it was Pedro-san¡¯s friend who was recommended? ¡°Courier ¡®Mountain Dog¡¯¡­ Ah, over there.¡± [Ryouma] In one block of the warehouse district was a large dog with sharp eyes. Or uh, maybe it¡¯s a wolf?¡¡Whatever it was, there was a signboard with a picture of it sitting down. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡What is it, boy?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°You need something sent at a time like this?¡± [Guard 2] After I introduced myself to the two people watching the gate, I asked them about my business. ¡°You¡¯re looking for someone, huh? Assimo is definitely one of our employees, but¡­¡± [guard 1] ¡°He¡¯s not here right now. He should be drinking at a bar somewhere.¡± [guard 2] ¡°Would you happen to know which bar he¡¯s at?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Who knows? ¡­Ah, wait a sec.¡¡Hey, wasn¡¯t someone supposed to take him out to drink today?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Yeah, I remember he said something at the bulletin board¡­¡¡Right, wait a sec, Kid. I¡¯ll go check.¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] One of the men went inside. ¡°Still, it sure is rare for a person to go missing around here.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Is it really that strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At most you only really get light accidents like some carriages bumping into each other. We carry a lot of food supplies between Gimuru and Kereban, so we have a lot of carriages and couriers. If anything happens, we¡¯ll quickly get word of it. Are you sure that guy called Pedro didn¡¯t use a different road?¡± [Guard 1] It¡¯s possible. But from the information I have right now, all I know is that he normally uses the road here. I don¡¯t have any other clues to follow right now. ¡°You sure have your work cut out for you, Boy. Well, do your best.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Hey, I figured it out.¡± [Guard 2] After getting information and being encouraged by the two guards watching the gate, I left the warehouse district. Chapter 144.1 - A Bar That Does Not Match This must be the place.¡± [Ryouma] The bar I was pointed to was located at the end of a narrow alley from the main street. There were a lot of spectacular shops in front of the street, but this bar was plain all the way through. It¡¯s an old building, so it looks really desolate, but from all the laughter that could be heard coming from inside, business seems to be going just fine. There were swing doors for the entrance that reminded me of those from western films. I didn¡¯t have to push them to get in. I just went past them. ¡­It might be because this is a child¡¯s body, but it could also be that these swing doors are placed just a little too high.¡¡What an odd height. The store extended deeper than one might think at first glance. It was surprisingly big. Although I found the seats a bit too close to each other, there were over 30 of them. ¡°Ah~?¡¡ Why is¨C *hiccup¡­ A kid in a place like this?¡± [Drunk 1] ¡°Maybe he¡¯s here to pick someone up?¡± [Drunk 2] ¡°Hey~!¡¡Someone¡¯s wife is in a bad mood.¡± [Drunk 3] I came here without worrying about it, but I guess coming to a bar with a body like this really does make me stand out. When the drunk men saw me, they started talking with poor articulation. Various gazes fell on me impolitely. Some were suspicious, others were amused, and then there were those that were mischievous. The place stank of liquor and tobacco. I better finish this quickly and go back. Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking, but with all these people, I have no idea which guy I¡¯m looking for. Considering the location of the store and the atmosphere about it, this seems to be a place where only locals and regulars gather, so maybe someone from the store knows who I¡¯m looking for. ¡°¡­Our bar doesn¡¯t serve liquor to children.¡± [Bartender] I walked to the counter. The only person tending the bar had ¡®get lost¡¯ written all over his face. Although I didn¡¯t come here to drink, I wouldn¡¯t exactly mind drinking¡­ I decided to show him my status board a little. ¡°¡­So, you have the divine protection of the God of Wine, eh?¡± [Bartender] ¡°I¡¯m looking for someone. Is there a person named Asshimo here?¡± [Ryouma] The man pointed with his chin toward a corner of the store. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] I left a medium copper coin at the counter and went to the table he pointed me to. There, 8 men were seated around two tables for four that were lined up right next to each other. These guys are probably all couriers. Their group is a mishmash of various races and age groups, but they all have one thing in common: they all have big muscles. ¡°Sorry to intrude, but I heard there¡¯s a person called Asshimo-san here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? You have business with me~?¡± [Asshimo] When I spoke up, the person seated closest to me turned around. A human in his later twenties. He¡¯s drank quite a bit, but he seems to be in a good mood. This is a good opportunity. I introduced myself and explained the situation. ¡°You want to ask about Pedro~?¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Yes. Can you tell me when you last met him?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, sure. Sure. But you know¡­ Isn¡¯t there something you gotta do first when asking something~?¡± [Asshimo] His gaze dazzled as liquor was poured into an empty mug. ¡°Will ale be fine?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, thanks¡ª!?¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Good for nothing bum.¡± [???] ¡°Ow¡­¡± [Asshimo] The man sitting beside him hit him, causing the happy tone in his voice to change into that of pain. ¡°That hurts, chief¡­¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Don¡¯t try to swindle money out of a kid like this. You¡¯ve drank too much. Sheesh.¡± [Chief] ¡°Sorry about that¡­ I last saw Pedro two days ago.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°In this town?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. I saw him the morning two days ago. We happened to bump into each other when I went out to eat breakfast¡­ We talked, so there¡¯s no doubt it¡¯s him.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Do you know where he went after that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He was in the store first and was also the first to leave. I don¡¯t know where he went afterwards. But he did say he was headed to Kereban as usual.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°So he did use this path. ¡­Do you have any idea why he might have been unable to reach Kereban today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°None, unfortunately¡­¡± [Asshimo] Another person spoke. This one was a much older man, who was probably past fifty. ¡°I know Pedro too and he¡¯s used this path ever since he was a wee lad. I¡¯m from his dad¡¯s generation, so it¡¯s a given that I know. He knows how to handle a horse and knows what areas are dangerous. Besides, Asshimo. You saw him in the morning, didn¡¯t you?¡± [Old Man] ¡°Yeah. We met early morning. The sun was up already, though.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°So he couldn¡¯t have found himself in an accident because it was dark. Do we have anyone who came back from Kereban today?¡± [Old Man] ¡°I came back today.¡± [Eyewitness 1] ¡°Did you see anyone stuck?¡± [Old Man] ¡°I saw a lot of people taking a break. But I didn¡¯t see Pedro among those. He knows me too, so he should be able to recognize me if he saw me.¡± [Eyewitness 1] ¡°I passed by too, but I didn¡¯t see him either¡­¡± [Eyewitness 2] There were eyewitnesses in town, but none of them saw him¡­ The odds that something might have happened just increased. ¡°Maybe something happened and he went back to Gimuru?¡± [Old Man] ¡°The client says he visited his house, but he wasn¡¯t there either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So he couldn¡¯t have come back to town then.¡± [Old Man] ¡°Maybe he stayed at an inn?¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Are you seriously saying that? What¡¯s the point of doing that? That¡¯s a waste of money.¡± [Old Man] ¡°¡­Ah, it¡¯s no good. I drank too much and my brain just isn¡¯t working.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Hey, Asshimo. Are you sure there wasn¡¯t anything else?¡¡I mean there¡¯s no way you guys really just ate together, right?¡± [Old Man] Chapter 144.2 - A Bar That Does Not Match (2/2) Chapter 144: A Bar That Does Not Match (2/2) ¡°Yeah, but he was just going on and on about his love affairs. Says he wants to propose to the girl he¡¯s going out with and is planning to do it when he get back. Like hell I could seriously listen to him when he¡¯s talking about stuff like that!¡¡Ah, but he did say he needed to save money in order to buy the ring and the clothes and stuff¡­¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Could it be? Did he get himself involved in some suspicious job and ended up being dealt with afterwards?¡± [Eyewitness 1] ¡°You¡¯re thinking too much. At most, I¡¯m sure he got into an accident because he loaded too much cargo.¡± [Old Man] They¡¯re all just voicing their suspicions, but I think the mountain pass to Kereban is suspicious. The people that went to Kereban today say that they didn¡¯t see anything, so I¡¯ll probably have to search away from the main path. I could search the forest too. ¡°Grumbling about this and that¡­ It¡¯s noisy, darn it!¡± [???] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Suddenly, it became noisy behind me. When I turned around, all the people that had suddenly lowered their voices were looking at a beet-red man seated by the counter. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you!¡¡Yeah you, you little twerp!¡± [Drunk] The man¡¯s seat tumbled to the ground, and he violently waded through the sea of seats and customers toward me. ¡°Since when did this place turn into a playground for children?¡¡Huh!?¡± [Drunk] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m just looking for a missing person¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, he¡¯s not here!¡± [Drunk] Well, that¡¯s true. ¡°Scampering about here and there, it¡¯s annoying!¡¡If you don¡¯t want something bad to happen, you better get out this instant!¡± [Drunk] ¡°I¡¯ll leave as soon I¡¯m done with my business.¡± [Ryouma] I bowed a little, but that probably wasn¡¯t the answer he was looking for. He clicked his tongue and sent his fist flying at me. This may be a different world, but it¡¯s a given that drunks can¡¯t be reasoned with. ¡°Wait!¡± [Other Customer 1] ¡°That¡¯s going too far¡ª¡± [Other Customer 2] The people around started panicking at the man quick to resort to violence, but they were too late to stop him. But the fist the man had sent flying was stopped from the front by me with one hand. ¡°Ah?¡± [Drunk] He probably didn¡¯t expect to have his fist stopped, as he cried out in disarray. When he saw his fist held being tightly held by me, he tried to get it free in surprise. But if I let his hand go, he¡¯ll probably try to hit me again. I know I¡¯m not supposed to be here. I acknowledge that much. That¡¯s why I bowed my head to him and said I will leave as soon as I¡¯m done. But I don¡¯t want to get hit. ¡°Mm!?¡¡Nua!?¡¡Funnu!!?¡± [Drunk] I planted myself firmly on the ground and resisted as the man tried everything he could to get his hands free. There¡¯s a pillar nearby I can rely on for my legs, and I won¡¯t lose as long as he¡¯s pulling his hand horizontally. It might be a different story if he pulled his hand up or down, though¡­ Ah, he¡¯s starting to get worked up. At times like these in my past life¡­ The first thing to mind is poise. Second, tolerance. Three and four can be left out. But fifth is patience. Not resisting when punched will lead to the least troublesome outcome later. But there¡¯s no need for that in this world. Life is so convenient here. ¡­Still, it¡¯s not like I know how to deal with the situation other than not resisting. So, now what?¡¡The people about to help me awhile ago already went back to their seats after realizing that I didn¡¯t need help. And now, they¡¯re watching us like we¡¯re some kind of show¡­ This person doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s planning to give up. ¡°NUoOOOOOO!!!¡¡What¡¯s wrong with this kid!?¡¡Let go!¡¡Or I¡¯ll kill you!¡± [Drunk] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Speaking of killing¡­ That reminds me of that match the other day. I wonder if I can use that. ¡°Oniisan, aren¡¯t you a bit too drunk?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] As I caused the man¡¯s body to shake, I started to feel the power quickly leaving the man¡¯s fist. ¡°Let¡¯s calm down first, alright?¡± [Ryouma] I let go of his hand and showed him that I meant no harm. ¡°Eek, eeKKKKKK!!!!!¡± ¡°Huh!?¡¡Ah, wait!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Well, at least that was the plan. ¡°Oww!¡± [Other Customer 3] ¡°Hey, watch it!!¡± [Other Customer 4] ¡°That was full of liquor!!¡± [Other Customer 5] The man ran off. He didn¡¯t care about the seats or the other customers, he just ran for the entrance as fast as he could. ¡°¡­Did I overdo it?¡± [Ryouma] I got told I was scary in the match a few days ago. I thought if I could make him feel like the others did on that day, he might leave me alone, but¡­ Ah. The other male customers behind are all looking away from me. They¡¯re either looking at the wrong direction or acting like they¡¯re sleeping after having drank too much. Either way, they¡¯re clearly trying to avoid my gaze. I guess I overdid it.¡¡Wait a moment. That guy didn¡¯t pay his bill, did he? ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Ryouma] I was conspicuous from the start, but now I stand out even more. ¡­For the meantime, I decided to go to the counter. ¡°Excuse me. Will this be enough to cover the bill of that customer?¡± [Ryouma] I took out three silver coins and lined them up in front of the expressionless bartender. ¡°¡­That¡¯s too much.¡± [Bartender] ¡°Use the rest to treat everyone else to some drink. Especially, that person whose drink was spilled and the people I was talking with just now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh!?¡¡Are you treating us, Boy!?¡± [Other Customer 6] Before the bartender could say anything, a customer yelled. ¡°Yes. Sorry for intruding on your happy time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright!¡± [Other Customer 7] ¡°It¡¯s free liquor!!¡± [Other Customer 8] ¡°Bottoms up!!¡± [Other Customer 9] In the next moment, the whole place returned to its previously lively atmosphere. That¡¯s quick!¡¡¡­Well, this way is easier on me, so whatever. ¡°It seems I caused a ruckus.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh, you¡¯re back.¡± [Asshimo] I went back to the seat of the couriers, thanked them for the information they gave, and told them that it was about time for me to go. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for causing trouble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is a bar. Fighting is just another item on the menu.¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Yeah! Yeah! And you can handle yourself pretty well too.¡± [Eyewitness 1] ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But it would probably be safer if you went back earlier.¡± [Old Man] ¡°Thanks for the liquor!¡± [Asshimo] ¡°Thank you too for giving me your time.¡± [Ryouma] After that I left the bar. Various things happened, but at the very least, I was able to find out that Pedro-san was indeed in this town. That¡¯s one step forward. That proves that there was indeed meaning in come here. Although it was the drunk who started it, I still did something wrong. I need to reflect. Still, that sure was effective¡­ In Berk and the others¡¯ case, it was just a little scary, but when I used it on the drunk, he went flying through the bar. Maybe he was actually a huge coward despite his size. While I was thinking that to myself, I glanced at my status board. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡®Intimidate Lv3¡¯ A skill I hadn¡¯t seen before was there. ¡°¡­Why is it starting from level 3?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 145.1 - The Great Efforts of the Rimel Birds Welcome back~¡± [Receptionist] While I had my mind on the new skill I got, I went back to the inn, where the male receptionist called out to me. The entrance was pitch black, so I thought no one was around, but apparently, he was here. Well, that saves me time. ¡°Excuse me. Do you know a place where it¡¯s safe to let some monsters out?¡¡Specifically, for bird-type monsters¡­¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no doubt that Pedro-san used this path, so I want to take a look at the forest again. I explained the situation to the male receptionist. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you let them out at the roof? At this hour, no one should be there, and¡­ Oh, but do be careful, as there might be some laundry there, alright?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Thank you very much. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The safety and peace of the town is our lifeline. Don¡¯t mention it.¡± [Receptionist] He willingly gave me permission, so I went ahead and moved to the roof. I climbed up the wooden stairs I was pointed to and opened the door I found at the end. Under the starry night sky was a rope for drying clothes illuminated by the stars. The only thing there other than that were the handrails at the edge of the roof to prevent people from falling. If it¡¯s like this, then the rimel birds should be able to fly as they please. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°PIRORORO¡± [Six Rimel Birds] ¡°Shh!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s night time right now, and this is an inn, so be quiet. ¡°Pi¡­¡± [Six Rimel Birds] Thank you for understanding. ¡°Also, I want you to help me out. Give me a bird¡¯s eye view of this town and the whole mountain.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Pi!¡± [Six Rimel Birds] The six rimel birds assumed the v formation and flew up the cloudless starry sky. At the head was the only advanced variant, the nightmare rimel bird, ¡®Eins¡¯. When the rimel birds are hunting for prey and I¡¯m not around, he¡¯s the one giving orders. The leader of the rimel birds that frequently uses my head for a perch. Right behind him are Zwei and Drei. These two find carrying letters fun, so whenever I have to send a letter, it¡¯s usually these two that I rely on. But they have a strong appetite and are cunning enough to ask for a lot of food whenever they get back. Of course, I¡¯m more than happy to accommodate them, both as thanks and as a treat, but I feel like they¡¯ve gotten a little bit bigger since I formed a contract with them. They also get treats not just from me but their destination after the people there found out about their appetite indirectly, so that might have contributed to it. Either way I¡¯m not exactly sure if they¡¯re just getting fatter or they¡¯re growing up. In any case, I should pay attention to them. The two at the back are Vier and Funf. Of the six rimel birds, only these two are females. They have a good relationship with Zwei and Drei respectively. Although they¡¯re not in a big flock and are staying with me, we might be able to expect some new rimel birds in the near future. Lastly, there¡¯s ¡®Sechs¡¯. He¡¯s flying at the very back of the formation and is the smallest of them all. But from what I¡¯ve seen when they fly without a formation, it seems he¡¯s the fastest one of them all. They¡¯re probably having him fly at the back, so he can match his pace with the others better. He loves to fly, so there are times when it feels like there¡¯s a bullet shooting here and there on the airspace above the abandoned mine. He has a propensity to go crazy with speed. Just like the metal slimes, he¡¯s someone likely to cause an accident and needs watching. ¡°Piroro.¡± [Eins] Eins cried out and the six birds flew gracefully to six different directions. In that case, I should start too¡­ ¡®Share Vision¡¯. ¡°¡­Good.¡± [Ryouma] Everything seems to be in order. In my mind appeared the mountain from high up the sky as Eins saw it. The lights of the inn town were like stars twinkling in the darkness. ¡°He¡¯s flying pretty high up¡­¡± [Ryouma] What about the others? I tried switching the view several times, but it was the same for everyone. ¡°Well, it is evening. I should¡¯ve expected this¡­¡± [Ryouma] I could only see darkness through the rimel birds. When the familiars are too far from the practitioner, it won¡¯t be possible to share vision anymore. But at that time, the practitioner will see nothing but black, so I don¡¯t think the distance is the issue¡­ The furthest one out is Sechs. I can already see the foot of the mountain through him. ¡­I guess he was able to fly through the sky comfortably since there are no obstacles here. Still, while it¡¯s good to have fun and all, please don¡¯t forget to help me look, alright? As I told him that, it suddenly hit me. Even if you follow a straight line from the foot of the mountain, it shouldn¡¯t be a matter of just 100 or 200 meters. Even if the altitude is high and one can see further than usual, it still shouldn¡¯t be possible to see it this quickly¡­ Hmm? Come to think of it, aren¡¯t we able to understand each other a lot better than before? Have my skills in Monster Taming improved?¡¡But why all of the sudden?¡¡What caused it?¡¡¡­The only thing I could think of that I did that has something to do with my Monster Taming is the Affinity Diagnosis Test that I took recently. But can my Monster Taming skills improve with just that? ¡°¡­Ah!¡± [Ryouma]¡± Funf seems to have found something. I better think about this later. As I thought that, I switched view again. Chapter 145.2 - The Great Efforts of the Rimel Birds ¡°¡­I¡¯m not seeing it.¡± [Ryouma] She seems to have found something, but as far as my eyes are concerned, everything is just too dark to make out. The only thing I can really make out are the conifer leaves. Just what is it that she¡¯s seeing?¡¡¡­Something that moves?¡¡Is that a human or a person?¡¡¡­Sound?¡¡¡­So it turns out she didn¡¯t see it either, which is why she doesn¡¯t know if it¡¯s a person or something else. Either way this is the first thing we¡¯ve found since coming here. Moreover, the area Funf is flying in is the road on Kereban¡¯s side and in the direction of the foot of the mountain too. ¡°Everyone, regroup.¡± [Ryouma] Just in case, I decided to regather the six rimel birds and have them focus their search in that area. After I gave the order for them to return, Funf changed her direction toward me. The others did get the order, right? I switched vision again to confirm. Eins. Ok. Zwei. Ok. Drei and Vier are also ok. Sechs seems to have gone too far. He¡¯ll probably arrive last, but he¡¯s on his way back. ¡­It¡¯s a bit of a pain having to switch vision one by one. Sure would be great if there was a way to see what they were seeing all at the same time¡­ We can understand each other thanks to the effects of the contract, and if something happens, we can communicate, but I still would like to be able to see what they are seeing constantly. When I share vision with them, I imagine watching the screen of a camera or a TV screen. That being the case, why don¡¯t I imagine partitioning the screens? Come to think of it, didn¡¯t I work part time as a police once? ¡­Oh?¡¡Oh!¡¡I think this could work! On one part of my mind was the image Sechs was seeing, while on the other was what Eins was seeing after arriving in the airspace above the town. I successfully managed to make these two screens appear inside my mind without causing them to merge witch each other. There¡¯s some noise, but¡­ Yeah. I imagined a camera room full of camera screen and imagined different images being projected on different screens. As I did that, the images gradually became clearer. ¡­This can work. I¡¯ll have to work on it a bit more to get three or more images working at the same time, but I think I can do two now. It looks like I really did get better as a monster tamer. I don¡¯t recall training specifically for it, so it¡¯s a bit strange. Well, I¡¯ll just ask the guild master or the people of the duke¡¯s family about it. ¡°Good job.¡± [Ryouma] While I was trying that out, I gave the order for the rimel birds to search. At that, Funf took the lead and the six of them went to the place where she spotted something. After they arrived at the location, they split off into two groups and searched the place. There¡¯s a possibility that it was just a monster, so I asked them to be careful and leave if it got dangerous. After they answered in affirmation, the six of them flew down. The two images in my mind changed into a closeup of the trees, and the starry sky was now barely visible. And then an image darker than the sky above appeared¡­ I could somehow make out the shape of the trees, but at this rate, I wonder if it¡¯s still possible to continue the search. ¡­They¡¯re not going that fast, but it seems they can handle it just fine. Oh, right. They were originally migratory birds, weren¡¯t they? They¡¯re nocturnal too, so they can fly in the night. I asked them to continue the search. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] As they searched the area after splitting into two groups, I observed their work through our shared vision, but¡­ ¡°¡­I can¡¯t see anything¡­¡± [Ryouma] I really have a hard time following the rimel birds when they¡¯re moving for real. It¡¯s not just because it¡¯s dark, they¡¯re moving too fast too. My eyes just can¡¯t seem to catch up. But The rimel birds can see just fine. Maybe they can see in the dark? ¡­I mean in the first place, they¡¯re birds and I¡¯m a human. The very construct of our eyes are different, so I guess just being able to understand what they¡¯re seeing is plenty convenient already, but¡­ It wouldn¡¯t be strange if they had the ability to see in the dark. Maybe I¡¯m just bad at this? I feel kind of bad just watching them like this while they¡¯re working so hard. While I was thinking that to myself, suddenly¡­ ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] Drei, Funf, and Sechs sent a report. They seem to have found something. Sechs¡¯ vision still showed no changes, but I told them to wait and rendezvous with Eins, Zwei, and Vier. As I watched through the eyes of two of the rimel birds, I prayed that they had found either Pedro-san himself or a clue. The six rimel birds managed to safely rendezvous in the air. And then they started searching again. The rimel birds slowed down and passed through the gaps between the trees. The rimel birds could hear something. Looks like there really is ¡®something¡¯ here. ¡°¡­!¡¡Stop!¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s a light right there. A flickering light leaking through the gaps between the trees. The light of an open-air fire. In other words, there¡¯s someone here who started that fire. We need to approach this carefully. The rimel birds slowly approached the light. Eventually, what came to view was the figure of one, two,¡¡three¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not Pedro-san¡­¡± [Ryouma] There was a group of five gathered around the fire. It was a group of ragged and exhausted men seated on wooden crates. Chapter 146.1 - The Great Efforts of the Familiars (1/2) ¡°They must be bandits.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not that confident in telling bandits apart from normal people, but I do have experience seeing them in the Forest of Gana. It wasn¡¯t just once or twice too. I saw a lot of them in the past. All the men reflected on the eyes of the rimel birds had grown out their hair and beard without regard for their appearance. They all looked dirty, and it appears as if they hadn¡¯t washed for many days. This also isn¡¯t the sort of place for a normal person to go to either. Even if they¡¯re doing some kind of job like woodcutting and are merely taking a rest, they should still look more decent than they do. They¡¯re definitely suspicious. ¡°They seem to be just henchmen, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] There are 5 people reflected on the eyes of the rimel birds. And yet it feels as if they only had enough armor for 3 and had to split it among themselves. There¡¯s no point in weapons and armor unless you equip them, you know! ¡­Or so the common saying in RPGs go. But it¡¯s not really uncommon for bandits lurking in the hills and fields to not have decent equipment. The upper brass usually treats themselves to the nice stuff, while the rest just scavenge for whatever is left. This is about par for the course when it comes to the underlings of poor bandits. But for some reason, they are all equipped with a new sword¡­ Something is off here. ¡°They don¡¯t look like experts who¡¯d be given a good weapon either¡­¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯re covered in wounds and their mind seems like the type to wander a lot. They don¡¯t pay enough attention to their surroundings either. In fact, they still haven¡¯t noticed that the rimel birds are watching them. They¡¯re also not talking among themselves. For some reason, they appear to be at a loss. Shabby-looking equipment and the same type of brand new ¡®swords¡¯. The luggage Pedro-san was carrying was supposed to be the ¡®swords¡¯ forged by the smith for his client. ¡°¡­It might be too late¡­¡± [Ryouma] Odds are these people know something. And when I think that, I can¡¯t help but imagine the worst case scenario. Either way, I need information. To that end, I¡¯ll have to catch them alive¡­ I should prepare for battle. I¡¯ll prepare compensation too in the one-in-a-million-chance that they¡¯re not bandits. I¡¯ll cancel my stay when everything is ready. By using slimes and special-made ropes and relying on my stamina, I went straight through the forest in one hour. It took me a while because I had to go through a road-less path, but I was able to close in on the rimel birds watching the bandits. I shared vision with the rimel birds again as I took a break. ¡°¡­Are they sleeping?¡± [Ryouma] There were two people keeping watch, but the others were fast asleep. It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve noticed our movements. The mountain trees nearby are too dense to use a bow. I can¡¯t use my usual paralysis arrows here. Can¡¯t say my footing is all that good either. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to rely on you this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kukeh!¡¡Kukeh!!!¡¡Kukeh!!!¡± [Eins] ¡°What!?¡¡AaAAA!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°My head is¡ª!? My head!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°EeEKKK!!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Stop¡ª!¡¡Stop it!¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°Ah, U¡­ a¡­¡± [Bandit 5] Uwaah¡­ ¡°Now that I¡¯m seeing it again, it sure is powerful.¡± [Ryouma] He rarely uses it, so I¡¯ve long forgotten it, but Eins¡­ The nightmare rimel bird can cast a darkness-type spell that deals mental damage in an area. He was able to make the people around him panic before, so I figured he should be able to help me in suppressing the bandits. When it actually came to it, though, not only did he help me, but he confused the bandits and even made them faint¡­ Well, either way, with this we¡¯ve successfully secured the bandits. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡± [Ryouma] My katana and sheathe transformed into 9 iron slimes and metal slimes. The slimes split themselves into groups of three and wrapped themselves on the limbs and neck of the bandits. After gathering the men¡¯s limbs, the slimes quickly transformed into metal handcuffs, legcuffs, and collars. When I¡¯d confirmed that the men were completely bound, I had the slimes eat whatever metal was on the men to disarm them. They were basically a substitute for a metal detector. ¡°GUEH!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°¡­!?¡¡What!?¡¡What is going on!?¡¡Hey!¡¡¡­A kid?¡± [Bandit 2] The impact of being carried carelessly seemed to have woken three of the bandits. At first, they were confused, not understanding their situation, but it didn¡¯t take long before they realized that they have been bound. ¡°Hey!¡¡Is this your doing!?¡¡Let us go, darn it!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°*Wheeze. Don¡¯t you know who we are? We¡¯re the Poisonous Spiders!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°The Poisonous Spiders?¡¡¡­You mean the group that was subjugated just recently?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Bandits] After having been tricked into revealing the truth, the bandits immediately appeared regretful. Looks like I was right. ¡­Good. At least, now we¡¯re sure that they¡¯re bandits. I won¡¯t need to apologize then. ¡°By the way, the person over there¡­ I know you¡¯re awake, so you can stop pretending.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­He he he.¡± [Bandit 4] The five men were lined up in a row. The two people yelling at me are the two on the rightmost side. The first one I carried on the leftmost side opened his eyes when he heard the two yelling, but he closed his eyes again and acted as if he were asleep. It was poorly done, though, so I could tell immediately that he was awake. He neither yelled nor tried to run. He just smiled that frivolous and insincere smile of his. ¡°Hey!¡¡Say something!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Were you trying to run off by yourself!?¡± [Bandit 2] And just like that, our group of shabby bandits have started falling out already. Chapter 146.2 - The Great Efforts of the Familiars (2/2) These guys don¡¯t have any team spirit¡­ At this rate, I¡¯ll just end up wasting time. ¡± ¡®Earth Fence¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Eek!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°Uu¡­!¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°Tch. What are you trying to do!?¡± [Bandit 3] Broad stone fences projected from the ground toward the three bandits arguing. I developed this fence spell based on an attack magic and have sharpened its edges. Those sharp edges stopped right before the bandits¡¯ eyes. When the bandits saw that, they stiffened up and looked cautiously at me. ¡°You can have your little internal discord later. There¡¯s something I want to ask you. Who¡¯s your leader?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I am!¡± [The Three Bickering Bandits] ¡°¡­Which one?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I am the leader!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Like hell you are!¡¡Who would follow you!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°Hmph!¡¡As if any of you blockheads could be the leader. Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°Umm~, young master?¡¡As you know our boss was taken out, so¡­ He he¡­¡± [Bandit 3] The leftmost bandit with the insincere smile spoke. He seemed to be trying to curry favor, but his voice gave me the creeps. Still, he looks like he¡¯s the most willing to talk from their group. ¡°There¡¯s something I want to ask.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Aan!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get off lightly after doing something like this!¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°We¡¯ll still forgive you if you let us go now!¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll talk! I¡¯ll tell you anything!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡­Only one of them was really obedient. He¡¯s so obedient it¡¯s making me wonder if he¡¯s planning something. ¡°What are you saying!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Fool!¡¡At times like this, you have to negotiate!¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°Don¡¯t be naive!¡± [Bandit 4] Suddenly, his friends started jeering at him. ¡°Shaddup!!¡¡We¡¯ve already been caught!¡¡What¡¯s the point in saying anything now!? It¡¯s too late!¡¡Young master!¡¡I¡¯ll tell you anything you want, so please just spare my life!¡¡I don¡¯t care what happens to the others!¡¡Just save my life!¡± [Bandit 3] This time he desperately sold off his friends¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh!!¡± [Other Bandits] When the bandit said those words, the conflict among the bandits became even worse. Unable to stand them jeering at each other anymore, I asked Eins to take care of them. ¡°Kukeh!!!¡± [Eins] ¡°!!¡± [Bandits] Just one cry was enough to make them go quiet. Now that it¡¯s quiet, we can continue. ¡°I¡¯ll ask a question, and you¡¯re going to answer. Just so you know, the things binding your limbs are my familiars. Normal cuffs might have keyholes, but those don¡¯t, so unless I give the order, you can¡¯t be unbound.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s one of the new uses of the metal slimes that I thought of after considering how to go about bandit subjugations. With the slimes clinging to them, even if they do manage to escape, I¡¯ll be able to know their location through the familiar contract. Pursuing them will be easy. Moreover, the slimes have Physical Attack Resist, so they¡¯re quite durable. Even I won¡¯t find it easy to remove them by force. ¡°Don¡¯t get over your head, brat. I don¡¯t know about familiars and what not, but the fact you¡¯re using something like this shows just how soft you are!¡¡You don¡¯t plan to kill us at all, do you? Well!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°I don¡¯t intend to kill needlessly, but I will kill if necessary.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha!¡¡It¡¯s plain as day that you don¡¯t intend on killing us!¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°The way you are, even a brat won¡¯t be scared of you!¡± [Bandit 4] Convinced that there was no danger of being killed, the men started to get cocky. Where did my Intimidate skill go? Oh, Intimidate skill-sama, please come back~ ¡­What am I thinking? ¡°I¡¯ll say it again. Let go of us now, and we¡¯ll spare your life.¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°¡­Do you people really not understand your situation?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not like they¡¯re hiding their abilities and they don¡¯t look like they have any plans either. The rimel birds are watching the surroundings, but there aren¡¯t any enemies lying in wait. I have no idea why they¡¯re acting so cocky despite their situation. ¡°In the first place, what are you guys going to do when you get free?¡¡Are you going to surrender yourselves to the authorities?¡¡Are you going to have a change of heart and work honesty?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the men all went quiet. Even if they went and said that they had turned over a new leaf, there was no way to prove it. Even if I let them go here, they¡¯ll just return to being bandits. At the very least, that¡¯s my reasoning for my actions here. ¡°If I just let you go, you¡¯ll just hurt someone else. ¡­It¡¯s true that I have no plans of killing you needlessly, but I¡¯m not so irresponsible as to let you free just like that.¡± [Ryouma] Since I¡¯ve caught them, I have to hand them over to the authorities. With that, there won¡¯t be any more victims. If they resist, then they will be the responsibility of the people who caught them. ¡°Tch!¡¡What¡¯s a brat like you acting all cool for?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Don¡¯t get cocky, brat. Now that I¡¯ve gotten a better look on you. You have some nice clothes, nice weapons, and nice armor. You can cast monster taming spells and you seem rich. If we stripped you of all your possessions and sold them, they¡¯ll probably fetch a high price.¡± [Bandit ]2 ¡°So, you¡¯re rich, huh. I hate the rich¡­ They get to eat and play without suffering and they look down on the poor. ¡­Something like this can¡¯t stop¡ª!¡± [Bandit 4] As one of the men became hateful, he reached out for his choker. That¡¯s no good. ¡°Uu¡­ W-What is this choker¡­¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°H-Hey!¡¡What¡¯s going on!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°It¡¯s, tight¡­¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°Oh, I forgot to mention this, but I ordered my familiar in that choker to keep contact with your skin.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s a trifling matter to pull it out by force. But if they tried to do that, then the slime that has received my orders to maintain contact with their skin will immediately change shape and bury itself into their body. The moment a gap is made between their skin and their choker, their choker will choke them. ¡°Also, if the bearer of the choker acts violent, goes too far from me without permission, or attacks me, that choker will choke you. Of course, I can also order it to do so anytime.¡± [Ryouma] Slimes may be weak, but even they can kill people if they can apply pressure on the carotid artery. As such, they can act perfectly as your fantasy light novel¡¯s stereotypical ¡®Slave Choker¡¯. With this, they¡¯ll basically be strangling themselves. ¡°We don¡¯t need your explanation!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Make it stop!¡± [Bandit 2] The more the choker tightens itself, the more it hurts. So in order to escape, they¡¯ll try to loosen their chokers, but that will only serve to make the choker choke them even harder. The man who got caught in that cycle no longer had the leisure to talk. But the pressure wasn¡¯t enough to make him faint either. ¡°What are you just watching there for!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°He¡¯s going to die, you know!?¡± [Bandit 2] Now that it¡¯s gotten to this, they finally understood that their lives were in danger. A color of panic appeared on their faces. Just yelling whatever they want to say because of their feelings¡­ It kind of reminds me of my boss from my previous life. ¡°¡­So what?¡± [Ryouma] I asked back coldly. Chapter 147.1 - The Motive of the Bandits (1/3) Chapter 147: The Motive of the Bandits (1/3) They looked at me as if they couldn¡¯t believe what they were seeing. ¡°What are you saying?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°He¡¯s really going to die, you know!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°I don¡¯t know your circumstances, but right now, you people are bandits.¡¡No one will complain even if you¡¯re killed. I don¡¯t like killing people without any reason either, but if you try to resist and run away, there¡¯s no reason for me to let you live either.¡± [Ryouma] Generally, bandit subjugation means extermination. The guild pays more if you catch them alive, but adventurers aren¡¯t required to keep them alive. That¡¯s especially true for someone in my situation. After all, I wasn¡¯t even supposed to be hunting bandits. As such, in this place, my life is a priority. ¡°Let me ask you again. Are you going to talk?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes!!¡¡Of course!¡¡I¡¯ll say anything!¡¡I don¡¯t want to die!¡± [Bandit 3] Meanwhile, this guy is the same as ever. ¡°I suppose you won¡¯t mind if you¡¯re one person less then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°D-Don¡¯t joke with us!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°How could you kill someone so easily!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°As if you bandits have any right to say that. Didn¡¯t you kill someone to steal those pretty swords of yours?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I said that, the guy who was being choked lost his consciousness and fainted. ¡­That should be enough to threaten them. ¡°Well, I did forget to warn you, so let¡¯s just make this an exception and forgive your blunder.¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slime acting as a choker to loosen itself a little. ¡°H-Hey¡­¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Is he alive?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°Who knows?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Who knows¡¯? You¡­¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°His chest seems to be moving, so isn¡¯t he fine?¡¡But if he dies, then I guess that¡¯s that.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no need to go out of my way to approach the guy to see if he¡¯s alive. It would be a pain if he were to use that opportunity to attack me. ¡°Besides, my familiars love humans. Human blood, human meat, human bones, human organs¡­ Every one of them are a delicacy to my familiars. Even if he dies, nothing will be put to waste. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Three Bandits] The men who still had their consciousness all simultaneously shivered when I said that. Anyhow, it¡¯s too late to treasure oneself after death. That¡¯s true for me too. I got a second chance at life here, but I have no idea what happened to my body back on Earth¡­ ¡°Anyway, nothing bad will happen as long as you don¡¯t act violently. Don¡¯t resist and just listen to what I say. As long as you do that, I won¡¯t kill you.¡± [Ryouma] When they finally quietened down, I asked them about the sword. ¡°I¡¯m looking for a missing person. That person used the road over the mountain pass and is carrying a cargo of weapons to Kereban. I noticed that the swords you¡¯re using are all made similarly. I looked through those wooden boxes a little, and they seemed to contain metal. Let¡¯s be honest with each other. Did you people attack the person I¡¯m looking for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes!¡¡We stole the swords we have now. The boxes too. We don¡¯t know his name and I don¡¯t really remember his face, but I think he is indeed the person you¡¯re looking for¡­ We also met him up there.¡± [Bandit 3] As I thought. ¡°How did you attack him?¡¡I asked around, but the only thing I was able to find was that he used this road. No one noticed anything strange about him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were planning on just stopping him, but when we shot him with an arrow, the arrow ended up hitting his horse. The horse went crazy and veered off the road. From there, they came tumbling down the slope¡­ We were often tasked with covering traces of our attacks, so we hid the wheel marks and covered the cliff the carriage hit with grass, then we took the valuables and ran away.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°¡­What about the driver?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± [Bandit 3] You don¡¯t know?¡¡That¡¯s impossible. There¡¯s no way the carriage was driving by itself. ¡°Don¡¯t hide anything and just spill everything. You killed him, didn¡¯t you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No!¡¡I mean¡­ We didn¡¯t, Sir!¡¡When the carriage fell, the person on the carriage had already lost consciousness, so we just bound his limbs. But he wouldn¡¯t wake up at all, so we just went and grew some grass with magic and hid him under that. We took the valuables and ran off. That¡¯s why we don¡¯t know anything!¡¡It¡¯s the truth!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t finish him off?¡± [Ryouma] What¡¯s the point in cleaning the scene of the crime if you¡¯re just going to leave behind a witness? I can¡¯t help but be suspicious that they¡¯re just trying to make themselves smell better. ¡°We didn¡¯t!¡¡We never planned to kill him in the first place! We just wanted to get his luggage and food!¡¡We didn¡¯t even plan to cause his carriage to tumble off the road!¡¡We didn¡¯t kill the driver! In fact, I¡¯ve never even killed anyone!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Hah?¡± [Ryouma] Never killed anyone? ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bandit?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re just the clean-up crew. The boss didn¡¯t want us around when they were doing their stuff cause he didn¡¯t want us messing up¡­ This is our first time attacking someone. It¡¯s not just me, even those guys acting all tough haven¡¯t killed anyone either. The worst we¡¯ve done is just steal from houses or pickpocket from people¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°So, in other words, you chickened out?¡± [Ryouma] When I looked at the bandits, one of the man flaring up at me awhile ago glared at me. ¡°Well, yeah, I mean we might be accomplices to bandits, but killing people is scary!¡¡We¡¯re not like you or boss who can kill people so easily!¡± [Bandit 3] Really now? Considering their situation, I can¡¯t help but think he¡¯s just bluffing me, though. Chapter 147.2 - The Motive of the Bandits (2/3) Chapter 147: The Motive of the Bandits (2/3) ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± [Ryouma] After hearing their excuse, my head started to grow cold. ¡°It¡¯s scary to kill people?¡¡You¡¯re not wrong. That¡¯s a respectable thought. But you people don¡¯t have the right to say that.¡± [Ryouma] What do these people think they¡¯re saying? ¡°It¡¯s scary to kill people, so you didn¡¯t finish him off?¡¡But it¡¯s not like you saved him either, did you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What do you want us to do? Take him to town?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°Did you investigate the reason why he fainted?¡¡Even if you don¡¯t know the first thing about medical science, you should still know that getting hit in the head is bad. A person can look alright on the outside, but that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s okay. In the worst case scenario, he could never wake up again.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s not all. Although there¡¯s not a lot of dangerous creatures lurking in this place, it¡¯s still not unusual to happen into a goblin. Even the god-appraised ¡®relatively safe¡¯ forest, the Forest of Gana, had them. With his consciousness gone and his limbs bound, if a goblin were to find him, his death would pretty much be guaranteed. ¡°As I¡¯ve said earlier, I haven¡¯t found him yet, so I still don¡¯t know if he¡¯s safe. You didn¡¯t mean for him to fall off the cliff?¡¡You didn¡¯t finish him off, so you didn¡¯t kill him?¡¡Don¡¯t make me laugh.¡± [Ryouma] There are plenty of people who die from accidents. It¡¯s not just traffic accidents. Even the innocent but dangerous games played by children have led to deaths. Countless people die from accidents every year. And the people that cause these accidents don¡¯t go and say to themselves, ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s do it!¡± And then go and cause one intentionally. If there was such a person, that would no longer be an accident but planned murder. You don¡¯t need to be resolved to kill someone. You just have to take a step, and regardless if you want it or not, a person will die. And that¡¯s exactly what they¡¯re doing, though they do it under the pretense of ¡®thievery¡¯. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if someone died from their actions. And yet after doing just that, they left him alone there without even checking if he was alive. After going that far, pulling out the ¡®I didn¡¯t kill anyone¡¯ card just doesn¡¯t work. ¡°¡­¡± [Three Bandits] ¡°Still not talking, huh? What happened to all the energy earlier?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You trying to give us a sermon? What would a brat like you know?¡± [Bandit 1] A sermon?¡¡There¡¯s no such thing. ¡°I haven¡¯t killed anyone¡­ I don¡¯t want to kill anyone¡­ It just didn¡¯t sit right with me hearing those words coming from a group of people who watched someone die without even trying to help. That¡¯s all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­I don¡¯t have time to waste on people like these. ¡°Wait!?¡±¡¡Please wait!¡¡Didn¡¯t you say you would help me!?¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°¡­I don¡¯t like you, but I won¡¯t kill you. In exchange, you¡¯ll have to lead me to the place where the carriage fell.¡± [Ryouma] 72 hours. When the time elapsed since an accident passes that mark, the odds of survival plummets. And that¡¯s under the condition that the person in question has food, water, and a way to warm himself. If those things are absent and if the person is wounded, the time limit becomes even shorter. ¡± ¡®Dimension Home¡¯ I won¡¯t kill the others. But they¡¯ll have to go in here. The next time you guys come out, it will be in front of the guards.¡± [Ryouma] In the end, I had to say that while picking up the bandit that didn¡¯t wake up. ¡°Is this the right place!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡¡There¡¯s no doubt about it, Young Master!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°¡­Stop calling me ¡®young master¡¯. It gives me the creeps.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sorry!!¡± [Bandit 3] I had the scared man sit on the impromptu rack with shoulder straps so I could carry him while I climbed up the roadless path. As I had the man show me the way, the place of the crime turned out to be the side of the road near Kereban just as I¡¯d expected. But due to them having walked around the mountains these past few days, he couldn¡¯t find the path unless we found the official road first. With no other choice, I gave up going to the scene of the crime directly and went to the official road first. The rimel birds were there to guide us, so there was no way for us to get lost. ¡°¡­There¡¯s still something bothering me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡¡What is it? I¡¯ll answer any question!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°You attacked him two days ago, right?¡¡So what were you guys still doing in the forest?¡¡Shouldn¡¯t you have run already?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s all plains down the mountain. There¡¯s no place for us to hide ourselves. If other people were to see us looking like this, they will surely be suspicious of us. So we went back up the mountain.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°So what was the plan if you hadn¡¯t been caught?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing in particular¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t have a plan?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We had our hands full just running away from the subjugation squad¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Just how were you able to survive for so long without a plan?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Before those guys attacked our place, we were carrying food. So we just took those with us when they attacked. Thanks to that we were able to sustain ourselves while running, but even that ran out three days ago and we had no choice but to attack someone.¡± [Bandit 3] And that¡¯s how they ended up deciding on Pedro-san who just happened to be passing bby. ¡°And the luggage you took?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Our late boss hang out with merchants, who provided us with food and weapons in exchange for stolen goods and money, so we figured it would be a good to have some stuff on hand.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°¡­And do you know where you could sell those stuff to?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Well, we figured it would be too late to think about it if we only started thinking after the opportunity presented itself, so¡­.¡± [Bandit 3] In other words, you people don¡¯t have a single clue! Chapter 147.3 - The Motive of the Bandits (3/3) You plan too little.¡± [Ryouma] And here I thought I was the impulsive one. Who would¡¯ve thought there would be people that didn¡¯t plan things to this extent? ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯ve been bandits for so long with an attitude like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re just the odd job guys. It¡¯s no problem as long as we follow the bos¡¯ or someone else¡¯s orders. I mean we were cleaning and washing laundry even back at our home village.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡­I think it would have been better for them to have gone back to their village instead of becoming bandits. Is there a reason why they didn¡¯t do that? ¡°Uhh, well¡­ The village headman hit me and chased me out¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°And then you became a bandit?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I did work as a servant at some stores in town and even as an adventurer, but¡­ I failed at all of those and couldn¡¯t continue any job for long. Without any way to fill my belly, I just somehow ended up becoming a bandit¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Is that true for the others too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Should be similar. We all became bandits by chance. I mean, in the first place, if we could actually use our heads well, then we wouldn¡¯t have become bandits, ya know. ¡­Erm, Sir!¡¡Sorry! Slip of tongue!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°You don¡¯t have to speak formally with me.¡± [Ryouma] His self-deprecation caused his real voice to come out. We stopped talking after that and quietly walked up the roadless path of the mountain. ¡°PIRORORO.¡± [Rimel Bird] ¡°Hey, the road is here. Where do we go from here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please give me a second¡­ It wasn¡¯t this high up. It should be somewhere closer to the foot of the mountain.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°So, the left then. We¡¯ll following the road from here on. Let me know if you see an area you recognize.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Bandit 3]] Accompanied by the rimel birds that had arrived before us, we walked for another hour. ¡°?¡¡Wait!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Is this the place?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Probably. I want to see the back.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Will this do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yes¡­ It¡¯s up ahead. The road will curve to the right a little.¡± [Bandit 3] The road meandered as we continued our way. There was a blind spot hidden by trees that could be seen from a distance. There is a section covered with grass that I would never have paid attention to if I didn¡¯t know the situation. Behind that is¡­ a pretty steep slope. ¡°This must be the place.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡± [Ryouma] I put down the man and coiled a rope around a tree to go down the cliff. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I was just wondering if he¡¯s still alive.¡± [Bandit 3] It¡¯s a bit late, but it seems he¡¯s starting to feel guilty. ¡°We¡¯re here to find out just that. Are you going to be waiting here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You¡¯ll find him quicker if you have someone to guide you.¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Alright. Hold this.¡± [Ryouma] I passed the rope to him and ordered the slime acting as his cuffs to affix itself onto it. At the same time, I ordered the slimes to release the restrictions other than the hand cuffs and the choker. ¡°Whether this turns out to be a rescue or just a corpse retrieval job, you¡¯ll be in the way if I have to carry you too, so get down on your own legs. I made it so you can walk again. But don¡¯t try to get any funny ideas. You still have the choker on your neck, and the birds are always watching.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°R-Right¡­¡± [Bandit 3] I glanced at the man as he nervously got up, then I went down the steep slope. It didn¡¯t take long after that to find the missing person. Thanks to him leading the way, finding the person wasn¡¯t a problem at all. I cut my way through the weed and¡­ ¡°Pedro-san!¡¡Can you hear me!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Oh¡­. Ah¡­¡± [Pedro] He¡¯s breathing! ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer!¡¡I¡¯m here to rescue you!¡¡Everything is alright now!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­dven¡­ rer¡­?¡¡Th¡­ grea¡­¡± [Pedro] I continued to call out to him as I cut off the weed from his body. I made sure not to burden his body. ¡°Are you alright?¡¡Can you tell me your body¡¯s condition?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My¡­ Hips¡­ Hurt¡­¡± [Pedro] ¡°Hips.¡± [Ryouma] It became easier to understand his muffled voice when his face was freed. But sweat kept pouring from his face. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] He had a high fever. And he seemed to be dehydrated. Looks like he¡¯s exhausted a lot of his strength too. Fortunately, he can still answer my questions, but he needs to be brought to town as soon as possible to receive treatment¡­ ¡°Hey!¡¡Come here!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Bandit 3] I called the person who tried to kill Pedro-san over and handed him a stone feeding cup and a vial. ¡°Pour the contents of that vial into the cup and make him drink it. Do it gradually. Make sure not to be forceful. Understand?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡± [Bandit 3] As the man nervously made Pedro-san drink the salt and sugar water, I kept working on getting Pedro-san out. ¡°UGU!?¡¡*COUGH!¡± [Pedro] ¡°A-Are you okay!?¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°Pedro-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ugh¡­ My hips¡­¡± [Pedro] ¡°Your hips? Does your head not hurt?¡± [Ryouma] My head is¡­ fine¡­ It doesn¡¯t¡­ particularly¡­¡± [Pedro] His voice became clearer after he drank some water, but his body was shaking. ¡°Blanket¡­ Found it. I¡¯ll put a blanket over you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­For better or worse, it seems the weed that covered him all this time actually protected him from the cold winds. ¡°¡­There.¡± [Ryouma] I finished cutting off all the weed that entangled his body. Next, I took out a stretcher from my Item Box. ¡°You sure have a lot of stuff with you¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°I accepted the job, after all. I made sure to prepare whatever might be useful. But enough of that, let¡¯s move this guy on top of this. Help me out after I release his hands.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­¡± [Bandit 3] He fell along with the carriage. Considering he fainted after that, there¡¯s a high probability that he hit his head. I gently brought Pedro-san up the stretcher and affixed his body. ¡± ¡®Dimension Home¡¯¡­ We¡¯ll bring him inside. Be sure to be gentle.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright¡­¡± [Pedro] As much as possible, I want him to be brought to town without shaking him. Since that¡¯s the case, the most effective course to take is to put him inside the Dimension Home. ¡°Wha¡­. Ah¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Th, ank you¡­ Friends¡­¡± [Pedro] ¡°!!¡± [Bandit 3] ¡­ Does he not remember this guy or does he? Either way, he thanked the bandit too. When the man realized that Pedro-san was thanking him, he couldn¡¯t help but turn his face away. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] I guess he must be feeling complicated. But I can¡¯t allow him to stop just because he¡¯s feeling sentimental. We need to get Pedro-san to town as quickly as possible since he needs treatment. ¡°¡­What!?¡¡Wait a moment!¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°DIdn¡¯t you say you wouldn¡¯t kill us as long as we obeyed!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, but the situation has changed. I need to bind you completely so that you can¡¯t move at all.¡± [Ryouma] I buried those men I caught earlier with slimes and ran as fast as I could for the nearest town. Chapter 148.1 - Down the Mountain (1/3) Volume 3 Chapter 148: Down the Mountain (1/3) The next day. ¡°Thank you for cooperating with me late into the night yesterday.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you too for letting me spend the night here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, don¡¯t mention it. Here. The reward for those five bandits.¡± [Guard] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After getting a small jute bag from the female guard, I walked away from the guard office at Kereban. It was still early, so there were only a few people out in the street. The morning wind¡¯s caress was a gentle chill on my body. ¡°Ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] I kind of feel exhausted. I had to go here and there last night¡­ But thanks to that, I was able to find Pedro-san. I left him to the guards as soon as I got to Kereban, but his wounds were a lot less severe than I¡¯d thought, and his life was no longer in danger when morning came. I¡¯ve heard of the beast tribe¡¯s strong vitality, but it¡¯s a lot stronger than I¡¯d expected. That being said, he does need to rest for the time being, and it will take some time for the pain on his hips to go away¡­ Still, as long as he¡¯s alive, he can start over again. Or at least that¡¯s what I heard from someone who happened to be present there. As for me, I¡¯m just glad that we were able to avoid the worst case scenario. He¡¯ll probably struggle, but he has an acquaintance who would go out of his way to submit a search request, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine. ¡°Oops¡­¡± [Ryouma] I dropped the jute bag I had with me. As I grasped the fist-sized bag, the sound of silver coins resounded from inside. If you capture bandits alive and hand them over, the monetary reward is 2,000 suits per person. Part of the reason why the reward is so high is because it¡¯s dangerous work, but more than that, the bigger reason is to encourage adventurers to actively seek out bandits. Speaking of which, the bandits will be made to undergo penal servitude and penal labor, so this reward is actually paid off by them. In other words, those guys I caught will be taken somewhere and made to live that sort of lifestyle. They might have regretted their actions after finding out that Pedro-san is alive and is currently unable to move, thoug. Since they were awfully docile at the end there¡­ I pray they¡¯ll bee able to serve their prison term and make a successful return to society. ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] As I walked aimlessly, I passed by a building that resembled a church. It was about as big as the church in Gimuru, but it had a magnificent gate and had many decorations, such as curtains. Inside the lot was an old man dressed in clergy clothing. He was accompanied by five younger people who also seemed to be a part of the clergy. They were sweeping the premises. Yeah, this is probably a church. ¡­Come to think of it, the first time I came here, the guards told me that there¡¯s a World-Creation Denomination and a God-of-Light Denomination here. Two different churches that worship the same gods. I never paid much attention to it, but the church I went to in Gimuru was really simple. That church is probably a part of the World-Creation Denomination whose doctrines revolve around honorable poverty. ¡°Hey, you. Are you a lost child?¡± [Old Priest] Oops. Because I stared too long at the building, the old man started approaching me. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m not a lost child¡­ Is this a church?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. A church of the God-of-Light Denomination.¡± [Old Priest] ¡°Really? It¡¯s my first time seeing such a spectacular church, so I was a bit taken aback.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I see. A church like this is strange, huh? ¡­I know, if you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t you visit the chapel?¡± [Old Priest] ¡°The chapel?¡¡But I¡¯m a believer of the World-Creation Denomination.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We both worship the same gods. The difference between sects is a trifle thing. The gods love us without distinction. You should pray if you have the time.¡± [Old Priest] ¡°¡­In that case, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer then.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t have anything urgent going on, and it¡¯d be rude to refuse so firmly, so I decided to follow the guy. We walked up the impressive stone stairs and toward a building with deep crimson carpet. The church people we passed by greeted me with a smile. ¡°This is the chapel. Come, enter.¡± [Old Priest] The door was opened. Polished brass candle-stands lined up in a row toward the altar of gods where their statues were. On either side of the path were long bench seats with unobtrusive coloring. That¡¯s probably where the believers that come to visit the chapel are meant to sit. But there¡¯s no one here just yet. ¡°Come now. There¡¯s no need to hold back. You may approach the altar.¡± [Old Priest] I did as I was told and offered a prayer to a statue from the place nearest to it. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] Oh, it works even here? It seems being a different denomination really didn¡¯t matter. As soon as I offered a prayer, I felt light covering me. But I¡¯m so used to it now that it just makes me feel at ease¡­ ¡°Welcome!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Uoo!?¡± [Ryouma] When I got to the divine realm, Rurutia immediately welcomed me. Moreover, the atmosphere suggested that they were expecting me. What¡¯s going on? ¡­To be honest, I just can¡¯t keep up with the mood. ¡°Look, you two! A special guest has arrived!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Two?¡± [Ryouma] I turned to the direction Rurutia called out to. There, were 2 goddesses I didn¡¯t know. Chapter 148.2 - Down the Mountain (2/3) One was refined like a noble, a seemingly gentle middle-aged woman, while the other gave a sense of beauty, and yet at the same time, a sense of wildness. These two goddesses that gave completely different impressions from each other were seated around a table drinking tea. ¡°Oh my, a new guest? Welcome. We¡¯ll have to serve more tea and sweets then.¡± [Refined Goddess] ¡°Ho¡­ I heard the rumors, but I guess it is true that if you call him, he¡¯ll appear.¡± [Wild Goddess] ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, I have heard. You¡¯re the person who came from Earth some time ago, yes?¡¡I am Willieris. The Goddess of Land and Harvest. Thank you for cooperating with us to protect the people of this world. Also, please do be at ease.¡¡I see that you¡¯re relaxed around Rurutia. I would be saddened if you couldn¡¯t see us in the same light.¡± [Willieris] ¡°R-Right¡­ If you put it that way, then¡­ I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like she¡¯s the most formal of the gods I¡¯ve met. That aside, could this other goddess be¡­ ¡°I am Kirillel the Goddess of War and Judgment. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± [Ryouma] So she really is the God of War. ¡°Ryouma, you¡¯re too stiff.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I may be used to you, but you can¡¯t possibly expect me to be so relaxed with goddesses I¡¯m meeting for the first time, can you? Besides, meeting two goddesses at the same time? ¡­I¡¯d appreciate it if you gave me some time to get used to their presence. But enough of that, what¡¯s going on, Rurutia?¡± [Ryouma] They had a welcoming mood on them right from the start. ¡°We tried out that Girls-Only Gathering from Earth, but we just couldn¡¯t find a good topic to get things going.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Oh, right. I heard about that from Gayn and the others¡­¡± [Ryouma] Wait a moment.¡¡Didn¡¯t I hear about that yesterday? But, no. I pulled an all nighter searching for Pedro-san, so I guess that makes it two days ago. ¡°If you keep it up for so long, of course you¡¯d run out of topics.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°She even dragged me out for that. I tried getting the conversation going, but¡­¡± [Kirillel] Kirillel-sama glared reproachfully at Rurutia. ¡°But your topics are all too bloodthirsty¡­ How are regional conflicts a suitable topic for a girls-only gathering!?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You¡¯re the one who said we should talk about the recent happenings in the world!¡± [Kirillel] The goddesses started quarrelling. ¡°Sorry about this. You didn¡¯t get a proper explanation and now the two of them are like this. Please do treat yourself to some tea and sweets.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Willieris-sama just carried on at her own pace. I got a cup of tea and some sweets from her. ¡°By the way, why are you at the church today?¡¡Did you need something from someone?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Oh, there¡¯s no particular reason. I just happened to be passing in front of the church when a man of the clergy invited me inside¡­ Did Rurutia do something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡Wait a moment.¡± [Willieris] As she said that, she closed her eyes. Gayn and the others do this a lot when they want to find something out. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it. That child didn¡¯t do anything in particular. The man just decided no his own to invite you after you appeared in front of the church. He seems to be planning on persuading you to join his denomination.¡± [Willieris] ¡°So he wants to convert me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That appears to be the case. Oh, but he¡¯s not a bad person. He doesn¡¯t have any intentions of soliciting donations from a child like you. He just wants to spread his faith. And besides, while it is true that the God-of-Light Denomination is proactive in gathering donations, that in turn allows them to have the monetary power to provide food in times of crisis and watch over orphans. There are many among them who are genuinely thinking about others, so please don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± [Willieris] As expected, Willieris-sama is a peaceful person. She made sure to cover up for the man when she realized that I found him suspicious. Although he¡¯s trying to convert me, it¡¯s rude to be so suspicious. At the very least, I shouldn¡¯t be so suspicious toward that person. ¡°I understand. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, the sort of clergymen that you¡¯re so wary of do exist. Caution is important. Especially, since you received a divine protection not just from Rurutia, but also from Gayn and Kufo.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Yes. In fact, I got one from Tekun too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Although there have been previous cases of a person receiving multiple divine protections. If word were to get out that you possess four divine protections, the people of the church will surely call out to you. Especially, since those of the God-of-Light Denomination see the possessors of the divine protections as ¡®saints¡¯. They see them as an object of worship similar to us. If word were to get out, the situation will probably develop in a direction you do not wish. Even I would not wish to see such a situation, so please do be careful.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can¡¯t you give it a rest already? There¡¯s no end to this¡­¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­ Oh, my. What were the two of you talking about?¡± [Rurutia] Looks like the two goddesses finally stopped arguing. Chapter 148.3 - Down the Mountain (3/3) We were talking about the person that invited me to the chapel before I came here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that person.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It was pretty coincidental, so I thought you might have done something. Rurutia?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm~ I wouldn¡¯t go that far, you know?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Yeah, she told me so too.¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, Rurutia has a troublesome atmosphere about her today. It almost feels as if she¡¯s intentionally trying to create an atmosphere suitable for a Girls-Only Gathering. ¡°By the way, Ryouma, hasn¡¯t anything been happening lately?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You sure are quick to change the topic¡­ Well, just a few hours ago, I was running around the mountains looking for a missing person for a job I picked up.¡± [Ryouma] I explained what I did last night. ¡°That must¡¯ve been difficult.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It wasn¡¯t all of my monsters working, though¡­ It was mostly the slimes and the rimel birds who I relied on¡­¡± [Ryouma] No, actually, isn¡¯t that usually the case? Relatively-speaking¡­ But I am properly doing my job too, aren¡¯t I? ¡°Didn¡¯t they get information from the bandits?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more apt to say that everyone worked together?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You should give them a treat when you get back.¡¡They worked hard, after all.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] Just as Kirillel-sama says, the rimel birds spent a lot of time flying to find Pedro-san. They were also the ones who found the bandits. I¡¯ll treat them to a feast when we get back to Gimuru. As I said that, Kirillel-sama smiled a smile free of worries. ¡­Come to think of it, I feel like someone once said something about the God of War hating otherworlders. But I don¡¯t feel that from her at all. If anything she strikes me as a person with a good temperament and is easy to get along with. ¡°Hmm?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Is there something on my face?¡± [Kirillel] For a moment, I was about to say that it was nothing, but there isn¡¯t much of a point in lying to gods. As such, I just honestly told her what was on my mind. ¡°That¡¯s the first time a human has called me friendly¡­ Anyway, I¡¯m supposed to hate otherworlders?¡¡Who would say something like that? The one who hates otherworlders is Fernoberia (God of Magic).¡± [Kirillel] So she doesn¡¯t know who said it either. ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t remember either. It should be one of the gods, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Maybe it¡¯s about compatibility. After all, the earthlings have a different common sense compared to those from this world.¡± [Willieris] ¡°!¡± [Kirillel] She seemed to have understood something based after what Willieris-sama said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people who can¡¯t get along with otherworlders personality-wise.¡± [Kirillel] Well, it¡¯s not impossible, but the way I see it, they¡¯re talking with me perfectly fine. ¡°Please remember. You are the first person from the otherworld that we are able to talk with like this.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Until now, we¡¯ve only been able to watch the otherworlders that came here from our side. They never really got to interact with us.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°I see. So since you can¡¯t talk for a long time, there¡¯s no way to get along.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Another reason might be because of Kirillel¡¯s duty and the standards used to pick out otherworlders.¡± [Rurutia] After they explained it to me¡­ I found out that the earth god prepares a list of candidates that can be summoned to this world. From that list, Rurutia and the others will pick out the person that will become an otherworlder. People that obviously cannot adapt to the present time of this world. People who possess dangerous thoughts. People who are too violent. They try to avoid picking such people. ¡°That¡¯s why we tend to pick out otherworlders that aren¡¯t connected with fighting or conflicts. But Kirillel is the Goddess of War. Bullying the weak and killing needlessly may be prohibited, but hunting to survive or fighting to protect others are okay in your book, am I right?¡± [Willieris] After Willieris-sama said that, Kirillel-sama continued. ¡°Yes, because I would never deny someone who uses all of his power to live. That¡¯s true whether it¡¯s a bug, an animal, a monster beast, or a human. If it¡¯s in order to live, I won¡¯t deny them picking up a weapon to fight. In the words of your hometown, it would be what you refer to as ¡®the survival of the fittest¡¯. But of course, if the problem can be solved with just talking, then that¡¯s also good. Unfortunately, as long as people are alive, there are times when it still can¡¯t be helped.¡¡Still, there are people that I don¡¯t like. Those who willfully push for wars, those who think of fanning the flames¡­ There are even those who treat me as an evil god. I can¡¯t stand people like those¡­¡± [Kirillel] I could feel some anger coming from her too¡­ But it makes sense. I¡¯m sure anyone would be mad if they were treated that way. All the more so if there¡¯s no way to clear up the misunderstanding. ¡°On that point, Ryouma adapted right from the start.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I lived at the forest for three years right after coming here, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can hunt and you can easily subjugate bandits. I don¡¯t have a reason to hate you. Moreover, it seems you were originally strong.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] It seems Kirillel-sama has a rather favorable impression of me. It feels pretty good to have my martial arts praised by the God of War herself. ¡°I know! Since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t we fight? You and me.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Excuse me?¡± [Ryouma] I feel like I just heard a really weird proposal all of the sudden. Chapter 149.1 - Crime and Punishment… After (1/4) ¡°That won¡¯t do.¡± [Willieris] Willieris-sama stopped her. ¡°Sheesh, it¡¯s just for a little. He came all the way out here. It would be a waste if we didn¡¯t take this opportunity. Besides, if it¡¯s here, then he won¡¯t get hurt.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°No. Right now, Ryouma-kun might look like a human, but he¡¯s actually nothing more than a soul.¡¡You may not be able to hurt his body here, but you can definitely hurt his soul. That is far worse. One step wrong and he¡¯ll be an invalid. If you really want to do it, we should get Tekun to make him some equipment and consult with Fernoberia first.¡± [Willieris] Willieris-sama seemed so peaceful just a moment ago, but all of the sudden, she wasn¡¯t willing to take a step back. In response to that, Kirillel-sama openly showed her reluctance. To be honest, I also don¡¯t want to turn into an invalid due to an accident¡­ ¡°Tekun. Fine. But talking to Fernoberia is a pain¡­ Besides, there¡¯s no way he¡¯d cooperate¡­¡± [Kirillel] ¡°How about you teach him the Intimidate skill instead?¡¡Ryouma-kun, didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t know how to use it?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Yes. It didn¡¯t work against the bandits, and I couldn¡¯t use it when I wanted to.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What do you think?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°As long as it¡¯s just talking,¡± Willieris-sama nodded. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be easier to learn it in practice, but I¡¯ll be coming here from now on anyway, so I can just continue our lesson when we meet again next time. Honestly, though, the Intimidate skill is a difficult skill to learn for you.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] Are my abilities lacking? ¡°It¡¯s the opposite. Normally, someone as skilled as you should naturally be able to use it already. The Intimidate skill urges the instinctual fear and wariness of a target. Someone sufficiently skilled at it can use it to suppress his foes or use it to feint. It¡¯s something expected of in a battle between experts. ¡­But you¡¯re already skilled enough and can even use it properly when fighting. It¡¯s just that when you don¡¯t feel like doing it, you can¡¯t do it at all. In that regard, those thugs whose voices are just loud are actually better off than you.¡± [Kirillel] The Intimidate skill can be learned just by threatening others. But the level gained in such a case is only about 1 or 2. ¡°Right¡­ Think about it like this. There¡¯s a huge man in front of you. The man is crouching and shaking. He¡¯s crying and sobbing loudly. All of the sudden, he goes and says that he¡¯s going to kill you! Will you find that person scary?¡± [Kirellel] ¡°¡­Not really. No. If anything, I might find him creepy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. When it comes to scaring someone, words alone aren¡¯t enough. Your actions and thoughts need to work alongside your threat or your Intimidate skill won¡¯t work.¡± [Kirillel] I see¡­ So, how does that translate to my situation?¡¡I don¡¯t think it¡¯s my body that¡¯s at fault. I did it resolutely back then. And I also have experience succeeding with the skill before. Admittedly though, it¡¯s a bit wonky. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn¡¯t. ¡°In your case, it¡¯s probably an issue with your mindset.¡± [Kirillel] A problem with my mindset¡­ ¡°You were originally Japanese, right?¡¡Those guys who are always going ¡®Let¡¯s put down our weapons and talk!¡¯¡¡¡¯If we talk, we should be able to understand each other!¡¯¡± [Kirillel] ¡°¡­That¡¯s a rather prejudiced view, Kirillel-sama. It¡¯s true that Japan is often said to be safer than other countries, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh really?¡¡There were actually a lot of people like that among the Japanese that came here.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°There were a lot? ¡­Wait, you mean there have been a lot of Japanese who came here before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Remember what we said earlier about choosing people according to a criteria? Well, we had a tendency to pick Japanese people more often.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Of course there were people other than the Japanese too.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Most of them either adapted to this world or just looked away, but there were also those who died without fighting. I don¡¯t get it, but they were pretty amazing in their own way.¡± [Kirillel] There were people like that too? Oops, we¡¯re digressing. Let¡¯s get back on topic. ¡°So basically there are all sorts of people in Japan, but basically, it¡¯s a safe country, right?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As someone who¡¯s lived in a safe country like that for many years, did you frequently intimidate others intentionally?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°¡­No, right?¡± [Willieris] Although there were a lot of people who were afraid of the way I looked, I never intentionally tried to scare others. If anything, because they were scared of me, I did my best to avoid scaring them. But despite trying so hard, unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t enough¡­ ¡°And that¡¯s why. It¡¯s become a habit for you. You can use it when you really need it or when you actually mean what you say, but¡­ While you may not realize it, you have a tendency to hold back or stop halfway through. In other words, you¡¯re messed up.¡± [Kirillel] As one might expect, I was concerned when she said that, but before I could say anything, Willieris-sama and Rurutia glared at Kirillel sharply. Apparently, they found her words to be improper. ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s what we mean by it being a mindset issue.¡± [Rurutia] The atmosphere started to become awkward, so Rurutia changed the topic. Because of that I couldn¡¯t pursue the issue. It¡¯s a concerning topic, but I think I¡¯ll just ask about it again next time when an opportunity presents itself again. ¡°Mental stuff like that aren¡¯t my specialty, you know? In the words of your homeworld, I suppose you could say¡­ You¡¯re in need of counseling?¡¡I¡¯ve never done something like that. And even if I could, it would take a lot of time. Besides, I¡¯m way better at getting physical than talking¡­ The same goes for my teaching.¡± [Kirillel] Tl Note: Just to clarify, the releases aren¡¯t getting shorter. I standardized the parts like a month or so ago, and they¡¯re mostly 900 to 1000 words. This one is at 1007 words. The reason there have been more parts lately is because the RAW chapters have been getting longer. Since the parts are standardized now, more chapter parts is actually a good thing, as that means there¡¯s more story to read. Just thought I¡¯d throw that out there. Chapter 149.2 - Crime and Punishment… After (2/4) ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± [Willieris] ¡°I know, I know¡­ Honestly, I¡¯m at a loss myself. Well, why don¡¯t you just keep trying at it? Maybe you¡¯ll figure it out yourself eventually?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°So there¡¯s no shortcut, huh? All I can do is to keep on training?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyway, that¡¯s how it is. That body of yours still has a lot of potential to grow, so if you want to become stronger, you have plenty of time.¡± [Kirillel] Indeed. This body is still in its tens. It¡¯s unlikely that I would actually meet the end of my lifespan in just 10 or 20 years. I also plan on continuing to hunt the bandits¡­ Oh, right. ¡°Can the bandits that I catch be rehabilitated?¡± [Ryouma] I was thinking of praying for those guys I caught. When I remembered that, I asked the goddesses about it. But they all wore a difficult expression. ¡°Unfortunately, a person that has committed a crime has a high probability of committing a crime again. Especially, those who committed acts of banditry. Their guilds expel them, and they won¡¯t be able to register again even after being released, making it hard for them to find a job. Of course, it¡¯s not impossible to find work without a guild, but most jobs are taken through the guild since it¡¯s a much more reliable method of finding decent people than just judging people based on their looks¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Unlike Japan, there¡¯s also a strong sense of ¡®Protect yourself with your own body¡¯ here. There aren¡¯t many who would hire a former convict.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°I hear you hire the people of the slums, but even those people don¡¯t have it easy. Although they haven¡¯t committed any crimes, just the possibility makes it hard for others to consider them.¡± [Willieris] ¡± I can relate¡­¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s a story I can sympathize with. I can also understand the feelings of the employers. Just thinking about the possible damages to the other staff after hiring a strange person gives me the chills. But¡­ A bitter memory flashed through my mind. ¡°¡­Rurutia. This might be a stupid question, but what if I provided more opportunities for former convicts to be hired? Do you think that would make things better?¡¡We have plans to increase my branch stores. Although we currently only have three managers whom we¡¯re raising, as the store continues to go well in the next few years, the number of managers and stores we have should also increase. When that time comes, we¡¯ll need to hire a lot of employees.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­It would still depend on how much they regret their actions and how much they want to change. Also, how much they can endure the prejudice that people hold against them. But just having the opportunity to find employment should make it easier for them to be corrected.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to go that far.¡± [Kirillel] Kirillel-sama is correct. There¡¯s no doubt about that. ¡°Is there a reason why you think that way?¡± [Willieris] ¡°My past¡­ Willieris, don¡¯t you know about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t believe so.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Me too. The decision which otherworlder to pick is left to Rurutia and the others. The only thing we know is what Rurutia tells us and what we¡¯ve personally seen from your life here in this world. It would take a lot of time otherwise if we had to remember every otherworlder¡¯s life from start to finish.¡± [Kirillel] I thought all the gods knew about my life, but now that she mentions it, I guess it makes sense. ¡°A lot of things happened when I was young.¡± [Ryouma] That was my first year being a company employee. I bought some stuff at a convenience store on my way back home, but it was already midnight then. At that time, I happened upon a group of three muggers. They entered the convenience store carrying guns and fired at the ceiling. The three muggers laughed as they asked the customers inside the store ¨C including me ¨C to bring out our wallets. They also ordered the clerks at the counter to take out the money. The three muggers were all men and had hidden their faces. They laughed from start to finish. It was as if they were playing a game, almost as if they were intoxicated or something. Maybe they were, maybe they weren¡¯t, but one thing was for sure, they weren¡¯t in the right mind of thinking. Frightened, the clerks started preparing the money, but they were so scared that they tumbled about and dropped the change. When the three saw that, they spoke in that same frivolous tone they had from the start. ¡°Hurry it up.¡± [Mugger 1] ¡°What? Are you trying to resist?¡± [Mugger 2] ¡°Trying to buy some time?¡± [Mugger 3] After saying that they took the conversation into a disturbing turn, and then suddenly, as if one of them just thought of it, one of them pointed his gun at a woman. ¡°Okay! That¡¯s too bad! But I guess I¡¯ll have to teach you a lesson~!¡± As soon as I heard that, my body moved. Although I didn¡¯t believe they were in their right mind, I knew that the man was serious. All of their attention was focused on the woman. It was as if they were watching an interesting show. They weren¡¯t paying attention at all to their surroundings. I knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to notice me if I moved. The result was obvious. But in the process, the arm that the three thieves were using to hold their guns respectively were all broken. One had his organs ruptured, one had his skull fractured, and one suffered damage to his subclavian artery. As a result, I was accused of excessive self-defense. ¡­I still remember the shock of the cops when they arrived and the confusion and fear in all the eyes that gathered on me. What¡¯s more is that my time in jail was extended¡­ Chapter 149.3 - Crime and Punishment… After (3/4) 1. Everyone possessed a real gun, but I was barehanded. 2. After investigations, it was found out that the men had taken drugs. 3. After entering the store, there was a high probability of them shooting at the woman. 4. There were three of them, so if I just disarmed them, there was a high probability that they would be able to fight back. It was decided that the situation was not one where I could have held back. 5. Although I inflicted heavy injuries on the assailants, the only attacks I made were either a blow to the arm holding the gun or to the head or the body. 6£® After the attack, I immediately contacted the cops and asked that they contact the hospital. I also performed as much first aid as possible. 7£® The whole thing was caught on camera, so the people in authority were able to judge that only the least force needed was taken. 8£® Other than that, there was also the testimony of the clerks and the customers in the store. Because of the above eight reasons mentioned, the court decided that the actions I took were taken in legitimate self-defense. But while I was able to get off legally, that wasn¡¯t the end of the story. Word of my actions had spread throughout the country. By the time I was released, people were doing as they pleased and memories of the actual event were starting to fade. A group of three armed muggers were taken out by an unarmed man. Moreover, the armed muggers were all wounded heavily. ¡°I know my son did something bad, but he didn¡¯t deserve to be hurt this much!¡± ¡°If a hospital wasn¡¯t nearby, he might have died!¡± At first the public treated me like a hero, but then the media sought out the family of the assailants to get an uncensored interview. The elderly family cried in front of the camera and pleaded. In the following days, the internet and the weekly publications made a big deal out of it, but at the time, there was no way for me to know about the state of society. ¡°By the time I came back to work again, I no longer had a place where I belonged.¡± [Ryouma] The reason was although I was able to save people, everyone else just saw me as someone who tried to murder three people. The senpais and coworkers that treated me warmly before no longer approached me. Bad rumors started to spread around about a criminal who was able to live carefree without receiving justice. Although the topic died out in society as a whole, with the subject of that topic right before their eyes, it wasn¡¯t as easy for it to die out in the company. And then less than one week after I started going back to work, my boss and I were called by the company director. ¡°It seems you intend to continue working for our company, but¡­ I won¡¯t say anything bad. This must be tough on you too. You should resign and find another path. ¡­You have overdue work as well, right?¡¡I believe this is the greatest contribution you can make for our company.¡± When my boss at the time heard that, he prostrated himself before the director. But the director paid him no heed, and in the end, he said that the one to make the decision would be me. Just that¡­ ¡°The one who would take responsibility in the case of losses, as well as receive the dissatisfaction of your coworkers is the person who kept you from leaving.¡± ¡°In other words, the boss beside me¡­ He was a really good person.¡± [Ryouma] He bowed his head to clean up after the mess his subordinate made. He voiced out his opinion when someone above him gave an absurd order. Although he was really strict at work, he was a reliable and respectable person. The reason why I wasn¡¯t fired immediately after being detained, the person who pleaded for me to be released on bail, that was all him. He was a doting father who would always show me the picture of his three children as if they were his treasures. ¡°That director is such a jerk¡­ He could have just fired you if he wanted to. That would have been easier than doing things in such a roundabout way like he did.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°According to Japanese law, my actions were legitimate self-defense. The company can¡¯t use the incident as an excuse to dismiss me. That¡¯s why they needed me to retire on my own to be able to get rid of me.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s what is referred to as ¡®Encouraged Resignation¡¯. Of course, I could ignore it and stay in the company, but the people around me will remain hostile and unhappy. I hated that atmosphere, but that person accepted me. He encouraged me. That¡¯s why I was thinking of paying him back by working hard. But¡­ Even my benefactor¡¯s position started to be at a risk. The company was not loathe to such behavior. As such, my resignation was decided after I left the room. ¡°Thank you for everything until now.¡± [Ryouma] Those were the words I said to him in the end, but he appeared to be full of regrets and apologetic. Still, somewhere deep inside, he seemed to be relieved. I caused him so much trouble, after all. It was only a given. ¡°I looked for another job after that, but I resigned too quickly after employment, so I had to explain why I resigned. Because of that I just kept getting rejected. Before dying, I somehow managed to find work, but¡­ My experience at the time was just like that of a former convict. It¡¯s a bit late to be thinking about it now, though.¡± The body I forged and the techniques I mastered were powerless before the laws and opinion of society. I didn¡¯t think I was wrong back then. And even now that hasn¡¯t changed. But it was also true that I heavily injured those people, so I thought it couldn¡¯t be helped for others to treat me differently. That was the result of my actions. I had to accept it. But still, I regretted it. Chapter 149.4 - Crime and Punishment… After (4/4) ¡­The actions of the bandits are no different. They have to be judged, and then atone for their crimes. I don¡¯t like the behavior of the men yesterday and I don¡¯t feel like employing them. But what about after they atone for their crimes?¡¡What if they have a change of heart? If they¡¯ve really had a change of heart, then wouldn¡¯t it be fine to give them a second chance. At least that¡¯s what I think. ¡°And that¡¯s why you¡¯re going to hire them.¡± [Willieris] ¡°No. I haven¡¯t decided that yet¡­ First of all, unlike the slum people, they have actually committed a crime. Although they¡¯re former convicts, deciding to hire them on my own won¡¯t do. Not only is there the issue of risk management, I would also be ignoring my current employees. That¡¯s why if I¡¯m going to be hiring them, I will have to interview them first, explain to the employees, bow my head, and then get them to agree. I could also have the former convicts tend to a new store instead, but before anything else, I first need to confirm: 1. What crimes they¡¯ve committed. 2. Why they committed them. 3. And if they¡¯re planning to turn over a new leaf. There are all sorts of crimes too¡­¡± [Ryouma] For example, although those bandits were cowards, they knew enough to avoid killing someone. I spoke quite a bit with one of them, and I think there might be room for rehabilitation. But there are people who don¡¯t think anything of committing crimes¡­ An extreme example would be someone who enjoys killing people. Those type of people are definitely out of the question. I¡¯ll limit my former convict employees to those who I feel have reflected over their actions and have turned over a new leaf. Maybe I¡¯ll limit the acceptable crimes to just misdemeanors too. ¡°I should probably get someone else to handle the interviews too¡­ I¡¯m too biased toward the former convicts.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I get what you want to say, but¡­ Seriously. You¡¯re such a busybody. Just when I thought you¡¯d made a clean decision to hand the bandits over to the guards, you¡¯re suddenly thinking of what to do after they¡¯re let out.¡± [Kirillel] That might be true. I gave them up to the guards and now I¡¯m thinking of helping them. If someone wants to say that my actions are contradictory, I have no words to refute with. But that¡¯s what it means to be human. Humans have always been doing things as they please, just doing whatever is convenient for them. And I too am one of those humans. ¡°This is this and that is that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? You¡¯re in the position to do so anyway. Moreover, no matter what the reason is, looking back on your actions and reflecting, and then thinking about other people isn¡¯t a bad thing. But you shouldn¡¯t saddle yourself with so much.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Thank you very much, Willieris-sama¡­ For the mean time, I think I¡¯ll talk about this incident with my assistant-manager.¡± [Ryouma] Whether I go through with it or not, everything starts from there. Now that I think about it¡­ It has already been over half a year since I spent three years in that forest after coming to this world and left for town. I now have an objective. To go to the Great Shurus Forest and retrieve the inheritance of my grandmother. But to that end, I need to be a C Ranker first. Although I¡¯m taking it one step at a time, I am progressing with my preparations. If I manage to prepare everything early, I should be able to go next year. But after that, then what?¡¡What reason am I living for?¡¡What will I use my money and power for? I don¡¯t want to keep working without a goal just so I can keep on making a living. Although my environment and work are different, what I¡¯m doing won¡¯t be different from my previous life. It won¡¯t be long before I spend my fifth year in this world, and yet I still don¡¯t have a long-term goal. But as vague as it may be, if possible, I¡¯d like to use my abilities for something that would be useful to others. ¡°¡­In Japan, there¡¯s a saying ¡®if there is a god who will abandon you, then there will also be a god who will pick you up [1].¡¯ If there¡¯s someone who will abandon others in this world, then there will also be someone who will save others¡­¡± [Ryouma] Rurutia and the others picked me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here today. I¡¯m able to spend my days happily now. That was an unthinkable thing back in my previous life. ¡°That¡¯s why I want to thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen to me in the future, but I too would like to be on the side of taking others in¡­¡± [Ryouma] As I said those words from the bottom of my hears, that usual gentle light began to cover me. ¡°Out of time, huh. Alright. I¡¯ll be off then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Do your best.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I pray that fortune will grace you. Next time, I¡¯ll introduce my husband to you.¡± [Willieris] ¡°I¡¯ll watch over you from time to time too. Someday let¡¯s have a match.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Thank you very mu¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Da!¡± [Kirillel] When I was about to thank the two goddesses, Kirillel-sama suddenly yelled. ¡°You¡¯re too stiff!¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Ryouma-kun, haven¡¯t you had enough time to get used to us yet?¡± [Willieris] ¡­I understand. ¡°Thank you. Willieris. Kirillel.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now that¡¯s more like it!¡± [Killieris] ¡°Fu fu fu. Do take care until the next time we meet.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Wait a moment!¡¡How come you didn¡¯t call my name¡ª¡± [Rurutia] My consciousness went back to my body¡­ [1] ¨C This is the same ¡®pick up¡¯ as in the title. I wrote it this way to give the title nod, but another way to put is ¡®take in¡¯. So the sentence will read as: In Japan, there¡¯s a saying ¡®if there is a god who will abandon you, then there will also be a god who will take you in[1].¡¯ Tl Note: Looking at it now, perhaps ¡®The Man the Gods Took in¡¯ or ¡®The Man Adopted by the Gods¡¯ or ¡®The Man Saved by the Gods¡¯ might actually be better titles. Chapter 150.1 - For the Sake of the Future Chapter 150: For the Sake of the Future (1/3) ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome back.¡± [Fina] It was already night by the time I got back to Gimuru. When I showed my face at the store, the employees were already having supper. ¡°Are you in the middle of supper?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Will you be having some too, Boss?¡± [Fina] ¡°I¡¯m sure it must¡¯ve been cold outside what with the rain and all. Please have some soup at least.¡± [Shelma] Shelma-san and the rest of the women stopped eating to prepare my portion. I took them up on their offer and helped myself to a mouthful of soup. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] I can feel my body warming up from inside. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please don¡¯t mind it. You worked hard out there too, Boss.¡± [Shelma] ¡°What job were you working on this time?¡± [Fina] ¡°It was an urgent job.¡± [Ryouma] When I went to the guild yesterday, there was a person there who was trying to post a search for a missing person. I took that job. A lot happened, but in the end, I managed to find the missing person and save him. ¡°And so, after sending him off to Kereban, I took the opportunity to greet some people I know. After that I came back home.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank goodness you found him~¡± [Maria] ¡°Indeed. It could have been a lot worse. We were also able to recover the goods and deliver them properly. The weapon shop was understanding too and didn¡¯t make a fuss for the victim. He shouldn¡¯t have any problems with future work. ¡­Oh, right. ¡®Item Box¡¯ Carm-san. Take a look at this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡¡­This is a list of magic tools, I see. And by Dinome¡¯s Magic Tool Workshop¡­ That should be the workshop the Morgan Company cooperated with to make the music boxes for the Founding Festival. I hear they have been expanding lately and a lot of people are keeping an eye on them.¡± [Carm] As expected, he¡¯s well informed. ¡°That¡¯s the acquaintance I was talking about earlier. We were acquainted personally in the past. He promised me that he¡¯ll be accommodating with me regarding his magic tools¡­¡± [Ryouma] I spoke to one of the craftsmen of Dinome-san¡¯s workshop. When I did, this is what he told me, ¡°How should we thank you for the music box?¡¡It¡¯s been selling so much that we now have more money than we know what to do with.¡± I asked them to develop an alarm function, and surprisingly, they were able to take out a ready-made product from inside the workshop. I was surprised to see that they had already developed something I had in mind, but what was even more surprising was that apparently the idea came from none other but me. Apparently they heard about me talking about it from Serge-san. Now that I think about it, I do feel like I said something like that to Serge-san when I showed him the music box before. I happily accepted it, but just one brand new clock apparently wasn¡¯t enough for them to repay me what with all the money I was able to bring into their workshop, so they asked me if there was something else they could make for me. ¡°But I already had the things I can use for camping, as well as any other necessary magic tools. None of them were broken too, so I really had no idea what I was supposed to get them to make¡­ Because of that they gave me a list of magic tools instead and told me to let them know if there are any magic tools that my store might need. They said they¡¯ll prepare anything that I think might be of use.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly how many tools are they willing to make?¡± [Carm] ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me¡­ They just said to ask as much as I want. Serge-san was around when we came up with our arrangement, so I just trusted them and left everything to them. But I think they really do mean it when they say to just ask for whatever I want. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll say it if my requests begins to become too overbearing. And besides, I can just pay for it if there¡¯s really something that we need. ¡­We have at least that much reserved funds, yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. If you consider it as investment for necessary equipment, then yes, there¡¯s no problem at all indeed.¡± [Carm] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Sorry to push this onto you, but please do get everyone¡¯s opinion and pick out whatever is necessary on that list. Contact the branch store at Renauph too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood.¡± [Carm] ¡°Let me see! Let me see!¡¡Assistant-Manager please let me see!¡± [Jane] ¡°What sort of things are there~?¡± [Maria] ¡°Some magic tools that can be used for security would nice.¡± [Leelin] ¡°What she said. We can do without them, but it would be better to have them.¡± [Fei] Looks like all the employees are interested. They passed the list around and everyone talked about which tools they were interested in. ¡°I¡¯ve heard about this so-called ¡®Stove¡¯ magic tool. I¡¯ve never had the opportunity to use it, but supposedly, it makes it easy to regulate the flames when cooking. I¡¯d love to have the opportunity to use one. There¡¯s also a lot of other cooking utensils.¡± [Shelma] ¡°I figured you¡¯d interested in the cooking tools, Shelma-san~ After all, you¡¯re always cooking everyday~ To be honest, I want to try them out myself~¡± [Maria] ¡°As for me¡­ It¡¯s starting to get cold, so I think something to help with heating would be nice?¡± [Jane] ¡°Having a magic heater would also save us the trouble of having to gather firewood.¡± [Dolce] ¡°Dolce-kun, you don¡¯t have to gather firewood to use at the store. I¡¯ll buy a heater. But depending on the unit, the magic tool might end up being the cheaper option¡­ I need to look around first. I need to find a good heater.¡± [Ryouma] We happily ate our warm supper. When we finished eating, Carm-san informed me that he had a number of reports to give, so we went to the office. ¡­Looks like I ended up making him work overtime by coming back at a strange time. Chapter 150.2 - For the Sake of the Future (2/3) ¡°Sorry about this¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. This much isn¡¯t enough to count as overtime. To start off with, about the formal clothes you ordered a few days ago. The tailor contacted us. It seems the clothes will be completed three days later. You can pick it up anytime after that date.¡± [Carm] They were able to make everything that quickly? I was surprised at first, but very quickly I found out that it was only the suit that they could make in three days. The necktie pin to be used as an accessory needed a week. That¡¯s still plenty fast, though. ¡°I had originally asked them to prepare the clothes quickly, but with this, the clothes should make it in time for your visit to the duke¡¯s family. The craftsman they entrusted your diamond to also said that he¡¯ll put out a product he can be proud of.¡± [Carm] ¡°¡­They¡¯re really putting a lot of effort into this, huh.¡± [Ryouma] When I voiced out my thoughts honestly, Carm-san chuckled. ¡°Clearly, they see you as an important customer. By the way, Boss, when you do go to greet the Duke, please allow Fei-san to escort you.¡± [Carm] Fei-san? As an escort? ¡­Well, ability-wise, I¡¯ve got nothing to complain about, but is that necessary? ¡°It¡¯s not just for your safety. It¡¯s also for formality¡¯s sake.¡± [Carm] Formality, huh¡­ I guess it¡¯s probably normal for people who can greet the duke¡¯s family to have at least a servant or two with them. In that case, I suppose I¡¯ll have to oblige him. But¡­ ¡°What about you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We can¡¯t have both you and I away from the store. So I¡¯ll teach you the etiquette you have to observe before you leave.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. Will the store¡¯s security be alright without Fei-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just to be safe, I¡¯d like to increase the number of guards.¡± [Carm] ¡°Should I post a job at the adventurers guild like before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be a good idea too, but why not hire some new guards instead?¡¡Caulkin-san and the others are steadily progressing in their study as managers under my older sister¡¯s guidance at the branch store in Renauph. As such, I believe this is a good opportunity to hire some guards we can trust in preparation for when they¡¯ve matured to the point we can entrust a branch store to them.¡± [Carm] Hmm¡­ That¡¯s true. I have heard that Caulkin-san and the others have been doing well. We have to make doubly sure that they can handle it, but at this rate, maybe we can entrust a branch store to them as early as next year? Our conversation headed in that direction. In that case, though, we¡¯ll need to prepare people other than the managers too. If so, then hiring some ahead of time so we can find one trustworthy and raise him would probably be ideal. ¡°Let¡¯s try looking for both then. But we¡¯ll prioritize the security of the store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. Next¡­ Oh, my apologies. Apparently, that concludes our reports. Next is a personal message from Caulkin-san and the others. It seems they discovered something new regarding the slimes and would like to submit to you their findings.¡± [Carm] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They have two discoveries. Both are related to the application of the cleaner slimes. I wonder if something happened. I¡¯m getting a little excited¡­ ¡°First, is Robelia-san¡¯s ¡®In Regards to the Beautifying Effects of the Cleaner Slime¡¯. Part of her daily routine is to clean her whole body with the cleaner slime. From there, she was able to notice an improvement in her skin. To confirm her findings, she asked the employees to cooperate with an experiment, as well as observe the customers who requested a full-body cleansing. The result was that the cleaner slimes had ¨C in fact ¨C improved the condition of the skin. Apparently, it¡¯s super effective on pimples¡­ Boss?¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ This sure is a surprise, though.¡± [Ryouma] I never thought about the beautifying effects of the cleaner slime, but now that she mentions it, I guess this might prove useful after all. The cleaner slimes loves to eat filth, so if you ask them to cleanse your whole body, they will remove all of the waste attached to the body, as well as the dead skin. In the case of pimples, the reason they occur is because of extra sebum filling the pores. If all of those are to be removed, then naturally, the skin as a whole will improve. That¡¯s probably the reason behind its beautifying effects. ¡°The details have been summarized in this document.¡± [Carm] ¡°Thank you very much. I will send her a letter later with my thoughts. What¡¯s the other one?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Tony-san¡¯s ¡®The Practical Application of Cleaner Slimes¡¯. After seeing filth coming off of the clothes cleaned during work and seeing that not a single drop of water was left on them, he thought of washing a document that had a writing error. The result¡­ The formerly ¡®dirty paper¡¯ became ¡®clean paper¡¯ and could be used again. No matter how careful you are, mistakes tend to happen with writing documents. This is especially true for people not used to writing them. This new discovery should be able to save us money. Though, I suppose some caution is also needed¡­¡± [Carm] Hmm¡­ That¡¯s another one I missed. I never thought about it, but now that he brings it up, of course the cleaner slime could be used that way. ¡°Will you give them compensation for these new discoveries?¡± [Carm] ¡°We may not be in the business of slime research, but I do believe their findings have value in them. So, yes. Let¡¯s compensate them. But the question is how much?¡± [Ryouma] If I think of it as a bonus, then by my previous life¡¯s company¡¯s standards, then one month¡¯s worth of pay would be the normal way to go about it, though there may be deductions depending on the assessment. ¡°How much is their daily wage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You picked them out yourself and they¡¯re still in training, so they¡¯re currently making about 150 suits a day.¡± [Carm] So if they work six days a week, then they should be making somewhere between 3,600 to 4,000 suits a month. But their findings will be useful to the store, and I want them to work hard in the future. Let¡¯s give them three month¡¯s salary and have that serve as both compensation and as research funding. Rounding it down nicely, that will give about 10,000 suits per person. ¡°I was thinking two months¡¯ worth would be enough, but we do have some leeway in our proceeds. And If we consider it as an investment for the future, and since the amount also includes research funding¡­ it should be acceptable. Let¡¯s inform them as such.¡± [Carm] ¡°Please take care of it.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 150.3 - For the Sake of the Future (3/3) That seems to have concluded his reports. He¡¯s here now, so I might as well talk to him about hiring former convicts. I talked to Carm-san about the things I talked about with the gods. Of course, I didn¡¯t talk about the gods or my previous life, but even without those, his countenance still darkened. Is he going to refuse, after all? I kept down the urge to ask that and waited for his response. ¡°As of now, I am against it. This is our first year in business since opening. Our business is going well and if we need to hire someone, we could just hire some hopeful applicants. There¡¯s no reason to go out of our way to employ high-risk individuals. At the very least, we should put up more branch stores and fortify our footing before venturing into such dangerous territory.¡± [Carm] ¡°I thought that would be the case.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s the obvious answer. I also don¡¯t think I would be so accepting either if I were in his shoes. Prioritizing strengthening our footing is the correct opinion. ¡°But there¡¯s something I would like to propose.¡± [Carm] Hmm? ¡°Propose?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I understand your feelings of wanting to give former convicts a chance. To be honest, I think that¡¯s supposed to be the job of the ruling class or the church, but¡­ in the past year that I¡¯ve been here, I¡¯ve been watching you, Boss. Your management philosophy surprised me time and time again, but I can understand it. Although it¡¯s certainly too early for us to attempt to hire former convicts, I am not completely against it. I merely wish for us to take time to prepare, proceed step by step, pick out the former convicts carefully, and execute only after enough preparations have been made. In other words, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong in setting the employment of former convicts as an end goal.¡± [Carm] ¡­I was planning on persistently trying to persuade him, but he actually accepted it just like that¡­ ¡°You sure accepted the idea easily.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s a bit too late for me to be surprised considering that you openly welcomed a group of girls who left their village to work, as well as the slum people¡­ But it¡¯s also because of that that we¡¯re able to work so peacefully. Although I think it¡¯s something that we have to tread lightly with, but given that you¡¯re even willing to consult me beforehand, I¡¯m not against it completely. This is probably because I¡¯ve been watching you work until now. But just as I¡¯ve said earlier, in order to be able to hire former convicts, we first need to solidify our footing. To that end, you will have to move more proactively. This too will profit the store in the end.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Carm-san understood what I wanted to do, and at the same time, he also understood how to handle me. What an astute person. ¡°Thank you very much. So, exactly how do we go about this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How about buying some slaves?¡± [Carm] Slaves¡­ Oh, right. That¡¯s legal here. ¡°A slave, huh¡­ I¡¯m not completely clueless about slaves, but I¡¯m not that privy to them either¡­ Can you be more specific?¡± [Ryouma] Carm-san explained it clearly so that I could understand. There are three types of slaves in this country: ¡®Poverty Slaves¡¯ ¡®Debt Slaves¡¯ ¡®Criminal Slaves¡¯. Poverty Slaves are people who seek patronage. They could also be people sold by their own family as slaves so they could support themselves. Debt Slaves are people who failed to pay their loans and have been turned into slaves to forcefully do manual labor. Criminal Slaves are people who have committed a crime and ¨C as punishment ¨C turned into a slave. ¡°Many debt slaves and poverty slaves are slaves due to some unfortunate circumstance. As such, they should serve well to increase our workforce and help lay a foundation to hire former convicts, given that their mindset should make them more accepting. As for criminal slaves, a special spell has been casted on them to prevent them from fleeing or hurting other people. They¡¯re less riskier than former convicts.¡± [Carm] Carm-san also went on to say that while there are those who became slaves due to a series of unfortunate circumstances, there are also those who ended up as slaves due to living an overly self-indulgent lifestyle. ¡°Debt slaves and poverty slaves are people who ¨C out of necessity ¨C have exchanged their freedom in order to live. Of course, there are those among them who wish to regain their freedom as soon as possible. Jobs at our stores pay relatively well, so I think we can give an opportunity to these people.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. ¡­What do I need to watch out for when purchasing slaves?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You only needs to ensure them their daily necessities and not commit undeserved violence against them, but those conditions have already been met by the store policies. As far as the store is concerned, it¡¯s not really any different from hiring someone from the guild.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma]¡± A slave, huh¡­ As I became thoughtful, Carm-san asked me. ¡°Do you hate slaves?¡± [Carm] ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯m just not used to them.¡± [Ryouma] I knew slaves were a thing in this world, but I never thought of buying one. But there are things that I¡¯ve come to understand after hearing Carm-san talk about them. It¡¯s one industry in this world. I should study it some more. I told Carm-san that I¡¯ll think about it. ¡°In that case, it might be a good idea to drop by the Moulton Slave Company at Gaunago. Before I and my older sister came here, Serge-sama mentioned that it¡¯s a good place to buy slaves from. If you ever find yourself in need of slaves, please consider using their services.¡± [Carm] Speaking of Gaunago, that¡¯s the town where the duke¡¯s residence is. I¡¯m going there to greet them anyway, so that makes things convenient for me. ¡­Did he consider this far when he suggested it? Feeling as if I¡¯m being led by the nose, I couldn¡¯t help but turn to him. Carm-san¡¯s calm smile was firm. ¡­What a reliable guy. I¡¯ll have to thank Serge-san when I meet him again. Chapter 150.4 - Gossips: Untold Noble Story ~Side ???~ While Ryouma was thinking about his future¡­ ¡°I suppose that concludes our plans for the day?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, a job well done, my lord.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°Will you be eating now?¡¡Or perhaps a bath?¡± [Maid 2] ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t know. Elize, you decide.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I want to take my time in the bath, so let¡¯s eat first.¡± [Elize] ¡°Understood. Please wait a moment.¡± [Maid 1] The maids walked out of the luxurious room that had a calm atmosphere to it and a set of uniform furniture. The duke and his wife, Reinhart and Elize, watched as they left. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± [Reinhart and Elize] Then they sighed deeply. The consecutive days of work and receiving of guests had exhausted them. ¡°Good grief¡­ It¡¯s not like it¡¯s anything new, but this time of the year is really hopeless.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Indeed¡­ It would at least make our lives easier if the people visiting us were not so stiff¡­¡± [Elize] Although they knew that this was a part of their duties, they were still humans. There were times when they too became tired. With the room all to themselves, they made no effort to conceal their fatigue as they looked at the piles of documents. ¡°How much of it do you think is true of those requests?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Who knows? ¡­About 70% would be nice.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­Truly a mountain of troubles.¡± [Reinhart] Those were all requests from the nobles they were acquainted with. A ¡®request for loan¡¯. ¡°At the very least, I think this one is suspicious.¡± [Elize] ¡°Which one?¡¡¡­Oh, this one? Yeah, it¡¯s obvious he just wants money so he can flaunt his wealth.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°How many times does this make it? And yet, this person is still as terrible with handling money as ever .¡± [Elize] To the nobles, the coming months are an important period for socializing. During this time, they hold parties every night to deepen their relationships with acquaintances and friends. The nobles invest large sums of money into their preparations to avoid losing face. The burden on their finances is by no means light, so it¡¯s not uncommon for nobles to live as thrifty as commoners or ¨C in some cases ¨C even thriftier than them during periods outside of this ¡®social¡¯ season. Every few years, it¡¯s not uncommon for people to make it in life only to mistake the spending of their money and go bankrupt. It is also during this socializing season that nobles secretly borrow money from families with stable finances. ¡°I¡¯d love to just reject this¡­¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart withheld his judgment. There were reasons for why he could not just rip the requests into shreds and throw them into the garbage bin. ¡°Some are citing defenses against monsters and monster damages as reasons.¡± [Elize] ¡°They sure found one annoying excuse to abuse¡­¡± [Reinhart] If they really had suffered damages from monsters or had found their pockets empty due to needing to build infrastructures to protect their citizens, then there was certainly some considerations to be made. The duke and his wife had to be careful in handing out loans to these people. Especially to nobles subordinated to them. If they were to handle this poorly, their reputation among the nobles might worsen. That might later become the cause of evil or the deterioration of relationships. Although they may have authority befitting that of a duke¡¯s family, it still didn¡¯t benefit them to make trouble needlessly. What¡¯s more is that monsters have indeed been getting more active throughout the country in recent years. Because of that it was not so easy to dismiss the claims as mere pretenses. They needed to gather information first and then carefully make their decision. ¡°Speaking of which, Ryouma should be coming soon.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Elize] ¡°Didn¡¯t the monsters start increasing 3 years ago?¡¡I was just thinking, isn¡¯t that also when he started living at the forest?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Now that you mention it, that does seem to be the case. ¡­That child sure did well to be able to leave his hometown¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Indeed. And now he plans on going back to that monster den he calls his hometown. I wonder if he¡¯ll be alright.¡¡Or maybe it doesn¡¯t really matter that it was originally a monster¡¯s den?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Based on what I¡¯ve heard from the reports, he seems to be doing fine in town. I really don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for him to expose himself to danger¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°I don¡¯t want to see him doing something so dangerous either, but the one who gets to decide how he wants to live is none other than him. Even if he¡¯s a kid, he¡¯s still a man, and I think he has enough strength to fit the bill.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I know. But I¡¯m still worried. Elia also went to school, so it¡¯s lonely nowadays.¡± [Elize] Reinhart wryly smiled. ¡°It¡¯s alright. Ryouma-kun is doing alright, and he has people who can help him out. Elia was able to make good friends thanks to him too, remember?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. I know those children won¡¯t remain children forever, but that still doesn¡¯t change how I feel. In fact, if father-in-law were around, I would love to go out myself.¡± [Elize] When Elize said that, the color of Reinhart¡¯s face changed. ¡°Please don¡¯t. If even you go, I¡¯ll lose my mind. The work is piled up and dad even took Sebasu with him. If he¡¯d just left at least Sebasu here, things might still be fine, but¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Fu fu. Who was it that told him ¡®Elia¡¯s left for school already, so it won¡¯t be long before she doesn¡¯t need you anymore¡¯? He flew out like a chicken on fire. I was really shocked.¡± [Elize] ¡°He really pulled a fast one on us¡­¡± [Reinhart] As the topic of their conversation shifted to their family, the atmosphere in the room gradually became gentle. It was then that one of the maids from before came back. ¡°The food is ready.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°Got it. We¡¯ll have them now.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Did something happen?¡¡You both look better than before.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°We just managed to calm down after talking idly.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, right¡­ There¡¯s a guest coming in the near future I¡¯d like to accommodate. Please prepare a room for him.¡± [Elize] ¡°Very well.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°Also, about the thing we were talking about earlier, please make preparations for that as well. I¡¯m sorry. I know it must be tough, but given the season, you will probably have your work cut out for you.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s fine, Madam. You¡¯re dealing with the same thing yourself. And we maids take the concerns of our coworkers seriously.¡± [Maid 1] Satisfied with the maid¡¯s strong response, the husband and wife pair were about to walk to the dining room. ¡°My lord.¡± [Maid 3] But then another maid visited them. In her hands was a letter. ¡°¡­What is that in your hands?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°A letter, my lord. It came just awhile ago.¡± [Maid 3] ¡°From who?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart said as he checked the name of the sender on the envelope. A look of surprise flashed on his face. ¡°Another one.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Good grief. This is really making me want to see Elia.¡± [Elize] ¡°Endure it. For now let us have our meal.¡± [Reinhart] Reinbach and their capable butler should have been here helping them, but they were unable to stop them when the former suddenly took their butler and left for their daughter. The troubles of this husband and wife would continue for some time¡­ Chapter 151.1 - Fei’s Real Ability (1/2) ~Side Ryouma~ Time flows so quickly. It felt just like a few days ago when I left to rescue a missing person, but it¡¯s already been two weeks since. I left Gimuru to greet the duke¡¯s family, but in order to rendezvous with Serge-san, Fei-san and I first had to drop by the town of Gaunago¡­ That¡¯s the plan, but we¡¯re currently taking a little detour and going through a dim forest. ¡°Sorry for dragging you out here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯m your guard right now. If you want to visit your old house, then that¡¯s where we¡¯ll go. Besides, I¡¯m good at finding my way through places like this. It¡¯s fine. Really.¡± [Fei] Now that he mentions it, he¡¯s been able to keep up with me all this time without lagging behind even a little. He¡¯s light on his feet and I can tell that he¡¯s used to walking through nature. As expected of a former assassin. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I guess you really did receive that sort of training, huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s that too, but our country doesn¡¯t have roads as well maintained as this country¡¯s. After all, while having roads means it¡¯s easy for people to travel, it also means that it¡¯s easier for enemy soldiers to move around when they attack. They look like peddlers when they move about, so it¡¯s hard to tell that they¡¯re actually enemies. All the roads back at our country are like this except for large cities and some small villages.¡± [Fei] Is that so? ¡­Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never really talked to Fei-san about his country, have I? I know it¡¯s a dangerous country that¡¯s currently in war, but that¡¯s about all I know. It¡¯s already been over half a year since I hired him, but I¡¯ve never really talked to him about it. But it probably can¡¯t be helped given that the other employees just think he¡¯s someone with experience in the military and considering the circumstances of his last job. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, can I ask you about your country? Of course, only the parts that you can talk about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can answer any questions you have, Boss.¡¡It would be a problem if I were to publicize it, but talking about it with someone like you who already knows about me being a former assassin isn¡¯t a problem at all.¡± [Fei] Turns out it¡¯s actually not a big deal. In fact, he¡¯s being so nonchalant about it that I¡¯m starting to get anxious instead. ¡°You don¡¯t have any secrets that you have to keep?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no one left to complain, so it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Any information that could be used probably can¡¯t be used anymore, and those that can be used have probably already been taken by enemy forces. That¡¯s why¡­ Information leaking to the enemies of our enemies is actually a bigger issue for our enemies. I have comrades-in-arms who are doing just that actually.¡± [Fei] ¡°Oh.¡± [Ryouma] In that case, I can ask as much as I want then. But I don¡¯t really know anything, so even if he tells me that, I don¡¯t actually know what to ask. ¡°How much do you know about my country?¡± [Fei] ¡°I know that your country is known as Zilmar Empire, and is slightly northeast of the Riforu Kingdom, where we¡¯re currently at. And just as you mentioned earlier, it¡¯s in the middle of a civil war and is a very dangerous place. That¡¯s about it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll have to supplement your knowledge.¡± [Fei] According to Fei-san¡­ A long time ago, a human that possessed great power established Zilmar Empire. With his great power, he unified the villages and the powerful clans of the north. Unfortunately, there are too many mysteries regarding the history of the empire due to the lack of historical documents. The name of the founder, his birth, and other specific information are missing. Because of that, when the country was divided due to the civil wars, each faction started talking about their own version of the history and claimed that their boss had the blood of the founding emperor running through his veins¡­ In other words, it¡¯s a troublesome country for reasons other than war. ¡°When I was in the country, the southern part of the empire was ruled by the Win House, the northern part was ruled by the Tuan House, the northeast was ruled by the Bigan House, and the center was ruled by the Shu House. There were small struggles even within those houses, but most of the bigger conflicts occurred between these four houses.¡± [Fei] ¡°What house did you and Leelin-san work for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We worked for the Win House. The Win House had a lot of assassins like us. They divided us into different organizations and gave us different jobs. There¡¯s an organization that sends its members to live on enemy soil for long periods of time to steal information. There¡¯s also an organization that looks for enemies in major cities and kills them. There¡¯s also our organization, which is tasked with going to and fro ally and hostile territories to deliver information. We give the information to another organization. It¡¯s also our job to kill any enemies found on the territory of the Win House. To avoid making ourselves suspicious since we move so much, we dress ourselves up as peddlers.¡± [Fei] Really? I said as I listened to him while we walked. Chapter 151.2 - Fei’s Real Ability (2/2) ¡°Oh, right. Boss. There¡¯s something I forgot to tell you.¡± [Fei] He said as if he suddenly remembered. I wonder if it¡¯s something important. ¡°When you interviewed us. I mentioned that Leelin took after her mother. Do you remember?¡± [Fei] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That was a lie. Actually, Leelin and I have no blood relation. We just became father and daughter because we were affiliated with the same squad.¡± [Fei] Wow! That was a lot less relevant than I thought it would be! Oh, but I guess it must be pretty important for him. ¡°We¡¯ve been playing the role of father and daughter for over 10 years, so she¡¯s no different from a daughter to me. There are a lot of things that are hard to explain, but I just wanted to let you know since you already know about our situation.¡± [Fei] Apparently, at the Win House that he worked at, in order to reduce the number of children that were abandoned after losing their parents in the war, they took the orphan children and gathered them into an institute. There, they gave them training and used them. Leelin-san is one of those children. ¡°Raising children into assassins and using them¡­ You might think it¡¯s cruel, but that was normal in our country. And besides, children who weren¡¯t taken in had worse lives. Those children couldn¡¯t live at all.¡± [Fei] After her talent as an assassin was recognized, she was placed under Fei-san. The institute, however, was not just meant to turn the children into assassins. It could also train them into civil officials or soldiers. There were all sorts. Although it restricted one¡¯s course in life, it served its purpose to help the children. As we discussed that topic, we eventually fell silent. But it wasn¡¯t because the mood was spoiled due to the conversation taking a dark turn. ¡°Fei-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Someone¡¯s here. Up ahead.¡± [Fei] There were several footprints on the ground. ¡°They¡¯re wearing shoes. Should be humans¡­ Since these footprints are still here despite the rain this morning, then they should have passed through here roughly half a day ago.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There should be 10¡­ or 15 of them. That¡¯s too many for hunters. Should be bandits. What should we do?¡± [Fei] ¡°¡­We¡¯ll reach a river if we keep going in this direction. That¡¯s probably what they¡¯re headed for. It¡¯s the same direction as my old house.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a problem.¡± [Fei] Despite saying that, Fei-san did not look at all troubled. Still, it seemed he wanted to leave the decision to me and said nothing more than that. ¡°We could change directions here and go to main road, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] I was planning on spending the night at my cave house. If I avoid these bandits I¡¯ll have to change my plans. Moreover, the sun will set by the time we reach the main road. And besides, as someone who lives in this forest, I can¡¯t just leave those bandits alone. ¡°I want to deal with the bandits. Can I rely on your help?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Please wait here, Boss. I¡¯ll go scout a bit. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re not that far off.¡± [Fei] ¡­I¡¯m sure Fei-san will be fine. He¡¯s probably a lot better than me at following tracks and moving quietly. I mean I couldn¡¯t have predicted that the bandits ¡®weren¡¯t that far¡¯. I wonder how he could tell that.¡¡I¡¯ll ask him later. ¡°I¡¯ll count on you then. Please don¡¯t push yourself, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to me, Boss.¡± [Fei] Fei-san quietly moved out and vanished into the trees. The only sound that followed him was the wind rustling the leaves. One hour later, Fei-san came back. ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, I heard the grass rustling behind me. ¡°¡­So you can sense me.¡± [Fei] ¡°I told my metal slime weapon to tell me if metal (feed) were to approach. There are bandits nearby, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Still, you shouldn¡¯t have been able to tell it was ¡®me¡¯ with just that¡­¡± [Fei] Actually, the bigger question is why you had to approach me from behind. If not for the report of the slimes, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed him in time. As expected, he really is a pro. Retired as he may be. It¡¯s a bit late to be realizing this, but I sure got lucky hiring him to be the store¡¯s bodyguard. ¡°So, how was it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There were indeed 15 of them. They are preparing to make camp in front of a cliff up ahead. It¡¯s probably the place you were talking about. I heard them talking about a briefing for tomorrow while gathered around a fire, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯re bandits. They seem experienced too.¡± [Fei] ¡°Can we beat them with just the two of us?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They have four mages and three archers. They have swordsmen and spearmen for close-combat. They have relatively good equipment and their balance is good. But that¡¯s about it. There weren¡¯t anyone particularly strong. If we wait until it gets dark, I can take them out by myself. In the past, I would have used people at their level to train new hands. The two of us should be enough. If the two of us take them together, we should be able to end them instantly.¡± [Fei] We decided to take out the bandits. For future reference on similar situations, I decided to leave the plan to the pro. ¡°Boss, please use this.¡± [Fei] That¡¯s the pocket watch ordered from the Dinome¡¯s Magic Tool Workshop a few days ago. It was pricey but it was convenient, so I got one for all of my employees at the store. On its exterior was engraved some clothes and slime relief. Of course, I had one too. ¡°First I¡¯ll lead you up to a point where they won¡¯t notice you. After that, stand by, and after 15 minutes, show yourself before the enemy. Do the same thing if the enemy manages to find you. If they attack you immediately, then fight, but if they talk, then¡­ Tell them that you¡¯re a new adventurer who got lost and had just come here to gather herbs. I¡¯ll use those 15 minutes to get to the other side, so while you have their attention, I¡¯ll take them from behind. I¡¯ll take out the mages first. To be honest, I specialize at assassination not fighting. But anyway, when the fighting starts, we¡¯ll take them out immediately.¡± [Fei] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] To maximize our strong points, I was tasked with playing the bait. After deciding our plan, it was time to carry it out. ¡°Excuse me! [Ryouma]¡¡Is anyone out there!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡± [Bandits] ¡°Who goes there!?¡± [Bandit 1] Just as planned, I showed myself to the bandits. When I called out to them, they didn¡¯t just look toward me, but also to other directions. Just as Fei-san mentioned, they were indeed experienced. ¡°¡­A kid?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°What the? It¡¯s just a brat¡­¡± [Bandit 3] ¡°I¡¯m no one suspicious!¡¡I just got lost!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­An adventurer?¡± [Bandit 4] ¡°Yes. I just got my first job today. I got an herb collection job, but I was so excited that before I knew it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What a tragedy¡­¡± [Bandit 5] ¡°He he. You said it. Why don¡¯t you come over here and rest?¡± [Bandit 6] I played the fool and approached them. Upon seeing a child like myself, they couldn¡¯t help but let their guard down. But it didn¡¯t seem like they had any intentions of showing me the way back. They nonchalantly reached out for their weapons¡­ But before they could draw their weapons, the four bandits furthest at the back suddenly collapsed. The way they fell was just like when a certain anime¡¯s detective would start giving his deduction. ¡°!¡± [Bandits] They turned to their fallen friends, but that was a fatal mistake. I drew my sword from its sheathe and sent it toward the neck of a man. ¡°Enemies!?¡± [Bandit 1] ¡°GUFU!?¡± [Bandit 2] ¡°¡ªAh¡± [Bandit 3] Next, I sent my blade thrusting for a bandit¡¯s neck. Then I swept sideways with my blade. I worked my way through the bandits starting from the closest one. One fatal stroke for each bandit. ¡°This brat!¡± [Bandit 4] The bandit stuck out his knife, but I dodged it by a hair¡¯s breadth, then I struck his heart dead. That makes four¡­! I felt the presence of mana. ¡°¡ªien¡± Fei-san and the bandits were engulfed by the rising smoke. The smoke didn¡¯t flutter in the wind. It was a smoke that didn¡¯t obstruct me. Is this Fei-san¡¯s magic? This is my first time seeing it. I¡¯ve never heard that chant before, but it¡¯s probably similar to the poison-type spell, ¡®Smoke¡¯, which creates a smokescreen. Even if the caster himself enters it, he won¡¯t be poisoned. But¡­ ¡°GUAAA!?¡± [Bandit 5] ¡°Darn it!!¡± [Bandit 6] ¡°E-Eek!?¡± [Bandit 7] Screams resounded from the pillar of smoke. I cut down the men as they crawled out of the smoke¡­ Not even 30 seconds had passed since the battle started, but all the noise was gone already. When the smoke cleared, Fei-san and several men lying on the ground appeared. Blood could be seen dripping from Fei-san¡¯s straight sword. It was clear as day what happened inside the smoke and who the victor was. ¡°It¡¯s over, Boss.¡± [Fei] ¡°A spectacular job.¡± [Ryouma] But now that I¡¯ve seen his real skills¡­ Isn¡¯t his pay too low? ¡­I should get Carm-san to give him a raise when I get back. Chapter 152.1 - Drinking at Home for the First Time (1/2) ¡°Boss. Your skills are really suited to be an assassin.¡± [Fei] After working alongside the slimes and cleaning up the scene, Fei suddenly said that. ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I mean you have a lot of skills that are needed to be an assassin. Although, being strong is good, just being strong isn¡¯t enough to be an assassin.¡± [Fei] So I guess there are more important stuff to an assassin than us strength. ¡°Back when thugs were causing problems for us at the store, you left some medicine at the store then, remember? You must have some knowledge on medicine and poison then. Knowledge on those are really important to assassins. And awhile ago you used the slimes to clean up the scene. Cleaning up the corpses, the clothes and weapons covered in blood¡­ Those are all important too. Also, the way you walked before the fight, the way you hid¡­ Everything was really well done.¡± [Fei] While he was saying that, he suddenly realized something. ¡°My bad. Your skills aren¡¯t just suited to be an assassin, you¡¯d make for a really good assassin.¡± [Fei] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Ryouma] I think he¡¯s trying to praise me. ¡°I¡¯ve mostly gotten used to the language here, but from time to time, I still make mistakes.¡± [Fei] ¡°It¡¯s another country¡¯s language, after all. It can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± [Ryouma] I also had to deal with a foreign company myself in my past life. The language barrier then was really painful. Especially, when I had to chat with the foreigners outside of work. Right. Speaking of language¡­ ¡°By the way, that magic you used a while ago. Was that Zilmar Empire magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You mean ¡®Ien¡¯?¡¡It¡¯s a poison-type spell. It means ¡®smoke¡¯.¡± [Fei] So it really was the same ¡®Smoke¡¯ spell as this country¡¯s. The only difference is the word used. I asked about it some more, and as it turns out, Fei-san can use poison spells and wind spells a little. Creating a smoke screen, hiding his body, and killing people from inside the smoke is apparently his favorite trick. When we cleaned the scene, I noticed that the corpses he killed from inside the smoke were finished off with a single stab in between the gaps of their armor. Also, the first four people he killed were killed with the use of non-glossy poisonous needles. He killed eight people with just one hit each. ¡­His methods are unscrupulous, but he neutralized them so quickly that he actually reminded me of the protagonist of a certain game. ¡°I only chanted out loud to get the enemy¡¯s attention. Normally, I would cast my spells without saying anything.¡± [Fei] ¡°Chantless Casting?¡± [Ryouma] Casting spells quietly¡­ I¡¯ve tried practicing it myself in my spare time, but not only are the odds of success lower, the resulting effects are also weaker. It¡¯s not at a level that I can use in battle just yet¡­ I wonder if he¡¯d mind teaching me some tricks¡­ ¡°Oh, we shouldn¡¯t be standing here talking.¡± [Ryouma] My house is just over there. There¡¯s no reason to stay outside so much. I collapsed the cliff with my earth magic and opened the entrance to my old house. ¡°Ho¡­ So this is your old house.¡± [Fei] Fei-san seemed impressed as he entered the house. ¡°Ahh¡­ This is so nostalgic. It¡¯s dusty, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] I hear houses not lived in age quickly, but the entrance was blocked, so this old house of mine hasn¡¯t changed much. It¡¯s exactly as I left it before. The only thing that¡¯s really changed is that it¡¯s dusty now. And somehow, there¡¯s a spider¡¯s nest on the ceiling. I wonder where they came in from. Well, if this is all that¡¯s changed, then a little help from my slimes should bring everything back to condition. For the meantime, I quickly cleaned one room so we could have a room we could rest at. ¡°That should do it.¡± [Ryouma] The sticky slimes, the poison slimes, the acid slimes, the heal slimes, the scavenger slimes, and the cleaner slimes¡­ The slimes that lived here before seemed as if they could remember their time here in the past, as they freely crawled along the places they usually crawled before. It might be because we just came from a fight, but it¡¯s so peaceful and relaxing right now. We have lots of food, and the slimes are probably already full for the day. So we can just take our time and relax. I prepared some drinks and some light snacks, then I asked about chantless casting again. ¡°If you want to use a spell with chantless casting, then the most important thing is to keep using that spell. You should first start by learning how to hide your body and use your weapon, then get used to poison and medicine. You can gain experience that way and still continue your training. After doing that I was able to do it. Until then I didn¡¯t really use spells much in assassinations. Medicines and tools are much more important. I don¡¯t specialize in magic, so it¡¯s hard to give advice.¡± [Fei] I see¡­ So, what about poison and medicine then?¡¡Speaking of poison, that poison he used on those needles and those truth serum he used on those thugs before¡­ Just where did he get those anyway? ¡°Concocting your own poison and medicine is the basics of basics. You pay us and give us holidays, so I either buy the ingredients off the stores in town or gather them from outside. In our line of work, we have to go to various territories, so we know a lot about using different herbs to concoct medicine. Thanks to that, we can still somewhat make our potions even in this country.¡± [Fei] Chapter 152.2 - Drinking at Home for the First Time That makes sense. But there¡¯s one thing bothering me. ¡°Fei-san, if you need it for your work, the store can cover the costs.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no reason for the employees to pay for it themselves. When I told him that¡­ ¡°It¡¯s not something I need for my job. We make our potions to prevent our skills from getting rusty¡­¡± [Fei] Apparently, Fei-san didn¡¯t see it as work, but something akin to private training or a hobby. ¡°¡­If you need it to maintain your abilities ¨C a guard of the store ¨C then that¡¯s more than enough reason to pass it off as something you need for your job. I think it would be best if I assisted you too. Unless you or Leelin-san want to keep your knowledge on medicine a secret. I¡¯ll talk to Carm-san when we get back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be a big help to us. As for our abilities and knowledge, you can just say that we learned it from medic training. My country has always been at war, so medicines are really expensive. Normal people can¡¯t use them. There¡¯s a lot of fakes too. But medics know a lot. It¡¯s also the kind of work that people aren¡¯t wary against.¡± [Fei] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] As expected, he doesn¡¯t want others to know about his past as an assassin. ¡­But I guess that¡¯s to be expected. ¡®Ninjas that don¡¯t sneak around¡¯ may be common in Japanese fiction, but being an assassin isn¡¯t exactly a profession you walk around showing off. I wonder if he has any lingering feelings left for his old job. ¡°Personally, I¡¯d be happy if you worked at my store forever.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t have any lingering feelings for my old job. After all, I worked as an assassin for a long time. I trained a lot. I killed a lot. I can¡¯t just forget all that. But I have no plans of going back to my country and working again. We were given one last order, after all.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure it¡¯s okay to talk about that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. The last order we were given was ¡®help the humans in our territory to flee somewhere safe¡¯. But orders given to us are coded, so we can¡¯t just take their meaning literally. That was true even for our last order. The real order was ¡®Don¡¯t die in vain. Escape at your own discretion¡¯¡­ The battle was mostly decided then, and there was no point in getting ourselves killed . We weren¡¯t treated badly by our organization, and in the end, we were even ordered to live. The master of the Win House was a good person.¡± That¡¯s why he and Leelin-san did their best to save as many people as possible while they fled their country. ¡°And then you arrived at this country, Riforu Kingdom.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We somehow managed to get in and get to Gimuru to find a place we can work at. But the guild master figured out our identity with just one look¡­¡± [Fei] ¡°Ahh, Grisiera-san¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When she found out that we weren¡¯t spies, she helped us get work. I was really surprised then. We had prepared ourselves to live our lives on the run.¡± [Fei] That person really is exceptional, isn¡¯t she? ¡°So, at the very least, I can take it that you don¡¯t have any plans of stopping any time soon, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. For now, I plan to keep working for you, Boss.¡± [Fei] ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, Fei-san.¡± [Ryouma] I also thanked him for literally allowing me to ask him as much as I wanted here in the forest. ¡°It¡¯s almost time for supper, so¡­ If it doesn¡¯t bother you. ¡®Item Box¡¯¡­ Will you share a drink with me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, Boss.¡± [Fei] Carried by the flow of the conversation, I tried inviting him for a drink, and Fei-san was all for it. For one reason or another, it¡¯s my first time drinking with one of my employees at the store. If everyone¡¯s schedule is clear, I should try holding a year-end party. Chapter 153.1 - Reunion 1 3 days later. After traveling peacefully these past few days, we finally arrived at the Town of Gaunago, where the residence of the duke¡¯s family was. But as soon as we arrived, a new problem visited us at the gate. ¡°I¡¯ll ask one more time. You are Fei-dono and Ryouma-kun. What is your objective for coming to Gimuru?¡± [Guard] ¡°I own a store, so I came here to have an audience with the duke.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And I am his guard.¡± [Fei] ¡°But you didn¡¯t go through the road from Kereban and instead went into the depths of the Forest of Gana, where you happened into 15 bandits, which you then killed. Is that correct?¡± [Guard] ¡°Perfectly correct.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally, you would go through the main road. Why would you go out of your way to go into a forest where it¡¯s hard to walk?¡± [Guard] ¡°I once lived at that forest for some time. We just dropped by to see it since it¡¯s a nostalgic place for me. I¡¯m also an adventurer, so I¡¯m used to walking through forests. It¡¯s a lot faster than having to go around.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ But Fei-dono, I see that you¡¯re not an adventurer.¡± [Guard] ¡°I have experience working as a soldier at my homeland. I gained my skill as an escort and how to walk through forests from there.¡± [Fei] ¡°A soldier from Zilmar.¡± [Guard] ¡°Former soldier.¡± [Fei] ¡°I see, I see¡­¡± [Guard] ¡­It¡¯s been like this the whole time since I was moved to a room at the office of the guards. He¡¯s been repeating the same thing over and over. Although his demeanor is soft, he¡¯s completely taken us in for questioning. As someone who¡¯s received this sort of treatment a lot in my past life, I can tell that he¡¯s suspicious of us. Still, isn¡¯t it about time he let us go already? This is way too long just to confirm the veracity of my claims for the bandit reward. Is it really so suspicious to find a kid who lived at a forest for three years accompanied by a former soldier from another country? Chapter 153.2 - Reunion 1 (2/3) ¡­The soldier I can understand, but is a kid who lived in the forest for three years really that suspicious? I mean wasn¡¯t the crystal blue? Just when is this going to end? ¡­Hmm? Suddenly, I heard approaching footsteps stop just before the door. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m going in. Oh!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ah!?¡± [Ryouma] The person who entered was Hyuzu-san. One of the guards of the duke¡¯s family. He is part of the reason why I left the forest. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡It¡¯s been a while!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Long time no see!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Glad you didn¡¯t forget and called me. Just leave everything to me now.¡± [Hyuzu] When we parted, he told me that if I just mentioned his name at the office of the guards that he¡¯d come. Looks like that was true. I sure wasn¡¯t expecting him to just barge in during questioning, though¡­ While I was thinking that, the man questioning us spoke. ¡°Hyuzu, what are you doing?¡± [Guard] ¡°Yo, Swanson!¡¡I see you¡¯re the same as ever.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°If you know, then get out!¡¡I¡¯m in the middle of work right now! Hey! Give that back!¡± [Swanson] Hyuzu-san took the paper the man was filling out and glanced through it. ¡°Ah, Swanson¡­¡¡So this is what you were worried about. Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s not lying. I can guarantee for him. Remember that time during spring when I almost died?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I heard you were done in while escorting the duke.¡± [Swanson] ¡°The one who saved me then was this guy.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Still¡­ Three years in the forest¡­¡± [Swanson] ¡°His situation is a bit complicated, but it¡¯s not like he¡¯s working for some bandit or something.¡¡Besides, the master himself can vouch for him. For now, just let him through. He really did come here to greet the duke. Although it¡¯s more like he was invited as a guest.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Alright. Don¡¯t forget his bounty for the bandits.¡± [Swanson] ¡­That felt kind of forceful, but at least we¡¯re free now. ¡°Thank you very much, Hyuzu-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave the talk for later. Hurry up and go before that guy changes his mind. Don¡¯t forget your bounty reward.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ah, yes. ¡­This bag of coins is yours, Fei-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you store it in your dimension magic, Boss? It¡¯s extra luggage and I have enough coin on me for the time being.¡± [Fei] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll store it in my dimension magic for now.¡± [Ryouma] Without time to spare for courtesies, we quickly left the office of the guards. When we got out, the sun had already set and stars were twinkling in the night sky. ¡°You sure found yourself in a mess.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san laughed as if he were just holding himself back earlier. ¡°Indeed¡­ But he was just doing his job too, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it helps a lot if you see it that way. He¡¯s not a bad guy. Although he has a tendency to pry at the slightest hint of suspicion and is really persistent¡­ He¡¯s also caught a lot of criminals that couldn¡¯t be found out with just the use of the crystals.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san praised the man who took us in for questioning, but I was more interested in the ¡®criminals that can¡¯t be found with just the use of the crystals¡¯. You could actually fool those things? ¡°It¡¯s not really fooling them as much as those crystal balls weren¡¯t originally made to identify criminals. They can¡¯t actually reveal all the crimes a person has committed.¡± [Hyuzu] Apparently, the church made those crystal. They were originally made to find out if a believer has violated a precept. ¡°Murder, rape, kidnapping, theft, injury¡­ Actions like those go against the teaching of the gods, and those crystal balls can tell if you¡¯ve committed them. But from the perspective of the law, there are crimes outside of the teachings of the gods too.¡¡For example, smuggling. Carrying goods that are forbidden from being traded is a crime. But prohibiting dangerous stuff like that is a rule that humans came up with later. The crystals don¡¯t respond to them.¡± [Hyuzu] So it had that sort of weakness. Still, just being able to identify a portion of the heavy crimes is plenty helpful. It¡¯s also a deterrent. By the way, we¡¯ve been walking for a while now, but where exactly are we headed? When I asked him, he suddenly stopped. ¡°Sorry, sorry. I was in such a hurry to get out that I wasn¡¯t really thinking. Where do you want to go?¡± [Hyuzu] Oh, yeah. This guy has always been a little clumsy, hasn¡¯t he? Well, he¡¯s a good person, anyhow. Seeing as didn¡¯t have any particular destination in mind¡­ ¡°Would you happen to know an inn with the odd name of ¡®I Love Horses¡¯?¡¡I¡¯m supposed to meet up with a person from the Morgan Company there. We plan to visit the duke¡¯s family afterwards.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh! I know that place!¡¡That¡¯s the inn of the old man fond of horse racing¡­ He loves them so much he named his inn after his love for them. You better not say anything about horses to him or you¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡± [Hyuzu] Looks like he knows him well. He looks happy. He knew the path like the back of his hand. In fact, he knew the way so well that he moved quickly even in the narrow alleys. Along the way¡­ ¡°Oh! Hyuzu!¡± [Man 1] ¡°What are you doing at a time like this~?¡± [Man 3] ¡°Work! I¡¯m in the middle of one right now!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Work?¡¡So what are you doing walking at a place like this?¡± [Man 1] ¡°Aren¡¯t you free?¡¡Let¡¯s drink!¡± [Man 2] ¡°Hyuzu-san, won¡¯t you have a drink with us~?¡± [Man 3] ¡°We¡¯ll give you some service.¡± [Woman] ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m happy you invited me, but I have to send this guy off. I¡¯ll drop by later.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Could it be? Is that your illegitimate son!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°What was that!?¡¡Who¡¯s the mother!?¡± [Man 2] ¡°He¡¯s not mine!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ha ha ha ha!!¡¡Of course not!¡¡He doesn¡¯t look like you at all!¡± [Man 1] ¡°He looks too smart to be your own!¡± [Man 2] ¡°He looks too good to be yours!¡± [Man 3] ¡°No way Hyuzu can father a kid like that!¡± [Man 4] ¡°What did you say, you drunks!?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Oh, if it isn¡¯t Hyuzu-san. Please drop by our store again next time. I¡¯ll serve you some tea.¡± [Old Woman] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the old woman from the general store. I¡¯ll go next time, so make sure to serve some cake too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ok. But the cake will cost you.¡± [Old Woman] As we went on our way, a lot of people called out to Hyuzu-san. He seemed to be on good terms with every one of them. Chapter 153.3 - Reunion 1 (3/3) ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem as if it¡¯s just because he¡¯s a local.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He must be a good person. One look and you can tell that people trust him.¡± [Fei] It¡¯s noisy, but after walking through the corner of the peaceful street, an inn with a giant stable came to view¡­ To be honest, it felt more like a stable with an inn because the inn was actually smaller than the stable. ¡°This is the ¡®I Love Horses¡¯ inn. The owner is probably not around at this time, but¡­ Maybe the landlady is around.¡± We entered the inn casually. As soon as we enter, a voice called out to us. ¡°Welcome. Oh, if it isn¡¯t Hyuzu-san. What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Landlady] ¡°I brought you some customers.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Good evening. I am Ryouma Takebayashi from Bamboo Forest. I have a reservation through a person from the Morgan Company.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m Fei, his guard.¡± [Fei] ¡°Ahh, I heard from Boss Serge about you. We have two private rooms prepared for you, but fill out this form first. Also, what will you be doing about supper?¡¡If you¡¯re going to be eating, you can eat now. Boss Serge is also there. And then about tomorrow¡¯s¡ª¡± [Landlady] The landlady seems to be an impatient person, as she kept throwing one question after another at me as I filled out the form. I¡¯ll go have supper as soon as I fill out this form since I have to greet Serge-san too. ¡°Ryouma, I¡¯m going back to the residence.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ah, already?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. I¡¯d love to eat and drink with you, so we can chat, but I have some work left.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate, but I guess it can¡¯t be helped. Thank you for coming out to help me despite your busy schedule.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll drop by the residence soon. We can talk then. I have a lot I want to talk to you about. See ya!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes. Take care!¡¡¡­He left.¡± [Ryouma] Hyuzu-san left like the wind¡­ I wonder what he wanted to talk about? ¡°The same as ever, that one.¡± [Landlady] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Ah, I¡¯m done filling out your form.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Me too.¡± [Fei] ¡°Thanks. Here are your keys. Your rooms are upstairs at the end of the right corner. You can have your meal at the restaurant in front of the inn.¡± [Landlady] The landlady showed us the stairs and the path to the restaurant. But I couldn¡¯t help but notice the eccentric horseshoes and stuffed horse heads decorating the place. ¡°They¡¯re strange, aren¡¯t they?¡± [Landlady] ¡°I think they look great.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no need for flattery!¡¡They¡¯re there because my husband keeps buying them!¡¡There are even ornaments and paintings in the second floor! Seriously, what¡¯s so good about these things!?¡± [Landlady] Looks like the owner really has it bad for horses. ¡°Boss, if you¡¯re going to be greeting your friend, then it might be a good idea to fix your clothes first.¡± [Fei] ¡°That¡¯s right. Landlady, I¡¯ll go change at my room first. I¡¯ll have supper afterwards.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll go prepare your room now.¡± [Landlady] After changing clothes, I went to the restaurant. ¡°It¡¯s full.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From their getup, they all seem to be merchants.¡± [Fei] ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s because the stable is making a killing¡­ Oh, found him.¡± [Ryouma] The restaurant was crowded with merchants from various regions. Serge-san was seated next to the walls. He was eating with someone. Probably, a man. The man had black hair. I feel as if I¡¯ve seen him from somewhere before¡­ Huh?¡¡Is that Pioro-san? ¡°Serge-san, Pioro-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh!¡± [Serge] ¡°If it isn¡¯t Ryouma!¡¡Long time no see!¡± [Pioro] So it really was Pioro-san. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. We¡¯ve been exchanging letters a little, but it¡¯s already been half a year since we last met.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We just kept passing each other for some reason. ¡­By the way, thank you for referring the Vyezen Village to us. Thanks to you, we were able to get a new product and a new source of barley.¡± [Pioro] ¡°That¡¯s only possible thanks to the cooperation between the villagers and the Saionji Company.¡± [Ryouma] As we gradually began speaking in hushed voices, the conversation started to resemble a conversation between evil governors. ¡­But that can¡¯t be helped. After all, the top head of two different companies were talking to a child with unknown origins. Moreover, said child was able to talk with them on intimate terms. When the other customers noticed that, the atmosphere changed. ¡°Who is that child?¡± [Customer 1] ¡°No idea. Maybe a noble from somewhere?¡± [Customer 2] ¡°There¡¯s no way a noble child would come here.¡± [Customer 1] ¡°Then maybe the heir to a large store?¡± [Customer 2] As we idly chatted among ourselves, I started hearing those kind of voices. People were starting to look at me too. It feels just like when I went to the adventurers guild for the firs time. The only difference is that these people aren¡¯t adventurers and this isn¡¯t a guild. ¡°Come now, you two. Please take a seat.¡± [Serge] I took a seat just as Serge-san said. I ordered supper and introduced Fei-san to the two since this was their first time meeting. We only talked about things that wouldn¡¯t cause an issue if other people were to overhear us. Eventually, the conversation turned to our trip here¡­ ¡°You were stopped at the gates? What a disaster.¡± [Serge] ¡°Well, they were just doing their job. It can¡¯t really be helped. The security at the gate here was a lot stricter compared to other towns. As expected, the town where the duke lives is different.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are nobles here too other than the Jamil family. That¡¯s why the security here is a lot stricter compared to other towns. They used the crystal at the gate, right?¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s right. If it were any other town, just the guild card would be enough, but here¡­¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, the crystal check is mandatory here when going in and out of town. If they find out that you subjugated some bandits, they¡¯ll move you to another room. ¡°That crystal is a precious magic tool, so in other towns, they only use it when you don¡¯t have any identification or to confirm a bandit subjugation report. It¡¯s a tool, so naturally it will break if you keep using it. Those things aren¡¯t easy to replace.¡± [Serge] Are they expensive?¡¡There should be a lot of them, though, considering so many towns use them. ¡°The price is up there, but it takes a lot of effort to get permission from the church to get one. Those magic tools were originally created by craftsmen after receiving a divine revelation from the gods. So while it¡¯s possible to produce them, they¡¯re not something that can be made and sold without permission.¡± [Serge] A legitimate reason such as the security of a town. The permission of the nobles. Apparently, it¡¯s not just the fee for the magic tools. Donations toward the church and other things are also needed to get those crystals. ¡°If not for that, I would love to get one myself.¡± [Serge] Serge-san looks really sad about that. Well, he is a magic tool otaku. Although, to be honest, if it were possible, I would love to get one myself. ¡°By the way, Ryouma. You said you defeated a bunch of bandits? You sure did well defeating so many with just the two of you. There were a lot of them, right?¡± [Pioro] ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Fei-san. He defeated eight just by himself.¡± [Ryouma] The customers listening nearby suddenly went quiet. ¡°The boss took out 7 himself, actually. The only reason I was able to take out one bandit more was because I attacked first.¡± [Fei] Voices could be heard murmuring from behind me. Did Pioro-san change the conversation to warn the other customers? ¡­It¡¯s fun talking, but it¡¯s unfortunate that we can¡¯t enjoy the food as much because of the atmosphere. Chapter 154.1 - Reunion 2 (1/2) The next day. At a time a little past noon, I was seated in a carriage on the way to the duke¡¯s residence. ¡°Who would have thought we¡¯d be able to meet the duke¡¯s family so soon?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Carm sent me a letter as soon as you left. He included your schedule and when you¡¯re expected to arrive, so I was able to pass word of that to the duke¡¯s family. When I did, they told me that we can meet as soon as today if it worked with our schedule¡­ Frankly, I¡¯m a little shocked myself.¡± [Serge] ¡°Normally, you can¡¯t meet them this easily.¡± [Piero] ¡°Indeed¡­¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san was originally planning to meet with them three days later and had just come early not to be late, but¡­ ¡°They probably can¡¯t wait to meet with you, Ryouma.¡± [Pioro] ¡°That¡¯s probably it.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ha ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] Considering it¡¯s that gentle family we¡¯re talking about, that is probably the case. Even though we¡¯ve already parted, they still continue to worry about me. They really make me happy. ¡°Speaking of which, the town sure has changed, hasn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] The carriage has been slowly going up a hill since awhile ago. The scenery that could be seen through the window gradually changed from a lively townscape of small stores and private houses to large shops and restaurants. ¡°We¡¯ll be reaching the nobles district soon. The number of people out are also getting fewer and fewer.¡± [Pioro] The ¡®nobles district¡¯¡­ It seems it¡¯s up ahead. ¡°So it appears. This town is built around a small hill. The higher up you go, the more luxurious the residences and the stores become. But there¡¯s no need to be so tense. It may be called the nobles district, but there are also rich commoners living here. There¡¯s no restriction to enter this district either.¡± [Serge] ¡°Still, it¡¯s not a place a person should be loitering around in without good reason either. We should just keep going like this and head straight for the duke¡¯s family. The residence of the duke is at the peak of the hill. It¡¯s situated at the highest place even compared to the nobles.¡± [Pioro] ¡°That¡¯s easy to imagine.¡± [Ryouma] I wonder what kind of place it is.¡¡Surely it won¡¯t be smaller than how I imagine it. Maybe it¡¯s like a certain ¡®Land of Dreams''[1]? ¡°No need to be so impatient. We¡¯ll be there soon.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I look forward to seeing what kind of place it is.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By the way¡­¡± [Serge and Pioro] Their voices overlapped. Neither had intended to speak at the same time, so they were taken aback for a moment. They compromised and Serge-san continued with what he was about to say. ¡°Ryouma-sama, those clothes you¡¯re wearing¡­¡± [Serge] He¡¯s pointing out my clothes!? ¡­Today I¡¯m dressed in the special navy blue suit made by the tailor at Gimuru. They made it just as I requested, so I¡¯m personally satisfied with it. But¡­ ¡°Is it really that plain?¡± [Ryouma] Even the employees of the tailor and the employees of my store had an odd reaction when they saw me wearing my suit. ¡°Yes. Very much. It won¡¯t offend anyone, though.¡± [Pioro] ¡°It would have been fine to dress with more extravagance, you know?¡± [Serge] So they say, but from my perspective, their clothes are just straight-up outrageous. Pioro-san was wearing a shirt with frill lace and a coat with brightly colored cloths peeking out from the slits. Serge-san was wearing clothes made from seemingly expensive fabric, but the design is actually normal, relatively speaking. But he had that ruffed collar on his neck and on his lap was a beret with a large plume attached to it. He¡¯s probably planning to put that thing on when he goes out. I know it¡¯s a bit late to be saying this, but of course they would be wearing such clothes. The clerk at the clothing store was really adamant about recommending those kind of clothes, after all, so I guess that just goes to show how popular they are. And even though they¡¯re wearing such outrageous clothes right in front of me, they¡¯re acting as if all is right in the world. Well, I suppose there really isn¡¯t anything out of the ordinary for them, but¡­ Well, anyhow, I¡¯m happy with my suit. ¡°I like this kind of design. It¡¯s easy to move around in too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. It¡¯s good to have a preference. Especially, when it comes to clothes.¡± [Serge] ¡°Just chasing trends doesn¡¯t make one fashionable, after all.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ha ha¡­ Frankly, I¡¯m not really that confident in my fashion sense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t be modest. That polished form. The first-rate materials used. The careful tailoring. That¡¯s a suit I would want to wear myself. Please do tell, where did you buy it from?¡± [Serge] ¡°From a store at the western section of Gimuru. Right turn at the fifth corner from the main street.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Western section, fifth corner¡­ Ah, it must be that store. I heard it was still new, but¡­ I see. I¡¯ve found a new good store.¡± [Serge] ¡°Carm-san was the one who found out about it. It was thanks to him that I was able to easily get a complete set.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? That necktie pin too?¡± [Sereg] I figured he¡¯d notice it. ¡°The stone is an inheritance left behind by my grandmother. I handed it to the store, and they left it to a trusted and skilled craftsman to be processed.¡± [Ryouma] At the base of the necktie pin were intertwining curves and lines like entangled vines, delicately crafted like threads. And at the center was a blooming flower with a large diamond in the middle. Although the necktie pin was not sprinkled with countless gems, there was a sense of harmony that could only be brought about by the hands of a craftsman. ¡°This craftsman is indeed skilled. This fineness¡­ It is likely that this craftsman has a deep knowledge of metal magic.¡± [Serge] ¡°As expected of you, Serge-san. That was indeed how it was explained to me when I got it.¡± [Ryouma] The metal attribute is a fusion of earth and fire attributes. It is the common name to refer to magic used in metalworks. The more attributes are used, the more difficult the spells become. But craftsmanship requires careful control; hence, it could be inferred just how skilled the craftsman was to be able to create this one product. The clerk¡¯s eyes were sparkling when he talked about it. Expert metal mages are often called upon by national organizations, such as mints, so it¡¯s rare to find one in private practice. ¡°Mu mu mu¡­ To think that such a skilled cratfsman would be in Gimuru. I must meet him!¡± [Serge] ¡°I also want to buy something for my wife.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ah, is it to celebrate your wedding anniversary?¡¡Kurana-san will be elated, I¡¯m sure.¡± [Ryouma] As we got into the conversation and moved from topic to topic, the carriage eventually stopped being tilted. ¡°Oh, it seems we¡¯ve passed the slope. We¡¯ll be there soon then.¡± [Serge] [1] ¨C Disneyland. Chapter 154.2 - Reunion 2 (2/2) ¡°You can see the residence from the window already.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] I turned to the window to the right as pointed out, and there, were high walls and a moat¡­ Isn¡¯t that a castle? ¡°Serge-san, Pioro-san. This is neither a residence nor a mansion, is it not? This is clearly a castle.¡± [Ryouma] Try as I might to look at it from a different angle, there was simply no other way to put the building in front of me but a castle. Moreover, it was not the beautiful white fantasy castle that the Land of Dreams had. Guards could be seen here and there on the highwalls. The head of a tower could even be seen sticking out from behind the castle walls just like a chess piece. ¡­This isn¡¯t a house. This is a fortress. My thoughts aside, the carriage continued along its way, eventually changing its direction toward a castle gates where soldiers were lined up. ¡°President of the Morgan Company, Serge Morgan, along with two others. The driver and the person seated at the back are servants. The cargo is a small gift to His Royal Highness. Please grant permission.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m listening. Please proceed to the residence as you are. When you get there a person will guide you.¡± [Guard] I thought the security would be a lot stricter, but that didn¡¯t take long at all. We were back on our way before we knew it. ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] What was that? ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Serge] ¡°I felt something strange just now¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a barrier?¡¡A barrier to prevent bandits from sneaking in with dimension magic.¡± [Pioro] ¡°A barrier, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are cases where individuals sensitive to mana will feel strange when passing through one. The residence of the duke¡¯s family have several layers of barriers erected through the employ of magic tools and barrier mages.¡± [Serge] I never felt like this when I used barrier magic, though¡­ ¡°But enough of that, we¡¯ve almost arrived.¡± [Serge] Oh, right. I checked my attire one last time and braced myself. ¡°Thank you for bringing us here.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked Serge-san¡¯s subordinate who drove the carriage and got off. The first thing that caught my attention was the line of servants that came to greet us. There were twenty people! Twenty! They split into two lines on both sides, heads bowed, and cleared a path for us to go through. ¡­I feel like I¡¯ve seen this scene several times in manga, but I never thought I¡¯d be on the receiving end of such treatment. But what was even more surprising was the building up ahead. Unlike the fortress from before, it was a splendid western-style residence. The outer walls and towers certainly gave the impression of a fortress, but the residence inside looked more like a proper guest house. Although it was made of gray stones and looked old, it was properly being maintained, so it did not look dirty. If anything it gave the place a personality that felt historical. ¡°Welcome.¡± [Butler] A butler called out to us. He is probably the person in the highest position here. The first thing he said was that we had to be moved to a waiting room before meeting the duke. Our three servants ¨C this included Fei-san ¨C were to wait at another room. The gifts were handed over to the attendants to be checked. They will be sent to the waiting room before we meet with the duke¡¯s family. ¡°This way please.¡± [Maid] We walked after the maid guiding us just as we were told. ¡°Please wait here for the time being.¡± [Maid] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] When we got to the waiting room, two women I¡¯ve been acquainted with before were there waiting. ¡°Arone-san?¡¡Lilian-san too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Ryouma-sama.¡± [Arone] ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for you. You seem well.¡± [Lilian] The maid that brought us looked at the two as if asking if they were acquainted with me. ¡°Oh, they helped me out a lot in the past.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? In that case, I¡¯ll be taking my leave. If you need anything, please just leave it to these two maids.¡± [Maid] When the maid tasked with guiding us left, I sighed with relief. ¡°Would you like some drinks?¡± [Arone] ¡°We have water, black tea, fruit juice, and light liquor.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I¡¯d like some fruit juice please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Black tea for me.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Water will do. Thank you.¡± [Serge] As expected, these two are used to this already and were acting perfectly natural. ¡°Here.¡± [Arone] ¡°Thank you very much¡­ Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] The juice was cold and felt good as it passed through my throat. ¡°What? Are you nervous?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Of course he is.¡± [Serge] This might come off as strange, but I¡¯m actually not that nervous to meet the duke¡¯s family. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s my first time visiting a noble¡¯s mansion. And while I won¡¯t go as far as to say ¡®proud¡¯. As the top executive of a store, I feel as if I have to act with some manner of imposing here. That being said, I was only an employee in my past life. I¡¯m still new to this top executive thing, so I can¡¯t quite calm down. Gotta act imposing. Gotta act imposing¡­ But if I overstep my boundaries, I¡¯ll displease someone¡­ The lines are vague, so it¡¯s rather confusing. It¡¯s different from manners or seating positions, where the angles and places have already been defined. I have to act according to the atmosphere or based on the personality of the person I¡¯m talking to. ..Aren¡¯t you always looking at others and telling yourself to have confidence? Now that things have started to change, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re lacking humility? Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve been getting cheekier lately?¡¡Aren¡¯t you becoming arrogant?¡¡Why do people say stuff like that? If I become too conscious, I¡¯ll end up being too humble again and just annoy others. How am I supposed to make this work? ¡°Ryouma-sama?¡¡Are you alright?¡± [Arone] Oops. I was being needlessly frustrated there. It might be because of the suit. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m just a little nervous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡Your eyes are dead.¡± [Pioro] ¡°It¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not sick, but¡­ You don¡¯t really have to be that nervous. If something happens, Pioro and I are here to back you up. To be honest, though, from what I¡¯ve seen of you until now, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll need it.¡± [Serge] Arone-san and Lilian-san encouraged me, saying things like, ¡®You look plenty calm¡¯ ¡®There were guests more nervous than you¡¯. I¡¯m grateful for their sympathy. I¡¯ll do my best. After that we talked idly among ourselves. The maids also talked proactively. Maybe they were trying to get my mind off of worrying. They were so proactive they actually became the center of the conversation. We talked about recent news, such as ¡®how we met¡¯, ¡®what happened after we parted¡¯¡­ All sorts of topics while we killed time waiting. Chapter 155 - Reunion 3 (1/3) ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Maid] A maid different from before came to inform us that the duke was ready. I¡¯m a lot less nervous now thanks to Arone-san and Lilian-san. I¡¯ll finally get to meet the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Let us be off then.¡± [Serge] We followed after the maid. The maid was apparently a member of the cat tribe, as a beautiful tail could be seen swinging from behind her. She carried a box full of gifts with her as she silently passed through halls full of vases and paintings whose value I could not estimate. ¡°This way please.¡± [Maid] The maid stopped in front of a white door and asked with her eyes if we were ready. We nodded to her, and she pushed open the door. ¡°Welcome!¡¡Ryouma-kun!¡± [Elize] ¡°!¡¡¡­Madam?¡± [Ryouma] On the other side of the door was a brightly lit room with a large window. The madam waved her hand at me while surrounded by many decorative plants. She was as candid as ever. That¡¯s great. But because of that I completely forgot about the order of greetings I memorized. Fortunately, it was only a momentary lapse and I remembered it almost immediately. ¡°Welcome. Thank you for coming. Let¡¯s dispense with the ceremonies. Please. Take a seat.¡± [Reinhart] This time it was Reinhart, who was standing beside the madam, who spoke and skipped a lot of the steps. ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Since that¡¯s what His Grace himself is saying, then we might as well do as he says. Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Another reason I came here was to practice, though. But, still¡­ ¡°It¡¯s been a while. I¡¯m glad to be able to meet you again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re happy to see you too. We know you¡¯re safe from the letters, but it¡¯s still best to be able to talk like this.¡± [Elize] ¡°We were worried, you know? Like were you doing well in town? Were you pushing yourself?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Serge-san, Pioro-san, and a lot of people have been helping me out, so I¡¯m doing just fine.¡± [Ryouma] As a friendly conversation began, the married ducal couple spoke to Serge-san and Pioro-san. During that time the maid served us tea and sweets, then she excused herself, leaving only the five of us to ourselves. Yes. Five people¡­ ¡°The tea is delicious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it. It¡¯s my favorite brand. Have some sweets too.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you very much. By the way, where is Reinbach-sama?¡¡I was in his care too, so I would love to be able to meet him as well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Father-in-law¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Got away.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He got away?¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-san wryly smiled. ¡°During this season, there are a lot of people who want to have an audience with him. There aren¡¯t a lot of people like you who just want to meet for the sake of it. Some people do want to meet him purely out of admiration, but most have a hidden agenda. It¡¯s troubling, so he ran off to the Fire Dragon Mountains. He took Sebasu with him. And just told us ¡®Don¡¯t always just rely on me!¡¯¡± [Reinhart] Fire Dragon Mountains¡­ That should be the place I heard about from Branch Head Taylor. The dangerous region where Reinbach-sama formed a contract with a divine beast. It¡¯s not a place a normal merchant could easily get to just to greet him. ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll tell him you wanted to meet him when he gets back. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be glad to hear it.¡± [Reinhart] We idly talked like that and when the place was starting to warm up, we began handing our gifts. ¡°With your permission¡­¡± [Serge] Serge walked toward a chair, beside of which was a special pedestal. From that he took out a small box. It was white all over and had a luster to it like white porcelain, but it also had the smell of wood to it. It only had a decorative string to ornament it, so it was not by any means gaudy. One look and one could tell that it was a good product. ¡°This is the ¡®music box¡¯ that my store has started selling since this summer. This is the latest model. The music is composed by the famous Fletsch Marlin-sama. The box is made from Banando¡¯s most luxurious Rock Skin Wood, and in the rarest color of them all, a pure white.¡± [Serge] A lot of effort has been put in that music box. ¡°Music box, huh. I¡¯ve been hearing about that lately.¡± [Elize] ¡°Dinome¡¯s Workshop sure is famous.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. Dinome¡¯s Workshop used the most skilled craftsmen from its main division to produce this music box.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s pretty too. More than enough for it to be the talk of the party.¡± [Elize] ¡°This specific product is not up for sale, but we have already received many orders for those that are being sold in store.¡± [Serge] There is a music box museum even back in Japan. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if some aficionados were to develop around music boxes here. Next up was Pioro-san. After a casual introduction, what he took out from the boss was¡ª!!¡¡Could it be! Is that¡ª!! ¡°Your Grace, I present to you¡­ Chocolate! Made from Burwanato Cacao.¡± [Pioro] So it was chocolate!¡¡I could eat whenever I want back in my past life, but this is my first time seeing one here. He started talking about getting his hands on some good beans, the best in the past few years, but who cares about that. I need to ask him later if he¡¯d sell me some of those. I made sure to make a note of that in my mind. Chapter 155.2 - Reunion 3 (2/3) And then came my turn. ¡°As for me, this is what I brought.¡± [Ryouma] What I placed on the table was the cleaner slime¡¯s ¡®Deodorizing Liquid¡¯ and the shirt made from the sticky slime¡¯s sticky thread, the stab-proof shirt. I needed products that were related to my laundromat, so I chose a deodorizing liquid and a shirt for my gifts. In order to appeal to them, I included my own impressions of the shirt after using it all this time along with the explanation that Darson of the Tigger¡¯s Arms Store gave me. ¡°Thin and light. Even a woman would be able to easily wear this. It seems this material could also be fitted on the other side¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°A relatively inexpensive stab-proof material¡­ Moreover, one with performance on the level of metal spider threads. Adding these to the equipment of our territory¡¯s soldiers might be a good idea.¡± [Reinhart] There is a catch though. The material is hard to work with, and while it can block against cutting, it can¡¯t block the impact. And if the enemy uses strengthening magic or ki reinforcement, then it might also not be able to their blades from cutting. I made sure to explain that to them. ¡°It¡¯s still worth considering, though. It takes a considerable amount of money and time to raise a single soldier¡­ And even if it¡¯s just one shirt, if you have to outfit an entire army with it, the prices quickly add up. But that¡¯s also why good equipment is worth it if it means that a soldier will be able to come back home safely. ¡­Of course, provided that the costs and the performance match.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Even just your consideration is more than enough for the craftsman to be elated, I believe.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll follow up with you about this on a later date. But for the meantime, I¡¯d like one prepared for each of our family¡¯s members. I¡¯ll give you the measurements later.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°And this one here is your deodorizing liquid. A product made at your store.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s exactly the same as the ones sold at my store.¡± [Ryouma] Recently, demand for the deodorizing liquid has been rising. Among the customers purchasing them are ones purchasing amounts obviously not for personal use. I read about that from the report from the Renauph Branch Store. I was curious, so I started investigating the matter, and I found out that they were being brought here, to the duke¡¯s family. When I found that out, I decided to gift some to them as well. I have more deodorizing liquid with the maids. The one here is just a sample. ¡°This is a big help. The servants will be happy to have this too. There have been a lot of guests lately and the smell of their perfume has been sticking to the furniture and to the clothes.¡± [Elize] To be honest, I could have sent these to them if they just wrote to me in a letter¡­ ¡°I thought it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea since we needed so much. And if we asked you, you¡¯d probably give it to us for free.¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny that, but¡­ Alright. Next time, I¡¯ll just give you some extra. As thanks for such a big order.¡± [Ryouma] It is a product of the store, after all¡­ And there are other customers too. But yeah. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m not really that attached to it, so I just vaguely smiled. ¡°Serge, Pioro, and Ryouma-kun. Thank you for your wonderful presents. As thanks, won¡¯t you have supper with us this evening? Do you have time?¡± [Reinbach] As expected, it came. ¡®A dinner invitation.¡¯ To nobles, this is the season where merchants come one after another to seek their audience. Because of that they can¡¯t spend too much time with just one person. The merchants understand this too, so when we meet the duke, we meet them in groups. We also can¡¯t talk about anything too deep during this audience. But should the merchant and the nobles wish to form a deeper connection, then the nobles will invite the merchants to a meal. A ¡®meal¡¯, which is an opportunity for a merchant to garner even more interest for his products, as well as make some small talk. Moreover, there is also a chance that one might be offered ¡®to stay the night¡¯. This is a kind of tacit understanding during this time between merchants and nobles. Carm-san fully briefed me on this matter. As such¡­ ¡°I would love to accompany you this evening.¡± [Ryouma] I answered without any hesitation. ¡°Great. I¡¯ll inform the cook then.¡± [Elize] After that we left the room. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Or at least we were supposed to, but it seems there was still something they wished to discuss. I turned to the other two, who were used to greeting nobilities, but they didn¡¯t know either. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re good at making dolls, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°I have been complimented at it.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s a story from before we parted at Gimuru. That brings back memories. ¡°And you can sculpt statues of the gods too, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°I do make them from time to time¡­ Do you need some made?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. Rurutia-sama, Kufo-sama, and Willieris-sama. We need one sculpture for each of these gods. They need to be a little bigger than a real person. We¡¯ll pay you 10 small gold coins per statue. If you can do it, I¡¯d like to entrust this job to you.¡± [Elize] Chapter 155.3 - Reunion 3 (3/3) ¡°I see. It must be for a wedding then.¡± [Ryouma] Rurutia is the Goddess of Love. She rules over human relationships. Kufo and Willieris are of life and land respectively. These three are gods that are prayed to during marriage to bless the health of a married coupled and the birth of a new life. ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you¡¯ve inferred. I believe you¡¯ve heard of it already, but we plan to hold a wedding here.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The bride has been serving us for a long time and she always takes her work seriously¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°So we wanted to hold the ceremony for her.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Elize] I heard about it from Arone-san in the waiting room earlier. That maid has been working for the duke¡¯s family for a long time and was deeply trusted by everyone around her. But she was always focused on her work, and despite being of age already, she still didn¡¯t have any lovers. ¡­At least, that¡¯s what everyone thought, but then all of the sudden, last month, she announced that she was getting married. But all of her friends are servants. Even if they tried to hold a ceremony, not everyone could make it. If they tried to force it, they would only cause trouble for the duke¡¯s family. So it seems she wasn¡¯t planning on holding a ceremony and was just going to save the money that would have otherwise gone into it. By the way, the way Arone-san talked about her was like that of a mother worrying over her daughter. ¡°That child is always working, but she puts her work over her own wellbeing too much.¡± [Elize] ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to hold a ceremony herself, then we figured we¡¯d hold it for her and surprise her. Her coworkers have also expressed their intentions of wanting to hold one for her. It¡¯s not just Ryouma-kun. Serge, Pioro, if you¡¯re willing to help us with the decorations and the food, that would help us out a lot.¡± [Reinhart] The two accepted the job with a smile. I¡¯d love to help too, but¡­ ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to be making the statues when it¡¯s such an important celebration?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s going to be a memory that the bride and the groom will remember for the rest of their lives, so I can¡¯t help but be concerned. But Reinhart-san just laughed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. Actually, while we were planning, the plan leaked to the person herself, so it¡¯s not a surprise anymore and we¡¯re preparing the ceremony while getting her input. The person herself said that something you¡¯ve made will do.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If you¡¯re so worried, why not try talking to her?¡¡She wanted to talk with you too.¡± [Elize] As soon as she said that, she rang the bell under the table. ¡°You called, Madam?¡± [Maid] The maid with cat ears from before appeared. ¡°We¡¯re talking about your wedding, Rurunez.¡± [Elize] ¡°Huh?¡± [Rurunez] So she¡¯s the maid getting married? Now that I look at her again, she¡¯s smartly dressed with a pair of glasses on. She looks like a career woman or a secretary, but she¡¯s a beauty no doubt. She seems like the serious sort. But when she found out that we were talking about her wedding, her cheeks suddenly turned beet red. ¡­Yeah. I bet she¡¯s popular among the men. Wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if the groom becomes the object of envy. ¡°Thank you so much, my lords.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°There¡¯s no need to hold back. We¡¯re planning on entrusting the statues of the gods to Ryouma-kun. You¡¯re fine with that, right?¡± [Elize] When the madam asked her that, she nodded. ¡°Of course, Madam. Takebayashi-sama¡¯s skills have been acknowledged by none other than Your Grace and His Grace. He is a benefactor to us, husband and wife. My husband has repeatedly expressed his desire for Takebayashi-sama to make the statues. And I personally prefer to have them crafted instead of bought ready-made from the stores. Of course, only if it won¡¯t trouble you, Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Of course not! It¡¯s no trouble at all!¡¡If you¡¯re happy to have me make it, then by all means, please let me.¡± [Ryouma] But there¡¯s another question bothering me. ¡°You mentioned your husband talking about me. Could he be someone I know?¡¡And since he says I¡¯m his benefactor then¡­¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Rurunez-san adorably inclined her head. ¡°¡­He hasn¡¯t talked to you about it?¡¡I heard he met with you yesterday, though.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Yesterday?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. He¡¯s always saying that he¡¯ll talk to you about it when he meets you next, so when he said that he brought you to your inn last night¡ª¡± [Rurunez] I thought for sure he¡¯d explained things to you properly. Me too. Same. At this point, the voices of the maid and the ducal couple suddenly became strangely distant. Benefactor. Someone who knows my skill in making statues. Someone I met yesterday. Led me to the inn¡­ When those keywords were inputted into my brain, my brain¡¯s search engine came up with a result. ¡°Could you be talking about¡­ Hyuzu-san!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes. My husband is indeed Hyuzu¡­¡± [Rurunez] The cat-eared beauty became even redder. Hyuzu-san is a good guy and all, but I never thought he¡¯d actually marry. I¡¯m shocked. I know it¡¯s not strange given his age, but¡­ So he¡¯s going to be marrying this person, huh? It¡¯s something to be happy about, I know. But as someone with no connection to the word ¡®love¡¯, I think I¡¯m about to explode. Somehow, the audience with the duke¡¯s family ended with me feeling complicated Chapter 156.1 - Reunion 4 (1/2) That evening. I went back to the inn to pack my things and cancel my stay, then I went back to the residence of the duke. The duke and his wife were with a guest, so the maids first brought us to our respective rooms. If I were to describe the guest room in a few words, it was like the suite rooms I often saw on TV in my past life. I was surprised at how big the room was when I entered, but that wasn¡¯t the end of it, as there were still two doors inside on either side of the room. As it turned outs, the first room was just the living room, and the door to the right led to the shower and the toilet, while the door to the left led to the bedroom. All three rooms were to be lent to me¡­ Moreover, a maid will always be on standby in a room nearby, ready to answer my call at any moment. But wait! There¡¯s still more! The maids waiting in that room will either be Arone-san, Lilian-san, or Rurunez-san. All of the maids who will be attending to me are all people I¡¯ve already been acquainted with. Clearly, they¡¯re trying to make sure that I felt at home. Honestly, I thought this was all a bit too much, but the maids insisted that this much was a given for a guest of the duke¡­ In the end, is it a difference in culture or a difference in wealth? ¡­Oh?¡¡Someone came¡­ ¡°Please enter.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Excuse me. Takebayashi-sama, my husband and his three coworkers would like to meet you. Is it alright with you?¡± [Rurunez] Hyuzu-san and his three coworkers¡­ Could it be? ¡°Yes. Please let them in.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Rurunez] Her tail swayed as gracefully as she left through the door. I waited by the entrance to greet them when they came. After a few minutes, she came back with the people in question. She brought the four people I was expecting. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Long time no see!¡± [Camil] ¡°Are you well?¡± [Jill] ¡°It¡¯s good to see you also doing well.¡± [Zeff] Camil-san. Jill-san. Zeff-san. The three of them stood there exactly as I last remembered them in our first meeting. ¡°Hey, hey. Aren¡¯t you forgetting me?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°We met yesterday, though, didn¡¯t we? ¡­And more importantly, why didn¡¯t you tell me that you were getting married?¡± [Ryouma] Because of that I was confused yesterday. I had no idea what Rurunez-san was talking about at the start. ¡°Actually, I was planning on talking to you about it¡­ But we spent more time than I expected to get to the inn, and I just couldn¡¯t bring myself to go all ¡®I¡¯m getting married!¡¯ right before leaving you.¡¡I mean wouldn¡¯t you find it weird if someone suddenly said that then left you?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Okay. I guess I would be confused if you did that¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And also¡­ The reason I can marry now is because you saved me that time, so I wanted to thank you properly. I figured I¡¯d tell you my marriage at the same time.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡­Hasn¡¯t the atmosphere about him subtly changed? ¡°Apparently, even Hyuzu starts thinking about stuff after almost dying.¡± [Jill] ¡°I¡¯m sure being confessed to played a part too, but that¡¯s probably the main impetus.¡± [Camil] ¡°H-Hey, Jill. Camil.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san panicked and tried to stop them. ¡°There¡¯s no point trying to hide it now¡­ And you two leave it at that. The wife is here.¡± [Zeff] When Zeff-san said that, the two immediately remembered that Hyuzu-san¡¯s wife was here. ¡°You don¡¯t need to mind me.¡± [Rurunez] Rurunez stretched her back by the open door like nothing happened. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of her pride as a maid, but despite her tight expression, her face was beet red. I guess she¡¯s bad at topics like this. ¡°Please come in. Let¡¯s all take a seat and talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right!¡¡Sorry to intrude.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°In that case, please excuse me.¡± [Rurunez] I led the four of them to the sofa of the living room, but then¡­ I suddenly remembered that I had been using the table. ¡°Oh! Sorry about that! I forgot to clean up.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They were the ones who suddenly wanted to meet you.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s cool, really. We don¡¯t mind.¡± [Camil] ¡°More importantly, what is with this washbasin?¡± [Jill] ¡°It seems to be full of sand¡­¡± [Zeff] ¡°The room is too luxurious and I couldn¡¯t settle down, so I started making these.¡± [Ryouma] What I took out from the container that didn¡¯t match the luxurious room was a human-shaped doll figure. I¡¯m still in the process of making it, so it doesn¡¯t look good yet, but it¡¯s the prototype for the idols. ¡°There¡¯s also this, this, this¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wow! You have a lot!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°You had that many in there?¡± [Camil] ¡°I figured I had to decide on the design of the idols first before making them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho¡­ I see you¡¯re still particular with the details.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°They¡¯re all smiles, though.¡± [Zeff] ¡°When you line them up like this, it becomes a lot easier to tell the difference in their aura.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s only been a few hours since you came here, and yet you¡¯ve already made so many?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I¡¯m making prototypes to decide the design, so I just made a rough mold, stuff it with sand, and then hardened it with magic. Like that I could easily mass produce these prototype statues. After that, all that¡¯s left is for me to fill in the details¡­ Ah.¡± [Ryouma] I suddenly noticed that Rurunez-san was walking toward us with drinks for each one of us. I quickly made space on the table. ¡°I brought drinks.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Thank you very much. If you don¡¯t mind, please take a seat here too. Let me know if you like any of the idols here. I¡¯ll use that as a reference when making the real thing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Rurunez] She sat beside Hyuzu-san with an indifferent expression and began gazing at the idols. ¡°How about something bright and cheerful like this one?¡± [Hyuzu] The figure Hyuzu-san picked was Rurutia¡¯s smiling idol. ¡°That¡¯s not bad, but since it¡¯s a wedding ceremony, wouldn¡¯t something more dignified be better? Like this one.¡± [Rurunez] As Rurunez-san said that, she picked the idol with a serious expression. The soon to be wedded couple had a difference in opinion, and they started talking in hushed voices between themselves. The aura about them as they talked was by no means sharp, but it was also not the kind of aura that made one feel welcome to interject. ¡­Am I imagining things or are they flirting? Chapter 156.2 - Reunion 4 (2/2) ¡°Ah, it started again.¡± [Camil] ¡°It¡¯s been getting more frequent since they announced their marriage.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Recently, they¡¯re like this all the time.¡± [Jill] When their colleagues saw the soon-to-be-wedded couple acting like that, they couldn¡¯t help but make a fed-up expression. Moreover, Camil-san quietly added that this happened a lot. ¡°Won¡¯t they they attract a lot of envy doing that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah. But it¡¯s mostly directed at Hyuzu.¡± [Camil] ¡°Rurunez-san has always been popular among the bachelor men working here.¡± [Jill] ¡°The bride will probably receive others¡¯ blessings normally, but Hyuzu works at a place that¡¯s basically all males, so¡­¡± [Zeff] Yeah. Figures. I expected it as soon as I heard about the marriage from Rurunez-san, but there are probably a lot of people on the verge of exploding after hearing that Hyuzu-san is getting married. ¡°Well, they¡¯ve mostly calmed down now, though. Everyone is envious of Hyuzu, but at most, they¡¯ll just surround him from a distance and banter a little with him. He was never an unlikable guy, anyway, and as soon as he announced his marriage, he turned over a new leaf.¡± [Camil] ¡°He doesn¡¯t go out for drinks as much anymore, and he¡¯s been trying to get a promotion since a week ago.¡± [Jill] ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Ryouma] I asked Jill for more details, and apparently, while they introduced themselves as ¡®guards¡¯ or ¡®escorts¡¯ when we first met, that was apparently just one aspect of their work. Officially speaking, they are guard soldiers of the duke¡¯s family. Normally, they¡¯re just watching over the manor of the duke¡¯s family, but they also accompany them whenever they go out. And while they may all be classified as guards, they have different ranks and positions. Hyuzu-san has been working at the front lines since he was scouted when he was an adventurer, but he wasn¡¯t really interested in getting a promotion. ¡°Since a long time ago, people have been asking him if he wants a higher position. But he¡¯s always been refusing under the pretense that it¡¯s ¡®a pain¡¯. And yet after finding himself a wife, that same guy now won¡¯t shut up about wanting to get a promotion. Good grief. You really don¡¯t know what will happen in life.¡± [Jill] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] So, can he get a promotion?¡¡It sounds like he¡¯s been refusing offers for a while now¡­ ¡°Ahh, there¡¯s no problem there. Right now, he¡¯s receiving training for office work so he can get a promotion. As long as he passes his training, he¡¯ll be able to get fairly high up in the ranks. At the very least, he¡¯ll be able to earn enough to feed his wife and raise some children. ¡­Of course, having refused all those recommendations so many times will still have an effect. And his instructor is also a little harsher when teaching him because of envy. And while it¡¯s true that it would be easier to take things slowly and study gradually, but when you think about how he¡¯s been running away from this promotion for so long, it¡¯s still within tolerance.¡± [Camil] ¡°Hyuzu-san really hates writing reports.¡± [Jill] Jill-san smiled mischievously. It wasn¡¯t a cold smile, though. I¡¯m glad that Hyuzu-san doesn¡¯t work at a place like the one I worked at in my past life. ¡°¡­What in the world were you guys talking about while we were busy talking about the statues? ¡¡What¡¯s with those tepid eyes, Ryouma?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Oh, no. It¡¯s nothing. Nothing at all.¡± [Ryouma] I just wanted to pray for your good fortune. That¡¯s all. ¡°By the way, is there anything else you need other than the statues?¡± [Ryouma] Like wedding favors or presents. It¡¯s my first time helping out in a wedding, so I wish they¡¯d tell me more about this stuff. ¡°Ah, Ahh¡­ We already have stuff to distribute to the attendees, so we¡¯re alright on that front¡­ Are we still missing something?¡¡I think we¡¯re mostly okay already. Right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Fortunately, all of the servants are helping out, so there¡¯s really nothing else, but if you have the time, please do come as well.¡¡It will be a bit late, though, since the wedding will be held after all of the servants¡¯ work have concluded.¡± [Rurunez] Apparently, representatives of each post, such as the servants or the guards, have been gathering every night to discuss the preparations of the weddings. I could probably find out a lot if I go there. I¡¯ll ask if I can participate this evening. Still, it sure is amazing that their coworkers would go out of their way to do so much for them. Their coworkers must really love them. ¡­I wonder what happened to me after I died.¡¡Did I die and stigmatized the house I lived in with my death?¡¡If the house wounds up with a history because of me, I¡¯ll cause the landlord a lot of trouble¡­ As for the people who¡¯ll mourn me, there¡¯s Tabuchi and¡­ Well, I guess there¡¯s a decent number of people, but the section manager will probably just go ¡®Oh, really?¡¯¡¡And that will be the end of it¡­ Wait. I think he¡¯ll get mad first since there¡¯s work to be done. I feel so bad for the person who had to deal with all the work I left behind. The others probably won¡¯t have much of a reaction. Although when I was made an instructor in name and I took the job seriously, a lot of people did end up hating me. I wonder if they¡¯ll laugh or be happy now that I¡¯m gone¡­ When I think about it like that, these two sure are amazing. ¡°You¡¯ve been blessed with great friends. You have to treasure them, okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you my dad!?¡¡Seriously! What¡¯s wrong with you!?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Why is Ryouma-sama looking at us with eyes like he¡¯s watching over us?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°¡­And yet he doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s teasing you either¡­¡± [Camil] ¡°If someone prays for your fortune this much, you just can¡¯t help but be confused instead¡­¡± [Zeff] ¡°What¡¯s the matter all of the sudden, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Jill] A tepid and mysterious atmosphere filled the room until another maid came to inform us that it was time for supper,. Chapter 157 - Reporting over Teatime After supper. Serge-san, Pioro-san, the duke, the madam, and I talked while enjoying the delicious food and liquor. I¡¯ve done a lot of things in this past year, and the others have similarly been busying themselves, so there was no end to the topics we could talk about. And neither was there an end to the things I wanted to ask them. After eating we spent more time talking together over tea. ¡°I knew about the waterproof cloth, but who would have thought that Ryouma-kun would also be involved with the others?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°So that music box is something Ryouma-kun came up with, huh.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thanks to him, the Morgan Company¡¯s name has gotten even more famous. Pioro, I believe you too have benefited from him, no?¡± [Serge] ¡°Are you talking about the ¡®Barley Tea¡¯?¡¡It¡¯s steadily making a name for itself as a new luxury product. It won¡¯t be until next year when we begin advertising them officially, but the market is responding well so far to our trial phase. We owe Ryouma for going out of his way to provide the raw materials and a supplier.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that everything is progressing smoothly. It just so happened that some of the employees working in my store come from a place that grew barley that I was able to provide you a supplier. It was merely a lucky coincidence.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By all means, I would wish for nothing more but to have a smidgen of that luck of yours. Unfortunately, lady luck isn¡¯t someone you can find just by pursuing her.¡± [Pioro] Indeed. My luck has turned for the better since I came to this world. Of course, there are still times when i think my luck is poor, but such times are rare occurrence now. I¡¯ve received several divine protections from the gods, and¡­ In the first place, just being able to talk to them regularly already makes me a lucky man. More so than your average man. If luck were a skill, mine would probably have long hit the max level. ¡°I¡¯d heard Vyezen Village was struggling because of its location, but with this, it looks like they¡¯ve finally hit the jackpot.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°As long as they have no qualms, I believe it¡¯s fine if Saionji Company continues to purchase their barley. I¡¯m also thinking of completing the necessary tools and manpower in order to support the production of barley tea.¡± [Serge] ¡°We can increase the barley at the village, process a part of that barley, and sell that to the Saionji Company. Hopefully, things will go well. It¡¯s not much, but I¡¯ll offer my support too.¡± [Elize] ¡°Oh, my~ If Your Grace is going that far, then as the person responsible for the Saionji Company, I¡¯ll have to do my best as well.¡± [Pioro] Although it seems like they¡¯re just chatting lightly, from time to time, I feel something off about their conversation. There are probably some hidden meanings veiled behind their words, but I can¡¯t really figure it out. My turn to report came, but I just reported normally. For example, I talked about the abandoned mine that was left to my management or about the slimes. ¡°Recently, I was able to tame a weed slime and a stone slime, which can completely mimic a weed or a stone. Since then I¡¯ve been helping them increase their numbers. It¡¯s easy to get feed for them, so they reproduce quickly, but unless you know beforehand that they¡¯re slimes, there¡¯s really know way to tell them apart from actual weed or stones. After thinking about the weeds and stones that I gathered for them to feed on, I realized that I might be able to use them as part of the mine¡¯s security, given that they could easily blend into their surroundings wherever there¡¯s weed or stones. But pretty much everywhere fits that bill. To be more precise, I¡¯m thinking of increasing their numbers and planting them all over the abandoned mine to inform me of any intruders. Unfortunately, as quickly as they reproduce, there¡¯s simply not enough of them just yet. There were a lot of monsters that settled down in the mines in the past six months, so I¡¯m thinking of trying out my idea at the eastern tunnels. In an experiment with the rimel birds, I found out that as long as I was in close enough to be able to communicate with the slimes, I would be able to grasp the location and number of the intruders. I think the slime security system has good prospects.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re as devoted to slime research as ever, I see. If you can tell the location and number of the intruders without alerting them, then you should also be able to trap them.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, you¡¯ll likely be able to do that if you use the slimes for security¡­ I also have my familiars take care of the garden security, but those kids just attack intruders on sight. It¡¯s amusing how different they are from your slimes.¡± [Elize] She¡¯s saying that so cheerfully, but if I recall correctly, her familiars are wolf-type monsters. The one she showed me before was well-trained and docile, but it was so big it could easily carry the madam¡¯s body¡­ I feel bad for the invaders of the duke¡¯s family, but if those guys attack on sight, I don¡¯t think even bones will be left. Not that I was planning on it or anything, but I made sure to make a mental note never to trespass the garden. ¡°How is the store doing?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The store is doing well too. There hasn¡¯t been much rain lately and it¡¯s been getting colder too, so working with water is a lot more difficult and the laundry doesn¡¯t dry. At the very least, there were a lot of customers complaining about that. Thanks to that we¡¯ve been frequently updating our best selling days for this year.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ This time of the year is really harsh on child servants.¡± [Elize] The duke and his wife always listen to my stories patiently. Serge-san and Pioro-san too. That¡¯s why I try to be as thorough as I can when talking to them. The festival in the summer, the training with the adventurers guild, and the Monster Tamer Affinity Diagonsis. The various people I met from the troupe of traveling entertainers, the new head of the government office, the man at the adventurers guild talking about his friend. I talked about everything I could. The four adults happily listened to my stories with a warm smile. But when the conversation turned to my goal of going to the Great Shurus Forest¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Serge, Pioro] As expected, they gradually became more worried by the minute. After I spoke about how I rescued a missing person a few days ago, the expression on their faces worsened. ¡°Ryouma-kun. From your expression, I think you have an idea of what we want to say.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, more or less.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then I¡¯ll say it frankly. Hiring criminals isn¡¯t recommended even if they¡¯re former criminals. ¡­It¡¯s true that one reason to commit crime is ¡®I don¡¯t have a job, so I can¡¯t eat.¡¯ There are indeed people who won¡¯t commit a crime if they have work. I won¡¯t deny that. But there¡¯s no reason for ¡®you yourself¡¯ to do it. And there¡¯s not much point to it even if you do put your plans to action. Society is harsh to criminals. Even former criminals.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-kun, I¡¯m sure you mean well, but the risk is really high. There are also people who won¡¯t understand your feelings of wanting to prevent criminals from committing a crime again. If anything happens, you¡¯ll jeopardize your store, which has been going so well.¡± [Elize] ¡°I share their sentiments. Just as His and Her Grace have said, the risks are high and there are no rewards. You¡¯d be fortunate if others merely saw you as an ¡®eccentric¡¯. In the worst case, people will think you¡¯re up to no good, plotting something after gathering a bunch of no gooders. Regardless if you mean well, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s simply how companies are¡­¡± [Pioro] As expected, what they¡¯re saying isn¡¯t that much different from what Carm-san pointed out and from my own personal thoughts. ¡°You¡¯ve already spoken about it to Carm?¡± [Serge] ¡°He possesses an abundance of knowledge as a merchant and always kindly listens to the things I say, so I¡¯m always relying on him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re so deadset on your plan that you would not change your mind even if a subordinate of yours were against it?¡¡Why go so far?¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san couldn¡¯t understand my standpoint and asked that question with emphasis. That¡¯s because¡­ ¡°The reason why I started thinking about this is exactly as I¡¯ve told you earlier, but I¡¯m not so sure of the exact reason myself. If I had to give one, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you had to give one?¡± [Pioro] ¡°I just want to give it a try.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Huh?¡± [Pioro] He leaned toward me, perked up his ear, eager to hear my answer, but when I finally gave it, he only became even more confused. The other three adults also looked at me with eyes wide-open, an expression of disbelief on their faces. ¡°Wait a moment, Ryouma-kun. What do you mean you ¡®want to give it a try¡¯?¡¡That¡¯s it?¡¡That¡¯s your reason to try this high-risk-no-reward plan that¡¯s too big of a burden for one person to carry?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If I were to give my honest thoughts on that matter¡­ Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Carm-san¡­ These four people in front of me¡­ They have every right to be against my plans. Even if I were to try and hire former convicts to prevent them from committing another crime again, I know that it won¡¯t have that big of an effect to society as a whole if it were just me. There were companies that did similar things in my past life, but they did it because of the policies implemented by the country. A country that far exceeded this country be it in people or material wealth. Even if I tried to implement something similar in this world, it won¡¯t have that big of an effect. My efforts would be no different from pouring a filled bucket into an ocean. They¡¯re right when they say that all I¡¯m doing is needlessly risking my business. That¡¯s how anyone would see it. But that¡¯s exactly why I feel this way. Even though these are my feelings, it¡¯s hard to completely understand them even for me. But when I think back to my actions since coming to this world, this is basically what I¡¯ve been doing ever since. ¡°How should I put it¡­ Everyone is aware that I¡¯ve been living at the Forest of Gana until I left with the duke¡¯s family, right?¡± [Ryouma] The four of them nodded. ¡°My life until the Forest of Gana was full of difficulties, so I won¡¯t talk about it, but it wasn¡¯t anything good.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the four adults, especially the duke and the madam, made a bitter expression. ¡°The reason I started living at the forest was because I didn¡¯t want to interact with other people anymore. I could live by myself, so I decided to ¡®live freely at the forest¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t want to go to a human village, so I started living leisurely in the forest and support myself. During that time I also became interested in the slimes and began researching them. But as time passed, I grew curious of the outside world. It was then that Reinhart-san and the others came and I left the forest. ¡°I was interested in adventurers since I left the forest, so I registered myself at the adventurers guild. I wanted to retrain myself, so I parted with everyone and started living by myself. In order to ensure my livelihood in case something bad happened, I opened a store, but I wasn¡¯t really interested in expanding it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡®Live as you wish¡¯ Just as Gayn and the other said. I¡¯ve lived an easygoing life. Freely. Just like the way I wanted it. This is how I¡¯ve lived since coming to this world. And this is the only thing I can say with confidence. That¡¯s why¡­ ¡°¡®I want to give it a try¡¯¡­ These feelings appeared within me, so I believe I can do it. I¡¯m not going to push for it so hard that I would sacrifice anything just to make it a reality, but I want to take things into a better turn now while I¡¯m still young¡­ Is that too childish of me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Where are you being childish!?¡± [Pioro] ¡°If you¡¯re saying you want to do it because you want to, then perhaps. But Ryouma-kun, when it¡¯s you saying it, I feel like it¡¯s not so childish after all.¡± [Elize] ¡°Were you not planning for your old age before?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma-sama, I keep forgetting it whenever I talk to you, but right¡­ You¡¯re still just eleven years-old. A child who acts like an adult¡­¡± [Pioro] It¡¯s rare for us to have teatime. So it¡¯s good that the atmosphere isn¡¯t so grim anymore. ¡°Whatever it is that I¡¯m planning, I won¡¯t change the store¡¯s policies on a whim. I¡¯ll talk to everyone first and only then will I put my plans into action.¡± [Ryouma] I finally have kind people who are willing to lend an ear to me and help me. It would be a waste if I didn¡¯t rely on them now. ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Serge, Pioro] ¡°Huh?¡¡¡­Why are you all looking at me like that?¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, everyone was making a shocked face. Moreover, this was the most shocked they¡¯ve looked this whole day. ¡­Did I say something weird? Chapter 158.1 - Growing a Little? (1/3) ¡°Wait a minute. Ryouma-kun¡­ Were you planning on getting our help from the start?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Huh? ¡­Yes. That is what I was planning. Of course, I did consider that you might refuse, but I figured I would just choke it up to fate then. But you¡¯re always helping me out, so I figured I should at least talk to you¡­¡± [Ryouma] Am I acting too spoiled?¡¡If so then I¡¯ll have to apologize. ¡°No, no! Not at all!¡¡It¡¯s the opposite!¡¡Just hearing you out isn¡¯t anything big.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°We thought for sure you were planning on doing everything by yourself.¡± [Elize] Alone? There¡¯s no way I could possibly be thinking of that. Even I have limits. I may have mentioned something along the lines of ¡®me¡¯ putting this plan into action, but I never said anything about me doing everything all ¡®alone¡¯. And even for ¡®me¡¯, if I were to go ¡®I want to do this, but the risk is high so I won¡¯t do it. Can you take care of it instead?¡¯ Doing something like that is just too insincere. In the first place, I don¡¯t understand this world all that well, so I need to get all the help I can to get me started. Serge-san and Pioro-san are both leaders of giant companies. They possess a wealth of knowledge and are great negotiators themselves. On top of that, they are rich and have plenty of connections. Reinhart-san is a politician and is the duke of the Jamil Duchy, making him the greatest influencer within it. The madam also has considerable influence as the wife of the duke. If such people are willing to work with me, then nothing could be more reassuring. But even if they don¡¯t work with me, they¡¯re always worrying over me and supplementing my lack of common sense. That is something I¡¯m always grateful for. So I¡¯ve always thought of talking to them first. ¡°I see. You said you told us the same thing you told your subordinates, so I thought for sure¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°You thought I would try to do everything alone?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. After all, you do have a tendency to do things by yourself. So I was worrying that you might just start running for your goal thoughtlessly.¡± [Reinhart] The other three adults agreed with Reinhart-san. Did they always see me that way? ¡­Somehow, it¡¯s actually hard to deny it. ¡°Are you now able to rely on others when needed?¡¡In any case, I¡¯m glad that it was us you chose to confide in. And about what you were talking about earlier¡­ I think your thoughts are interesting. At the very least, your perspective is a fresh one that I doubt I would ever hear from anyone else. ¡­Perhaps it¡¯s because what you¡¯re looking at is a little different from what we¡¯re looking at that the things and plans you think of appear to us as either ingenious or eccentric, but¡­¡± He continued. ¡°The opinions of people with a different perspective such as yours are very important. If I only hear the opinions of like-minded people then eventually my perspective will grow narrow. That¡¯s a lot of words, but basically, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I would like to continue hearing your thoughts from here on.¡± [Reinhart] When Reinhart-san said that, I didn¡¯t sense any sort of denial from the other three. I¡¯m sure they all have their own interests to protect, so they might not be able to cooperate with me all the time, but at the very least, they¡¯re not just ignoring me and laughing. Right. If anything it feels like they¡¯re informing me of their stance¡­ ¡°But don¡¯t think that you¡¯ll always get a good response from us.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] Just them hearing me out like this already makes them very flexible as far as people go. In order to get their cooperation, I know I¡¯ll have to show them how cooperating with me will benefit them. I¡¯ve thought about that a little already, so I¡¯ll use this opportunity to appeal to them. ¡°Oh? Sounds like you¡¯ve got a plan. I better perk my ears then.¡± [Serge] Serge-san said that casually, but the color of his eyes changed a little. The aura about him now reminds me of that time when I spoke to him about the music box. Is he doing this on purpose? Either way, because of him I also braced my mind as I spoke. ¡°It¡¯s not complicated enough to be called a plan. But the ¡®slime research¡¯ that I¡¯ve been doing as a hobby has brought about results that might be able to turn in a profit. I was thinking of sharing those with everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bringing the topic back to slimes is so like you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] The madam smiled as she made the atmosphere easier to talk in. Let¡¯s start from Serge-san. It¡¯s nothing new but I started talking about the production of the ¡®Waterproof Cloths¡¯ that has been continuing since I accepted the contract this spring. ¡°I did some investigating myself since I was wondering how they were doing, and from what I¡¯ve gathered, it seems the sale of the waterproof cloths is still continuing to increase.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. In the past, couriers and peddlers have been the main customers, but recently, there has been an increase in people buying one for their own personal use.¡± [Serge] Chapter 158.2 - Growing a Little? (2/3) I myself have seen people wearing rain gear made out of waterproof cloth in Gimuru several times. And then there¡¯s the demand for waterproof cloth from the Morgan Company. The amount they¡¯re asking for has been continuously increasing. Most of the work has been taken over by the sticky slimes, so I¡¯m somehow able to get by, but frankly¡­ It starting to take quite a bit of work. ¡°What do you think? How about building a workshop to further increase the production of the waterproof cloth?¡± [Serge] In other words, a business transfer. The process of treating the cloth can be left to the sticky slimes. But there are parts of the process other than that, such as, preparing the cloth for treatment, drying, shipping¡­ All of which require human help. Even if I were to hire some help in the future, I¡¯d first need the opportunity to be able to hire people. ¡°I will dispatch the sticky slimes needed for the treatment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And then you¡¯ll use the people you¡¯ve gathered to increase the production rate?¡¡¡­It¡¯s true that the value of products made with waterproof cloths is steadily increasing. It would be reassuring if you can implement a system that can easily increase production.¡± [Serge] Serge-san was a little let down, but he didn¡¯t have as much problem with my decision here compared to the previous topic. I need to regulate the production output, so I don¡¯t mind if Serge-san and the Morgan Company takes over the management of the workshop. But as the person dispatching the sticky slimes, I want to receive a part of the proceeds and be given the position of an adviser regarding the usage and management of the slimes. I need the money in order to expand the laundromat later on. ¡°And the right to decide the personnel?¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to you. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t try to hire former convicts. Changes that are too sudden and aggressive tend to cause chaos and friction to spread, so first, I want to start by securing the funds needed to expand my store and solidify its foundation, as well as increase the opportunities to hire people. That being said, there are people in the slums who want to work but have no jobs¡­ I think it would be great if those people could be hired.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm. If they¡¯re just poor, then there¡¯s no problem in including them among the candidates.¡± [Serge] The construction and factory industries were relatively lax on that front, so I figured it might be possible here too. ¡°If those are your conditions, then I think we can look forward to a good outcome. As for the finer details, such as the scale and compensation for the slimes, let¡¯s discuss those another time.¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san gave me a favorable response. This is a good sign. Next was my proposal to Reinhart-san. This isn¡¯t anything new either, but I was wondering what he would think about using the scavenger slimes to dispose of the trash in towns. ¡°Garbage disposal is a part of the public works, but it¡¯s also a part of the slum¡¯s income. If we do as you¡¯re proposing, won¡¯t the scavenger slimes end up taking the jobs of the slum people?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I did consider that, but from what I¡¯ve gathered, the amount of garbage that the town of Gimuru makes is too much for the slum people to deal with.¡± [Ryouma] There are people like Berk and the others who proactively collect the garbage and exchange them for cash. That¡¯s a fact, but it¡¯s also a fact that they aren¡¯t able to collect the garbage of the entire town, and the townspeople themselves have to hire staff from outside the slum to deal with the garbage. One such example is the first job I took from the adventurers guild, where I had to go to Miya-san¡¯s place to deal with the lot next to hers that had turned into a dump site. Unfortunately, there are more lots throughout the city that have turned into dump sites. ¡°Moreover, when the garbage is collected, they bury them. Sometimes they burn the garbage first depending on the contents ¨C for example, when there are animal remains ¨C but this too requires more people. Not to mention, fuel will also have to be procured. If scavenger slimes were to be employed instead, then although a monster tamer will be needed to be present at the site, there will no longer be any need to spend money on fuel. The number of people needed to deal with the garbage will also decrease.¡± [Ryouma] Furthermore, thanks to the Produce Fertilizer skill of the scavenger slimes, the garbage eaten by the scavenger slimes will be turned into fertilizer. I have been using scavenger slime fertilizer for a long time to procure food for myself, but I¡¯ve yet to suffer any side effects. If anything, being able to rely on them makes wood magic less relevant. As far as I¡¯m concerned, the scavenger slime fertilizer is a good fertilizer. There is indeed a possibility of monsterification (mutation due to mana) of crops, but that¡¯s also true for magic fertilizers. And giving too much regular fertilizer often impedes the growth of crops. As long as only the right amount of fertilizer is given, nothing bad should happen. As such, the fertilizer produced by the scavenger slimes can be used either to bolster the agriculture sector or be sold on the market for extra coin. ¡°The proceeds from the fertilizer can then be used to supplement the compensation of the people helping out with the garbage disposal. Of course, it still remains to be seen whether these fertilizer will sell. And frankly, there are still a lot of uncertain factors in this proposal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed¡­ If it¡¯s not too much trouble, though, could you give me some of those fertilizers?¡¡I¡¯d like to show them to our gardener. Our gardener is privy to plants, fertilizers, and medicine so I¡¯m sure we can get some good ideas.¡± [Reinhart] Chapter 158.3 - Growing a Little? (3/3) Because of that it was decided that I will be giving Reinhart-san the scavenger slime fertilizer. We¡¯ll put this plan on hold for now. We¡¯ll continue again once we¡¯ve gotten the opinion of the gardener. It¡¯s also good since this will give them some time to think about things. Next was my success in mass producing Running Mash by using the fertilizer of the scavenger slime. I explained to Pioro-san that I¡¯m currently researching how to cultivate mushrooms without monsterification. I¡¯ve heard that the cultivation of mushroom is one stop toward finding a thousand pieces of gold, so I thought he¡¯d be interested¡­ ¡°Ryouma, is that true?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Of course. All the mushrooms turned into running mash, but I believe it should be possible to cultivate normal mushroom. I¡¯m currently trying to find the right way to cultivate them. By the way, as proof I¡¯ve also talked to Grisiera-san about this and even had a basket full of running mash with me then. You can confirm it with her if you want. If I could use dimension magic here, I would also be able to show you the real thing¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­If you¡¯re going that far, then I guess it must be true. You sure love to bring out crazy stories casually, don¡¯t you?¡± [Pioro] He was interested alright, but at the same time, he was also greatly perplexed. ¡­Let¡¯s move on to the next one. ¡°One of my female researchers recently discovered that the cleaner slime has a beautifying effect.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A beautifying effect?¡¡Now that is very intriguing.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. This proposal is aimed at women.¡± [Ryouma] The cleaner slime can beautify the skin by removing excess keratin and sebum from it. Depending on the constitution and age of the person, one might feel some sense of dryness, but as long as they compensate for that, it should be possible to get a good result. I know that there are also magical charm potions in this world from the medical knowledge of this world that I was given. Also from what I¡¯ve heard recently, medicine at Fei-san¡¯s homeland, the Zilmar Empire, was too expensive for commoners to be able to purchase. As such, they had to rely on needles, acupressure, and massages to straighten up their bodies. Fei-san and Leelin-san have learned those skills. Frankly, beauty stuff is outside my expertise, but I do have a smattering of knowledge on it based on the my female coworkers who researched them zealously. I could never really understand why they were so obsessed about it, but¡­ You really can¡¯t take a woman¡¯s pursuit for beauty lightly. I at least know that much. On top of that¡­ ¡°It makes one wonder just what would happen if slimes, medicinal knowledge, foreign technology¡­ etc. All of these were to be gathered together to pursue beauty.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. That is very very intriguing.¡± [Elize] I only have a vague idea as far as this proposal goes, but the madam¡¯s reaction isn¡¯t bad. Noble women spend money like water when it comes to prettying themselves, so pursuing this path just might open the doors to a great deal of wealth. But what¡¯s more is that with this I might just be able to form a connection with all the rich madams¡­ ¡°So young and yet what a terrifying mind you possess, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Are you planning on seizing the hearts of the married noble women? You sure chose a good target.¡± [Elize] ¡°After all, there¡¯s no end to the noble women who¡¯ve been sent off to be married with nothing but air in their heads.¡± [Serge] ¡°Quite the schemer, aren¡¯t we?¡± [Pioro] ¡°¡­Oh, no. I know I¡¯m the one proposing this plan, but it¡¯s also the one I¡¯m least interested in.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s fun just thinking about it, but if I were to actually try and put it into action, it would end up being a high-risk-high-return plan. Women are strong, but depending on the time and situation, they can become really scary. I learned that well in my past life¡­ ¡°Well, all I¡¯m really doing is considering the possibilities.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? And here I was being very interested¡­ If you ever feel like pursuing it, please do come by and consult me, okay?¡± [Elize] ¡­She won¡¯t pursue it, but she¡¯s not hiding that she¡¯s interested either. ¡°Ah¡­ Anyhow, it seems Ryouma-kun is thinking about a lot of things.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said to help me. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. There are just so many interesting things.¡± [Ryouma] I still have a lot of things I can say regarding the slimes. And there are still a lot topics that can be used. ¡°By the way, are you sure it¡¯s okay to be talking about this to us?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, all I have is the knowledge. I can¡¯t actually implement these things.¡± [Ryouma] In other words, I¡¯m just going all ¡®The slime can do this! And it can do this! And they can do that!¡¯ And if they just understand that then I¡¯m 80% satisfied. That¡¯s why if there¡¯s just someone among the people I know who could make use of these knowledge, I won¡¯t really mind offering it up. ¡°Normally, one would be less willing to share this kind of stuff.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to be frugal with if it¡¯s you guys.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re too unattached to your findings, Ryouma-kun. Please do make sure that you don¡¯t get tricked by some weird people, okay? Remember, if you need someone to talk to, we¡¯re here for you.¡± [Elize] ¡°No matter what it may be, remember, talking is free.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Especially, if it¡¯s something that can turn a profit.¡± [Pioro] The night had gotten fairly late, so we decided to end our conversation here¡­ It felt as if the four adults were worrying over me for a different reason than before, though. What a pity. I still wanted to talk about my findings regarding the bloody slime¡¯s serum¡­ That was actually my best one¡­ Chapter 159.1 - Parental Love (1/2) Takebayashi-sama, it will soon be time for the meeting.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Thank you for informing me. I¡¯ll prepare immediately.¡± [Ryouma] Around the time when the date was about to change, Rurunez-san came to inform me that it was time for the wedding meeting. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you alright?¡¡It¡¯s already a bit late, but¡­¡± [Rurunez] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I hunted in the night in the past. There are also times when I was so caught up with my research that I would just suddenly realize that it was already the morning of the next day. That aside, I am truly very grateful for all of your accommodations. It¡¯s really more than I expected.¡± [Ryouma] Presently, many of my slimes are crawling about in the room I¡¯m staying at, and the rimel birds are staying comfortably at a barn made specifically for bird-type monsters, such as themselves. And while I was waiting for the wedding meeting to begin, Rurunez-san recommended me various magic books from the library of the duke¡¯s residence to read. They¡¯ve put so much effort in accommodating me that I cannot overstate just how grateful I am to them. ¡°This much really isn¡¯t anything to speak of, Ryouma-sama. Feel free to ask for this kind of service anytime. Anyway, shall we?¡± [Rurunez] The magic tools attached to the walls of the halls illuminated the path. It still felt dim, but it was possible to move through the halls unobstructed. That being said¡­ ¡°Rurunez-san, can I ask you a question?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°The thing is I¡¯ve actually been feeling something strange since a while ago. Could it be that there are a lot of barriers here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Barriers?¡¡¡­There are indeed several barriers erected to protect the house from intruders. But there aren¡¯t any such barriers here in particular.¡± [Rurunez] So she says, but I¡¯ve been feeling weird ever since we left the room. I get this strange feeling a lot around corners or entrances. It felt as if someone is trying to find me¡­ I wonder if someone is keeping an eye on me? When I told Rurunez those vague impressions of mine, she stopped walking and turned around. It seems she had an inkling of what I was talking about. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s the house haunting fairy.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°House Haunting Fairy?¡± [Ryouma] I hear fairies are considered as monsters and can supposedly be tamed. Are there fairies here too? ¡°Fairies generally live in nature, but very rarely, they sometimes live in old buildings. This place does get repaired as needed, and it is an old building¡­ I¡¯ve even heard of sightings of some fairies from time to time.¡± [Rurunez] She said matter-of-factly as she walked. ¡°Is this something that happens a lot?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. The ojousama was living here until just half a year ago. People with strong mana are more likely to see fairies and see them. I¡¯ve heard that fairies have previously been spotted around the ojousama and the people near her. I¡¯ve seen them myself many times, and¡­ I hear that when a guest from a foreign country comes with a rare item, the fairies become curious and gather.¡± [Rurunez] So, basically, these house haunting fairies don¡¯t mean any harm to the people living here or the guests. If anything they¡¯re an existence akin to that of a guardian god. In other words, they¡¯re this world¡¯s version of Japan¡¯s Zashiki-warashi? ¡°Fairies like that are here¡­?¡± [Ryouma] The strange feeling vanished. ¡°It¡¯s rare for fairies to show themselves before people, so if you look for them, they¡¯ll vanish. This is true for all fairies and not just House-Haunters. The ojousama also took her maids along with her to look for them, but she never once managed to find one herself.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would probably be best not to be overly concerned with the fairies. If they see you as someone they could have fun with teasing, they will tease you, you know? Or at least that¡¯s what they say.¡± [Rurunez] Real fairies. I want to see one, but if they¡¯re just going to mess with me, it would probably be best to forget about them. While we were talking about that, we arrived at the meeting place. ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± [Ryouma] There was no one responding, so I thought no one was here just yet, but then I saw Hyuzu-san. Only, he was resting his chin on the conspicuous round table at the center of the room. Apparently, he came ahead of us and was already seated at the head of the table. Is he feeling unwell? He looks kind of languid¡­ Hmm?¡¡Is he sleeping? After taking a few steps closer, I was able to hear him snoring. ¡°He¡¯s like this today too, huh¡­¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Today too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Recently, he¡¯s been like this every night.¡± [Rurunez] Apparently, he¡¯s tired because of that training he needs to be promoted that I heard of in the afternoon. Although the guards trust him and he has a good relationship with other people, the increase in office work is really hard on him. ¡­He reminds me of students preparing for an exam. ¡°I¡¯m happy that he¡¯s seriously thinking about me and our future, but I¡¯m worried that he might break down at this rate.¡± [Rurunez] She looked for a cloth in the room to put over Hyuzu-san. When she found one and got in the mood to talk proudly of Hyuzu-san, I heard the door opening from behind. Chapter 159.2 - Parental Love (2/2) ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me.¡± [Ryouma]¡± When I turned around, a middle-aged man carrying a delicious-smelling basket was trying to enter. ¡°You¡¯re¡­?¡± [???] ¡°Butts-san, this person is Takebayashi-sama. He¡¯s the benefactor of my husband and is the person who will be making the idols.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Ah¡­ Come to think of it, I did hear that you were participating in the meeting tonight. So you¡¯re the guy¡ª Erm, I mean you¡¯re the esteemed guest. Pardon my belated introduction, I am Butts. I am the head chef of this residence.¡± [Butts] ¡°I am Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for the delicious supper.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you enjoyed tonight¡¯s supper? That¡¯s good then.¡± [Butts] ¡­I wonder why. But this person feels familiar. I know it¡¯s rude to be thinking this, but despite his soft and peaceful demeanor, he doesn¡¯t appear to be very dignified. He¡¯s not tall in the first place, but because of his bent back, he looks weak. And because of the wrinkles on his face and his thinning hair, he gives me the impression of a father with no place in his house or a useless salary man. ¡°Thank you for coming here yourself today too, Head Chef.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°It¡¯s a much needed meeting to make my daughter¡¯s important event a good memory, after all. This much is nothing.¡± [Butts] ¡°Daughter?¡± [Ryouma] Hah?¡¡This two are father and daughter?¡¡But Butts-san is human¡­ ¡°Butts-san has taken care of me ever since I was young. He¡¯s like a real parent to me.¡± [Rurunez] Noticing my confusion, Butts-san himself also added. ¡°Her parents worked here as a maid and as a guard¡­ They helped me a lot when I was just an apprentice here. I looked after her to repay them, but before I knew it, I started looking after her as my own daughter.¡± [Butts] ¡°My parents died when I was young due to accidents while on duty. Reinbach-sama couldn¡¯t just leave me alone after I was left behind and permitted me to live at the residence as a maid apprentice. The people working here are both my coworkers and my family.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°¡­I never knew you had that kind of circumstance.¡± [Ryouma] I did think they were treating her rather special, what with borrowing the residence to hold the ceremony. I thought since it¡¯s these people we¡¯re talking about, it only made sense, but it seems that she also played with Reinhart-san for a period of time and served as a caretaker for the madam who came from another family to be wedded into this family. The experience, skills, and loyalty of someone like her who has been here at the residence since young is very highly appraised. As such, important duties are often entrusted to her. ¡°That kid who was too young at first and couldn¡¯t do any job at all is now big enough to get married.¡± [Butts] ¡°How many times have you brought that story up already? ¡­Like I said, it¡¯s thanks to everyone who didn¡¯t abandon me in those days and helped raised me up that I¡¯m here today.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°But even then¡­ I think a servant who¡¯s been working for a long time will feel the same way, you know?¡± [Butts] Rurunez-san blushed a little and became speechless. ¡°Takebayashi-Sama¡­¡± [Butts] ¡°Ah, please just call me Ryouma.¡± [Ryouma] I know he sees me as a guest, but I¡¯d prefer if he could just call me normally. I¡¯m going to be working with them to make this wedding a success, so it would be best if they don¡¯t mind me too much. I know there¡¯s a difference in status, but it would still be nice if he could forget about that here. As I asked him that, he nodded. ¡°It seems Hyuzu-san is acquainted with you.¡± [Butts] ¡°Yes. We haven¡¯t known each other for long, but he has helped me before.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, please be his ally. While I don¡¯t particularly hate him or anything, and I¡¯m most certainly not against their wedding, but¡­ For some reason, I just can¡¯t help but be harsh on him.¡± [Butts] As he bitterly smiled with those kind eyes of his, he put down the basket on the round table. ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Oh? Are you awake?¡± [Butts] ¡°Ah, that¡¯s no good. I fell asleep. Boss Butts. Is it time for the meeting?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It¡¯s yet to start. But it¡¯s the meeting for a very important event. It¡¯s only natural to wake the sleeping groom, no?¡± [Butts] ¡°That¡¯s true. Oh, hey. Ryouma and Rurunez are here too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°We¡¯ve been here since a while ago, actually.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You finally noticed. Can the groom really afford to be like this? ¡­If Rurunez cried because of you, the stress from that would surely make my hair fall off¡­ Won¡¯t poor me have no hair then? While cooking, I might just accidentally drop a hair tonic in your food.¡± [Butts] ¡°Spare me the hair tonic, old man!¡¡And quit it with the poor attempt at snide remarks. You suck at acting and you take too long¡­ In the first place, I¡¯m not planning on making her cry.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°And hopefully you never will.¡± [Butts] He probably isn¡¯t the kind of person to say things like this normally. But his feelings are complicated. Unfortunately, there¡¯s no way for me to understand those feelings since I¡¯ve never been a parent myself. Everyone has their own circumstances and feelings¡­ Rurunez was standing between them, but she walked away and just watched the two of them talk. The room gradually filled with people, and before long, it was time for the meeting to begin. Chapter 160.1 - The Situation of the Meeting That Couldn’t Be Spoken About (1/2) The next day. ¡°So, what will you be doing now, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinhart] For some reason or another, I was asked that during breakfast. My answer was a given. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of looking for a demolition job at the adventurers guild.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A demolition job?¡¡Nothing wrong with work and all, but why?¡± [Reinhart] The reason is because last night¡¯s meeting. I was participating for the first time, so the meeting started out with a confirmation of the things that have already been completed and a progress report on the ongoing jobs. When I was starting to understand the situation¡­ ¡°I have a proposal.¡± [Hyuzu] The groom, Hyuzu-san, suddenly said that. His proposal was aimed toward the entire venue, and he wanted to entrust a portion of the construction to me. ¡°The venue for the ceremony is at the rear garden, right? And the wedding ceremony will be done in the elven manner? Even the maids alone should be able to handle that.¡± [Elize] ¡°They¡¯re doing the Elven Ceremony, yes, but a human church needs to be built at the center of the venue.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I thought the exact same thing last night. I was all, ¡®What is he talking about?¡¯¡± [Ryouma] When I thought back to the situation last night, I can¡¯t help but want to wryly smile¡­ In order to explain this, first I need to explain the particularities of the wedding ceremonies. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the human wedding ceremony. Curtly put, in human wedding ceremonies, the vows are made according to the church, before a clergyman, friends, and families, right?¡¡The reception may vary depending on one¡¯s financial standing, but that¡¯s not the case for the ceremony itself.¡± [Ryouma] After confirming that the duke, his wife, Serge-san, and Pioro-san all nodded, I continued. ¡°Unlike human wedding ceremonies, however, in the elven style of wedding ceremonies, tables and food are lined up around an open space, while an elder or person of high social standing (someone with responsibility) will take on the role of the clergyman. The vows are similarly made in front of one¡¯s friends and relatives, but after that, the people will share the food and begin a banquet.¡± [Ryouma] There are more elves living in human towns nowadays, but in the olden days, the elves lived in small villages built in nature. It was under that kind of environment that they became acquainted with humans and the custom of celebrating weddings in villages naturally came to be. Also, although this wedding ceremony is credited to the elves and is known as Elven Ceremony, the ceremony itself doesn¡¯t actually have anything to do with race and is regularly practiced in rural areas. The wedding ceremony of Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san will be the Elven Ceremony just as the madam had said, but this was decided due to the number of participants. In order to accept even more friends coming to celebrate, they decided to go all out on the people attending the meeting, the volunteers, and even the reception. But most importantly, it¡¯s because it was believed that Rurunez-san has always admired the elven way of the wedding ceremony. ¡°But the truth is that she¡¯s long admired the human way of doing the ceremony. Although it¡¯s not a lie that she does like the elven ceremony too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°She¡¯s a girl, so it¡¯s only normal for her to fuss over the kind of ceremony. She could have just said so if she preferred it that way.¡± [Elize] ¡°She has a tendency to be reserved, after all¡­¡± [Reinhart] She never said anything, but Hyuzu-san noticed and made suggestions to change the program accordingly. At first, everyone at the meeting thought it would only make things needlessly complicated, but when they found out that it was what Rurunez-san wanted, they started giving out ideas. In the end, Hyuzu-san asked for my cooperation. He knew that I built my store in less than a week, so he figured that if it was me, I could make their plans a reality. He also said that just asking is free. His frankness is really his strong point¡­ Rurunez-san hadn¡¯t spoken out originally because she didn¡¯t have the nerve to, but she was really happy that Hyuzu-san noticed her feelings. Hyuzu-san also noticed that she was happy, and although he was originally talking seriously, somewhere someway the atmosphere turned sweet, and the people participating at the meeting looked at the soon-to-be-wed couple with envy and weariness. But this was something that Hyuzu-san ¡®achieved¡¯, so although the people in the meeting were fed up of their sweet atmosphere, they just watched over them. Some of the men were crying tears of blood, though. ¡°I don¡¯t really feel like talking about their lovey-dovey atmosphere, so I¡¯ll just skip that part, but anyway¡­ In the end, it was decided that the stage will be made in the style of the church. The stage will have to accommodate the idols I make, the groom, the wife, and a representative from the clergy. Of course, there also needs to be some leeway left or it¡¯ll be too cramped. The entrance needs to be big, so that others can see from outside.¡± [Ryouma] I think something like the roofed resting areas in parks or a small shed should do. ¡°The off duty gardener and guards will also be lending a hand, so as soon as the design is decided, it will only take one ¨C to be safe ¨C two days to finish.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. If it¡¯s you, well, you do have a track record. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to finish the construction in a short time.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I want to see the different sights of this town and check its guilds out, so I figured I might as well get a job that can also help me obtain some materials.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 160.2 - The Situation of the Meeting That Couldn’t Be Spoken About (2/2) If I can¡¯t find work or if I finish quickly, then I¡¯ll move to finishing the design of the gods. Hyuzu-san said he¡¯d pay for the cost of the materials since it¡¯s his selfish request, but I¡¯m sure there are a lot of other things that he has to pay out of his own pocket. It¡¯s best to save money wherever possible. Fortunately, they don¡¯t mind me making the idols out of recycled materials. ¡°You¡¯ll be back by supper, right?¡± [Elize] The madam seems to be reminding me not to overwork myself. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be in your care tonight too.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t want them to worry for me, but for some reason, it seems they don¡¯t really trust me when it comes to not overworking myself. After breakfast. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I rode a carriage. ¡®If you¡¯re going out, then ride the carriage!¡¯¡¡The madam told me as she sent her servants running to get me one. I¡¯m probably the only adventurer in the world who¡¯s being driven around on a carriage with the crest of the duke¡¯s family. I wanted to refuse, but she was really persistent about it, and in the end, it was decided that I would be on the carriage until I got out of the nobles district. ¡°Somehow, it feels like the madam is even more protective than before¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°She¡¯s been separated from her daughter. She must be very lonely, no?¡± [Fei] I was just talking to myself thoughtlessly, but Fei-san answered. He was staying last night with Serge-san¡¯s servants, but since I would be going out today, he came to accompany to me. ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No decent parent would want to be separated from their children. It might not be a good idea to go too far with that kind of thinking, but using a carriage to move around is common sense to the nobles.¡± [Fei] I guess sending off one¡¯s child on a carriage is still within the realm of normalcy¡­ Wait a moment?¡¡Fei-san knows that Elia started going to the academy? ¡°The duke and his wife summoned me yesterday.¡± [Fei] ¡°What!?¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°They seemed to know about my previous occupation. They just wanted to confirm that there were no problems. They never really stopped talking about their daughter when I asked if she was here.¡± [Fei] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯re good people, but they¡¯re from the duke¡¯s family and are nobles. It¡¯s normal for them to be on guard against suspicious people in their territory, so it¡¯s not particularly strange even if they know. In the first place, the guild master probably reported about them ever since she took them in and helped them get work. Still, I never thought they would actually meet him face to face and start talking about their daughter. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m glad there are no problems.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no problems at all¡­ In fact, they gave me a written guarantee for my identification and a recommendation to the adventurers guild. They provided one for Leelin too. In exchange, they told me to take care of your store.¡± [Fei] ¡°Now that¡¯s lavish hospitality¡­¡± [Ryouma] Fei-san took out a luxurious-looking letter from his chest. It was sealed by the same family crest that was on this carriage. ¡°¡­Well, we¡¯re going there anyway, so how about registering now?¡¡You can¡¯t accompany me to work anyway.¡± [Ryouma] For foreigners like them, these documents will greatly increase their freedom in this country. Although I don¡¯t plan on binding them while they¡¯re working in my store, it¡¯s still good to have options for when they feel like retiring. Besides, if I were to hand them something similar face to face, it would probably be hard for them to accept them without any burden. ¡°Right. With this we can live a normal life anyway. I¡¯ll take this opportunity to register.¡± [Fei] He seemed to be worrying about it a little, but in the end, he decided to register. If an opportunity ever presents itself, it might be a good idea to take on a job with the three of us together. ¡°Oh, right. By the way, did you ever feel like you were being watched since yesterday?¡± [Ryouma] I talked to him about the House Haunting Fairy that Rurunez-san spoke to me about, and he seemed to have an idea. ¡°I thought for sure I was being monitored.¡± [Fei] ¡°Me too. Normally, that¡¯s what you¡¯d think, right?¡± [Ryouma] Technically, we were being monitored, though. It¡¯s just that the fairies were doing it on their own. ¡°Still, fairies that protect a house, huh? That sure is rare. Back at my country, we had fairies that called misfortune on their landowners. They¡¯re said to be born from house owners that died. Especially, those that died a cruel death.¡± [Fei] ¡°¡­Are you sure those are fairies?¡¡Not ghost-type or undead-type monsters?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In my country, those are all referred to as ¡®Gwi¡¯. It also means monster beast, so that might be the case. In order to drive those Gwi away, we use¡­ In the language here, I suppose you¡¯d refer to it as Necromancy, I think. Anyway, There¡¯s a branch of magic like that, and that¡¯s what¡¯s used against them.¡± [Fei] ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, I think it¡¯s safe to say that you¡¯re referring to some kind of evil spirit.¡± [Ryouma] Hearing about a new type of magic piqued my curiosity. Fei-san and I talked until the carriage reached its destination. Chapter 161.1 - Hobby and Benefit and Unexpected (1/2) ¡°Boss!¡¡Someone came to register!¡± [Guild Employee] ¡°Yeah!¡¡Bring him here!!¡± [Boss] It was like a bunch of bandits talking among themselves¡­ I parted with Fei-san, who went to register at the adventurers guild, and went to the reception desk to apply for a convenient demolition job. When I got to the site, the man in charge openly frowned. ¡°A weak looking guy came.¡± [Receptionist] I look like a child, after all. I¡¯m used to it already. ¡°Good morning. Here are my papers.¡± [Ryouma] I showed him the documents for the job and my guild card. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re an adventurer here to take on a job, are you?¡¡Look, the jobs here may be simple, but¡ª Ah?¡¡¡­You look young, but you¡¯re already a D Rank?¡± [Boss] ¡°Yes!¡¡I¡¯m confident in my endurance and I specialize in Earth Magic.¡± [Ryouma] A mage, huh¡­ Well, fine then. What do you mean you need these materials? ¡¡Are you fine with the rubble from the demolished building?¡¡You¡¯re fine with the specified reward?¡± [Boss] It¡¯s good that he¡¯s quick to talk. That makes it convenient for me. This kind of atmosphere is nostalgic. ¡°Of course, but I¡¯d like to get as much rubble as possible. I can use dimension magic, so there won¡¯t be any problems with transporting them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take as much as you want then. Hey! Take this kid to the back!¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Just as the receptionist at the guild said, I was readily permitted to work. Apparently, this place specializes in demolitions. They hire people outside their company to take away the rubble left behind from their work. The money paid by the client for the demolition includes their expenses, so if they can reduce the amount of rubble that they have to outsource, then they will be able to reduce the costs by that much. They don¡¯t really look like they expect much from me, but the pay is commission-based, so they¡¯re not really losing out in having me here. ¡°Here¡¯s the place!¡¡This is what you¡¯ll be in charge of.¡± [Young Man] The place the young man brought me to was at the very back of the place I was at awhile ago. It was exactly as the boss had said. But there¡¯s no one here. Just a part of a wall from a large structure that¡¯s collapsed a few meters. ¡°No one is here right now, but this is where the earth mages work.¡± [Young Man] ¡°It¡¯s different from the others.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From what I hear, it¡¯s because people need to concentrate when using magic and when mages run out of mana they become a hindrance.¡± [Young Man] True. People can find themselves in so much pain that they can¡¯t even stand when they run out of mana. I suppose given how dangerous the construction site is, it¡¯s a big problem if they collapse there. ¡°We don¡¯t pay without results, so we don¡¯t really mind when people work themselves like a dog. For the mean time, what you¡¯ll be destroying is the wall here. Just the area inside the lot. Don¡¯t touch the road or the other structures. And be careful not to get hurt from the falling debris. That¡¯s all. Also, I¡¯ll leave this here just in case.¡± [Young Man] The man placed the demolition hammer on his shoulder and rested it against the wall that was to be destroyed. ¡°You can rest if you want, but you¡¯re an adventurer, so you should show some guts.¡± [Young Man] As he said that, he left. ¡­Is it really such a good idea to leave a beginner in a place where the field overseer or the person next in command can¡¯t see? The person from the guild said that this demolition company has had a shortage of workers since forever. I suppose that really must be the case. ¡°¡­Alright!¡± [Ryouma] Well, whatever. The orders were kind of rough, but I¡¯ll just get to work. First up¡­ ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I summoned a metal slime and had it transform. I folded a towel to form several layers and placed it above my head, then I ordered the metal slime to cover my head like a helmet. The convenience of metal and iron slimes. I reminded myself of the importance of wearing a helmet at a construction site. ¡­Come to think of it, I¡¯ve never seen anyone working while wearing a helmet since coming to this world. The people working here also don¡¯t have any helmet equipped. Maybe I should try developing safety boots and other similar products too. If I were to use the sticky slime materials¡­ Oops. Mind started wandering again there. Let¡¯s put that thought off for later¡­ ¡± ¡®Break Rock¡¯ !!¡± [Ryouma] I started by casting a spell on the wall. As a part of the wall collapsed, a hole with a diameter of 40cm opened. I was able to penetrate the wall a little, but I went ahead and made another smaller 10cm hole. I guess this much mana can only do this much¡­ The hole is a lot smaller than I thought. This wall might be using that paint that obstructs earth magic that I heard of before. In that case, I¡¯ll have to exert more mana and cast a stronger spell. ¡± ¡®Break Rock¡¯ !!¡± [Ryouma] I opened a hole much bigger than before. By increasing the amount of mana used and increasing the firepower of the spell, I was able to open a bigger hole. ¡°It works, but this is too inefficient¡­¡± [Ryouma] The collapsed wall turned into sand and scattered by my feet. Although I can destroy the wall like this, there¡¯s no need to go out of my way and turn the wall into sand. Even the people working outside are just using a hammer to demolish the place. It should be fine as long as I turn the wall into lumps small enough to be carried. ¡­Right. Let¡¯s adjust my methods. ¡°I visualized the scope of my spell not as a surface but as a line and drew it from the top of the wall to the ground¡­ ¡®Break Rock¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] My mana penetrated the wall and sand fell down from the wall in front of me. It was as if the wall was full of sand. After the sand fell, an a groove of about 2cm big with a lot of bumpy areas formed. ¡°Success!¡¡The same amount of mana is able to penetrate the wall much better. With this I should be able to cut the wall into a convenient size.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 161.2 - Hobby and Benefit and Unexpected (2/2) Just one thing, though¡­ I¡¯m concerned about the uneven area formed after casting the spell. I was trying to visualize a straight line, but it seems my control was lacking. ¡°One more time¡­¡± [Ryouma] I visualized harder and imagined a blade cutting the wall. I calmed down my heart and patiently controlled my mana. I also changed the name of the spell to make it easier to visualize. ¡°¡­ ¡®Stone Cutter¡¯ !¡¡¡­I guess this is good enough.¡± [Ryouma] The cut was a lot cleaner this time around and the groove formed were about half as wide as before. The cut itself was also smoother. I wish the cut would be even narrower, but this is good enough for now. I¡¯ll think of how to do that later. ¡°Next is¡­¡± [Ryouma] After the second cast of the spell, the wall now resembled a pillar somewhat. I tried crushing that wall with a spell. After all, I am able to succeed in controlling Break Rock¡­ It should be fine if I¡¯m a bit rough. I went ahead and visualized the wall cracking. ¡°¡­ ¡®Crack¡¯!¡¡Alright!¡¡Another success!¡± [Ryouma] A lightning-like crack formed on the detached part, then the wall broke from the middle and collapsed with a thunderous roar toward the front. As expected, earth magic really has a lot of freedom. Although it¡¯s also because I¡¯m used to it, but it¡¯s really easy to do what you want with it. ¡°Ah, maybe I can do even that.¡± [Ryouma] I thought of something and gave it a try. Somehow this has gotten really fun! What I thought of was those crater things that I often saw in manga. Those craters that formed when someone got hit and was sent smashing to some piece of earth. Right. Let¡¯s call it¡­ ¡± ¡®Wall Break¡¯ !!¡± [Ryouma] I mustered even more mana than I have so far and pushed it into the wall, then I made it flow all over it. Then spider-nest-like cracks formed deeply on the wall, and the wall started to collapse. I¡¯m sure the wall will collapse if I continue at this just a little more. ¡°Oh!¡± [Ryouma] A result just as I¡¯d imagined! And it sped up my work by a whole lot too! ¡°About 2 meters in diameter, I guess.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s a huge progress compared to the initial 40cm I was working with. I¡¯m using more mana now than before, but considering how much I¡¯m able to cover, this way is still more efficient. If I cast this spell another time, I will have collapsed most of this wall. ¡°What¡¯s going on!?¡± [Young Man] ¡°Huh!?¡± [Ryouma] While I was having fun with the results of my magic, the man from before came back. ¡°Good job out there!¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ve been hearing a lot of loud sounds coming from here since a while ago, so the boss told me to go take a look. Did you do this?¡± [Young Man] ¡°Yes!¡¡I tried doing it in my own style!¡¡What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You might actually be an amazing mage.¡± [Young Man] ¡°Thank you very much.¡¡I¡¯m skilled at earth magic and people say my mana is equal to that of imperial court mages.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In any case, there doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems, so please continue. I have other orders, but I don¡¯t really know what to do, so I¡¯ll just call my boss.¡± [Young Man] ¡°I understand!¡± [Ryouma] After that the field overseer himself acknowledged my work and I continued destroying walls. Work ended around noon. I was able to store a lot of rubble into my dimension home, so I was able to go back in high spirits. As I was about to leave¡­ ¡°Hey. If you want you can work with us permanently.¡± [Boss] Their boss offered me employment, but I courteously refused. I went back to the adventurers guild to rendezvous with Fei-san. ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re so strong~¡± [Pretty Female Adventurer 1] ¡°If you want, you can party with us.¡± [Pretty Female Adventurer 2] ¡°Unfortunately, I have another job. Thank you for inviting me though.¡± [Fei] ¡°Uncle, are you single?¡± [Pretty Female Adventurer 3] ¡°I have a daughter as young as you girls!¡± [Fei] Fei-san was really popular with the pretty female adventurers. ¡°Damn it!¡¡If I just called out to them sooner!¡± [Envious Adventurer 1] ¡°Just who is that old man!¡± [Envious Adventurer 2] ¡°Umm~ Excuse me. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, according to the male adventurers who were looking at Fei-san full of envy, Fei-san had taken a job after registering and was able to succeed. He then went to the receptionist to report. It so happened that a party of female adventurers that was starting to get popular was on the counter next to him. ¡°It was then that a group of adventurers infamously known for their poor habits with women came. They had just finished work, so they wanted to drink¡­¡± [Envious Adventurer 1] That group saw the group of female adventurers and wanted to mingle. Although the group of male adventurers had a bad habit with women and liquor, they were stronger than the female adventurers and wouldn¡¯t listen to the receptionist woman when she tried to stop them. Fei-san couldn¡¯t just watch without doing anything, so he called out to them. Unfortunately, he hurt their and he had to hold them down. And now, the situation is like this¡­ Hey, Fei-san, what story are you a protagonist in? ¡°Ah, Boss!¡¡Save me!¡¡Why are you just standing there watching!?¡± [Fei] Ah, he found me. As for why I was just standing here, it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t understand the situation and didn¡¯t really know whether it would be a good idea to call out in the first place. I mean¡­ Look at those eyes! Those women are scary!¡¡Those are the eyes of a carnivorous predator! ¡°¡­Sorry. Please wait a while longer. I have to report the success of my job. Also, I don¡¯t specialize in female relationships, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss!¡¡Boss!¡± [Fei] Reporting the completion of a job is absolutely crucial to adventurers. I¡¯ll come back as soon as I¡¯m done. So, Fei-san, just wait a little bit longer. And if possible, please do something about those women by the time I get back! I quickly walked to the counter. Chapter 162 - For a Tired Body ¡°Ryouma-sama!¡± [Arone] After somehow suppressing the tumult in the adventurers guild, I returned to the residence of the duke¡¯s family. Arone-san called out to me with a frightfully serious face. ¡°¡­What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to talk to you regarding Rurunez¡¯ wedding¡­ I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you when you¡¯ve just returned, but could you spare me some of your time?¡± [Arone] ¡°If I can be of help, then sure.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know what happened, but I decided to follow Arone-san for the time being. Before long, I heard the women coming from across the halls. ¡°¡ªRa!¡¡¡ªDesu!¡± [???] ¡°No!¡¡Nez¡ª!¡± [???] ¡°?¡¡¡ªnez¡¯ hair¡ª¡± [???] ¡­It feels like they¡¯re arguing about something¡­ ¡°I apologize on behalf of the younger maids. This is not proper behavior at all for a maid.¡± [Arone] As Arone-san said that she swung opened the door from which the voices were coming from. ¡°You girls!¡¡What foolishness is this!?¡¡We can hear your voices all the way from the halls!¡± [Arone] Suddenly, the voices froze. But at the same time, Arone-san¡¯s expression also stiffened. ¡°Madam! You were here?¡± [Arone] Apparently, without her knowing, the madam had joined in on the maids. ¡°Good day~ Oh, Ryouma-kun!¡¡You¡¯re back, I see.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you for your hard work. I was informed there was something I was needed for regarding the wedding ceremony. Is now a good time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course. Please enter.¡± [Elize] ¡°I¡¯ll prepare a seat for you.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°I¡¯ll pour you some tea.¡± [Maid 2] ¡°And I¡¯ll get some sweets.¡± [Maid 3] The maids moved about in a hurry and the atmosphere became vaguely delicate. Before long, the meeting was started once again. ¡°Arone-san, you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s about the venue for the wedding ceremony. Specifically, these things¡­¡± [Arone] What she showed me were five familiar sheets of paper. They were the designs I drew in the meeting last night. I myself was never married, but most of my cowokers, who were nearing 40, were. Invitations and photos of the ceremonies were frequently sent out. I thought they were relatively appreciative of the designs, but¡­ ¡°A lot of people have been inspired by those drawings of yours and have started giving out ideas.¡± [Arone] Next, I was handed a list on which was written what changes people wanted to implement. Some of the contents on the list read: ¡®I want this part done like this¡¯ ¡®I think it would be better if we did it more like this¡¯¡­ and so on and so forth. ¡°As a final check, I would like to get your opinion to know which ones are possible and which ones aren¡¯t.¡± [Arone] ¡°I understand!¡± [Ryouma] Use a bell tower for the wedding bells¡­ If there¡¯s room, then it should be fine. Lay a stone pavement for the venue¡­ This is also possible. Decorations on the walls and pillars¡­ Possible, but depending on what kind of decorations and how many, they might make it hard to see the ceremony. ¡­ ¡°¡­There. I¡¯m done, Arone-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. We¡¯ll use this as a reference to finalize the requests for the venue.¡± [Arone] There were a lot of questions but the essence was the same. At this rate, we can start construction as soon as tomorrow. ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you too. ¡­?¡± [Ryouma] Checking that list took a lot more time than I expected. Most of the servants in the room had changed from when I first came in. The only ones still here from earlier were Arone-san and the madam. ¡°How much time did I take?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About 2 hours, I think?¡¡Want to eat something?¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you very much. But I already had some sweets while I was working on the list.¡± [Ryouma] Actually, why is the madam here? When I asked that, the madam¡¯s smile broke. It was rare to see her not smiling. ¡°A guest I don¡¯t want to meet suddenly came, so I made myself scarce.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­So there are people like that too, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right~¡­¡± [Elize] I¡¯m curious what kind of person it is, but the madam seems unhappy, so I¡¯ll just change the topic. ¡°¡­That sounds tough. Do you get tired having to deal with so many guests every day?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s part of my work. It can¡¯t be helped. I sure would love to go to a hot spring, though.¡± [Elize] ¡°Do you love hot springs?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you know that father-in-law owns a territory in the Fire Dragon Mountains?¡± [Elize] ¡°Ah, I heard from Branch Head Taylor¡­ That after forming a contract with a divine beast he gained various rewards and authorities.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. One of the rewards he received was a territory in the Fire Dragon Mountains, where a Hot Spring Town currently is. We visited it a lot in the past. The hot spring there can wash away one¡¯s fatigue and improve one¡¯s health.¡± [Elize] ¡°Wow¡­ I¡¯d love to go once. I wonder how the quality of the water is there.¡± [Ryouma] She¡¯s piqued my interest a little. I wonder if there¡¯s some kind of fantasy-element mixed in. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the quality of the water, but it¡¯s bubbly and hot, and if you take a dip, your body will be warmed up and your skin will turn red.¡± [Elize] Bubbly? So a carbonated spring?¡¡Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any magical or special effects. That¡¯s a bit of a let down, but maybe I can help ease her fatigue if I make her a bath bomb. ¡­Let¡¯s suggest it. ¡°You can prepare hot spring water?¡± [Elize] The madam was more interested than I¡¯d thought. Her eyes were sparkling. ¡°I can make a bathing agent that makes the water closer to that of hot spring water, provided I have the ingredients.¡± [Ryouma] The necessary ingredients to make a bath bomb are baking soda and citric acid. Add some potato starch or corn starch to it and mix, lightly moisten it with a spray, and then dry in a mold and your done. Perfumed oil can be added too, but just baking soda and citric acid are enough to generate carbon dioxide. For baking soda, I could make it using salt or the caustic soda that some of the acid slimes waiting for evolution are feeding on. Citric acid can also be extracted from some random fruit with alchemy. (To ensure safety, I¡¯ll limit the ingredients used to just food items.) ¡°¡­Right. I should be able to make it as long as I have the ingredients.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is this ¡®bath bomb¡¯ that secret medicine that possesses beautifying effects that you mentioned yesterday?¡± [Elize] Secret medicine? Calling a bath bomb a secret medicine sounds nice and all, but I¡¯m afraid what others might think if I actually called it that. ¡°It¡¯s not that amazing¡­ Although it¡¯s plenty good in its own right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What do you need?¡¡If it¡¯s something I can prepare, I¡¯ll get them ready.¡± [Elize] ¡°In that case, can you get a basket full of lamon (lemon-like fruit) brought to the room?¡¡As well as ¡®mumitou¡¯ used in making bread? If you can also provide a good-quality vegetable oil that won¡¯t cause the skin to break out, then I can make another thing called ¡®Sugar Scrub¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll get them prepared immediately. Arone.¡± [Elize] ¡°Understood. A basket full of lamon, mumitou, and vegetable oil, yes?¡¡I should be able to gather everything with a trip to the kitchen. Ryouma-sama, please wait at your room.¡± [Arone] ¡°How long will it take to make them?¡± [Elize] ¡°Sugar Scrubs are made with a ratio of 1:1, so I¡¯ll be able to make them immediately. But for the bath bombs, I have to test them out first to ensure that they¡¯re safe, but even then it should only take about 30 minutes at most.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± [Elize] And like that, I ended up making bath bombs and sugar scrubs purely out of good will. But¡­ ¡°¡­Hey, did you hear?¡± [Maid 4] ¡°Did you hear? Did you hear? Apparently, he¡¯s making a secret medicine that will turn you into a beauty.¡± [Maid 5] As soon as I left the room, the maids started gossiping. It¡¯s really not so big of a deal for it to be called a secret medicine¡­ Thinking that, I just ignored the gossiping maids. Unbeknownst to me, however, a small uproar started brewing within the residence of the duke¡¯s family. Chapter 163.1 - Second Day Meeting (1/3) After supper. In the same reception room of the residence as last night, the duke and his wife and the two presidents of the two big companies were all gathered together again. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were properly informed beforehand. It¡¯s fine. Good job feeding your slimes.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You have so many different slimes and so many of them, it must have been difficult feeding them all.¡± [Elize] ¡°Come to think of it, how many different slimes do you have now anyway?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Presently, there are 19 variants. And there are four from those that I¡¯m expecting to evolve.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They seem to number in the tens of thousands too. Taking care of them must be difficult.¡± [Serge] ¡°I feed them per variant, so it¡¯s not that difficult. Reinhart-san. Thank you for providing even the feed of the slimes. It was a huge help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A lot of people have been telling me how grateful they are to have the garbage dealt with. Feel free to ask for more whenever while you¡¯re here.¡± [Reinhart] As I answered their questions, I sat myself beside the madam. ¡°Now then, Ryouma-kun. Let¡¯s continue our conversation the other day. Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d love to do, but¡­ Today there are two things we have to discuss first. A message had just been brough in.¡± [Reinhart] I wonder if there¡¯s a problem. There was an unusually heavy atmosphere about Reinhart-san as the madam distributed a bundle of documents to all of us. Flipping through the pages, I noted that a portrait, a crime, and an amount was written on them. ¡°A wanted poster¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The other half of those documents is information pertaining to damages incurred from bandits. These were reported by chance while I was working today. The three of you travel a lot, so I thought you should know.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Pioro] Safety on the roads is the lifeline of peddlers. Serge-san and Pioro-san were both grateful as they zealously looked through the documents. But I was more concerned about the wanted posters. ¡°The bounty varies quite a bit from person to person, huh.¡± [Ryouma] Even if they committed the same crime, there¡¯s a difference in bounty ranging anywhere from 10 small gold coins to several hundred coins. The biggest bounty fetches a luxurious sum of 2 platinum coins. When I asked why that was, Reinhart-san gently told me why. ¡°The bounty is decided based on the damages caused by the person and how much danger he possesses, but the nobles and merchants who¡¯ve suffered damages are free to add to the bounty. The bandits with platinum coin bounties on them are from a gang of thieves that specializes in stealing from jewelers. They¡¯re rather famous.¡± [Reinhart] They mostly go after jewels, so the damages caused by their actions are really big. Moreover, they incur not only the anger of the jewelers but also the nobles who wish to buy them. Because of that their bounty is inflated. ¡°They don¡¯t commit crimes frequently, but they plan their crimes out and proceed carefully. Moreover, they have several good dimension mages with them, so they¡¯re quick to flee and it¡¯s hard to pick up on their trail. Of course, their victims have guards with them too. So the fact that they¡¯ve continued to succeed until now shows that they¡¯re plenty strong themselves. I¡¯ve never heard of an individual being attacked, but¡­ You should be careful too, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I understand. Thank you for warning me.¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s probably referring to the diamond I was wearing with my suit yesterday. He didn¡¯t say anything, but as expected, he has a trained eye. ¡°Next is¡­ Oh, right. About the scavenger slime fertilizer you gave me yesterday. A report was given regarding it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, really?¡¡That¡¯s rather quick.¡± [Elize] As the madam says, was their gardener able to make a judgment on its safety and other factors that quickly? ¡°Yes¡­ Ryouma-kun. Do you know about the ¡®Forest of the Earth Mother God¡¯?¡± [Reinhart] Earth Mother God? I would imagine that¡¯s probably Willieris-sama, but I¡¯ve never heard of a forest. ¡°I see. Artura¡­ It¡¯s a country in the east, but that¡¯s where our head gardener comes from. The Earth Mother God of the Forest has become the object of worship of many people and is a holy land. According to that gardener, the fertilizer you gave is similar to the soil of that place.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] The soil of a holy land is similar to the fertilizer of a scavenger slime?¡¡I never thought I¡¯d hear something like that. ¡°Rich in mana and highly compatible with the wood magic. If you use too much of it, there¡¯s a danger of monsterifying crops. The effects are basically the same. But the effects of that holy land is much greater than the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer.¡± [Reinhart] At the country known as Artura, they would take a little soil from the Forest of the Earth Mother God and mix that soil with a lot of normal soil to weaken its effects. That soil is then used as a special fertilizer. It¡¯s also a kind of ritual to share the blessings of the divine forest. ¡°If we do the same as that ritual, will it be possible to use the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer normally?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s what the head gardener says. He wants to use the fertilizer you gave and see how things go for a while, but the fertilizer is more than useable. I am a little concerned about it being ¡®close to an object of worship¡¯, though.¡± [Reinhart] Indeed. ¡°¡®The soil of the holy land¡¯ and ¡®the fertilizer produced by slime guts¡¯. Personally, those are two completely different things, but depending on the person hearing it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Unforgivable!¡¯¡¡Some fanatics might say¡­ When it comes to religion, there are extremists like that from time to time¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I think it can pass as a different product, but if you¡¯re going to sell it, then it might be wise to take some considerations.¡± [Pioro] Chapter 163.2 - Second Day Meeting (2/3) A worrying factor appeared from somewhere unexpected, but I think it¡¯s good that I¡¯m learning about this now rather than later. ¡°And that concludes my discussions.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°In that case, can I start next?¡± [Elize] This time it was the madam who spoke. Contrast to Reinhart-san who passed out wanted posters earlier, she¡¯s in a good mood. It¡¯s probably because of those things I gave her this afternoon. ¡°Elize, it¡¯s been on my mind for a while now, but you seem to have been in a rather good mood since supper.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s right!¡¡Actually, Ryouma-kun made a ¡®bath bomb¡¯ and a ¡®sugar scrub¡¯ for me just awhile ago!¡¡Because of that all that pent up fatigue from before were washed away in one fell swoop~¡± [Elize] The madam started giving her impressions after using those two products I gave her. ¡°Ah, is this related to the beautifying effect you were talking about yesterday? ¡­A medicine that can change bath water to a hot spring. What an interesting thing indeed.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma, is that medicine that beautifies the skin that effective?¡± [Pioro] ¡°It would vary from person to person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want more of those things you gave me!¡¡It¡¯s easy to throw a bath bomb into the bath and I was able to warm my body up more compared to just bath water. And just a little rubbing from that sugar scrub was able to change the moisture of my skin!¡± [Elize] Seeing the madam talking like this brings me back. Once you¡¯ve gotten used to them already, they¡¯re nothing much to speak of, but it¡¯s really eyeopening when using them for the first time. I was the same back in my past life when I first used a sugar scrub. To be honest, I had no interest whatsoever in beauty, but there was also no reason to waste something I¡¯d received. But just one use and I was like¡¡¡¯Huh? This might actually be really good.¡¯ When I spoke about it at work, everyone laughed since they couldn¡¯t imagine a big guy like me using beauty products. ¡°Madam, what I made this noon was just the simplest type. If I were to fuss over the type of oil used and the perfumed oil, I should be able to make something even better.¡± [Ryouma] Bath bombs can also be tuned by changing the amount of bath bomb and citric acid to make the bath water slightly alkaline or acidic. Using water that¡¯s slightly alkaline makes it easier to remove filth from the pores in the skin, and the acidity has an effect of neutralizing aging odor. The perfect ally of a man in his forties! Moreover, water made slightly acidic by citric acid has the effect of allowing one to recover from exhaustion, as well as give anti-inflammatory effects. It also has a sterilizing and deodorizing effect different from that of weak alkaline water. Human skin is slightly acidic, so it¡¯s gentler on the skin compared to slightly alkaline water. Which one to use depends on what¡¯s constitution and condition of the skin. Of course, one could choose simply depending on how one feels. And if you compare these methods with medicinal baths that use medicinal herbs or seasonal vegetations, there¡¯s a myriad of ways to improve a bath. ¡°How wonderful!¡± [elize] ¡°It¡¯s effective against aging odor?¡¡Maybe I should give it a try myself¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Pioro, are you worried?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Fool!¡¡I¡¯m not at that age yet!¡¡It¡¯s just that my wife might have made a passing remark or two before, so¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Well, if Elize is praising it to this extent, then it must be amazing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right. Ryouma-sama, if it¡¯s no trouble to you, won¡¯t you allow us to also try those bath bombs and sugar scrubs of yours?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. I still have some ingredients left from this afternoon. I¡¯ll make some and send them to your room later.¡± [Ryouma] That concluded the conversation with the madam regarding the beauty products. Next, it was my turn to talk about the things I couldn¡¯t talk about yesterday, but¡­ But everyone suddenly sat straight up. ¡°What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you kept dropping one bomb after another yesterday like those running mash of yours.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s a bit scary wondering what bomb you¡¯ll be dropping next.¡± [Serge] ¡°I thought it would be a good idea to brace myself ahead of time.¡± [Elize] ¡°Alright. My heart is ready. Now, Ryouma! Come and try your worst!¡± [Reinhart] ¡­But if they do this, the one who gets pressured is me! Am I the only one who can feel this atmosphere that makes it feel like I better not talk about anything boring? ¡°In that case, let¡¯s talk about another slime use that I wasn¡¯t able to talk about last time.¡± [Ryouma] While everyone was strangely tense, I talked about the serum of the bloody slime. First, I gave a simple explanation of what blood serums and antibodies are. I spoke of me teaching a group of new adventurers. I also explained why my bloody slime ended up ingesting poison. And then from there, I talked about the slime¡¯s recovery and the increase in level it observed on its poison skill. Finally, I tied that in with the blood serum and antibodies. When I started talking about extracting the antibodies and experimenting on animals¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Serge, Pioro] All four of my audience was wearing a serious face. ¡°¡­And so we sit here justified in bracing ourselves.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said. The other three nodded. Chapter 163.3 - Second Day Meeting (3/3) After supper. In the same reception room of the residence as last night, the duke and his wife and the two presidents of the two big companies were all gathered together again. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were properly informed beforehand. It¡¯s fine. Good job feeding your slimes.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You have so many different slimes and so many of them, it must have been difficult feeding them all.¡± [Elize] ¡°Come to think of it, how many different slimes do you have now anyway?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Presently, there are 19 variants. And there are four from those that I¡¯m expecting to evolve.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They seem to number in the tens of thousands too. Taking care of them must be difficult.¡± [Serge] ¡°I feed them per variant, so it¡¯s not that difficult. Reinhart-san. Thank you for providing even the feed of the slimes. It was a huge help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A lot of people have been telling me how grateful they are to have the garbage dealt with. Feel free to ask for more whenever while you¡¯re here.¡± [Reinhart] As I answered their questions, I sat myself beside the madam. ¡°Now then, Ryouma-kun. Let¡¯s continue our conversation the other day. Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯d love to do, but¡­ Today there are two things we have to discuss first. A message had just been brough in.¡± [Reinhart] I wonder if there¡¯s a problem. There was an unusually heavy atmosphere about Reinhart-san as the madam distributed a bundle of documents to all of us. Flipping through the pages, I noted that a portrait, a crime, and an amount was written on them. ¡°A wanted poster¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The other half of those documents is information pertaining to damages incurred from bandits. These were reported by chance while I was working today. The three of you travel a lot, so I thought you should know.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Pioro] Safety on the roads is the lifeline of peddlers. Serge-san and Pioro-san were both grateful as they zealously looked through the documents. But I was more concerned about the wanted posters. ¡°The bounty varies quite a bit from person to person, huh.¡± [Ryouma] Even if they committed the same crime, there¡¯s a difference in bounty ranging anywhere from 10 small gold coins to several hundred coins. The biggest bounty fetches a luxurious sum of 2 platinum coins. When I asked why that was, Reinhart-san gently told me why. ¡°The bounty is decided based on the damages caused by the person and how much danger he possesses, but the nobles and merchants who¡¯ve suffered damages are free to add to the bounty. The bandits with platinum coin bounties on them are from a gang of thieves that specializes in stealing from jewelers. They¡¯re rather famous.¡± [Reinhart] They mostly go after jewels, so the damages caused by their actions are really big. Moreover, they incur not only the anger of the jewelers but also the nobles who wish to buy them. Because of that their bounty is inflated. ¡°They don¡¯t commit crimes frequently, but they plan their crimes out and proceed carefully. Moreover, they have several good dimension mages with them, so they¡¯re quick to flee and it¡¯s hard to pick up on their trail. Of course, their victims have guards with them too. So the fact that they¡¯ve continued to succeed until now shows that they¡¯re plenty strong themselves. I¡¯ve never heard of an individual being attacked, but¡­ You should be careful too, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I understand. Thank you for warning me.¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s probably referring to the diamond I was wearing with my suit yesterday. He didn¡¯t say anything, but as expected, he has a trained eye. ¡°Next is¡­ Oh, right. About the scavenger slime fertilizer you gave me yesterday. A report was given regarding it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, really?¡¡That¡¯s rather quick.¡± [Elize] As the madam says, was their gardener able to make a judgment on its safety and other factors that quickly? ¡°Yes¡­ Ryouma-kun. Do you know about the ¡®Forest of the Earth Mother God¡¯?¡± [Reinhart] Earth Mother God? I would imagine that¡¯s probably Willieris-sama, but I¡¯ve never heard of a forest. ¡°I see. Artura¡­ It¡¯s a country in the east, but that¡¯s where our head gardener comes from. The Earth Mother God of the Forest has become the object of worship of many people and is a holy land. According to that gardener, the fertilizer you gave is similar to the soil of that place.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] The soil of a holy land is similar to the fertilizer of a scavenger slime?¡¡I never thought I¡¯d hear something like that. ¡°Rich in mana and highly compatible with the wood magic. If you use too much of it, there¡¯s a danger of monsterifying crops. The effects are basically the same. But the effects of that holy land is much greater than the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer.¡± [Reinhart] At the country known as Artura, they would take a little soil from the Forest of the Earth Mother God and mix that soil with a lot of normal soil to weaken its effects. That soil is then used as a special fertilizer. It¡¯s also a kind of ritual to share the blessings of the divine forest. ¡°If we do the same as that ritual, will it be possible to use the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer normally?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s what the head gardener says. He wants to use the fertilizer you gave and see how things go for a while, but the fertilizer is more than useable. I am a little concerned about it being ¡®close to an object of worship¡¯, though.¡± [Reinhart] Indeed. ¡°¡®The soil of the holy land¡¯ and ¡®the fertilizer produced by slime guts¡¯. Personally, those are two completely different things, but depending on the person hearing it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Unforgivable!¡¯¡¡Some fanatics might say¡­ When it comes to religion, there are extremists like that from time to time¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I think it can pass as a different product, but if you¡¯re going to sell it, then it might be wise to take some considerations.¡± [Pioro] A worrying factor appeared from somewhere unexpected, but I think it¡¯s good that I¡¯m learning about this now rather than later. ¡°And that concludes my discussions.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°In that case, can I start next?¡± [Elize] This time it was the madam who spoke. Contrast to Reinhart-san who passed out wanted posters earlier, she¡¯s in a good mood. It¡¯s probably because of those things I gave her this afternoon. ¡°Elize, it¡¯s been on my mind for a while now, but you seem to have been in a rather good mood since supper.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s right!¡¡Actually, Ryouma-kun made a ¡®bath bomb¡¯ and a ¡®sugar scrub¡¯ for me just awhile ago!¡¡Because of that all that pent up fatigue from before were washed away in one fell swoop~¡± [Elize] The madam started giving her impressions after using those two products I gave her. ¡°Ah, is this related to the beautifying effect you were talking about yesterday? ¡­A medicine that can change bath water to a hot spring. What an interesting thing indeed.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ryouma, is that medicine that beautifies the skin that effective?¡± [Pioro] ¡°It would vary from person to person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want more of those things you gave me!¡¡It¡¯s easy to throw a bath bomb into the bath and I was able to warm my body up more compared to just bath water. And just a little rubbing from that sugar scrub was able to change the moisture of my skin!¡± [Elize] Seeing the madam talking like this brings me back. Once you¡¯ve gotten used to them already, they¡¯re nothing much to speak of, but it¡¯s really eyeopening when using them for the first time. I was the same back in my past life when I first used a sugar scrub. To be honest, I had no interest whatsoever in beauty, but there was also no reason to waste something I¡¯d received. But just one use and I was like¡¡¡¯Huh? This might actually be really good.¡¯ When I spoke about it at work, everyone laughed since they couldn¡¯t imagine a big guy like me using beauty products. ¡°Madam, what I made this noon was just the simplest type. If I were to fuss over the type of oil used and the perfumed oil, I should be able to make something even better.¡± [Ryouma] Bath bombs can also be tuned by changing the amount of bath bomb and citric acid to make the bath water slightly alkaline or acidic. Using water that¡¯s slightly alkaline makes it easier to remove filth from the pores in the skin, and the acidity has an effect of neutralizing aging odor. The perfect ally of a man in his forties! Moreover, water made slightly acidic by citric acid has the effect of allowing one to recover from exhaustion, as well as give anti-inflammatory effects. It also has a sterilizing and deodorizing effect different from that of weak alkaline water. Human skin is slightly acidic, so it¡¯s gentler on the skin compared to slightly alkaline water. Which one to use depends on what¡¯s constitution and condition of the skin. Of course, one could choose simply depending on how one feels. And if you compare these methods with medicinal baths that use medicinal herbs or seasonal vegetations, there¡¯s a myriad of ways to improve a bath. ¡°How wonderful!¡± [elize] ¡°It¡¯s effective against aging odor?¡¡Maybe I should give it a try myself¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Pioro, are you worried?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Fool!¡¡I¡¯m not at that age yet!¡¡It¡¯s just that my wife might have made a passing remark or two before, so¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Well, if Elize is praising it to this extent, then it must be amazing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right. Ryouma-sama, if it¡¯s no trouble to you, won¡¯t you allow us to also try those bath bombs and sugar scrubs of yours?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s no trouble at all. I still have some ingredients left from this afternoon. I¡¯ll make some and send them to your room later.¡± [Ryouma] That concluded the conversation with the madam regarding the beauty products. Next, it was my turn to talk about the things I couldn¡¯t talk about yesterday, but¡­ But everyone suddenly sat straight up. ¡°What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you kept dropping one bomb after another yesterday like those running mash of yours.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s a bit scary wondering what bomb you¡¯ll be dropping next.¡± [Serge] ¡°I thought it would be a good idea to brace myself ahead of time.¡± [Elize] ¡°Alright. My heart is ready. Now, Ryouma! Come and try your worst!¡± [Reinhart] ¡­But if they do this, the one who gets pressured is me! Am I the only one who can feel this atmosphere that makes it feel like I better not talk about anything boring? ¡°In that case, let¡¯s talk about another slime use that I wasn¡¯t able to talk about last time.¡± [Ryouma] While everyone was strangely tense, I talked about the serum of the bloody slime. First, I gave a simple explanation of what blood serums and antibodies are. I spoke of me teaching a group of new adventurers. I also explained why my bloody slime ended up ingesting poison. And then from there, I talked about the slime¡¯s recovery and the increase in level it observed on its poison skill. Finally, I tied that in with the blood serum and antibodies. When I started talking about extracting the antibodies and experimenting on animals¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Serge, Pioro] All four of my audience was wearing a serious face. ¡°¡­And so we sit here justified in bracing ourselves.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said. The other three nodded. ¡°Ryouma-sama, this thing you refer to as ¡®antibody¡¯. The relation with the ¡®Poison Resist¡¯ and ¡®Disease Resist¡¯ skill. And the antidote made from the bloody slime. I¡¯m not a specialist or anything in the field of medicine, but even a layman such as myself can see just how inestimable the value of these findings is.¡± [Serge] ¡°Indeed. I know enough to tell that if those methods of yours work for that snake¡¯s poison, then perhaps it can also work for other poisons. But at the same time, it makes me wonder whether you¡¯re really telling the truth¡­ Not that there¡¯s any point in doubting now.¡± [Pioro] ¡°It doesn¡¯t benefit Ryouma-kun to lie to us. Although at this point, it might be better if it turned out to be just a lie¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Frankly, I also think it¡¯s too much.¡± [Reinhart] Discovering the antibody from the bloody slime, extracting the blood serum and investigating its effects. Although it¡¯s fun doing experiments alone, it¡¯s not very effective. A single child¡¯s efforts aren¡¯t enough for it to be released to society. But¡­ ¡°Actually there¡¯s more to it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­There¡¯s still more?¡± [Reinhart]¡± ¡°The reason I was able to find out about the antibody and the blood serum is because the poison resist skill leveled up.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­!¡¡I see!¡¡It wasn¡¯t learned. It was a level up. In other words, there are other antibodies other than those for the poison of the bush snake.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s exactly as Reinhart-san says. In the first place, the bloody slime isn¡¯t a slime that I evolved on my own. It¡¯s a slime I purchased from an adventurer who found it somewhere, so it already possessed the poison resist and disease resist skills resist right from the start.¡± [Ryouma] And then after finding out about the antibodies, I wondered if there are other antibodies using the Identify spell. ¡°I found several antibodies. One of them was for ¡®Cursed Wound¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Serge, Pioro] The four adults all sighed simultaneously and looked up at the sky. They looked very tired. It can¡¯t be helped. When afflicted by the cursed wound, one is expected to suddenly fall sick and die. It doesn¡¯t matter how big or small the wound is, where the wound was incurred, or what one¡¯s social standing is. Like a curse, one will just suddenly wake up sick. A few days will pass after incurring the wound without anything happening, but before long, the limbs and the face will start to numb. From there, the status of the afflicted will worsen and the body will lose its freedom and start moving about without regard for the damage caused to it. Yes, just like a man possessed by some kind of demon. The whole body will tremble violently, and there are cases where one¡¯s body would even bend like a bow, then harden like a stone. Without any way to resist the urge the bend, the spine will eventually break. This is not something that the afflicted can do anything about. To make things worse, despite not being able to control one¡¯s body, one is fully conscious through the whole ordeal; hence, one can thoroughly savor the pain and thus die while squirming about. The death rate is extremely high¡­ In other words, it is what is known in my past life as ¡®Tetanus¡¯. A disease that causes death even in modern day Japan, where blood serums are a thing. Unfortunately, for this country, there is no cure. As such, when people are afflicted with tetanus, they are labeled ¡®cursed¡¯ with no way to be saved. It¡¯s a disease feared by all regardless of status. Basically, what I¡¯m saying right now is that there¡¯s a chance that a cure might be concocted for that terrifying disease. They value of such a cure is immeasurable. ¡°Are you certain that it¡¯s the antibody for cursed wound?¡¡I¡¯m not doubting you, but¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I used Identify on it, so there¡¯s no doubting it. In the first place, cursed wound is a disease that one could be afflicted with anywhere. Naturally, the disease demon (bacteria) responsible for it can also be found anywhere.¡± [Ryouma] It is popularly known that clostridium tetani resides in soil. The bloody slime probably absorbed it after touching soil. ¡°But Ryouma-kun, in order to create antibodies, one has take the poison into his body first. Won¡¯t surviving be impossible then?¡¡The cursed wound has a high fatality rate too, and yet the bloody slime is still alive.¡± [Elize] ¡°One possible reason I could think of is that the disease demons (bacteria) taken in were few in number and that the make up of the bloody slime¡¯s body is different from humans, making it difficult for it to multiply, thereby creating less poison and greatly reducing the effects on the slime. Secondly, the characteristic symptom of curse wounds is mainly muscle spasms, but the bloody slime doesn¡¯t have nerves or muscles¡­ It¡¯s possible that because of this the effects on it were much weaker. Regardless, there¡¯s a large difference between humans and bloody slimes, so I¡¯m wondering if it can be used. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t have proof.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Right. When you put it that way, you¡¯re perfectly right.¡± [Elize] ¡°Just the production of a new medicine can be seen to have great value, but if it¡¯s a medicine for cursed wound, then all the more so. At the same time, it¡¯s a dangerous thing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Putting it lightly, it¡¯s a great discovery, but if some bad guys were to get word of this, they¡¯ll probably try to get you. No, they¡¯ll definitely try to get you. If the Medical Guild or any research institute where to get wind of this, they¡¯d never leave you alone.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Indeed. And research institutes don¡¯t have a trustworthy reputation either.¡± [Ryouma] We were all left speechless with how difficult it was to handle the the blood serum. For a while, only the sound of sipping tea and eating sweets resounded in the room. ¡°Ryouma-kun¡± [Reinhart] In the end, Reinhart-san was the first to break the silence. ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] He wore a face more serious than I¡¯ve ever seen as he naturally fixed his posture. What he said within that tense atmosphere was this. ¡°What do you think about becoming our family¡¯s ¡®Engineer¡¯?¡± [Reinhart] Chapter 164. - Invitation (3/3) In that moment, the temperature in the room remarkably fell. Reinhart-san and the other adults couldn¡¯t hide the stiffness in their expression. ¡°¡­Is there anything else?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anything else?¡¡¡­Well, there¡¯s nothing else in particular. Even a Rank 3 Specialist won¡¯t have to be bothered anymore by propositions from other nobles. And if you wish, I can also keep your name from spreading too much. I can make it so that word of you is kept to a minimum even among my subjects. The work isn¡¯t bad too. As long as you¡¯re able to produce results, then you have a relatively high degree of freedom. If you were applying to be a knight, you¡¯d have to participate in daily training and serve in war during emergencies. There are other things too, but the point is that specialists don¡¯t have to do any of those.¡± [Reinhart] Not having to serve in war is certainly a good thing. Although it¡¯s peaceful right now and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any wars, there¡¯s no telling what will happen in 10 or 20 years. Being able to choose my course of action in the case that something does happen is a big merit. All the other conditions are favorable to me too¡­ Besides, in the first place, becoming a specialist of the duke¡¯s family is a prime example of getting ahead in life. All the more so when it¡¯s a commoner being appointed as one. Such a thing should be a very rare event. With such exceptional conditions compared to normal specialists, the normal reaction would probably be to immediately accept the offer with a heart full of gratitude. I can¡¯t speak for other people, but people like myself who have to rack their heads despite such a good offer are probably in the minority. ¡°¡­Well, I did just bring it up all of the sudden. I¡¯m sure it must be difficult to come up with an answer immediately. Why don¡¯t you take your time before giving me a reply?¡¡Either way, it¡¯s not like the cure for the Cursed Wound is complete yet, right?¡± [Reinhart] I had gone quiet due to thinking to myself, so Reinhart-san called out to me gently. ¡°Until the animal experiments there¡¯s no telling what will actually happen when the cure is administered to humans.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush then. The reason I offered to appoint you as a specialist is because of the value of that blood serum of yours and its inevitable influence on your life. If the cure is not being released to the public just yet, then we can postpone this issue for another time. What do you think, gentlemen, Elize? Shall we keep this conversation to ourselves and wait until the time is ripe before bringing it up again?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I agree.. I would be glad if Ryouma-kun were to become our family¡¯s specialist, but becoming a specialist is a big decision. It will have a huge influence on his life. It¡¯s a big decision to make even for adults, so I believe he should think about it hard so that he doesn¡¯t regret his decision.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I agree too. After all, Ryouma-sama¡¯s slime research also has other results than the blood serum that can turn over a profit. It wouldn¡¯t be too late if he focused on those first and solidified his foundations before approaching other avenues. I have a tendency to forget when we¡¯re talking like this, but Ryouma-sama is still just a child. One who¡¯s not yet even 15.¡± [Serge] ¡°I am also in agreement. People who are appointed as specialists are either expert craftsmen, who have accumulated many years of experience, or students or researchers who left the imperial capital¡¯s academy or a research facility with excellent results. Being 20 or 30 years old is normal. Although it¡¯s true that Ryouma has the qualifications for it. Compared to those people, he is simply too young. For a boy not even fifteen to become the duke¡¯s specialist¡­ Blood Serum or not, word is bound to spread.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ah, now that you mention it¡­ His age would certainly attract curious eyes. I do intend to protect him, but¡­ Yeah¡­¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san¡¯s voice gradually grew weaker and weaker. The madam turned to him with a look that seemed to ask ¡®You hadn¡¯t considered it?¡¯ Serge-san and Pioro-san cheerfully smiled as they drank their tea that had lost its steam. Before I knew it, the atmosphere that had grown cold earlier had once again grown warm. And then¡­ ¡°Still, Ryouma-kun¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would appear that you actually took care not to talk about your findings so carelessly.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san turned away from the madam as if he were running away and started talking to me again. ¡°When you first started talking about the blood serum to us, you mentioned that it was your first time talking about it with someone, right?¡¡When you discovered the blood serum, you were in the middle of training, where many adventurers were, and a lot of time has passed since then, and yet you never talked about it with anyone else. It seems you understand full well just how dangerous this knowledge is. Because of that you avoided talking about it to other people.¡¡You didn¡¯t even write about it in the letters you send us regularly.¡± [Reinhart] But of course. If I wrote about it in the letter, and if someone were to happen to read it, it would turn into a huge problem. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you understand just how important of a matter this is¡­ You¡¯re too generous and you have a tendency not to be mindful of your abilities or knowledge, so¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I at least know not to just carelessly bring out something so dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s what I said, but after looking at the expression of the adults a little closer, I noticed that the madam, Serge-san, and even Pioro-san¡­ All of them were looking at me with a strange face. ¡­D-Do they really think I¡¯m that vulnerable?¡¡I know I don¡¯t pay attention to minor details most of the time, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that vulnerable. ¡­At least, I don¡¯t think so¡­ In the end, I couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile with them, unable to refute their impression of me. Before long¡­ ¡°Ahh, about the message earlier, there¡¯s something I forgot to inform you, Ryouma-kun. About Hyuzu and Rurunez¡¯ wedding¡­ Apparently, the requests of the servants have been finalized.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see. In that case, we can start construction tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How many people will you be needing?¡± [Elize] ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll need people specializing in physical labor. If there¡¯s anyone free, please send them over. I want to start with the foundation, so there will be plenty of work. No matter how many you send, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have something for them to do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. If you need help with physical labor, then¡­ Would it be okay to start in the afternoon tomorrow?¡¡I think that would make it easier to gather the guards since that¡¯s when their training ends.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s fine. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] With a new topic brought up, we continued talking as if nothing had happened. I¡¯m sure everyone is taking my feelings into consideration and are giving me time to think about things first. ¡­Yes. That¡¯s definitely it. It most certainly has nothing to do with them thinking I¡¯m too vulnerable in regards to my research. Chapter 164.1 - Invitation (1/3) ¡°I know full well how much you dislike rigid positions, so I won¡¯t force the issue, but won¡¯t you consider becoming our engineer?¡± Immediately after inviting me, Reinhart-san said that he understood that much about me. ¡°It¡¯s for the same reason that I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll ever try to work for another noble elsewhere. But you know too many strange things. If word of this blood serum of yours were to come out, nobles will surely appear in droves and try to employ you without regard for your own feelings. You understand this too, right?¡± [Reinhart] I nodded silently and replied. Even if the cure for the Cursed Wound is taken, if it were to spread in society, there will naturally be patients and families looking for it. There are bound to be merchants and nobles who wish to sell to those people at a high price. Unfortunately, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if people wishing to secure the rights no matter what appeared. ¡°We would of course want to help you in such a situation, but there are things that are difficult to do with the way things are now.¡± [Reinhart] Although the duke¡¯s family treats me well, my social standing remains that of a ¡®commoner¡¯. I¡¯m not the subject of the duke¡¯s family, but merely a ¡®child they are slightly partial to¡¯. Of course, even just that makes things a lot more convenient for me. After all, no one would want to incur the ill will of the duke¡¯s family, which possesses great authority. A boy adventurer, who owns a small store, and to whom the management of the abandoned mine has been entrusted to. Even if such a boy were to possess strange ideas and knowledge, so long as these ideas were only at a certain level, then no one would dare lay a hand on him. ¡°But the knowledge to concoct the ¡®cure for the Cursed Wound¡¯ is a different story. Our family may possess great authority, but it¡¯s not as if there¡¯s no way for others to go against us.¡± [Reinhart] When I thought of that, the idea of cleverly woven schemes immediately came to mind, but the madam seemed to infer that and she wryly smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t deny what you¡¯re likely thinking, but think of something simpler. Right¡­ Let¡¯s put it this way. Right now, you¡¯re in a position where you can do anything you want with your store, yes?¡¡But if you¡¯re too selfish, then various people will try to stop you.¡¡Depending on what it is you¡¯re being stubborn about, people will turn a blind eye to your selfishness once or twice, but if you keep acting stubborn, eventually you¡¯ll lose the trust of the people around you. It¡¯s the same thing for us. We hold great power, but we can¡¯t just use it as we please. If you were to become our family¡¯s engineer, then when people try to recruit you, we can refuse them if you don¡¯t wish to work for them. But with the way you are now, if we tried to interfere, then they would snap back at us and say something along the lines of ¡®You¡¯re not even trying to hire him yourself! Don¡¯t get in our way!¡¯ That¡¯s a bit more forceful than what they¡¯re likely to say, but you get the point. That being said, it¡¯s doubtful that they would wash their hands clean of the matter so easily and will probably continue to keep up appearances and try to make excuses, such as in order to give you a suitable position given your meritorious deeds and what not. That¡¯s just how valuable your knowledge is.¡± [Elize] If I were to keep the existence of the blood serum a secret, I probably won¡¯t get into trouble, but that would also mean having to live with the danger of leaking word of its existence to someone my whole life. And if knowledge of the bloody slime¡¯s blood serum were to spread, then it¡¯s possible more cures might be discovered. It won¡¯t necessarily be limited to just the Cursed Wound. I can¡¯t predict just how big this will turn into, but it¡¯s possible that a lot of lives that would otherwise be lost could be saved. Hiding such powerful knowledge is simply too wasteful. No, ¡®wasteful¡¯ isn¡¯t even enough to describe how great of a loss that would be. ¡°¡­Can you tell me more about exactly what the occupation ¡®engineer¡¯ entails?¡¡I want to know exactly how my life would change if I were to accept that position.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. As I¡¯ve mentioned previously, an engineer is a technical expert hired by a noble. When needed, the noble will call upon him and have him demonstrate his expertise. In other times, he is called upon for consultation. So long as the engineer is able to accomplish those duties, then he can live as he wishes. After all, highly skilled craftsmen do tend to have strange fixations that normal people find difficult to understand. For example, in our case, we have a live-in engineer on medicine, but our engineer on ¡®smithing¡¯ owns a workshop and a store in the Middle-Class District and is working normally. Being hired by a noble doesn¡¯t mean monopolizing your expertise or keeping you on a leash and not utilizing your skills.¡± [Reinhart] It would appear that as long as they can keep in touch with me, I don¡¯t even have to stay at the town where the duke¡¯s residence is situated. As such, I can continue living at the abandoned mine as I¡¯ve done until now and continue working at Gimuru. Chapter 164.2 Chapter 164: Invitation (2/3) ¡°Yes. We can contact you by simply sending a letter to your store. And then if you¡¯re going to be away for a while, we¡¯ll need you to inform us. But you¡¯re already sending letters to us regularly anyway, so I don¡¯t think keeping in contact with us will prove to be a problem. And then¡­ The position I¡¯m planning on giving you is the ¡®Rank 3 Specialist¡¯. It¡¯s the lowest rank as far as specialists are concerned, but the conditions surrounding it are also the least strict. Moreover, although it¡¯s the lowest rank, specialists are generally directly affiliated with me, so you won¡¯t have to take orders from other specialists.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Can you go into more detail?¡± [Ryouma] More specifically, I wanted to know more about the ¡®Rank 3 Specialist¡¯ and that part about ¡®generally being directly affiliated with Reinhart-san¡¯. The rank 3 specialist is probably a hierarchy thing, but he said ¡®generally¡¯, so I wonder if that means there are exceptions. ¡°As you¡¯ve imagined, the rank 3 specialist is the lowest rank, above which is the second rank, and then there¡¯s the first rank. The rank is decided based on one¡¯s history and achievements before becoming a specialist, as well as one¡¯s contributions toward the family after becoming a specialist. One¡¯s treatment is also decided according to one¡¯s rank.¡± [Elize] According to the madam, the only things the first and second rank shared in common with the third rank were the research funds and the status. Beyond that the second rank specialists also received extra hands, as well as their own research facility. Both of which are meant to make it easier for them to conduct their experiments. When needed, they can also be given a small number of guards. As for first rank specialists, they also have the authority to hold a soldier unit of their own. ¡°It¡¯s no exaggeration to say that the knowledge of Rank 1 Specialists is a treasure. It takes a number of people to ensure the safety of such important people and their research facility.¡± [Serge] ¡°Speaking of achievements, a cure for the Cursed Wound is certainly more than enough to qualify you as a Rank 1 Specialist, but that position is really special. It comes with it considerable influence and reputation, which in turn bring with them a lot of trouble. That¡¯s probably why you¡¯re being given a Rank 3 instead.¡± [Pioro] After Serge-san and Pioro-san added their input, things were finally starting to make sense. On top of what they said, specialists also worked in different fields and required different facilities to show off their abilities, so the specific conditions varied for each specialist and were decided only after much discussion. Because of that specialists have a greater degree of freedom compared to other jobs. It fits me fairly well, actually.¡¡That¡¯s probably one of the reasons why Reinhart-san recommended it in the first place. Now that that¡¯s cleared up, I wonder what he was talking about regarding ¡®affiliation¡¯ once one has become a specialist. ¡°That was an error on my wording.¡± [Reinhart] Specialists aren¡¯t alone in their field of expertise. There¡¯s a lot of them in their respective fields, so there are times when two specialists end up in a teacher-student relationship after interacting with each other, or alternatively, they were already in that sort of relationship before becoming specialists. In other words, he was just saying that I didn¡¯t need to have that sort of relationship with a senior specialist. ¡°When you work as a specialist, most of the time I won¡¯t be with you. At such times, I will be sending a representative, but this doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re subordinated to this representative. You can talk to him as your equal, share your opinions, and if necessary, you even have the authority to directly appeal to me.¡± [Reinhart] Specialists are people that have formed a contract with a noble ¨C in this case, Reinhart-san. If I were to think of them as something akin to an adviser¡­ ¡°Frankly, it¡¯s not a bad proposition¡­ If anything the conditions are rather favorable to me, but as expected, I won¡¯t be able to live as I have until now, can I?¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-san quietly nodded. ¡°First of all, once every few years, the specialists of a house must show off his abilities. To that end, they¡¯ll have to submit some kind of research result and have those results prove useful for the territory.¡± [Reinhart] In my case, I have my cure for the Cursed Wound, so I more than qualify to be appointed as a specialist. But there¡¯s a possibility that I could lose my right to be a specialist later depending on my work. ¡°¡­That¡¯s indeed a possibility.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Considering how big your achievement is, it¡¯s possible to extend your time, but my wealth is accumulated from the tax paid by the people. Naturally, I can¡¯t use it on someone who can¡¯t give results. I believe you¡¯re more than capable of protecting your position as specialist, but you will indeed be bound by a responsibility and an expectation to produce results. Of course, I won¡¯t ask anything unreasonable from you and you can continue your laundromat and your adventurer work as you¡¯ve been doing until now, but you will certainly become busier and it¡¯s possible that you¡¯ll have less time to spend on other jobs. ¡­And one more thing.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart wore a remarkably more serious face as he spoke. ¡°If I were to give you the position of specialist, you will have you to reveal where you learned your abilities from and you will have to reveal your history. Although the information won¡¯t be spread around wantonly, you¡¯ll have prepare yourself for the information to be spread to related places.¡± [Reinhart] Chapter 164.3 - Invitation (3/3) In that moment, the temperature in the room remarkably fell. Reinhart-san and the other adults couldn¡¯t hide the stiffness in their expression. ¡°¡­Is there anything else?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anything else?¡¡¡­Well, there¡¯s nothing else in particular. Even a Rank 3 Specialist won¡¯t have to be bothered anymore by propositions from other nobles. And if you wish, I can also keep your name from spreading too much. I can make it so that word of you is kept to a minimum even among my subjects. The work isn¡¯t bad too. As long as you¡¯re able to produce results, then you have a relatively high degree of freedom. If you were applying to be a knight, you¡¯d have to participate in daily training and serve in war during emergencies. There are other things too, but the point is that specialists don¡¯t have to do any of those.¡± [Reinhart] Not having to serve in war is certainly a good thing. Although it¡¯s peaceful right now and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any wars, there¡¯s no telling what will happen in 10 or 20 years. Being able to choose my course of action in the case that something does happen is a big merit. All the other conditions are favorable to me too¡­ Besides, in the first place, becoming a specialist of the duke¡¯s family is a prime example of getting ahead in life. All the more so when it¡¯s a commoner being appointed as one. Such a thing should be a very rare event. With such exceptional conditions compared to normal specialists, the normal reaction would probably be to immediately accept the offer with a heart full of gratitude. I can¡¯t speak for other people, but people like myself who have to rack their heads despite such a good offer are probably in the minority. ¡°¡­Well, I did just bring it up all of the sudden. I¡¯m sure it must be difficult to come up with an answer immediately. Why don¡¯t you take your time before giving me a reply?¡¡Either way, it¡¯s not like the cure for the Cursed Wound is complete yet, right?¡± [Reinhart] I had gone quiet due to thinking to myself, so Reinhart-san called out to me gently. ¡°Until the animal experiments there¡¯s no telling what will actually happen when the cure is administered to humans.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush then. The reason I offered to appoint you as a specialist is because of the value of that blood serum of yours and its inevitable influence on your life. If the cure is not being released to the public just yet, then we can postpone this issue for another time. What do you think, gentlemen, Elize? Shall we keep this conversation to ourselves and wait until the time is ripe before bringing it up again?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I agree.. I would be glad if Ryouma-kun were to become our family¡¯s specialist, but becoming a specialist is a big decision. It will have a huge influence on his life. It¡¯s a big decision to make even for adults, so I believe he should think about it hard so that he doesn¡¯t regret his decision.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I agree too. After all, Ryouma-sama¡¯s slime research also has other results than the blood serum that can turn over a profit. It wouldn¡¯t be too late if he focused on those first and solidified his foundations before approaching other avenues. I have a tendency to forget when we¡¯re talking like this, but Ryouma-sama is still just a child. One who¡¯s not yet even 15.¡± [Serge] ¡°I am also in agreement. People who are appointed as specialists are either expert craftsmen, who have accumulated many years of experience, or students or researchers who left the imperial capital¡¯s academy or a research facility with excellent results. Being 20 or 30 years old is normal. Although it¡¯s true that Ryouma has the qualifications for it. Compared to those people, he is simply too young. For a boy not even fifteen to become the duke¡¯s specialist¡­ Blood Serum or not, word is bound to spread.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ah, now that you mention it¡­ His age would certainly attract curious eyes. I do intend to protect him, but¡­ Yeah¡­¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san¡¯s voice gradually grew weaker and weaker. The madam turned to him with a look that seemed to ask ¡®You hadn¡¯t considered it?¡¯ Serge-san and Pioro-san cheerfully smiled as they drank their tea that had lost its steam. Before I knew it, the atmosphere that had grown cold earlier had once again grown warm. And then¡­ ¡°Still, Ryouma-kun¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would appear that you actually took care not to talk about your findings so carelessly.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san turned away from the madam as if he were running away and started talking to me again. ¡°When you first started talking about the blood serum to us, you mentioned that it was your first time talking about it with someone, right?¡¡When you discovered the blood serum, you were in the middle of training, where many adventurers were, and a lot of time has passed since then, and yet you never talked about it with anyone else. It seems you understand full well just how dangerous this knowledge is. Because of that you avoided talking about it to other people.¡¡You didn¡¯t even write about it in the letters you send us regularly.¡± [Reinhart] But of course. If I wrote about it in the letter, and if someone were to happen to read it, it would turn into a huge problem. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you understand just how important of a matter this is¡­ You¡¯re too generous and you have a tendency not to be mindful of your abilities or knowledge, so¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I at least know not to just carelessly bring out something so dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s what I said, but after looking at the expression of the adults a little closer, I noticed that the madam, Serge-san, and even Pioro-san¡­ All of them were looking at me with a strange face. ¡­D-Do they really think I¡¯m that vulnerable?¡¡I know I don¡¯t pay attention to minor details most of the time, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that vulnerable. ¡­At least, I don¡¯t think so¡­ In the end, I couldn¡¯t help but wryly smile with them, unable to refute their impression of me. Before long¡­ ¡°Ahh, about the message earlier, there¡¯s something I forgot to inform you, Ryouma-kun. About Hyuzu and Rurunez¡¯ wedding¡­ Apparently, the requests of the servants have been finalized.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see. In that case, we can start construction tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How many people will you be needing?¡± [Elize] ¡°Right¡­ I¡¯ll need people specializing in physical labor. If there¡¯s anyone free, please send them over. I want to start with the foundation, so there will be plenty of work. No matter how many you send, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have something for them to do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. If you need help with physical labor, then¡­ Would it be okay to start in the afternoon tomorrow?¡¡I think that would make it easier to gather the guards since that¡¯s when their training ends.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s fine. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] With a new topic brought up, we continued talking as if nothing had happened. I¡¯m sure everyone is taking my feelings into consideration and are giving me time to think about things first. ¡­Yes. That¡¯s definitely it. It most certainly has nothing to do with them thinking I¡¯m too vulnerable in regards to my research. Chapter 165.1 - Information Leak (1/2) ¡°It¡¯s the day right after our important discussion, and yet this happened. I am truly sorry.¡± [Reinhart] My day started with an apology from Reinhart-san. We had gathered here to have our meal, but on top of the four people that I was with last night, there was also a group of maids, wearing maid uniforms that had no fabric around the shoulders (sleeveless), accompanying us. Actually, it would be more apt to call them a group of girls. There were 5 girls, who looked to be around the age of middle school students, lined up along the front wall, looking like they were about to cry. On either end of the group of young maids was the head maid, Arone-san, and Lilian-san. They sandwiched the girls in between them while wearing a stern expression on their faces, looking just like a pair of gaolers en route to bring a group of death row convicts to the gallows. ¡°Sorry, can we go over this again?¡± [Ryouma] As for why things ended up like this, well¡­ ¡°These girls stole the production method of the ¡®secret medicine¡¯ that Ryouma-sama made and used it without permission.¡± [Arone] The girls shook with a jolt and their already paled countenance grew even paler. The girl to the rightmost looked like she was about to break down crying. ¡°By secret medicine, are you referring to the sugar scrub made using the mixture of mumitou and vegetable oil?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Arone] The reason we¡¯re in this situation is because of the sugar scrub that I spoke about yesterday. Hmm, but isn¡¯t this partially my fault for talking about it? As the story goes, apparently, during break time, these girls heard about the method for concocting the sugar scrub from the other maids who had overheard me. The ingredients were easily obtainable, so they tried making it themselves. At that point, that was all it was for them. But the problem is that the sugar scrub has been recognized as a ¡®secret medicine with beautifying effect¡¯. Unfortunately, in the mechanism of gossiping, the contents of the message changed just as it does in the telephone game, and the part about the ¡®secret medicine¡¯ was omitted while the simple idea that ¡®mixing mumitou with vegetable oil and rubbing it on the skin will beautify it¡¯ remained. These girls are maids put in charge of the laundry. Their job is literally just to wash the laundry of the servants. That¡¯s why a closer look would show that despite their young age, there are cracks and fissures all over their hands. ¡­It¡¯s not all too surprising that girls their age would try something they heard about given the condition of their hands and the availability of the ingredients. Unfortunately, they caught the attention of a senpai servant and the story blew up into them ¡®stealing the production methods of the secret medicine¡¯. That being said, as servants of the duke¡¯s family, part of their contract states that they should not leak or use without permission information learned while working at the residence. This includes information from the members of the family and the guests. In other words, a duty to a principle of faith and trust. I am a guest and the secret medicine is a product I brought in. Even if they didn¡¯t know about it, they still breached a stipulation they agreed to. The other servants they heard the sugar scrub from are also being investigated. ¡°Their actions are no different from wounding the family name and slinging mud on the face of the master. Appropriate punishment must be handed out.¡± [Arone] If word were to get out that the servants here liked to leak information, who would ever wish to talk about important business secrets here? Their actions threaten the trust between the master of the residence and the guests, so it¡¯s not enough just to remind them. It doesn¡¯t matter at all that I casually spoke about it. At the very least, that seems to be the case from the way the head maid, Arone-san, is talking. I don¡¯t know what this ¡®appropriate punishment¡¯ is, but looking at the face of the girls lined up, I can more or less imagine that it¡¯s nothing good. They¡¯ll either be fired from their jobs or worse, they¡¯ll be lucky to just be fired. I don¡¯t know the exact details, but at this rate, things won¡¯t sit right with me. ¡°Reinhart-san, I understand the situation, but I¡¯m the one who spoke about the sugar scrub in front of the servants¡­ I know that that probably doesn¡¯t really matter, but as the victim, can I ask a couple of questions?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Very well. First, will it be possible to make my own demands?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As the employer, I must show some good faith. It would depend on the content of the demands, but you may speak freely.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The thing is that regardless what punishment they receive, it won¡¯t benefit me in any way.¡± [Ryouma] Whether they¡¯re fired or are punished with something worse, I won¡¯t benefit in any way. ¡°We will be compensating you as well, though.¡± [reinhart] ¡°I don¡¯t wish for compensation from Your Grace. After all, it was them who caused me damage, so it is only right that they be the ones to pay me back. Moreover, I presently haven¡¯t considered the sugar scrub ¨C the product they allegedly stole ¨C to have any value as a product. Of course, I do think of it as seed that could eventually bloom into one.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 165.2 - Information Leak (2/2) In my past life, all sorts of ways to improve the sugar scrub were thought of. That included fussing over the sugar or oil sold in stores or adding fragrance to it. Compared to that, what I made yesterday was really just something I slapped together using sugar and oil. In other words, a crude product. While I may be able to pass it off if it were just for personal use, it¡¯s not really something that I could demand money from others for. ¡°As such, I believe it would be more appropriate to have them make up for their mistake by working for it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm. Exactly what do you have in mind?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Test subjects for my medicine. That is to say, I wish to use them to help me perform my experiments.¡± [Ryouma] A look of despair had appeared on the faces of the five girls, but when Reinhart-san turned his back on them, their expression loosened a little. ¡°Can you be more specific?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­As I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, the current version of the sugar scrub isn¡¯t good enough to be sold at stores. As such, I wish to use their bodies to test the effects of my prototypes and improve the sugar scrub into a product worthy of being sold. I plan on relying on their input to improve the product. I don¡¯t need their whole body, just the arms, the legs, and the face will do. As for how long I¡¯ll be needing them¡­ Well, until the end of my stay should be enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you wish for them to make amends with their own effort, then we¡¯ll do just that. But I hope you don¡¯t mind if we also have them go through some slightly stricter lessons at the same time in order to teach them fully what it means to be a servant.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your discretion.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well then. I will grant everything you demanded. Arone, you heard the boy. Take the girls away and make sure they understand everything by the time breakfast is done.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Understood. Ryouma-sama. Thank you for handing out a lenient punishment.¡± [Arone] And so, the maids left the room¡­ ¡°¡­It seems I¡¯ve pushed something troublesome onto you.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said weakly. It was a stark contrast from his earlier tone when the maids were still present in the room. ¡°I¡¯d like to say it was no trouble at all, but¡­ This time actually was a little troublesome.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry. But given my position, I simply can¡¯t afford to be soft.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Perhaps, but I¡¯m really not good at acting.¡± [Ryouma] In fact, I don¡¯t think that was good enough to be called an ¡®act¡¯. More like a farce. Now that it¡¯s been done and said, I sure hope none of the things I said were strange or anything. ¡°Ha ha ha, you don¡¯t have to be that humble.¡± [Serge] ¡°Those girls really were at fault, and if not for what you said, who knows what could have happened to them? Considering that, just being given the chance to make things right is plenty.¡± [Pioro] Serge-san and Pioro-san said that, but I wonder what the worst-case scenario is. I¡¯m not that particular about the employment of servants, so I asked them about that too. As it turns out, although they were all called maids, they were actually divided into different roles. ?Maids in charge of cleaning and managing the residence, House Maids. ?Maids in charge of waiting on the guests and interacting with them, Parlor Maids. ?Maids in charge of the miscellaneous work at the kitchen, Kitchen Maids. ?Maids that are in charge purely over the laundry, Laundry Maids. They even varied from house to house. ?Maids that specialize in tea and sweets, Still Room Maids. ?Maids in charge of doing dishes and cleaning the kitchen, Scullery Maids. ?Maids in charge of bedrooms, Chamber Maids. They actually even had subcategories. The servants generally work with the idea that the newer one is at the job, the further away one should work from the master. ¡°Servants are still people, after all. They too can make mistakes and cause incidents¡­ That¡¯s why only those who have been serving our family for generations can work beside us and our guests. That or someone who has worked with us for a long time. Only then will a servant have accumulated enough experience and trust. Of the maids you know, Arone and Rurunez are the ones who fit the bill.¡± [Reinhart] Contrast to them, the girls earlier were just ¡®Laundry Maids¡¯, whose sole duty was the laundry. Moreover, because they were dressed as servants, they really looked just like your everyday commoner. Servants like those, which are basically at the bottom of the maid hierarchy, are apparently hired from the merchant guild. ¡°Normally, they would have been fired immediately, but by breaking their side of the contract and being fired from working at the duke¡¯s residence, it¡¯s likely that they will never again be hired as servants anywhere. The guild also has to report the circumstances surrounding their people, so it¡¯s bound to have an effect on their future work. And depending on the situation, leaking information is a mistake that could be charged with other crimes.¡± [Elize] The madam spoke about what their punishment would have been. From the sound of things, it seems like it really would have been the end of the world for them. ¡°For the meantime, we¡¯ll have them work with the development of your products until you go home. When they¡¯re not working with you, we¡¯ll have them thoroughly educated on what they¡¯ve done and what could have happened because of it. ¡­Arone was really mad, so we¡¯ll just leave that part to her. If they still don¡¯t understand after all that, then we¡¯ll have to cancel their contract. If they do appear to turn over a new leaf, then we¡¯ll keep their contract until it expires. So long as they¡¯re able to complete their contract, this incident shouldn¡¯t have any effect on their life. As for renewing their contract, that will depend on their work.¡± [Reinhart] It¡¯s a relief to know that the lives of such young children weren¡¯t ruined with one mistake. ¡°What are you talking like an old man for?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Young children? But aren¡¯t they all older than you?¡± [Elize] ¡°Ah, now that you mention it!¡¡Ha ha ha¡­ By the way, you all tried the bath bomb and sugar scrubs last night, right? Can you tell me what you thought of them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh! Right. That bath bomb stuff was really good!¡¡I could feel my body being warmed more thoroughly compared to normal bath water. As for the sugar scrub, while I won¡¯t go as far as to say that it¡¯s a poor product, I will say that I also think it needs more work.¡± [Serge] ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it over meal.¡± [Reinhart] Today¡¯s morning was more exhausting than usual. After Reinhart-san called out, breakfast finally started to be prepared¡­ Chapter 166.1 - Experiment Preparations (1/2) ¡°This way please.¡± [Maid] After breakfast, Rurunez-san led me to the magic training area within the duke¡¯s residence. The first thing I noted was the gaudy purple walls. That purple wall surrounded a lot about the size of a park. There were no ceilings and the ground hadn¡¯t been paved either. A woman accompanied by two maids elegantly approached from a corner of that place. ¡°Welcome, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Elize] ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting, Madam.¡± [Ryouma] My job for today is the construction of the venue for the wedding ceremony, but that starts later in the afternoon. I don¡¯t have anything planned for the morning, so I decided to work on improving my sugar scrub. The madam decided to join me. She needed a break from time to time too, so she didn¡¯t have any plans for today. Taking a break every now and then is certainly necessary. Still, isn¡¯t this a bit too early? ¡°I haven¡¯t even started preparing the experiments yet.¡¡All I¡¯m doing now is field work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want to see the preparations too. That aside, what do you think about our magic training area? We¡¯re rather proud of it.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s big and nice. This is certainly the kind of place I can use my magic in without holding back.¡± [Ryouma] But¡­ ¡°Curious about the wall?¡± [Rurunez] Rurunez-san could immediately tell what was on my mind. ¡°You can tell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve been stealing glances at it for a while now.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ Is it okay to ask why it¡¯s been painted in such a gaudy color?¡± [Ryouma] She sweetly smiled and answered. ¡°The walls have been dyed with a special coating that reacts strongly to the change in temperature, as is the case with fire and ice spells. The ojousama was practicing her magic here until it was time for her to move to the academy. In order to allow her a place where she could practice her magic even a little safer, the walls here were treated with that special coating.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Elia once melted a brick wall because she put too much mana into her magic. Since then we¡¯ve kept the walls here dyed to be safe.¡± [Elize] Come to think of it, Elia does specialize in fire and ice¡­ Huh. So that¡¯s why. That aside, I didn¡¯t know fire spells could give off that much heat when that much mana is given to them. I should take note of that. ¡°That makes sense.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is our private space, so you can use this place whenever you feel like. You can even use your Dimension Magic if it¡¯s here. Besides, Elia¡¯s gone and left for school already, so it rarely gets used nowadays¡­ It¡¯s a bit of a waste.¡± [Elize] As expected, the madam is a little lonely. ¡°in that case, I¡¯ll happily use it without reserve.¡± [Ryouma] I called out and began working. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I opened a while hole in the space and called out the sticky slimes and scavenger slimes. I prepared 100 of each. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of them as usual.¡± [Elize] ¡°I¡¯ve never seen so many before¡­¡± [Rurunez] I thought she saw them during feeding time, but maybe I¡¯m remembering wrong. Ah, maybe it¡¯s because they were in a big, huge, or king form. The maids accompanying the madam were also surprised. I quickly started working. ¡°First is ¡®Break Rock¡¯ !!¡± [Ryouma] I used the spell to change the level ground into a sandy state. A square about 50m big will probably do. ¡°Alright, scavenger slimes!¡± [Ryouma] I had the scavenger slimes line up at one end of the sandy ground. ¡°Do the usual.¡± [Ryouma] The scavenger slimes responded to my words and started moving simultaneously. They swallowed the sand into their body and then puked it back out behind them. They made their way through the square sand swallowing and puking. ¡°Are they¡­ Plowing the ground?¡± [Elize] ¡°That¡¯s right. At first, I had the scavenger slimes puke out fertilizer and plow with their own hands, but it¡¯s really convenient, so I would have them do the same thing several times in a day. It was starting to get annoying, so I started softening the ground beforehand with earth magic, then have the scavenger slimes mix the softened ground inside their body.¡± [Ryouma] As the slimes that were lined up marched without messing up their formation, soil that has been mixed well with the moisturized fertilizer piled up behind them, forming ridges. ¡°After I started having the scavenger slimes do this, they learned the skill ¡®Tilling¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that skill before.¡± [Elize] ¡°Apparently, of the many different jobs that farmers do, it refers only to the act of plowing the field. I think it¡¯s because I had them do nothing but mix the soil all the time. I didn¡¯t even have them plant seeds or water the ground.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If they were just doing normal farm work, they would have probably learned the ¡®Farming¡¯ skill instead.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s for the same reason that the sticky slimes learned the ¡®planting¡¯ skill.¡± [Ryouma] I took out dante seeds from my Item Box and had the sticky slimes distribute them. They turned their upper body into a bowl to receive the seeds, then they brought them to the ridges cultivated by the scavenger slimes. A slime per ridge. The sticky slimes lined up like the scavenger slimes and extended a tentacle to pick up a seed and plant them one at a time. Chapter 166.2 - Experiment Preparations (2/3) The way the slimes moved showed that they were already used to this. Although they moved slowly because they were slimes, they planted a lot faster than I would be able to on my own. They were very efficient. ¡°So slimes can farm too¡­ Excuse me.¡± [Maid 1] One of the maids accompanying the madam said inadvertently. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t mind. Slimes may not be able to carry heavy things, but they are more than capable of doing work.¡± [Ryouma] And speaking of troublesome jobs after farm work, there¡¯s weeding. Technically, any slime could eat weed, but the weed slime that loves to eat weed will eat them all the way to the roots without being told, so they¡¯re better suited for it. If you leave them alone, they¡¯ll release the seeds of the weeds from inside their body and the juice of the roots, so they¡¯ll end up propagating the weeds instead. This is likely to ensure more food for themselves and to ensure that there¡¯s a place for them to hide themselves in, but as long as I make sure to tell them not to do that, then the whole weeding process is really easy. ¡°There are others too. The acid slimes can do wood work and the drunk slimes have also recently started concocting fruit wine inside their body.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You are talking about slimes, right?¡± [Maid 1] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] I made the alcohol from the drunk slime¡¯s Produce Alcohol (Ethyl) skill to become thicker and concocted a fruit juice using it. It might be because I gave that to the drunk slime, but recently it¡¯s started asking for fruits too on top of alcohol. It¡¯s given me quite a headache, actually, as it¡¯s almost winter and the variety of fruits in the stores are getting sparser and the prices are also increasing. ¡°Ryouma-kun has really good compatibility with slimes.¡± [Elize] ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the issue here, though.¡± [Maid 1] ¡°Madam, the way he talks about slimes, it almost feels as if he¡¯s talking about a completely different monster.¡± [Maid 2] I tried explaining all that to her, but unfortunately, it would appear that my answers couldn¡¯t clear up the maid¡¯s confusion. If anything I might have only made it worse. ¡°Takebayashi-sama, the others have arrived.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°T-Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] It was only when Rurunez-san called out to me that I noticed that the entrance to the training area has been opened and a great crowd of maids has gathered. ¡°Isn¡¯t there too many of them?¡± [Ryouma] There weren¡¯t just 5 maids, there were 20. There were even 5 or 6 butlers¡­ But why? ¡°Although the five maids from before were the only ones who directly made the sugar scrub, these girls were involved in leaking the information. The maid head says that she wishes to use this opportunity to teach the undisciplined maids a lesson.¡± [Rurunez] Ahh¡­ Unlike me, it would appear that Arone-san is really angry¡­ ¡°The more subjects the better, I suppose.¡± [Ryouma] While Rurunez-san and I were talking like that among ourselves, I noted someone from among the crowd of servants. It was a maid giving orders. She was fairly tall, being a head taller than the rest of the maids, which in turn made her face very visible. She had a masculine face about her just like that of a warrior. A nice body too. Wide shoulders and thick arms. Even from a distance I can tell that her upper body is bursting with muscles, but¡­ She¡¯s wearing a maid¡¯s uniform. !!¡¡Our eyes met¡­ And now she¡¯s walking toward me. ¡°¡­Rurunez-san, who is that person?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s Riviola. A maid deeply trusted by the master, the madam, and the servants. She is from the Big Monkey Man Tribe. Her body and face might resemble that of a man¡¯s, but she is undoubtedly a woman.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°So she¡¯s from the Big Monkey Man Tribe¡ª It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Riviola-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The pleasure is mine. I am Riviola from the Big Monkey Man Tribe. Head Maid Arone has entrusted the reeducation of these maids to you. I will be watching over them during the experiments.¡± [Riviola] With her long legs and the space she covered with each step, by the time I finished asking about her from Rurunez-san, she was already right before me. I just went and greeted her then since she was here already, but the way she greeted me was truly full of grace. ¡­And yet at the same time, I can¡¯t help but imagine she¡¯d be really scary when angry¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± [Ryouma] Let¡¯s make sure not to get on her bad side. ¡°Will it be fine if I have them cooperate with me now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As you wish¡± [Riviola] First, I¡¯ll have them prepare the workshop to test the sugar scrub. The servants appear to have brought the ingredients, so I designated the area some distance away from the fields for the storage area and workbench. While they¡¯re working on that, I¡¯ll finalize the contents of the experiment. ¡°Next, the ingredients¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A list has been provided.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­!¡¡Just the vegetable oil alone has 7 variants! The perfumed oil have 20 variant! Didn¡¯t I just ask for these this morning? I can¡¯t believe they¡¯ve already prepared so many. ¡°The maids that receive the guests also use perfume, as it¡¯s considered a part of etiquette. Because of that we have a considerable number stocked up.¡± [Riviola] Chapter 166.3 - Experiment Preparations (3/3) (SHORT) ¡°I see, but even then, thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, Ryouma-kun. What kind of experiment are you going to be doing now?¡± [Elize] When the madam asked me that, I gathered my thoughts first then answered. ¡°Right¡­ I know I got all of these ingredients gathered here so luxuriously like this, but I¡¯ll only be using 7 types of oil plus another which I¡¯ll be preparing later using the dante seeds. As for the perfumed oil, I want to go with just a few exemplary ones.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. Perfumed oils can get complicated with the amount and the mixing, so today I just want to get a feel for when I add mumitou and oil to the perfumed oil. It¡¯ll be a huge help to have as many people as possible cooperating with me, so I¡¯ll be assuming that everyone gathered here is a customer. As such, I want to know their thoughts and find out if there¡¯s anything they would like to request after using the products.¡± [Ryouma] I know I told them to work with me in my experiments, but I¡¯m actually a beginner when it comes to beauty products. I barely have any experience in it to count as a beginner, so unless I can find out what the customers want, I won¡¯t be able to sell anything. This is basic. ¡°I want to hear their thoughts on the ingredients and why¡ª¡± [Ryouma] While I was talking, I noticed that the few young girls in the group were anxiously saying that the work seemed difficult while looking in my direction. ¡°¡ªRight. Just saying something along the lines of ¡®wanting a moisturizer because one¡¯s skin dries easily¡¯ will be enough. There¡¯s no need to think of too many things and try to explain. So long as the maids honestly say what they want and everything is recorded on a piece of paper, that will do.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll use the findings from the opinions of the experiment to decide the future development of my beauty products. ¡°Thank you for explaining, Takebayashi-sama. ¡­The three people over there!¡¡If there¡¯s something you don¡¯t understand, stop eavesdropping and ask!¡¡Even if you don¡¯t know if it¡¯s okay to ask, you should still ask!¡± [Riviola] ¡°O-Our deepest apologies!¡± [Three Girls] ¡°Good grief¡­ My apologies on behalf of these undisciplined children.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Well, it would be too tiring if they were so unreserved right from the start. I won¡¯t tell you how to teach them, but please do keep the questions in moderation so I don¡¯t tire out too quickly.¡± [Ryouma] I will be just using 8 types of oil and three types of perfumed oil, but even just that is enough to create 24 combinations, so it will still take considerable time to make the samples and test them all. It is said that the feel of the product can change even with the size of the sugar grain, so I want to try even the finely ground grain. It was in this way that I took my first step in making the sugar scrub a success! ¡­I never thought it would turn out into such a big thing, though. Chapter 167.1 - The Results of the Experiment and Noble Cuisine ¡°It¡¯s almost afternoon.¡± [Rurunez] Rurunez-san muttered around the time I¡¯d gathered plenty of data from the experiments conducted. ¡°It¡¯s that time already? In that case, let¡¯s end the experiments here today. Everyone has to eat too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Rurunez] At that, she informed everyone that it was time to end the experiments for the day. I went to check how the cleanup of the scene was doing, and it was then that I noticed that the madam looked rather sad. ¡°Are you alright, Madam?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun?¡¡Oh, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m not really troubled or anything.¡± [Elize] When I called out to her, she responded in the same tone as usual. It didn¡¯t seem like she was trying to hide that she was feeling bad. Was I mistaken? ¡°You seemed sad, so I thought you might have been feeling unwell.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, my. Really? ¡­Thank you. But it¡¯s nothing special. It¡¯s just that the lunch after this is¡­¡± [Elize] Lunch? I wasn¡¯t expecting to hear her talk about lunch, so I ended up showing a befuddled look on my face. The madam laughed and said. ¡°You know that winter ¨C especially the start of the end of the year- is when the socializing season of the nobles begin, right?¡¡During this period there are a lot of parties, ranging from small to big, and there are also plenty of opportunities to have a meal with others. But to be frank, the food at these parties are really bad.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­Come to think of it.¡± [Ryouma] I think it was a long while back, though it shouldn¡¯t have been a year just yet, when I held a party to celebrate the opening of my store. ¡°You said the same thing then. Something about noble cuisine being nothing but something to throw money at and the food doesn¡¯t taste good.¡± [Ryouma] I still remember when they praised my food so much and I thought they normally ate delicious food, only for me to find out that it was the opposite.¡¡But then again, the food I¡¯ve been eating since coming to this mansion of theirs has always been delicious. I dare say the food even felt luxurious, but¡­ ¡°Food meant for parties are different. There are those who eat such food regularly under the idea that such food is the food of a true noble, but I, no, we don¡¯t share that way of thinking. And we eat normal food. The food to be served also varies depending on who the guest is.¡± [Elize] I see. It would probably be better to think of noble cuisine as a completely different kind of food. ¡°Given the timing that you¡¯re talking about this, I take it that this means that you have to eat this party cuisine this afternoon?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 167.2 - The Results of the Experiment and Noble Cuisine. ¡°Right you are. We have to decide what food to serve when organizing a party, and even if we¡¯re not the host, we do get invited a lot. Of course, we have to eat what we¡¯re serve.¡¡Becase of that I¡¯m using the time I have now to get used to noble cuisine¡­ Are you perhaps interested?¡± [Elize] ¡°I would be lying if I said I wasn¡¯t.¡± [Ryouma] If the madam talks about it that much, I can¡¯t help but be curious myself. That being said, noble cuisine catered for parties must be very expensive compared to normal food. I think it¡¯s a bit much to request such expensive food just because I¡¯m interested. ¡°I don¡¯t recommend it that much, but if you insist, then alright. I really cannot reinstate that I do not recommend it, but there should be enough food for another person, so if I tell the head chef, I¡¯m sure it can be prepared. Again. I really do not recommend this.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­In that case, please allow me to take advantage of your generosity.¡± [Ryouma] My curiosity won out. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll have someone call you from your room when the food has been prepared.¡± [Elize] Before I knew it the after cleanup of the experiment was already done. And then mealtime came. ¡°Hello, Ryouma-kun. How was the experiment?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thanks to your help, I was able to get meaningful data.¡± [Ryouma] I spoke to Reinhart-san about the results of the experiment while waiting for the food to be served. ¡°Thanks to the experiments this morning, I now have an idea what direction I should take my products.¡± [Ryouma] Due to the circumstances surrounding the people cooperating with the experiment,I was worried at first, but they were surprisingly relaxed and were able to honestly give their opinion. The two most common opinions are these: ? I want a sugar scrub with a strong scent. ? I want a sugar scrub with no scent. Two completely different opinions and yet the number of supporters behind each is barely different. I was thinking it would be better to add more scent, but the results are surprisingly different. I wanted to investigate the results more closely, and it turns out that most of those requesting for sugar scrubs with strong scents are the ¡®common women¡¯ servants, who were merely hired. While those who wanted sugar scrubs with no scent were the ¡®men¡¯, ¡®some of the female servants¡¯, ¡®the madam¡¯, Rurunez-san, Riviola-san, and the ¡®servants with high rank¡¯ like the maids accompanying the madam. There were all sorts. When I asked for the reasons behind the requests, I found out that the women who wanted the scented sugar scrubs, wanted them for the following reasons: ? Perfumed oil is expensive and is a luxury, so it¡¯s not something that they can easily use. ? Depending on the variant, commoners might not even be able to acquire them, so there¡¯s a sense of luxury. ? If they can also add scent to their bodies after using the sugar scrub, then it will make the sugar scrub a bargain deal. There are some differences in the details, but if you summarize their opinions, it all basically boils down into these three points. Apparently, using perfumed oil is quite a luxury to the common women, and just having even a drop of perfumed oil already gives a luxurious feeling to the product. All the more so if the scent can remain after use. Those who were especially honest said that they could use the scent after bathing themselves to appeal to men. They spoke about various methods of using the product. ¡­At some point, the contents they spoke about became too dangerous to be spoken of to a child (me), so they ended up incurring Riviola¡¯s scolding, but I protected them with all my strength. That was probably the most exhausting part of the experiment today. ¡°Sounds like you had a harder time than I thought¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°They were very important opinions in improving the sugar scrub from a mere prototype to an actual product.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. So, what about the people that preferred an unscented variant?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, in their case, they had all sorts of reasons. One reason given was a simple ¡®I hate perfume¡¯, but this was a minority. It was mostly the men who were saying this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yes. There are indeed people who hate the smell of cosmetics, aren¡¯t there? I¡¯m not too fond of it myself.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san too? Actually, me too. ¡°But girls just want their partner to find them beautiful¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°I know they put a lot of effort into it. I won¡¯t deny that.¡± [Reinhart] When the madam muttered that earlier sentence to herself, Reinhart-san quickly followed up that he acknowledge the effort of women. Is that the action of a good man? In the end, I could not tell from the madam¡¯s expression if that was the right action or not. I continued. ¡°The servants working in the kitchen said that a strong scent would ¡®interfere with their work¡¯ or ¡®they¡¯ll be scolded¡¯. Their reasons were because of their job. As for the madam and the high-class servants, they are all regularly using perfume already, so in order to be able ¡®to pick out a perfume they like¡¯, they want an unscented sugar scrub that they can use in the bath. A kitchen maid says that she wants to use a scented sugar scrub if she could, but given her work, she¡¯ll have to use the unscented one instead¡­ Just being able to know this difference in opinion based on one¡¯s occupation and social standing is a huge help. I also think it¡¯s simply interesting.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 167.3 - The Results of the Experiment and Noble Cuisine Personally, I¡¯m hoping that there might be a way I can include the puke of the deodorant slime somewhere in the development of the unscented sugar scrubs. Deodorant Slimes are slimes that evolved after cleaner slimes were fed charcoal. The liquid puked out by both, the deodorizing liquid, the extract odor component liquid, and the odor defensive liquid all have different effects, but the one thing they have in common is that they¡¯re all black, so I know that they all have trace amounts of carbon particles in them. I¡¯ve also already confirmed that the liquids still take effect even when mixed with other liquids. The trace amounts of carbon particles might be useful not just for smell but also for cleaning. ¡­Alright, I think I spoke a bit too much now. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for prattling on endlessly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s alright. We don¡¯t really mind. I had fun asking you all sorts of stuff too. It sure is amazing that you¡¯re able to think of so many things just with one experiment.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It really was a huge help that everyone was so cooperative. It¡¯s also been a long time since I¡¯ve done something like this. It was really fun.¡± [Ryouma] Although I¡¯ve been intending on continuing my slime experiments, I left the forest, got a store¡­ ¡°There are a lot more stuff I have to do now compared to when I had cooped myself up inside the forest. Inevitably, I¡¯ve had less time to focus on just one thing. Ah, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not like I regret leaving the forest or anything. Meeting everyone and all the things that happened have all become fond memories. So I definitely don¡¯t hate leaving the forest.¡± [Ryouma] I felt like I had to clear that up, so I said that in a hurry. The madam and Reinhart-san smiled at me gently. ¡­I wonder why, but it¡¯s kind of embarrassing. ¡°¡­¡± [Reinhart, Elize, Ryouma] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Butts] !¡¡Oh, thank goodness. It finally came! I was relieved to finally be freed from that tepid silence. When I unintentionally glanced at the face of the madam and Reinhart-san, I noted that although they were quiet, they were clearly less tense than before. ¡°The menu for today is Albon Salad and for soup we have beef¡­¡± [Butts] Perhaps because today is a testing for the noble cuisine, the head cheff, Butts-san, himself appeared to bring the food. With his simple explanation of the food as the BGM, the maid started setting the table. Before long it was finally time to eat. My first taste of true noble cuisine. Without panicking, without making a ruckus, I followed the madam and Rheinhart-san¡¯s lead and ate the salad. ¡°¡­?¡± This is¡­ Actually normal. Avocado? The flavor is a little different, but it¡¯s actually a normal delicious salad. Nothing really stands out other than the gold power that¡¯s probably there for coloring. ¡°This salad is pretty good. It¡¯s simple and the Albon is enjoyable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The albon this year have been grown well. They¡¯re full of nutrients and are in season, so a plate can probably go as low as 10 small gold coins.¡± [Butts] What!?¡¡¡­This plate is 10 small gold coins?¡¡¡­But it¡¯s four or five mouthfuls at most. If your mouth is big, then you¡¯ll probably be able to eat everything in just two. So does that mean the little portion I¡¯ve eaten is already equivalent to two small gold coins?¡¡This is way too luxurious! ¡°Ryouma-kun, are you alright?¡± [Elize] ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me, it¡¯s delicious. I was just a little surprised by the price.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good then. But that much is normal in noble parties, you know?¡¡And enough serving will be needed to accommodate all the guests.¡± [Elize] ¡°How many guests are there?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would depend on the size of the party but it¡¯s usually in the hundreds.¡± [Elize] Just one plate of the hors d¡¯oeuvre already costs 10 small gold coins. If you have to serve that to a hundred people¡­ I just can¡¯t imagine it¡­ ¡°Fu fu. You look like you¡¯ve seen something strange.¡± [Elize] ¡°Elize, don¡¯t tease him too much.¡± [Reinhart] The madam was teasing me? ¡°So was that a lie just now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, of course not.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes. I can more or less tell what you¡¯re thinking. But it can be said that having parties is the duty of nobles. And with that the money will return to society.¡± [Reinhart] It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand that, but the amount they¡¯re talking about is just too big and I can¡¯t quite imagine it. ¡­While I was thinking that, I¡¯d already finished the salad. I was matching their pace, so I ended up finishing the plate before I knew it. While finding it a little bit wasteful, the soup came next. This next dish appears to be a chili beef soup. The color seemed dangerous, but it was actually a little nostalgic¡­ ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] After filling my mouth with a spoonful of it, a piercing sensation filled my mouth. At the same time, it hit me. Isn¡¯t this¡­ the spiciness of the very spicy challenge dish!? ¡°*COUGH!?¡¡Excuse, me¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°~~!!!!¡± [Elize] Reinhart-san choked, while the madam seemed to be fainting in agony and could not say anything. ¡°Are you two alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s been awhile, so we were just shocked¡­ Ryouma-kun, are you okay?¡± [Reinhart] It seems he was more surprised by me being okay. Chapter 167.4 - The Results of the Experiment and Noble Cuisine I tried taking another spoonful of the dish and¡­ ¡°It seems I can eat this normally.¡± [Ryouma] In my past life, my boss forced me to take these challenges on. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not so bothered by the spiciness¡­ Besides, this soup isn¡¯t just extremely spicy. ¡°It¡¯s true that the spiciness of the soup stands out the most at the start, but if you taste it more thoroughly, you¡¯ll notice that the umami of the beef soup has thoroughly pervaded the dish.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not like those prank dishes that have merely had a lot of spiciness added to them for the sake of making them difficult for people to finish completely. This soup may be spicy, but it was definitely made to be as delicious as possible. People that have a hard time with spicy food might be unable to eat this, but if it¡¯s me, it¡¯s a-okay! The serving wasn¡¯t much in the first place, so before I knew it, I¡¯d already emptied my bowl. I¡¯ve also emptied the glass of water I was given. The maid that was standing attention to serve us water whenever necessary was also surprised. It was at that moment¡­ ¡°It makes me so happy that you were able to see the taste hidden behind the spiciness.¡± [Butts] Butts-san said earnestly. ¡°High-class spices and expensive ingredients are used extravagantly for noble parties, and there¡¯s also a traditional standard for the spiciness from 1 to 10. But there are also those who find it questionable to make a dish that¡¯s so spicy that no one can eat it.¡± [Butts] ¡­A spiciness rating that goes from one to ten? That¡¯s totally the rating on the spicy challenge menu. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just a coincidence or not, but please don¡¯t turn something like that into a tradition, otherworlder of the past! ¡°But I still want people eating my food to find them delicious. Thanks to you, I feel as if all that work I put in was worth it. Thank you.¡± [Butts] He thanked me out of the blue just like that¡­ I wonder if there¡¯s a lot of people who can¡¯t eat stuff like this. ¡°It¡¯s doubtful that there would be many other than the nobles who can eat food like this everyday. Especially since your everyday commoner family wouldn¡¯t use spices to such an extent. The taste is simply too thick. I know I made it, but really, it¡¯s amazing you could stand the stuff.¡± [Butts] ¡°I ate something like this in the past.¡± [Ryouma] I replied vaguely, but Reinhart-san suddenly seemed to remember. ¡°Come to think of it, you¡¯re from the Great Shurus Forest. That region is full of spices.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right, right. It¡¯s a land abundant with pepper and chili.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, so it must¡¯ve been a local dish then¡­ If you have time, could we talk about it sometime?¡¡I might be able to find something to help me make a more delicious food despite needing to use a lot of spice.¡± [Butts] ¡°I¡¯m not that privy to the details, but I can share everything I know.¡± [Ryouma] My conversation with the head chef ended with that. I took advantage of the misunderstanding to excuse myself, and then proceeded to eat another dish. If I were to consider that the spicy menu is Japanese culture that somehow got passed on as a tradition of the nobles¡­ ¡°Roast beef with cacao sauce. Enjoy.¡± [Butts] This time the dish had a sauce that was super bitter. It seems to have been made in chocolate style, but it doesn¡¯t have even the slightest bit of sweetness to it. It¡¯s basically just cacao. After eating the rest of the dishes, I finally started to put together the picture. It seems that just like the extremely spicy dish, there are also extremely salty, extremely bitter, extremely astringent, extremely sour, and extremely sweet dishes. The last drop makes the cup run over. Somehow, this experience has made me want to send those words to someone in the past¡­ Chapter 168.1 - The Thoughtfulness of a Coworker?(1/2) Afternoon. Within the woods that expanded at the back of the duke¡¯s residence, the trees have been cut open to clear a path for people to pass, and at the same time, the weeds have also been mowed to create a path to walk on. It¡¯s still within the lot of the duke¡¯s residence, but this place appears to have been made with the intention of making it as close to nature as possible. From time to time, I could feel the presence of other living creatures¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] A wolf-like monster peeked at me from the distance, then as if nothing was amiss, it left. ¡°Was that the madam¡¯s familiar?¡± [Ryouma] I asked that to Rurunez-san, and she said that that was indeed likely to be the case. ¡°Most of the wolf-type monsters here, especially those checking on us, are the madam¡¯s familiars that have been stationed here to keep watch. But the servants also have their own familiars, so it¡¯s possible it¡¯s someone else¡¯s too. Either way, the manager has already been informed of our plans for the day. The monsters won¡¯t attack us.¡± [Rurunez] That¡¯s good to hear. Does the duke¡¯s family have a lot of monster tamers among their servants? ¡°The Jamil family is a family of monster tamers, after all. They¡¯ve even gone out of their way to prepare an environment like this where the familiars can live comfortably. And since they¡¯ve made this place freely available, it¡¯s become a good environment for interested people to learn. There are many monster tamers among servants that have served in the family for a long time. For example, please look over there.¡± [Rurunez] When we reached the end of the path, a space within the woods that had been cleared into a beautiful rectangle greeted us. The ground was covered in verdant grass and wild flowers and to the left could be seen a large lake. The plains were about as big as a primary school¡¯s gymnasium. At that size, it¡¯s more than big enough to run laps around. Rurunez-san pointed to the center of the lake. The shape was a bit distorted, but there was a mossy cone-shaped island over there. I wonder if there¡¯s something on that island. ¡°It might look like an island, but that¡¯s actually the Floatland Tortoise monster.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what it is.¡± [Ryouma] I asked more about it and it turns out that the floatland tortoise carries an air bladder inside it and lives near the surface of the water. For food, it eats the insects and small fishes that float toward it. It possess sharp fangs and a sturdy jaw that allows it to crush even the bones. It¡¯s a very gentle monster and when it grows big enough, a person can ride on its back. ¡°By the way, the contractor is the head chef, Butts-san. I¡¯ve also had the opportunity to ride on its back when I was young.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°So, you can ride on it, huh¡­ Come to think of it, I¡¯ve been looking for a monster that I could use as a mount. How does it feel when riding the tortoise?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Floatland Tortoises generally just float, so while they can be ridden on, they¡¯re not suitable for ferrying people. If they lose their balance, they¡¯ll capsize too. Well, it does make for a fun memory, though.¡± [Rurunez] I wonder if it really feels like a balloon¡­ Oops, I¡¯m getting sidetracked again. Better start working. ¡°Already?¡¡But my husband has yet to arrive.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°I¡¯ll just prepare some things. That would make it easier for those coming to help too. And what I¡¯ll be doing is really nothing more than a simple job.¡± [Ryouma] I need to make some preparations before constructing the venue for the wedding hall. ¡­As for what exactly it is I¡¯m about to do, well¡­ ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m going to have the weed slimes eat the weeds! After this all the weeds were pulled out in a blink of an eye. They couldn¡¯t even put up a fight. As my preparations went underway, some of the volunteers started gathering¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [Camil] ¡°Ah, good work out there!¡¡¡­?¡± [Ryouma] When I heard Camil-san¡¯s voice, I turned around, but Zeff-san and Jill-san were also with him. For some reason, though, Hyuzu-san was listlessly borrowing a shoulder. I¡¯m glad that my four guard acquaintances showed up, but¡­ ¡°Why is he like this again?¡¡His face is pale. Is he okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­!¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san¡¯s breath was ragged and he weakly shook his head as he held his mouth. ¡°You¡¯ll puke if you talk?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡± [Hyuzu] Seems I hit the bullseye. ¡°Hey, hey. Don¡¯t puke now.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Zeff, lay him down by the tree shade there.¡± [Jill] At Jill-san¡¯s suggestion, Hyuzu-san was immediately carried to the shade under one of the trees. Rurunez went to help Hyuzu-san, so it¡¯ll probably be fine. ¡°So, Camil-san. Did something happen?¡¡Is this because of all that studying for his promotion?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, actually, that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with this at all.¡± [Camil] ¡°He said something really insensitive to a girl and got smacked. He didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it, though.¡± [zeff] ¡°That¡¯s nothing new for him, though.¡± [Jill] ¡°I see¡­ But was that really enough to turn him like this?¡± [RYouma] Hyuzu-san is a guard of the duke¡¯s family. He should be fairly trained. Even if he¡¯s not wearing armor outside of work, it shouldn¡¯t be possible for a single person to leave him like this. ¡°Ahh¡­ He picked the wrong opponent.¡± [Zeff] ¡°You know Riviola-san, right?¡± [Jill] ¡°The maid from the Big Monkey Man Tribe?¡¡She helped me with my previous experiment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, if you know her, then that makes this quick. He was done in by her. For the record, she¡¯s not just big, she¡¯s also properly studied martial arts.¡± [Jill] ¡°There are places we can¡¯t enter, after all, since we¡¯re men. In places like those, it¡¯s up to her to act as the guard. Among the women, she¡¯d ranked first or second best fighter.¡± [Zeff] ¡°She¡¯s fast enough that just a moment is all it would take to lose sight of her fist. It was that very fist that landed cleanly into Hyuzu¡¯s solar plexus.¡± [Jill] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Hyuzu-san, just what did you say for her to aim at such a vital part? ¡­I turned to him as I thought that, but he was being devotedly treated by Rurunez-san. Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san didn¡¯t seem to notice it, but the male volunteers that had gathered all had scary eyes. Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t understand. ¡°Well, shall we leave the two of them be and begin work?¡¡There are still some people missing, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 168.2 - The Thoughtfulness of a Coworker? ¡°Right, that would probably be a good idea.¡± [Jill] ¡°I¡¯ll talk to the people that come.¡± [Camil] ¡°In that case, please gather them by that corner over there. I¡¯ll explain to them there what we¡¯ll be doing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That area with various stuff like those mountains of sand? Gotcha!¡± [Camil] ¡°I¡¯ll go there too then.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Doesn¡¯t seem like I¡¯m needed. Do you need help with your preparations?¡¡If there¡¯s anything you need, just say it.¡± [Jill] ¡°In that case, there is something I need your help for.¡± [Ryouma] And then we began working. ¡°The first thing I would like to ask everyone to do is to build the area for those participating in the wedding ceremony. The designated area has already been dug deeper than the rest of the lot and has been reinforced with brick. So, please start with the interiors. First¡­ In the inner side of the bricked area, mountains of soil have already been piled up in random intervals. Get some soil from the nearest pile to you and lay them over the ground and press it. Use the tool here to flatten the ground. The thickness of the soil is marked on the bricks surrounding the area you are to work in. Please refer to those. Start from the ends and make your way inside.¡± [Ryouma] I had Jill-san help me to demonstrate to the people what to do. Once the ground has been made even enough for people to walk on it. ¡°Once the ground has been prepared, you will lay out these stone plates.¡± [Ryouma] That was a stone plate assembled using ¡®H¡¯-shaped blocks without any space between them. Taking into consideration that most of the people participating in this work have had no prior experience, I assembled one of the blocks beforehand and completed it using earth magic with the image of ¡®one¡¯. Since a single side of the area we need to cover is about 3 meters wide each, after leveling the ground, we can immediately turn the area into a beautiful venue if we lay down these blocks. The blocks are heavy, but these people work as guards, so they should be confident in their strength and stamina. ¡°Put them together like this and line them up one after another. If you do that a space to connect the next block will appear. Please insert a different block in that space. When you place the block, you¡¯ll be able to easily connect it with another one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s actually a lot easier than I was expecting.¡± [Man 1] ¡°So we just lay some of that soil of yours and put these plates over it, right?¡± [Man 2] ¡°Is that really enough?¡± [Man 3] ¡°For our objective this time, it¡¯s more than enough.¡± [Ryouma] Overdoing things will just lead to more work and it¡¯ll make it a lot more difficult to return things here to the way they were before once the ceremony is done. Because of that I made sure to harden the foundation with earth magic. One day for both the wedding ceremony and the celebration. One week before and after should be more than enough. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a spirit level here. Please be careful with the height and evenness of the soil. A person could trip himself over a connection when drunk, and if the slope is bad, the food and the drinks might slide off. It¡¯s simple work, but whether or not the party will be a enjoyable is all dependent on everyone¡¯s work here!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, whether the drinks are enjoyable or not, huh.¡± [Man 4] ¡°When you put it that way, I get really fired up.¡± [Man 5] ¡°Please do get fired up. Also, one more thing, in the space between the bricks at the edge and the stone plates, please place the same bricks as before. If there are earth magicians here, please do help out¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, count me in. I¡¯m affiliated with the magic squad and specialize in barrier magic, but I can use earth magic fairly well.¡± [Woman 1] ¡°I can use it too.¡± [Woman 2] ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± [Camil] I heard some voices coming from behind the wall of well-statured men. The crowd of people opened up and a group of slender men and women came to view. Camil-san was with them. They mentioned magic squad, so¡­ ¡°Magic squad? You must be magic specialists then!¡¡Thank you very much!¡¡Please allow me to rely on you.¡± [Ryouma] I was a little exaggerated when I thanked them. Because of that they made a quiet but satisfied wry smile. ¡°I still have something to explain to the mages, so please come here. Everyone else can begin working. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, let¡¯s get this work going!¡± [Jill] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Others] Jill-san took the lead and the guards went into work. Meanwhile, Camil-san gathered the people from the mage squad while Zeff-san told the people who came late where they should go. It was in this way that the 3 people with many connections reduced my workload and made the whole operation go smoothly. ¡­As for the two leading actors. ¡°Let me help too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Hyuzu? Is your stomach feeling well already?¡± [Man 6 ¡°If you¡¯re feeling better already, then why don¡¯t you accompany your wife?¡± [Man 7] ¡°Just hurry and go!¡± [Man 8] ¡°I¡¯m jealous damn it!¡± [Man 9] ¡°I hear there are women who get anxious before the ceremony!¡± [Man 10] ¡°Yeah! Yeah!¡¡And yet you¡¯re working so seriously when it¡¯s so out of character for you!¡± [Man 11] ¡°If Rurunez-san becomes anxious because of you, I¡¯ll kill you¡­¡± [Man 12] ¡°Talk things over again properly. It¡¯s fine if you change your mind, you know.¡± [Man 13] ¡°Anyway, hurry up and go!¡± [Man 14] ¡°Don¡¯t you dare come here, traitor!¡± [Man 15] ¡°Wait a moment¡ª GUFU!?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Sorry, sorry. Please take care of this guy.¡± [Man 16] I can¡¯t tell if they¡¯re jealous or treating him well¡­ The one thing I¡¯m sure of is that after just recovering, Hyuzu-san was down for the count again and was with Rurunez-san once more. While Hyuzu-san was spending time with his soon-to-be-wife, all these people were watching him from a distance. In a sense, it could be said that he was either in heaven or hell. ¡­Everyone might have a good relationship, but the way they do things is too extreme. Chapter 169.1 - The Moulton Slave Company (1/2) Chapter 169: The Moulton Slave Company (1/2) The next day. ¡°What a great weather we have today¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because I haven¡¯t gone out in a while, but somehow it¡¯s really bright.¡± [Reinhart] The rays of the sun during broad daylight fell on us as we walked that short distance from the entry hall of the duke¡¯s residence to the carriage. Seeing how Reinhart-san found that unpleasant and yet continued to enjoy himself, I could just imagine how busy he must be normally. But¡­ ¡°Is this really alright?¡¡I¡¯m really grateful, but it¡¯s your rare day off. Wouldn¡¯t it be a waste to use that to accompany me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Actually, I¡¯ve recently been unable to calm down even during my rest days. When Elia was around, I would spend the time playing with her or teaching her something, but she¡¯s at school now.¡¡So I have nothing to do on my rest days and I just end up working more.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Reinhart-san¡­ I guess that makes two of us then¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ When you put it that way, I guess I do understand a little of how you feel.¡± [Reinhart] So, Elia leaving for the academy is having an influence even here. Before departing, Elia was asked if she would be okay, but looking at it now, I think the ones who needed worrying the most were the parents. I would want nothing more than to be able to help keep Reinhart-san from becoming a workaholic, so I can only be grateful if he wants to accompany me, but¡­ ¡°By the way, is the store we¡¯re going to today dangerous?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, no. Not at all. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m a bit scared of what others might think if I were to let you go alone¡­ I know I introduced the store, but still¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°The store itself is fine. But the representative of the store is a bit, yeah¡­¡± [Pioro] It wasn¡¯t just Reinhart-san accompanying me today, but Serge-san and Pioro-san too. Fei-san was also with us. Our destination was the Moulton Slave Company that I was introduced to before. We talked about various things last night as well, and since I wouldn¡¯t be working until afternoon, I decided to use the time until then to visit it. When I told the others about my plans, these three strongly insisted on coming along. If they just needed an adult to accompany me, then Fei-san, who was currently seating at the back, should have been enough. When I asked about it, it turns out that even Serge-san who introduced the store to me, told Carm-san ¡®if you¡¯re going to use it, make sure to use a safe store¡¯. Apparently, he didn¡¯t really recommend using the store here¡­ To be more frank, it seems that there¡¯s something he¡¯s concerned about. For some reason, though, he can¡¯t quite bring himself to say what that something is. ¡°Is there something wrong with the representative?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You bet there is. You won¡¯t have to worry about being scammed, though. The representative is a trustworthy and serious partner when it comes to business. Yes. When it comes to business¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since the new representative inherited the business from his predecessor, and has even taken strides in improving things while following the precedents set. As such, you wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that he¡¯s a brilliant manager. Especially, his ability to ¡®see people¡¯. In that regard, he¡¯s even a step above us. Although that might have something to do with his line of work. If it¡¯s just that one point, he could even contest the guild master.¡± [Serge] The figure of the old woman that worked as the guild master of the Gimuru Merchant Guild flashed through my mind. ¡°That sounds like a very capable person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Capable. Yes. But it¡¯s precisely because he¡¯s capable¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°It is said that geniuses are sometimes difficult for the common man to understand. Putting it briefly, he¡¯s an eccentric.¡± [Serge] ¡°And if I may add one thing, I¡¯d say that he¡¯s actions are suspicious. As much as possible, I don¡¯t want Elia to meet him.¡± [Reinhart] Elia? Don¡¯t want to let her meet him? Actions are suspicious? Could he be a lolicon? No, I better stop. I shouldn¡¯t think such rude things toward someone I¡¯ve yet to meet. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Driver] The man driving the carriage informed us that we were almost at our destination. As we passed through a large gate, the carriage slowed down. ¡°This is¡­¡± [Ryouma] It may be lacking when compared to the duke¡¯s family, but the size of the lot, the size of the buildings, and the exterior appearance. No matter how you put it, this is clearly the beautiful residence of a noble. As we got off the carriage at the stop, a store employee dressed like that of a butler immediately came to greet us. At the same time, a troubled look appeared on the faces of the three adults. They couldn¡¯t hide that look if they tried. ¡°If it isn¡¯t His Grace. And Serge-sama of the Morgan Company and even Pioro-sama of the Saionji Company. Welcome.¡± [Butler?] ¡°It¡¯s only been a few days, Orest.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Why is the president himself here? Don¡¯t you have work to do?¡± [Pioro] ¡°How cold of you. But while it¡¯s important to do my work as the president, I¡¯m sure you understand full well how equally important it is to see the actual state of each post.¡± [Orest] Chapter 169.2 - The Moulton Slave Company The man immediately avoided the sharp gazes of the adults and assumed a somewhat detached attitude. From the sound of things, he¡¯s the top person here, but he¡¯s way younger than what I had imagined. He¡¯s probably not even in the latter half of his twenties. He strikes me as a fresh good-looking young man who¡¯s a president of a start up company. ¡°Still, I must say I am quite surprised to see all of you visiting my store together.¡± [Orest] As he said that, his gaze turned toward me. ¡°Oh, please do excuse my manners. I am the president of this store here, Orest Moulton.¡± [Orest] ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Takebayashi-Sama, I see. It is my great pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Orest] Hmm?¡¡He seems pretty normal to me¡­ So far. He¡¯s talking properly to me too even though I¡¯m only a child. But then again, another way of looking at it is that it¡¯s plenty strange for him to be treating me the same way he does the duke or the presidents of large companies even though I¡¯m only a child¡­ But that¡¯s enough to get me to understand why the three adults are so concerned about him. While I was thinking that, the conversation turned to changing the location first before talking about specifics, and even Fei-san, who couldn¡¯t enter the conversation at all, was called into the store. When we entered the place, a store that looked just like a noble¡¯s manor greeted us. Even the interiors of the store was the spitting image of a noble¡¯s manor, full of pomp and extravagance. But unlike a noble¡¯s manor, there were many chairs and counters lined up near the entrance, making the place look more like Japan¡¯s post office or the city hall. Speaking of which, I also noted 5 groups of customers that were here before us. But as rude as this may be, based on the way they were dressed, I think they were neither nobles or rich people. ¡°Fu fu fu, are you surprised?¡± [Orest] ¡°Yes I am. First of all, this place doesn¡¯t look like a store at all. And when I first heard of a store that sells slaves, I imagined something darker and more malicious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, there are indeed stores like those too. It depends on the scale and location. But ¡®slaves are humans too¡¯, after all. Moreover, they are also the products that our company deals with. It is only natural that we take care to keep them healthy. To that end, my Moulton Slave Company provides clean rooms and sufficient food for all of our slaves. We even regularly employ doctors to manage the health of our slaves.¡± [Orest] And in order to accommodate a large number of slaves, they needed to provide plenty of rooms. Apparently, that¡¯s the reason why they have this large store that¡¯s basically equal to a noble¡¯s manor. ¡°Of course, we don¡¯t have many stores as gaudy as this one. This place was originally a noble¡¯s manor, and it just so happens that my father was able to purchase it. We simply renovated a part of it and turned it into a store.¡± [Orest] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] So my hunch was correct. It is a noble¡¯s manor. ¡°This way please.¡± [Orest] The room we were brought to contained a simple rectangular table and some chairs. There were more than enough seats to accompany double our numbers, which was currently six, given we had five from our group plus Mr. Moulton himself. It¡¯s reasonably large considering that he¡¯ll be calling slaves here. Mr. Moulton recommended me to take a seat in front. From the looks of things, he has already inferred that I¡¯m the customer today. He was also paying a lot of attention to me along the way. I never mentioned it, though. I wonder how he figured it out. Well, I guess this much is expected of someone those three praised as being brilliant. Mr. Moulton very naturally rang the bell placed on the desk and ordered the woman that appeared from the next room to prepare us drinks. That series of movements was really stylish. So much so that I can¡¯t help but be astonished. ¡°Now then, Takebayashi-sama. What kind of slave are you looking for today?¡± [Orest] ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± [Ryouma] For the mean time, I decided to tell him that I own a laundromat and am looking for people who can work as guards. ¡°If you need guards, then not only will they need to be skilled, but they will also need to be trustworthy. Moreover, it¡¯s for a store¡­¡± [Orest] ¡°I know. If it¡¯s just for a brief period, I could put up a job request at the adventurers guild, but doing that is a bit difficult for longer jobs.¡± [Ryouma] Actually strong adventurers are more likely to make more money subjugating monsters than they are being employed. There might be some willing to work for a short time, but most of them will probably refuse a long contract. It¡¯s not everyday that you can conveniently find a strong adventurer thinking of retiring, after all. ¡°I want to focus on the personality of the slaves. Of course, I want them to be skilled as well. But so long as they have the basics down, then I can still consider taking them in, as the head of my security here, Fei, can train them.¡± [Ryouma] After seeing the skill and personality of the slaves, I will negotiate about the price. Carm-san said that if there was someone really good, I shouldn¡¯t hesitate and make a contract with them immediately, but given these conditions, maybe I¡¯ll take a wait and see approach first. ¡°Prioritize the personality, huh¡­ In that case¡­¡± [Orest] Mr. Moulton suddenly stood up and took out a bundle of documents from the shelf behind him. From that he took something akin to a bookmark that was sandwiched between the pages. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. In this store, the information of the slaves have been compiled into documents. Please pick out those interested in from this list of slaves that possess battle-type skills.¡± [Orest] It seems he wants me to narrow down the candidates by taking my pick from this list, and then interview them. The document he gave me was easy to read. The name of the slaves, their gender, race, history, skill, and skill levels were all written down. ¡°This is really detailed¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, after all the value of a slave greatly changes depending on the abilities and knowledge he possess. Slaves are obliged to disclose their information through their status board. We use that information to determine their value. Based on your requests, I believe the people from that document might fit the bill. Those slaves possess battle-type skills with levels 2 to 3. Please pick out people that are highly appraised for their character from that.¡± [Orest] ¡°¡­The prices listed here. It seems there are some differences even between people of the same abilities.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because some of those are debt slaves, who sold themselves, and some aren¡¯t. Debt slaves are sold to slave stores like ours, and in exchange, their debts are settled, but we¡¯re the ones who have to shoulder the debt.¡± [Orest] Oh, so that¡¯s why the price of their loan is added to their original value. After all, if they sell for below the price of their debt, they¡¯ll make a loss. ¡°Exactly.¡± [Orest] The documents have been organized well and Mr. Moulton also explains things easily. Because of that, despite it being my first time, I was able to easily pick out some candidates. ¡­I really don¡¯t understand. Why is Reinhart-san and the others so wary of this man? Chapter 170.1 - The True Nature of the Handsome Man It didn¡¯t take long for me to finish picking out the candidates. The documents have already been consolidated into an easy-to-read-form, so a glance was all it took for me to decide whether a candidate fit my requirements or not. Unfortunately, even after counting only the people that fit my requirements, the total number of candidates still numbered more than fifty. That¡¯s still far too many. If possible I would like to narrow it down more. ¡°¡­I¡¯m a bit hesitant to say this, but they all feel more or less the same¡­¡± [Ryouma] Most of them have experience working as adventurers, and for one reason or another things didn¡¯t turn out well for them. That or they ended up racking up a huge debt. ¡°Generally, most slaves that are able to fight are adventurers. From time to time, you do find some who have history working as guards, but even that is because they have experience working as adventurers. It¡¯s precisely they have such experience that they are able to take on such jobs.¡± [Orsen] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] But if they all have similar histories, then how am I suppose to pick them out? ¡°Fei-san, do you have any ideas?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s difficult¡­¡± [Fei] ¡°Did you have experience having subordinates of your own in the past?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I do. But I¡¯ve never had to choose them like this. I just trained whoever was sent my way. That¡¯s all. People in my line of work then never really had to consider stuff like them not obeying orders or not being suited for the work. If they didn¡¯t follow orders or weren¡¯t effective, then they would simply vanish¡­ Naturally.¡± [Fei] ¡°Is that so?¡± [Ryouma] By ¡®vanish¡¯¡­ Does that mean those people were corrected during training?¡¡Or¡­ No. I should stop thinking about this. I need to focus on the issue at hand first. The personalities of the slaves are probably being talked up because sales talk and all, but they¡¯re probably not too far off the mark. After all, even if a store talks up its products a lot, the customer will still find out in the end anyway. And I don¡¯t think Reinhart-san and the others will recommend a store like that. ¡­I¡¯m going to be purchasing these slaves to protect the store, so what I need from them the most is their ¡®ability to fight¡¯. Right. Let¡¯s make that the priority. To narrow these candidates down, let¡¯s pick out only those with at least level three battle-type skills. With that I was able to reduce the number of candidates to just 12. That¡¯s basically down to a quarter of the original number. ¡°A difference of but one level, and yet it made such a big difference.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu fu¡­¡± [Orsen] ¡­Did I say something strange? ¡°Excuse me. Skill levels take considerable training and experience to raise, so it¡¯s not strange for an increase of even just one level to take many years. Moreover, the higher the level of a skill, the harder it is to raise. In cases of high levels, it is not at all strange to take decades just to raise it again. That¡¯s why it is often said that any difference in level is a clear difference in one¡¯s actual abilities. At the very least, when two people are fighting using the same weapons, then the one most likely to win is the one with the higher skill level.¡± [Orsen] Mr. Moulton continued, saying, ¡®But of course¡ª¡® For a moment, I could not understand what he was getting at. ¡°But of course, to you, Takebayashi-sama, the difference between level 2 and 3 is nothing to speak of.¡± [Orsen] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, he faintly smiled at me. At the same time, I also felt Reinhart-san and the others become alert. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer, are you not, Takebayashi-sama?¡¡Moreover, the exceedingly powerful sort. I know nothing of martial arts, but¡­ To be honest with you, I have had you investigated a long time ago.¡± [Orsen] ¡°You investigated me? I take it you didn¡¯t just hear about me then.¡± [Ryouma] Since he¡¯s talking about it so earnestly up front, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s planning on doing anything shady. ¡°Can I ask why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are several reasons. One is because those three with you and Grisiera-sama have been shielding you from behind. I¡¯m certain that merchants with some degree of power have already gotten word of this. After all, it has been indirectly spread through the intelligence network of the merchant guild. The second reason is for the purposes of our preliminary survey. Although your laundromat that utilizes slimes is somewhat special, it¡¯s not as if there has been no precedent. There¡¯s also the risk that comes with starting a new business. There are many managers who ¨C upon failing ¨C come to our store.¡± [Orsen] That¡¯s why he gathers information on new stores, conspicuous stores, and stores that are in a slump. But I had four large shields behind me, so he didn¡¯t really think I would end up in such dire straits. ¡°And the third reason: A mere interest¡­ From me to you. ¡®What kind of person is this man known as Ryouma Takebayashi, who happens to be so well-connected and has even started a new venture?¡¯¡± [Orsen] Of the three reasons he gave, the third one was the most concise, but it also gave off the strongest pressure. ¡°And your investigations has led you to believe that I am too strong for people that bother with the likes of levels 2 and 3 to deal with?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 170.2 - The True Nature of the Handsome Man ¡°There¡¯s no doubt about it. The first thing to pop out was the subjugation job at the northern mines that have been abandoned for a long time¡­ You participated there with an ooze of eccentric slimes that could use weapons, right?¡¡And despite it being your first job, you were admitted to an E Rank team. The day before you also ended up in a scuffle with a group of no good adventurers in order to save some children. You fought them alone, but despite one of those delinquent adventurers being C-Ranked, you were able to instantly finish them off. Ahh, if you¡¯re wondering why I know so much¡­¡¡It just so happens that that C Ranker had been sentenced to slavery and was registered here as a ¡®criminal slave¡¯.¡± [Orest] ¡°I see. The world sure is small.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed¡­ After registration he was to be sent to a coal mine, but in the few days until then, we had the opportunity to talk. He told me these things about his defeat. ¡®I had no idea what happened¡¯ ¡®By the time I knew it, I had already lost¡¯. And yet his skill board clearly showed a Battle Axe Mastery skill level of 3. Although a level such as that falls under the ¡®normal¡¯ category, it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that he¡¯s plenty skilled. It would have been one thing if you had merely defeated him, but to think that you defeated him so easily that he didn¡¯t even have the time to understand what was going on¡­ It is evident that you are far above him. It¡¯s doubtful that he had merely let his guard down. And even if he did because of your appearance, he should have been strong enough to still win. Oh, and speaking of which, there was this story too.¡± [Orest] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] Mr. Moulton excitedly spoke about the stories surrounding me. He spoke about them one after another. He generally spoke about the rumors going around in Gimuru or the Founding Festival or that time when I worked as a teacher to instruct the new recruits. Apparently, I was secretly famous for being an adventurer that brought weird slimes with him. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard about your success in hunting a man with a bounty on his head. The famed ¡®Melzen the Red Spear¡¯. You also recently succeeded in subjugating a group of 15 men. Oh, but that last one was with Fei-sama, yes? It seems Fei-sama is also plenty skilled.¡± [Orest] ¡­He even got intel on the most recent happenings. The way he¡¯s leaking information is basically stalker level at this point. ¡°Ahem!¡¡Mnn¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh! Excuse me. I got too excited there.¡± [Orest] ¡°You sure did well to have investigated so much¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not really. The only things I was able to find out were those regarding your activities while in Gimuru. Other than that the only thing I found out about you is that you ¡®lived in isolation in the Forest of Gana¡¯. It was almost as if you just popped out of nothingness into the forest. I can¡¯t find any information about your past at all. It is really humbling.¡± [Orest] Well, if you were actually able to figure it out, I would be really impressed. Is this the reason Reinhart-san and the others are so wary of him? ¡°Ever since I was a child, I have always loved to hear stories from slaves and guests¡­ It didn¡¯t matter whether they were a man or a woman, a child or an adult, or even an elder. It didn¡¯t matter whether they were human, a member of the beast tribe, an elf, a dwarf, or even a dragon newt. Be it the work they do, their body type, there are simply so many different kinds of people. And I just can¡¯t help but wonder what every one of this different kinds of people are thinking or doing in their lives. It makes me want to know about the different paths they walk. And I don¡¯t mean this in the carnal sense, mind you. I know there are those that start thinking that when I bring this up, but really it¡¯s not. Although to be honest with you I wouldn¡¯t really mind it either way. Men, women, humans, non-humans¡­ I¡¯m fine with anything really.¡± [Orest] No one¡¯s asking! Besides, isn¡¯t that plenty to pass you off as an eccentric!? Well, as long as they¡¯re legal age-wise, I guess it doesn¡¯t really matter, but¡­ Dang. Seriously, his strike zone is way too big. I¡¯m used to the otaku culture back at Earth, where way more varied characters appear in anime and manga. Cat-ears, beast ears, maids¡­ All that stuff is pretty normal there. And nowadays even normal people know about tsunderes too. If you go deeper, there are all sorts of genre like traps and BL. And if you go off the deep end, there are even robot girls. Honestly, I don¡¯t really care about those kind of hobbies or gay relationships as long as I¡¯m not a target. As long as I¡¯m not, then¡­ ¡®There are no problems with Mr. Orest Moulton¡¯ That¡¯s the conclusion I have for the person known as Orest Moulton. But is this really what everyone is so wary of? Frankly, rather than say he¡¯s a mysterious person, I think it would be more apt to say that he¡¯s simply difficult to understand. ¡°¡­By the way, if I may ask, Takebayashi-sama, what is the level of your battle-type skills?¡± [Orest] ¡°Orest. Don¡¯t ask go digging into that stuff outside of your work. Ryouma isn¡¯t your slave or anything.¡± [Pioro] While I was thinking, Pioro-san suddenly spoke with a quiet but heavy voice that was unlike his usually bright-toned voice. Chapter 170.3 - The True Nature of the Handsome Man It¡¯s true that it¡¯s rude to suddenly ask about someone¡¯s status, but¡­ ¡°Thank you very much, but it¡¯s alright, Pioro-san.¡± [Ryouma] How do I put this¡­ I think he¡¯s really just curious. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s trying to get information out of me so he can use it for some kind of malicious plot or something. I think he¡¯s really just stupidly honest about that curiosity of his. And I don¡¯t know if it would be more apt to say that his true character has been unmasked or if it would be better to say that he simply decided to reveal his true character, but either way, I more or less know his true nature now. And while earlier he was no more than a youth I took a liking to, I now feel a strange sense of familiarity with him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he thinks of crossing me, but I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t try to do anything that would incur everyone¡¯s wrath, right?¡± [Ryouma] You know that thrill when you look at something scary and yet want to look at it all the more precisely because it¡¯s scary? Maybe that¡¯s the reason why he¡¯s doing this. Because of that it made me want to take a step of my own as well. As such, I turned to Mr. Moulton and revealed some of my information. ¡°My battle skills are basically the sword skill and the taijutsu (martial arts). The both of them are at level 7.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Everyone Else] As the air tensed, silence filled the room. The reason behind the tension in the air was none other than the three adults who have taken to the role of being my guardians. Everyone was silent. Only Serge-san was sweating buckets. Fei-san acted like none of this was his concern, merely drinking his tea by the side. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because Mr. Moulton simply hadn¡¯t expected me to divulge my information just like that or if my level had gone beyond his expectations, but he showed a faint surprise on his face, beyond which was a clear expression of interest and excitement. ¡°Level 7. Indeed. There¡¯s no way I could have predicted that.¡± [Orest] ¡°It could be a joke, you know?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ Your calmness is very unnerving.¡± [Orest] He didn¡¯t avert his eyes as he met my gaze. Now then, how will he react? Will he think me a liar?¡¡Or will he believe me? I¡¯m not lying, but I am being very bold. ¡°Please rest assured. Even without the shields behind you, as a merchant, I could never misuse the information of my guests. Besides, if I were to act inappropriately, I¡¯m sure the one to suffer will be me.¡± [Orest] Mr. Moulton said naturally in a tone full of interest despite Reinhart-san and the others continuing to stare daggers at him. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then levels 2 or 3 will certainly be too unreliable for you.¡± [Orest] From the looks of things, it would appear that he¡¯s decided to take my words as truth, but at the same time, he seemed really worried. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Please wait a moment.¡± [Orest] He stood up from his seat and brought back a new bundle of documents. ¡°This is a list of documents with some special circumstances¡­¡± [Orest] ¡°Special circumstances?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unlike the slaves listed on the normal list, these ones can¡¯t really work. They¡¯re either too old, too young, injured, ill, or are afflicted with some prognostic symptoms, but regardless, these are people that are unable to fully exhibit their abilities. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t recommend them to customers, but there¡¯s presently a level 5 swordsman on this list.¡± [Orest] As he said that, he flipped through the document and showed me a page on which was written the information of a certain man. ¡°Ox Lord. 37 years-old. A man from the minotaur tribe who possesses a Twin Sword Technique with a level of 5.¡± [Orest] After reading the section that contained the man¡¯s history, I found out that the man was indeed fairly strong. At the same time, I also found why he has been included in this list. As the story goes, Ox Lord was raised in the church¡¯s orphanage until he was 15 years-old, after which he entered into a training school for gladiators to fight before an audience for their entertainment. After that, in his twenties, he rose to prominence and became a famous first-rate gladiator. In his thirties, he entered a competition consisting only of first-rate warriors and won, but¡­ After that his left hand was wounded in a match. The wound itself was small, so at first, it was believed that it would recover quickly, but the wound worsened, and eventually came to a point where everything from the wrist up had to be cut. A note on the same page remarked that warriors of the minotaur tribe possessed a large stature and great strength. Gladiators depended on the favor of the public to make a living, so gladiator minotaurs often donned themselves in heavy armor and gaudily swung about heavy weapons as if they weighed nothing. Ox Lord specialized in twin swords, however, which relied on hitting the enemy many times quickly, but he could still fully exhibit the great strength of the minotaur tribe. He uses custom twin swords that are heavier than normal ones. He can wield them easily, so his attacks are both fast and heavy. The ideal combination of power and speed that gives birth to a flurry of attacks akin to that of a storm. Chapter 170.4 - The True Nature of the Handsome Man ¡°A twin-swords user that has lost one of his hands. Naturally, he can¡¯t fight the way he did when he still had both of his hands. But even without his previous strength, he can still wield a sword with one hand and is still strong enough at worst to defeat a level 3 slave. He also worked as a gladiator, so he has plenty of experience fighting against other people. Normally, he serves as a sparring slave with combat skills. I¡¯m sure he would be able to help Fei-sama in teaching your new slaves.¡± [Orest] It¡¯s true that he¡¯s probably strong enough to guard the store. And if he can teach others, then he might even have some good prospects, but¡­ I¡¯m a bit worried about the note under his character evaluation that states he¡¯s deeply attached to his identity as a swordsman. Moreover, the price for him is 8,000,000 suits. That¡¯s more expensive than the others. On what basis are they charging that? I honestly asked Mr. Moulton that and he replied. ¡°He has made a living solely through his sword. He carries a kind of pride with him. Despite losing one of his arms, he continues to train everyday restlessly and hopes that the person who purchases him, does so because of his skill in the sword. Moreover, he actually didn¡¯t cut off his hand and instead used a special magic potion to buy him time to look for a way to cure his wounds.¡± [Orset] ¡°A medicine to buy him time¡­ Are you talking about the ¡®Stop Medicine¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re informed, I see. Yes, it is exactly as you¡¯ve inferred.¡± [Orset] Stop Medicine¡­ Just as the name implies, it¡¯s a magical medicine that prevents a wound from worsening. It doesn¡¯t maintain the state of the wound through conventional methods such as through disinfection or some kind of treatment, instead it works in a way that is akin to stopping time. It¡¯s strange, but it¡¯s a medicine that exists in this world. If I recall correctly, it should be fairly expensive. ¡°As a famed gladiator, he was actually quite wealthy, but he kept using his money to buy the medicine, and eventually, he went into debt and wound end up here. The remaining debt after selling off his house and all of his possession is included in his price. Basically all of his possessions have been sold off, but his swords are still with him.¡± [Orset] ¡°The swords were the only ones that you didn¡¯t sell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. He said that was the one thing he absolutely couldn¡¯t let go of. We tried persuading him many times, but he said that if he had to sell his swords as well, he would rather die.¡± [Orset] ¡°I see that is quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s a bit worrying, but he should still be able to do his job as a guard, right? ¡°Although he¡¯s a bit uncompromising when it comes to his swords, he¡¯s actually down to earth when it comes to other things. He¡¯s been teaching the slaves of this store how to handle a sword. From that I can guarantee that he has a sense of responsibility in the work he is given. As for the price, it¡¯s your first time and you¡¯re coming here on everyone¡¯s introduction, not to mention that I learned a lot from you, so I won¡¯t mind if you choose to pay in installments. Moreover, you don¡¯t have to pay until you form the contract, so why not add him to your list of candidates first and then see how things go?¡± [Orset] ¡°If you¡¯re going that far, then very well. Let¡¯s add him to list of candidates.¡± [Ryouma] He went out of his way to recommend him, and I¡¯m also going to be meeting the other slaves, so why not? Adding just one more slave should pose no problem. Going back to the topic at hand, I wonder if I should narrow down the list even further. This time I tried asking Mr. Moulton for advice while thinking it over. When I did that¡­ ¡°How to narrow down the candidates further? In that case, why don¡¯t we narrow down the candidates to women willing to engage in some barney-mugging?¡± [Orset] ¡­What? ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not looking to purchase slaves with that kind of purpose in mind¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why that¡¯s precisely why!¡¡If a customer came to me with such hanky-panky business in mind, I wouldn¡¯t recommend him a soul. If someone had the money to buy a slave just for some good ol¡¯ in-out in-out, I would unabashedly tell him that a visit to the brothel would be many times cheaper and less problematic in the future. Of those that fall into debt slavery, there are women who are agreeable to such services in hopes of being released from their bonds even a moment sooner. But slaves like those have a tendency to fall into despair, and when the time comes, they tend to be a source of trouble. The human mind can¡¯t be categorized so easily, so I can¡¯t speak for all women, but that is usually the case for women who haven¡¯t resolved themselves to sell their body. On the other hand, women who have properly resolved themselves to sell their body beforehand, tend to have experience working at a brothel before becoming a slave. They sell themselves to try and pay back their debts. When it comes to women like that, debt collectors can ¨C to some extent ¨C afford to be patient and wait for their payment. It¡¯s not impossible for them to pay off all their debts like that too. This might come off as a bit vulgar, but there are people who don¡¯t really care much about appearances so long as they can attack the pink fortress, and besides¡­ It¡¯s more money for the debtors if their customers take longer to pay off the debt. At least, as long as the money continues to flow.¡± [Orset] Oh, ohh¡­ So that¡¯s why. I thought he was just messing around, but he was actually pretty serious. Fairly intense too. I say¡­ This guy¡¯s pace is seriously a mess. I just can¡¯t seem to grasp it. ¡°Orest-kun. As one might expect, this topic is a bit too early for Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Your Grace, with all due respect, it is imperative that this topic be tackled when purchasing slaves. Especially for Takebayashi-sama, given that he is purchasing slaves for the first time. Besides, he might be a little angel now, but one day he¡¯s going to reach that, erm¡­ sensitive age, and just in case, he accidentally gave one of his slaves some good ol¡¯ biggus-dikus, at least it¡¯s already in their contract, right? Of course, Ryouma-sama is very adult-like, and I doubt he would be the sort of person to hide behind his status to chase after some skirts, but¡­ It¡¯s not really uncommon for employees to lay a hand on a slave they¡¯re working with. And while I may not recommend purchasing slaves solely with that particular activity in mind, I do recommend slaves that are fine with it just in case the unexpected happens. Wouldn¡¯t want any problems with the law now, would we?¡± [Orest] Mr. Moulton wasn¡¯t about to back down. Serge-san and Pioro-san joined the fray to try and convince him otherwise, but he was unconcerned. Since then he¡¯s continued to talk seriously while sprinkling some comments here and there to try and rattle me. Even if I didn¡¯t want to, being on the receiving end of that serious and yet teasing smile of his for so long, left me with no choice but to realize it. That all this time, since the beginning, he¡¯s been observing my reactions. Chapter 171.1 - The History of the Slaves and the Traces of the Otherworlders ¡°I will go and gather the slave candidates. Please wait here for a while. Oh, and before I forget, the basic things to pay attention to in regards to the slave laws and the how-tos of handling slaves can be found in this book here. We give it free to first-time customers, so please take it with you.¡± [Orest] After the selection of the slave candidates, Mr. Moulton left a book with me and left. As soon as the door to the room completely closed, the atmosphere in the room quickly loosened up. ¡°Good grief, you did well enduring him.¡± [Serge] Starting with Serge-san, the adults all congratulated me for successfully enduring Mr. Moulton¡¯s mischief. ¡°Still, he sure is an amazing person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Deep inside he really isn¡¯t a bad person.¡± [Pioro] ¡°He¡¯s just really unmanageable.¡± [Serge] ¡°Frankly, the fact that he¡¯s bold enough to do whatever he wants when we¡¯re right in front of him is worthy of praise.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He was mostly looking at you, Boss, but he was also looking at me the entire time.¡± [Fei] Huh, so the reason why Fei-san was so strangely quiet was because of that. ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect that he would have investigated me that much. Did he investigate you guys too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not really, but I think there is one thing he did that we all experienced.¡¡That¡­ Talk about slaves who are agreeable to night activities. He told me the same thing too in the past¡­ And of all things, he said it right in front of my wife, Elize.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°When he did it to me, he started babbling about the night-service maids not just in front of my wife but in front of my daughter too. They looked at me so coldly afterwards. Miyabi¡¯s eyes were especially cold¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°That man has a bad habit of investigating his customers and prodding them to get reactions. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he does stuff like that that he has such an eye for people or because he has an eye for people that he ended up learning that bad habit¡­ The former president, his predecessor and father, supposedly had mixed feelings about that and cried a lot. As I¡¯ve said before, there¡¯s no mistake that he¡¯s a brilliant young man. But he¡¯s also nasty enough to abuse his all-seeing eye to just barely avoid seriously angering the person he is talking to.¡± [Reinhart] So despite treating his customers like that, he¡¯s able to achieve a high satisfaction rate by thoroughly servicing his customers and avoiding any fatal pit falls that would truly enrage them. What he¡¯s doing requires an extremely good sense of balancing human relationships. I don¡¯t think I could do what he¡¯s doing even if I tried. If I really did try it, I¡¯ll probably end up destroying my store. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s impossible for me too.¡± [Pioro] ¡°He¡¯s just wasting his talent. There¡¯s no need to copy him. In fact, you shouldn¡¯t copy him.¡± [Serge] As they say, genius and insanity are separated only a by a thin veil. Seeing Mr. Moulton, I can¡¯t help but think that true. ¡°Anyhow, we finally managed to gain ourselves a much needed break, so why don¡¯t we relax for a while?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How about ordering some drinks?¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san rang the bell and ordered some refreshments from the woman that came. As for me, I decided to use the time to read the book I got from Mr. Moulton. ¡­First, regarding the basics of slave and the how-tos of handling them. Unlike what the word ¡®slave¡¯ would suggest, the slaves of this world actually do have human rights. Although slaves don¡¯t have the freedom to choose the work they will be doing, they are ¨C to some extent ¨C able to push conditions on the person purchasing them. They have the right to food, clothing, and shelter. They have the right to receive treatment when they fall ill or are wounded. And they also have the right to rest from time to time. These conditions aren¡¯t any different from what I¡¯ve previously studied or from the treatment of the people I¡¯ve hired normally, so I won¡¯t have any problems here. What I¡¯m really interested in are the ¡®old slave laws¡¯ that were created at a certain country and were in effect before the present slave laws were implemented. I¡¯m also interested in the history during the time of the old slave laws until the time of the modern slave laws. ¡­These are some really interesting stuff. The old slave laws tolerated the disregard of human rights and the cruel treatment of other humans. The country these laws originated from no longer exist, but everything began from the implementation of one law. There were rules regarding the slave system before then, but the treatment of slaves varied from territory to territory. What standardized the treatment of the slaves and worsened it by a lot was the introduction of a tax known as the ¡®Unemployment Tax¡¯. At the time, that country tasked the citizens with the same ¡®duty of work¡¯ as prescribed in the Japanese constitution. I don¡¯t know if that was done by an otherworlder like myself, but either way, neither Japan¡¯s duty of work nor this country¡¯s duty of work was meant to compel the citizens to work under forced labor. That was only something that came into play due to the introduction of the ¡®unemployment tax¡¯. Supposedly, it was introduced with the hopes of encouraging the people to work and to enrich the country. Chapter 171.2 - The History of the Slaves and the Traces of the Otherworlders Being unemployed and not working isn¡¯t a bad thing, so unemployed people weren¡¯t arrested. But working was considered a duty, so the people who didn¡¯t work were failing to uphold their duties. As punishment, they had to pay more taxes. ¡­Or at least, that was the idea behind why such a tax was implemented. Unfortunately, the tax only worsened many people¡¯s lives. The tax could be avoided so long as one worked, but if one had family members that didn¡¯t work, then even with a job, one was still damned to suffer from the unemployment tax. And what awaited those who could not pay their taxes was forced labor as a slave. The introduction of the unemployment tax also unintentionally empowered the employers. Since employees no longer sought work just to earn money but also to flee from the threat of heavy taxes and slavery, the employers started demanding more from them. The employees grew to fear unemployment. Before long the employers even started thinking that it didn¡¯t matter even if the working conditions worsened. Because of that the lives of those who worked under others became even worse. ¡­But the clergy and the nobles who were in charge with coming up with the laws were originally a privileged class, that or they received money from the wealthy who bribed them, so the introduction of the new tax had little effect on them. Because it was such privileged people in charge of the laws, the situation never improved. Power began to centralize, the country lost the ability to fix itself, and the disparity in wealth between the slaves and the employees versus the ruling class continued to worsen. After this the country finally took a grim turn. It only stands to reason that such an unequal system would cause people to grow unhappy. Among those unhappy people were people not reluctant to use force. Like that a rebel army that stood against the country¡¯s policies was born. In the end, the rebel army managed to destroy the country¡¯s army and successfully bring about a revolution. The leader at the time was a ¡®black-haired black-eyed man¡¯ with the power to match a thousand warriors and the cunning to command the battlefield. This man is probably an otherworlder. There are plenty of black-hair-black-eyes men in this world, but certainly not many that can match a thousand warriors and possess the cunning to command the battlefield. Moreover, this man would later become the prime minister and pour his heart out toward improving the working conditions of the slaves. For some reason there aren¡¯t a lot of documents pertaining to this man, but the only thing clear is that this man¡¯s parents were slaves. One excerpt reads: Based on other references that surveyed the conditions at the time, it is improbable that a child of a mere slave would be able to learn the martial arts and war tactics needed to accomplish such feats. Presently, it is believed that the man¡¯s pedigree was spread around solely to increase the morale of the army. In truth, it is likely that a person of the privileged class cooperated with the rebel army¡­ But if this man is in fact an otherworlder, then it would make sense even if he were born to a slave family. ¡°You¡¯ve really taken a liking to that book, haven¡¯t you? Is it that interesting?¡± [Reinhart] When I heard Reinhart-san¡¯s voice, I noticed that the woman who brought us our drinks had come again. ¡°Would you like more tea?¡± [Woman] ¡°Ah, thank you very much. History is really interesting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, come to think of it, didn¡¯t a part of the slave laws become an heroic tale or something?¡¡Sorry to bother you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Not at all. Thank you for informing me.¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, I was so caught up with the book that I didn¡¯t hear the woman calling out to me at all. As my cup of tea was refilled, I talked about the interesting part and then went back to reading the book. ¡­After the success of the revolution, the man poured his efforts into bettering the treatment of the slaves. ¡®Don¡¯t just improve the working conditions! Get rid of the slave system altogether!¡¯¡¡At the time, there were a lot of people who held that opinion, but it was hard for a country that was ¨C just some time ago ¨C wantonly producing slaves without regard for human rights to suddenly abolish the slave system. Going from a hundred to a zero was simply too difficult. Doing so would have taken away work from all the people with jobs related to slavery. Moreover, not everyone who abused slaves according to the old slave laws were criminals. There were people who followed the law to protect their livelihood and families as well. Besides, what was the country supposed to do with the slaves once they were set free? The slaves didn¡¯t have any properties of their own. If they were set free, then they will lose even the one job they had that kept them fed. If they were to be so suddenly kicked out into society, a free man, how were they meant to live? It was indeed possible to get rid of the slave system altogether, but doing so would only lead to more chaos and wars. The black-hair-black-eyes man insisted that that was the same thing as irresponsibly throwing away the problems of slavery. As such, he and his friends poured their lives into improving the treatment of the slaves. ¡­Unfortunately, after the man died the country also passed, but the fruit of his life, the ¡®new slave system¡¯ that gave much importance to human rights spread to the neighboring countries along with the problems of the old slave system and the inhumane history of their country. The basic principles that the man came up with remain today in the modern slave system. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] This book only contains the important points. I¡¯m sure I can get more specific information if I were to investigate the topic. I might be able to get even more information if I ask Gayn and the others about it. This black-hair-black-eyes man probably lived a grand life full of suffering. ¡­It¡¯s a life someone like me living in leisure and happiness can¡¯t understand. I hid my face behind the book and offered a silent prayer. Chapter 172.1 - Interview (1/2) ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Orset] After waiting at the waiting room for a while, Mr. Moulton came back with Mr. Ox Lord, whom he recommended, and the rest of the 9 slave candidates I picked out. For the sake of the customers¡¯ safety, all the slaves were dressed in thin clothes, where no weapons could be hidden, and were unarmed. The 9 slaves were made up of humans and beast tribe members. Although there was only one man from the minotaur tribe, he also had an aura about him that made him stand out from the rest. It was obvious in one glance that he was the man Mr. Moulton was talking about. His well trained body had countless scars on it and there was a kind of pressure that emanated from his sharp eyes. The person himself probably didn¡¯t intend to, but a weak-minded person would surely shrivel up before him. The horns coming out of his head were smaller than I expected. They protruded out only a little despite his shortly cut hair, which was probably kept that way to avoid getting in the way of battle. Coupled with the intimidating aura from his muscular body, he looks more like an ¡®oni¡¯ than a ¡®bull¡¯. I¡¯m sorry for the rest of the slaves, but¡­ As expected, they¡¯re not in the same league. The interview would have five of them sat in front of us at a time. So, a group interview, basically. He¡¯s 10th on the list, so he¡¯s in the second group. He sat at the back of the first five. The chair he sat on that was close to the wall actually looked a little small. ¡°Please talk to them as you wish.¡± I did as Mr. Moulton said and started by asking them their names. When I did, a fierce battle of appeal started. They did remember to talk in order, though. To them, being purchased here is one step to freedom. But considering how that handsome man is looking at us so happily, he might have done something else. ¡­But whatever. For the meantime, I¡¯ll just talk to these guys. This is the second time I¡¯m interviewing people, but technically, this is the first time. When I hired Fei-san and the others, for some reason, everyone else left. Since then I¡¯ve been hiring people introduced to me, so I¡¯ve never had to interview a lot of people officially. I¡¯ve interviewed a lot of people in my past life, but things are a bit different there. There¡¯s the continuing appeal battle too, but¡­ ¡°At the age of ten, I entered the dojo of the famous adventurer, Belbios, and acquired a 3rd Dan diploma of the Belbios School of Sword.¡± [Candidate 1] ¡°Umm¡­ As for me, I only have my status board to prove my abilities, but I¡¯ve trained my skills on the field as an adventurer, and I¡¯ve lived until now without dying. So¡­¡± [Candidate 2] ¡°I absolutely won¡¯t allow you to make a loss!¡¡Please buy me!¡± [Candidate 3] The difference in their speech skills was evident. In my past life, about 70 to 80 percent memorized the ideal answers in interviews. The other 10 percent tried to appeal their individuality, but that was a fruitless effort. That or they had the wrong idea about individuality. There was only about 10% that really felt different from the rest. Makes sense since most of the new graduates and midway-through college are throughly studying the key points to pay attention to during interviews and the different techniques, so they more or less learned the same techniques. And probably because people poor at talking were more reliant on those techniques¡­ And they all practiced them throughly, the claims made were pretty much the same thing. There aren¡¯t any jobs you can¡¯t do unless you¡¯re in the company I worked at at the time and I highly doubt anyone would actually make it their first choice. It was an impersonal company, but I never really felt like asking why the people wanted to apply anyway. I doubt these people have much of a reason to apply on their own volition either. For people like them who don¡¯t have a choice what work they do, the only reason they¡¯re here is because they were told that someone was thinking of buying them. Whatever reason they¡¯re here for it¡¯s purely because they want to be hired. That¡¯s it. It¡¯s not because it¡¯s specifically my store that they¡¯re trying to appeal so much. But this world doesn¡¯t have the internet. There¡¯s no way to study interview techniques here like a person can back on Earth, although there might still be places that teach them. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why they¡¯re not relying on any technique and are just using their words to talk about their enthusiasm. ¡­Because of that there¡¯s a clear difference between people good at talking and those that are bad at talking, but¡­ I personally like it. This way makes it a lot easier to understand them rather than if they were keeping up appearances. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After talking to the first five to some extent, I moved on to the next five. The appeal battle started again. The Ox Lord that Mr. Moulton and I were talking about was a man of few words. Moreover, he was looking at us directly. He¡¯s enthusiastic too, but the direction of that enthusiasm seemed to be different compared to the others. ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 172.2 - Interview ¡°¡­I would like a job where I can use my sword, but as you can see, I can¡¯t use my left hand. And I¡¯m also not very affordable because of my debts. Are you still planning on purchasing me?¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°I think you¡¯re at least strong enough to protect the store. As for the money, I¡¯ll think about that after seeing your strength¡­ Do you mind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Please go ahead.¡± [Orest] Supposedly, that was precisely what the courtyard was meant for. A place to test the strength of the candidates if the client so wishes. Of course, the place needed to be prepared first. As for the contents of the exam, that was for me to consult after the slaves left the room. After wrapping up the conversation like that, Ox Lord fell silent. ¡­It would appear that his mind was already focused on the upcoming test. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The interview ended. After all 10 slaves left, I asked everyone about their thoughts. ¡°As expected, that person called Ox Lord really stands out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the documents weren¡¯t lying. He is indeed the strongest of the lot.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He definitely looks the part¡­ Still, don¡¯t you think he looks rather bullheaded?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ah¡­ I don¡¯t know how to put it, but he¡¯s kind of like a high-ranked military officer. A man devoted to his skill and to fighting. A man that can be trusted.¡± [Fei] I more or less share everyone¡¯s opinions. That Ox Lord guy seems to be a little moody, but he looks strong enough. He also strikes me as an honest man. Personally, he reminds me more of a craftsman, butI can also see where Fei-san is coming from when he says that he strikes him as a general-type. But¡­ ¡°Aren¡¯t we been just playing into your hand?¡± [Serge] ¡°I simply recommended a good slave to satisfy the customer¡¯s request. ¡®Tis nothing but an act done in sincerity.¡± [Orest] The handsome man sweetly smiled. So he says, but when I look back at the interview, I can¡¯t help but think that the rest of the candidates were just there to make him stand out. ¡°That aside, Takebayashi-sama. How do you plan to test his abilities?¡± [Orest] ¡°How is it normally done?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Usually the slaves either fight each other, or they fight with a partner designated by the customer. Sometimes, they are asked to fight against monster beasts too.¡± [Orest] ¡­In that case, how about this? I told him what I had in mind. ¡°Oh! What an interesting idea!¡± [Orest] In no time at all, this handsome man who loved to watch others was in full agreement. But compared to him, the rest of the adults were¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ In a sense, this will be a continuation of the previous interview.¡± [Serge] ¡°We know how strong Ryouma is, so why not just let him do what he wants?¡± [Pioro] The head of the two companies were in agreement too, although not to the same extent as the handsome man. As for the remaining two¡­ ¡°I can see where you¡¯re coming from. But I don¡¯t think this will end with just one match¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°This isn¡¯t really on the level of an ill foreboding or anything, but I feel like you¡¯re gonna end up causing something big to happen, Boss.¡± [Fei] They showed their disapproval, but the handsome man was on the approving side. In the end, it was decided that we will be doing things my way. ¡°By the way, we have healers here too, so please be at ease.¡± [Orest] Chapter 173.1 - Three Choices ~Side ???~ The head of the Moulton Company himself led Ryouma and Co. to the courtyard. This entire store used to be the manor of a noble and had merely been renovated into a store, so the courtyard was very big. Depending on the person it might even look deserted. This place was probably once covered in various plants and trees, but now the ground has been made even and turned into sand. At the center of the courtyard was a line demarcated by a wall of bricks, beyond which was a line of targets for one to show off his skill in the bow or in the arcane arts. Near the door that led to the courtyard were seats meant for the guests, but there was still more than enough room for the slaves to run about and swing their weapons. In front of the seats were the 10 slaves from before. They have already made their preparations. As Ryouma and the others got to their seats, Moulton announced the topic of the ability test. ¡°From here on, you will all be displaying your abilities before the customers, but there is a catch. The opponent you will be facing will come from our customers.¡± [Orest] The slaves turned to Ryouma and the others. Most of them were looking at Fei. ¡°You will be allowed to pick from three opponents. One is Fei-sama, who is sitting here. He is a former soldier from Zilmar and currently works as the head of security of your future employer¡¯s store. Should you be purchased, then you will be working under him.¡± [Orest] The slave candidates were concerned about the ¡®three choice¡¯, but so far, everything has been going as expected. The slaves were all calm. ¡°The second choice for your opponent is none other than Ryouma Takebayashi-sama himself. He is the customer for this transaction and the owner of the store, but he is also presently a D Rank adventurer.¡± [Orest] Some faint but surprised voices rose up at that. D Rank adventurers aren¡¯t strange. But given Ryouma¡¯s age, he would have been considered plenty brilliant just by being an E Ranker. ¡°And for your third choice¡­ You will be fighting against three monsters. Takebayashi-sama will send out three of his tamed slimes for you to fight.¡± [Orest] ¡°A slime!?¡± [Slave 1] ¡°That¡¯s a bit¡­¡± [Slave 2] When the slaves heard that they would be fighting three slimes, there were some among them who thought they were being taken lightly. But Moulton extended his hand and told them all to calm down. ¡°I will continue. As I mentioned earlier, you have three choices for your opponents. In other words, who you choose to fight is entirely up to you. If you believe an opponent isn¡¯t strong enough for you, then you don¡¯t have to choose that opponent. Your objective here is to pick out an opponent and show off your skills during battle.¡± [Orest] Chapter 173.2 - Three Choices The objective hasn¡¯t changed. After making them understand that, the slaves turned to Ryouma once again. ¡°Umm¡­ The decision will be made according to the contents of the battle, but you¡¯re likely to have a better result if you can secure the victory. If the gap between you and your opponent is too big, the battle will end too soon, and you won¡¯t have much of an opportunity to show off your strength. Please take that into consideration when you make your decision, and do be sure to show us thoroughly your abilities. Lastly, please note that the slimes you will be fighting aren¡¯t normal slimes. They¡¯re a higher variant, so please do be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now then, please return to the waiting room. You will be given 5 minutes to decide your opponent, then you will each fight your chosen opponents one at a time.¡± [Orest] When Moulton said that, the employee waiting by the wall took the 10 slaves away. They immediately vanished into the other side of the door. ¡°I wonder what kind of answer will they arrive to. I¡¯m really looking forward to it.¡± [Orest] ¡°Looks like you¡¯re finally showing your true colors¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh, please do excuse me. Takebayashi-sama proposed a very interesting exam, and I simply can¡¯t help but let a dribble leak.¡± [Orest] In response to Moulton, who appeared to have stopped hiding his true nature, Ryouma wryly smiled to himself and remarked that it wasn¡¯t his fault. There would be no end to it if the four adults reacted to every single thing, so they didn¡¯t react. ¡°Giving them multiple choices and then telling them that the ¡®victor¡¯ will be ¡®highly appraised¡¯. With this the difference in skill will be clear as day.¡± [Orest] ¡°That¡¯s not really why I gave this exam, though. It¡¯s more that there¡¯s simply no way of knowing what kind of person will come to the store. It could be just some drunks, but it could also be hired thugs like last time¡­ Personally, I think it¡¯s more important to see ¡®how they act after identifying the targets as hired thugs¡¯. The results are secondary.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh?¡¡To be more precise, exactly by what standards are you judging them?¡± [Orest] ¡°First, before the battle begins, I will ask each candidate their reason for choosing their respective opponents. I need to know how they think and how they value things. The grading will be based on whether their thinking and sense of values match the role I need them to fill.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, I see¡­ Of those 10, I wonder just how many will be able to discern that¡­ Still, I have to say, Takebayashi-sama, you are rather mischievous yourself, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Orest] ¡°It¡¯s no lie that I¡¯m a D Rank adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you really not aware that your actual abilities neither match your appearance nor your rank?¡± [Orest] As Ryouma faithfully answered the jovial Moulton¡¯s questions, eventually, it was time for the test. ¡°What did the candidates decide?¡± [Orest] ¡°Two chose to fight the three slimes. Five chose to fight Takebayashi-sama. Three chose to fight Fei-sama.¡± [Employee] ¡°Very well. Let us proceed as planned and start from the least to the most popular.¡± [Orest] ¡°Understood.¡± [Employee] As Moulton instructed his subordinate, Ryouma opened his Dimension Home and took out three of his slimes. He lined them up right where the spar was to take place. Before leaving them, he covered them with a cloth to prevent others from seeing how they looked. The first candidate to appear was a man wielding a practice sword. The blade of the sword has been flattened prior. Without hesitation he walked straight up to Moulton and the others and greeted them. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± [Candidate 1] ¡°Likewise. Before the match begins¡­ Tell me. Why did you choose the slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is simple.¡¡I chose the opponent where victory was surest!¡¡I will win! Without a doubt!¡± [Candidate 1] ¡°Thank you for giving a clear answer. Take your position.¡± [Ryouma] Young and energetic. A good man. But despite thinking that, Ryouma didn¡¯t rate his reply highly. (Choosing the most certain of the paths is a good thing. I wouldn¡¯t want a gambler among the guards of the store. They have to protect the employees, who can¡¯t fight for themselves, so what we need are reliable people. Of course there are times when you have to risk your life, but now is not such a time. There is one problem, though. He says that he¡¯s certain of his victory, but on what basis is he saying that? I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s because he¡¯s fighting slimes¡­ I mentioned prior that they were higher variants, but it would appear that even then, he doesn¡¯t think much of them. It¡¯s good to be energetic, but his judgment is lacking. As for his personality, he strikes me as a bright young man who gets along well with others. He can probably hit it off well with the other employees. He¡¯ll probably be fine if it¡¯s just looking after the customers, but¡­ It¡¯s a little disappointing.) When the man arrived at an area some distance away from where Ryouma and the others were seated, Ryouma roused himself from his thoughts and gave the signal. When he did, the slimes crawled out from the cloth that had been put over them. ¡°Huh?¡± [Candidate 1] When the man saw the slimes, his eyes swayed a little. The body of the slimes were dazzling as the light of the sun easily fell upon them from the clear sky. These slimes were none other than the metal slimes that often lived as Ryouma¡¯s katana or sheathe. Tl Note: If you post a comment and it doesn¡¯t show up, it¡¯s likely that it¡¯s just awaiting moderation. I¡¯ve been seeing some double posts lately, so I thought you guys might want to know. Approval can take up to a day since I have to approve them myself. Chapter 173.3 - Three Choices Huh. Looks like he¡¯s thinking.¡± [Serge] ¡°Of course, he¡¯s thinking. His weapon is a sword. And according to the documents, he can¡¯t use any magic either.¡± [Pioro] ¡°So, on one corner, we¡¯ve got ourselves a lump of metal. And on the other, we¡¯ve got a man armed with a sword. You couldn¡¯t ask for a worse match than this if you tried. There¡¯s just no way to win. He can¡¯t land a killing blow with that.¡± [Fei] ¡°Incidentally, the other slaves also can¡¯t use magic. In fact, none of them can. Fu fu fu¡­ Takebayashi-sama may have said that they would be highly appraised if they managed to win, but he never said that he was going to ¡®let them win¡¯. Oh, but perhaps that¡¯s exactly why they would be highly appraised?¡± [Orest] ¡°Umm¡­ Can you please stop making me sound so malicious? I just wanted to use this opportunity to see how far the metal slimes have gotten with their combat skills. Normally, I just use them as weapons, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But how does that change anything? Really¡­ Besides, Ryouma-kun. If the information you wrote to us about the metal slimes are true, then don¡¯t you think this will merely turn into a one-sided beating either way?¡± [Reinhart] As the employee, who brought the male candidate here, was about to give the signal to start the battle, the six big wigs started talking among themselves about the candidate that was starting to show signs of hesitation. The battle turned out exactly as Reinhart-san had predicted. ¡°Begin!¡± [Employee] The moment the employee gave the signal, the three metal slimes shot off. One metal slime approached the man directly from in front, rolling up a cloud of dust as it rammed its body into the man. Despite that speed that wouldn¡¯t lose out to a fully grown man¡¯s sprint and despite being shocked, the man calmly raised up his shield and blocked. ¡°Uu!?¡± [Candidate 1] Alas, the metal slime was a lump of metal in the shape of what was basically a bowling ball. Given its weight and acceleration, the force it could deliver was nothing to scoff at. And even if one blocked it, the shock from its impact could still be felt. Because of that the man stopped moving for a moment and was forced to stand his ground, creating an opening for the other two metal slimes to take his flanks and turning the situation into one where they could take turns attacking the man from every direction. Somehow the man managed to endure the consecutive attacks of the slimes, but the slimes changed their bodies into wheels and sped up even more. It seemed as if this situation would go on forever. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Once again I¡¯ve found myself at a loss what to say. I have to say, though, those slimes sure are fast.¡± Orest] ¡°That firmness, that weight, that force¡­ One wrong move is sure to prove fatal.¡± [Fei] ¡°Your Grace, did you know about this?¡± [Serge] ¡°The letters Ryouma-kun sent to us included information about the metal slimes. It¡¯s my first time seeing them in action, though. So, the slimes really did succeed in achieving high-speed movement on their own¡­ By the way, Ryouma-kun, are you the one giving orders to them?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°No. I¡¯ve trained the slimes, so that when the¡¯re fighting by themselves, they will surround the enemies to prevent them from running away, and then attack one after another without resting a beat. My training is actually somewhat similar to what that candidate is doing now. Only, I fight with a greater number of slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Another question. How many metal slimes do you have in total presently?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯ve been holding back their food to prevent them from reproducing too much ¨C of course, I still feed them enough to ensure that they¡¯re healthy ¨C but in total, there¡¯s about 200 of them presently. There are also the iron slimes, which can do the same thing¡­ What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart feebly scratched his head. ¡°I thought something weird might happen when you said you were planning on using the slimes, but¡­ I can¡¯t believe that those three slimes of yours can actually match a level 3 swordsman. I know they¡¯re poorly matched, but still. Slimes sure change a lot depending on how they use their abilities and how they¡¯re trained, huh.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart himself had confirmed that one of those metal slimes was indeed the one he gave to Ryouma. That¡¯s why he strongly felt that the slimes in front of him used to be normal. However, Ryouma took his words as compliment. ¡°There was also some luck involved, but the slimes really did their best. I have a lot of work to do outside of my adventurer work, but I¡¯m working hard everyday to strengthen myself as an adventurer, as well as my slimes.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma said in a boasting manner. A rare sight. Due to the work at the store and the events in town, and how willing he is to work with a variety of requests on a daily basis, there aren¡¯t many people who recognize him as an adventurer. A fact that has recently come to his attention. Although Ryouma didn¡¯t work much as an adventurer, as far as he was concerned, he was an adventurer first and a store owner second. As for helping out other people when asked, that was just him being a good neighbor and he hadn¡¯t really put much thought into it. But that wasn¡¯t how the regulars of the store saw it. Chapter 173.4 - Three Choices As such, whenever Ryouma would come to the adventurers guild, the adventurers that frequent his store would worry over its management. Whenever they see him in town doing other work, they would become shocked, and many among them would ask why he still needed to do adventurer work. But it was indeed true that he didn¡¯t work much as an adventurer, so it could only be said that this was a result he brought about himself. This wasn¡¯t really something to worry over, of course, but it wasn¡¯t something to be satisfied about either. Could Ryouma be at that sensitive age? No one knows, but one thing is for sure, and that is that whenever the topic of slimes come up, Ryouma quickly turns over to his hobby. ¡°But they¡¯re still not quite there yet. Given more time, I believe I can still make them even stronger.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They can still get stronger?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°They can move about in the shape of wheels now, but I¡¯m currently training them to make their wheel form thinner and sharper. Sharp enough to turn their wheel form into a blade wheel of sort. It¡¯s a bit dangerous now, so I¡¯m refraining from having them use it, but I have been using them as katanas, after all, and recently they¡¯ve seen success in transforming the blades. The problem is transforming the blades while moving or maintaining the form while moving. There are also other issues, such as falling or curving along the way, or losing speed, which results in significantly weaker attacking power. But even then they¡¯ve already succeeded in cutting cave mantises, although these have fragile bodies, and have even wounded horn rabbits during a hunt. The wound they inflicted to the horn rabbits was fairly deep too, reaching all the way to the bone. It took a lot of time to train them to this level, but now they¡¯re able to fight like this without needing orders from me. Given more time, the metal slimes should be able to become even stronger and more stable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Getting stronger as an adventurer and trying to strengthen one¡¯s familiars is a given¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°But for some reason, when it¡¯s from you, it sounds really scary¡­¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ryouma-kun. If you ever have difficulties raising your slimes in the future, please be sure to talk to me.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°And boss, please do keep things in moderation.¡± [Fei] ¡°Fu fu fu fu¡­ I see the rumors were true.¡± [Orest] Other than the outlier, who was enjoying himself, the adults were at a loss on whether they should look forward to Ryouma¡¯s future or be afraid. In the end, they looked at him with a strange gaze. Incidentally, it was immediately after this that the man who was fighting the slimes had his shield and sword sent flying. They were sent flying in that order, an order which was basically decided by the candidate himself. And so, the match ended with the slimes¡¯ victory. Their movements in that moment were reminiscent of a certain ¡®Triple Star¡¯ formation, but only Ryouma was able to recognize it. Chapter 174.1 - The True Motives of the Former Gladiator and the Slave Dealer ~Side ???~ ¡« ¡°What a scam¡­¡± [Candidate 1] After the first candidate¡¯s test ended, he walked away from the garden and went back to the waiting room. He muttered to himself dejectedly. ¡°¡­Hey. That guy.¡± [Other Candidate 1] ¡°He picked a slime, didn¡¯t he? ¡­He couldn¡¯t have lost, right?¡± [Other Candidate 2] The rest of the slave candidates, who were waiting for their turn, clamored when they saw the dejected appearance of the first candidate. To prevent the muttering man from talking about the test, the employee asked him to leave the waiting room. (From the way he¡¯s acting, it should be safe to assume that he lost. And even if he did win, something must have happened that left him in that state. Slimes¡­ I never fought them in the arena, but perhaps there are also powerful and annoying types among the higher variants.) One of the slaves was quietly observing them. It was none other than Ox Lord, but he stopped his thoughts in their tracks. It would be a lie to say that he wasn¡¯t interested, but it was not the slimes that he chose as his opponent. As such, he put an end to the unnecessary thoughts and instead pondered about the boy he would be fighting. (In that group of five, one is a noble, the other two are merchants, and then there¡¯s another that looks just like a merchant, but there¡¯s an exceptional aura hidden from within him. He¡¯s no ordinary person. But what¡¯s most curious of all is that within that group of adults, each clad in a style of their own, is a lone child. A lone child that I find exceedingly difficult to read, moreso than any of the adults in his group.) People have a tendency to assume that strength is everything when it comes to gladiators, but the truth is that just strength alone isn¡¯t enough for a gladiator to reach the top. Gladiator business is an industry that revolves around popularity and bets. Because of that the payout and the number of matches are greatly affected by how popular the gladiators are. A gladiator that can¡¯t charm the audience will remain second-rate forever no matter how strong he may be. Only a gladiator who is both strong and able to draw the crowd can be called first-rate. Ox was someone who came very close to the top of that world. And beyond his sword, there was one other thing that he trained in all these years. It was the same ability that the head of this slave company possessed, an ¡®eye for people¡¯. It was an ability he came to possess after experiencing countless battles as a gladiator and meeting many merchants and nobles as he grew in popularity. By watching the gait of a person, the swing of one¡¯s sword, or any action that one made, he could feel the temperament of a person. A kind of ¡®sense¡¯ developed from continuous training and progressing along the path of the sword wholeheartedly. This sense allows him to perceive the thoughts and movements of his opponents, allowing him to bring his skill up another level. (After passing 30 and sharpening my senses, I managed to acquire Sword Mastery Level 5.) Despite losing one of his hands, to this day, the one thing Ox Lord prides himself in is his ¡®sword¡¯. Chapter 174.2 - The True Motives of the Former Gladiator and the Slave Dealer The second thing Ox took pride in was this ¡®sense¡¯ of his that he cultivated from his training. That was how confident he was in this ¡®sense¡¯, and yet that very thing could not see through Ryouma. (Who is he? ¡­He clearly looks like a kid, but he feels just like the adults around him. Almost as if they¡¯re of the same age¡­ It¡¯s like they¡¯re equals. But more than that¡­ He is strong. The foreign man next to him is strong too, but even then, he appears to stand above him¡­ I should stop. This isn¡¯t something that I can understand just by thinking about it. In the first place, the only thing I know is to swing my sword and show my strength. It doesn¡¯t matter who it is, what I have to do hasn¡¯t changed.) The slaves passed through the door one after another, and each time they would come back dejected and leave. Ox Lord watched them as he tightly held his set of two beloved swords. Before long the ninth candidate came back, and he silently stood up. On each side of his waist were his beloved swords. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll ask again to be safe. Is it really alright for me to use a real blade?¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°That¡¯s what the president said. He says the customer himself gave permission too.¡± [Employee] ¡°This isn¡¯t one of his games, is it?¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°I can understand why you¡¯re suspicious, and it was indeed the president himself who suggested it in the first place, but this time it seems it really is okay. I confirmed it again with your opponent after the last battle. He says it¡¯s much better if you used a weapon that you were familiar with than an unfamiliar one.¡± [Employee] ¡°¡­That¡¯s good then. Thank you for your consideration.¡± [Ox Lord] After bowing his head a little, Ox thought back to his days as a gladiator. He gathered his thoughts and focused solely on the battle. He stepped firmly on the ground and imposingly made his way to the garden. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] The person who greeted Ox Lord was none other than Ryouma, who was standing at his starting position. He has probably been standing there since the last battle. (As I thought, he¡¯s not someone that can be beaten with normal methods.) No one could ever guess that this child standing before him had gone through four battles prior. It seemed he hadn¡¯t even broken a sweat. Ryouma asked Ox Lord why he chose him as his opponent. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who I¡¯m facing. All I can do is to fight with these swords of mine. All I can do is to show the strength of my sword.¡± [Ox Lord] ¡®Any further talk is meaningless¡¯ ¡®Everything will be made clear by my sword and the results.¡¯ Ox Lord¡¯s brief response strongly implied that. But what really made that evident was that he had already walked toward his starting position and was standing in front of Ryouma. ¡°Very well. Let us begin.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma didn¡¯t object as he drew the slime katana by his waist. Ox Lord immediately felt the change in the air. (If a foe had been within his range, he would have surely been cut with the draw of his sword.) Ryouma had only drawn his sword. But that was enough for Ox to revise his opinion of Ryouma and evaluate him even higher. Ox drew his left sword with his right hand. His sword was like a refined stone, a gray with no luster. It was thick and firm. Shaped liked a nata hatchet or a kitchen knife. It reminded Ryouma of the Seax Dagger that he knew about in his previous life. The two warriors clad themselves in ki and strengthened their bodies. ¡°Begin!¡± [Employee] (Victory belongs to the swift!) Ox quickly closed the distance between them and slashed vertically with his powerful arms. Ryouma swung his katana in response and parried Ox¡¯s blade. As a piercing metal sound resounded, the two warriors distanced themselves from each other. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma was struck with admiration. This man before him possessed a speed that did not match his figure, and could swing his sword with such weight. What was more was that the strength of his swing did not only come from his arms or from his ki-reinforcement, but from the sword itself. His sword was heavy. And yet he could wield it so easily like it was nothing. When Ryouma thought about how he used to wield two such sword at the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but imagine how much training it took for him to master such a style. Ryouma was all praises for Ox. But the same was true for the person-in-question. (His sword is undamaged. Not only can he use ki, he is even able to parry my attack perfectly.) Ox¡¯s sword was made from a metal refined from a mineral unique to this world. A metal known as Heavy Rock Steel. It¡¯s defining traits include its dull color, a strength above iron, and a specific gravity greater than lead. Ox¡¯s sword was forged specifically under the assumption that it would be a male of the minotaur tribe, which was known for its physical strength, that would be using it. Moreover, it was not just any male of the minotaur tribe, but a man who has trained his body throughly and could even handle the sword while his body was reinforced with ki. The weight of the sword was such that a normal person would struggle just to lift it. When such great weight is converted into a single stroke of a sword, one could only imagine how great the resulting destructive prowess would be. Chapter 174.3 - The True Motives of the Former Gladiator and the Slave Dealer If one were to receive a blow from such a weapon poorly, then one¡¯s weapon will immediately be rendered useless. But thanks to Ryouma¡¯s experiences, he was able to immediately see through that and act accordingly. (No wonder the others were acting like that. The ones who wholeheartedly trusted the information they were given must have been in despair. Is this his (Moulton) doing too?¡¡What a nasty guy.) ¡­Although there was a bit of misunderstanding because of a certain person¡¯s meddling, that didn¡¯t change the fact that Ox acknowledged Ryouma¡¯s skills. Because of that¡­ (No matter what I do, just one sword won¡¯t be enough against this foe¡­) As Ox calmly judged the skill gap between him and the person before him, he took a step forward. ¡°¡­OOO!¡± [Ox Lord] He let out a battle cry and quickly closed in on Ryouma. He had already lost use of one of his hands. He knew that he couldn¡¯t win with just one hand. So what now? Will he just sit down and accept his defeat? Ox has been in countless situations, where he was at a disadvantage or had to fight against a foe stronger than him. And each time he would muster all of his strength and snatch victory from death¡¯s jaws. ¡°!!¡± [Ox Lord] An incomprehensible beastly howl resounded. Within that was the very essence of Ox¡¯s will¡­ His way of life. He mustered everything he had and released it along with a swing of his sword. Ryouma immediately judged that Ox¡¯s attack was stronger than his and he took a step back. ¡°HAa!¡± [Ox] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] In the next instant, Ox released his sword and sent it flying toward Ryouma. Ryouma immediately brushed it away, but during that time, Ox drew his second sword. True to his fame of a dual swords wielder, the resulting attack when Ox unleashed his second blade was worthy of being named an instant kill. Two swords attacked Ryouma. ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [Reinhart] For a moment, Ryouma and Ox passed by each other. Reinhart-san cried out too late and the other two merchants couldn¡¯t even react in time. ¡°Boss is fine. He was able to dodge.¡± [Fei] Fei said with a hint of relief mixed in, but just when it seemed as if the two warriors would distance themselves from each other, the battle developed into a fierce exchange of swords. ¡°¡­What was that just now?¡¡No. Before that, the sword, it¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°The sword floated!?¡± [Pioro] Just as Serge and Pioro said, it seemed as if there was an invisible hand beyond Ox¡¯s left wrist, holding the sword as it chased after Ryouma. ¡°It¡¯s probably ¡®Telekinesis¡¯. A neutral-attribute spell that uses mana to move an object. He must be using that with Chantless Casting to compensate for his missing left hand. Earlier he threw a sword to get Ryouma to drop his guard, then attacked with another sword. But he didn¡¯t stop there and picked up his sword and slashed up from below. Unlike a real arm, with Telekinesis, he can somewhat ignore the distance.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The boss deflected the sword that was thrown at him and stepped forward and attacked. Then he suppressed the right sword and the movements of his foe, and dodged the attack from the left. The opponent doesn¡¯t have a left hand. He can only use one sword. The boss should¡¯ve been fighting with that premise in mind, and yet he still managed to dodge Ox¡¯s attack in that instant.¡± [Fei] As Reinhart and Fei explained what happened, the fierce battle continued. The right hand that actually existed and the left ¡®hand¡¯ formed by magic. The winds from the two swords caressed Ryouma¡¯s cheeks and vanished. They clashed three or four times in the span of a single breath. If Ryouma were to take even a single one of those attacks directly, he would surely suffer a great deal of damage. A barrage of attacks akin to that of a storm. But Ryouma took that storm in stride, parrying or dodging each attack, while counterattacking during the gaps. ¡°Ahh¡­ Wonderful¡­ Truly wonderful.¡± [Orest] ¡°Orest. I hate to disturb you when you¡¯re basking in the moment, but don¡¯t you think you owe us an explanation?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart asked Moulton, who was busy watching the match of the two warriors. Serge and Pioro stared daggers at him. ¡°I owe you an explanation?¡¡All I¡¯ve done is recommend a good slave to a customer. This is merely the result.¡± [Orest] ¡°And yet there are things you didn¡¯t inform us about that very slave you recommended.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You never mentioned anything about him being able to use a second sword using magic.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Well I did say that he was obsessed with the sword and that he couldn¡¯t swing his sword like he used to after losing his left hand. It seems there might have been some misunderstandings.¡± [Orest] Moulton said as aloof as ever. ¡°Your Grace, as you¡¯ve mentioned yourself, that is indeed the neutral-attribute spell, ¡®Telekinesis¡¯. But I¡¯m sure everyone knows that while the members of the beast tribe may have been blessed with a powerful body capable of many great feats, the mana they possess is less than the other races, making them ill-matched with magic. As someone from the minotaur tribe, even Ox Lord isn¡¯t an exception. It appears he wishes to fight Takebayashi-sama with all of his might, but alas¡­ He can¡¯t even maintain that state for 3 minutes, by the end of which, he will also be completely out of mana and be so exhausted that he won¡¯t even be able to stand up by himself. Medicine can only heal so much, and depending on the situation, sometimes even it can¡¯t help¡­¡± [Orest] Chapter 174.4 - The True Motives of the Former Gladiator and the Slave Dealer That¡¯s the reason why he ¡®can¡¯t swing his sword like he did before¡¯. And yet despite being unskilled at magic and despite originally not being a magic warrior ¨C someone who used magic alongside a weapon ¨C Ox Lord still managed to quickly make enough progress with the spell that he is now able to fight with it in close combat. That is a ¡®boon¡¯ brought to him by his ¡®obsession¡¯, Moulton says. ¡°I see. So, tell me. Exactly what is it that you¡¯re trying to accomplish?¡¡Your slave is not without faults. No. But if you¡¯d just explained his situation better, then you would have surely found a buyer munch sooner.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°As I¡¯ve said from the start, the reason I recommended him was because I judged he was a good purchase for Takebayashi-sama. Ox will be elated to have a workplace where he can use his sword to his heart¡¯s content, and I¡¯m sure he will be even more elated to have an owner whose abilities are above his own. But above all¡­ There aren¡¯t many who can stand side-by-side Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Orest] Moulton intentionally paused for a moment before completing his sentence. When Reinhart heard that, he opened his eyes wide in surprise. Serge and Pioro were equally surprised and looked at Moulton. ¡°Just who is he? The more I know, the more mysterious he becomes. It¡¯s not just his actions or his way of thinking¡­ Even his abilities are far too advanced for his age. I¡¯m sure he has many people like yourselves who he can see as his equals and call ¡®friends¡¯. But when it comes to abilities, especially in combat abilities, there aren¡¯t many who are qualified. From my investigations, I¡¯ve found out that he¡¯s been getting along with the slum children his age. I hear they have a relationship akin to that of an instructor and his students. But is that really a good thing for a child his age?¡± [Orest] ¡°¡­Are you saying that you¡¯re thinking about Ryouma-kun¡¯s growth as a child?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He is also at a sensitive age. Ideally, it would be best to have someone his age to accompany him, but asking a child his age to stand toe-to-toe with him in skill is simply too cruel a task to demand. So at the very least I wanted to leave an ambitious slave beside him that was close to his level.¡± [Orest] ¡°I never thought I would hear such words come from you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°So you weren¡¯t just messing around because you thought Ryouma was interesting and you wanted to observe him more.¡± [Pioro] ¡°How rude. It¡¯s true that I like to watch people, but I would never get in the way of a child¡¯s growth. If anything, I want him to grow while treasuring the experience and happiness that he can gain while still a child.¡± [Orest] Moulton declared sincerely. ¡°¡­I see. Sorry for doubting you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But of course, what I really want is for him to become a regular at my store. That way I¡¯ll be able to observe him more.¡± [Orest] ¡°Wait just one moment!¡¡In the end, that¡¯s your objective!?¡¡And here I was feeling sorry for you! Give me back my sympathy!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Orest, a guy like you is seriously¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Please keep things in moderation¡­ Okay? In moderation¡­¡± [Serge] Moulton¡¯s sudden change in personality caused the three to reveal their anger and exasperation. Meanwhile, while they were bickering, Fei, the only one of them who kept on watching the match, informed them that the battle had concluded. Chapter 175.1 - Ryouma’s Conjecture Side Ryouma~ By the time the ability test ended, I already knew who I would be picking. ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care from now on, Lord-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I will serve you with all of my heart. And, Master, please call me Ox.¡± [Ox Lord] The person I chose was none other than Mr. Ox Lord. None of the candidates could compare to his combat abilities. He¡¯s a little stubborn, but he¡¯s diligent and offers a sense of security. Reinhart-san and the others advised me too, and every one of them picked Mr. Ox Lord. He¡¯s a debt slave, so the only things he had with him were his two swords and some clothing. By the time we got back from the post-match healing (magic healing), all of his luggage had already been loaded. Apparently, I could take him back with me immediately if I paid, so I settled the bill with something akin to a check. To be honest, there wasn¡¯t really any need to hurry. I¡¯m staying at the duke¡¯s manor, after all, so I was originally planning on staying a few more days, then take him with me when it was time to leave for Gimuru, but¡­ ¡°He¡¯s a servant, so he should stay at the manor. But enough of that, let¡¯s hurry up and go home.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said that, so it was decided that we would be taking Mr. Ox Lord back with us. When we got back to the parking area meant for carriages, everyone aside from me hurriedly got on our carriage. Today, Fei-san and Ox-san would be riding inside too. ¡°Leaving so soon? And here I was thinking of taking our time drinking tea.¡± [Orest] ¡°You can just drink by yourself.¡± [Pioro] ¡°How cruel. It can¡¯t be helped¡­ Takebayashi-sama, should you need another slave, please feel free to drop by our Moulton Slave Company again. I¡¯ll welcome you even if it¡¯s just for a chat.¡± [Orest] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ If the opportunity presents itself, then by all means, Moulton-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right! I almost forgot. Please just call me Orest. In exchange I¡¯ll call you by your name, Ryouma-sama. Don¡¯t you think we¡¯ll feel a lot closer if we change the way we call each other?¡± [Orest] This guy¡­ He¡¯s been really pushy ever since he stopped hiding his true nature. Well, whatever. ¡°I understand, Orest-san. If I feel like it, I¡¯ll drop by again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. At that time, I¡¯ll be sure to treat you well. I¡¯d love to explain more, but the people behind you are really scary, so please take this instead.¡± [Orest] As he said that, he handed me something akin to a pamphlet. Chapter 175.2 - Ryouma’s Conjecture He was so natural about it that I ended up accepting the pamphlet. I wonder if he prepared this right from the start. I thanked him then entered the carriage. I sat myself between Fei-san and Ox-san. When I¡¯d completely seated myself, the driver immediately rode away almost as if he had merely been waiting for me. I saw Orest seeing us off with a smile through the passing scenery from the windows. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Reinhart, Pioro, Serge] When the carriage had completely left the lot, the three adults seated in front of me all heaved a sigh. ¡°Thank you very much for accompanying me today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was free for the day. It was the least I could do.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°And we couldn¡¯t have let you go alone anyway.¡± [Pioro] ¡°As for why, I¡¯m sure you understand now, right, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] Yeah. Everyone coming along was really a big help. If I¡¯d gone to see that person alone without knowing anything, I would have probably ended up dancing on his palms. I mean more than I ended up dancing this time around anyway. ¡°Just like you said, Serge-san. He¡¯s not a bad person, but he¡¯s certainly not someone you can let your guard down against.¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-san said the same thing, but he¡¯s really meticulous when it comes to balancing his distance with people. Even when I find myself caught up in his pace, I never feel any sort of discomfort. In my case, everything concluded without things escalating to the point where I had to raise my voice and yell at him. Whenever we talked, he would lead the conversation along and confuse me, and by the time we¡¯re done, I just don¡¯t care anymore. I¡¯m sure he adjusts his personality accordingly and does the same thing to everyone. He¡¯s a really exhausting person to be with. Because of that I can more or less understand everyone¡¯s feelings, but still¡­ He¡¯s not someone I can hate. Besides, I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll probably just enjoy himself all the same if someone were to hate him. ¡°It is him that we¡¯re talking about, so yeah, that would probably be the case. Still, you sure understand him well despite this being your first meeting.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If I were alone, then I probably wouldn¡¯t have had such an easy time dealing with him, but you guys were with me and acted as a wall for me. Because of that I was able to calmly talk to him¡­ By talking to him I was able to find something about me that¡¯s similar to him¡­ If only a little.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something similar? You and Orest?¡¡But you¡¯re not really similar. No.¡± Reinhart] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯m not talking about our personality. I guess what I¡¯m referring to is how we think in regards to our object of interest.¡± [Ryouma] When I find a new slime, I make them approach various things to see what they¡¯re good at and what they¡¯re bad at. If needed, I would even give them poison. And even if the slime ended up biting my hand because of that, I don¡¯t think I would get mad. If anything I¡¯ll just become even more curious and wonder ¡®How did the slime manage to bite my hand?¡¯ ¡®What kind of abilities can it demonstrate?¡¯ Although, to be honest, I¡¯m not really that interested when it comes to people, so I can¡¯t really understand using the same mindset to approach people. ¡°Basically, what I¡¯m saying is that it feels as if he doesn¡¯t seem to think about whether he¡¯s acting close or not.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Reinhart]] ¡°So that¡¯s what you mean¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°So that¡¯s what it is¡­¡± [Pioro] When I said that, everyone was able to understand what I was trying to get at. Fei-san too, who was sitting beside me, although he wasn¡¯t saying anything. Ox-san didn¡¯t know about my love for slimes, so he couldn¡¯t understand¡­ Oh, well, that was rude of me, wasn¡¯t it? Even though I didn¡¯t know Ox-san all that well, I just went and started a conversation about something he knew absolutely nothing about. ¡°Sorry for ignoring you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± [Ox] I¡¯m glad he¡¯s so understanding, but¡­ We have introduced ourselves already, so maybe I should talk to him about the future. I¡¯ll be staying at the duke¡¯s family for the next three days, so during that time, I want him to talk to Fei-san and get a good explanation of matters regarding the store, especially regarding security related stuff. Moreover, if possible, I would also like to get his help for the wedding hall. If he can swing that heavy sword of his with one hand so easily, then I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be a great boon to us in our work. ¡°And one more thing. If you¡¯re okay with it, I would like you to help me with my experiments in medicine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Medicine?¡± [Ox Lord] At that, I told him about the scenario I was given. The one where I learned about the concoction and theory of medicine from my grandma and am actually quite skilled at it. I told him that the medicine I want to test is the Mana Recovery Medicine. Not the instant effect type sold of in stores, but a different type of mana recovery medicine that gradually restores mana over time. Ox-san learned how to use his sword with magic because he didn¡¯t want to give up his sword even after losing his left hand. Unfortunately, because he is a member of the beast tribe, he doesn¡¯t have that much mana. I think it would be a waste to leave his skill to rot on its own like this.. He doesn¡¯t have a lot of mana, so he can¡¯t fight for a long time. And when he runs out of mana, his conditions gets so bad that even his movements start to lose their luster. As his condition deteriorates, he¡¯ll eventually find himself unable to attack anymore. It¡¯s basically self-destruction. Chapter 175.3 - Ryouma’s Conjecture If the main reason behind that is his lack of mana, then perhaps a ¡®mana recovery medicine that persistently recovers mana¡¯ will be able to help. Such a medicine exists within the knowledge I received. ¡°You can recover from mana exhaustion just by resting, so medicines are only really used during wartime or to allow the casting of a much needed healing spell. A mana recovery medicine that takes effect immediately is highly sought for in times of emergency, but in this world, there is an abnormal body constitution referred to as ¡®Mana Leakage¡¯. When one is afflicted with Mana Leakage, then his mana will slowly decrease even without doing anything. It was in hopes of treating this body constitution that research in a persistent mana recovery medicine was started, a mana recovery medicine that continuously supplemented mana.¡± [Ryouma] If one just wishes to mitigate the effects of mana exhaustion, then the instant-type will be more than enough. The catch is that one will have to take the medicine every time the symptoms appear. But with a persistent-type, one can take the medicine prior and prevent the symptoms from appearing. ¡°I just know about the medicine and I¡¯ve never actually made it. It¡¯s possible to change the duration of effect and amount of mana recovered by adjusting the ratios of the ingredients used. So I was thinking it might be possible to modify this medicine such that it could compensate for the mana consumption and allow you to use your spell for a longer time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that really possible?¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°This is just a guess, but I believe it will be a great help to you in your training. During our match, I felt as if your left hand was mostly moving based on your experience before losing the use of your left hand. It felt as if you barely had any training with it.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Ox-san nodded before saying anything. ¡°Exactly. I can maintain the spell for a few minutes at most before falling asleep. And as a debt slave, I couldn¡¯t afford purchasing unneeded medicine in large amounts, so I couldn¡¯t really train. Just being able to train properly is something I would be grateful for, but won¡¯t that strain your finances, Master?¡¡I¡¯m sure concocting medicine must cost a lot of money.¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°Ahh, you don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± [Ryouma] For the ingredients, I can just use the running mash that I¡¯ve been cultivating all this time for the purpose of preserving fungus. The market price for them is really high, so even selling them through the guild master has its limits. Because of that I¡¯ve been starting to stock up on them and frankly I don¡¯t really know what to do with them. ¡°The concoction process and the experiments will be a great boon to my studies¡­ And I don¡¯t exactly have any issues with my finances. Otherwise I would never have chosen you, Ox-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true. I suppose there was no need for me to worry.¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°Although I¡¯m not so well off that I can afford not to save money, this much expense won¡¯t pose a problem. More importantly, I would be much more at ease if you could use your full potential with that medicine. But if you¡¯re still bothered about it, then why don¡¯t you teach me your chantless casting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I just learned that by coincidence, but if you wish to learn it, then it would be my pleasure to teach it to you.¡± [Ox Lord] Ox Lord bowed deeply to me. He seemed very uncomfortable, what with his large stature and the confined space we were in. ¡°Thank you!¡± [Ryouma] I first learned about chantless casting from the street performers I was acquainted with, the sword dancers, Maiya-san and Soldio-san. Under their tutelage I was able to learn how to use it, but despite practicing on my own for some time now, I can¡¯t seem to make any progress. Getting some advice should help me a lot. Also, this doesn¡¯t have anything to do with work, but plans to expand Gimuru have already started, and the centerpiece of the new city is supposedly a fighting arena. I remember gathering treant lumber for that. If the medicine works well for him and he wants to return to the arena, then I don¡¯t mind letting him participate. Although having a strong guard working at the store is reassuring, I want people to work at my store because they want to. From what I¡¯ve heard from Mr. Moulton during our chats, there are nobles that purchase slaves to create gladiators. As such, if Ox-san feels like going back to the arena, then I don¡¯t mind having him work there instead. ¡­I told Ox-san that that was also part of the reason I chose him. ¡°I never thought I would receive such good treatment after becoming a slave.¡± [Ox Lord] I couldn¡¯t tell whether he was laughing or crying, but one thing I knew for sure was that he was grateful. I¡¯ll accept those feelings. But the one he should really be grateful to isn¡¯t me but Orest-san. ¡°That man?¡± [Ox Lord] ¡°I feel like I can more or less guess what sort of relationship you have with him given your reaction, but the one who recommended you to me is Mr. Moulton. He probably knew about my medicine and my personality.¡± [Ryouma] Mana Leakage and Mana Recovery Medicine are rare, but he is at least the second generation of a large slave company. If we are to assume that he loves people as much as I love slimes, then he is probably taking advantage of his position to be involved with many people everyday. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if among those people one of them were suffering from Mana Leakage or knew something about medicine. And even if that¡¯s not the case, at the very least, he knew about Ox-san¡¯s technique. If he was thinking of a way to help him use that technique more effectively, then it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he thought of the idea of using a persistent-type mana recovery medicine. ¡°His excuse for acting dumb was that he couldn¡¯t get rid of a ¡®troublesome slave¡¯¡­ But when you think about how he sold you to me this time around, then perhaps he was merely deciding who to sell you to¡­¡± [Ryouma] Just as Ox-san said a while ago, concocting medicine and giving it to someone costs money. There¡¯s the cost of the ingredients, and then there¡¯s the problem of procuring them in the first place, as normal stores might not have some of the ingredients. In the first place, Ox-san is strong enough to be able to work as a guard even with just one arm. It¡¯s unlikely that anyone who purchases him would spend so much money and effort to help him recover.¡¡If the person who purchased him thought that he was ¡®good enough¡¯, then his skills would have rotted away. That would be such a waste. If Ox-san were a slime, there¡¯s no way I would permit that to happen. Moreover, I would certainly want to have a few words with a person who thought that way. And if I could choose who to give him to, then I certainly wouldn¡¯t pick that person. ¡°You really love slimes, don¡¯t you, Master?¡± [Ox Lord] As Ox-san muttered that it was his first time being compared to a slime, everyone other than me smiled wryly¡­ But anyway, given Mr. Moulton¡¯s standing, perhaps that¡¯s the reason why he wanted to choose who to sell Ox-san to. On that point, I have some knowledge on medicine. A fact I¡¯ve never really bothered to hide. And I also treat my employees well at my Gimuru branch. Another well-known fact. In fact it is so well known that there are merchants who think I¡¯m ¡®too soft to employees¡¯ or ¡®too wasteful¡¯. Orest-san did say that he investigated me, so it should be safe to assume that he should know that much. ¡°I can¡¯t say anything for certain, but it always felt like he¡¯s been dropping hints left and right when talking to me. Like when he talked about the slave gladiators.¡± [Ryouma] Just how much of his actions were planned? The more I think about it, the more I think he¡¯s not a bad person. Still, there¡¯s no denying that the way he does things is roundabout and annoying. ¡°¡­No wonder everyone is like that around him.¡± [Ryouma] The way Reinhart-san and the others were looking at me at the time was like they were looking at a new fellow victim. Author¡¯s note: Enjoy your Christmas£¡ Chapter 176.1 - A Closer Relationship That evening. ¡°¡ªSomething like that, I guess. Although, now that I think back to it, those few hours did feel unusually long¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It must¡¯ve been difficult.¡± [Elize] This evening would be our fourth time having tea together, so I¡¯m already used to it. I talked to the madam about the events that occurred earlier this day. Apparently, the madam knew about Orest-san too and she was full of understanding for my plight. As our conversation concluded and we moved on to the next topic¡­ ¡°Umm¡­¡± [Ryouma] Something hit me ¨C although to be honest, it was rather late to only be noticing it now ¨C but in any case, I decided to go and confirm it. ¡°What is it?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I know this is a bit sudden, but¡­ Could it be that you¡¯re all avoiding touching my past?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I asked that, time seemed to stop. That was how dramatic everyone¡¯s response was as their expressions stiffened up. So that really was the case. ¡°Why are you asking that so suddenly?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san asked as if to make up his resolve. The reason I noticed that was because of Orest-san. The first clue was when he mentioned having investigating me. Because for some reason, whenever he tried to talk about my past, someone from the three adults would try and stop him. Moreover, when they invited me to become a specialist and they told me that they would have to impose a heavy condition on me, and the air turned heavy, in the end, the only condition they gave was that I would have to tell them the reason behind my knowledge and abilities. In other words, I would have to divulge to them my past. That¡¯s all. It¡¯s likely that they¡¯re having ideas because of the High Pain Resistance I showed to them. It did always feel as if they didn¡¯t want to touch my past out of consideration. And even Gayn and the others did mention that they were usually holding back. I know it¡¯s a bit late for me to be noticing it, but when I think back to the things that happened today, I can¡¯t help but finally notice it. ¡°Huh? Could it be that they¡¯re think it more seriously than I am?¡± ¡­Something like that. ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m grateful for your consideration, but I actually don¡¯t think it¡¯s that big of a deal, at least not as much as you guys are probably thinking it is.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡You¡¯re not just pushing yourself, right?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes. Really. It¡¯s not just me being reserved. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t like it if you went and asked me about every single little detail, but if it¡¯s people that I trust like you guys, then I don¡¯t mind talking a little about stuff related to that specialist stuff.¡± [Ryouma] I mean, in the first place, that¡¯s what Gayn and the others (the gods) made that background story for. Their misunderstanding might have worsened because I haven¡¯t said anything all this time, but to be honest, they could have just asked me whenever they wanted. I wouldn¡¯t have minded. Really. ¡°Sorry for confusing you. But if I don¡¯t talk about it now that I¡¯ve noticed it, I¡¯ll probably miss my timing to talk about it forever¡­¡± [Ryouma] It would be bad to leave them so concerned about it after noticing that there is a misunderstanding, so I thought I should talk about it. ¡­Of course, I¡¯m not wholly comfortable talking about this cover-up background story of mine, but still¡­ That aside, is everyone alright? ¡°We¡¯re fine¡­ We¡¯re fine. It¡¯s alright. There¡¯s no reason for you to apologize.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yeah. We might have indeed made a bigger deal out of it than it should¡¯ve been.¡± [Serge] Parched laughter resounded in the room. It was really awkward. ¡°Hmm¡­ Umm, in that case, Ryouma-kun. Can you tell us what¡¯s okay to ask?¡¡Like for example, can we ask you about your grandma and grandpa that raised you?¡± [Elize] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] I took out my Status Board and made visible those two titles that I¡¯d never shown others before. ¡°At the village, I was usually either being taught academics or how to fight, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything special there. But these two are rather famous, so I think you¡¯ll understand if I show these to you.¡± [Ryouma] I showed my status board to the madam. ¡°Huh!?¡± [Elize] The madam cried out before she could even take my status board. When I thought she would take it, she covered her face with the back of her hand instead. ¡°Elize?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You¡¯ll understand if you see it¡­¡± [Elize] As soon as the status board was passed to Reinhart-san and he saw the contents, he too seemed like he was about to faint. After that the status board was passed to Serge-san and then Pioro-san. ¡°Disciple of the Sage!?¡± [Serge] ¡°Disciple of the Martial God!?¡¡Is this for real!?¡± [Pioro] ¡°It¡¯s written right there.¡± [Ryouma] I did hear they were famous, but after seeing their reactions, I have a feeling they¡¯re a lot bigger than I thought. It took some time before the four adults could calm down after finding out who the people who raised me were. ¡°Fuu¡­ Ryouma-kun. Have you showed this to anyone else?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°No. This is my first time showing it to anyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san openly showed his relief. I asked them if this wasn¡¯t something I was supposed to show to others. ¡°By the way everyone is reacting, it seems like it would be a bad idea if others were to see this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You bet it would be. Wait a moment, could it be you don¡¯t know anything about these two?¡± [Pioro] Chapter 176.2 - A Closer Relationship ¡°Well they did teach me all sorts of stuff, so I did feel like they were amazing, but they weren¡¯t really the sort to boast about themselves, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] I told them that I thought they were just an old couple that knew a little more than other people. ¡°It¡¯s all finally starting to come together. For various reasons, it really is.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°People of great character really do end up with unexpected results, don¡¯t they?¡± [Elize] ¡°No wonder you¡¯re so smart and so strong.¡± [Pioro] ¡°If you¡¯re raised up in an isolated place like that and the only people you have for comparison are those two, then it¡¯s no wonder that your common sense is so messed up.¡± [Serge] The four adults sighed exhaustedly many times. Then they talked about the many great achievements of the old couple. According to them, my grandmother, Melia the Sage, was a talented woman active in all fields of studies with a focus on medicine and magic. She was enrolled in the academy at the imperial capital and produced many thesis and research results. To this day, there is a faction known as the ¡®Melia Faction¡¯ that is present in many fields of studies and are always highly appraised. As for my grandpa, ¡®Teagle the Martial God¡¯, he was undefeated in his own generation despite not having studied anything. He started hunting monster beasts at the age of 7. And in pursuit of strength, he searched for foes stronger than himself and became an apprentice. Through his talent and effort, he absorbed all of the techniques in the blink of an eye and improved his techniques. It is said that in his later years, he has become so strong that weapons would break before he could even go all out. The truth remains unclear, but what¡¯s for certain is that he owns a smithy and that he¡¯s a first-rate blacksmith. If even a single one of his works were to be discovered, people would flock enough to fill a house regardless what type it is. ¡®The both of them are on a completely different level from your run-of-the-mill intellectual or person of ability!¡¯ Or so the four adults said. They used the entirety of our teatime to talk about what kind of people my grandparents were and how highly appraised they are. I found the topic interesting since it was a lot more detailed than what I had been told. I¡¯ll be going to where they lived before, so I think it¡¯s good to know too. Also, by being able to reveal my past, I feel like I¡¯ve gotten a lot closer to everyone. But¡­ ¡°Just to be sure, but it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that it¡¯s a bad idea for other people to find out about this, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would be dangerous.¡± [Serge] ¡°You¡¯ll be targeted for sure.¡± [Elize] ¡°As we¡¯ve been saying for the past few days now, knowledge and technology are treasures to people in authority.¡± [Pioro] ¡°The pupils of famous people are highly valued too, after all.¡± [Reinhart] ¡­Well, if it¡¯s those two people¡¯s disciple, then I guess it makes sense. Maybe there¡¯s another reason why Gayn and the others chose those two people to make my cover-up story. As I went back to my room, I resolved myself to ask Gayn and the others that next time. The next day. This would be my fifth day staying at the duke¡¯s family, and I¡¯ve already more or less gotten used to it. The servants have all gotten used to me as well. ¡°Ah, Takebayashi-sama. The head chef was looking for you earlier. There will be a sampling of the dishes to be served at the wedding reception around noon, and he was hoping that you would be able to make it. Of course, if you¡¯re schedule permits it.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Thank you for inviting me. I¡¯ll be sure to be drop by.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡¡About the ceremonial hall, are we going to complete it today?¡¡There are people quarreling over whether it would be completed today or tomorrow.¡± [Guard] ¡°We finished the foundation yesterday afternoon, so the remaining upper part should take shape before the day is over. But even then there¡¯s still decorations to be done, so construction won¡¯t be complete until then.¡± [Ryouma] Now, when I walked through the premises of the manor, people would often call out to me. We¡¯ve been working together all this time to complete the preparations for the wedding ceremony, but at some point, they stopped treating me as a ¡®guest¡¯. There¡¯s still a hint of that relationship, but I feel we¡¯ve all gotten a little closer. ¡°The experiment the other day sure was effective. Word of how you¡¯ve treated the children about to be dismissed has spread, and now the maids see you as a gentle person. They also see you as someone they can ask questions to without fear.¡± [Rurunez] Rurunez-san said that, but isn¡¯t it normal to be able to ask people questions without being afraid? ¡­That¡¯s what I was thinking initially, but when I thought about it some more, it¡¯s true that there are plenty of places where that ¡®normal¡¯ isn¡¯t true. In the first place, the idea of ¡®normal¡¯ is really vague. Hmm¡­ Normal sure is complicated¡­ ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯m glad that I didn¡¯t scare them.¡± [Ryouma] We chatted in leisure like that as we headed toward the magic training area that I was borrowing. Preparations for the experiment to improve the sugar scrub were already underway. And Fei-san and Ox-san could be seen at a corner. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Let us begin the Sugar Scrub experiment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Test Subjects] ¡°Last time we tested the perfumed oils to go with the sugar scrub. Today, we¡¯ll be thinking about the improvement of the sugar scrub itself. Which oil feels good? How fine should the particles of the mumitou be? Please make the comparisons just like before and have all the inputs ¨C no matter how seemingly trivial ¨C summarized in a sheet of paper.¡± [Ryouma] I asked them to pass that on to the rest of the people helping me out, then I called out to Fei-san and Ox-san. The servants of the duke¡¯s family, especially those that are higher ranked, are very smart people, so I can be at ease and leave things to them. Besides, all they have to do is ask the test subjects for their impressions, and it¡¯s not like they need any specialized knowledge, so there¡¯s no need for me to gather the data personally. As such, I¡¯ve decided to make the most of my time and make preparations for concocting Ox-san¡¯s mana recovery medicine. My schedule is packed with all the preparations for the wedding, so as much as possible, I want to make the most out of my time. ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Master. I¡¯ve brought my weapon and status board as you¡¯ve asked.¡± [Ox] ¡°I¡¯ve also prepared the mana recovery medicines.¡± [Fei] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] In order to make Ox-san¡¯s mana recovery medicine, I need to match the amount of mana restored by the medicine with Ox-san¡¯s consumption of mana when using his sword. If the amount of mana restored is too little, then Ox-san will run out of mana. If the amount of mana restored is too great, then he¡¯ll end up with mana intoxication. In order to match the medicine with Ox-san perfectly, I need to know how mana he possesses and how long he can hold the spell. From there I¡¯ll need to know how much mana he consumes per second. Fortunately, I can confirm how much mana he has just by looking at his status board. I explained to him the objective of this experiment. ¡°Ox-san, you have 315 mana points. Is that small or big?¡± [Ryouma] From what I¡¯ve heard, 500 to 700 mana points is enough for a warrior to supplement himself with magic. ¡°I never really used spells, so when I tried to increase my mana pool as hard as I could, that¡¯s the result. It¡¯s definitely on the smaller side.¡± [Ox] The smaller the mana pool, the easier it will be to be afflicted with mana intoxication. It would probably be best if I started with a weaker medicine. ¡°Well, let¡¯s go see how long you can hold your spell then. Rurunez-san, the watch please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s ready, Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Rurunez] As she took out a pocket watch, I left the time and the signaling to her. As for the status board, I handed it to Fei-san. I took out my slime katana. ¡°It¡¯s said that one¡¯s mental state affects one¡¯s mana consumption. I¡¯ll need to get the average mana consumption, so we¡¯ll be running different tests several times. For this test, you¡¯ll have to fight me at full strength.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand!¡± [Ox] And so, we measured Ox-san¡¯s mana several times until it was afternoon. I felt bad for Riviola, the maid from the Big Monkey Man Tribe, as the test subjects of the sugar scrub kept looking our way. It¡¯s not their fault. Really. I¡¯m sure anyone would be bothered if the sound of metals clanging kept resounding not far from them. Chapter 177.1 - Completion of the Ceremony Hall ¡°Okay. And with that, its¡­. Complete!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeahhhhh!!!!¡± [The Workers] On the evening of the fifth day, the wedding hall was finally completed. We built the foundation and an open space to provide an area for the attendees to eat, but we also built two more things. One was a church to serve as the place for the bride and groom to exchange vows, and the second was a newly built tower to house the celebration bell. The church was small, being only about the size of a resting area at the park. It had an ellipse-like roof supported by pillars and was diagonally aligned. Depending on how one saw it, it might look like a shell, but it was made that way purposefully to make it easy for the attendees to see inside. There¡¯s also a hardening liquid plate colored in stained-glass style to serve as the windows. It¡¯s strategically placed, such that when the light of the sun enters through it, the bride, groom, and the idols will all be lit up naturally. Of course, it¡¯s just a building for now with no people or idols, but just the shadows on the beige wall cast by the evening sun is plenty impressive. A job well done, if I say so myself. Especially, considering that everything here was made in a hurry. The tools needed for the ceremony and the decorations will be brought in by the maids starting tomorrow. I also intend to bring in the idols that I¡¯ve been laboriously working on every night. I¡¯m sure this place will become even more magnificent. Now then, is there still something that needs to be done¡ª Woah!? ¡°Ryouma!¡¡Thank you so much for building such a wonderful ceremony hall!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Hyuzu-san!?¡± [Ryouma] While I was looking at the venue, someone suddenly grabbed me and lifted me up. I thought I was carried easily because I was in a child¡¯s body, but it turns out that the other guards were with him too. Before I knew it, I was being tossed into the air for some unknown reason. ¡°Umm¡­ Why are you tossing me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°To thank you! And to celebrate!¡± [Hyuzu] That¡¯s a first. Hearing those two things used together. That aside, aren¡¯t these people too excited? ¡°But enough of that. With this, our work for the day is over, right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright!¡¡You heard the man, boys! It¡¯s drinking time!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yeahhhhh!!!!¡± [The Workers] Drink?¡¡You mean liquor? As the workers cried out in response to Hyuzu-san¡¯s words, I was thrown the highest I¡¯ve been thrown so far¡­ It was then that another voice resounded. ¡°¡ªNo.¡± [???] ¡°NUO!?¡± [Hyuzu] The cold voice of a woman resounded, and suddenly, the hands supporting me vanished. ¡°Kyaa!?¡± [???] ¡°Ryouma-sama!¡± [???] ¡°Oh no!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°A-Are you okay!?¡± [Worker 1] ¡°Boy!¡¡You¡¯re not hurt, are you!?¡± [Worker 2] ¡°Somehow. Well, I am an adventurer, after all. This much is fine.¡± [Ryouma] I was a bit shocked, but I managed to land in time. When I raised up my head, the men were looking at me with surprise on their faces. Behind them was the head maid, Arone-san. Apparently, the voice earlier belonged to her. Behind her were Rurunez-san and Riviola-san. ¡°Ryouma-sama, are you alright?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m fine. Really.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank goodness¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have spoken while they were tossing you. My deepest apologies.¡± [Arone] ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± [Ryouma] Speaking of which, what was she about to say earlier? ¡°Oh, right. I don¡¯t mind if you boys go out to drink, but you can¡¯t take Ryouma-sama with you.¡± [Arone] ¡°B-But, Arone-san. Ryouma has been blessed with the divine protection of the God of Wine. He¡¯s more than capable of drinking. And he¡¯s been working really hard for our sake, so as thanks¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Even if Ryouma-sama is able to drink, you¡¯re planning on going all out tonight, right?¡¡And then you¡¯re going to vanish somewhere with the rest of your boys and have Ryouma-sama come home in the dead of the night all by himself.¡¡In the first place, do you really think the store will let him in?¡± [Arone] ¡°Uu¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I also believe you shouldn¡¯t take Takebayashi-sama with you.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Rurunez, you too?¡± [Hyuzu] Based on the situation, it seems that Hyuzu-san is trying to take me with him. But Arone-san and Rurunez-san were against it, so it was looking pretty bad for Hyuzu-san. Personally, I don¡¯t mind going with him, but as expected, this body is a problem. Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking, but then Riviola-san softly bent over and told me something. ¡°They¡¯re not just going out to drink?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯ll drink, yes, but it won¡¯t end with just that. After all, it¡¯s 2 days before the wedding.¡± [Riviola] Is there some connection to it being two days before the ceremony? Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t really think of any such connection. Riviola-san could tell from my expression that I had no idea what she was trying to get at. ¡°On the night before the ceremony, the bridegroom and the bride will have to stay with their respective families, so the date 2 days before the ceremony is the last night for the bride and the groom to move freely as if they were singles. Even the bride will surround herself with her friends and talk until late in the evening. Of course, there¡¯s liquor too, but in the case of the men, it¡¯s¡­¡± [Riviola] Chapter 177.2 - Completion of the Ceremony Hall (2/3) ¡°I¡¯m sorry for making a lady like yourself have to explain something like that to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. Besides, I didn¡¯t actually have to say anything since you were able to figure it out on your own.¡± [Riviola] It¡¯s such a distant concept to me that it never even crossed my mind once. But making a lady explain that a group of men are planning on going to the brothel is grounds for sexual harassment. I better be careful. But if that¡¯s the case, then¡­ ¡°Hyuzu-san, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] As expected, I can¡¯t join them for something like that. I want to celebrate with them, of course, but it wouldn¡¯t do anyone any good if I were to cause trouble instead. I¡¯ll accept their gratitude, but I won¡¯t be able to join them for tonight. I told them that, and Hyuzu-san reluctantly nodded his head. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s drink next time then. There are drinks at the ceremony too, after all.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll accompany you until you¡¯re wasted.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oho! You said it! I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then!¡± [Hyuzu] Hearing that seems to have reignited his spirit. After that Hyuzu-san took off with his friends and headed for town. ¡­But before they left, someone grabbed me and I was tossed into the air again. Do the people around here toss people whenever they¡¯re excited? It¡¯s a mystery. Anyway, putting that aside¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Rurunze] As expected, is she worried about her husband? Hyuzu-san had left already, but Rurunez-san continued to stare in the direction he left. ¡­Frankly, I¡¯m actually really surprised that she could afford to send him off like this despite knowing what kind of store he¡¯s headed to. Don¡¯t women see that sort of stuff in a bad light? Should I say something?¡¡Or maybe I just should just quietly stay beside her? ¡°Riviola-san. I don¡¯t think I understand the inner workings of the heart when it comes to stuff like this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In a sense, that is normal, no?¡± [Riviola] If a young boy about the age of 10 could already completely understand the heart of a woman, one could only shudder in fear at what kind of future awaited him. Is that what she¡¯s implying? I guess I can take her response as encouragement then. While we were talking like that, Rurunez-san finally noticed us. ¡°When men go out together, it¡¯s normal to seek out stores with women. Besides, this will be the last time he gets to do this for the rest of his life, so I can let it pass.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like she put extra emphasis on some of those words, but it could have been just my imagination.¡¡Regardless, she continued, saying, ¡®after all, he doesn¡¯t want to be single anymore, and neither do I plan on letting him¡­¡¯, and then blushed. At that, a sickeningly sweet aura began emanating from her. Well, it¡¯s a matter concerning her and her husband, I probably shouldn¡¯t delve into it too much. One thing is for sure though, based on what I¡¯ve seen tonight, Rurunez-san will probably be the one wearing the pants in this relationship. When evening came, it was time for our customary tea party. Today¡¯s topic is a continuation of yesterdays¡¯. ¡°About you helping us?¡± [Reinhart and Elize] ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t there anything I can do to help?¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-sama and the others took my past a lot more seriously than I was expecting. So now it¡¯s my turn to ask if there¡¯s something they want to tell me. They¡¯re always lending an ear to me, so if there¡¯s anything at all, I wish they¡¯d say it. Besides, if it¡¯s them, I doubt they¡¯ll make me do anything I don¡¯t want, so I can just hear them out first and then decide whether it¡¯s doable or not. I¡¯ll have to be careful with classified information, but I¡¯m sure they understand that themselves. When I told them that, the four of them wryly smile. ¡°A favor from Ryouma-sama, huh¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Ryouma, you can¡¯t say stuff like that to other nobles.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Exactly, Ryouma-kun. If there were some weird person here, or someone who wants profit above all else, you¡¯ll find all sorts of unreasonable stuff shoved down your throat. Well, I do believe you¡¯re only offering this because you trust us, however.¡± [Pioro] ¡°There are many people who can¡¯t say no when we ask a favor from them, so having the tables turned around so suddenly, with us being on the receiving end of a favor, leaves my mouth dry and my tongue searching¡­ But it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, so I guess it¡¯s fine.¡± [Reinhart] The four of them came to an understanding on their own. But try as I might to wait, no one requested anything from me. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m already making more money than we talked about from the water proof cloth, iron, and music box¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Same here. Just that matter about the cultivation of mushrooms earlier was plenty. In fact, if it succeeds, the one who¡¯ll be in debt gratitude-wise is me. If you want me to ask something else on top of that, well¡­ Oh, right. Previously, you used your bloody slime to drain the blood from a monster beast, right?¡¡Well, I¡¯m interested in that.¡± [Pioro] In that case, maybe I can get his cooperation to increase the number of bloody slimes. They¡¯re very important slimes due to the matter of the blood serum, so if we¡¯re going to be increasing their numbers, then we better get to it now while no one knows their value yet. Unfortunately, bloody slimes are hard to breed, so I only have 9 right now. Chapter 177.3 - Completion of the Ceremony Hall (3/3) ¡°If you can really bring that blood serum of yours into society, a fierce competition is bound to start.¡± [Serge] ¡°People looking to steal the bloody slimes be it by force or by authority are sure to appear.¡± [Elize] ¡°But if you make them less scarce and we mediate, then it might be possible to soften the blow.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Putting the blood slimes in different places should also mitigate the risk of them getting wiped out in case of a freak accident. And above all, Pioro-san is someone I can trust. I have a branch store at Renauph too, so communicating shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds like a heavy responsibility¡­ For starters, why don¡¯t I borrow your bloody slimes for some ¡®exsanguination¡¯?¡¡I want to see how big of a change a bloody slime¡¯s exsanguination can bring. And besides I need to prepare first anyway. After all, I can¡¯t just start taking care of the slimes without knowing anything, now can I? You need to teach me first.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Right. It would probably be for the best that we take our time talking about this.¡± [Ryouma] For now, we decided to put a close to this topic. After that, the next person to speak up regarding my desire to help them was Reinhart-san. ¡°Would it be possible to put up a branch store of your laundromat in this town? In Gaunago?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. It shouldn¡¯t be a problem. In the first place, I¡¯ve been intending to build more branch stores, so I¡¯ve already been cultivating managers. It¡¯s also the reason why I¡¯ve recently been hiring more guards. I still need to find a good spot for the store, but¡­ Why would you ask for a branch of our store to be built here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you about it before?¡¡The Jamil family has been working to improve its territories since the time of my father. We have been especially hard at work in preventing epidemics and reducing diseases.¡± [Reinhart] Come to think of it, when an epidemic was about to occur because of the latrine pits, Reinbach-sama was really mad. It¡¯s only natural to be mad, but¡­ ¡°It is said that keeping the body clean is a good way to keep the disease demons away. And you said it yourself too, right, Ryouma-kun?¡¡About stuff like airborne infections and infections through contact?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. I remember. It was when we first met, if I recall correctly. It sounds like such a long time ago, but it hasn¡¯t even been a year yet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I was wondering why you knew so much, but when you revealed to us yesterday that you¡¯re Melia-sama¡¯s disciple, it all finally started to make sense. If Melia-sama has taught you the importance of keeping the body clean, then having your store in town should serve a role in limiting the occurrence of diseases. I have also heard of your store¡¯s reputation. Not only does your store make clean clothes affordable to the commoners, it also saves them the effort of having to wash their own laundry. This is true even for those sloppy men that are neglectful of their own cleanliness.¡¡That¡¯s why I want to use your store. If your store can really lower the occurrence of diseases, then it will truly be a matter worthy of celebration.¡± [Reinhart] I see. So it¡¯s because of his territory and his people that he wants to have the store nearby so he can observe it. A practical reason. ¡­But if that¡¯s the case, then perhaps there¡¯s something else I can do. ¡­Come to think of it, what kind of place was the adult store that Hyuzu-san and the others went to? ¡­What if a rumor went around saying that ¡®women liked clean men¡¯? I don¡¯t know what would happen, but people that go to those kind of stores probably aren¡¯t very popular with women. And I¡¯m sure the people working at those kind of stores would prefer it if their customers came in clean instead. The cleaner people are, the less likely it is for diseases to spread. Having more customers also won¡¯t hurt our store. ¡­Even stores like that are bound to produce filth. As of now, we¡¯ve had business dealings with people working at normal inns, but I don¡¯t think we¡¯ve ever had any customers from those kind of establ¡ª Wait. Have we had dealings with those kind establishments?¡¡Now that I think about it, I¡¯m actually not so sure, but even if we have had dealings with them, there shouldn¡¯t be a lot. As such, we might have an opportunity here. But wait, if that¡¯s the case, then wouldn¡¯t it better to have a store, after all?¡¡I¡¯m worried about the gangsters that we might end up attracting should we get involved with this side of the business world, but our store¡¯s defenses are¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°!¡¡Yes? I¡¯m so sorry. I just lost myself in thought there for a moment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Will it be difficult?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, no. I was just thinking what direction would be most effective for our business.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s what. Of course, I would be glad if you did your best, but you don¡¯t have to push yourself. I just want to see what kind of changes your store will bring when introduced to this town.¡± [Reinhart] If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s no problems on my end either. But the specifics will have to wait until after I¡¯ve consulted Carm-san. Just as I was thinking we would be moving on to the next topic¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll prepare you a good store for your branch here at Gaunago. The nobles and their servants might come, so if you want I can introduce you someone who can teach your staff how to deal with such customers¡ª¡± [Reinhart] ¡°There¡¯s a newly developed camping magic tool meant for adventurer use. Would you like to try it?¡¡By all means, I would love to hear your opinion after trying¡ª¡± [Serge] ¡°If food is a problem, I¡¯m sure I can help. Our store handles packed meals, but Ryouma, you can use Dimension Home, right?¡¡In that case¡ª¡± [Pioro] ¡°Our familiars are raised on sprint rabbit, which reproduce very quickly. They can turn into a troublesome pest, so one needs to receive training from the tamer guild first before handling them, but¡ª¡± [Elize] Before I knew it, the conversation had shifted back to the adults helping me out. I¡¯m really grateful to them, but what happened to the topic of me being the one to help them out this time? ¡­But then again, they look really happy, so I guess I¡¯ll just leave it at that. Chapter 178.1 - Bad Timing (1/3) The next day. ¡°¡­Wow! My birthday sure came early!¡± [Ryouma] The morning had just begun, and yet I was already shaking in joy! Why? That¡¯s because, as soon as I woke up, one of the sticky slimes evolved! The results of Identify are as follows: Latex Slime Skills: ¡­What is this? The variant of the silme is known as ¡®Latex Slime¡¯. When I think of ¡®latex¡¯ the first thing that comes to mind is the raw material for natural rubber. That white viscous liquid that comes out when you wound a rubber tree. It looks exactly as described too, a thick white liquid. The feed I gave to this slime is the ¡®Stem of the Dante Flower¡¯¡­ The raw material for rubber is generally procured from rubber tree, but latex itself is secreted by other plants and vegetations. One famous example is the dandelion flower, a flower with which the dante flower shares many similarities. There¡¯s no way to tell for sure without some experiments, but the odds that this is the latex I¡¯m thinking about is high. If things go well, I might be able to make rubber using the liquids secreted by this slime. Unfortunately, the slime¡¯s abilities have actually fallen. ¡°The physical attack resist, digest, and absorb skills are all one level higher compared to when it was a sticky slime. But the jump skill went down 2 levels. And the sticky liquid, hardening liquid, string shot, staff mastery, planting skills have all been forgotten¡­¡± [Ryouma] This is a first. Could it be that it¡¯s actually normal for monsters to change their skills when they evolve, and what I¡¯ve been seeing until now is actually what¡¯s unusual? Or is a monster¡¯s change in skills upon evolution the unusual one? But then again the latex slime evolved from the sticky slime when it was in its jelly form. It went from a jelly form into a liquid form, so maybe because the water content increased¡­ No, that¡¯s reaching too far out right now. The only one that evolved into a latex slime is this one, so there¡¯s not enough data. Well, alright then! In that case, I¡¯m just gonna have to get more slimes to evolve to procure more data for my research. If so, then maybe I should increase the number of sticky slimes. But, hmm¡­ It¡¯s already been some time since I found out that some of the slimes like to eat the stem part of the dante flower. Perhaps it¡¯s because there¡¯s not a lot of latex in the stem that they weren¡¯t able to eat their fill and that caused them to take so long to evolve. ¡°Good morning, Takebayashi-sama.¡± [Rurunez] Hmm!?¡¡Someone¡¯s here? It¡¯s that time already? ¡°Takebayashi-Sama?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Ah, good morning!¡¡Please enter.¡± [Ryouma] When I called out to the person outside the door, Rurunez-san quietly entered. ¡°Good morning. Breakfast is ready¡­ Is something the matter?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s nothing. My slime evolved, so I was just examining it. I ended up forgetting the time because of that, but I¡¯ll get ready right away.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s really unfortunate, but the slime observation will have to wait until after breakfast. After readying myself, I left the room to eat breakfast. ¡°Well, someone¡¯s in a good mood today.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Did something good happen?¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s Ryouma we¡¯re talking about, so it¡¯s probably slime business.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Did one of your slimes evolve?¡± [Serge] After greeting each other, the adults noted my cheerful mood and immediately deduced the reason behind it. Am I really that easy to understand? ¡°As you¡¯ve guessed, my sticky slime has evolved into a latex slime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Latex Slime¡­ Is that a new variant?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°At the very least, it¡¯s not one of the more commonly seen advanced variants.¡± [Elize] ¡°What can that slime do?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°For now it can just secrete some viscous liquid. If this viscous liquid is the same as the one I know, then it should prove useful in making various ingredients.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Come to think of it, does this world have rubber? Now that I think about it, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a product made out of rubber here. The grell frog skin armor feels somewhat like rubber, but¡­ I decided to ask the adults about it, and Serge-san thought that I might have been talking about another product he knew. ¡°Perhaps what you¡¯re talking about is the ¡®gwam¡¯?¡± [Serge] According to Serge-san, way down south from this country, all the way to the edge of the continent, there¡¯s a port city. Beyond that port is a series of islands, which the ships rely on to resupply themselves for a long voyage of about one to two months, upon which they are then able to reach another continent. Unlike the countries here, the countries in that part of the world are always hot and humid. They have an unpredictable weather that would at one point be perfectly fine, and then in the next moment, break into a downpour. Their culture is also very different. So, basically like a tropical country?¡¡The sudden downpours are probably squalls. A hot and humid place also fits the bill to grow rubber trees. ¡°Just as you¡¯ve been saying earlier, the gwam is made from hardened tree liquid. A liquid that only comes from certain trees. Trees that can be found in abundance in that continent. However, the export of said trees and tree liquids are prohibited by the laws of their continent, so there¡¯s rarely an opportunity for them to be brought out here.¡± [Serge] Chapter 178.2 - Bad Timing ¡­If I recall correctly, there was a time when rubber could only be procured from the Amazon River Basin, but the people then were able to find out just how useful of a material it was, and so the United Kingdom monopolized it. In fact, it was so highly valued that people referred to it as ¡®black gold¡¯¡­ This makes it more likely that this Gwam that Serge-san is talking about is the same rubber that I know of. ¡°But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as amazing as this rubber you¡¯re talking about.¡± [Serge] ¡°Huh? Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, the gwam is mainly used in simple products like toys for children. It¡¯s also used for cloths and to repel water, but it¡¯s not like this rubber you¡¯re talking about that¡¯s supposedly resistant against tearing or melting. In fact, it¡¯s the opposite.¡± [Serge] Wait. doesn¡¯t that mean that they¡¯re using natural rubber as is?¡¡They haven¡¯t added sulfur or carbon to it? Back on Earth, the reason people were able to realize the usefulness of rubber was because someone discovered the processing method. It¡¯s precisely because people knew that it was such a useful product that it was valued so highly and everyone wanted to monopolize it. And yet in this world, it¡¯s being monopolized despite people not understanding its purpose?¡¡That is so strange¡­ I asked the adults about that. ¡°The people of that continent had a special use for the gwam. One that¡¯s rooted in their culture and custom. Most of it is being used for that.¡± [Serge] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] As Serge-san spoke, it dawned on me that he was trying to shirk away from saying out loud exactly what the people of that continent were using the rubber for. ¡°I was thinking that it would be too early to talk about it, given your age, but then again, you do have knowledge regarding medicine, and you probably understand the necessity and importance¡­¡± [Serge] Despite saying that, Serge-san decided to delay saying the use of the gwam out loud until after our meal. And so, we enjoyed ourselves to a different topic until breakfast concluded. After breakfast. Before Serge-san left, I asked him again what the people from that continent were using the rubber for, and he replied briefly, ¡°For contraceptive purposes.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s the direction they took¡­¡± [Ryouma] That is certainly not something that should be said during breakfast in front of the madam. ¡°The people of that continent are very open-minded when it comes to sex. So much so that you can find villages practicing polygyny, polyandry, and polyfidelity. They also see the act itself as a rite of passage to adulthood. When I was yet young and full of adventurous spirit, I went there and was deeply shocked by the cultural difference. Men and women alike dressed lightly, and if you go out to the sticks, you¡¯ll find people walking around basically naked.¡± [Serge] Well, even back on Earth you can find sexual content in myths. I guess there are places like that here too. But there¡¯s a risk to the act. ¡°And I take it that the contraceptives are¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. When people do the deed a lot, and not just for the rite, and the numbers stack up on a daily basis, it can¡¯t really be helped that in the past, people got sick or got pregnant during their rite of passage to adulthood. Even if they wanted to do it a lot, there were a lot of problems that came with the deed. But then the gwam contraceptive was developed, and that solved a lot of problems. Unfortunately, not everyone is understanding of the culture of the people from that continent, and of those people, there are those who have taken to calling them ¡®savages¡¯. That being said, I do think their technology surpasses our country¡¯s when it comes to sexual diseases and contraceptives.¡± [Serge] Speaking of which, this country mainly relies on medicine for their contraceptive. They¡¯re available not only for women but also for men. Unfortunately, they¡¯re poorly made, and if you use them wrong, they can have a bad effect on the body. On that point alone, the gwam contraceptive is superior. It was safe for the human body, and in fact, to this day, it is being imported from the southern continents to the nobles at a high price. ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Countries really do come in all kinds and shapes. Hearing stories about other countries is really fascinating. While I was thinking that, Serge-san asked me a question. ¡°Ryouma-sama, is the rubber you¡¯re talking about the same thing?¡± [Serge] ¡°I believe the gwam and my rubber both use the same ¡®latex¡¯. The difference is that my rubber processes the raw material more to make it easier to use for a variety of different purposes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho ho¡­¡± [Serge] I took this opportunity to ask if my rubber would be treated as contraband. ¡°What¡¯s prohibited is the export of trees and seeds from the southern continents. It has nothing to do with using the viscous liquid excreted by a slime.¡± [Serge] I see. It should be safe to perform my experiments then. ¡°I¡¯ll experiment and see if I can turn the viscous liquid of the latex slime into rubber.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If anything else comes up, please feel free to consult me. I¡¯m looking forward to the results myself.¡± [Serge] I thanked Serge-san for hearing me out, and then parted ways with a smile. Now that that¡¯s done with¡­ It is time for an experiment! Chapter 178.3 - Bad Timing (3/3) I should be able to get some lamon if I go to the kitchen,¡¡but even if I can¡¯t, I should still be able to get natural rubber by lightly mixing the acid of the acid slime. If that¡¯s all, then I should be able to do it while working on the sugar scrub research. Unfortunately, that still leaves the question of what to do about the sulfur needed to regulate the hardness and elasticity. For the carbon, there¡¯s charcoal, so I can probably make something up with alchemy, but¡­ ¡°Takebayashi-Sama!¡± [Maid] ¡°Hmm? Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] My thoughts were stopped by a maid calling out to me. I wonder if something happened.¡¡She seems to be panicking. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something big happened to the lake of the wedding hall. We need you and the people in charge of the ceremony to make a decision immediately.¡± [Maid] ¡°The lake?¡¡Alright. I understand. I¡¯ll go immediately. ¡­Ah, just one thing!¡¡Can you tell Riviola-san and the others, who are preparing the experiment at the back, that I was called to the wedding area?¡¡This will probably take a bit of time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood.¡± [Employee] After getting a positive reply, I went to the location of the wedding hall. What exactly does she mean by ¡®something big¡¯? When I came close enough to be able to see the wedding hall through the gap between the trees, a strange feeling hit me. There was a damp stench in the air. A kind that I¡¯ve never smelled before. If I had to describe it, I would say that it¡¯s like a flower or a vegetation of some sort rotting¡­ The closer I got to the wedding halls, the stronger the stench became. Before long, a lake dyed in red and a crowd of people surrounding it came to view. These people are the managers of the different work groups relating to the wedding ceremony. Reinhart-san and the madam were present too. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you came too, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Butts] The head chef, Butts-san. There was a dark cloud over his face. ¡°What happened to the lake?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s all because of this plant here.¡± [Man] The man, who participated in the meetings as the representative of the gardener, pointed at a plant with a sea-grape-like-bag sticking closely to a thread-like slender root. It was redder and even stinkier than the water of the lake. An exceeding ghastly grass. ¡°The water plant, dogubramu. It gathers nutrients from summer to fall, and then quickly multiplies on one fateful day in winter. It happens every year, but this year¡¯s seems to be happening a lot earlier.¡± [Gardener Representative] ¡°Did it really have to do it now of all times?¡± [Servant 1] ¡°We can¡¯t really do the ceremony with this place in this state.¡± [Servant 2] It can¡¯t be helped that everyone is saying stuff like that. The red lake looks exactly like some scene from a horror flick. Because of that the church suddenly appears darker and deserted. But what¡¯s really bad is that stench coming out of the lake! Who could possibly be in the mood to feast with the whole place smelling like this? ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything we could do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We could block the water upstream and drain the water here. Then we could remove the dogubramu and everything should return to normal. But draining the water alone will already take a whole day. To bring everything back to normal, we¡¯ll have to deal with the water upstream too, so at the very least, we¡¯ll need five days.¡± [Gardener¡¯s Representative] Looks like our only chaises here are to either push through with the wedding or pause it. After hearing the words of the expert, all of the managers became discouraged. But I was still hopeful. ¡°In that case, there might still be a way to resolve this.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, everyone in the area gathered around me. Reinhart-san and the madam were able to guess what I was about to say. ¡°Ryouma-kun. Could you be talking about your slimes?¡¡After all, if there¡¯s anything that could pull us out of this situation, it¡¯s got to be your slimes, right?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, you are correct, Reinhart-sama.¡± [Ryouma] The gardener¡¯s representative says that we need 5 days to drain the water, remove the offending plant, and then fill the lake back up. Indeed, doing all of that with human labor alone would take five days. But what if the slimes were to drink everything? The water, the water plants, and the rest of the filth.¡¡And what if an overwhelming number of slimes were to be mobilized?¡¡At the very least, the time needed to complete the task should be significantly reduced. Moreover, this land here is within the premises of the Jamil family¡¯s residence. Everyone here, and those that will come later, are all servants of the duke. What¡¯s more is that they are all people with deep relations with Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san. They are trustworthy people, and I believe I can trust them to keep a secret. As such, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems even if I were to use the big slimes here. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] The first slimes I called out were the three king scavenger slimes that had already invoked the Enlarge skill. ¡°Uwaah!?¡± [Servant 1] ¡°What is that giant slime!?¡± [Servant 2] ¡°A big slime! But, no. It¡¯s too big. Wait a moment, can you even form a contract with a big slime?¡± [Servant 3] As I threw a sidelong glance at the dumbfounded servants, who didn¡¯t understand the situation, I ordered the slimes to enter the lake. The king scavenger slimes quietly sank their body into the surface of the water, giving rise to large waves as they made their way toward the center. Hmm¡­ The lake is fairly big, but apparently it¡¯s not deep enough to completely submerge the king scavenger slimes, so they are still able to crawl across the bottom. ¡­It¡¯s still 2 meters deep, though. ¡°Put more space between yourselves! ¡­Yeah, something like that!¡¡Now, make your bodies flat and spread yourselves wide to absorb the water!¡± [Ryouma] Activate Overeat skill! The waters above the slimes shook, and before long, a whirlpool formed. ¡°Everything is going well with the slimes, so we can just let them drink the water of the lake along with the water plant.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Will we make it in time for tomorrow¡¯s ceremony,¡¡Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°There¡¯s no telling unless we try. But I still have a lot more slimes. I¡¯ll leave this part to the king scavenger slimes, and I¡¯ll assign other slimes to the upstream and the downstream. With that, we should make it in time. Even if the going seems impossible, as long as we press on, we can make the impossible possible!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t know who said that, but I¡¯ll go and close the water gate upstream!¡± [Butts] ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll take care of the decorations as planned. We¡¯ll proceed as if nothing has changed in the plans.¡± [Gardener Representative] ¡°Yes!¡± [Rest of the servants] Butts-san, the gardener¡¯s representative, and the rest of the managers of the wedding all started to see a ray of hope. Although I can¡¯t work on my slime research because of this, Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san are a priority. I¡¯ll just put off my research for later and do my best now.¡¡After all, cleaning and getting rid of foul smells is my specialty! Like that our work continued until evening. Chapter 179.1 - A Conversation About the Past on the Night Before the Feast Thanks to all the slimes hard at work, clear water started pouring in. The water gates had been closed for some time to allow the water to drain completely, so the water was still shallow, but the lake was undoubtedly being filled back up. At this rate, it should be back the way it was by tomorrow morning. There¡¯s no actual need for me to keep watch, but for some reason or another, I¡¯ve found myself watching the lake as it¡¯s restored to its previous state. The evening winds, especially those near the water, are cold, but after a long day¡¯s work, they¡¯re really comforting. While I was thinking that, the maids finished working on the wedding halls and they went back. ¡°And just like that, everyone is gone¡­ Sounds just like a light novel I¡¯ve read before.¡± [Ryouma] Only, that was a mystery novel and was certainly not as relaxed as my situation. While I was thinking of pointless stuff like that, I heard four pairs of feet approaching. ¡°Yo, Ryouma!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Hyuzu-san? Jill-san and Camil-san too? And even Zeff-san is here.¡± [Ryouma] The four pairs of feet belonged to none other than the four guards I was familiar with. They brought with them a basket, from which wafted up an appetizing smell, and some wine. ¡°What¡¯s with the luggage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s supper. It¡¯s the day before the ceremony, so I was thinking of sharing a meal with you tonight.¡± [Hyuzu] The day before the ceremony the bride and the groom are supposed to eat with their family, but Hyuzu¡¯s family has already passed. ¡°Now, don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not about to call you dad or anything, but you are the reason I¡¯m still alive today, so I thought it would be a good idea to spend this time with you. Besides, we weren¡¯t able to have our drink last night, right? ¡­So, how about it?¡¡We could have a toast while gazing at the stars, yeah?¡± [Hyuzu] On such an important day, the person he chose to drink with was me? That really makes me happy. ¡°By all means, please allow me to accompany you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get ready then. Camil, Zeff.¡± [Jill] ¡°The food was cooked by the head chef himself, so it definitely tastes good!¡± [Camil] ¡°We have tables and chairs here too.¡± [Zeff] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll put up a barrier to protect against the cold. I¡¯ll prepare some slimes as well. If you have any trash, just leave it to them.¡± [Ryouma] We divided the work and prepared the place. A few minutes later¡­ In front of me are some warm stew and bread. There is a pot of cheese fondue on top of a magic tool stove. And then there are lines of snacks that go well with liquor. ¡°Now, a toast to celebrate Hyuzu-san¡¯s wedding! Cheers!¡± [Jill] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone Else] As I poured the contents of the glass into my mouth, a mellow fragrance passed through my nose. ¡°Ooh!¡¡What is this? That¡¯s some really good stuff!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Jill-san was the one who prepared the liquor, right?¡¡Was it expensive?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, yeah, but it was for a celebration, so I thought I¡¯d splurge a little.¡± [Jill] ¡°That¡¯s true, but if I knew you were going to bring such good liquor, I would have gotten better snacks to go with it.¡± [Zeff] This group of four really gets along well with each other despite being coworkers. Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t asked them about their relationship yet, have I? ¡°How long have you guys been working together?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡About 10 years already. Jill has always been serving the duke¡¯s family, but me, Zeff, and Camil were adventurers first before getting into guard business. The three of us were the same age, so the person who served as our instructor was Jill.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Camil and Zeff were still okay, but Hyuzu really had a hard time. His strength surprised a lot of people, but he hated rules and didn¡¯t have the slightest manners that one was expected to have to deal with nobles.¡± [Jill] ¡°You must have been really desperate back then, Jill-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Depending on the situation, even guards have to show themselves in front of the guests, after all. If something bad were to happen, it would become a blot of shame on the reputation of the duke.¡± [Jill] ¡°Yeah, you really gave me an earful back then¡­ ¡¡Saying stuff like ¡®And you have the gall to apply as a guard of a noble house!?¡¯ or something like that.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°That¡¯s because I really couldn¡¯t understand it. Why you applied to be a guard and why Reinhart-sama accepted you.¡± [jill] ¡°So why did you apply?¡± [Ryouma] I tried asking the person himself, and Hyuzu-san became thoughtful, then after a while, he opened his mouth. ¡°That time, I was¡­¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san talked about how he was the eldest child of a farmer family at the borders. He hated the thought of being poor for the rest of his life, doing nothing but tilling the land, so since he was confident in his strength, he decided to make a living on his own. Like that he fled his house at a young age and became an adventurer. ¡°I suffered a lot too at first, but things gradually settled down. I managed to become a B Rank adventurer, and to be honest, it would have been fine had I just continued, but¡­ There were a lot of people around me who gave up after becoming a B Rank. Some found the work too difficult, while others had saved up enough and wanted to work a normal job and live in peace. It was around that time when I was jumping from one party to another due to them breaking up left and right that I met the duke and his wife.¡± [Hyuzu] Chapter 179.2 - A Conversation About the Past on the Night Before the Feast ¡°Oh, right. They were adventurers too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. They were in the same B Rank party as me. They tried to hide their social status at first, but they just couldn¡¯t hide their interest in luxurious goods.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡®They were so out of place in the guild¡¯, Hyuzu-san said with a laugh. ¡°At first, i just thought they were some weirdos, but a huge job was posted, requiring the help of many adventurers. I was made to participate with an impromptu party, but we couldn¡¯t coordinate well, and we ended up getting almost wiped out. When everyone was hurt and the only one left who could move was me the two of them appeared and saved us. I wanted to thank them and repay them for saving my life, but we hit it off and so we started working together.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°By the way, I also got to know them because of that job.¡± [Zeff] ¡°You too, Zeff-san? Does that mean that was the case for you too, Camil-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, no. In my case, I¡­¡± [Camil] ¡°Camil came later than us. He¡¯s good at magic, but the rest of his skills are questionable. We had to take care of him for a while.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t tell him that! Ryouma-kun, don¡¯t misunderstand, okay? My skills aren¡¯t ¡®questionable¡¯, they¡¯re ¡®normal¡¯. I just wasn¡¯t good enough to become a first-rate B Rank adventurer. That¡¯s all.¡± [Camil] ¡°Well, let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°He actually is a skilled mage able to deal with various situations, though. Even if the master had taken him with him, he still couldn¡¯t have become a guard if he didn¡¯t have the abilities for it.¡± [Jill] When Jill-san said that, Camil-san breathed a sigh of relief. It was also then that I understood that although the four of them had a good relationship, the reason Camil-san always felt like he was their kouhai was because he was their kouhai back when they were still adventurers. ¡°Anyway, near the end of our adventurer days, we thought of striving to become A Rankers, but the duke and the madam had already run out of time. It was then that they first revealed to us their social status. They said that they had to marry each other and inherit the house of a duke.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°That shocked the hell out of me¡­ Although the marriage wasn¡¯t a big deal since the two of them were already always together, and we already knew that they were nobles, but¡­¡± [Zeff] ¡°You never once thought that they would be the heir to a duke and his fiancee?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, exactly. But anyway, since that was the case, we had to talk about what we would be doing next. It was then that we were invited. He told us that since he already knew our abilities and already knew that we could be trusted, we should become his guards.. To be honest, I was worried, but at the time, I felt that even if we parted ways, I wouldn¡¯t find a party stronger than what we had. Moreover, it would be hard for a normal adventurer to meet with the heir of a duke, so if I responded poorly then, I figured we probably wouldn¡¯t have the chance to talk again. That would have been a waste, after all, we finally became friends. I couldn¡¯t just up and leave and say ¡®Aight, nice knowing you.¡¯ ¡­Know what I mean?¡± [Hyuzu] So that¡¯s why Hyuzu-san was hired. He could retire anytime he wanted, but being employed by a duke was an opportunity hard to come by, so he decided to take the offer first. ¡°Unfortunately, it¡¯s because I joined with that kind of mindset that I kept getting in trouble with Jill. Turns out that was quite the problem.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Of course it was a problem!¡¡The guards of the nobles, especially those that are to be positioned near them, need to be completely loyal. Ever since I¡¯ve been permitted to work at this manor, I have been resolved to offer my life¡ª¡± [Jill] It¡¯s probably because of the liquor, but Jill-san started to nag at Hyuzu-san. The other two calmed him down, but he continued talking. He mostly talked about the things he was anxious about that he couldn¡¯t talk about before because Hyuzu-san wasn¡¯t married. They weren¡¯t things I could understand since I myself have never married despite having lived two lives. I still tried to encourage them in my own way despite that, but¡­ ¡°Zzz¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Maybe, that¡¯s why¡­¡± [Jill] ¡°¡­¡± [Zeff] ¡°¡­¡± [Camil] ¡°Hello? Guys? ¡­It¡¯s no good. They¡¯re completely out of it.¡± [Ryouma] Everyone had fallen asleep. ¡°¡­Can anyone help?¡± [Ryouma] When I called out like that¡ª ¡°Did you call?¡± [???] ¡ªAfter a few seconds, a voice responded. It sounded like it belonged to a woman. Only, it came from behind me. And as far as I know, there shouldn¡¯t have been anyone there. And then, I heard it. The sound of footsteps approaching as they grazed through the grass. Chapter 180.1 - Chapter 180: A Chance Meeting Under a Moonlit Night ¡°Who are you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A maid, Young Master. I was instructed to attend to your and their needs.¡± [Black-Haired Maid] What appeared under the gentle caress of the moonlight was a maid with sleek black hair. For some reason, even though there was plenty of space were the ground was paved, this maid revealed herself from under the shadow of a tree where the ground was not. She spoke with confidence, but I found her suspicious. One reason was because she was hiding at a place like that, but more than that¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever seeing you before, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a big manor, Young Master. Nothing strange about not recognizing a face or two.¡± [Black-Haired Maid] ¡°Perhaps, but you¡¯re not a maid, are you?¡± [Ryouma] Apart from the young maids the other day, who were merely hired for extra help, the only maids permitted to appear before guests are those who have received sufficient training. Arone-san the head of the maids, Rurunez-san, and Riviola-san all knew how to interact with guests. But this woman? She claims to be a maid, and yet she has neither named herself nor bowed her head. Now, I don¡¯t have a hobby of getting people to bow to me, but when I told her I hadn¡¯t seen her before, there was a tinge of provocation in her voice when she replied. It¡¯s evident that she¡¯s not acting like a maid, and while she might be playing the fool, it doesn¡¯t seem as if she¡¯s actually all that keen in hiding her identity. ¡°If I¡¯m not a maid, then what do you think I am?¡± [Maid] ¡°The House Haunting Fairy.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the woman didn¡¯t deny it and instead smiled. But not the sweet sort. No. It was a suggestive smile. Regardless, it didn¡¯t seem like I was wrong. ¡°Since when did you notice me?¡± [House Haunting Fairy] ¡°I have always felt your presence.¡± [Ryouma] Ever since I found out about the House Haunting Fairy, I figured that that might be the presence that I¡¯ve been sensing all this time, so I decided not to mind it too much. And now, there¡¯s no mistaking it. I¡¯ve felt this same presence too many times since coming here. ¡­The only thing is that I never really thought that the fairy would reveal herself to me. ¡°Those four were acting strange too.¡± [Ryouma] They may have spoken naturally, but we never actually talked about eating out here tonight. And yet the four of them came prepared with drinks and food. Besides, why in the world are we eating outside?¡¡They never showed any interest in going inside either. Moreover, even though it¡¯s already gotten so dark and I haven¡¯t returned yet, no one¡¯s tried to check up on me. The people here are all busybodies, so it¡¯s really strange that no one¡¯s come. ¡°Do you always eat food brought by suspicious people so calmly?¡± [House Haunting Fairy] ¡°I was certain that the food hadn¡¯t been drugged or poisoned. I checked it when I took out my slimes when we were preparing to eat.¡± [Ryouma] That time I brought out a lot of my scavenger slimes from my Dimension Home to deal with the trash, I also brought out a poison slime and a medicine slime. ¡°Poison slimes and medicine slimes love to eat poison and medicine, so I figured that since they¡¯re not reacting, the food must be okay. It was nothing more than a passing thought, though.¡± [Ryouma] I mean I never really felt like I was under any threat. In fact, that holds true even now. I just checked to be doubly safe, and everyone else just nodded too and didn¡¯t say anything either. ¡°I was sure you didn¡¯t use Identify, so that¡¯s how you checked the food, huh.¡± [House Haunting Fairy] ¡°Well, to be honest, I just thought it up on the spot. It¡¯s a great idea, though, if I say so myself. Using slimes to check for poison and medicine. That¡¯s de finely one avenue worth researching.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sure the nobles would love to hear more about that, but¡­ You tend to prattle when talking about slimes, so let¡¯s not go there.¡± [House Haunting Fairy] ¡­I actually want to talk about it more, but okay. I¡¯ll just let it go this time. ¡°So, in the end, what exactly is your true form?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You got it half right. It¡¯s just that while the people of this place might call me a house haunting fairy, I am not house haunting fairy, but merely a fairy that happened to settle down here.¡± [Resident Fairy] Looks like she was never really all that keen in hiding her identity. She quickly admitted to being a fairy too. There¡¯s a new question, however. ¡°Are fairies and house haunting fairies different races?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The way we¡¯re born is similar, but house haunting fairies and fairies that attach themselves to tools are existences that are very close to the undead. They are merely beings that benefit humans.¡± [Resident Fairy] She taught me gently. According to her, fairies are born from the abundance of natural mana in the world and are existences that have a real body. Fairies by nature are pure and free-spirited. Usually, they just live wherever they are born, but in rare cases, there are some curious ones who travel a long journey out of curiosity and lose their way in human towns. They look like small humans and are cute, but they possess strong mana and specialize in fire and ice magic. In contrast, house haunting fairies or fairies that dwell in things are born from the mana and thoughts leaked by the owner of the house or the item. They don¡¯t possess a real body and can¡¯t stray too far from the object that has been deeply dyed with mana. The personality of such fairies have been deeply influenced by the owner of the house or item they are attached to, so some of them are helpful to people while others are harmful. In other words, they are what we refer to in Japan as artifact spirits (tsukumogami). Chapter 180.2 - A Chance Meeting Under a Moonlit Night Moreover, while such existences are birthed by the thoughts and mana of people, both mana and thoughts are usually at their strongest at the moment of death; hence, there are times when undead-type monsters (zombies and skeletons and the likes) are born too. That¡¯s probably why this fairy doesn¡¯t seem very keen on being associated with house haunting fairies. ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, but I¡¯m a ¡®fairy¡¯ born from the natural mana of the world. I was born at some forest somewhere.¡± [Resident Fairy] ¡°I see¡­ I did hear about the existence of fairies, but I never thought I would actually get to meet one in the flesh.¡± [Ryouma] Still, the fairy she was talking about was a normal one. Normal fairies which are supposed to be small, but this woman in front of me looks no different from any other human woman. And as I talk to her like this, I get the impression that she¡¯s very thoughtful. Moreover, it¡¯s very likely that the one who created this situation is none other than her¡­ She said that she just ¡®took up residence¡¯ here, so she¡¯s probably not contracted with anyone from this manor. If so, then she probably has a hypnotic power of some sort that allows her to manipulate people. Leading people astray does go perfectly well with the usual stereotype of fairies. Considering that she¡¯s able to assume the form of a human perfectly and even display intelligence, it should be safe to assume that she must be an advanced fairy variant. ¡°So, Fairy-san, exactly what kind of business do you have with me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, I wasn¡¯t really planning on showing myself to you, but¡­ There¡¯s something I wanted to ask you.¡± [Resident Fairy] When I quietly waited for her to continue, the next words that came out of her were ¡®Is there anything bothering you?¡¯ ¡°Bothering me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It could be anything you¡¯re troubled about. Really. Is there anything?¡± [Resident Fairy] ¡°Nothing in particular¡­¡± [Ryouma] If I really had to say something, then I guess being suddenly asked if there¡¯s something troubling me is certainly troubling. ¡°I¡¯m sure there must be something. You know such as regarding the difference in your life here compared to your life back on Earth.¡± [Resident Fairy] ¡°I¡¯m actu¡ª Wait. What did you say?¡± [Ryouma] ¡®Earth¡¯ This girl said that just now, didn¡¯t she? No, there¡¯s no mistaking it. I don¡¯t sense any threats, but with her saying that out of the blue like that, I can¡¯t help but become alert. ¡°What is it all of the sudden? Ahh¡­¡± [Resident Fairy] For a moment, the fairy looked confused, but immediately after, she seemed to understand something. ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t mentioned it, have I? I wasn¡¯t planning on meeting you in the first place, so I¡¯d forgotten, but¡­ Please excuse my lack of manners. My name is Yui. Written with the character ¡®½Y¡¯, which means ¡®to join¡¯. A Japanese like yourself once came to this world from Earth. Her name is Shiho, and I was her familiar.¡± [Yui] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] Shiho Jamil¡­ If I recall correctly, that¡¯s the ancestor of the Jamil family, and the person who founded the monster taming technique. This fairy was her familiar?¡¡Now that she mentions it, although she doesn¡¯t feel any different from the people of this country, there is a tinge of Japanese in her. Whether it¡¯s her black hair, her black eyes, or her face. I¡¯m quite rattled since that came out of nowhere, but there shouldn¡¯t be any point in her lying to me, right? ¡°Before Shiho passed, she asked me two things. One was to protect her children and their descendants as much as I could. And the other was that if I ever happened upon another otherworlder, she wanted me to help them. Shiho was a kind girl. But she was also reckless, and because of that, she lived her time in this world full of worries. That¡¯s why she wanted to make it easier for the next Earthling to come to this world. So she told me to do what I could for him. After all, fairies normally won¡¯t die until after a century or two. Oh, and by the way, since I knew Shiho, I knew immediately that you were an Earthling as soon as I saw you.¡± [Yui] ¡°And that¡¯s why you asked if there was something bothering me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, I wasn¡¯t actually planning on talking with you this much.¡± [Yui] So it turns out that she really does possess some kind of hypnotic powers, as her original plan was just to invade my bed and use those powers to make my worries go away. The plan was for her to use the experience that she¡¯s cultivated after living for so long to come up with a solution to whatever problems I had. If she could, anyway. And then she would share that solution with me and leave any other memory apart from the solution itself hazy. ¡°You¡¯re a human, but for some reason, my powers just wouldn¡¯t work on you, so I had no choice but to show myself. I hear you otherworlders are bestowed powers by the gods. Is that the reason why my powers weren¡¯t effective on you?¡± [Yui] ¡°Weren¡¯t effective?¡¡Ah, no, I¡¯m sorry but that one¡¯s my fault. I have a constitution that makes it really hard for mental attacks to work on me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I see.¡± [Yui] Chapter 180.3 - A Chance Meeting Under a Moonlit Night She is being very calm about it, but I get the feeling that she¡¯s actually really shocked¡­ Is it really that vexing for her powers not to work on me? By the way, the reason she used people close to me, like Hyuzu-san and the others, was because she thought I would talk about my worries if we spoke over liquor. Also, the reason everyone kept talking about Hyuzu-san was because she wanted to get him to spill his worries too. ¡°Why him too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡Oh, it¡¯s my hobby. I¡¯ve been watching people at this manor for a long time now. And during that time, I¡¯ve seen a lot of people become infatuated with each other. At times like that, I would support them from the shadows like this, and use my powers to create a good atmosphere for them. For those with unrequited love, I get them to be noticed by the other party. Ah, but don¡¯t misunderstand, okay? I¡¯m not forcing the relationship or anything. I¡¯m just giving them a push. That¡¯s all. And if everything goes well, I watch over them until they get married. It¡¯s that sort of hobby.¡± [Yui] ¡°Are you a matchmaking addict!?¡±[Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I don¡¯t like it. This man and his wife are the 1032nd couple I¡¯ve led to marriage. And if we count just the ones I got to date each other, then the number is five times that. Besides, my name is Yui, which means ¡®to join¡¯. If you must refer to me with a title, then you may address me as Marriage Tie Yui.¡± [Yui] ¡°And now you¡¯re a self-proclaimed expert? I don¡¯t know the exact figure, but have you really been doing this in secret all this time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll ask you a question too. Do you really think anyone could endure living hundreds of years without doing anything? It¡¯s easy to get food here, so that¡¯s nice, but food can¡¯t help with boredom¡­ And to be honest, I¡¯m not really fond of humans other than Shiho since they captured me once and sold me.¡± [Yui] Just as she said earlier, fairies specialize in magic and have a big mana pool. They look like small humans and are very cute. Moreover, within their bodies that are born from mana, inside their heart, is a high purity mana stone. So for many reasons, be it as a familiar to supplement one¡¯s fighting abilities, as an object to be adored, or to harvest mana stones, since time immemorial, humans have been searching for fairies to capture them and sell them. ¡°At first, I thought all humans were my enemy, but fortunately, the one who purchased me was Shiho. The people who caught me and sold me have all died a long time ago, so I don¡¯t really care about it anymore, but I still want to avoid people. If I tried to kill my boredom by harming others, I wouldn¡¯t be able to face Shiho, but I figured observing people while helping them get married shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Although depending on how one looks at it, I suppose I am leading humans by the nose.¡± [Yui] ¡°Well, yeah, I guess.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By the way, the first couple I successfully led to marriage is none other than Shiho. Shiho was just a commoner, so I had to protect her from the nobles that were fascinated by her abilities while supporting her great love with that great person, who was both her fellow researcher in monster taming technique and investor. I had to pull a lot of tricks to get their marriage to become a reality, such as getting her adopted by a noble to bring their social status closer. It was a marriage made possible only with everyone working together.¡± [Yui] It¡¯s an interesting story, but I don¡¯t know if she¡¯s telling the truth or not. It might be an important story, but it¡¯s still troubling for me when she¡¯s going on and on by herself. ¡°Oh?¡¡Will you look at that, we¡¯ve been talking about nothing but myself.¡± [Yui] ¡°You just went and talked about that last part on your own, though.¡± [Ryomua] ¡°Ahem! ¡­Putting that aside, can you tell me now if there¡¯s anything bothering you?¡± [Yui] ¡°Ah, so we¡¯re going back there, after all. But like I said, there¡¯s nothing troubling me. I¡¯ve been happy ever since I came to this world, and I don¡¯t have any problems that I need help to solve.¡± [Ryouma] Can¡¯t she just help me another time? I asked her that, and she made a sullen look. ¡°I don¡¯t like appearing before people, so I¡¯d like to settle this now.¡± [Yui] ¡°That¡¯s your reason!? But you¡¯re the one who decided to appear before me!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fairies are selfish creatures by nature. What¡¯s fun to them, what¡¯s important, what¡¯s special, or something else altogether¡­ In my case, I just want to fulfill Shiho¡¯s request. I¡¯ve lived for a long time, so I can be quite patient, but it would be really troubling if you ended up relying on me for everything just because I helped you once. After all, I don¡¯t really care about you.¡± [Yui] ¡°You really said it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± [Yui] We just met and she¡¯s already so blunt. I mean, this is our first time meeting, right? It¡¯s unfortunate that we can¡¯t get along, but it would be troublesome to be stuck with someone I¡¯m not that close with too. Chapter 180.4 - A Chance Meeting Under a Moonlit Night But she has her circumstances too, so if she says she doesn¡¯t like people and doesn¡¯t want to be with people, then it can¡¯t be helped. I myself went into hiding in the forest before for similar reasons, so I won¡¯t force her to get along with me. And personally, I think it¡¯s refreshing that she¡¯s so blunt. That being said, if it¡¯s not possible to save her favor for later, then unfortunately, I really don¡¯t have anything I need help with right now. At most, there¡¯s Hyuzu-san and the others, who¡¯ve been knocked out could, but¡ª AHH! ¡°I completely forgot¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? Did you find something you need help with?¡± [Yui] ¡°I forgot to prepare a gift for Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san¡­ You know, a gift for the wedding. I was planning on thinking about what to get, but it ended up completely slipping my mind instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you need a gift, then wouldn¡¯t that suffice?¡¡I don¡¯t think anyone could really find a better gift than that.¡± [Yui] She was looking at the ceremonial hall we built. On the decorated pedestals were the three idols, but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s that, and this is this. Besides, I didn¡¯t build the ceremony hall all by myself. There were a lot of people who helped me. As for the idols, those were commissioned too, so they can¡¯t count either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone would really find fault with you if you didn¡¯t give anything after everything you¡¯ve done¡­ But if that¡¯s how you feel, then I guess you should prepare something. Wedding gifts are pretty much decided, and I¡¯ve had plenty of experience watching weddings.¡± [Yui] ¡°In that case, do you think it would be possible for you to use that experience of yours, to find me a gift that won¡¯t trouble the bride and groom, will be suitable for the occasion, and at the same time, is not common?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But, of course. Just give me a second. Only, are you really sure this is your wish?¡¡I¡¯m sure I told you that I will only be giving you one favor.¡± [Yui] ¡°Yes! This¡¯ll do!¡¡After all, this is what¡¯s troubling me the most right now!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s already nighttime. Even if I tried to get something, the only time I¡¯ll have to buy it is early in the morning, so it would really save me a lot of trouble if she could pick out a gift that I could prepare right now. ¡°¡­Alright then. An unexpected wish, but a wish all the same. As a professional at matchmaking, with my pride as a fairy that has successfully tied over 1,000 weddings on the line, I shall teach you a suitable gift that will not cause the bride and groom any problems, that will surely elate them, and that can be prepared now.¡± [Yui] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Now lend me your ear¡­¡± [Yui] When I heard what she whispered into my ears, I couldn¡¯t help but become doubtful for a second. ¡°Isn¡¯t that unsuitable for a wedding present?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normally, yes, so use that for your material. That¡¯s something you brought with you, right?¡¡I noticed that you still had some left over.¡± [Yui] ¡°By ¡®that¡¯? Do you mean ¡®that¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In the end, superstitions are like some kind of word play in that how they¡¯re received depends on the person. All that really matters is that the recipient is happy¡­ If you¡¯re worried, then just say this when you hand over the present¡ª¡± [Yui] It was in that way that the fairy that proclaimed herself as the familiar of another otherworlder taught me the secret plan of gift giving. I was troubled by her sudden demands, but thanks to her, I was able to remember something important, so I¡¯ll just call it even. More importantly, I need to get to work now. I wouldn¡¯t have to hurry so much if it was just something simple, but producing something I can be confident in takes time. I need to hurry! By the way, I left the four wasted drunks to a person from the manor that I came across on the way back to my room. Chapter 181.1 - Wedding Ceremony The next day. ¡°Hey!¡¡Are the bride and the groom ready!?¡± [Wedding Worker 1] ¡°They¡¯re ready!¡¡They¡¯re ready to go anytime!¡± [Wedding Worker 2] ¡°We don¡¯t have enough flower bags for the flower shower!¡± [Wedding Worker 3] ¡°I moved them yesterday!¡¡Check it again!¡± [Wedding Worker 4] ¡°Food serving 80% complete!¡± [Wedding Worker 5] ¡°Almost all the attendees for the morning ceremony are here!¡± [Wedding Worker 6] ¡°We only 20 have minutes left!¡¡Hurry!¡± [Wedding Worker 7] The manor was busy even in the morning, but it became even busier in the last few minutes before the beginning of the ceremony as everyone responsible for the wedding completed their last preparations. While the manor was in chaos, I headed for the wedding halls dressed in a suit. Fortunately, the weather was clear today. I passed through a small road while basking under the warm lights of the sun ¨C warm for this season, anyway ¨C and before long, the wedding halls that everyone helped build together came to view. As I approached, I felt the mana and temperature change. The party was to be held outside, so in order to mitigate the cold and to protect against the rain, a group of skilled individuals are to erect barriers on the day of the wedding. The change in mana and temperature is probably because of that. These skilled individuals are still members of the duke¡¯s guards, however. To be more precise, they¡¯re specialist barrier magicians meant to fortify the defenses of the duke¡¯s family. They are all first rate or super first rate mages. It¡¯s people like that who are working together to erect the barriers for the wedding , so it can¡¯t be helped that even the level of the barriers they¡¯ve erected is especially high. I can use barrier magic myself, but even I can tell that the barrier they¡¯ve erected is on a different level in terms of strength and scope. ¡°10 minutes left!¡± [Wedding Worker 8] Oops this isn¡¯t the time to be looking at a spell. I passed through the crowd of people going here and there, and went up the stage of the wedding ceremony. ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [Camil] ¡°Good. You made it.¡± [Jill] ¡°I thought something might have happened since you were taking so long.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Sorry to have kept you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] Camil-san, Jill-san, and Zeff-san, the people I was drinking with last night, were all already at the altar. The duke and his wife were about to go up as well, along with the head maid, Arone-san, and the head chef, Butts-san. The four of them went up the stage respectively, and they watched the ceremony take place from the sides as the family of the newly wed couple. ¡­Of course, the fact that I would also be fulfilling a role as the family of the groom was also a great surprise to me when I heard about it this morning. Fortunately, I had a suit that I could use for my formal clothing¡­ And of course, the cleaner slimes were really convenient. ¡°Mu¡­ Looks like it¡¯s starting.¡± [Jill] Jill-san muttered as he watched the bell of the bell tower ring a great sound that reverberated throughout the wedding hall. At the cry of the bell, the people went quiet and parted to the sides, opening up a path toward the altar. The bell rang once more. This time an old man dressed in white appeared. He slowly walked as her relied on his cane for support. This man is currently the oldest person here in the manor and is the one who will be acting as the priest for this ceremony. In this world, marriage is done with the acknowledgment of the gods and the witness of a third party. The marriage is bound once the bride and the groom share their vows. Moreover, there is no need for the witness to be a person of the clergy. Depending on the time and circumstance, the village headman or the senior craftsman can fulfill the role. In other words, the people who can act as witness are generally old people or people that are overseeing a group of people; hence, most of time, the people who take on the role of the priest are usually those with some degree of social standing. The priest that has been chosen to stand witness today is an elf and is currently 198 years old. He is one of the specialists of the duke¡¯s family that specializes in medicine, but he is also a learned man in many fields outside of medicine. Because of that he is also an adviser to many different departments. As he walked up the stage, another person accompanied him just in case he fell. When he passed by me, we exchanged a slight bow before he arrived at the center of the altar. The two of them presented their respective status boards, and then¡­ ¡°Now, let us hold the wedding ceremony of the new groom, Hyuzu, and the new bride, Rurunez.¡± [Acting Priest] The acting priest announced in a low-toned voice that was not loud, and yet at the same time, clear. ¡°The couple may now accept everyone¡¯s blessings as they make their way here.¡± [Acting Priest] First was the entrance of the bride and the groom. ¡°Pu!¡¡Ku ku! What is that?¡± [Jill] ¡°It appears that Hyuzu-san has gone stiff from tension.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s so obviously stiff.¡± [Camil] ¡°Even the guests can tell. They¡¯re all laughing.¡± [Zeff] Amidst a great applause and the flower shower, the first to appear was the groom, Hyuzu-san. He was wearing clothing very similar to that of a tuxedo. He walked by himself toward the altar, but his movements were so stiff that he looked like a rusted robot. Could it be that Hyuzu-san is actually weak when it comes to the real thing? While I was thinking that to myself, he stopped in front of the altar and turned around. The next one to appear was the bride, Rurunez-san, who came from the woods. She wore a pure white wedding dress, whose frills fluttered in the wind. She took one step after another. She looked nervous too, but she walked straight toward the man she would be taking as her husband. When Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san had taken each other¡¯s hands, they walked up the altar with their arms linked. ¡°Uu¡­¡± [Arone] ¡°¡­¡± [Butts] I turned around when I heard the sound of sniffling, and there I saw that Arone-san had begun to cry, while Butts-san, who was supporting her, was doing his best to stop himself from breaking out in tears. ¡°A long long time ago, in this world, there was ¡®nothing¡¯. But then the gods created ¡®something¡¯ within that ¡®nothing¡¯, and brought forth the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the light and the darkness.¡± [Acting Priest] Chapter 181.2 - Wedding Ceremony I A story that anyone from this world has likely heard at least once. The story of how this world came to be. As the acting priest told that story, eventually the story came to an end, and the ceremony finally got to the interesting part. ¡°¡ªThe groom to be wed, Hyuzu. Do you take Rurunez as your lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part? ¡­Do you swear this in the presence of the gods¡± [Acting Priest] ¡°I do.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡ªThe bride to be wed, Rurunez. Do you take Hyuzu as your lawful husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish until death do you part? ¡­Do you swear this in the presence of the gods?¡± [Acting Priest] ¡°I do swear it.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Very well. I, Arafral, stand witness to your oaths, and the permission of the gods to a newly formed husband and wife, I¡ª¡± [Arafral] ¡­?¡¡Hmm? What is it all of the sudden?¡¡For some reason, the priest, Mr. Arafral, suddenly stiffened up. According to the order of ceremony, by this point in time, a new entry should appear under the ¡®Titles¡¯ section of the status board, stating their ¡®married¡¯ status and the name of their partner. So, something like ¡®husband of ___¡¯ and ¡®wife of ___¡¯ should appear there. This is the proof that the gods have accepted their marriage, and it is only upon confirming the presence of such titles on the status board that the marriage will then be declared to be complete. Or, at least, that¡¯s how it¡¯s supposed to go anyway, but¡­ A few seconds passed, but Arafral was completely stiff, not moving an inch. To be more precise, his body had gone stiff and only his eyes were moving. He seemed to be staring at Hyuzu- and Rurunez-san¡¯s status board. ¡­I have a bad feeling about this. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did the title not appear?¡¡Have the gods not acknowledged their marriage?¡± [Camil] ¡°That¡¯s impossible. It¡¯s true that there have been weddings where the titles didn¡¯t appear and sham marriage scammers were arrested, but those are rare incidents. No, in the first place, there¡¯s no way Hyuzu would get in trouble for something like that.¡± [Jill] Jill-san was really agitated. Did the titles really not appear?¡¡Or maybe something bad popped up instead? Since Mr. Arafral keeps staring at the status board, then maybe it¡¯s the latter? Or maybe he just can¡¯t read it because his eyes are bad. Whatever it is, can he just say something already!? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Mu?¡± [Arafral] I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because my feelings got across or because he was taking so long that the murmuring guests have gotten loud enough for him to hear, but either way, Mr. Arafral raised his head at long last and realized the situation at hand. ¡°Umu. Please excuse me¡­ Umm¡­ You can all be at ease, for the gods have indeed acknowledged their marriage!¡± [Arafral] When he said that, everyone heaved a breath of relief. But in that case, just what was he staring at so badly? ¡°But there¡¯s more!¡± [Arafral] Hmm? ¡°The groom and the bride have each received a blessing from three gods. This is indeed one of the rarest things I¡¯ve seen in all the years of my life. I truly pray from the bottom of my heart that this pair of husband and wife never forget the oath they¡¯ve sworn today, be thankful to the gods, and work together from here on out to build a wonderful family.¡± [Arafral] Mr. Arafral quickly explained why he went stiff a while ago, and then proceeded to bring the ceremony back on track. Unfortunately, the only one who could keep up with this sudden turn of events was apparently just me. Most probably because I was already ¨C for various reasons ¨C used to their antics. Hmm. Given the timing, though, the three gods Mr. Arafral was referring to are probably Kufo, Rurutia and Willieris-sama since it was their idols that I sculpted for this wedding. ¡°¡­But whoever it is, they probably did something after watching the ceremony unfold¡­¡± [Ryouma] For a moment, everyone went blank, but then gradually, that blank turned into joy, and then very quickly, into a boisterous dance. The guests cried out blessings at the newly married couple as loud as they could, while Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san hugged each other even though they didn¡¯t really understand what was going on. Unfortunately because of this, the banquet, which in a sense, could be said to be the real main event of the wedding, will probably have a hard time impressing the guests more than this. No, not probably. Definitely. ¡°Can you believe this?¡¡The gods are blessing us!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I knew I was right to choose you. Yes. I¡¯m sure that must be it.¡± [Rurunez] Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san were so elated that they looked like they were about to cry. That was an unexpected surprise, but I¡¯m sure this will be an unforgettable ceremony to many. I¡¯m really happy for them¡­ I really am. I have a feeling that things might get a little scary after this, but that¡¯s probably just my imagination. Or at least, I hope it is. Chapter 182.1 - Wedding Ceremony ¡°What a disaster¡­¡± [Ryouma] After the crowd became excited because of the acting priest¡¯s explosive statement, the preceding part of the ceremony ended¡­¡¡safely? The bride and the groom went down the altar with their family and those acting as their family members, and we were all about to proceed to the banquet, but before I knew it, I was swept away by the crowd. I was careless and let my guard down. By the time I realized what was going, I had been taken away like a prey being dragged by a cauldron of vicious raptors to a place away from the bride and the groom. Just when I thought that was it, this time, the guests that couldn¡¯t approach the bride and the groom before appeared. Moreover, because of the blessing of the gods, every one of them was enthusiastic. They were all in cloud nine, and they clamored over what the gods might have taken a liking to in this wedding, be it the compatibility between the bride and the groom, the dress, the decorations, or even the taste of the food. I was responsible for sculpting the idols of the gods and directing the construction of the altar, so at one point, I too was captured and showered with praises. It was really exhausting. ¡­Nowadays, even I believe in the gods, but as a former Japanese, I¡¯m really just not as enthusiastic as these people when it comes to religion. Anyhow, putting that aside¡­ ¡°Thank you. You really saved me there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me for something like this. I was just on my way to get food, after all.¡± [Ryouma¡¯s Rescuer] Since it¡¯s her, she probably really was just on her way to get food. The one who saved me from the crowd of people that kidnapped me was none other than the self-proclaimed Marriage Tie Yui. She was just like a veteran waitress with the way she filled her hands and arms with plates full of food. She even had a plate balanced atop her head, bringing the total count of plates she had on her to five. And interestingly enough, there just happened to be an unoccupied table amidst the seemingly inexhaustible crowd of people. She set her plates upon that empty table, seated herself, and then promptly began stuffing her cheeks. There were a lot of people around her, but they didn¡¯t seem to notice her. That¡¯s probably her doing. If I focus, I can sense something akin to a Barrier of Concealment. ¡­But it¡¯s so thin that it¡¯s hard to notice despite knowing it¡¯s there¡­ ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat? At least, until after all this ruckus calms down.¡± [Yui] ¡°In that case, please excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] I took the seat in front of her. ¡°Is it so strange for the groom and the bride to be blessed by the gods?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Tis a rare and honorable thing, yes. If a couple is lucky, then they might find themselves receiving such an honor. There have been several such fortunate couples among those I¡¯ve supported, but the last one was 30 years ago. But it¡¯s not as if all the couples in the world are related to me, so finding out the percentage of couples that receive such a blessing from my sample size is a bit¡­ In any case, what¡¯s really important isn¡¯t the fact that they received a blessing, but that they received many blessings, right?¡± [Yui] ¡°So receiving a lot blessings at once is strange after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From what I know, the norm is to receive no blessings, and even if one were to be graced with such an honor, it would be at most a single blessing. And yet from what I hear, those two both received a blessing from Rurutia-sama. And then the groom received another blessing from Kufo-sama and Tekun-sama, while the bride received another from Willieris-sama and Gayn-sama. Hence, they received a blessing not just from three gods, but five.¡± [Yui] She knew I was from another world, so she carefully explained these things that would have been common sense to anyone else. Mr. Arafral said that the couple received a blessing from three gods each, but it seems that those three gods weren¡¯t the same for the both of them. ¡°¡­Did you do something? Your expression seems to say so.¡± [Yui] ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything directly, but I do have an idea of what may have caused this¡­ You¡¯re the familiar of the otherworlder that came before me. I believe you¡¯re trustworthy enough for me to talk. The truth is I possess the Oracle skill. That skill has granted me the opportunity to talk with the gods, from which I found out that the gods sometimes watch the activities of the otherworlders. There are various reasons why they watch. Sometimes it¡¯s merely to see if the otherworlder has gotten used to his life. Sometimes it¡¯s because there¡¯s something to that otherworlder that caught their interest. And sometimes, it¡¯s because they want to see if the otherworlder is abusing the power they were given for evil.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. So basically, what you¡¯re saying is that the gods are watching you. And because they¡¯re watching you, they ended up watching the marriage too.¡± [Yui] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s most likely the case.¡± [Ryouma] Moreover, since Tekun is around, they¡¯re all probably drinking. Kufo and Gayn are also the sort to give away blessings freely. Chapter 182.2 - Wedding Ceremony II And in the first place, humans being grateful for divine protections and blessings is just something they decided on their own. The gods themselves don¡¯t really see their divine protections as that big of a deal. ¡°You talk as if you¡¯re very familiar with them.¡± [Yui] ¡°I talk to them every time I go to church.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You probably shouldn¡¯t say that to a normal person or someone from the clergy. The Oracle skill is something that the clergy are able to acquire only after a long period of training, and even then, the most they can hope for are a few short words. And even that isn¡¯t guaranteed. If you go around telling people you can talk to the gods, then depending on whether or not they believe you, they will either be annoyed or be very envious.¡± [Yui] ¡°This isn¡¯t something I would tell another person normally. So it would really make me happy if you could keep this a secret.¡± [Ryouma] To be more specific, I don¡¯t just talk to them, I actually meet with them face to face and even share drinks with them. ¡­Speaking of drinking, this self-proclaimed Love Master[1] fairy has been eating and drinking all this time, and while we were talking, she emptied another two large plates. It appears that she¡¯s quite the glutton. ¡°¡­Oh, did you want some?¡± [Yui] ¡°No. I was just thinking that you eat a lot. Oh, I don¡¯t mean that in a bad way. It¡¯s just that fairies don¡¯t really have a reputation for being gluttons.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, normal fairies are small, after all.¡± [Yui] ¡°Now that you mention it, you do look just like a normal person. Is that a transformation of some sort?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Earthlings sure are sharp. Not that I know any other than you and Shiho. Actually, I really am much smaller than I appear, but this form makes it much easier to blend in with humans. There¡¯s a tinge of malaise in using this form, but I can cover that up with my power. Unfortunately, keeping this up is rather taxing on my mana.¡± [Yui] ¡°I see. By the way, what kind of food do fairies like to eat?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve lived here for a long time, so I mostly just eat cooked food nowadays, but when living in the woods, there¡¯s only so much food one can get, so most fairies pick fruits or berries or easily distinguishable nectar or honey. From time to time, there are fairies that like strange things, but in that regard, they¡¯re not really all that different from humans. In the first place, fairies are creatures that can live without eating so long as the environment is full of mana; hence, you could say that other than mana, everything else is a luxury to our kind. And of course, we can also derive energy from the food we eat.¡± [Yui] ¡°So that¡¯s how you fairies see things.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ By the way, did you complete the gift we talked about yesterday?¡± [Yui] ¡°I did. It took a bit of effort, but thanks to you, I was able to complete something I could be satisfied with.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. After all, there wouldn¡¯t be much of a point in me giving you an idea if you couldn¡¯t realize it.¡± [Yui] While we were talking¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I wonder where he ran off to¡­¡± [Elize] I heard Reinhart-san and the madam¡¯s voice coming from behind. I turned around and saw that they were looking around at the crowds of people. It seems they¡¯re looking for me. ¡°Yui-san. I have to go now since they seem to be looking for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re with those two, then you probably won¡¯t have to fear getting caught by other people either.¡± [Yui] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I look forward to seeing the moment when the bride and groom receive your present. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be elated.¡± [Yui] Like that I parted with Yui and rendezvoused with the duke and his wife. Apparently, they haven¡¯t given their presents yet either, so I decided to take out my gift from my Item Box and join the line with them. The servants that had lined up ahead of us all implored us to go on ahead, so we barely had to wait in line before giving our respective presents. When we got to where the bride and the groom were, Butts-san was in the middle of giving a cake placed on top of a small plate and a box to Rurunez-san. ¡°Oh, this sure takes me back.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°it¡¯s the Lamon Cake I made when I was still an apprentice. You told me it was delicious back then and ate it.¡± [Butts] ¡°I loved that cake. But I¡¯m sure this cake is even more delicious now.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Of course it is!¡¡It would be a huge problem for me if the cake I made when I was still an apprentice is on the same level as the cake I make now that I¡¯m the head chef. That cake might have been fine then, but as a cook, I¡¯m always thinking of a way to improve my cooking.¡± [Butts] ¡°That¡¯s so like you, Butts-san. Yes, I love this cake too. Especially, this spongy feeling.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Oh, that spongy feeling is thanks to the advice I got from Ryouma-kun the other day. He taught me a new method and a new ingredient, so I tried out various things, and came up with that in the end.¡± [Butts] [1] ¨C Changed Marriage Tie to Love Master. Wasn¡¯t really happy with that Marriage Tie title. Chapter 182.3 - Wedding Ceremony II (3/4) While we were listening to Butts-sand and Rurunez-san talk, the madam asked me quietly. ¡°Did you advise him, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, actually, I was just planning on chatting with him a little, but¡­ Do you remember how I made a bath bomb for you? That bath bomb was made using only food ingredients, every one of which could be safely consumed, so I ended up talking about how it would be possible to use those same ingredients to make a cake fluffier.¡± [Ryouma] I also had a lot of excess ingredients, so I handed those to him too, but I didn¡¯t expect that he¡¯d actually be able to make something out of it so quickly. While we were talking, Rurunez-san and Butt-san noticed us. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll see you later. There¡¯s more cake inside the box, so take your time eating it with your husband. Hyuzu-kun, I¡¯ll be leaving her in your care.¡± [Butts] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Please leave her to me.¡± [Hyuzu] After a short greeting, the gift was passed to the maid in charge of safekeeping the gifts, and Butts-san vanished into the crowd of servants watching over the event. Next up was¡­ ¡°Please go ahead.¡± [Ryouma] I offered for the duke and his wife to go on ahead, and they accepted my suggestion. ¡°Hyuzu, Rurunez, congratulations on your wedding.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you very much, Master.¡± [Hyuzu, Rurunez] ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Hyuzu? Where¡¯d the usual you go?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He he, as expected, even I can¡¯t act so unbridled today.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°So even you know to rein yourself in at times like this. Personally, I can¡¯t help but feel that something is out of place from seeing you so docile, but¡­ Putting that aside, to celebrate this joyous occasion, my wife and I have brought you our gift. Please accept it.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san has been carrying a luxurious-looking wooden box with him since awhile ago. He handed that same box to the groom, and the groom immediately revealed its contents. What appeared next was¡­ ¡°Oh my!¡± [Rurunez] ¡°This¡­ This is an armor! What¡¯s more is that it¡¯s made out of Dragon Scale!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°My dad¡¯s familiar just so happened to be shedding, so I asked a craftsman to forge an armor using its scale. You will be continuing to work for our family for some time to come, and there¡¯s also Rurunez, so it will be very troubling for us if you aren¡¯t able to come back safely after attending to your duties. Besides, you¡¯ll be needing something to show that you¡¯ve finally made it in life, now won¡¯t you?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you. Thank you so much. I will surely repay this gratitude.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I look forward to it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Rurunez, do make sure you support Hyuzu, alright? He might be saying a lot of praiseworthy things right now, but he¡¯s always been lacking in some areas.¡± [Elize] ¡°I understood, Madam. I will do my best to support my husband, while making sure to attend to my duties as a maid.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Fu fu. It¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, Rurunez, so I¡¯m sure everything will turn out just fine. Take this as a guarantee from someone who¡¯s been helped by you so much ever since I came here. Just as you¡¯ve taken care of me in the past, please do continue to take care of me from now on as well.¡± [Elize] As the four of them all became teary eyed, applause broke out from the crowd. The four of them refrained from spending too much time talking, however, and before long, the duke and his wife urged me to take my turn. ¡°Hyuzu-san. Rurunez-san. Congratulations on your wedding.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. Ryouma-sama.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°You really saved our skin this time, and for various reasons too. You¡¯ve done so much for us, and we couldn¡¯t be more grateful.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Thank you. But even then, please accept this.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a wooden box from my Item Box and handed it to Hyuzu-san. As dictated by tradition, they opened the box right there and then, and¡­ ¡°Oh my!¡± [Rurunez] ¡°What a beautiful work!¡¡Is that glass?¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san remarked honestly as he opened the box and took out a transparent red and blue glass with white lines engraved on it. Yes. This was none other than an Edo Kiriko Style Glass. When the crowd saw that, they immediately became silent. Their reactions could be largely divided into two. One group¡¯s reaction included those who were already interested in glasses. This group included Serge-san and Pioro-san, who had joined in on the festivities. It also included those who didn¡¯t care much for the superstitions. The other group¡¯s reaction included most of the people here. And perhaps it consisted mostly of the older people. They all wore faces that seemed to say ¡®it¡¯s beautiful, but¡­¡¯ ¡­Yes. That is indeed the normal reaction. After all, a glass is something that can ¡®break¡¯ or ¡®shatter¡¯. When offering gifts in an event such as a wedding, thoughts and words that give the image of ¡®breaking¡¯ or ¡®shattering¡¯ or anything really that might remind one of the idea of ¡®separation¡¯ is usually best avoided. That¡¯s true back on Earth, and it¡¯s true here as well. But I¡¯d already foreseen this, so I¡¯ve already prepared another item on top of this glass. I took that item out of my Item Box. ¡°Hyuzu-san. Rurunez-san. Please look at this.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 182.4 - Wedding Ceremony ¡°Huh? Is that the same glass as this one?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°I think the shape is a bit twisted, though.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It is indeed twisted. That¡¯s because it¡¯s a failed product I made while practicing. Now, I¡¯m about to put on a little demonstration, so I hope you don¡¯t mind if I do this!¡± [Ryouma] As I said that out loud, I took the glass of a failed product and smashed it into the hard ground that was paved by the Block Skill. When I did, the glass rang a light sound and tumbled over to a nearby maid¡¯s feet. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Can I ask you to bring that back here please?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, yes!¡± [Maid] I thanked the maid for picking up the glass. The glass was damaged a little, but it managed to maintain its shape. ¡°Actually, while this might look just like a glass, but it¡¯s not actually a glass.¡± [Ryouma] It just ¡®looks¡¯ like it¡¯s made out of glass, but the truth is that it¡¯s made out of the sticky slime¡¯s concentrated hardening liquid plate. In other words, it¡¯s like a glass made out of hardened plastic. The secret plan proposed by Yui-san last night was that if something that ¡®shattered¡¯ was bad, then I ought to just go and make something that ¡®couldn¡¯t be shattered¡¯ and present that as my gift. I came up with this when I looked at the stained-glass-like product I made using the sticky slime¡¯s concentrated hardening liquid plate. I continued talking and spoke just as she told me to. ¡°The material used for this failed prototype is the same as those glasses you have in your hands, so they¡¯re ¡®very hard to shatter¡¯. Alas, it¡¯s simply too difficult for humans to create something that lasts forever and never changes, and in the end, I can only make something that¡¯s ¡®hard to shatter¡¯. So if you intentionally treat it poorly or try to throw it, then even if it manages to maintain its shape for a while, it will eventually break apart. But so long as you take care of it, then even if you keep using it, it will always maintain its brilliance. In the same way, I pray that the two of you remember to always treasure each other, so that your relationship may forever keep its brilliance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh!¡± [Crowd] ¡°Ryouma, thank you so much for such a thoughtful gift!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°We promise that we will always protect this brilliance.¡± [Rurunez] As they said that, the two of them became teary-eyed again, and a wave of applause resounded from the surrounding crowd. It was mostly Yui-san¡¯s wisdom that allowed me to present such a gift to them, but the feelings behind my gift are real and unwavering. From the bottom of my heart, I¡¯m happy to be able to gift them with a good present that could bring them such happiness. By the way, after I gave my present, I was approached by Serge-san and Pioro-san. ¡°Ryouma-sama? You know about that glass from before, could you ¨C by any chance- be planning on turning that into a product as well?¡± [Serge] ¡°Wait just one moment, Serge. If you¡¯re going to talk about tableware, well that¡¯s still related to food, no? After all, the rich are not just particular with their food but also their utensils.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you two, but making those glasses really took a lot of effort. It¡¯s really not something that could be turned into a product.¡± [Ryouma] Edo Kiriko, just as the name implies, is a traditional craft that was started during the Edo Period. And those glasses were made using using a technique that is based off of that traditional technique. A thin layer of colored concentrated hardening liquid plate was placed atop an almost colorless and transparent concentrated hardening liquid plate. After that, I used the spell I developed before for construction, the Polish Wheel, to make the two sheets of glass thinner, and then I used a newly developed spell, the Disc Grinder, to damage the surface of the glass and draw a pattern by exposing the lines underneath. I had to go out of my way to develop a new spell that requires a lot of concentration from the spell caster just to make it. On top of that, creating the beautiful pattern was so difficult that despite pulling an all-nighter, I just barely made it in time with those two glasses. It would be really hard to turn something like that into a product given such low production rates. ¡°Ryouma-kun, don¡¯t tell me you didn¡¯t sleep last night?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Seeing how you were swallowed by that wave of people earlier, I feared that you might have worked recklessly yet again, and¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­Oh, no. There¡¯s no such thing, Reinhart-san, Madam. Serge-san, Pioro-san, although it would be very difficult for me to keep up with the production by myself, I could just teach the methods to someone else. So if you know a glass craftsman that we can hire and trust, I could just entrust the production method to him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, well that sounds perfectly fine.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Actually, Ryouma-sama, I wanted to sell that special glass of yours as a wedding gift using that sales pitch you gave earlier, but if the material had to be changed to actual glass, then unfortunately, that won¡¯t be possible anymore.¡± [Serge] As I spoke with the four adults as usual, who themselves were showing a lot of interest in the Edo Kiriko imitation products I made, I enjoyed the banquet to my heart¡¯s content and blessed the bride and the groom. Chapter 183.1 - After Story I – The Situation of the Gods Three days after the gorgeous wedding, I, Fei-san, and the new servant, Ox-san, parted ways with the duke¡¯s family and their servants. I hated to leave the duke and the servants, but unfortunately, it was time for us to say goodbye and to return to Gimuru. Before going back, however¡­ ¡°Good job out there~¡± [Kufo] ¡°We were watching, you know!¡¡That was a good wedding, wasn¡¯t it?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Come on, let¡¯s drink.¡± [Tekun] ¡°What would you like to have for the snacks?¡± [Gayn] ¡°So you really were drinking¡­¡± [Ryouma] I dropped by the church at Gaunago and visited the divine realm. Just as I¡¯d expected, Kufo, Rurutia, Tekun, and Gayn were all there. That space should have originally been a pure blank white space, but now there were all sorts of food and bottles and barrels of liquor lined up. It was obvious wherever I looked that the gods had been making merry. ¡°The wedding ended three days ago. Have you been drinking all this time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Three days?¡¡Has it been that long already?¡± [Gayn] ¡°We didn¡¯t notice at all since we don¡¯t really pay attention to the time~¡± [Rurutia] ¡°We can¡¯t damage our body no matter how much we drink anyway, so if there¡¯s something interesting going on, we can drink until we get bored!¡± [Kufo] ¡°Wa ha ha ha!¡¡And besides, it¡¯s only three days!¡± [Tekun] ¡°That¡¯s crazy. By the way, where is Willieris-sama?¡± [Ryouma] She gave her blessings, so I thought for sure she would be here too, but¡­ ¡°Ahh, Willieris went on a trip with Grimp.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Grimp¡­ If I¡¯m remembering right, that¡¯s the god of farming, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. He¡¯s also Willieris¡¯ husband.¡± [Tekun] ¡°They always get along so well. Before leaving, they mentioned being in the mood for another honeymoon after seeing such a good wedding. They said they¡¯ll go around the world and see how the land and the crops are doing.¡± [Gayn] ¡°What hundred million does this make that? They¡¯ve gone on so many honeymoons I¡¯ve lost count!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s harvest season around the Riforu Kingdom that you¡¯re at, Ryouma-kun, and it¡¯s planting season for other countries and continents, so the crops just might grow really well from this year¡¯s winter until next year.¡¡After all, the Goddess of the Land and the God of Farming are going on a world tour~¡± [Kufo] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I know they¡¯re gods and all, but at times like this, I just can¡¯t help but get a wake-up call not to expect normal human behavior from them. As I thought that to myself, I drank the cup I received. while I was drinking, Kufo suddenly remembered something and called out to me. ¡°¡­Wait. Three days?¡¡You came here through the church at Gaunago, right?¡¡Weren¡¯t you supposed to go back as soon as the wedding ended?¡± [Kufo] ¡°That was the plan, yeah. But remember how you guys gave the bride and the groom your blessings? Not just one blessing either, but like every one of you gave them something.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh, yeah!¡¡So, what about it?¡¡I bet everyone became real excited, yeah?¡± [Tekun] Just as Tekun says, the guests did become excited. Whether it was the bride and the groom, or the guests, there has never been a happier and more excitable wedding. That¡¯s something to be grateful for indeed, but¡­ Because everyone was so excited, there were also other unexpected things that happened. If I were to list them one by one, well¡­ First of all, we ended up going way past the time the wedding was meant to end. The guests just wouldn¡¯t stop making merry. And then we were originally planning on destroying the wedding halls after using them, but after that buffet of blessings the gods gave, the people were all like ¡®This is the venue where a wedding with an unprecedented number of blessings was held! We can¡¯t just destroy something like that!¡¯ So, in the end, we couldn¡¯t dismantle the place. Because of that we had to fortify the wedding halls to make sure that it would be able to stand the test of time. I was the one responsible for its construction in the first place, so I had to watch over the fortification until the end. Word also spread among the servants that I was the one who sculpted the idols, so a lot of them requested that I make some for them too. ¡°Oh my, did it really turn into such a big deal?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I could have just left the work to everyone else and refused the requests, but everyone was really friendly. And besides, I figured that mass producing the idols would serve as practice for my earth magic anyway, and I also just taught the workers the reinforcement magic I used to reinforce the tunnels at the mines, and I also got a lot of advice from Mr. Arafral, who was in charge of conducting the ceremonies, on the topic of medicine concoction, so while I did have to prolong my stay, it was a fruitful endeavor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Gayn] Oh, right. There was something I wanted to ask them about sculpting idols. ¡°By the way, I happened to notice that a new title has appeared under the title section of my status board. It reads: ¡®Idol Craftsman¡¯. What is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that one is exactly as it reads. You got that title because we acknowledge you as an idol craftsman.¡± [Tekun] Chapter 183.2 - After Story I – The Situation of the Gods ¡°The idols made in our image that can usually be found around the world are rather¡­ How do I put it¡­ I guess in the words of you Japanese, the closest thing would be those ¡®doujinshi¡¯ of yours.¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡­Wow. Okay. That¡¯s a pretty crazy example you¡¯re giving there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You made our idols in our image after seeing us and talking with us face-to-face, right?¡¡Unfortunately, for most people, that¡¯s simply impossible, so they have no choice but to make do with the descriptions that have been passed down and supplement the rest with their imagination. That¡¯s why, no matter how impressive a rendition of us may be to humans, we can¡¯t help but be easily irritated by them.¡± [Kufo] ¡°In the past, the humans were a lot closer to us, so there were a lot of people who could see us and feel us, but now, the renditions of us are a complete mess. Depending on the place, they would swap our genders around, and sometimes they would even turn us into something that¡¯s not even human anymore!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°There are even those who¡¯ve started turning us into gods from another religion. I know that they can¡¯t help it, but there¡¯s just way too many idols going around that don¡¯t look like us one bit.¡± [Tekun] ¡°To be honest, the genders of gods are a pretty vague thing in the first place since we can change ourselves into whatever form we want if we really wanted to, but our current appearance is our most natural and relaxed form. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no point in going out of our way to transform ourselves into something else. And while the power of the gods might be capable of practically anything, its influence is too great. Use it too much, and the only fate that awaits the world is destruction. Changing our appearance isn¡¯t so important that it¡¯s worth the risk.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] So the gods have their own worries too, huh¡­ ¡°Alright, I more or less get what the ¡®Idol Craftsman¡¯ title is about. So, I guess the obvious next question is ¡®should I hide this title from others?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Given your personality, I think you¡¯ll be better off hiding it. Craftsman-related titles appear when a work made with us as the subject is able to achieve a certain level of quality, so people possessing such titles do appear from time to time, but these people are still often invited by various places and people, like the nobles and the church.¡± [Tekun] ¡°After all, possessing a craftsman-related title is the same thing as being a craftsman acknowledged by the gods. A carpenter or any construction related craftsman would be invited to build temples or other related facilities. The clergy won¡¯t treat them poorly, but they¡¯ll definitely want to keep them. It¡¯s also a chance to make it big in life for normal people. Well, if it¡¯s a proper clergyman, then he¡¯ll definitely try to avoid being forceful, so it¡¯s not like you won¡¯t be able to refuse if you found yourself in such a position. And in the worst case scenario that you end up getting eyed by some weird guy, you can just hide behind the duke¡¯s family. I don¡¯t think it would really be a problem for you.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I never planned on spreading word of my new title anyway, but I¡¯ll be sure to take care.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be for the best. Tekun may have said that craftsman-related titles appear from time to time, but what he didn¡¯t mention is that the idol craftsman is an exception. Due to the various reasons we mentioned earlier, the Idol Craftsman title hasn¡¯t appeared in a long time~¡± [Rurutia] Rurutia just said that without a care in the world. Maybe she¡¯s a little tipsy, but regardless, after hearing that, I can¡¯t help but be more vigilant about the title. ¡°Depending on how you play your cards, you could use it to negotiate with the church. But that would only be possible if an opportunity presents itself. Anyhow, it¡¯s not really something you should worry about too much. If you just take things in stride and act as if you don¡¯t have a title to hide, people won¡¯t find out about it either.¡± [Gayn] ¡°You got that right. After all, any human is bound to get a title or two as long as they live.¡± [Tekun] After hearing Gayn and Tekun say that, I decided not to mind the title. But are titles really that easy to come by? From the sound of it, it seems as if there are people who received titles even without them personally bestowing it. I was curious, so I asked them about it. ¡°That¡¯s right. There are two kinds of title given to people. One kind is given by us directly.¡± [Tekun] ¡°And the other type is automatically given when the conditions we set beforehand are cleared. To put it in Earthling terms, it¡¯s like those bots in those social networking services you have back there.¡± [Gayn] ¡°A bot? That¡¯s another modern term¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because that¡¯s really is how it is. There are a lot of ubiquitous ones among the titles given out automatically¡­ Remember how the bride and the groom gets a ¡®husband¡¯ and ¡®wife¡¯ title on their status board? ¡¡That¡¯s something that happens globally, and the number of people who get those titles even in just a single day is crazy. We may be gods but that doesn¡¯t mean we can distribute those titles one person at a time. There¡¯d be no end to it.¡± [Gayn] Chapter 183.3 - After Story I – The Situation of the Gods ¡°Actually, I did try to bestow the titles personally before, but whenever I missed someone or was late, the people would tell the bride and the groom, ¡®You have not been acknowledged by the gods! The wedding may not proceed!!¡¯, and then force them to split. Some really sad things happened back then¡­¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Personally, though, as a god of skill, I think it¡¯s more surprising that Earth and its people are able to do something so similar to what we do using our power of the gods. What¡¯s more is that they do it so matter-of-factly in their day-to-day life.¡± [Tekun] Rurutia was looking down, so Tekun poured her more liquor, and in a rare display of solemness, said that. From the sound of things, he appears to be interested in Earth technology. But that aside, there¡¯s still something I¡¯m concerned about. ¡°By the way, considering that the weddings here are something that¡¯s ¡®acknowledged by the gods¡¯, won¡¯t you giving out so many blessings be a problem?¡¡I mean, in Japan all that¡¯s needed to establish the marriage is to notify the government office, so I don¡¯t really get it, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] Especially, in Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san¡¯s case, wherein they both received a blessing from three gods. ¡°It should be alright. We¡¯ve been doing this since forever, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s ever been a problem.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°This is a bit of a sad topic, but were there ever cases where people fight after getting married and then divorce?¡¡Given how marriage is established here, it¡¯s basically a religious problem, so wouldn¡¯t that lead to excommunication or something?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, there¡¯s no need to worry about something like that. Divorce here is permitted just like marriage.¡¡You know how it goes: ¡®Repent¡¯.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s sad, but if it doesn¡¯t work out, then it can¡¯t be helped. The people will just go ¡®Repent where thou hast erred and make not the same mistake again. Do this and it shall not be treated as a betrayal to the gods.¡¯ Although there are also times when we intervene and the couple are able to work out an amicable solution¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°But then for noble families, a divorce would end up slinging mud onto the faces of many people, so a lot of times, people in their situation opt to live separately instead. But I think as far as normal families go, the people here aren¡¯t really that much different compared to those from Earth.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Is that so?¡± [Ryouma] Well, if that¡¯s the case, then I guess there¡¯s no need to worry and I can congratulate Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san from the bottom of my heart. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s toast one more time!¡± [Kufo] ¡°Alright!¡¡Let¡¯s add another barrel of liquor!¡± [Tekun] ¡°Yay!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Lets party! Ok!¡±¡¡[Gayn] ¡°You guys are way too excited!¡¡And what¡¯s with you, Gayn? You¡¯re acting like some pretty boy from Earth? ¡­There¡¯s also all those Japanese terms you¡¯ve been using since awhile ago, like doujinshi and bots. Aren¡¯t you being too influenced by Japanese culture?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You think?¡¡I don¡¯t really know about that myself too much, but whenever I see Tohmochin, words like doujinshi and bot just naturally pop up.¡± [Gayn] Tomo-what?¡¡Who in the world is that? ¡°What did you say!?¡¡You¡¯re a former Earthling and a former Japanese, and yet you¡¯re telling me that you don¡¯t know who Tomochin is!?¡¡Tomochin is Sukiya Tomoko-chan, the idol at the peak of her career!¡¡Normally, she¡¯s just a normal, plain, quiet child, but she loves manga and drawings. She lives with her idol friends, who shares her hobbies, and draws doujinshis. But just recently, she became an adult and joined a company, whose policies made her draw refined adult women characters. Because of her graduating from drawing doujinshi and manga, her hobbies have essentially been completely banned. And although the total number of her fans have increased, the fans that supported her when she was a nobody have dwindled, causing her much heartache. She¡¯s a stressed out twenty-year old girl!¡± [Gayn] ¡°I-I don¡¯t know her¡­¡± [Ryouma] Gayn gave a speech full of passion and zeal, but in the end, the only thing I was able to find out was that this so-called Tomochin was apparently someone from a super famous idol group that was from back when I was still alive. Still, while I know that Kufo once mentioned that Gayn had taken a liking to Japan¡¯s idol culture, I didn¡¯t think it had gotten this bad. ¡°Unbelievable. How could a former Japanese like you not know her¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re even getting depressed about this stuff. If it were my subordinate, Tabuchi, then he might¡¯ve known about her. He¡¯s an otaku with a really wide coverage, so¡­ As for me, I just wasn¡¯t interested in the entertainment industry altogether. It¡¯s only a given that I know nill about idols. In fact, I wasn¡¯t really all that interested in other people either¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you sure are frank about how lonely you were.¡± [Tekun] Tekun said, astounded. It¡¯s true, though. After all, if that hadn¡¯t been the case, then I wouldn¡¯t have isolated myself in the forest for three years. And at the very least, there¡¯s no denying that I have a much better social disposition here now than I had back on Earth. What¡¯s more is that I¡¯m actually enjoying myself now. Huh. Now that I think about it, It seems I have changed without knowing it. ¡°I¡¯ve gotten to know more people and my sphere of influence has steadily increased. ¡­I even managed to go beyond human boundaries and make friends with gods. What¡¯s more is that it hasn¡¯t even been a year since I left the forest. When I compare the time I spent after leaving the forest to the three years I spent cooped up in it, although it¡¯s such a short time in comparison, somehow it feels like it¡¯s so much longer.¡± [Ryouma] If my life were a web novel, I¡¯m sure the people would be complaining about how slow the pace is. But I believe that that¡¯s a testament to how deep my relationship is now with the people in my sphere of influence. ¡°Oho? Then humor me this. Since you¡¯ve gotten to know a lot more people now, isn¡¯t it about time for a girl to have caught your interest?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Oh my!¡¡Now that you mention it, it really should be about time!¡± [Rurutia] ¡°No, no. Hang on. It¡¯s still a bit too early for that.¡± [Ryouma] And just like that, the conversation turned an unexpected corner¡­ It was in that way that I made merry with the gods and lavishly celebrated Hyuzu-san and Rurunez-san¡¯s wedding until it was time for me to leave. Chapter 184 - After Story II – Introspection and the Changes of Gimuru (1/3) ¡°So this is the town where your store is, Master.¡± [Ox] After leaving the divine realm, I, Fei-san, and our newfound companion, Ox-san, returned to the town of Gimuru. With the help of dimension magic and our stamina that was greater than your average person¡¯s, it only took us two days to go from Gaunago to Gimuru, but¡­ ¡°Yes, but for some reason the atmosphere seems to be a bit different from normal. I don¡¯t know if I should say it¡¯s a bit rougher, but there seems to be more people out on the streets than usual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s not all, Boss. There¡¯s also a hint of storminess in the air. It¡¯s probably because of that thing outside.¡± [Fei] Fei-san sent a fleeting glance past the gates, where progress of the new town¡¯s construction could be seen steadily being made. ¡°It¡¯s no wonder that there¡¯s more people going in and out of the city, and that the public order is worse than before.¡± [Fei] ¡°So, it¡¯s usually more quiet around here? It¡¯s more nostalgic like this to me, though.¡± [Ox] ¡°I guess your town must have been really lively, huh, Ox-san?¡± [Ryouma] After all, he was a former gladiator of a fighting arena. It¡¯s easy to imagine how lively the city he lived in was with all the money flowing around from the betting. The new town being built is just like that, though. The government office built a new town to keep the public order in Gimuru from worsening, but there¡¯s nothing they can do about the influx of laborers until the new town is completed. I see that the guards are patrolling more frequently too. No doubt they want to keep a tight watch on the streets. ¡°I should probably go talk to Carm-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good.¡± [Fei] We increased our pace a little and walked through a road we didn¡¯t normally take. After a while, we arrived at my store. Customers were lined up outside, so I entered from the back door and looked for Carm-san. When I found him, he was inside the break room, drinking tea while reading some documents with a grim face. He doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s taking a break. ¡°Carm-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!? Ahh, Boss. Welcome back. Fei-san too. Good job out there.¡± [Carm] Looks like he was so focused in those documents that he didn¡¯t notice us. He looks really tired too. ¡°That person is?¡± [Carm] ¡°Oh, I forgot to introduce him. This here is Mr. Ox Lord. He is a former gladiator and a level 5 twin swords user. I purchased him as a slave.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds like a reliable man.¡± [Carm] Carm-san said as he glanced at Ox-san¡¯s missing hand for a moment. ¡°I might look like this now, but with the boss, I have essentially received a new hand. I¡¯ll definitely be of use.¡± [Ox] ¡°It¡¯s alright. I¡¯ve confirmed his abilities myself. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡± [Fei] ¡°I don¡¯t really understand what you mean by ¡®new arm¡¯, but if Fei-san says it¡¯s alright, then it probably is. Please excuse my manners. Let¡¯s get along from now on.¡± [Carm] ¡­Everything is alright then. That¡¯s good. Now then, since introductions are over¡­ ¡°Fei-san, thank you for escorting me. Please show Ox-san the dorms and explain to him how life here works. After that please take a rest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand.¡± [Fei] ¡°As for Ox-san¡¯s room¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s a room that¡¯s ready already. The doors have names on them, so just refer to those.¡± [Carm] ¡°In that case, be sure to rest up too, Ox-san. We hurried all the way back here, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ox] ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave you two alone now.¡± [Ryouma] Like that I took Carm-san and went to the office. ¡°What¡¯s with the face? Did something happen while we were in Gaunago?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right¡­ I think you¡¯ve noticed already, but due to the influx of laborers, the public order in the city has worsened. Even the merchant guild has sent out a warning. What¡¯s worse is that according to an intel I purchased, some of the groups responsible for organizing the laborers are likely to be yakuza. It seems they¡¯re intentionally trying to worsen the public order.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yakuza, huh¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The new city being built will have an arena and is meant to become a tourist spot. It¡¯s sure to bring a great deal of wealth. These people probably want to secure a foothold there now while it¡¯s still under construction. They¡¯ve even managed to slip in among the ranks of the guards, but even while knowing this, these people are pros. On the surface they just look like an organizer for decent laborers and a liaison for such jobs, so it¡¯s hard to get rid of them.¡± [Carm] I see. It¡¯s the so-called ¡®front company¡¯. ¡°Did we suffer any losses?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Presently, we¡¯ve only had problems from bad customers quarreling with regulars, but there are also people who appear to be seeing how they should deal with our store. It¡¯s not just the yakuza. There are also people who don¡¯t know how to keep their hands to themselves, so I was thinking of doubling down on the security. Mr. Lord looks strong, so I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll serve as a big deterrent. More security personnel would also be a huge help.¡± [Carm] The face he¡¯s making¡­ Somehow it feels like it¡¯s the kind of face I saw a lot of back in my previous life. The kind of face one makes after working seriously for so long and accumulating a lot of fatigue. Chapter 184.2 - After Story II – Introspection and the Changes of Gimuru (2/3) ¡°Is that all?¡¡I don¡¯t think you¡¯re lying, but are you sure there¡¯s nothing else you want to talk about?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Sometimes you¡¯re really sharp, Boss¡­ Mr. Lord¡¯s stature and appearance is sure to serve as a deterrent. I believe that from the bottom of my heart, but at the same time, the loss of his left hand might cause others to look down on him. After all, even though I thought he looked really strong at first glance, I couldn¡¯t help but have second thoughts after seeing his missing hand.¡± [Carm] ¡°I know he¡¯s missing his left hand, but if you see him fight once, I think you¡¯ll be able to be at ease. I also thought it was strange when I was just reading about him from the documents I was given¡­ If you want we can show off his abilities to everyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. If it¡¯s alright with you and him, can we have the two of you spar during the busy hour tomorrow?¡± [Carm] Apparently, the part timers will be working during that time slot, so we¡¯ll have some leeway for the spar. We¡¯ll also be able to show Ox-san¡¯s face and ability to the customers. Moreover, by having him spar during this period, we¡¯ll not only be able to show that he¡¯s our new employee, but also show off his ability for everyone to see. Later we can spread some rumors that will make the bad people think twice about wanting to touch our store¡­ I¡¯ve thought this since before, but Carm-san, you sure are good at this kind of stuff. ¡°I am my older sister¡¯s twin, but when it comes to negotiating or operating a business, that is to say, leadership skills, my older sister has always been at the lead. Frustrated by that, I looked for some other way I could make myself useful, and in the end, I ended up specializing at intelligence gathering and manipulation. Ah, but of course, I¡¯m at least good enough at business not to hinder it. My older sister is also decent at gathering and using information.¡± [Carm] ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. Let¡¯s continue to get along.¡± [Ryouma] After all, he¡¯s basically operating the store by himself nowadays. He¡¯s really reliable. ¡°For the meantime, it¡¯s good that nothing really bad has happened, but if some strange people were to do anything to the store or the employees, please be sure to inform me. Talk to me too if there¡¯s a need for brute force. I know some adventurers I could talk to, and frankly, I¡¯m more useful in fighting than in negotiations.¡± [Ryouma] As much as possible, I¡¯d like for any issue to be settled with just talking, but it¡¯s important to understand one¡¯s strengths and weaknesses with a calm composure. And obsessing over one method too much and causing bigger losses as a result is simply failing to see the forest for the trees. As much as possible, I¡¯d like there to be no damages or losses whatsoever. 2 weeks later I¡¯ll have to go to Shikumu to hunt a Mud Salamander, but after that, perhaps it would be better to stop going on trips for a while. At least until New Year. ¡°Right. I was originally going to talk about this first, but my ¡®greeting¡¯ to the duke¡¯s family ended well. In fact, it ended on a very good note.¡± [Ryouma] Moreover, because they believe that my business might be able to help reduce the occurrence of disease in the city, I¡¯ve been asked to build a branch over at Gaunago too. They¡¯ll even be providing the lot and the property, and on top of that, due to Gaunago having a lot of nobles, they¡¯ll even provide maids to teach the employees the proper etiquette of dealing with the nobles. Just those alone would be considered exceptional treatment, but during my stay there, we talked about stuff like garbage problems and fertilizers, and they said that they would also support my endeavors that could benefit the public (things that can bring a profit to the territory). They were saying it indirectly, but it was still relatively straightforward in my opinion. I also spoke to Serge-san and Pioro-san about the construction of the manufacturing plant for the waterproof cloths and the cultivation of the mushrooms. From the looks of things, it appears that we will be able to continue cooperating for a long time. Another matter worthy of celebration. It¡¯s good to have such encouraging allies. I explained these things to him in hopes of relieving him of his stress even just a little, but¡­ ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] Before I knew it, Carm-san had become thoughtful. ¡°Getting the protection of the duke¡¯s family is indeed something to be happy about and it¡¯s also reassuring, but if they expect so much from you, then in the case you¡¯re unable to fulfill their expectations¡­ I can¡¯t help but become anxious. No. Stop. I shouldn¡¯t be like this.¡± [Carm] Did he become pessimistic while I was away?¡¡He shook his head and renewed his resolve. ¡°If they told you to put up a store in Gaunago, then we can consider the matter done. We should immediately pick out who to send and decide the rest of the staff.¡± [Carm] ¡°I actually have someone in mind.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a pamphlet from my Item Box. ¡°This is the Moulton Slave Company¡¯s?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. I got it before leaving the store after purchasing Ox-san. There¡¯s an explanation in it about new businesses.¡± [Ryouma] I received it while essentially running away, but if I were to explain its contents in a few words, it would be ¡®temporary staffing¡¯. Chapter 184.3 - After Story II – Introspection and the Changes of Gimuru Customers: ¡®I need some extra hands, but slaves are too expensive¡¯ ¡®I need extra hands, but only for a few months¡¯. Slaves: ¡®My price has gone up, so no one will buy me¡¯, ¡®I want to pay back my debt quickly and become free again¡¯. Slave merchants: ¡®Just the living expenses of the slaves will cost money¡¯, ¡®There are slaves that are more expensive than their abilities are worth¡¯. Apparently, Orest-san has started a ¡®slave rental service¡¯ that¡¯s paid by the hour for those looking for temporary slaves. A win-win-win solution to the demands of the three parties mentioned above. But at this point, what¡¯s the difference between being a slave and a person using the guild to be employed? Some slave traders criticized the idea too, saying that they should instead focus on increasing the profits from the buying and selling of slaves. There were those that were against it due to the risk of the slaves running away. But in then, Orest-san defeated every one of those arguments, and now the service has been implemented! Or at least that¡¯s what¡¯s written on the pamphlet. Anyhow, putting that aside, I¡¯m thinking it might be a good idea to take advantage of this new service. ¡°When I picked Ox-san, I also got the opportunity to interview other candidates. Fei-san said that those candidates were also good enough to serve as guards. They¡¯re not as good as Ox-san, but it¡¯s not a bad idea to rely on this new service to supplement our workforce. After all, just as what¡¯s written on that pamphlet, we can hire them temporarily. And if they do a good enough job, we can purchase them and hire them as permanent employees.¡± [Ryouma] When I think of how the words ¡®you can also hire the slaves you interviewed!¡¯ were written on that pamphlet Orest-san gave me, I can¡¯t help but get the feeling that I¡¯m dancing right on his palms, but regardless¡­ ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of people using this service just yet, so the people behind it are still very flexible when it comes to accommodating price and conditions. Orest-san isn¡¯t someone who can be dealt with by ordinary means, but he¡¯s definitely trustworthy when it comes to work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Let¡¯s think about it some more.¡± [Carm] ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you. Also one more thing. It¡¯s the duke¡¯s family¡¯s idea, but I was thinking about opening two stores at Gaunago. I¡¯m grateful to customers that go out of their way to drop by our store despite it being far, but the farther the store is, the less inclined people are to use it. Gaunago is a much bigger city than Gimuru.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Right. Even here there are people who found washing the laundry to be too difficult now because of the cold weather and have finally resorted to our services.¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s not just the profits too. I also want the laundromat to be more accessible and convenient to the people. Another option is to hire a carriage and a driver, and then open a collection and delivery service, but that will cost money twice. Once for the purchase of the carriage, and then another for its maintenance. Moreover, there¡¯s a risk for delivering the laundry to the wrong address and the carriage being targeted. Because of that it¡¯s a lot easier to just set up another store.¡± [Ryouma] Besides, building several stores in a city will give us a greater portion of the market share. Perhaps we might even be able to pull off the so-called ¡®Strategic Dominance¡¯. Even now the number of people enlisting their services is continuing to increase. And at the very least, we have an advantage in the fact that no other laundromat other than ours has cleaner slimes. I want to make the most of that. ¡°Come to think of it, before our store made it, weren¡¯t there people trying to open laundromats too?¡¡I hear most of them have given up, but are there still some left?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about them lately at all¡­ Should I investigate?¡± [Carm] ¡°Please.¡± [Ryouma] Even back when I first opened the laundromat, one method I had in mind to deal with the overpopulation of the cleaner slime was to open a chain of laundromats. If there¡¯s a serious merchant out there, I could consider selling a store and its employees to him. In that way I¡¯ll be able to leave the branch store in another person¡¯s hands. Anyhow, there¡¯s no harm in investigating. As such, I wrapped up my thoughts and asked Carm-san to do just that. Carm-san asked me to go into more detail about the chain store and the strategic dominance. As someone who once dreamed of leaving my life as a salaryman and launching a business of my own, I explained to him everything I knew. ¡­When I did, Carm-san looked at me with evident shock on his face. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s curious. Very curious. But what¡¯s more is that I can tell that you¡¯re really serious about the laundromat now.¡± [Carm] What¡¯s going on?¡¡And what¡¯s with his reaction? Why is he looking at me like a NEET that has finally started working? Could it be? Am I¡­ A slacker in Carm-san¡¯s eyes? ¡­But how could that be? I mean I¡­ I leave most of the work to him and just drop by once in a while to get the report. Now that I think about it, I can¡¯t deny it at all. His eyes are twinkling. Ugh¡­ But considering that that haggard look from his face that reminded me of a burnout newcomer is gone, I think I¡¯ll just let it pass. ¡°Well then, the investigation will be a bit troublesome, but please take care of it.¡± [Ryouma] As I told him that, he responded with a voice brimming with life and left the room. Hmm¡­ Maybe I should work a little harder¡­ Chapter 185 - After Story III – Grown a Little? Five days after returning to Gimuru, not even a week after my return, I found myself visiting the Saionji Company at the City of Renauph. A few days ago, it was decided at the manor of the duke that I would be dispatching the bloody slimes over to the Saionji Company for them to make use of. The reason behind this is because we want to separate the bloody slimes to prevent the one-in-a-million chance that they might all get wiped out in one go. In other words, we just want to make sure that the eggs aren¡¯t all in the same basket. That brings me to today, with three bloody slimes at the City of Renauph, ready to entrust these little boys away. The reception greeted me, and I was brought to the reception office, where I was asked to wait. 30 seconds later¡­ ¡°Ryouma! Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Pioro] The president, Pioro-san, came in full of life. As usual, he¡¯s not one to make people wait much, is he? This was the case too when I came here for the first time. In fact, he¡¯s so fast it¡¯s almost enough to make me suspect that he had merely been lying in wait somewhere nearby. ¡°You came at just the right time. But while I¡¯m glad and all that you¡¯re coming so early, is this really convenient for you?¡¡Didn¡¯t you just get back to your store?¡± [Pioro] ¡°That¡¯s true, but unfortunately, the person Serge-san gave me is simply too good at his job. Exceedingly good at his job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡Did something happen?¡± [Pioro] ¡°Sure, I could talk about it. It¡¯s a long story, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was on the very next day after I got back. Just as I spoke about with Carm-san, Ox-san and I sparred with each other in the empty lot beside the store. But because of the exchange I had with Carm-san the previous day, I decided to work a little harder than usual. It was also an opportunity for Ox-san to show off his abilities in his new workplace. Because of that the both of us were rather heated up, and things ended up escalating to a point we hadn¡¯t planned for. As a result, the clouds of dust from our fighting spilled over onto the spectating customers and employees, while our overly enthusiastic fighting spirit left the children in tears and the elderly on their buttocks. Afterwards, Carm-san gave me an earful about how we overdid it. ¡°Fortunately, most of the customers were regulars, and they easily forgave us after we gave them a full body cleansing service for free. And we had contacted the guards prior to conducting the sparring match, so it didn¡¯t turn into a big deal, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] After everything was said and done and Carm-san was telling me how I¡¯d overdone it, he told me that while we did overdo the sparring match, we were able to successfully display Ox-san¡¯s abilities to our customers as well as the townspeople of Gimuru. He also went on to explain that his remark of ¡®you¡¯ve finally gotten serious¡¯ was not to mean that I had been slacking off, but rather that I had finally been proactive at expanding the store. He apologized to me about how his unspecific wording had caused the misunderstanding. In response, I apologized for taking his words the wrong way. But the more we talked, the more I realized that he was really happy about me finally being proactive at expanding the store. I thought to myself, ¡®what could I do to make the store bigger¡¯? And the answer I arrived to was ¡®to increase the number of branch stores¡¯. But then the question begged itself, ¡®but what is needed to increase the number of branch stores?¡¯ And the answer I came to was that while various things were needed, such as personnel and the stores themselves, the first thing I need is a ¡®capital¡¯. To which, the next question was ¡®how could I efficiently save up money?¡¯ And in response, I thought of two possibilities: ¡®By increasing the income of the laundromat¡¯ and¡¡¡¯By looking for another source of incoming¡¯ ¡­That was how my thoughts developed, but when I got to the point where I started to talk about a delivery and collection service aimed at the elderly and people that live far away from any of our branches, as well as a new private garbage disposal company, Carm-san immediately ended the topic. ¡®I know you¡¯re always thinking about serious matters, Boss, but please don¡¯t try to increase my work when there¡¯s an opening. Seriously. You work too much.¡¯ ¡°Is what he said¡­¡± [Ryouma] Moreover, until just yesterday, Carm-san had been working on the revision of the security system and the paperwork that would be needed from hereon out. ¡°After he finished everything, the next thing I heard from him was ¡®there aren¡¯t any jobs left until you come back from your next trip, so please rest¡¯. Even if I ask him if there¡¯s any work left to be done, all he¡¯ll say is that there¡¯s none, so because of that there¡¯s absolutely no work or problems to be dealt with.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san wryly smiled as if he didn¡¯t know how he should feel. ¡°Well, you should rest when you can. And even if you need a capital, it¡¯s not as if you¡¯re desperately in need, right?¡± [Pioro] Chapter 185.2 - After Story III – Grown a Little? (2/2) ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Fortunately, laundry work is in season, so there¡¯s more customers. The deodorizing liquid are also selling a lot better than expected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that stuff. Well, even the duke¡¯s family is using it, so I guess it¡¯s only natural that it would start gaining popularity even in other cities.¡± [Pioro] And yet despite that I still haven¡¯t heard of cheaper variants circulating the market. Looks like the mysterious defect of the deodorizing liquid that makes it impossible for humans to dilute ended up as a boon to our store. ¡°To be honest, we make more nowadays from selling deodorizing liquid than we do from washing laundry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, really?¡± [Pioro] ¡°With just our laundry service, the most we can make a day is a few small gold coins at most, but the deodorizing liquid easily makes twice that up to a two-digit figure. This trend is especially clearer for the second branch store.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there¡¯s no reason at all to rush securing the startup funds of your next store. Besides, just dipping your hand in a new field should be a big enough job by itself. That¡¯s probably what that Carm kid was so concerned about. It¡¯s no wonder that he¡¯s not very receptive to your new ideas when you told him about them right after he told you that you were doing a good job.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I know the timing wasn¡¯t the best, but ever since opening the store, I¡¯ve been gradually getting a better understanding of how I should work. For example, just a few days ago, I spoke to the duke¡¯s family about the various uses of the slimes, as well as various other stuff.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. You did talk about that.¡± [Pioro] Just like the knowledge and uses of slimes I shared then, I think one way for me to work, is to think up new businesses and propose them. It wouldn¡¯t be much different from my laundromat now. I would be essentially relying on the slimes to perform in various fields. I think that this might be the best way for me to work. Before starting my laundromat, there were three things that concerned me: The first of the three mentioned above is more of a desire thing, while for the second one, well, I had no experience whatsoever in being the manager of a laundromat. As for the third one, I did have experience communicating with customers and subordinates, but I was bad at it, and I still am. ¡­Fortunately, Carm-san is here to take care of the first store, while Carla-san is able to take care of the second store. Thanks to Serge-san introducing these two brilliant people to me, the three problems mentioned earlier have all been dealt with. This is proof that as long as I have a skilled manager, I can leave most of the work to them. Even without me around, the laundromat will operate just fine, and there won¡¯t be any problems with the relationship between the employees either. Serge-san did advise me regarding this point, but experiencing it for myself allows me a much deeper understanding. But if that¡¯s the case, then what¡¯s left for me to do? It¡¯s no waste of effort to try and do what Carm-san and the others are doing, but if it¡¯s just doing the same thing, then it would be much faster for me to just look for another person who could do the same jobs as efficiently as Carm-san and Carla-san instead of training myself. Hence, the question remains. As I thought about it to myself for awhile, eventually, the answer became clear. ¡®I¡¯m going to propose new businesses¡¯. In the first place, my original job was that of a system engineer. In other words, I used to ¡®design¡¯ systems. I could use my experience as a system engineer to propose work and improvements that incorporate slimes. Moreover, I could use my lack of this world¡¯s common sense to my advantage, and provide an alternative point of view to the people of this world. I could get everyone to help me understand this world¡¯s culture and customs, as well as the feelings of the people here, and then I can use their input to help me design a more effect solution to any problem that needs solving. So to speak, I could propose a smoothly operating ¡®slime workflow¡¯. Yeah, I think this might just be the best way for to make myself useful. ¡­When I told Pioro-san that ¨C of course, without the system engineer part ¨C he was able to understand. ¡°You have your own way of thinking, so I¡¯ll support you. Just make sure not to push yourself.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Thank you very much. But everyone has already told me that, so I think I¡¯ll be fine. And besides, I will first be focusing on increasing my laundromat¡¯s branch stores. I won¡¯t rush securing the capital anymore, but depending on how things go, I might ¡®ask for a loan¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh?¡¡You were strongly against it before. Did you change your mind?¡± [Pioro] ¡°A little.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t have any dealings with loans previously. And I also wasn¡¯t sure if the laundromat would succeed or not, but looking back at it now, I think I might have been excessively averse to it due to fears of it becoming an ¡®unpayable loan¡¯. But when I calmly think about it now, I think I can afford it. I¡¯ll be in debt for awhile, but there will also be an increase income from the new store. If I can comfortably pay the debt on time, then expanding the store sooner will net me the most profits. ¡°I know I¡¯m being rather selfish given how I was the one who refused the offer previously¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. We just met back then. And I also think borrowing money from someone you just met is careless. That aside, seeing how you now understand that defending all the time isn¡¯t always the best course of action, and that you sometimes have to take a risk to net the most profit shows that you¡¯ve grown as a merchant.¡± [Pioro] ¡°If you put it that way, I guess that means I¡¯ve grown a little. That puts a smile on my face.¡± [Ryouma] While I was saying that, it suddenly occurred to me. ¡°It¡¯s a bit late to be realizing this, but it just occurred to me that you mentioned something earlier about me coming at a good time? Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh!¡¡I forgot. You know ¡®that¡¯ thing I talked about before? I just managed to get some. And by ¡®that¡¯, I mean that thing that¡¯s normally used as food but can also be useful when you go to the Great Shurus Forest.¡± [Pioro] ¡°!!¡¡Could you be talking about ¡®that¡¯?¡¡Wasn¡¯t it going to take some time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s what I thought, but I don¡¯t know if you can call this lucky or unlucky, but due to some circumstances, well¡­ I think it would be faster if I just showed you.¡± [Pioro] I was really excited by ¡®that¡¯, but before going to other matters, we decided to first conclude the reason I came here, which was the contract of the slimes. Entrusting the three slimes to the staff here is a priority. Chapter 186.1 - After Story IV – A New Ingredient ¡°Come take a look.¡± [Pioro] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] The president himself, Pioro-san, led the way to the Saionji Company¡¯s storehouse. The employee in charge opened the seemingly heavy door to reveal a dimly lit room. We passed through the gap between the goods piled up to reach a giant metal cage, inside of which were around 30 chickens. Yes, the ¡®that¡¯ that Pioro-san was referring to earlier was none other than these chickens and their eggs. Eggs are so packed with nutritional value that it¡¯s often said that they alone are almost sufficient to meet all of one¡¯s nutritional needs. They are also an important source of protein. When I think about how to procure food for those long trips away from town or when I¡¯m somewhere like the Great Shurus Forest where it¡¯s difficult to procure food, the thought of having my own brood of chickens to provide me a steady supply of eggs takes a huge load off my back. Raising chickens doesn¡¯t require as much space as other livestock, and they¡¯re also relatively easier to raise. They¡¯re convenient too since I can just raise them in their cage. There¡¯s just one thing bothering me. I had been informed beforehand that the chickens they managed to procure were a little big. And these are certainly ¡®big¡¯, but¡­ Aren¡¯t they a little too big? I mean every one of them is as big as me. That¡¯s basically the size of a human elementary school student. ¡°These chickens are a little¡­ different from what I had in mind.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, I was also planning on getting normal ones, but¡­¡± [Pioro] Oh, well that¡¯s a relief. At least these chickens aren¡¯t the ¡®normal chickens¡¯ of this world. ¡°These chickens are known as ¡®Clever Chickens¡¯. As you can see, they¡¯re bird-type monsters and are basically giant chickens. Their eggs are no different from normal chickens, but they can lay several eggs in a day regardless of gender. That¡¯s why they produce more eggs than normal chickens. If you can raise these critters inside your Dimension Home, you¡¯ll be able to eat eggs whenever you please.¡± [Pioro] ¡°That¡¯s great to hear, but surely it has some downsides too. That is compared to normal chickens.¡± [Ryouma] There was something fishy about the way Pioro-san was talking and the attitude of that employee earlier was evidently strange. Then again, I doubt Pioro-san really planned on hiding it. Pioro-san matter-of-factly spoke of the downsides of the Clever Chickens. ¡°First of all, these chickens are stronger than normal. If you look at their feet, you¡¯ll notice that their muscles are highly developed and their claws are sharp. Every clever chicken is a D Rank monster. But that rank goes up to a C when they¡¯re in a brood, so only someone strong enough can raise them; otherwise, it¡¯s too dangerous. I don¡¯t believe that would be a problem for you, however. After all, you are plenty strong, aren¡¯t you, Ryouma? Besides, these critters have an inclination to flock together. You should have good compatibility with them. And if you can come to an understanding with them through the familiar contract, they might just end up easier to raise than your normal chickens.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I see. That certainly doesn¡¯t sound too bad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. The next problem is the food. Their staple food include grains and bugs. But when needed they can hunt and eat other creatures too. There¡¯s no need to fuss about their food too much. It¡¯s just that you have to prepare three times as much food as usual.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Are food raised with wood magic or with the use of the scavenger slime fertilizer acceptable?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So long as the food is not poisoned, it should be fine. Broods living in the wild eat even goblins, after all. It should also be safe to feed them the meat of the monsters that attack you in the great forest.¡± [Pioro] Alright. In that case, there should be no problems. I was thinking of raising that special slime food that the madam recommended to me too anyway. That being said, it doesn¡¯t seem as if those are the only problems with these chickens. ¡°As for the biggest problem. It just so happens that these guys are smart in a rather half-baked manner.¡± [Pioro] Wild clever chickens mix unfertilized eggs as decoys with their fertilized eggs. And when attacked, they work together with their brood to fight off threats and protect their nest. When they judge that they can¡¯t win or that the losses they would incur would be too great, they will abandon their nest, taking with them only the fertilized eggs. Apparently, they understand the value of their flesh and their eggs to their predators. Their intelligence becomes even more striking when they are domesticated, as they are able to understand that what humans want are their unfertilized eggs. Clever chickens born under the care of humans are even able to understand human speech to some extent, and when they¡¯re not happy with their treatment ¨C the quality of their food or their bedding ¨C they¡¯ll protest by boycotting the production of eggs. They know they can be killed, but they also know that it would be a great loss to their human owners. ¡°¡­Am I expected to negotiate with chickens?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not really a negotiation. It¡¯s more like if they¡¯re unhappy, they¡¯ll make your life miserable.¡± [Pioro] Chapter 186.2 - After Story IV – A New Ingredient Chapter 186.2: After Story IV ¨C A New Ingredient (2/4) ¡°After all, no matter how smart they may be, in the end, they¡¯re just chickens. The only reason they¡¯ll do something like that is if they think you¡¯ll make their life better if they make it hard for you to get their eggs. The real cause behind such poor behavior is none other than the person raising them himself. There are times when you¡¯ll have to improve their living conditions such as when they fall sick, but if you improve their living conditions just because they¡¯re grumbling, then they¡¯ll get the misunderstanding that grumbling equals better life. And then they¡¯ll start doing annoying things like not eating unless you feed them something better. Basically, they¡¯ll turn into an annoying middle-aged lady that demands one unreasonable thing after another.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Sounds complicated¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Incidentally, these guys are just on the ¡®verge¡¯ of becoming something like that¡­ Their former owner was a former adventurer that had dealings with me. Before they became completely unraisable, he asked me to take them off his hands as meat to be consumed.¡± [Pioro] It was here that I wondered about something. ¡°Since they were just on the ¡®verge¡¯ of becoming a problem, then I guess they haven¡¯t completely turned into an annoying middle-aged women with unreasonable demands just yet?¡¡You did say that you took them off his hands before they became completely unraisable, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s a reason for that. Look. Isn¡¯t there a chick with black and white feathers at the center of the brood?¡± [Pioro] Now that he mentions it¡­ At the center are 6 chicks gathered, but only one of them has white fluff and black skin. The rest of the chicks are all completely yellow. Is that chick the only silky fowl among them? ¡°Other than the color they all look the same to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a ¡®Genius Chicken¡¯. A higher variant of the clever chicken that is rarely born. It¡¯s much smarter than the clever chicken, and when fully grown will take over as the head of the brood. Or at least, it¡¯s supposed to eventually take over, but in this case, that chick is already the leader of the brood.¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san talked about it a little more, and apparently, there have only been a few cases wherein a genius chicken is born and immediately takes over as the leader of the brood. It has only been reported to happen when a brood of clever chickens have been domesticated and have been provided an environment with some degree of safety for several generations. Naturally, since the leader is a chick, one that had just literally been born, there is a high probability that the brood will simply do whatever it wants. To make the long story short, the chick is spoiled from birth and treated like some noble family¡¯s little emperor. A chicken that acts just like a human. ¡°When the former owner saw that this brood was becoming selfish, he decided to let go of it to prevent the other broods from being influenced.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I see¡­ It¡¯s because the other broods will notice that only this brood was getting special treatment, which would lead to them becoming dissatisfied themselves.¡± [Ryouma] The previous owner got rid of this brood to prevent the whole poultry farm from being compromised. And to make up for his losses as much as he could ¨C as paltry of a sum it may be ¨C he sold them as meat to be consumed to the Saionji Company. A correct and necessary decision for someone in the business of raising chickens (monster) to make a living. ¡°These critters are hard to handle, but they can lay a lot of eggs, so I thought you might be able to raise them. But if you don¡¯t want them, then I¡¯d like to ask for your help in preparing them. We don¡¯t have a lot of people among us who can make good quality meat out of these critters, you see. Moreover, they¡¯re young chicks that can lay eggs, so I was hoping to the best quality meat I could get out of them through the bloody slime¡¯s blood sucking ability. ¡°So that¡¯s what you mean about me coming at a good time.¡± [Ryouma] It takes a lot of time and food before meat meant for consumption can be shipped. Because of that raising livestock for their meat is highly inefficient. There are times when chickens that have stopped laying eggs and cows that don¡¯t produce milk ¨C basically, livestock that can no longer fulfill their purpose ¨C are processed into meat, but most livestock aren¡¯t raised with that objective in mind right from the start. Moreover, the meat made in such cases are sold as luxury goods to the wealthy. So it was only natural that Pioro-san would want the young chicks that could still lay eggs into the best meat they could be. ¡°Can I make my decision after attempting to form a contract with them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It seems like you more or less understood what I was saying earlier, so as you wish. Try approaching the cage and calling out to them. Don¡¯t be modest. Be assertive and negotiate with the leader.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I understand!¡± [Ryouma] When I walked to the cage close enough to touch it, all eyes gathered on me. ¡°Chickens, bring out your leader. I want to talk about your future.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 186.3 - After Story IV – A New Ingredient I said while trying to make myself as assertive as I could. The clever chickens didn¡¯t make a fuss, and the black and white chick walked out of the brood slowly. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because it¡¯s still small that it walks so slow, but it walked so slowly to the point that it almost seemed as if it was checking every step it took. ¡­It¡¯s feathers were fluffy like white cotton, and it was a little bigger than your usual chick. Frankly speaking, it was really cute. ¡°So you¡¯re the leader of this brood.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Pi.¡± [Genius Chick] The genius chick replied. That¡¯s probably a yes. ¡°Let¡¯s form a familiar contract so we can talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Pi.¡± [Genius Chick] The genius replied a second time in a chirp that suggested affirmation. At that, I formed the contract. When I did¡­ Release us lowly humans!! [Genius Chicken] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] Wow, okay. That surprised me¡­ I can share a mutual understanding with the slimes and the rimel birds too, but this feeling is a bit different. I have better compatibility with the slimes, so it¡¯s probably because the monster is really intelligent that I can understand its thoughts so clearly.¡¡It¡¯s almost like it¡¯s talking to me. ¡°Let¡¯s introduce ourselves first. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. You are?¡± [Ryouma] I have no name to give to the likes of you!! [Genius Chicken] Well, this is troublesome. It can talk, but it refuses to hold a conversation. ¡°At this rate, you chickens will be turned into human food. How about you listen to me before that happens?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­If you want to talk, then release us!¡¡Otherwise, you must enter the cage!¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°¡ªIs what he said. Can I enter the cage, Pioro-san?¡± [Ryouma] I translated for Pioro-san, and he called for the employee in charge here. ¡°President, are you really sure about this?¡¡Letting this kid inside?¡± [Employee] ¡°It¡¯s Ryouma, so it¡¯s fine. He¡¯s the one asking for it too, so go ahead and open it.¡± [Pioro] ¡°I-I understand¡­¡± [Employee] The employee opened the cage reluctantly, and I went inside. A few steps into the cage and the adult clever chickens surrounded me. After that the leader approached me from the front. ¡°Quite some guts you have for a cowardly human.¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Well, thanks. Can we talk now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well!¡¡What do you want?¡± [Genius Chicken] It sure acts big despite being so small. Well, whatever. ¡°As I¡¯ve said earlier, at this rate, you chickens are going to die. But if you¡¯ll lay eggs for me, I can take you away from here. I¡¯ll prepare food and a place for you to live in as well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you¡¯re the same as the previous human. Very well. Give us a full bowl of the best wheat everyday. Mix it with corn and other grains. Of course, you must mix only the most luxurious grains!¡¡For our bed, I want a place with plenty of sunlight, the smell of earth, and delicious earthworms¡ª¡° [Genius Chicken] The little chick spoke in a haughty manner while listing out the most luxurious conditions. The conditions he listed would require me to go to some dangerous territories. Moreover, there were simply too many that I couldn¡¯t meet. Oh, well. I guess it wasn¡¯t possible, after all. ¡°I suppose it was simply not meant to be¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait!¡¡Why are you refusing!?¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Because I can¡¯t meet those conditions¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You fool!¡¡If a demand is too big, then you have to haggle it down!¡¡That¡¯s the basics of negotiations!!¡± [Genius Chicken] Is a chicken seriously explaining to me the basics of negotiations right now? ¡°In that case, let¡¯s talk about some conditions that I can meet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Very well. What conditions can you promise us?¡± If that¡¯s what he¡¯s saying then¡­ I listed the conditions I could promise one by one. And then¡­ ¡°These air about all the conditions that I can promise. I¡¯m telling you this in good faith, but this is the upper limit of what I can guarantee. If you say you¡¯re okay with promises that might not be met, then I can promise better conditions.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You¡¯ve pushed your luck too far!¡¡At a time of crisis!¡¡We won¡¯t kneel to unreasonable threats!¡± ¡°Ko ko ko ko ko ko ko ko !!!!!!!!!!!¡± [Genius Chicken] The leader started chirping energetically. The surrounding clever chicken responded and started making threatening sounds with their chirps and beaks. ¡°President!¡¡We have to get that boy out of there!¡± [Employee] The employee in charge of this place started to panic. But that¡¯s not really strange. After all, the situation had deteriorated such that a child like me could get attacked any moment now. ¡°Rise!¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Ko ko ko ko ko ko ko ko !!!!!!!!!!!¡± [Clever Chickens] Chapter 186.4 - After Story IV – A New Ingredient At the leader¡¯s behest, the brood of chickens matched their sounds and made themselves even more threatening. It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s possible to negotiate anymore. I should give up and just¡ª ¡°Hee!¡± [Genius Chick] ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] Just when I was about to give up. For some reason, the leader chirped a scream-like chirp and the chirps of the clever chickens stopped. And then they suddenly spread their wings and prostrated on the ground as if performing a dogeza. Not a hint of that hostility earlier could be felt. ¡°Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us. Please don¡¯t kill us¡ª¡° [Genius Chicken] ¡°That¡¯s terrifying!¡¡What is wrong with you all of the sudden!?¡¡Huh? Wait a moment. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] It would appear that the threat is no more, but the situation has changed so suddenly I just can¡¯t quite wrap my head around it. ¡°Ah, Ryouma?¡¡I don¡¯t really get it, but for a moment, the aura about you was really something.¡¡It was like that time during your match back then.¡± [Pioro] He¡¯s probably referring to my spar with Ox-san. It seems I did something similar to what I did a few days ago in that moment when I was about to give up on the negotiations. I need to keep these accidental threats under control, but now¡¯s not the time for it. I¡¯ll reflect on it later¡­ ¡°Raise your heads.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha!¡± [Genius Chicken] After that dogeza-like position, now they¡¯re standing at attention. ¡°Let¡¯s continue our talk earlier, shall we?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡¡Of course!¡¡By all means!¡¡Onii-san, you sure are pretty strong, aren¡¯t you?~ I sure was shocked~¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°¡ªAre you seriously taking the boot licking approach now!?¡± [Ryouma] The chick¡¯s behavior took a 180 degree turn, leaving me at a complete loss. And what¡¯s up with those wings? The leader is rubbing them up and down against each other. It¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s trying to rub his hands together. ¡°But the human from before did this all the time!¡± [Genius Chicken] Oh, so it¡¯s a habit of the previous owner. Looks like he picked up some strange things other than words from that guy¡­ ¡°Enough is enough. Can we talk already?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes, of course¡­ But I would just like to inform you that we adhere to a non-violence non-cooperation policy, so¡­¡± ¡°Non-violence? Can you remind me what you were doing just a few minutes ago?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡What were we doing?¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Come on, now. You¡¯re not a bird brain.¡± [Ryouma] Where did the brain of the genius chicken go? And don¡¯t look at me like that while obviously playing the fool. Where did this chick even learn the words of a certain great man from India. ¡°Sheesh, what a way to dampen the mood¡­ At this rate, you guys are going to be eaten, you realize that, right?¡¡Those people outside aren¡¯t going to let you guys off without making up for their losses.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We never said we wouldn¡¯t accept your terms. It¡¯s just¡­ You know.¡¡Give us a little more.¡± [Genius Chicken] What a stubborn chicken¡­ While I was thinking that, I noticed that the brood was acting weird. The clever chickens are talking among themselves?¡¡It seems they¡¯re getting rather noisy. ¡°Those at the back. What are they talking about?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm¡­ They¡¯re wondering if they could give you their eggs and if they should umm¡­ Hand me over too¡­ Something like that¡­¡± [Genius Chiken] ¡°Uwaah.¡± [Ryouma] His friends have actually started to abandon him. ¡°These guys are always like this, you know? Even though I had just been born and didn¡¯t know anything, when I outwitted them, they told me I should be the leader since the smartest one should always be the leader. But whenever things turn bad, they¡¯re always quick to push me aside. When they¡¯re not happy, they complain at me. And when something messes up, they go and say that the leader should be the one to take responsibility. No matter what I try to teach them, they just can¡¯t seem to understand anything. They¡¯re really not as smart as humans make them out to be¡­¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡­Somehow, listening to him makes me want to cry. And I think I understand now why this chicken¡¯s thoughts are so easy to understand. But if he won¡¯t accept my conditions, then I really can¡¯t help but turn him into chicken meat. Hmm¡­ Maybe I can fry him.¡¡I could turn him into Chicken Tatsutaage or Chicken Saut¨¦. A meat and potato stew using chicken doesn¡¯t sound bad either. There¡¯s Chicken Nanban and roast chicken too.¡¡I might even be able to substitute him for Peking duck¡­ Hmm? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, so please stop reciting chicken recipes.¡± [Genius Chicken] Before I knew it, the leader was back in a dogeza position. It was just him this time, though. ¡°You¡¯ll let me raise you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We don¡¯t exactly have a choice¡­ And you seem to understand my suffering. Still, at the very least, please provide us an environment no one will complain about¡­¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll do my best!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Genius Chicken] And so, a chicken with a nervous temperament was added to my roster of familiars along with 26 other chickens. What¡¯s more is that they¡¯ll be giving me their eggs. I should be happy, but for some reason I feel so empty. Chapter 187.1 - The Fishing Village of the Lake (1/2) ¡°If you go straight from here you¡¯ll find the shores of Ratoin Lake. Take a left from there and you¡¯ll find Shikumu. Even if you get lost, as long as you make it to the shores of the lake, you should be able to see some villages. And if you can find a village, then you¡¯ll be able ferry a boat, so you should eventually make it to Shikumu even though you might end up taking longer than expected.¡± [Merchant] ¡°Thank you for helping me so much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We need to help each other when in need. I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll get lost, but do be careful.¡± [Merchant] ¡°Yes!¡¡You take care too!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s been two weeks since I formed a contract with the genius chicken¡¯s brood and secured for myself a supply of eggs. Presently, I¡¯m looking for the Ratoin Lake where the Mud Salamander is said to live. I¡¯m looking for it so I can train myself. ¡°¡­I better get going too.¡± [Ryouma] I saw the merchant, who gave me directions, off and then followed the route he told me about. It wasn¡¯t exactly a road, though, as it was more like an animal trail. As I started down that path, it gradually became harder and harder to distinguish it from the rest of the ground, what with the roots of the surrounding trees growing unchecked. The path was basically made up of mud and roots. From time to time, there were stones too. It¡¯s like the primeval mangrove forest I saw back at Okinawa once. I walk slowly and firmly step with my toes, making sure not to miss my footing. The main purpose of this trip is the mud salamander, but another purpose is to practice my footing when going through places with bad footing like this path. But what I¡¯m really worried about is the time. The merchant earlier said to just go straight and I¡¯ll find the place very soon, but he kept saying the same thing yesterday about the camp, and yet it still took us 2 hours. He¡¯s probably the kind of guy who thinks it¡¯s normal to measure the distance to your nearest neighbor in kilometers. The sense of distance of someone living out in the sticks. For now, let¡¯s just assume that getting through the forest takes 2 hours. Four hours later¡­ A beautiful lake and an entrance to a village on the shore came to view. It took twice as long as I thought it would take. There were trees growing around the entrance of the village. They were probably trees similar to mangroves. Processed log have been lined up and buried into the ground to create a wall around the village. People keeping watch could also be seen standing. I walked toward the village entrance, where I saw a man about 50 years of age smoking in a daze. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡That¡¯s not a face I normally see around here.¡¡Are you alone, Boy?¡± [Smoker] ¡°Yes. My name is Ryouma. I¡¯m an adventurer looking for the fishing village of Shikumu. Is this the right village?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is Shikumu alright, but¡­ Oh, I remember. I heard some friend of Kai and his boys was going to drop by the town soon. Are you the one they¡¯re talking about?¡± [Smoker] ¡°If that Kai you¡¯re referring to is the Kai from the adventurer party ¡®Wharf of Shikumu¡¯, then yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see!¡¡In that case, wait here for a bit.¡± [Smoker] Suddenly, the man took a wooden hammer dangling by the entrance and used it to hit a similarly dangling metal plate several times. When he did, a young woman rushed out of the village. ¡°Old man Manda, did something happen?¡± ¡°Ah, young girl Mei. Good timing. That boy, Kai¡¯s, guest has arrived.¡± [Manda] ¡°Ahh!¡¡That rumored guest?¡¡Where is he¡ª You?¡¡You sure are young. I mean you¡¯re basically a kid.¡± [Mei] ¡°My name is Ryouma Takebayashi. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± [Ryouma] The woman bluntly voiced out her impression upon seeing me. Considering how similar their names were, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was a relative of Kai-san¡¯s. ¡°Likewise. I¡¯m Mei. Kai and Kei¡¯s older sister. I hear you took care of my little brothers.¡± [Mei] ¡°He just came, so he probably doesn¡¯t know anything just yet. Show him around.¡± [Manda] ¡°Alright. For the meantime, let¡¯s go to my house. One of them is probably there. Come on! Follow me!¡± [Mei] ¡°Yes!¡¡Oh, thank you very much,¡¡Manda-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! Take care!¡± [Manda] After the gatekeeper saw me off, I followed after the young woman. The ground inside was built much better and children could be seen bustling about. There were housewives gossiping among themselves as they drew water. There were also elderly people who brought chairs and other tools and did as they liked while enjoying the sun. It was a very peaceful sight. ¡°Is it so strange?¡± [Mei] Oops. Looks like I stared a bit too much there. ¡°Sorry. I heard a lot of monsters have been popping up lately, so I was surprised to see this place so peaceful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You talking about the mud salamander?¡¡They always come around this time of the year, so we can¡¯t exactly afford to be nervous every time. Besides, they¡¯re only after the fishes we¡¯ve caught. Although they might appear around the shores, they won¡¯t bother to try and go inside the village.¡± [Mei] Chapter 187.2 - The Fishing Village of the Lake ¡°I see¡­ Are the buildings here all made with wood and mud?¡¡Everything is made with the same material, so there¡¯s this sense of unity in the way the houses are.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, a sense of unity? You make it sound so amazing, but the truth is we just don¡¯t have any other materials here. Mud and tree can be found anywhere, so if something breaks, we can easily fix it. They¡¯re really convenient.¡± [Mei] ¡°Do you repair your own house yourself?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t that a given?¡¡You have to at least be able to fix your house, you know? At the very least, that¡¯s common sense here.¡± [Mei] It seems everyone in this village is strong. ¡°Ah, this is the house.¡± [Mei] As we talked like that, we eventually arrived at the house. ¡°Come in.¡± [Mei] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] Mei-san opened the door and invited me in. When I got inside, what greeted me was an earthen floor, beyond which was a large hall with wooden floor. There was a space at the center that seemed to be for a sunken fireplace. There was a sense of nostalgia to the whole place that reminded me of a Japanese-style house. ¡°Kai!¡¡Kei!¡¡Hmm¡­ Since they¡¯re not saying anything, I guess no one¡¯s home.¡¡Well, whatever. We¡¯ve prepared a room for you, so I¡¯ll bring you there.¡± [Mei] Oh?¡¡According to the letter I got, there¡¯s supposed to be a place of lodging prepared for the adventurers. I asked Mei-san about it, and apparently that place was none other than the meeting place of the village. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t very big in the first place, so they¡¯ve already filled up the place. What happens to the rest of the adventurers then? They couldn¡¯t just leave the adventurers who went out of their way to protect their village to sleep out in the wild, so the adventurers they can trust to some extent are lent a room in the residences. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for our village¡¯s incapability to accommodate you, but please endure it.¡± [Mei] ¡°There¡¯s nothing to endure.¡¡You¡¯re lending me a room for free after all. If anything I¡¯m grateful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s like in other places, but over here we get by by helping each other. When we suffer, we suffer together. So if there¡¯s anything you need while you¡¯re here, be sure to say it. I¡¯ll help you as much as I can.¡± [Mei] I don¡¯t know if the people here are just friendlier than those from the city or they just look kindly toward people regardless of if they¡¯re meeting them for the first time or not, but while her good will left me confused, there was no doubt that she was giving me a very warm welcome. ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll be in your care!¡± [Ryouma] I thanked her for her warm welcome. My training at the Ratoin Lake begins from here on our! Chapter 188.1 - Breakfast and Souvenir of the Fishing Village ¡°Long time no see!¡± [Kai] ¡°I¡¯m glad you could make it~¡± [Kei] ¡°Oh my, a guest?¡± [Mother] ¡°I see you¡¯re back too, Mother.¡± [Mei] While I was preparing my things at the room I was lent, the younger brothers, Kai-san and Kei-san, came back with their mother. ¡°Sorry to intrude. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you¡¯re the person who helped my dumb sons and their friends. You sure are a lot younger than what I¡¯ve heard¡­ But were you always meant to come today?¡¡Weren¡¯t you supposed to come next month?¡± [Mother] ¡°Come now, Mother. He¡¯s here to protect the fishes, so of course it has to be this month. Next month would be too late.¡± [Mei] ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s a bit of a problem¡­ We don¡¯t have any of the food meant for our guests.¡± [Mother] ¡°Huh? We only have enough for ourselves?¡± [Kei] ¡°We have enough ingredients, but there¡¯s not that much variety to them.¡± [Mother] ¡­Do they normally prepare a different dish for their guests? ¡°Umm, please don¡¯t mind me.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m plenty grateful just having a roof to sleep under, and if they¡¯re providing even food, then I really have no room to complain. Honestly, I¡¯m perfectly fine just eating the same food as everyone else. ¡°Are you sure?¡¡But our food for today is¡­¡± [Mother] ¡°Oh¡­ Anyhow, just leave the food to me, Mother. And Kai, Kei, since Ryouma-kun is going to be staying here for a while, why don¡¯t the two of you show him around the village?¡¡Also, he¡¯s not just your acquaintance, right? Since the other three know him too, do be sure to let them know that he¡¯s here.¡± [Mei] ¡°Oh, right!¡±¡¡[Kai] ¡°Ryouma-kun, is there a place you want to check out?¡± [Kei] ¡°In that case¡ª¡± [Ryouma] I want to join the adventurers hunting the mud salamanders as early as tomorrow, so if they don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to greet the senpai adventurers that have already started hunting the mud salamanders. It would also be great if they knew a place where I could train during my stay here. ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll have to go around the whole town. We¡¯ll be out of the village once we get to the shore, so we can just go to the meeting area or something from there, and then be back in time for supper.¡± [Kei] ¡°Alright, you show him around then, Kei. I¡¯ll call Sein and the others. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll want to talk to Ryouma too. I¡¯ll ask them to join us for supper, so we can just talk then.¡± [Kai] The two locals spoke between themselves and decided the route for my tour. ¡°I¡¯ll go call them then. See you later.¡± [Kai] ¡°Thank you very much. See you later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll head this way.¡± [Kei] We parted with Kai-san by the entrance hall and I followed Kei-san. Outside was the usual scenery you could find from any village, but from the looks of things, like the sun had already gone down while I was busy unpacking my luggage. The children and the housewives were already gone, and there wasn¡¯t much people left out on the streets. Chapter 188.2 - Breakfast and Souvenir of the Fishing Village Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking when several young men gathered and started doing gymnastic exercises. Kei-san noticed them at roughly the same time and called out to them. As we parted with them and went our way, I asked Kei-san what those gymnastic exercises were for, and apparently, they were exercises that the people here did before going out to fish. ¡°For a long time now, the fishermen have been waking up and doing these exercises. It¡¯s dangerous for fisherman if they¡¯re unable to move well while riding a boat. This is true not just for the person himself but also for the other fishermen with him. That¡¯s why the fishermen have to check on their body¡¯s condition before going fishing. Or at least that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been taught anyway.¡± [Kei] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Although to be honest, even without the exercise movements, it¡¯s obvious when someone is feeling unwell, so there are a lot of people who just do it because it¡¯s tradition. But if you tell that to my dad or the strict elders, you¡¯ll get yelled at.¡± [Kei] Kei-san said while laughing like a mischievous child. Suddenly, someone called out toward us from a distance. ¡°Hey!¡± [???] ¡°Ah, good afternoon!¡± [Kei] Apparently, an acquaintance of Kei-san had appeared. He greeted him and parted ways, but just when I was thinking that was the end of it, ten seconds later, another voice called out, and then again a few seconds later. Every time we passed by a person, they would call out to us. ¡°Everyone knows each other, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it is a small village. It¡¯s only natural. Most of the men are fishermen, so people are bound to know who¡¯s whose wife and what number which son is. Because of that people from outside the village stick out like a sore thumb and become the talk of the town, making it really easy for people to remember them. I think they¡¯ll remember you very quickly, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Kei] This is the countryside, alright. I have to be careful not to leave a bad impression on them. ¡°How many people live in this village?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not even 500. Although the number would be higher if you include the people who leave town to find work or make money from other villages. Oh, look. You can see it now.¡± [Kei] I followed the direction he pointed at, and there I saw a light that was irregularly reflected. I immediately recognized the lake before me as the same one when I first got here. We continued along our way and passed by the side of the last building. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] When all the structures obstructing the view were gone, the unfolding scenery was so beautiful I found myself at a loss. Winds gave rise to waves upon the vast lake, causing the reflection of light to waver. The water is really clear. I wonder if it¡¯s not very deep. Even from a distance, I could clearly see the fresh aquatic plants beneath the lake. The blowing winds are cold, but for some reason, I feel warm when I see this view in front of me. In front of the lake is a beautiful white beach, on which small boats and tools of some sort could be seen orderly arranged. Finally, there¡¯s something to this place that makes it look like a fishing village. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s beautiful? This view.¡± [Kei] I thought this place looked like Okinawa when I first saw the forest on the way to the village, but¡­ ¡°Yes. It¡¯s really beautiful. It¡¯s almost as if the nature here has been left untouched, and yet at the same time, it¡¯s so beautiful it would be enough to attract tourists.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it so much.¡± [Kei] To Kei-san and the villagers of the fishing villages in this region, Ratoin Lake is an important place that keeps them fed. Because of that it is both their duty and pride to protect it. Only by doing so are they worthy of receiving its blessings. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then there must a lot of rules here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re not a fisherman, so there¡¯s not that many. There are still some that you have to pay attention to, though. For example, anyone can catch a blessing from the lake, but if you¡¯re not a fisherman, your options are limited to either diving or fishing with a rod. You can¡¯t fish using nets or baskets. Also, can you see that island over the lake?¡± [Kei] ¡°Erm¡­ Are you talking about that raft-like thing made up of branches?¡¡There seems to be something on top of it.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s far and there¡¯s also the reflection of the light, so it¡¯s hard to see, but I can at least tell that there is a hairy creature on top of it. Something like a sea otter or a beaver. ¡°That island is a nest created by a monster we call ¡®Yadonezumi¡¯ to pass the winter. When Spring comes, the small fishes use it as a hiding place, while the fishermen use it as a landmark to find the fishing grounds. Because of that another rule you need to keep in mind is to never hurt that Yadonezumi or its nest. If you see it at the beach or in the village, please be careful not to drive it away. It may be a monster beast, but it¡¯s no threat.¡± [Kei] ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 188.3 - Tour of the Village and the Taste of Its Ingredients Other than those, he also said not to throw garbage, and that there¡¯s a toilet near the beach. There were other stuff too, but they were all fairly trivial stuff. Kei-san also taught me some basic manners as well as things to pay attention to as we walked along the beach. Shikumu Village is situated northeast of the Ratoin Lake, and the ¡®beach¡¯ I will be working at is situated northwest of the village. Kei-san¡¯s house is closer to the western side, so when I go out to the beach from his house, I¡¯ll be greeted with structures that serve as wharf to park the boats and build or maintain them. I think I know enough of the geography around here for my work. ¡°You should be able to find your way now for your work, right?¡± [Kei] ¡°Yeah. I think I¡¯ll be fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great! In that case, let¡¯s go to the training area next.¡± [Kei] We walked another quarter lap around the village while talking about random things. Eventually we found ourselves at the east of the village, at the border leading to that mangrove-like forest. Some of the trees here stood out either because their branches had been cut off or they¡¯ve been completely turned into stumps. ¡°This is where the village gets its wood for fire and for building stuff. There¡¯s a lot of space here and you can be as noisy as you want and no one will complain. What do you think?¡± [Kei] ¡°It¡¯s close to the village, it¡¯s plenty big, and it also doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯ll be any problem even if I let my familiars out. Yeah, it seems pretty good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Familiar? Oh, you must be referring to your slimes. If I recall correctly, you¡¯re a collector of sort, right?¡¡In that case, you might be interested to know that a slime known as Mud Slime has been sighted here from time to time.¡± [Kei] ¡°Wow! That¡¯s some really good news!¡± [Ryouma] Mud Slime. It has mud in the name so it must have something to do with mud (In the RAWS, Ryouma says mud in English first, and then again in Japanese). It would suit the environment here too. ¡°How often are they sighted?¡± [Ryoumaa] ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯ve seen it several times myself when I went out to gather firewood. I think you should be able to find it if you intentionally try to look for it.¡± [Kei] Alright. I¡¯ll make sure to keep an eye out for it while training. ¡°Huh. Your eyes suddenly changed¡­ Well, at least you seem to like the place. The sun has already set, so why don¡¯t we go to the meeting area?¡± [Kei] Right. There might be some yet unseen slime there too. As I thought that to myself, I pushed down the urge to stay and reluctantly followed Kei-san. After that Kei-san led me to the meeting area and various houses to greet the senpai adventurers that got here before me. I gave them gifts and exchanged courtesies. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯m in an unfamiliar environment, but I somehow started acting like a fresh recruit at a new company. Fortunately, the senpai adventurers were relatively happy with my behavior. After this and that, we eventually went back to the house. When we got back, loud voices could be heard through the entrance of the house. ¡°They sure are getting lively,¡± I thought to myself as I opened the door. As it turns out, the adults have already started to make merry. ¡°Neesan, why is dad drinking too?¡± [Kei] ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. You know that dad asks for liquor as soon as he comes back and is normally quiet and unfriendly, right?¡¡He¡¯ll make a better impression if we just give him liquor, so might as well. This¡¯ll be his first time meeting Ryouma, after all.¡± [Mei] ¡°Mei!¡¡Kei!¡¡What are you doing leaving our guest to stand!?¡¡Hurry up and help him find a seat!¡± [Dad] We exchanged some light greetings as drinks were served and we sat around the sunken fireplace. Seated in front of me was Hoi-san, the head of this house and the father of Kei-san and his siblings. He was already past 50 and had a bearded face with many wrinkles. He had a muscular body that has clearly been trained by his daily work. Because of his overly developed body that reminded one of a bodybuilder and his excessive tan, he looked very young for his age. He reminds me of myself back in my previous life, so I can¡¯t help but feel a sense of familiarity with him. ¡°Huh. I¡¯d heard about it beforehand, but you sure are tiny.¡± [Hoi] ¡°Dad!¡± [Mei] ¡°Oops, that was rude of me.¡± [Hoi] ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m young, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I heard you saved my kids and their friends. They¡¯re not bad people by any means, but they¡¯ve lived out here in the sticks all their lives, so they¡¯re ignorant of the ways of the world¡­ At most, the furthest they¡¯ve gone is the town on the opposite shore. It would be great if they were more adventurous, but alas¡­¡± [Hoi] Hoi-san started talking about the failures of Kei-san and his friends from the perspective of a parent who has watched over them for a long time. Although I¡¯m in a good mood because of the liquor, those kids must feel terrible having all their embarrassing stories talked about like this. Chapter 188.4 - Tour of the Village and the Taste of Its Ingredients The members of the Wharf of Shikumu party all wore an awkward expression on their faces. I first met them when they came to Gimuru to sell the Bloody Slime. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Shin-san, Sein-san, Peiron-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Sein] ¡°¡­¡± [Peiron] ¡°Supper is ready, Boys!¡¡So make some room so we can get started!¡± [Mother] Fortunately for them, the mother of the family appeared and immediately changed the situation. They cleared the area from the earthen floor all the way to the sunken fireplace, and then they brought in a large pot, several bowls for all of us, and a round thing knitted with plants. That round thing seems to be boiling something inside it. The smell isn¡¯t that strong, but I feel like I¡¯ve smelled it from before somewhere. One thing is for sure, though. It¡¯s definitely seafood. I mean this is a fishing village, after all. Word has it that they have a lot of seafood here, something I normally can¡¯t eat back at Gimuru, so I¡¯m actually really looking forward to tonight¡¯s supper. ¡°Geh! This is tonight¡¯s food?¡± [Kei] ¡°?¡¡Do you not like the food, Kai-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I like it, but people from other places don¡¯t.¡± [Kai] Since they¡¯d already lifted the lid, I went ahead and peeked inside. ¡°Crab!?¡± [Ryouma] That round thing was packed to the brim with bright red crabs boiled to a turn! ¡°Wow, that¡¯s really nostalgic!¡± [Ryouma] Crab¡­ It¡¯s taken from the lake here, so it¡¯s probably a freshwater variety like Sawagani (Japanese Freshwater Crab). I¡¯ve eaten crab back on Earth, but only as a luxury, and this is my first time seeing crab since coming to this world. ¡°So this village also catches crabs on top of fishes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We can catch a lot if we set some traps, but still¡­ I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t mind them.¡± [Hoi] ¡°We eat crab at my hometown. In fact, it¡¯s my favorite.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, really?¡¡Well, at least you like the food. That¡¯s a relief. We prepared some fish just in case, but we have a lot of those crabs of yours, so just eat as much as you want.¡± [Mother] The mother of the family lined up the skewered fish on the sunken fireplace and served me seafood soup. For some reason, she looked happy as she served me a bowl of soup packed with ingredients. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy. Eat as much as you want!¡± [Hoi] I took one crab boiled in salt, plucked one of its legs, and brought it to my mouth. ¡­It was fairly elastic considering how thin and tight it was. With each bite, the sweetness of the crab would ooze out accompanied by the exquisite seasoning of salt¡­ A plain taste, but that is exactly what makes it so delicious! ¡°As expected, it¡¯s really delicious!¡± [Ryouma] Because the crab was small, the leg I took was also small, so it was really convenient for a child like myself to eat. ¡°I like how you eat. Keep eating. Here¡¯s another one. Have some soup too.¡± [Mei] ¡°Thank you very much, Mei-san. Yeah, this soup is delicious too.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s a strong taste of mustard mixed in with the soup, but it works really well when combined with the fish stock. ¡°Look, Boy. More of that favorite food of yours.¡± [Hoi] ¡°Itadakimasu.¡± [Ryouma] I just can¡¯t have enough of the crab here and my hands won¡¯t stop moving either. ¡°Here you go!¡¡Eat as much as you want!¡± [Mother] Crabs are so delicious! Everyone is paying attention to me and offering me more and more food. Because of that I just kept on eating and eating. When I had eaten my fill, my welcome party and supper ended. The members of the Wharf of Shikumu Shin-san, Peiron-san, and Sein-san all went back to their houses. And then Mei-san told me to go to sleep early since I would have to work early tomorrow, not to mention the fact that I must¡¯ve been exhausted from the trip. When I entered the futon I had been given inside my room, it suddenly hit me. We were supposed to talk over supper, but I was so focused on eating the crabs that I barely said a word outside of food. Oops. Chapter 189.1 - Breakfast of the Fishing Village and Souvenir The next day. ¡°Uu!?¡± [Ryouma] I was woken by a sound, but when I looked out the window, I noticed that it was still early and the sun had yet to rise. Maybe it¡¯s because we¡¯re close to a lake, but it¡¯s really cold. I endure the cold and prepare myself, then I leave my room. Looks like the sound is coming from the kitchen up ahead. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh my!¡¡Good morning.¡± [Mother] ¡°Did we wake you up?¡± [Mei] When I entered the kitchen, I found Mei-san with her mother. They were cooking with the little light they had from the fireplace and the small candles. ¡°I retired early yesterday, so I was able to recover my strength. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love to help with the breakfast preparations.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My sons would do well to learn a thing or two from you.¡± [Mother] ¡°Well, since you¡¯re offering¡­ Do you know where the well is?¡¡If you do, then can you fill this jar with water?¡± [Mei] The jar Mei-san showed me was about as big and deep as I was tall. I know where the well is, but if she just wants water, then¡­ ¡°In that case, ¡®Water¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you can use magic?¡± [Mei] ¡°Yes. Come to think of it, we didn¡¯t really get to talk much yesterday, did we? All I really got to tell you was my name¡­ By the way, will this do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s plenty. Next¡­ Can you grind these using these?¡± [Mei] Mei-san handed me a wooden pestle and mortar. The things she wanted me to grind was¡­ ¡°Wasabi?¡± [Ryouma] It looks just like wasabi, but the color is yellow. ¡°Wasabi?¡¡Is that what you call ¡®Horas¡¯ where you¡¯re from?¡¡You also called the ¡®Water Spider¡¯ yesterday crab.¡± [Mei] When I heard the word ¡®Horas¡¯, the relevant information on medicinal herbs appeared within my mind. It¡¯s raised in shallow rivers or in mud and has a peculiar sharp taste. It has high sterilizing effects and is even used as a deworming medicine. It¡¯s not exactly the same as wasabi, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s probably very similar to it. How much should I grind these?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll be sprinkling it over the soup, so make sure to grind it until it loses shape.¡± [Mei] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] This must be that thing I tasted in the soup yesterday. As I realized that, I started working. I started by removing the leafy part, then I quickly washed the roots in water. After that I cut the them into small pieces and placed the cut roots into the mortar. After grinding the roots with the pestle, I ground them again. I¡¯m just doing as she told me to, but this sure are a lot of ingredients. Still, this peculiar and stimulating aroma¡­ ¡°By the way, is there a dish here where you eat raw fish with this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are people who eat like that, but there are worms that can hurt your stomach. Especially during this season, so it¡¯s best not to.¡± [Mei] That¡¯s unfortunate, but I better take her advice since she¡¯s the local here. Besides, the worms can be dealt with by cooking and processing the food, so I think I¡¯ll just enjoy those kind of food while I¡¯m here. As I thought that to myself, it suddenly dawned on me that I wasn¡¯t able to give the souvenirs I was supposed to give yesterday. ¡°Souvenirs? For us?¡± ¡°Yes. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± [Ryouma] I left the kitchen for a moment and entered my Dimension Home. My Dimension Home is already a little bigger than a gym. I walked to the corner where my new friends, the clever chickens, are staying. ¡°Kokeh!¡¡Kokeh!¡± [Clever Chicken] The chicken that noticed me chirped loudly, and then a black chick came out of the brood huddled together. ¡°Good morning, Aniki!¡¡You sure are early today!¡± [Genius Chicken] ¡°Good morning, Kohaku. It¡¯s a bit early, but can I get the eggs for today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Aniki. It¡¯s already been prepared.¡± [Kohaku] This baby black chicken is the boss of this brood, as well as the only advanced variant among it. The genius chicken, Kohaku, rubbed his hands nastily while facing several clothed baskets that were lined up. Two of the baskets were filled to the brim with eggs. ¡°I¡¯ll take today¡¯s eggs then. I¡¯ll bring you your food after I¡¯ve checked the goods.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡¡We¡¯ll wait in front of the feeding box as usual.¡± [Kohaku] Not a hint of that oppressive aura from when we first met could be seen as I took away the basket of eggs. After the chickens, the next living space I went to was the slimes¡¯. I had the big cleaner slime clean the eggs and made sure that there were no cracked eggs. I had prepared several clothed baskets for the chickens, but they only used two and filled them to the brim. It seems the clever chicken don¡¯t really care about the eggs they lay. Of course, these are all unfertilized eggs that won¡¯t turn into chicks, but I still think they¡¯re being too rough with how they handle them. As the big cleaner slime extended its body like a tentacle and brought the eggs inside it one after another, I turned to the baskets that were lined up on the other side and sighed. My relationship with the clever chickens is purely business now, so the situation has calmed down a lot, but it was really bad at first when I tried to treat them as friends. The employee of the Saionji Company tasked with taking care of the clever chickens knew about the original contract of the previous owner. The previous owner was a professional poultry farmer, and I agreed to continue the terms he had promised the clever chickens. The clever chickens were fine with that, but their living space became an issue. I had brought them back home with me to the mines and tried to negotiate where they would be pasturing, but it turned out that forming a contract with every chicken, so that we could understand each other wasn¡¯t the wisest course of action, as they just ended up demanding one thing after another. They were very picky. In the end, it was agreed upon that they would be staying inside my ¡®Dimension Home¡¯ for the time being. As for why, apparently it¡¯s because it¡¯s too cold because of the winter. It turns out that they¡¯d much rather live a carefree life inside the Dimension Home, where it¡¯s warm, than be able to go out and eat earthworms or other bugs when it¡¯s so cold. And besides, it wasn¡¯t as if they wouldn¡¯t be able to eat when I¡¯m here to keep them fed. Chapter 189.2 - Breakfast of the Fishing Village and Souvenir (2/3) Chapter 189: Breakfast of the Fishing Village and Souvenir (2/3) They also demanded other stuff and told me things like ¡®You should go somewhere warm and then let us out there¡¯ and ¡®You can be the migratory bird in our place and move around the world according to the seasons¡¯, but I rejected them. After that their life in the Dimension Home has been going well, but they weren¡¯t happy that the rimel birds and the slimes were also living in the Dimension Home. They were also unhappy with the difference in living space. The hierarchy is currently like this: Me > Rimel Bird > Slimes > Kohaku (Leader) > Them But I had to put a lot of effort just to get things to this point. Especially getting them to acknowledge the slimes. I can¡¯t even remember anymore how many times a wave of slimes had to wash them away. For some reason, though, they didn¡¯t really want to pick a fight with the rimel birds. Maybe they have some kind of complex with birds that can fly? Even though it took so long just to get them to see the slimes as ¡®monsters that don¡¯t taste good¡¯. In the end, a sticky slime had to appear as a representative for the slimes and fight a one on one duel with a representative from the clever chickens. After that the chickens finally shut up. If that still wasn¡¯t enough, I would have had to put them into jail or turn them into food. The chicken that got beaten up was lively enough to ask for a day off ¨C in their case, a day off means they won¡¯t have to lay eggs ¨C so after thoroughly healing him with my healing magic, I refused his request. Honestly, I really respect that chick that¡¯s only been born for a few months and rely on him a lot. I¡¯m sorry for the clever chickens, but as a monster tamer, even if we have really good compatibility ability-wise, our personalities just don¡¯t match. We can understand each other, but it¡¯s not that clear. I asked the branch head of the tamer guild about this, and apparently, it¡¯s normal for tamers to worry about understanding their familiars and forming relationships. If anything, people like me who haven¡¯t had any problems understanding and communicating with his familiars are the weird ones. That¡¯s why many normal monster tamers make use of the carrot and stick method to try and teach their familiars. Kind of like how one would teach a normal animal. But when you think about it, it only makes sense. After all, monsters are living creatures too. Until now I¡¯ve always been highly compatible with my familiars. Moreover, my familiars are limited to the intelligent rimel birds and the slimes, which are said to be perfect for beginners, so it¡¯s no wonder that I¡¯ve never had any problems communicating with them. If I take it as a learning experience, the clever chickens being so difficult to handle isn¡¯t such a bad thing. Besides, Kohaku is around to act as a mediator, and the merit of being able to get eggs five times a week is huge. There are also poison and acid slimes that have shown interest toward the eggs¡­ Huh? The big cleaner slime is touching my legs. Looks like it finished cleaning while I was thinking to myself. ¡°Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] Out of the 60 eggs I got, there are 52 left. That means there were 8 that cracked. After confirming the numbers, I used Identify on the remaining eggs. Looks like everything is safe to eat. I gave the cracked eggs to the slimes that showed interest to the eggs, while I took the uncracked eggs away for myself. Before leaving, I put some food in the feeding box of the clever chickens. ¡°Thanks. How was it?¡± [Kohaku] ¡°Out of the 60 you gave me, there were 8 that was cracked.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Achaa¡­ Looks like piling them up like that was a bad idea, after all.¡± [Kohaku] ¡°Well, it¡¯s a lot better compared to when we first started.¡± [Ryouma] According to my contract with the clever chickens, I am to receive 60 eggs five days a week. There are 20 adults within the brood that can lay eggs, so that means each adult will have to lay at least three eggs. ¡°It¡¯s fine if we look at the handling of from a long-term perspective, but please make sure to take care of the sanitation and the chicks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The scavenger slime senpais have been cleaning our nests everyday, while the cleaner slime senpais have been giving us a bath. None of the chickens have complained too. Of course, I wouldn¡¯t have allowed them to complain anyway. Don¡¯t worry about the chicks. I¡¯ll make sure to teach them well.¡± [Kohaku] The sanitation I¡¯m talking about is mostly about maintaining the environment inside the Dimension Home and preventing diseases. The rimel bird are also doing it. As for the education of the chicks, that¡¯s aimed toward the next generation. The old clever chickens can¡¯t be helped anymore, but the chicks around Kohaku¡¯s age still have a future. They¡¯re selfish too, but they¡¯re still a lot better than the adults. For better or for worse, they¡¯re still in that state where they don¡¯t really understand what¡¯s going on. Depending on how they¡¯re raised, they still have a chance. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you then. I¡¯ll help out as much as I can too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll educate them thoroughly. This will benefit me too, after all, since I want more allies too.¡± [Kohaku] There was a resolve burning within Kohaku¡¯s eyes. After parting with him, I left the Dimension Home, and came back to the kitchen with fresh eggs for breakfast. After a while, breakfast was ready. For the first dish of today¡¯s menu we have mustard soup. That¡¯s the same dish we had last night. Mustard soup is treated in this region like miso soup, so for today¡¯s soup¡¯s ingredients, we¡¯re using the leftover crab from yesterday and the eggs I brought. Another dish we¡¯re having is the usuyaki bread made from Kotsubuyarikusa. A dish that I ate a lot of when I lived back at the forest. We also have some pickled vegetables that resemble pickled daikon radish. Mornings at the fishing village start early. Because of that breakfasts here are usually made up of something that can be easily prepared plus another dish that can fill the stomach. ¡°Oh!¡¡Today¡¯s breakfast sure looks extravagant.¡± [Kai] ¡°Where did the bird eggs come from?¡± [Kei] ¡°Ryouma-kun brought it as a souvenir for us. He says he¡¯s raising chickens using dimension magic.¡± [Mother] ¡°He even helped out with today¡¯s breakfast. You boys could learn a thing or two from him, you know?¡± [Mei] Kai-san and the others who have just woken up ignored their older sisters¡¯ words and stared at the soup with twinkling eyes. Looks like they like it. As the one who gifted it to them, that makes me really happy. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± [Hoi] ¡°?¡¡Ah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± [Ryouma] The dad muttered a ¡®thank you¡¯ quietly. Our eyes met, so I realized that he was thanking me. He didn¡¯t say anything more and quietly started eating after picking up his plate. Does he have low blood pressure? He¡¯s acting completely differently compared to yesterday. ¡°Sorry about that. My husband isn¡¯t very talkative without liquor. He¡¯s the kind of guy who just says one word when he needs something.¡± [Mother] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like I heard about it yesterday, but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad. ¡°He¡¯s not angry, so don¡¯t mind him. You eat too, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Mother] As the mother of the house said that, she got some kotsubuyarikusa bread and placed it over her plate. The dad started eating, so Kai-san and the others started eating too. Well, in that case, I might as well dig in. ¡­Yep. Delicious. The kotsubuyarikusa bread has a peculiar taste, but after soaking it in the mustard soup, it¡¯s not noticeable at all. If anything it¡¯s served to only add a nice accent. But I wonder why¡­ This soup seems to be really nostalgic. It¡¯s almost as if I¡¯m about to remember something just from eating it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re making an odd face. Do you not like the food?¡± [Mother] Oops, the mother is looking at me anxiously. ¡°I was just thinking about something. I feel like I¡¯ve eaten this soup somewhere before, but I just can¡¯t remember where.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why.¡± [Mother] The mother sighed in relief. Fortunately that cleared up the misunderstanding. There¡¯s not much time, so I better leave the thinking for later and just finish eating quickly. Everyone eats quickly too anyway, and I have to fight the mud salamanders today. I need to prepare myself thoroughly! Chapter 189.3 - Breakfast of the Fishing Village and Souvenir After a while, breakfast was ready. For the first dish of today¡¯s menu we have mustard soup. That¡¯s the same dish we had last night. Mustard soup is treated in this region like miso soup, so for today¡¯s soup¡¯s ingredients, we¡¯re using the leftover crab from yesterday and the eggs I brought. Another dish we¡¯re having is the usuyaki bread made from Kotsubuyarikusa. A dish that I ate a lot of when I lived back at the forest. We also have some pickled vegetables that resemble pickled daikon radish. Mornings at the fishing village start early. Because of that breakfasts here are usually made up of something that can be easily prepared plus another dish that can fill the stomach. ¡°Oh!¡¡Today¡¯s breakfast sure looks extravagant.¡± [Kai] ¡°Where did the bird eggs come from?¡± [Kei] ¡°Ryouma-kun brought it as a souvenir for us. He says he¡¯s raising chickens using dimension magic.¡± [Mother] ¡°He even helped out with today¡¯s breakfast. You boys could learn a thing or two from him, you know?¡± [Mei] Kai-san and the others who have just woken up ignored their older sisters¡¯ words and stared at the soup with twinkling eyes. Looks like they like it. As the one who gifted it to them, that makes me really happy. ¡°Thank you¡­¡± [Hoi] ¡°?¡¡Ah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± [Ryouma] The dad muttered a ¡®thank you¡¯ quietly. Our eyes met, so I realized that he was thanking me. He didn¡¯t say anything more and quietly started eating after picking up his plate. Does he have low blood pressure? He¡¯s acting completely differently compared to yesterday. ¡°Sorry about that. My husband isn¡¯t very talkative without liquor. He¡¯s the kind of guy who just says one word when he needs something.¡± [Mother] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I feel like I heard about it yesterday, but I didn¡¯t think it was this bad. ¡°He¡¯s not angry, so don¡¯t mind him. You eat too, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Mother] As the mother of the house said that, she got some kotsubuyarikusa bread and placed it over her plate. The dad started eating, so Kai-san and the others started eating too. Well, in that case, I might as well dig in. ¡­Yep. Delicious. The kotsubuyarikusa bread has a peculiar taste, but after soaking it in the mustard soup, it¡¯s not noticeable at all. If anything it¡¯s served to only add a nice accent. But I wonder why¡­ This soup seems to be really nostalgic. It¡¯s almost as if I¡¯m about to remember something just from eating it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter? You¡¯re making an odd face. Do you not like the food?¡± [Mother] Oops, the mother is looking at me anxiously. ¡°I was just thinking about something. I feel like I¡¯ve eaten this soup somewhere before, but I just can¡¯t remember where.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why.¡± [Mother] The mother sighed in relief. Fortunately that cleared up the misunderstanding. There¡¯s not much time, so I better leave the thinking for later and just finish eating quickly. Everyone eats quickly too anyway, and I have to fight the mud salamanders today. I need to prepare myself thoroughly! Chapter 190.1 - Mud Salamander Hunt After breakfast I left the house. It was still dark outside and there was a faint mist too, so it was a little hard to see. Still, it wasn¡¯t as if I couldn¡¯t see the path at all, and I¡¯ve already been told the way beforehand. And besides, Kai-san and Kei-san are both with me, so there¡¯s no way I could get lost. I sway my arms, raise my legs up high, and make sure to keep myself warm as I slowly make my way toward my destination. By the way, the dad finished eating sooner than anyone else and was the first to leave. ¡°Hey.¡± [Kai] ¡°Usu.¡± [Kei] ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] As we approached the lake, more and more people about to work appeared. Before long we arrived at our destination, the beach. ¡°Ohh¡­¡± [Ryouma] At the beach were hundreds of strong muscular men. They had split into two groups and were eagerly watching the lake. Near those two groups were fire baskets that seemed like they were meant to serve in place of a lighthouse. There was also boatlight over the lake. Several small lights could be seen in a line. There were also camp fires and piles of firewood on the beach. There were about 8 of them. People could be seen waiting by those with a spear, no, a harpoon at hand. The burning flames reflected upon the dim lake and the contour of the light blurred by the mist painted a dreamlike image. The boats communicated with each other using flutes and drums. The whole thing looked like a festival of sort. ¡°Ryouma, over here. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Kai] ¡°Yes!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s beautiful, but I don¡¯t have the time to gaze at the view. I need to greet the people organizing the adventurers and report my arrival, then I need to rendezvous with the people from the Wharf of Shikumu. Apparently, the Mud Salamander subjugation is done in teams, so I¡¯ll have to team up with them. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning.¡± [Shin] ¡°Oh. You sure are lively so early in the morning.¡± [Sein] ¡°Let¡¯s get along¡­¡± [Peiron] Shin-san, Sein-san, Peiron-san had already arrived ahead of time, so with our arrival, that makes all of us. There was still some time until the hunt would begin. ¡°By the way, if you guys don¡¯t mind, can you teach me a little about how to hunt the mud salamanders?¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve studied the basics and I also learned about the subjugation methods from the senpai adventurers yesterday, but there are experienced people here, so if they know something useful, it would be best to know. Chapter 190.2 - Mud Salamander Hunt Chapter 190: Mud Salamander Hunt (2/3) ¡°I think it will be faster if you see them for yourself, but the mud salamanders are big and black and they come in swarms.¡± [Kai] The one who said that was Kai-san. Uh-oh, when he puts it that way, the only thing that comes to mind is the Big G. (Big G = Gokiburi or cockroach) ¡°The people here are in the middle of fishing and the fishes will be gathered here, so protecting the fishes will take priority over hunting the mud salamanders. Just as my older brother says, there¡¯s a lot of mud salamanders here at our village, so we¡¯ll have to take care of them in turns. There are veteran adventurers who take on this job yearly, so I think you¡¯ll be fine if you just watch how they do things and copy how we villagers do things. Just know that even with the shift system, you will still be fighting against monsters until afternoon, so you better pace yourself or you¡¯ll tire yourself out quickly.¡± [Kei] Kei-san added. I see, so stamina and pacing are important. ¡°On top of that¡­ A monster called ¡®Pocket Eagle¡¯ will also be attacking from the sky from time to time, so you better keep an eye out for that too.¡± [Shin] ¡°Ah, those guys will try to steal the fishes when the adventurers and the mud salamanders are fighting, so in a sense, they¡¯re more annoying than the mud salamanders.¡± [Sein] This is new information. According to Shin-san and Sein-san, the pocket eagles are the kind of monsters that profit while others fight. They¡¯ll attack while we¡¯re fighting and from a high altitude where they can¡¯t be seen too, so it¡¯ll be hard to deal with them. ¡­They¡¯ll be attacking from the air, so it might be a good idea to get the rimel birds to keep watch. From the sound of things, it sounds like they¡¯re the sort to attack alone and it seems like they¡¯re more cunning than strong, so having one take on many is probably a safe bet.¡¡For the meantime, I¡¯ll see how things go and then try suggesting something. While I was thinking that to myself, someone clapped me on the shoulders. ¡°Peiron-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Look at that.¡± [Peiron] As he said that, I turned toward the direction he pointed. There I saw several men stark naked despite the cold weather. The order of the hunting teams started from the ones standing closest to the fire baskets, so they¡¯re probably the first team. When I looked at the lake, a number of fishing boats had come back in a half-circle formation. Looks like the hunt is about to begin. But is it really a good idea to hunt monsters in your birthday suit? ¡°The mud salamanders attack either by ramming their body or by biting¡­ Depending on your physique, at most you¡¯ll just end up with a couple of broken bones. The real problem is being dragged into the water. In other words, the bigger issue is being drowned. That¡¯s why there are people who would rather fight naked to make it easier to fight in water rather than wear armor to try and minimize damage.¡± [Peiron] ¡°There was no need to go out of their way and be naked, though. That¡¯s pretty stupid even for some fishermen youth.¡± [Kai] ¡°If they wanted to take off their clothes, then just the lower part would have been fine. The water will only reach up to the knees since we won¡¯t go deep enough for the water to reach the waste.¡± [Kei] In that case, I should probably put on my cleaning uniform, the boiler suit and the waterproof boots. ¡°Make sure to remember to warm yourself up too. Otherwise, you won¡¯t be able to maintain your strength.¡± [Sein] I prepared myself and gathered information like this, and then five minutes later, several boats made it to the beach. The fishermen quickly bustled about and started pulling on the two ropes that extended into the water. ¡°Yo!¡¡Hey!¡¡Yo!¡¡Hey!¡± Is that a beach seine? As the men called out in a peculiar way, they pulled on the ropes and steadily stepped back. Violent irregular waves started rippling over the surface of the water, and before long the end of the net appeared. It was at that moment that one of the boats floating over the lake raised up its light and started swaying it in a circle. ¡°They¡¯re here!!¡¡The fish grubbers are here!!!¡± [Older Man] ¡°Ohhh!!!!¡± An older man, who appeared to be a veteran, cried out followed by the fishermen on the beach. Several shadows approached the boat waving the light. Thanks to the light coming from the boat, the ripples rippling over the surface of the water could easily be seen. ¡°Go!!¡± [Fisherman 1] ¡°Don¡¯t let them through!!¡± [Fisherman 2] The fishermen atop the boats took their staffs and harpoons and started attacking where the waters were rippling. At first it was just the boat waving its light, but it soon spread to the rest of the boats floating in that half-moon formation. A number of mud salamanders quickly made their way up the boats, while the others were killed off. Meanwhile, the fishermen by the beach pulled on the ropes even harder, hoping to get the net and the fishes even a moment sooner. And then the fisherman atop the boats that weren¡¯t pulling on the ropes took their harpoons and assumed a charging formation¡­ ¡°Huh. Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s actually much room for the adventurers to help out. It¡¯s not just because the fishermen are fighting first. Those fishermen atop those boats are really strong.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 190.3 - Mud Salamander Hunt ¡°You got that right, boy! We fishermen don¡¯t know much about the monsters on the land, but when it comes to monsters from the sea, we fight them everyday!¡± [Fisherman 1] ¡°There are also times when we have to fight with a monster beast over a catch too. After all, monster beasts eye fishes too.¡± [Fisherman 2] ¡°Adventurers may be strong on land, but when it comes to fighting in waters and on boats, we fishermen are the strongest!¡± [Fisherman 3] A few of the fishermen warming themselves at a nearby fire overheard me muttering to myself and enthusiastically laughed. I see¡­ So the fishermen of this world fight monsters too. While I was thinking that, I noticed that some mud salamander managed to slip past the boats. At that, the naked fishermen from before excitedly bolted off. The mud salamanders rippling in the lake had set their sights on the net the fishermen were using to catch the fishes, but the fishermen already knew that they would do that, so the naked fishermen went a step ahead of them and waited in the opposite direction. When one of the mud salamanders was about to make it, a harpoon struck out from the side along with a loud cry. ¡°Oo!¡± [Naked Fisherman 1] ¡°The first one for the day sure is big!¡± [Naked Fisherman 2] ¡°It¡¯s too much for one person!¡¡We need help!!¡± [Naked Fisherman 3] The mud salamander that was struck with the harpoon struggled violently and broke out of the water. Because of that its body that has been hidden all of this time was suddenly revealed. It was no less than 5 meters long and was just like a giant salamander. It had webbed feet like lizards and tadpoles too. The three naked fishermen stabbed it with their harpoon and dragged it up the beach. When that giant body had been completely brought onto the land, the people cheered. ¡°Mud Salamanders won¡¯t die just from being on land, but it¡¯s a lot harder for them to move compared to when they¡¯re in water. What¡¯s more is that with them on land, there¡¯s no threat of being drowned. So it¡¯s good practice to drag them to land first and then slowly finish them off.¡± [Kei] Kei-san explained while we watched the naked fishermen fight the mud salamander. After hearing his explanation, I visualized myself doing the same thing. Before long it was our time to fight. ¡°Alright. Ryouma, you give it a try!¡¡Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll help you if it doesn¡¯t work out.¡± [Kai] ¡°Okay!¡¡¡­Let¡¯s go!¡± [Ryouma] We were currently standing on the right side of the net, and it just so happened that there was one mud salamander that managed to get past through the right side. I held the harpoon like a spear and clad it with ki, then I ran toward the monster in front of me. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] The water of the lake was freezing, but thanks to the boiler suit I was wearing, the cold couldn¡¯t penetrate me. I ignored the cold and waited where the water was shallow enough that it could only reach my knees. I looked for an opening, and then struck out with the harpoon. The end of the harpoon buried itself deep into the mud salamander. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] Naturally, the mud salamander went berserk. It was about 3 meters long, but I held tightly onto the harpoon that was being thrown around with all of its weight. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m in the water, and with the body of a child no less. If I¡¯m not careful, I could very well be thrown around myself. I don¡¯t have much of a footing too, so if I move thoughtlessly, I¡¯ll easily be swept away by the water. With that in mind, I bent my knees, buried my feet into the ground to cover the entire sole, and then focused my mind to support my body. ¡°SOooooI!!¡± And then in one quick stroke, I pulled the mud salamander onto shore!! ¡°Alright!¡¡You did it!¡± [Sein] ¡°Just hold it down now!¡± [Kei] Sein-san and Kei-san ran toward me without a moment¡¯s delay, and then with the strike of their harpoons¡¯ handles, the mud salamander that had been dragged into the beach was killed. At the same time, Kai-san ran past me and attacked the mud salamander trailing behind. It¡¯s my first kill, but there¡¯s no time to be happy. I quickly carried the dead mud salamander to the designated position and left it there. And then as Kai-san pulled the mud salamander he attacked onto shore, Sein-san went into the lake. Like this the six of us split into two groups and took turns catching and killing the mud salamanders. Although we had breaks in between, having to run into shallow water from the beach, and then drag a mud salamander to shore while struggling with it in water, and then repeat the whole process¡­ Well, alright, maybe 10 or 20 times isn¡¯t really anything to write home about, but considering we¡¯re going to be doing this until afternoon, I think I can really work up a sweat here! Tl Note: Short by 50 words or so from the standard release, so next releas will be a little longer. Chapter 191.1 - Village Lunch When it comes to hunting mud salamanders, what¡¯s most important is the stamina to repeat the hunting process. Well, stamina being important is something that¡¯s fairly obvious, but the hunting process isn¡¯t actually so simple that it could be just repeated until the end like that. After the net was pulled up, the fish were to be transferred to the baskets. We had to make sure that the mud salamanders wouldn¡¯t be able to get past us while they were transferring the fish. And then when the baskets had been filled with fish, they were then to be moved to a processing plant or another boat to be delivered to a different city. Mud salamanders will appear to attack there too, so if needed, we could go there to help support and defend as well. After the boat left and the fishes were all brought to the processing plant, the target of the mud salamanders was cut down to just one, and the battle turned into an all-out war between our forces and the mud salamanders. The mud salamander hunt takes place while the fishermen are fishing, so we have to be flexible and respond according to how the fishermen are doing. Our actions will also depend on how many mud salamanders there are. There were some irregularities in the fierceness of the mud salamanders¡¯ attacks, but just as I¡¯ve been told, they attacked until the sun was high up in the sky. Many mountains of corpses littered the pretty beach, but what¡¯s really surprising to me here is that this battle is meant to continue for a few more days. ¡°Alright, time for the next phase. Let¡¯s gather these corpses and prepare to withdraw!¡± [Adventurer] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Adventurers] When the male adventurer in charge of organizing everyone said that, life returned to the voice of the adventurers that were indifferently hunting the mud salamanders. As we renewed our spirits to complete this one last job, we started gathering the corpses, and before long, our work for the day concluded. ¡°Yo. Good work out there.¡± [Kai] ¡°Kai-san, and everyone too. You all did a great job out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You did really well, Ryouma-kun~¡± [Kei] ¡°Looks like today¡¯s work finished without a hitch too.¡± [Shin] ¡°I think Ryouma-kun has gotten the hang of it now. Usually, people either runs out of gas midway or work themselves too hard.¡± [Sein] ¡°You sure have a lot of stamina for your age¡­¡± [Peiron] ¡°Well, it¡¯s the only thing I¡¯m confident in, so I better.¡± [Ryouma] The members of the Wharf of Shikumu have all gathered. I wonder what they¡¯re going to be doing now? ¡°Us?¡¡Well for the meantime, we¡¯ll rest up and have lunch or something.¡± [Sein] ¡°Now that you mention it, our morning started really early, so now seems to be a good time to eat.¡± [Ryouma] When Sein-san mentioned it, I realized it was indeed a about time for lunch. ¡°We can think about what to do afterwards while eating, so let¡¯s eat first.¡± [Shin] I agreed with the opinion of the leader, Shin-san. At first, I thought we would be going to drop by someone¡¯s house, but instead we went to the fish processing plant that we were protecting until just a while ago. ¡°Aneki, give us a meal for six.¡± [Kai] ¡°On it!¡¡You boys take a seat now!¡± [Mei] When we opened the door and went inside, a lively voice replied. ¡°Huh, Mei-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Neesan, or more specifically, most of the womenfolk of the village work here.¡± [Kai} ¡°There¡¯s still work to be done in the plant in the afternoon, after all. Having to go all the way back home just to get some grub is a hassle, so might as well just have all the food prepared in one place. Because of that fishermen and their families usually have lunch here.¡± [Kei] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Just as he said, there were already a lot of men eating here. We found a free table and sat ourselves around it, and after a while, Mei-san along with two children my age served us food. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡¡Today¡¯s menu is a delicious vegetable soup!¡± [Mei] ¡°Ooh, vegetable! That¡¯s unusual.¡± [Kai] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yeah.¡± [Mei] ?¡¡Why are the boys who brought the food over looking in my direction? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Mei] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯re probably just curious because I¡¯m a child from outside the village. But enough of that, I better eat this soup before it gets cold. Today¡¯s lunch is vegetable soup and bread. The soup has a lot of big ingredients added into it. It looks delicious. ¡°Itadakimasu.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Yep It¡¯s delicious, alright. They added radish, burdock, lotus root and mustard flavor. Ever since coming to this town the food has been really nostalgic. ¡°Fuu¡­ This really warms one up, doesn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You said it. I see you participated in the hunt. Good job out there.¡± [Fisherman 1] ¡°Ah. Likewise.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, hey. It¡¯s that kid that ran around a lot. Make sure to eat your fill.¡± [Fisherman 2] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The people that passed by called out to me. Maybe they¡¯re just recognizing me since we just finished a job, but either way, the people here are a lot friendlier than those from the main cities. The relationship between fellow villagers is basically like that of a family. When that intimacy is coupled with this delicious food, I feel as if I¡¯m being wrapped by a very warm atmosphere. Cities and villages have their respective problems, but it might not be a bad idea to retire in a village like this when I¡¯m old. While I thought that to myself, I ate the food with great relish. Before long it was time to talk about our next plans. ¡°Ryouma-kun, is there something you want to do after this?¡± [Mei] ¡°Something I want to do? In that case, I¡¯d like to prepare for the hunts in the coming days.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 191.2 - Village Lunch (2/2) Chapter 191: Village Lunch (2/2) I want to use the experience I gained from fighting the mud salamanders this morning to allow my familiars to join the battle without them getting in the way. ¡°The first thing I thought of when I joined the mud salmander hunt for the first time today is that there¡¯s way more of them than I expected. We somehow managed to deal with all of the ones within our area of responsibility, but there were teams that couldn¡¯t completely defend their areas, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± [Kai] ¡°This time it was another team that failed to hold an area, but we very well could find ourselves in a similar situation where there are simply too many enemies to deal with, so I was thinking that we ought to think of a more efficient way of fighting. Efficient enough so that even if a lot of mud salamander attack us at the same time, we¡¯ll be able to deal with them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it¡¯s fine.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Yeah. I agree.¡± [Kei] ¡°No complaints here.¡± [Shin] ¡°Same.¡± [Sein] ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll be helping Ryouma-kun then.¡± [Kai] Well, that was easy. Is it really okay for them to agree just like that? At the company I worked at before, when the topic of how a certain new job is done, even if it¡¯s a necessary change, they¡¯ll refuse it, saying, ¡®this is how we¡¯ve done things until now.¡¯ What¡¯s worse is that the very suggestion to do things differently will incur one the ire of other employees. They¡¯ll say stuff like, ¡®And what about us who¡¯ve been doing this inefficient work all this time?¡¯ or ¡®Since we didn¡¯t try to improve it when it could be improved, are you trying to insinuate that we¡¯re incompetent?¡¯ or ¡®You¡¯re out of line.¡¯ But of course, those are extreme examples¡­ Anyway, people are generally resistant to doing things differently. They would much rather just continue doing what they¡¯ve used to. Because of that I was thinking that these guys would be more against my proposition, but somehow they were quick to accept. I asked them why, and everyone made a wry smile and looked at each other. Shin-san was the one to answer my question. ¡°Actually, The way we did it this morning is just how the fishermen do it. People like us that are from around here do things similarly, but the adventurers all have their own way of doing things. All that really matters is that they¡¯re able to accomplish what¡¯s asked of them. We don¡¯t mind you doing things your own way either since it¡¯ll also be a learning experience for us to see how an adventurer from elsewhere does things. A senpai from before told me that preparing beforehand and studying everyday ¨C doing basic stuff like that and grinding away everyday is really important. It¡¯s embarrassing to admit, but I didn¡¯t really understand that advice until just recently when we got back from our trip after we met you.¡± [Shin] Because of their lack of preparations, they suffered on that long journey for nothing. Although it was thanks to them that I was able to get my hands on a bloody slime, it seems they¡¯ve reflected on their actions since then. In any case, I¡¯m glad that they¡¯re open-minded enough to hear me out without harboring any grudges. ¡°Alright, I hope you don¡¯t mind, but I have some more questions I¡¯d like to ask. Today, I noticed that there weren¡¯t any mages fighting the mud salamanders. Is magic prohibited?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. We just don¡¯t have any mages out here in the countryside. And adventurer mages wouldn¡¯t bother going to a town like this either. If anything, they¡¯re more likely to defend a bigger town.¡± [Sein] ¡°And there¡¯s also just too many mud salmanders. With that many you¡¯re bound to run out of mana, right?¡¡Of course, the reward is pretty good, but if you have to use mana recovery medicine just to do the job, if you mismanage your mana, you might just find yourself in the red instead.¡± [Kei] ¡°Fire isn¡¯t very effective too and lightning spells might end up hurting friendlies. It would be great to defeat a lot of mud salamanders in one go with a spell, but if the fishes end up running away, that¡¯ll just serve as a hindrance to the fishermen. Poison is out of the question. If you want to use magic, I think you¡¯ll need to be very cautious.¡± [Peiron] Sein-san, Kei-san, and Peiron-san were the ones to answer my question this time. Although I have to pay attention to the things that they mentioned, in the end, they still gave me the go for magic. Like this I asked them the questions I had in mind while eating. Afterwards, I started thinking about how I could use my familiars (mostly slimes) in the upcoming hunts. Chapter 192 - Ryouma’s Sales Pitch Chapter 192: Ryouma¡¯s Sales Pitch After lunch. The mud salamander hunt ended and the beach that the people should have already been empty suddenly saw people gathering in it again. Among the faces were young children and elderly people whom I didn¡¯t see this morning. The reason for their presence is undoubtedly the 1000 poison and sticky slimes by my feet. The exhausted members of the Wharf of Shikumu are beside me too. ¡°What do you think?¡¡My slimes are pretty good, aren¡¯t they?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°S-Sure¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°Are these things really slimes!?¡± [Kai] ¡°They don¡¯t move like the slimes I know¡­¡± [Sein] ¡°You said it.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Aren¡¯t slimes supposed to be duller? You know, monsters that would be crushed with a little hit? I mean in the first place, they¡¯re not supposed to be wielding weapons.¡± [Kei] Shin-san, Kai-san, Sein-san, Peiron-san, Kei-san voiced out their doubts, but there was no mistaking the fact that what was before them were slimes. ¡°They ended up like this after I taught them some things.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You teach them a little and they end up like this?¡± [Shin] ¡°They¡¯re way stronger than I expected. Who could¡¯ve ever thought that slimes would take up spears and move at command?¡± [Kei] ¡°What¡¯s more is that there¡¯s so many of them.¡± [Sein] ¡°Even if you get rid of one, they¡¯ll just keep coming one after another¡­ Not to mention how they¡¯re so good at dodging attacks to their cores (fatal attacks).¡± [Peiron] ¡°So, how do you plan on using these guys, Ryouma?¡± [Kai] I was waiting for that question, Kai-san! ¡°My slimes might move better than wild slimes, but in the end, their mobility remains to be their weakpoint! As such, I will have them defend the processing plant instead! As you can see, I currently have the slimes arranged into layers of spears as they lay in wait ready to intercept the charge of the mud salamanders! Like this they will reduce their numbers. But that¡¯s not all! I¡¯ve also had the slimes leave an obvious opening for the mud salamanders to take. When the mud salamanders go through this route, the slimes will squeeze them. They might think that they can survive just by passing through, but waiting at the end are none other than the sticky slimes! The slimes may not be especially strong at hitting things, but with the weight and centrifugal force of their staffs, plus their great numbers that allow them to take on one with ten or five of their own, even they can sufficiently take down the enemy! And even if they fail to finish off the enemy, just hitting the mud salamanders should weaken them enough to allow a human to easily finish them off!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Kai] ¡°Somehow it feels like you¡¯ve turned into a different person.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Now that I think about it, you were like this too when we first met.¡± [Kei] ¡°If they ambush the mud salamanders and smack them around together, they might just be able to beat them.¡± [Sein] ¡°Even if they can¡¯t kill them all, just being able to reduce their numbers or reduce their momentum will be plenty!¡± [Shin] It is exactly as Sein-san and Shin-san says. But that¡¯s only in the situation where the slimes are able to successfully lure the mud salamanders into their trap and maintain it. In the case that a line of spears can¡¯t stop a swarm, or the slimes aren¡¯t able to lure them to their trap, or their formation collapses, I have one more trick up my sleeves. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] What I summoned to the beach were my 6 familiar rimel birds and the magic-casting slimes, the earth slime, wind slime, dark slime, light slime, and heal slime. I use magic mostly in my day-to-day life. I don¡¯t use it much in battle, so these guys haven¡¯t had much of an opportunity to shine, but the truth is they have been training diligently everyday. They take their training seriously. Because of that they¡¯re strong enough. ¡°The heal slimes will be healers.. The light slimes will be support. And the remaining ones will provide support fire with their magic when needed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard that monsters that could use magic are either highly ranked or rare. I can¡¯t believe you have so many.¡± [Shin] ¡°What¡¯s more is they¡¯re mostly slimes.¡± [Kai] ¡°Now that it¡¯s reached this level, I have to admire you.¡± [Peiron] Is it just me or did the way they look at me suddenly change? ¡­I still have something to say! ¡°But wait there¡¯s more! Just recently, this dark slime here learned the intermediate spell, Dark Mist!¡± [Ryouma] The offensive magic of the dark slimes are different from the other attributes in that it doesn¡¯t directly inflict damage on the physical body and instead ¡®steals vitality¡¯. The Dark Mist spell takes that darkness that steals vitality and turns it into a mist that spreads into the surroundings. In other words, it can take out several enemies at the same time!¡¡¡­Or at least, that¡¯s what the book said. I read the book during my last stay at the duke¡¯s family. On the book was written that it was edited by the magic guild, so it should be reliable. ¡°It¡¯s just that it hasn¡¯t been long since the dark slimes learned the ability, and there weren¡¯t any good opponents to test it on, so I was never really able to test it. As such, I would like to use this opportunity to experiment with the spell.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That spell won¡¯t hurt us, right?¡± [Shin] ¡°I¡¯ve taken plenty of considerations regarding that point. If the spell is casted at the front-most lines, there should be no human casualties. Moreover, the area of effect should only be able to fit about 5 to 6 people, so if anything it might actually take more effort on our end to get the spell to hit the mud salamanders efficiently.¡± [Ryouma] The poison slimes and sticky slimes that use spears and staffs. There¡¯s magic support too, so they shouldn¡¯t get in the way of work. ¡°And then¡­¡± [Ryouma] If I also add the metal and iron slimes that can use High-Speed Movement, my plan will be flawless¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s what I would like to say, but unfortunately, the weight of the metal slimes are ill-matched with the sand. The metal and iron slimes move by transforming a part of their rear a little and spinning vigorously as if they mean to jump. I knew that the footing here in the beach wasn¡¯t good, but it was worse than expected, and the slimes just couldn¡¯t seem to move in a straight line. But maybe the metal and iron slimes themselves are the ones who are regretting this the most, as they¡¯ve started running on the sand in their own way.¡¡Unfortunately, even after explaining my poison slimes, sticky slimes, and magic slimes in order, they¡¯ve still only just familiarized themselves a little with the sand. That¡¯s not a level where they can fight. It might be because they¡¯ve always participated in my battles as my ¡®weapon¡¯,¡¡so when I told them they couldn¡¯t join this time, they became unhappy. I wonder if there isn¡¯t some way I could get them to fight? Hmm¡­ Maybe they should just turn into a barricade or something. ¡°Hey.¡± [Shin] ¡°This time he¡¯s deep in thought.¡± [Kai] ¡°He¡¯s a diligent and nice kid, but he¡¯s pretty weird, huh.¡± [Peiron] ¡°¡­A lot of villagers have gathered.¡± [Kei] ¡°Ryouma-kun is like this too. We better go to them and explain the situation.¡± [Sein] After this I found out that the villagers that had gathered labeled me as a ¡®slime-loving weirdo¡¯. I don¡¯t understand¡­ Chapter 193.1 - A Short Break (1/3) Chapter 193: A Short Break (1/3) Due to my slime experiment being seen by the villagers, I ended up labeled as a Slime-Loving Weirdo in the village. Word spread quickly, and whenever I passed by people on the way back home they would call out to me with names like ¡®slime kid¡¯ or ¡®slime-kun¡¯. I don¡¯t particularly hate the name, but I just can¡¯t come to terms with it. ¡°I won¡¯t deny my love for slimes, but why do I have to be labeled as a weirdo? I¡¯m sure more people would be interested in slimes if they just knew their abilities. Personally, the more I learn about the slimes, the more interesting they become. Let¡¯s take the poison slimes as an example. Most people just see them as simple creatures that release poison, but just as I¡¯ve shown today, they can fight perfectly fine without poison through the employ of spears. Slimes are such useful creatures depending on the variant. Why don¡¯t people get it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure a normal poison slime only knows poison.¡± [Kai] ¡°That¡¯s exactly why slimes have potential. ¡­If you still don¡¯t get it, then maybe I just don¡¯t have any talent in presenting things to people.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t get it either, but I¡¯m pretty sure that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with it.¡± [Kai] ¡°In any case, most of the villagers now know your plans. Thanks to that we won¡¯t have to go out of our way to tell them about it and get permission.¡± [Kei] That¡¯s true. Reporting, communicating, and consulting are important in all things. It¡¯s not just because I¡¯m having my familiars join the fray. Any new plan that involves the subjugation of the mud salamander require permission from the leader of the adventurers and the villagers to prevent chaos from spreading out in the fields. Normally, we would have had to start with the leader of the adventurers and a representative of the fishermen, then go to various places to explain things, but thanks to so many people gathering earlier, we were able to get through the explaining and approval process without a hitch. Other than reminding me not to let the poison slimes use poison, they didn¡¯t say anything else and agreed to let me, my slimes, and the members of the Wharf of Shikumu to defend the processing plant and its surroundings for a day. If we do a good job tomorrow, the other adventurers won¡¯t have to bother with the processing plant anymore. That is to say that the adventurers will have less ground to cover, so they¡¯ll be able to focus more on defending the fishes. ¡°Hmm?¡± [Peiron] As we were talking while walking, Peiron-san suddenly stopped. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Sein] ¡°Someone is calling me.¡± [Peiron] Peiron-san briefly replied to Sein-san¡¯s question as he turned to the path we came from. I followed his gaze and turned around, and¡­ Who¡¯s that?¡¡There, a boy was noisily running towards us. From his appearance, he looked like he could fit in the lower grades of primary school. ¡°Hah?¡¡Isn¡¯t that Niki?¡± [Peiron] ¡°Wait!¡¡Slime oniisan!¡± [Niki] ¡°Huh? He has business with me?¡± [Ryouma] The village boy that was supposedly named Niki called out to me, but I didn¡¯t have an inkling as to why. Despite that I casually walked toward him. ¡°Ah!¡± [Shin] ¡°Be careful, Ryouma-kun!¡± [Kei] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡ª!¡¡I¡¯m giving this to you!¡± [Niki] As soon as my attention was taken by Shin-san and Kei-san¡¯s warning, the boy threw something at me. It drew a parabola in the air as it came flying at me. It was small, round, and green. Based on its ball-shaped body that was dirtied with mud and the eight legs in the air, it seemed to be some kind of octopus. ¡°Oh, uwaah!?¡¯¡± [Ryouma] When I received that octopus that came flying out of nowhere, it suddenly spat ink at me. ¡°Acha, we were too late¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°Are you okay?¡± [Kei] ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t hurt or anything.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡¡Niki!¡± [Kai] ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise not to play pranks on people from outside!?¡± [Sein] When the boy saw me covered in ink, he ran away as fast as he could. ¡°Ahh!¡± [???] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] Then out of the blue someone cried out. Just when I was wondering what it was this time, I noticed that a grandma was looking at me from the corner of the street. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s grandma. Were you chasing after Niki?¡± [Kai] ¡°I knew it!¡¡Little Kai, that kid was here, wasn¡¯t he?¡¡Sorry about your clothes, boy.¡± [Grandma] The grandma was apologetic, but I told her it was no big deal, and opened my dimension home. I summoned a cleaner slime I was familiar with and had it suck the ink out of my body and clothes. ¡°Wow¡­ That¡¯s mighty convenient.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Oh yeah, you operated a laundromat, didn¡¯t you?¡± [Sein] ¡°I forgot. I guess a mere okuta¡¯s ink is nothing to you then.¡± [Peiron] When Sein-san and Peiron-san remembered that, they laughed. The atmosphere became a little brighter at that. I showed the grandma that my clothes were clean and again reminded her not to worry about it. Only then did the grandma heave a sigh of relief. ¡°Alright. In that case, I better get going. I have to catch that mischievous kid or who knows what else he¡¯ll do. If he comes here again¡­¡± [Grandma] ¡°At that time, we¡¯ll be sure to catch him.¡± [Shin] Chapter 193.2 - A Short Break Chapter 193: A Short Break (2/3) ¡°Thank you, Little Shin. ¡­Could you boys point me to where that kid ran off to?¡± [Grandma] ¡°That way.¡± [Kei] As soon as Kei-san said that, the grandma ran toward the direction he pointed at. ¡­Is it really okay for someone of her age to be hurrying that much? ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just the usual.¡± [Kei] When I asked Kei-san and the others about it, apparently that kid called Niki from earlier is the most mischievous child in the village. Around this time, the parents are at work, so the children are taken care of by the elderly who have retired from fishing and working at the processing plant, but that kid somehow always slips away from their care and plays tricks on others. ¡°Still, it sure is strange that he would pick on someone who¡¯s not a villager.¡± [Kei] ¡°Oh, right. You said something about a promise earlier.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. A promise not to play pranks on people from outside the village. It¡¯s not just Niki. All the children are taught that. That if they want to play pranks on people, they need to limit it to just those from the village.¡± [Kai] ¡°Part of the reason is of course because we don¡¯t want them to cause trouble for other people, but the bigger reason is because we don¡¯t know what kind of people they might end up messing with.¡± [Shin] ¡°This time around you just laughed it off, but if they were to play a prank on the wrong person, they could be in trouble.¡± [Peiron] ¡°The adults are keeping an eye on the children, but they also need to be properly taught of the dangers of dealing with other people.¡± [Sein] Well, I guess that¡¯s true. While I was thinking that, I noticed that something was wrapped around my wrist. ¡°Ah, by the way, what should I do with this?¡± [Ryouma] All this time, I¡¯ve been holding onto this octopus¡ª erm¡­ okuta. ¡°Hmm? Oh, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for you to give it back. You could eat it if you want?¡± [Kai] ¡°Ah, so it really was food.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boil it and eat it. It tastes great, you know?¡± [Sein] ¡°Come to think of it, I am a bit hungry.¡± [Kei] ¡°Yeah, but there¡¯s just one and at that size, it¡¯s a bit¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°Oh! In that case, I have just the thing for you!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just the thing?¡± [Kai, Kei, Shin, Sein, Peiron] We would be inconveniencing others if we kept idling by the roadside like this, so we went back to Kai-san¡¯s house first. When we got there, I brought them to the kitchen, where I then took out an iron plate with a round depression. ¡°Hey, hey. Something big came out.¡± [Kai] ¡°There¡¯s a magic stone attached. But a magic tool, huh.¡± [Kei] ¡°Exactly!¡¡I had a craftsman I knew make it. It¡¯s a Takoyaki Pan!¡± [Ryouma] By securing a steady source of eggs through the clever chickens, it looked like I would be able to cook more dishes, so there were various cooking utensils that I wanted to acquire. As such, I spoke with Dinome¡¯s Workshop and had them made. This Takoyaki Pan is one of those. There¡¯s also one for a Taiyaki that¡¯s made with just an iron plate, one for a kawayaki, one for an okonomiyaki, and another for yakisoba. I accidentally drew the large-versions of the utensils meant for festivals and the likes while I was explaining it to the craftsmen, but out of courtesy, they made them all commercial-sized. ¡°Do you have enough ingredients?¡¡Feel free to use what¡¯s available at our home.¡± [Kai] ¡°Thank you very much. I have most of the ingredients, but I¡¯d like to have something I can use for the soup stock.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Soup stock¡­ It should be around here.¡± [Kai] Various dried fishes were taken out of the cupboard. ¡°And then there¡¯s this.¡± [Kei] ¡°?¡¡What¡¯s this jar?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fish sauce. A marine processed product. All sorts of ingredients are used when making soup.¡± [Kei] ¡°Fish paste¡­ Could it be? Can I lick it a little?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure.¡± [Kei] I opened the jar and dropped a couple of drops on the back of my hand. It was a lot less thick than what I was expecting, so I quickly licked it up. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] A salty taste spread through my mouth accompanied by a unique taste with a thick umami¡­ I knew it! It¡¯s ¡®fish paste¡¯! This unique taste isn¡¯t that strong, and it¡¯s also weak to heat just like the fishy smell. I used it a lot before as a secret ingredient. ¡­Is this the reason why the soup I¡¯ve been eating here has been so nostalgic? In any case, with this fish paste and the dried foods, I¡¯m sure I can make something really delicious! First, I strangle the okuta and have the cleaner slime clean off the mud and ink off of it. Meanwhile, I¡¯ll boil water to prepare the dashi (soup stock). I add salt to the boiled water, crumple the cleaned octopus, and then throw it into the pot. The limbs that have been coiling up since awhile ago changed from its green color into a bright red color. At this point, it really is no different from an octopus. It looks delicious. I hope I can get more. I know. I¡¯ll ask those guys who¡¯ve made themselves comfortable in the living room. Chapter 193.3 - A Short Break Chapter 193: A Short Break (3/3) ¡°Do the fishermen here catch these otakus too?¡¡I didn¡¯t see them from the nets earlier.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡You don¡¯t catch okuta from the lake. You get them from the forest.¡± [Kai] ¡°Ah, the forest, I see¡­ The forest!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What are you being so surprised for?¡¡Okutas are usually from the forest, right?¡± [Kei] ¡°On top of trees, in the hollow of trees, inside the mud. The place changes depending on the variant, but they¡¯re all found on land.¡± [Shin] ¡°You were handling it so matter-of-factly, so I thought for sure you knew about it.¡± [Sein] ¡°Are there okutas that live in the water in your hometown, Ryouma?¡± [Peiron] ¡°The octopuses I know are creatures that live in water.¡± [Ryouma] So it turns out, unlike octopuses, okutas are creatures that live on land. As expected, although they look similar, they¡¯re different creatures¡­ Oops. It¡¯s almost ready. I skewered the octopus and made sure that it was completely boiled, then I took them out of the pot. Next, I¡¯ll cut these into chunks, and then use soup stock and starch wheat made from lots of eggs and wheat and stealthily refined with alchemy to make the dough. After that everything will be ready. I activate the iron plate magic tool and poured dough into the warm depressions of the pan. The only ingredient I¡¯m putting in is the octopus. The dough is soft so I use chopsticks to flip it over. I could tell through the chopsticks that they¡¯re now very fluffy. When everything was done, I served the dish with soup made from stock soup seasoned with fish sauce and spices, and then boiled and left to simmer. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡¡One akashiyaki!¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t have any sauce in hand, so I made an akashiyaki that¡¯s meant to be eaten with the soup instead. I actually wanted to make the dashi (soup stock) and the sauce using the ingredients from here, but I wonder how it would¡¯ve turned out. ¡°Oh. It¡¯s soft and shaped just like a slime too.¡± [Sein] Sein went straight to eating. He soaked one ball into his soup and threw it into his mouth. ¡°Ah!¡¡¡­!¡¡Ohh!¡¡It¡¯s delicious!¡¡It was a little hot for a moment, though!¡± [Sein] ¡°That¡¯s because you threw it into your mouth so suddenly¡­ But it sure is delicious.¡± [Shin] The next one who tried the food was Shin-san. He also thought it was delicious. ¡°¡­It melts when I put into my mouth, and the taste spreads. The okuta filling also has good texture.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ryouma. He likes it.¡± [Kai] ¡°Such a simple taste. Just the right dish when hungry.¡± [Kei] I was a little worried since Peiron-san¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed much, but it would appear that he likes it too. At least, according to Kai-san. Kei-san seems to like it too. They emptied their plates quickly. I¡¯ll have one too¡­ Yep. The umami of fish sauce, and the taste of eggs and dashi. Both the taste and texture are light, and now my body and heart are gradually being warmed. The perfect dish for a cold day¡­ ¡°Hoi-san, are you here!?¡¡Little Kai!¡¡Little Kei!!¡± [???] ¡°NGU!?¡± [Ryouma] While I was feeling warm and fluffy and was starting to relax, the bloodcurdling voice of a person suddenly cried out. The person appeared to be in a panic as she even slammed on the door while calling out. Kai-san and Kei-san looked at each other, and then went out. It turned out to be the grandma from earlier. ¡°Little Kai!¡¡Little Kei!!¡¡Did you, that child, here¡­¡± [Grandma] ¡°Please relax, grandma. You¡¯re clearly out of breath.¡± [Kai] ¡°That¡¯s right. We can¡¯t understand what you¡¯re trying to say at all.¡± [Kei] ¡°Did you see Niki?¡± [Grandma] ¡°Not since that time.¡± [Kai] ¡°Yes. We didn¡¯t see him on the way back. He didn¡¯t drop by here either¡­ Did something happen?¡± [Kei] In response to Kei-san¡¯s question, the grandma took a deep breath, and then wrung out a few words. ¡®He¡¯s gone.¡¯ ¡ªShe said. Chapter 194 - Post navigation Chapter 194 Post navigation ¡°Did you find him!?¡± [Adult 1] ¡°No. No trace of him over there either¡­¡± [Adult 2] ¡°Where the heck did that little devil go?¡± [Adult 3] At the public square at the center of the village were adults searching for the missing boy, Niki. They went to and fro endlessly as they searched for the boy. Among such adults were the members of the Wharf of Shikumu. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡How did your side go!?¡± [Sein] ¡°Sein-san, at the very least, there were no boats that left for the lake. There were some fishing boats from the other villages, but they didn¡¯t have any children riding with them. No children could be found from the entrance of the village to the extending road either. No carriages to hide in were present also.¡± [Ryouma] I shared my senses with my rimel birds and searched outside the village from elevated areas, but I couldn¡¯t get any results¡­ ¡°I see¡­ Oh!¡¡Peiron!¡¡How did your side go!?¡± [Sein] ¡°All the village boats are in dock, and there aren¡¯t any boats scheduled to come today either.¡± [Peiron] ¡°So that means he¡¯s not in the lake then?¡± [Sein] The last time Niki was seen was right after he threw that okuta at me. He was caught once and was scolded, but he resisted and fled. Four hours have passed since then. The days have grown shorter with the coming of winter, so it¡¯s already starting to get dark. ¡°¡­Hopefully, he wasn¡¯t kidnapped.¡± [Sein] ¡°Right. If nothing happened, he should be coming back around this time.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Is that true!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That kid is always up to no good, but he always comes back home before it gets dark. Even if doing so means getting scolded.¡± [Sein] ¡°He knows enough to do at least that much. I remember when we were up to no good ourselves. When there was something that was really dangerous, we would always pay attention to the instruction of the adults. That¡¯s why the adult let us off with just a punch and a light sermon.¡± [Peiron] It would be great if he really was just hiding somewhere because he¡¯s angry, but the possibility that something might have happened remains. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. If I¡¯d just probably caught that kid back then¡­¡± [Grandma] ¡°The one in the wrong is my son. Don¡¯t brood over it so much.¡± [Mother] ¡°Seriously, that dumbass!¡¡What is he thinking running away after being scolded because of a mischief he caused? He¡¯s going to be in a world of pain when I get my hands on him!¡± [Dad] I turned to the direction those angry remarks were coming from, and there I saw a young man and woman. Based on the contents of the conversation, it should be safe to assume that they¡¯re Niki¡¯s parents. I can¡¯t see her all that well because she¡¯s behind the couple, but the grandma that was looking for Niki earlier was with them too. The grandma turned to an old and tattered place in the square ¨C something akin to where one would place a jizo-sama in a buddhist temple ¨C and folded her hands and cried. That was how much she regretted and worried over the boy. Anyway, I¡¯d like to find him soon, but¡­ If we can¡¯t find him in the village, in the main road, or the lake, then that only leaves the forest that surrounds the village from almost every direction. What¡¯s more is that forest is budding with plants and vegetations all year round with no regard for the winter. I tried having Sechs and Funf scout the area, but the thick layer of leaves made it impossible to search the road in the forest from above. If they try to go inside, it will be difficult to fly because of all the branches. Unfortunately, this isn¡¯t really an environment where I can rely on the rimel birds. I need a clue. Think. What would I have done back when I was still a kid? I¡¯m sure there were many situations like this when I couldn¡¯t get along with my dad. If I recall correctly, at that time¡­ Even when I tried to leave, there was no place for me to go. The only places I could go to was a random park or somewhere close enough to be reached by a child¡¯s legs. And even when I thought I¡¯d gone far, it wasn¡¯t actually that far from my house. And speaking of running away, I hear there are some kids who run away and stay over at a friend¡¯s house¡­ Of course, I had no such friends¡­ But regardless, when it comes down to it, most kids would choose to hide themselves somewhere familiar. Is there a place that Niki kid is familiar with in the forest? ¡­Hmm?¡¡Speaking of forest¡­ ¡°Sein-san, Peiron-san, the Okuta we ate in the forest this afternoon, can you get that from the forest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡Yeah, but why are you asking all of the sudden?¡± [Sein] ¡°Because that Okuta is something that Niki-kun threw at me in the first place. But where did he get it?¡¡I don¡¯t think the adults would give him one so he could play pranks on people, so he must¡¯ve gone to the forest once and hunted an otuka before meeting us.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Now that you mention it, that might be the case.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Now that I think about it, that seems to be a favorite prank of his. I¡¯ve never heard of him stealing food from his family, so¡­ Wait. Let me check.¡± [Sein] Sein-san ran to the couple and grandma from earlier, and then after a while, came back. The three people from earlier came with him. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡You were right! Niki did get the okutas on his own!¡± [Sein] ¡°Do you know where he gets them from?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s probably in the east. Whenever there wasn¡¯t enough firewood, that boy would always offer to go get more himself, so that¡¯s probably when he gets those okuta.¡± [Mother] Information straight from the mother! ¡°Is that dumb son of mine in the east of the forest?¡± [Dad] The dad asked in a slightly panicked voice, a stark contrast from his angry voice earlier. Although he¡¯s angry with his son, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s worried about him even more. ¡°I don¡¯t have any hard proof, but when I was a kid¡ª I mean if I were in his position, I would probably hide somewhere I¡¯m used to.¡± [Ryouma] Speaking from my experience from hunting everyday at the Forest of Gana, hunting isn¡¯t so simple that you could just enter the forest randomly and come out with spoils in hand. Most prey can sense humans through their smell and aura and quickly run away. So when you approach them, you have to be careful about the direction of the wind or prepare some traps after finding a trail prior. And if you want to get results consistently, you¡¯ll need experience. That boy called Niki is always catching Okuta to prank people with. In that case, he must have a secret place somewhere in the east of the forest where he catches the okuta. That or some place he¡¯s very familiar with. Of course, this is just a hypothesis based on what I would do if I were in his position. Chapter 195 Chapter 195: An Understanding Person? (1/3) (SHORT) There was light within the secret space, but it was a lot weaker compared to my light magic, so the room was dim. It might be because of that that Niki found my side bright as he held his knees by the wall. He¡¯s sitting down and isn¡¯t moving, but he doesn¡¯t look to be in pain. ¡°Thank goodness you¡¯re safe. Are you hurt?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I¡¯m fine.¡± [Niki] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­ I twisted my leg when running, but it¡¯s not so bad that I can¡¯t walk¡­¡± [NIki] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s talking about when the goblins chased after him. ¡°Can you show me your twisted leg?¡¡I can use healing magic.¡± [Ryouma] The goblins have been dealt with already, so let¡¯s get his leg fixed and go back. That¡¯s what I had in mind, but Niki suddenly stopped extending his right leg and pulled it back. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t¡­¡± [Niki] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t want to go home.¡± [Niki] ¡°Ryou¡­kun! ¡­hear me!?¡± [Shin] Niki muttered in a faint voice as if he¡¯d just remembered something. At roughly the same time as he said that, I heard Shin-san¡¯s voice come from outside. It was hard to make out, though. How do I deal with this issue of not wanting to go home? Hmm¡­ But before that, I better contact the members of the Wharf of Shikumu. ¡± ¡®Whisper¡¯ ¡­Can you guys hear me?¡¡It¡¯s Ryouma. It¡¯s hard to hear each other from here, so I¡¯m using a wind spell to send my voice there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can hear¡­ you!!¡± [Shin] ¡°That¡¯s good then. I found Niki-kun. He¡¯s in good health and unharmed. But¡­¡± [Ryouma] When I explained the situation, the members of the Wharf of Shikumu from outside tried to say something. Unfortunately, their voices conflicted with each other and made it hard to understand what they¡¯re saying. Despite that Niki-kun was still able to understand that they were trying to get him to come out. Unfortunately, their efforts only had the opposite effect. ¡°Shut up!¡¡Shut up! Shut up!¡¡No matter what anyone says, I¡¯m never coming back!¡¡There¡¯s no point since you won¡¯t believe me anyway!¡± [Niki] Niki yelled angrily in response to the voices calling out to him, but as he hung his head, his voice gradually became tearful. ¡­This is a narrow area with no place to run. If I wanted to, I could easily capture Niki-kun and throw him into my Dimension Home for the slimes to hold captive. Once we get back to the village, I could hand him over to his parents, and this incident will come to a close. But if I do something like that, this same thing will probably just repeat itself. Since he was able to build this secret base of his, Niki-kun could be said to be a child with some ability. If he were to run away from home a second time, he might just do it with resolve. ¡°¡­Sorry, guys. I want to talk to him, so can you guys wait out there for a bit?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 195: An Understanding Person? (2/3) I might be sticking my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, but I want to try talking to Niki-kun. They probably discussed it among themselves first, but after a short while, their leader, Shin-san, gave the go. I thanked him and approached Niki. ¡°I got us some time, so let¡¯s calm down first. By the way, did you make this whole place yourself?¡¡That¡¯s pretty amazing.¡± [Ryouma] You can¡¯t get to this secret base without crawling through that tight entrance, but the secret base itself is surprisingly big. The ceiling here is high enough so that you can stand up and just barely not graze the top. He probably scraped out the mud in between the roots of the trees and cut out roots to make this space. After which he used the cut roots and branches and leaves brought from outside to strengthen the space in between the yet alive roots to prevent mud from flowing inside. It¡¯s a bit crude, but considering Niki-kun¡¯s age and the fact that he didn¡¯t rely on magic makes this whole thing a huge undertaking. ¡°I also made a place like this in a forest before¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Shut up¡­ I don¡¯t need your flattery. You didn¡¯t come here for that, did you?¡± [Niki] ¡°¡ªI see.¡± [Ryouma] I failed to get closer to him. To be honest, I really did think that he did an amazing job with this place. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just get straight to the point.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What? You¡¯re just going to ask me to go home too, aren¡¯t you? You said as much earlier.¡± [Niki] ¡°No. Before that I want to talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You want to talk? About what? Me going back home?¡± [Niki] ¡°No. I want to talk about you. Weren¡¯t you yelling awhile ago, saying ¡®there¡¯s no point since you won¡¯t believe me anyway!¡¯ or something like that? If so, then there must be something that you want to say.¡± [Ryouma] I was just saying things to get him to let out his feelings, but his reaction was unexpected. He wasn¡¯t looking at me earlier, but now he¡¯s raised his head up and is looking straight at me. After that he turned his eyes away as if he were at a loss for words. He might be a lot more honest than I gave him credit for. ¡°Why are you asking something like that?¡± [Niki] ¡°I just felt like it, I guess. To be honest, I barely know anything about you, and yet here I am in the middle of nowhere after spending half a day looking for you. I suppose you could say I¡¯ve gone too far to turn back. Anyhow, if there¡¯s something you want to say, then I¡¯m all ears. I¡¯ll listen until the end. If we do that we should be able to understand each other better. At the very least, that¡¯s what I think.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t they tell you? I¡¯m a bad kid who plays pranks on people.¡± [Niki] Yeah, I¡¯ve heard that already¡­ But, hmm¡­ If he¡¯s saying that with this timing, then that must mean he himself acknowledges his reputation of being known as a prankster to be correct, and if he¡¯s saying that ¡®people won¡¯t believe in him¡¯, then¡­ I thought back to the stories I heard of back in the village. ¡®A promise not to prank people other than villagers¡¯ ¡®Niki always protects that bottom line¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s why he¡¯s let off with just a punch and a light sermon¡¯ Putting everything together¡­ Maybe my assumptions were mistaken. ¡°Could it be that you ¡®never intended to prank anyone originally¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!!¡± [Niki] Niki looked like he didn¡¯t know whether to say something or not¡­ Looks like I was right on the mark. ¡°In that case, I¡¯m sorry, but I also thought that you intended to play a prank on me this afternoon. I heard a lot of stories while we were looking for you, and there¡¯s something that concerns me. Supposedly, although you like to prank people, you know where to draw the line. If that¡¯s the case, then why did you make an exception today and played a prank on an outsider such as myself?¡± [Ryouma] But if that was originally not meant to be a prank, then the story finally starts to make sense. And if I think back to what happened back then¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll give this to you!¡¯ That¡¯s what he said when threw the okuta at me. ¡°If I were to take those words at face value, then Niki-kun, you were just trying to give me the okuta as a present, weren¡¯t you? Unfortunately, when you threw the okuta, it ended up spraying ink at me. I don¡¯t know why you would want to give the okuta to me, but¡­ What do you think? Did I get it right?¡± [Ryouma] I lined up my conjectures and asked my questions as gently as I could. In response, Niki-kun gradually opened up. ¡°That afternoon¡­ I saw the slimes at the beach. There were a lot of them and they moved oddly. ¡­But I thought they were kind of amazing.¡± [Niki] So he saw that and thought they were amazing?¡¡Well, I guess he has his good points. But right now I should just quietly listen. ¡°And then¡­ I became a little curious, so I wanted ask about them. But I didn¡¯t know you and I remembered that when a new person comes to the village, mom would give them a gift. So I thought I should bring one to greet you with.¡± [Niki] ¡°Ah, I see. So that¡¯s what happened. But why an okuta?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I thought you¡¯d like it since it resembles a slime. Your slimes have limbs like the okutas, after all.¡± [Niki] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] I smiled a little at that. Who would¡¯ve thought he¡¯d have a reason like that? But when he puts it that way, I can kind of see it. I mean both okutas and slimes are soft and flabby. My slimes also extend parts of their body, which do kind of resemble okuta limbs. Chapter 195: An Understanding Person? (3/3) ¡°I¡¯m glad my questions have been answered. Thank you. So I guess the adults must¡¯ve thought you were playing pranks again and you got scolded, right?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, his face turned grim. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for covering you in ink and running away. It became a habit since I¡¯m always throwing okutas as a prank¡­ As such, I¡¯m not exactly without fault either, so I just let them scold me at first, but¡­ But!¡± [Niki] ¡°Relax. I¡¯ll hear you out until the end¡­¡± [Ryouma] When Niki-kun remembered the time he got angry, he started crying. I took out a glass from my Item Box and poured him a glass of water. Then I heard him out as I consoled him. He spoke while crying, so it was a little hard to understand. There were times when the things he talked about didn¡¯t seem to be connected, so I had to put the pieces together as I listened to him. Apparently, he was once falsely accused by the village children. The snack prepared by the elders for the children were wasted, and he took the blame for it, but the truth was that it was another child who was responsible for it. Of course, that child also didn¡¯t intentionally commit the crime, but he was afraid of being scolded, so he decided to push the blame onto Niki-kun, who was widely known as a mischievous boy. But at that time, although he was blamed for a moment, the village elders and his parents protected him. His parents believed him and said ¡®our son wouldn¡¯t do something like this¡¯. Later on the real culprit eventually named himself and the incident came to a close. At that time, the adults told him that if he really didn¡¯t do something, he should stick out his chest and say so. Seeing the adults make a proper judgment, Niki-kun believed from the bottom of his heart that if he just spoke the truth, the adults would understand. He believed them, but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s what not happened this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. I told them I didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but they just yelled back at me and said ¡®Don¡¯t make excuses¡¯!¡¡They didn¡¯t listen to me at all¡­ We kept yelling back and forth, and before I knew it, I¡¯d run away¡­¡± [Niki] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] They wouldn¡¯t listen to him, so he ran way on impulse. Something like that happened to me too when I was a child, so I can more or less relate. ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s all the more reason for you to go back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s the point of talking? I ran away precisely because talking didn¡¯t work. If they were going to listen to me, then what happened this afternoon wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this.¡± [Niki] ¡°Talking might not have worked this afternoon, but if you try again and talk to each other calmly, maybe you¡¯ll be able to understand each other. This time I¡¯ll be there to help you. Right, if they try to hit you without listening to you first, I¡¯ll stop them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You will?¡± [Niki] ¡°I may not look the part, but I still am an adventurer. I¡¯m strong and sturdy, so I¡¯m sure I can protect you from physical harm. Besides, the reason why your parents and the villagers are angry at you is because they¡¯re worried about you. We¡¯re the ones who ended up coming here, but there are a lot more people searching the village. No one could find you, so we turned our eyes to the forest. That¡¯s why I¡¯m sure that if both sides are calm, you¡¯ll be able to talk properly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Niki] There¡¯s no doubting the fact everyone is worried about him. ¡°If not that, then they wouldn¡¯t get so mad or look for him.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s normal for a person to feel bad when scolded, while the angry person probably feels good saying whatever he wants. But despite that, anger surprisingly takes a lot of toll on one¡¯s stamina and also makes things awkward between him and the person he¡¯s angry at. There are times when the angry person will be hated too. As such, there¡¯s not really a lot of advantage to the person who¡¯s angry. That¡¯s why if someone really doesn¡¯t care about another person, he wouldn¡¯t waste his time being angry. Just like the proverb goes, ¡®Behind the anger is a flower¡¯. ¡°¡­I got it. I¡¯ll go back.¡± [Nyiki] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] Niki-kun¡¯s face shows he¡¯s still somewhat reluctant, but he¡¯s agreed to go back. I¡¯m surprise that everything went without a hitch, but¡­ No. He himself admitted that he was at fault for running away after smearing me in ink, so it¡¯s likely that he just missed his timing to go back after running away on impulse. The truth is that he¡¯s a good and honest boy. ¡°Onii-chan?¡± [Niki] ¡°Y-Yeah.¡± [Ryouma] In any case, he feels like going back home now. ¡°You said you twisted your leg, right?¡¡Let¡¯s heal it, and then go out. Show me your leg.¡± [Ryouma] He showed me his leg. It¡¯s swollen a little, but there¡¯s nothing wrong with the bone. A basic heal should be able to fix it. I casted the healing spell quickly, and then informed the others through my wind magic that I was able to convince him. ¡°Alright. I want to explain the details to them, so I¡¯ll go first.¡± [Ryouma] The entrance is too narrow, so it can only accommodate one person at a time. I believe that Niki-kun will go out on his own, so I left the secret base first. Chapter 196 Chapter 196: When it Pours the Ground Grows Firmer (1/2) The next day. Feeling the touch of the cold morning air, I opened my eyes. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Kai] ¡°You¡¯re awake, I see. Yesterday sure was tough.¡± [Kei] When I went to the washroom, I happened into Kai-san and Kei-san. They probably also came here to prepare themselves for the day. They still looked sleepy, though. As expected, they talked about the events last night. After I left Niki-kun¡¯s secret base, we suffered no more difficulties and the conversations went by smoothly. Niki-kun followed right behind me. He became nervous as we approached the village, but he didn¡¯t get cold feet and say something like ¡®I don¡¯t think I can go home after all!¡¯¡¡No. He properly went back with his own two legs. Also, Shin-san, Peiron-san, and Kai-san were the only ones waiting outside the secret base. Sein-san and Kei-san had gone back ahead to the village to inform the others that Niki-kun was safe. I think that played a huge part too. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened other than Niki-kun¡¯s dad trying to hit him as soon as he got back. They spoke calmly and normally. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-kun. How¡¯s your face?¡± [Kai] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s perfectly fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I was so shocked when you suddenly jumped in and took that punch.¡± [Kai] ¡°Yeah, yeah. I heard you promised to protect Niki, but still¡­¡± [Kei] ¡°When I thought of how Niki-kun¡¯s dad was worrying over him too, I felt it wouldn¡¯t be good if he just subdued him like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even then I don¡¯t think there was any need for you to take that punch with your face.¡± [Kai] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] Well, at least everything ended well. As we laughed like that, we finished readying ourselves for the day and headed to work while it was still dark. Along the way we happened upon a couple of familiar faces. ¡°Huh?¡¡Hey, you two. Are those Niki-kun and his parents?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like it.¡± [Kai] ¡°What are they doing?¡± [Kei] While we were talking, Niki-kun and his parents noticed us. Niki-kun waved his hands at us and approached us with his parents. ¡°Onii-chan, good morning!¡± [Niki] ¡°Good morning, Niki-kun.¡± [Ryouma] I greeted his parents too, and they bowed their heads deeply toward us. ¡°Thank you very much for finding our son yesterday. We couldn¡¯t thank you properly yesterday, so we thought we¡¯d offer our thanks today.¡± [Mother] ¡°Ahh¡­ Well, it was already dark by the time we got back to the village. It can¡¯t be helped.¡± [Kai] ¡°We talked too, so the night grew even later.¡± [Kei] ¡°Even then I still have to give our thanks or I won¡¯t be satisfied.¡± [Dad] ¡°In that case, thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait, why are you the one thanking them?¡± [Kai] Kai-san said and the place turned into laughter. ¡°Anyway, onii-san. Are you going to be working at the processing plant today too?¡± [Niki] ¡°The processing plant?¡¡Why do you ask?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, the ones to answer my question were the parents. ¡°We troubled everyone in the village because of this incident, so both as an apology and as punishment, we decided to have Niki-kun help out until this noon.¡± [Mother] ¡°I thought my son had grown a little, but it turns out he¡¯s still too lively for his own good. He should at least be able to help out with drawing water or carrying things.¡± [Dad] ¡°That¡¯s a pretty harsh punishment you¡¯ve gotten yourself into, Niki.¡± [Kai] ¡°And why is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Water is normally drawn from the well, but the processing plant uses a lot of water, so even several hundred buckets of water won¡¯t be enough. Of course, the adults will be helping in turns too, but it¡¯s a lot of physical work, so normally kids only help out when they¡¯ve gotten a little bigger.¡± [Kai] ¡°I see¡­ Good luck, Niki-kun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Onii-chan!¡± [Niki] We both laughed and then made our way to the beach. Niki-kun happily walked the whole way while holding his parents¡¯ hands. ¡­Maybe they talked again after coming back yesterday. Right now, they look like a really happy family. ¡°See you later, Onii-chan!¡¡When you¡¯re done with your work, tell me about your slimes, okay!?¡± [Niki] ¡°Sure. You work hard now, Niki-kun.¡± [Ryouma] When we arrived at the beach, we parted ways with Niki-kun and began our preparations to fight the mud salamanders. That being said, it wasn¡¯t as if I did anything that taxing since all I really had to do was summon the slimes and have them take their positions as planned. Because of that I made double sure that they had taken their place around the processing plant properly. ¡°The wave is here!!¡± [Leader] When the leader yelled that, the beach immediately became noisy. The ¡®wave¡¯ here means that a maelstrom of mud salamanders have begun to push in. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡Are you ready!?¡± [Sein] We had already rendezvoused with Sein-san and the others. Sein-san yelled that to ensure that we wouldn¡¯t lose to our surroundings. ¡°I¡¯m ready anytime!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Great!¡± [Sein] At that, he took his position. Likewise I too hurried to my position. With the processing plant behind me, I watched over the slimes that have expanded over the beach. ¡­At a glance, the place seemed calm, but I could feel the strong fighting spirit of the slimes that have prepared themselves to fight. Chapter 196: When it Pours the Ground Grows Firmer (2/2) Iyo!¡¡Hey!¡± [Fishermen Leader] ¡®Hey!¡¯ [Fishermen] The fishermen did their weird sound thing again as they pulled on the ropes and steadily stepped back. The battle between the mud salamanders and the fishermen began by the boats in the offing. I could see from the corner of my sight that the nets were now being raised. It¡¯s only a matter of time now before they get here. I calm down my racing heart and wait a few minutes. When the first haul of the day was brought to the processing plant, the first mud salamander finally reached the shore. ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± [Kei] ¡°Okay!¡¡Please take care of them if they manage to break through the encirclement!¡± [Ryouma] Kei-san was positioned at the very edge of our area of responsibility. The mud salamander ran straight for the fishermen carrying the haul of fish, but¡­ ¡°¡ª!?¡± [Mud Salamander] The mud salamander that had made shore and ran suddenly squirmed. I can¡¯t hear it screaming, but from the way it¡¯s writhing about, it¡¯s clear that it¡¯s in pain. ¡°Looks like the plan is a success.¡± [Ryouma] The first layer of our defense, the ¡®obstruction of the mud salamanders¡¯ through the iron slimes and the metal slimes. Here in the beach, the metal and iron slimes have a problem in that they ¡®can¡¯t move as they please¡¯. But when it comes down to it, all that really means for them is that they need a role where they ¡®don¡¯t need to move¡¯. As such, I had the iron slimes and metal slimes thin their body and had them hide in the sand like rays or flounders. Whenever a mud salamander steps on them, they will then change a part of their body into a harpoon, gutting the critter. The good result brought by their efforts is none other than the writhing mud salamander before our eyes. The mud salamander had stepped on a blade that shouldn¡¯t have been there before. Because of that its body was deeply penetrated and it writhed about uncontrollably. But the slime that stabbed it didn¡¯t just stop there. It continued to push its metal body into the mud salamander and wrapped itself around it, turning its own body into a kind of weight to impede the movement of the mud salamander. The mud salamander that had taken the charge ahead of its brethren couldn¡¯t even reach the spears of the poison slimes. 10 more mud salamander came from behind, but they all reached a similar fate, as the metal and iron limes caught them and they tumbled along the sand. ¡°I kind of feel bad for them when I see them like that.¡± [Adventurer Leader] Oh?¡¡The leader of the adventurers came. ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I came to check how you¡¯re doing, but it looks like you¡¯re doing just fine.¡± [Adventurer Leader] ¡°For now. The mud salamanders that have been caught will gradually run out of stamina. When more mud salamanders come and they are crushed underfoot, some of them will finally be greatly weakened.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If they are able to get past that, then we¡¯ll continue as planned, and if there¡¯s too many, you¡¯ll reduce their numbers with an area-of-effect dark magic, right?¡± [Adventurer Leader] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Adventurer Leader] Is there a problem? ¡°Is there something bothering you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Oh, I was just thinking that if this plan goes well, we can reduce the number of adventurers here even further.¡± [Adventurer Leader] This village isn¡¯t the only one being attacked by the mud salamanders, so if there¡¯s people to spare, then it would be better to allocate them somewhere else instead. That¡¯s basically what the leader is saying. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s only if we have people to spare. Regardless of how the other areas are doing, we¡¯d be messing up our priorities if we prioritized those over what was entrusted to us.¡± [Adventurer Leader] ¡°That makes sense.¡± [Ryouma] No matter what job it is, there is always a certain level of responsibility that comes with it. I too want my slimes to do their best for the sake of my training. ¡°Well, in any case, everything will depend on today¡¯s results. Do show me that the slimes can be used.¡± [Adventurer Leader] ¡°You can count on it.¡± [Ryouma] As the hauls for the day were carried to the processing plant, the number of mud salamanders attacking grew. As I saw the leader of the adventurers off, I renewed my resolve. Chapter 197 Chapter 197: An Unexpected Find (1/2) ¡°Whoops!¡± [Ryouma] I dodged the large mouth of an approaching mud salamander by a hair¡¯s breadth and then struck its head. I didn¡¯t even have the time to confirm its death before several more mud salamanders came and attacked me. I drew a single stroke with a sweep of my rod, and then slipped through the cleared path. I need to go forward as fast as I can! In my hand was a single rod. On my head was a lone dark slime. I ran while striking down one mud salamander after another. Before long, I reached the frontmost part of the defensive line. Like this the metal and iron slimes won¡¯t get caught in the attack! ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you!¡± [Ryouma] The dark slime on my head reacted to my thoughts. The sun had already risen up high from the east, so it was very bright, but in a flash, everything suddenly went dark. That was none other than the proof that the dark slime had unleashed its attack. The area-of-effect attack magic, Dark Mist. A spell that summoned a darkness that would spread out like a mist and wrap itself around its targets. This dark mist would sap living creatures of their stamina and greatly weaken them. Eventually, it would take away even their lives. The movements of the mud salamanders on the beach began to dull. I don¡¯t know if salamanders have knees, but the way they¡¯re moving gives the impression that they can¡¯t put any strength into them. Moreover, even those still in the water have also been affected, as can be seen by the large number of corpses floating on the water. After ten seconds the mud salamanders that were making their way toward the processing plant were stopped. ¡°Guys, please take care of those!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to us!!!!¡± [Adventurers and Fishermen] The fishermen and adventurers that weren¡¯t doing anything went and retrieved the corpses of the mud salamanders that had gotten past the slime defensive line. ¡­Looks like using the slimes for defense was a success. But as effective as they are, there¡¯s one problem. Unlike humans they can¡¯t carry the mud salamanders once they¡¯ve defeated them, so we have to get someone else to recover those corpses. Unlike yesterday, the corpses that have been abandoned quickly piled up into a mountain. Because of that the mud salamanders mistook these piles of corpses for some kind of obstruction and started going another way. Fortunately, the members of the Wharf of Shikumu worked with me to deal with it, so we didn¡¯t end up with any casualties. It¡¯s good that we were prepared. ¡°Hurry up and get rid of those corpses!¡¡There¡¯s only a few of them left, so just hang on a little more!¡± [Leader] ¡°Yeah!!!!¡± [Adventurers and Fishermen] As the adventurers and fishermen responded to the leader, I myself took a corpse nearby and ran. One hour later, the fishing and mud salamander subjugation for the day finally ended. ¡°Good work out there!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good job out there~¡± [Sein] ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± [Kai] After cleaning up, it was time for lunch. I spoke to the members of the Wharf of Shikumu while we headed for the processing plant. Along the way, we happened into a familiar face. ¡°Oh!¡¡Little Niki!¡± [Man 1] ¡°So it was true that you¡¯d be working here as punishment.¡± [Man 2] ¡°Work hard now~¡± [Man 3] ¡°I know!¡± [Niki] I heard Niki-kun talking with the men that entered ahead of us. Looks like the adults are having a blast teasing him. ¡°Thank you for your work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah!¡¡Slime onii-chan! Are you having lunch?¡¡Take a seat. I¡¯ll bring you food right away.¡± [NIki] ¡°Thank you. You sure are working hard.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha. You¡¯re the only one who¡¯d say that, though.¡± [Niki] Niki-kun made a face that looked like he was fed up working here, but that quickly turned into a smile. I guess that¡¯s just how he communicates. That¡¯s good. As I thought that to myself, I looked for a place to seat and waited with the Wharf of Shikumu. Now then, I wonder what today¡¯s lunch will be. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Niki] ¡°Thank¡ª!?¡± [Ryouma] I was about to say thanks, but when I saw the contents of our lunch, I was shocked. Although the grains were a little round, this was undoubtedly ¡®white rice¡¯. And the ingredient added to the daily mustard soup was clearly ¡®tofu¡¯. With the grilled fish and the small bowl of pickles, this is clearly a Japanese breakfast! ¡°Something wrong?¡± [Niki] ¡°This is rice, isn¡¯t it?¡¡Isn¡¯t it supposed to be really expensive since it¡¯s an imported good?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡It appears in the village from time to time, but is it really that expensive,¡¡Onii-chans?¡± [Niki] Looks like Niki-kun really didn¡¯t know. The one to answer in his place was Shin-san. ¡°Foreign rice is indeed expensive, but this is rice grown from these lands with the help of the specialist that the feudal lord called. So it¡¯s not that expensive.¡± [Shin] ¡°That being said, it was only a few years ago that we were able to get our hands on them. You could say it¡¯s still a little luxurious. Maybe it¡¯ll become normal food in Niki¡¯s generation~¡± [Sein] ¡°What are you talking like an old man for, Sein?¡± [Kei] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Sein] Kei-san¡¯s remark stupefied Sein-san. Is he worried about that? He¡¯s still so young, though¡­ But that aside¡­ ¡°So that¡¯s how you guys were able to get rice.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve heard of the feudal lord of this Fatma Territory before, but I didn¡¯t know he did something like that. ¡°We¡¯ve only been able to eat rice recently¡­ Sorry, I still have work to do. I¡¯ll chat with you guys later!¡± [Niki] ¡°Ah, yeah. Do your best!¡¡¡­Alright. Itadakimasu.¡± [Ryouma] First, I took a mouthful of rice¡­ It¡¯s like red rice. Is the reason it¡¯s sticky like glutinous rice because of the difference in variety? It tastes good. I drank some soup too, and as expected, that tofu-looking thing was indeed tofu. This sure brings back memories. ¡°You look happy.¡± [Kai] ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I was able to eat something like this¡­ Can I buy this somewhere?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you get Niki to show you the way later?¡± [Kai] ¡°His grandma is the one who makes the tofu here, after all.¡± [Kei] Oh? That¡¯s good news. ¡°I did promise to talk to him later, so I guess I¡¯ll ask then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good. Oh, by the way.¡± [Kai] ?¡¡Kai-san suddenly seemed to remember something and his face became serious. Chapter 197: An Unexpected Find (2/2) ¡°I remembered it because of Niki, but when we looked for him yesterday, the number of goblins we defeated was five all in all, right?¡± [Kai] ¡°Yeah. That should be correct, right, guys?¡± [Ryouma] The other four also agreed. There¡¯s no doubt about it. ¡°This is something I heard when cleaning up earlier, but apparently, a cage was found in a forest near a neighboring village.¡± [Kai] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I heard that, alarms immediately went blaring in my head. ¡­But the five of them didn¡¯t appear alarmed and just looked like a nuisance had appeared. ¡°Umm¡­ Guys? You do realize this is a big deal, right?¡± [Ryouma] Cages are tools meant for restraining something, and based on how the conversation has been going until now, that something would probably be the goblins. If so, then does that mean that someone let those goblins loose? ¡­Surely not, right? While I was thinking that, the leader Shin-san said this. ¡°Normally, your reaction would be correct, but the same thing happens around these parts several times a year. That¡¯s why to us word of these things being spotted feels more like a chore than anything.¡± [Shin] I asked more about it, and it turns out this problem is actually because of the nobles from the neighboring territories, who happen to be harassing the feudal lord of this territory. It¡¯s obvious that this is the work of a human, but there¡¯s no evidence to point to any specific person. Any moderately competent dimension mage would be able to pop in, drop a cage, and leave, after all. ¡°Does the feudal lord of this territory have a bad relationship with the neighboring territories?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s more that the other territories are one-sidedly hostile. I don¡¯t know the details, but the feudal lord is a friendly and nice person. There¡¯s that rice that we talked about earlier too, but that¡¯s not all there is to him. You¡¯ll hear plenty of stories of him trying to improve our lives.¡± [Kai] ¡°This region isn¡¯t suited toward farming. That¡¯s why in the past the natural blessings we could get were a matter of life and death¡­ There were times when children died of starvation because we couldn¡¯t catch any fish. Fortunately, we never went through anything like that, but¡­ I hear that that¡¯s also because of the present feudal lord.¡± [Kei] ¡°Word has it that the neighboring feudal lord is domineering, but the feudal lord here isn¡¯t like that.¡± [Shin] ¡°In fact, he¡¯s not really ¡®like¡¯ your common noble. From time to time, he would walk out on the streets on his own two legs, search for delicious food, and blend in with the people and eat with them.¡± [Sein] I see¡­ Apparently the feudal lord here is loved by the people. ¡°Well, anyway¡­ This goblin incident is something that occurs frequently. After a while, the feudal lord will get word of it, someone will come to investigate, and we¡¯ll keep an eye out in our own way. That¡¯s how we¡¯ve always dealt with it until now.¡± [Peiron] ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m more concerned about our work in the following days.¡± [Kai] ¡°Supposedly some of the adventurers will be moved elsewhere. Talks are still ongoing, but we should consider the matter decided.¡± [Shin] ¡°Didn¡¯t the leader talk about it too earlier? During the subjugation of the mud salamanders?¡± [Sein] ¡°We did have an easy time except for when we had to recover the corpses, after all. If we didn¡¯t mess up the timing of recovering the bodies, we could have done with less people¡­ What do you think, Ryouma?¡± [Kei] ¡°I agree with you, Kei. We can defend the processing plants as long as the slimes are around, and I think it¡¯ll be good training too to do things with less people.¡± [Ryouma] Most of the work today was dealt with by the slimes, so in the next few days, I should focus more on my own training. Carrying corpses that need several people¡¯s hands through several laps should serve as good stamina and strength training. If I want I could also use it to train my Dimension Magic. In other words, I get to do both my work and my hobby at the same time! For some reason, the five of them laughed when I said that. I asked them why they were laughing, and they just said, ¡°you sure are hardworking¡±. What¡¯s really curious is they¡¯re looking at me with such warm gazes¡­ I wonder why? Well, in any case, it doesn¡¯t feel like they mean anything bad about it, so whatever. After that we talked idly and ate what¡¯s left on our plates, and then¡ª ¡°Alright, guys. See you later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªI parted with the members of the Wharf of Shikumu and waited for Niki-kun¡¯s shift to end. I promised to talk with him about slimes, so¡­. Oh, speaking of which, exactly what about slimes should I talk about with him?¡¡There¡¯s someone finally interested in slimes, so as much as possible, I¡¯d like to make the conversation interesting. It wouldn¡¯t do good to be too pushy¡­ Hmm~¡­ Proselytizing people about the greatness of slimes sure is difficult¡­ ¡°Oh, yeah, Ryouma. Keep it in moderation, okay? ¡­Hey! Are you listening?¡± [Kai] ¡°Hmm~ It doesn¡¯t seem like it.¡¡Well, either way, he¡¯ll probably be back by supper. Neesan is here at the processing plant too, anyway.¡± [Kei] ¡­Huh?¡¡I feel like Kai-san and Kei-san called me just now, but when I looked around me they were already gone and the people eating were growing less and less. Was it just my imagination? Chapter 198.1 Chapter 198: A Brilliant Young Boy (1/2) Afternoon. ¡°And that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] After thinking about it I decided to introduce Niki-kun to all of my different slime variants, as well as their good points. I also gave him a simple explanation of some of their evolutions. The people had long left the cafeteria and my slimes were lined up on the table. Niki-kun is looking at them with interest, so I think things went fairly well. ¡°So which slime are you interested in?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ That would be the medicine slime!¡¡With it around, if I ever got really sick or hurt, I won¡¯t have to go to a neighboring village to treat myself. It¡¯s really convenient!¡± [Niki] An unexpectedly acute reason¡­ ¡°True. It can secrete a liquid that can serve as an antidote or as a disinfectant, so it can be quite useful for minor wounds. But it can also secrete poison and it feeds off of poison and medicine, so it¡¯s hard to manage. In that regard, the heal slime is superior. It can use healing magic, but only needs water and sunlight for its food. I would recommend this one instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ But slimes that can use magic are rare, so they must sell for a lot when sold, right?¡¡Somehow you have five different variants that can use magic, though.¡± [Niki] ¡°Yes. In my case, I raise my slimes and evolve them. I don¡¯t know how long it would take if I had to go look for them out in the wild. An acquaintance of mine that¡¯s privy to monsters says that there¡¯s barely anyone with five different variants of magic-casting slimes. I don¡¯t know how much the magic-casting slimes would actually go for, but there seem to be a lot of people among the nobles who want ¡®things that other people don¡¯t have¡¯, so it should be fairly high. A ¡®rare pet¡¯ they can boast to others about that¡¯s easy to raise.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I get the reason, but I don¡¯t understand the feeling.¡± [Niki] ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it so much. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out eventually. And even if you don¡¯t, it¡¯s not really a big deal.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s man¡¯s nature to compare himself with others, so he¡¯ll probably understand it in time as he becomes an adult and suffer for that. But if he is able to grow up without thinking about such things and not suffer because of it, then I think that¡¯s fine too. ¡°Hmm¡­ Ah, by the way, you mentioned that the slimes will evolve differently depending on what they eat, right? So does that mean that if you keep feeding slimes fish they will turn into a fish slime?¡¡Is there even such a thing?¡± [Niki] ¡°There¡¯s a lot of evolutionary paths for slimes. In fact, there¡¯s so many that not even the researchers are able to grasp all of them. It¡¯s possible there just might be a fish slime out there. Of course, I don¡¯t actually know for certain. For example, my metal slime and iron slime went down different evolutionary paths according to whether they ate a soil with multiple metals in it or just iron. Perhaps just like the iron slime, there are other slimes too that could be born after eating only one type of metal. Like for example, aluminum, lead, and tin. Maybe then a different slime could be born.¡± [Ryouma] I went on to tell him that slimes going down different evolutionary paths according to what they eat is really nothing more than a hypothesis of mine, and recently I¡¯ve even begun to wonder that that might not actually be the case. ¡°Not the case?¡± [Niki] ¡°Yeah. But it¡¯s not that it¡¯s a completely wrong hypothesis. Rather, it¡¯s not wholly accurate.¡± [Ryouma] Based on my observations of the slimes until now ¨C especially, those I¡¯ve been researching from the start like the sticky, poison, acid, and cleaner slimes ¨C I have been able to control which evolutionary path they take by controlling what they ate. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with my hypothesis in that food influences their evolution. ¡°But I feel like there¡¯s still something missing¡­ I think that other than the food they eat, there might be another condition that dictates what evolutionary path the slime goes down on. As for why I¡¯ve started to think that, that¡¯s because of the weed slimes ¨C slimes that evolved after going through weed diet ¨C but some of these so-called weed slimes have actually began eating poisonous herbs and medicinal herbs. Because of that I expect them to evolve into poisonous herb slimes or medicinal herb slimes, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡But doesn¡¯t feeding them poisonous herbs lead to poison slimes?¡± [Niki] ¡°¡ªExactly!¡¡That¡¯s exactly how it¡¯s supposed to be. All this time, the slimes that ate poisonous herbs have turned into poison slimes! In other words ¡®doku (poison) slime¡¯! I¡¯m still waiting how this weed slime is going to turn out, but if it doesn¡¯t evolve into a poison slime after eating the poisonous herbs, then there must be ¡®something else¡¯ that causes the slimes to branch out between poison and poisonous herb. There are so many different variety of slimes that researchers can¡¯t ¡®fathom¡¯ them all. There¡¯s so many that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if there were more specific evolutions like in the case of metal and iron slimes¡­ Besides, if you look at the acid slime, you¡¯ll note that even though it feeds on bone, it didn¡¯t turn into a bone slime. I¡¯m guessing what happened in its case is that it increased its digestive powers in order to feed on the bones.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Onii-chan, you look like you¡¯re really having fun. Even though you keep saying there¡¯s a lot of things you don¡¯t understand.¡± [Niki] ¡°No, it¡¯s precisely because I don¡¯t understand that I want to understand. And it¡¯s that pursuit of understanding that¡¯s fun. Observe, hypothesize, experiment. From that discern where the hypothesis is wrong, make adjustments, and try again. And if I can find the answer after doing that, that¡¯s where the fun really lies.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh.¡± [Niki] Oops¡­ Was that too hard to understand?¡¡I¡¯d intended to simplify my explanations, but I ended up getting too into it¡­ Chapter 198.2 - A Brilliant Young Boy (2/2) Chapter 198: A Brilliant Young Boy (2/2) ¡°Hmm¡­ How to put it¡­ It¡¯s not just with slimes. What I find fun is being able to do something that I couldn¡¯t do before or learning something that I didn¡¯t know before. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yeah. I think I can relate. I was also really happy when I was able to climb a tree for the first time or finish building my secret base. I¡¯m also having a blast right now too!¡± [Niki] Oh? He¡¯s having fun right now?¡¡As I thought, Niki-kun has potential. ¡°Then do you want to try raising slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Niki] ¡°Of course. Although slimes just need water and feed to live, it takes quite a bit of effort when there¡¯s a lot of them. The slimes waiting to evolve also need to be fed accordingly, so it would help me a lot if I got your help. I have enough feed for the slimes, but I¡¯d still prefer to get some other feed from here and experiment a little too¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s ask mom!¡¡At the bare least, we have some trash!¡± [Niki] ¡ªAnd so, Niki-kun and I went around town. As a result¡­ ¡°We sure gathered a lot¡­¡± [Ryouma] After gathering everything we¡¯ve accumulated so far to a corner of the square that we borrowed, a mountain of junk and garbage was able to form. Niki-kun was never the reserved type and has always been inherently amiable to people, so with his help, we were able to ask a lot of people to give us their junk. The villagers must have also found it easier to talk since Niki-kun was there to mediate between us. Niki-kun was a huge help to me. Moreover, when I showed the things we¡¯ve gathered to the slimes, some of them reacted. Looks like there¡¯s even a new feed here that they like! ¡°Uhya¡­ That sure is a lot. Onii-chan, you had this many slimes with you? Dimension Magic sure is amazing.¡± [Niki] ¡°This isn¡¯t really the time to be surprised, Niki-kun. First, let¡¯s confirm what among this pile of junk the slimes have taken a liking to. If we don¡¯t hurry, the sun will set before we know it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Niki] We worked together and segregated the things we got. The people of the villagers looked on at us with curiosity from afar ¨C of course, the children playing in the square too ¨C but I didn¡¯t pay them any mind. Word of the situation has already spread through the village, so I¡¯m sure there¡¯s no need for any further explanation. Let¡¯s focus on the work at hand. ¡°First comes this.¡± [Ryouma] The trash from the gutting place. Various inedible parts of a myriad of different types of fishes, such as bones and guts, were mixed altogether. The slimes most interested in these parts are the scavenger slimes, the acid slimes, and a lone bloody slime. The scavenger slimes will want the damaged guts and the feces within the alimentary canal. The acid slimes will want the bones, so not much different from the usual. But the blood slime¡­ At first, I thought it was interested in the leftover blood inside the guts, but the other bloody slimes showed no interest, so there might be a branching path here to another evolution. With that in mind, I gathered the parts it was reacting to, but unfortunately, that only counted for a small portion of the garbage accumulated. It didn¡¯t seem to care much for the types of fishes or the part. Even when I took out the same gut part in one fish it reacted to from another, it showed no reaction. It was at that moment¡­ ¡°Onii-chan, I think I got it!¡± [Niki] ¡°Oh!¡¡What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it¡¯s probably the parasite¡­ We have to be careful of them during this time of the year, but my parents told me that there are certain types of fishes that we have to especially be wary of. The parts you picked out are pretty much that.¡± [Niki] ¡°I see. Parasite, huh¡­ ¡®Identify¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡¹ ¡°Mountain of fish guts¡± A pile of guts from different types of fishes. Within the guts of these fishes are the eggs of parasites from Ratoin Lake, some of which have just hatched. ¡°Bingo!¡¡Niki-kun, you got it right!¡¡I used Identify on it, and it told me that all of these have parasites!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡He he. But parasites, huh¡­¡± [Niki] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, parasites are annoying.¡± [Niki] Now that he mentions it¡­ They¡¯re already a pain normally, but to a village that makes its livelihood from fishing, they must be especially annoying. ¡°But you know if you look it from another point of view. I gathered this mountain of guts only after looking at the reaction of the bloody slime, and I couldn¡¯t tell at all that there were parasites inside these until I used Identify. In other words, slimes that can eat parasites can tell whether there are parasites in fishes or not.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Niki-kun¡¯s eyes opened wide, and even the adults watching around us cried out. ¡°I see!¡¡If you can tell which fishes have parasites, then it will be safer to eat fishes!¡± [Adult 1] ¡°Fish without parasites? If we could tell them apart, we could even eat them raw¡­¡± [Adult 2] ¡°Dear, could you please stop that?¡¡I¡¯m the one who¡¯ll have to take care of you if you end with a stomach ache.¡± [Adult 3] ¡°Of course, there¡¯s no one stupid enough to eat fish raw right now, but come summertime¡­¡± [Niki] When the adults heard Niki-kun¡¯s words, they became even more boisterous. ¡°Niki-kun. Do you eat raw fish around these parts too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When there aren¡¯t a lot of parasites, fishermen eat the fishes raw. My dad loves to eat raw fish, but because of that he ends up with stomach aches every year. There might be less parasites in some seasons, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re completely gone.¡± [Niki] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s probably a similar feeling to those people from the Edo Period who wanted to eat fugu even though it was forbidden¡­ Well, in this case, they won¡¯t die even if they ingest a parasite, so I guess it¡¯s not as desperate. But enough of that. What¡¯s more important right now is the evolution of the bloody slime. What will happen to it when it eats the parasites?¡¡Will it turn into a parasite slime?¡¡Will it go inside the body?¡¡The body of the bloody slime is blood. And blood goes in the body. Wait. Does that mean it can transfuse blood? ¡­As I pondered on that thought, I realized that the bloody slime would enter the body through a wound every time it sucked blood. But the blood inside wouldn¡¯t coagulate. I mean it doesn¡¯t, right?¡¡After all, it¡¯s able to suck the blood so smoothly. I hear blood coagulates when a different type of blood is mixed in, but¡­ Wait a second. In the first place, what even is the blood type of the bloody¡ª ¡°¡ªchan! Onii-chan!¡± [Niki] ¡°Oops. Sorry, Niki-kun. Spaced out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know. I can tell from looking at you. Anyway, since we know that one¡¯s a parasite slime, let¡¯s continue.¡± [Niki] ¡°Yeah. Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s still a lot of garbage to go through. But that pile of garbage was reflected on my eyes like a mountain of gold. It wouldn¡¯t be long before that overly positive interpretation of what was otherwise a pile of trash would be proven correct. Chapter 199.1 - One End of Infinite Possibilities (1/3) Chapter 199: One End of Infinite Possibilities (1/3) Next is¡­ This one.¡± [Ryouma] Three different types of fishes were neatly stored inside a large basket that needed two hands to carry. The fishes resembled stonefish, pufferfish, and eel. All of those are luxurious fishes as far as I¡¯m concerned, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll ask again, but you guys really don¡¯t eat these fishes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They all have poison. It would be really bad if we were to eat that.¡± [Niki] ¡°You could just take away the part with poison and eat the rest. There are similar fishes where I come from and we ate them all the same.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah¡­ Well, we do eat this one sometimes, but only when the weather is bad and we can¡¯t go out fishing or if there¡¯s not enough catch. In other words, we eat them when there¡¯s nothing else to eat.¡± [Niki] Niki-kun pointed at the eel-like fish. Most of the basket was occupied by the eels, so it¡¯s likely that they¡¯re easy to catch around here. ¡°But not only does this one have poison in its blood, it also stinks of mud and is full of bones. It¡¯s really bad. It has parasites around this time of the year too. This one has venomous spikes on it and it¡¯s also small, so there¡¯s not much to eat. When we¡¯re able to catch fish, there¡¯s a lot of delicious ones to pick from, so there¡¯s no reason anyone would go out of his way to eat this. Ah, and this puffed-up fish is deadly, so you definitely mustn¡¯t eat it!¡± [Niki] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] I was hoping to make some dishes out of them, but there¡¯s the parasite problem too, so let¡¯s just put that off for another day. ¡°We don¡¯t actually mean to catch these fishes, and dad himself says so, but there¡¯s not much we can do about it since they just keep getting caught in the nets.¡± [Niki] ¡°Yeah. My slimes are happy, though.¡± [Ryouma] The poison and medicine slimes are reacting. The bloody slime with a palette for parasites is also reacting. I wonder if there¡¯s a new branch of evolution here with the poison and the parasite¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Onii-chan?¡± [Niki] ¡°It¡¯s just that this poison slime is¡­¡± [Ryouma] Among the poison slimes was a poison slime that reacted only to the stonefish-like fish. Moreover, it¡¯s only eating the venomous needle of the scales! ¡°Venomous needles. Hmm¡­ Oops. I better ponder on this later. Next is¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm, there are shellfish here too. Poisonous and non-poisonous ones.¡± [Niki] ¡°Let¡¯s start with the poisonous ones then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The poison and the medicine slimes recognized it as food. Unfortunately, it seems these things can only serve as normal food to the slimes here. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the non-poisonous ones then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Onii-chan, sorry, but these shellfish don¡¯t have any meat left in them. They¡¯re just shells.¡± [Niki] ¡°Oh, well we did say trash was fine. And besides, there are still some slimes reacting to these.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Niki] Several acid slimes were already waiting beside Niki-kun¡¯s feet as he carried the bucket of shellfish shells. Niki-kun fed the shells to those slimes, and they happily digested it. Small bubbles rose up as they carefully digested the shells. There¡¯s a chance that the acid slime could evolve from the shells. One of those reacting to the shells is also the same slime that likes to eat everyday¡­ Is this another branch of evolution?¡¡Both seashells and egg shells have calcium carbonate as the common main ingredient, but¡­ No. I can¡¯t form a definite conclusion from just that. I need to observe more. ¡°And lastly, here comes the ¡®crab¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] The sticky slime reacted to both the shell with meat in it and just the shell. ¡°On one hand is a shell and on the other hand is¡­ This one needs more observation too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Next are the junk caught in the nets that¡¯s not fish. Water plants and seaweed.¡± [Niki] Looks like Niki has already gotten used to the flow of our work here, as he brought over the next junk right when I was thinking about it. Good job, Niki! Seriously, he¡¯s such a nice assistant¡­ These are probably¡­ Yeah. The weed slimes reacted. I¡¯ve already confirmed recently that they react to the water plants. There also those reacting to the seaweed. ¡°Next one is this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A tattered net¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen with this, but let¡¯s give it a try¡­ Okay. That was unexpected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Niki] ¡°Hmm~ The sticky slimes and the metal slimes are reacting.¡± [Ryouma] The sticky slimes produces thread, so it¡¯s still somewhat related, but the metal slime is unexpected. Metal and net¡­ A metal net?¡¡I don¡¯t know, but it¡¯ll be interesting to see what it evolves into. This too needs further observation. ¡°Alright! These two are the last ones!¡± [Niki] Niki lifted a bucket-like wooden vessel in each hand. One bucket was filled with sand while the other was filled with ceramic fragments. ¡°I see¡­ The stone slime is reacting to both buckets. A poison slime is reacting to the sand too.¡± [Ryouma] There is a poison slime reacting to the sand. And what¡¯s more is that it¡¯s the same specimen that also ate charcoal and is expected to evolve. Is there a common point between charcoal and sand? Or is this a different branch of evolution? For the mean time, all I can really do is wait for it to evolve and then observe. Chapter 199.2 - One End of Infinite Possibilities (2/3) If I write down all of the cases of evolution and from there search for common points and food, then I might just be able to find other conditions for evolution¡­ In that case, should I increase the number of poison slimes or look for another slime that eats charcoal? Or maybe I should keep increasing the slime variants that I can increase? I have something else in mind for the stone slimes. I¡¯m currently trying to get their numbers up, but the evolution experiment is important too, so let¡¯s focus on increasing their numbers. I¡¯m sure I can get some results before they eat Gimuru¡¯s abandoned mine into a flatland. ¡°That should be all of them!¡± [Niki] ¡°Hmm. Ahh. Right. In that case, let¡¯s write down the slimes that might evolve as well as their respective feed. ¡®Item Box¡¯ ¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Niki] I took out a writing tool and started writing down the different type of slimes and possibilities for evolution. Sticky Slime => Crab Slime, Shell Slime, Net Slime Acid Slime => Shellfish Slime, Shellfish and Egg Slime Poison Slime => Charcoal and Sand Slime, Poison Needle Slime Metal Slime => Metal Net Slime Bloody Slime => Parasite Slime Stone Slime => Sand Slime, Ceramic Slime Weed Slime => Water Plant Slime, Seaweed Slime ¡°That¡¯s thirteen types all in all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wow! Slimes really can evolve into so many things! To think that seven types could evolve into so many!¡± [Niki] ¡°Well, this is just a possibility right now, though. Still, it¡¯s amazing to see that I was able to find so many in just a day¡­ And when I look back on it, there are a lot of feed that I can only get around these parts, like fish and crabs¡­ I could collect water plants and seaweeds and multiply them inside the Dimension Home, but the venomous spines and the parasites can only be gotten from the fishes here¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Couldn¡¯t you easily solve that if you just lived here?¡± [Niki] ¡°That¡¯s true, but I have work.¡± [Ryouma] Although most of the store¡¯s management has been left to the employees, there are still documents I have to personally handle and I also need to do my rounds around the mines regularly. I could put someone in charge here to report to me regularly, but Niki-kun is still too young, and the Wharf of Shikumu adventurer party doesn¡¯t have any monster tamers among their ranks¡­ That being said, I could put up a branch store in this village and send someone like Caulkin-san over¡­ Yeah that might actually not be a bad idea. Today¡¯s findings may not be limited to just this village here. If I were to go to another new environment, I might also find new paths of evolution there. If so, then having to travel the whole world myself to explore the possibilities of slime evolution would take too much time. A better idea would be to expand my store and build branch stores in every region. I could then dispatch someone else to those stores to research the slimes in my stead and send the data back to me, so I can continue my research from my headquarters. With this method I¡¯ll be able to manage my store and continue my slime research at the same time. Perfect! I¡¯ll talk to Carm-san about this as soon as I get back! ¡°You know, onii-chan. I don¡¯t think you can pull that off right now, though.¡± [Niki] ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m talking long term here. ¡­Wait. Was I talking out loud?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Loud and clear. But enough of that. What are we going to do now?¡± [Niki] ¡°Well, for the meantime, I¡¯ll have my slimes eat here while we¡¯re at the village, and then before I leave I¡¯ll take whatever junk the villagers won¡¯t mind me taking. That¡¯s about it. Oh, there¡¯s observing the slimes too, I guess..¡± [Ryouma] The slimes can generally eat anything, so if there¡¯s no food meant for evolution left then they should still be able to eat other stuff. If they evolve into something else, then that¡¯s fine too. ¡°At the very least, they won¡¯t grow weak and die because of starvation. And it¡¯s not like I have to evolve them immediately anyway. We¡¯re doing this whole evolution thing at leisure, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. So now what?¡± [Niki] ¡°Hmm~ Unfortunately, we¡¯re out of time.¡± [Ryouma] The job at the processing plant seems to be over already, as a lot of women have appeared in the square to pick up their children. I should send Niki-kun home soon too. But before I could actually send him home¡­ ¡°Niki, let¡¯s go home.¡± [Mother] ¡°Mom!¡± [Niki] ¡°Ryouma-kun, thank you for watching over my son.¡± [Mother] ¡°Oh, please don¡¯t mention it. Niki-kun helped me out a lot today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Mom! I helped take care of the slimes! There were so many different types of slimes! It was really fun!¡± [Niki] ¡°I see. That¡¯s great.¡± [Niki] ¡°Yeah! Oh, right, onii-chan. How long will it take for the slime evolutions we found today to evolve.¡¡I want to see the slimes evolving!¡± [Niki] ¡°Unfortunately, it will take a few months before they evolve.¡± [Ryouma] He helped me out, so I would love to show him an evolution while I¡¯m here, but alas. ¡°I see.. Then can I help take care of the slimes again tomorrow?¡± [Niki] ¡°Of course!¡¡In fact, I welcome it!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yahoo!¡¡Alright, see you tomorrow, onii-chan!¡± [Niki] Niki-kun took his mother¡¯s hand and left while waving at me. Chapter 199.3 - One End of Infinite Possibilities Chapter 199: One End of Infinite Possibilities (3/3) That night. ¡°¡ªAnd that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] When I talked about the things that happened today, cheerful laughter spread through the living room. ¡°And so you promised to meet up tomorrow too.¡± [Kei] ¡°He sure has taken a liking to you.¡± [Mei] ¡°Well, there was that incident yesterday too.¡± [Kai] Kei-san, Mei-san, and Kai-san all pointed out that Niki-kun had taken a liking to me. I was just talking about my hobbies with him, but if that¡¯s how he feels, then that¡¯s great. ¡°Ryouma-kun. Are you going to be collecting trash with that kid tomorrow too?¡± [Mother] ¡°That¡¯s the plan.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, take the trash from our house too. You don¡¯t mind, right, dad?¡± [Mother] ¡°¡­¡± [Dad] When the mother asked that, the taciturn dad put down the glass of liquor he was drinking and nodded. ¡°Thank you for your help¡­ I think the food is about ready, so I¡¯ll go and serve the table now.¡± [Ryouma] Tonight¡¯s supper is on me. Mei-san and her mother have been taking care of me all this time, and they¡¯ve even given me various food goods like rice, so as thanks, I made them the dish that¡¯s perfect for winter, the boneless daikon, a dish based on the buri daikon dish. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Ryouma] I moved the pot from the kitchen stove to the sunken hearth, and then served everyone their plate. I served the head of the family, Hoi-san, first, followed by the rest of the family in order. When everyone had been served, they all started eating with interest. ¡°Mm!¡¡Delicious!¡¡The flavor has really soaked in.¡± [Kai] ¡°The hard root vegetables have been boiled soft too. It¡¯s delicious.¡± [Kei] Oops. I forgot. ¡°Add these too if you¡¯d like.¡± [Ryouma] I offered the wasabi-like and mustard-like shredded ¡®horas¡¯. ¡°As I thought, it¡¯s different when you melt it in soup.¡± [Mother] ¡°It¡¯s not bad¡­ Fu¡­ It goes well with liquor.¡± [Dad] The dad quickly emptied the glass of liquor that the mother poured. Due to the liquor¡¯s effects, the dad was finally starting to talk. The pace he ate the boneless daikon and the liquor sped up too. Anyhow, it seems that everyone likes the dish. That¡¯s great. ¡°Ryouma, you should eat too. If you just keep watching, you¡¯ll run out of food before you know it.¡± [Kai] ¡°Right. In that case, itadakimasu!¡± [Ryouma] First, let¡¯s start with the fish, the boneless¡­ As it overflowed with juice, my chopsticks penetrated it. This fish is called boneless because its bones melt when cooked in heat. There were definitely bones before boiling it, but after being boiled, the bones vanished. I took a portion of the fish and placed it into my mouth. The texture was strangely thick, but¡­ It¡¯s mellow and delicious! ¡°Fuu, fuu¡­ Mm!¡± [Ryouma] Next comes the daikon. Warm steam rose, carrying with it a relaxing fragrance that tickled my nose. When I placed the daikon inside my mouth, it softly crumbled and released a juice with a deep tinge of seafood. Perfectly done, if I say so myself. I take another bite, but this time add the mustard, and¡­ Yep! Delicious!¡¡Just the right amount of pungent flavor! ¡­Alright. I¡¯ve made my mind. I¡¯ll open that. ¡°Excuse me¡­ ¡®Item Box¡¯.!¡± [Ryouma] £¡¡¹ ¡°Huh?¡¡Is that sake?¡± [Dad] ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s something I got from a dragon newt friend of mine.¡± [Ryouma] A top quality sake I got from Asagi-san a long time ago. Top quality sakes are seen as luxury goods around here, so I¡¯ve kept it stored all this time. But now the time has come! I poured myself a cup and wet my throat. After the clear taste passed, the spirits comfortably passed through my nose. I ate the flavorful daikon while drinking this top-quality sake. ¡°Fuu¡­ Delicious.¡¡Hot sake might make it even better.¡± [Ryouma] I prepare the magic stove to heat water¡­ ¡°Oh, if you guys want, you can have some too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh?¡¡Are you sure?¡¡In that case, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± [Kai] ¡°Don¡¯t drink too much, Kai onii-san.¡± [Kei] ¡°¡­Didn¡¯t take you for a drinker, boy.¡± [Hoi] ¡°I was raised by a dwarf and I received the divine protection of the God of Wine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The divine protection of the God of Wine!¡¡I see¡­ in that case, why don¡¯t you have some of our liquor until your liquor is ready?¡¡It¡¯s not first-class, but it¡¯s local here.¡± [Dad] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll have some then.¡± [Ryouma] I accepted the offer of the dad that has finally started to become talkative. He filled a vessel that resembled a large-sake cup. When I looked inside, it was white like milk and was also quite thick. It was like Japan¡¯s doburoku (unrefined sake). When I took a sip, I felt the fine grains on my tongue ¨C that¡¯s probably from the ingredients used ¨C as I tasted the subtle sourness accompanying the potent sweetness of the liquor. The taste reminds me of amazake (sweet sake), but there¡¯s also a familiar bitterness mixed in. ¡°Is this made from kotsubuyarikusa?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? You can tell? That¡¯s right.¡± [Dad] ¡°Oh? That¡¯s a surprise. So you can actually make sake from that.¡± [Ryouma] The Identify spell didn¡¯t mention it, and I¡¯ve been eating it for so long, but I never realized that. ¡°Ahh, but you can¡¯t make it with just kotsubuyarikusa. You need a herb to turn it into liquor.¡± [Kei] ¡°Is there such a thing,¡¡Kei-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not particularly rare or anything.¡¡You can find it anywhere.¡± [Kai] As soon as he said that, Kai-san went to the front door and opened the door. Or at least I thought he was going to open the door, but instead he bent his hips and plucked the grass growing by his feet. After that he came back. ¡°Brr¡­ Cold!¡¡Look. It¡¯s this one.¡± [Kai] He really just pulled it from there¡­ I don¡¯t see how this grass is any different from the ones growing in the corner that dogs pee on, though. At the very least, nothing I know regarding medicinal and poisonous herbs says this thing is any more special than what it appears. ¡°We also see it as just weed, but it can be used to make liquor.¡± [Mother] ¡°I wonder just who it was that thought of combining weed with food to make liquor.¡± [Mei] Weed, huh. I wonder if the weed slime can cultivate it if I feed that to him. Looks like I should experiment with that too while I¡¯m here. And if I can make sake using kotsubuyarikusa, that would be a huge help since it will make it easier to procure feed for the drunk slime. I won¡¯t have to go town anymore just to buy liquor for it! ¡°Where can I learn how to make this sake?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Interested?¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll just show you tomorrow.¡± [Mother] ¡°Huh?¡¡Mom, you know how to make it?¡± [Mei] ¡°Mei, if you can¡¯t even make wine, what are you going to do as a woman?¡± [Mother] According to the mother, up till her generation, every house being able to make this white sake was normal. It was an essential skill before being married off. But it took skill to make the wine taste good, which in turn meant that it took effort to hone the skill, so as the village grew wealthier, the villagers started buying from those who could make it well instead of making it themselves. ¡°Our family has also stopped making it ourselves¡­ Mei, I¡¯ll use this as an opportunity to teach you the taste of our family¡¯s sake.¡± [Mother] ¡°We have our own brand? I never knew that.¡± [Mei] ¡°Well, if it were more delicious than what you¡¯re drinking now, we would have started selling it long ago.¡± [Mother] ¡°That¡¯s not very reassuring!¡± [Dad] Laughter broke out again when the dad said that. After a while, I was able to make my hot sake. ¡°It¡¯s ready! Please eat and drink lots!¡¡Here you go, Kai-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you¡­ Wow!¡¡Hey, Kei. This sake tastes great. Have some too.¡± [Kai] ¡°Really? It tastes that good?¡¡Alright. I¡¯ll have some then. Just a little, though.¡± [Kei] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] Like this we talked merrily into the night while enjoying delicious boneless daikon and liquor. It¡¯s cold outside, but our hearts and our bodies are warm. I was also feeling fulfilled thanks to being able to procure new feed for the slimes, so I fell asleep as soon as I hit the bed. Chapter 200.1 - An Unexpected Evolution (1/3) The next day. ¡°Brr¡­ It¡¯s cold!¡± The cold slipped into the gaps of the futon and jolted my consciousness awake. I knew it would be cold every morning, but this morning is particularly cold. It won¡¯t be long now before the season completely turns over to winter. After making up my mind, I slipped out of the futon and began preparing for the day. There was just one problem. The clothes I prepared next to my bed have completely chilled! ¡°Looks like I have to wear something thick today¡­¡± I opened my Item Box and chose something else to wear. The clothing I chose was the ¡®Down Jacket¡¯-like jacket I made by stuffing a fabric with the fluff slime¡¯s fluff and then using the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid to make the exterior part waterproof. I couldn¡¯t recreate the zipper, so the front was made to be closed with buttons instead. For the wrist part, I¡¯m using rubber made from the latex slimes¡¯ liquid to close it. I moderately tightened it to prevent the cold from getting in. This winter garment is one of the preparations I made for winter. After confirming that the jacket was comfortable enough and that the anti-cold functions were functioning properly, I left my room. Alright! I¡¯ll do my best today too! After resolving myself like that, one week passed in the blink of an eye. From morning until noon, I would generally help out with the fishes by fighting the mud salamanders. In the noon, I would take care of the slimes and explore new evolutions with Niki-kun. In the evening, I would help make supper and do my preparations for the next day. I pretty much just repeated that the whole week, but there were some minor differences. I thought back to the events that occurred during the week, and¡­ On the first day. The morning was the same as the previous day, and I made my preparations for the mud salamander hunt, but the rimel birds were acting weird after getting out of my Dimension Home. When I tried asking them what the problem was, they replied, ¡®It¡¯s not bad enough that we can¡¯t work, but it¡¯s really cold.¡¯ The rimel birds were migratory birds. Around this point in time, they would already have started migrating to a warmer region. ¡­As such, from this day onwards, I retired the rimel birds from participating in the mud salamander hunt and had them stay in the Dimension Home instead. Of course, to let them release their stress, I would let them out to fly, but even then, they would only fly for about 30 minutes before going back in. Fortunately, the Dimension Home had a fixed temperature, so it was easy for them to stay there. When I get back to Gimuru, I¡¯ll get their opinion and look for a way to protect them from winter. I also asked if my other bird-type monster, the clever chickens, would want to go out from time to time, but their representative, Kohaku, said I didn¡¯t need to worry about it. ¡­As usual, they had a roundabout way of saying things. I should give them something delicious next time. Later in the evening, I studied how to make sake (preparation) using kotsubuyarikusa from the mother of the family I was staying with. while we were making the sake, the mother let off a lot of steam. The cooking duty at the processing plant was apparently done by rotation and it would be her turn two days later. She said a lot of things, such as, ¡®It¡¯s so hard to decide what to put on the menu¡¯ ¡®the men are always complaining that they¡¯re bored with the food¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m doing my best to keep them healthy and strong, but they¡¯re so¡­¡¯ And so and so forth. In my past life, I died without getting married, but this time I might marry, so I better take note of her complaints. Second day. The morning fishing and the mud salamander hunts continue for three days followed by a rest day. Today is a rest day, but I ended up waking early, so I went and did some light jogging along the beach. I used this as an opportunity to let the iron slime and metal slime out too since they had a hard time moving on sand. I let them run at their own pace, and by the time I was done with my run, there were three among them who clearly ran faster than the others. I used Monster Identify on these three slimes and I found out that they learned a new skill called ¡®Running on Bad Roads¡¯. It was only at level one, but since there¡¯s a skill like this, the slimes should be able to train themselves until they¡¯re eventually able to move as they do on normal roads. At least, that¡¯s what I think. I talked to Niki-kun about it later at noon while we collected trash. During our collection, the village chief gave us a large old net (the seine net used for fishing in the morning fishing) from the shared storage used by the village. The net is one of the feeds that might allow the slimes to evolve, so I¡¯ll be happy to get as many as I could. I thanked the village chief from the bottom of my heart, but the village chief became troubled by how thankful I was, so he asked me if I was willing to help collect firewood. I happily accepted his offer. Chapter 200.2 - An Unexpected Evolution (2/3) After that¡­ ¡°Onii-chan, are you sure that was a good idea?¡± [Niki] ¡°What do you mean? The village headsman gave me such a huge net. I couldn¡¯t just take that without showing my gratitude somehow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Every year there¡¯s a festival that¡¯s held when the fishing period ends. The nets that can¡¯t be repaired are thrown into the fire then. That¡¯s why, Onii-san, that net you got was just garbage. You just got a job pushed onto you for no good reason.¡± [Niki] ¡°Ahh, I see. There is that way of thinking too¡­ But to me it¡¯s not just garbage. And besides, if I have to pick up firewood, then that means I¡¯ll have to enter that forest, right? If so, then I¡¯ll be able to use that as an opportunity to look for the slimes local to this region. Who knows? I might even find the mud slime that¡¯s said to be around here. Either way, I wanted to go through the forest at least once while I¡¯m here, so I might as well take advantage of this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Onii-chan, if you¡¯re not careful, you¡¯ll end up being used by other people, you know.¡± [Niki] Niki-kun was fed up by my behavior, but he promised to help me look for the slime and pick up firewoods. He¡¯s a good kid. Third day. There were considerably less people participating in the mud salamander hunt today compared to the last three days of work. Apparently, the reason is because most of the adventurers staying here left to defend another village yesterday. Everyone has more work to deal with because of that, but everyone¡¯s already gotten used to how the slimes fight, so it wasn¡¯t really an issue. Collecting the corpses of the mud salamanders was also good training not just physically but also for my Dimension Magic. After lunch I waited for Niki-kun to finish his work, and then we went to the forest to look for the slimes and gather firewood. We had a short meeting about what to do, and in the end, we decided to finish gathering firewood first, so we can focus on looking for the slimes. But when I carried lumber over my shoulder like it was nothing, Niki-kun looked at me with eyes full of respect. I¡¯ve been using the slimes to deal with the mud salamanders and I look like an elementary school student, so he didn¡¯t think that I actually had that much strength. I know it¡¯s not his fault, but I was a little sad to hear that. As such, I worked a little harder when picking up firewood. Speaking of which, the village headman was really happy with our performance and gave us a bucket full of an organism that looked like a cross between squid and jellyfish. According to Niki-kun, the food the village headman gave us was somewhat special. Later that evening we had that squid-like thingy for supper. I think it tasted better than the squid rice in my memories. Fourth day. I thought up various new spells I could use to help collect the corpses. I used the spell that the scholar and adventurer Raypin-san used before as a reference ¨C a spell which teleported the target to one¡¯s hand and was known as Pick Up ¨C to create a spell that teleported something in one¡¯s hand to a distant location. I called it ¡®Drop Off¡¯. The second spell I thought up made use of the concepts of Item Box and Dimension Home to create a hole near one¡¯s hand for the entrance and another hole to the target location as the exit. By connecting the two locations, I could quickly send things from my hand to the target location. I call this spell ¡®Worm Hole¡¯. Until now I¡¯ve been teleporting myself with the mud salamander, and then after transporting the mud salamander away, I would have to teleport myself again to go back. By removing the need to consume mana and stamina on the way back, I was able to make my collection of corpses that much more efficient. Presently, I¡¯m in the middle of researching if it¡¯s possible to set the target location of the ¡®Drop Off¡¯ as my ¡®Item Box¡¯. That way I¡¯ll be able to directly throw the target straight into my Item Box. After eating I helped wash dishes at the processing plant with my Cleaner Slime while waiting for Niki-kun to finish. Today Niki-kun brought his mom and several housewives from the village with him. Apparently, they wanted me to take their trash too, so I happily accepted their offer. There were even people who asked to have their toilets dealt with too. They spoke a bit vaguely, saying, ¡®Can you take care of the things inside our toilets too?¡¯ They probably heard about my scavenger slime from Niki-kun. I asked those people their address and dispatched the scavenger slimes. I¡¯ll be picking up the scavenger slimes on the way back, so after collecting the garbage, I went to the forest again to look for slimes. Today I was able to catch three slimes. Fifth day On this day the other wives that heard about yesterday were waiting for me. We agreed that the payment for the toilet cleaning will be paid in garbage and whatever leftover food they have. Alright! Now I have plenty of feed for the scavenger slimes! Chapter 200.3 - An Unexpected Evolution (3/3) Sixth day Another rest day for fishing and hunting. After coming back from my morning jog, I saw people bringing their trash to the to the part of the square that was temporarily being used to hold my garbage. The villagers were already using it as if it were perfectly natural. I greeted the people bringing their trash with them and asked why they were giving all of these to me, and they laughed, saying that there was a huge cleanup at the end of the year anyway, so they might as well just give their garbage to me to deal with. ¡°With this we can just pick out what we need and randomly throw the rest away. We couldn¡¯t do this if your methods polluted the sea, but I guess there¡¯s nothing to fear in that regard!¡± ¡ªSomeone said jokingly, but the adults weren¡¯t really laughing. I¡¯m glad they¡¯re able to dispose their trash properly. I think I¡¯ll continue to take care of their trash from here on out too. Moreover, other than the feeds, the village headman also gave me pots with slime inside as thanks. 20 slimes all in all. According to the village headman, I was a huge help in subjugating the mud salamanders, disposing their trash, and gathering firewood. The subjugation of the mud salamanders was properly compensated for, but disposing the trash and gathering the firewood wasn¡¯t. As expected, they couldn¡¯t be at ease just repaying my work by just giving me their trash and leftovers. Personally, I¡¯m glad just to have their trash and leftovers, but the village headman probably didn¡¯t want to leave debts even in the smallest things. I gratefully accepted the slimes. By the way, the reason the village headman compensated me with slimes is because when he was thinking of how to thank me Niki-kun said, ¡®if it¡¯s onii-san you¡¯re talking about, then you should give him slimes!¡¯ Niki-kun sure understands me. After the village headman was able to thank me, he left feeling relieved. Seventh day. After repeatedly teleporting the corpses with my dimension magic, I¡¯ve finally developed a knack for the skill. I haven¡¯t gotten any hard data, but I think I¡¯m a lot more efficient now at teleporting multiple targets simultaneously. At noon my occupation changes from an adventurer to a garbage collector. I went around the village collecting garbage from the elderly who couldn¡¯t carry the heavy ones. I made full use of my Dimension Magic too, so it made for good training. I managed to catch four slimes today and got 8 slimes as tip for my garbage collection services. The days passed by like that until finally reaching present time. Before me is the miracle of one week. No, it¡¯s the favor of the villagers and the fruit of continuously collecting garbage ¨C two slimes. That¡¯s right. In just one week, two of my slimes evolved into two new variants. One of the two slimes was the metal slime that ate nets. It hasn¡¯t changed much on the surface, but its body has shrunk a little. But what about its skill and abilities? ¡°¡­ Monster Identify.¡± [Ryouma] ¡®Wire Slime¡¯ Skill: Harden Lv3, Expansion and Contraction Lv3, Physical Attack Resist Lv2, High-Speed Movement Lv3, Digest Lv3, Absorb Lv3, Skill Lv2 ¡°Wire, in other words, a thread of metal¡­ So I guess that means it didn¡¯t really want the net itself but rather the ¡®thread¡¯ that made it.¡¡It has mostly the same skillset as the metal slime. Just one skill was added to it ¨C Expansion and Contraction. But it¡¯s been able to transform into weapons all this time and it could expand and contract too¡­¡± [Ryouma] I had it try the new skill out, and the wire slime extended a part of its body. I thought it was just going to extend a part of its body like a tentacle as usual, but it extended it like a thread instead! ¡°1m, 2m¡­ You can extend it even further?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Looks like this is still far from its limits. As I watched it move fervently in an attempt to show off, I noted that the extended thread was the same as the tentacle ¨C No. It¡¯s not exactly the same, the thread is thinner and lighter, and the slime can move it more freely. I had the slime extend it for a while, and the slime¡¯s main body shrunk. Is the range limited by the volume of the wire slime?¡¡¡­I¡¯ll research that later. Anyhow, this one seems to have a lot of uses. A very useful slime indeed! ¡°As for the other one¡­ Yeah, it¡¯s ¡®that¡¯. I¡¯ve never seen one so big, though.¡± [Ryouma] The other slime was the one that loved to eat egg and seashells. The ex-acid-slime. I thought the common point between the two feeds would be the calcium carbonate, but the actual result turned out to be something completely unexpected. The slime¡¯s new body was milky-white with a unique luster and dazzled magnificently under light. ¡®Pearl Slime¡¯ Skill: Refine Protective Body Liquid Lv3, Coating Lv3, Crystallization Lv3, Digest Lv3, Absorb Lv3, Split Lv2 ¡°I knew it! It¡¯s a pearl.¡± But why would acid turn into a pearl? ¡­It ate seashells, but those weren¡¯t pearl oysters¡­ Ah, but I guess those shells had nacre inside. There were various kinds of shells, weren¡¯t there?¡¡And the main ingredient of pearl is calcium carbonate. When I think of it that way, I guess it¡¯s still within expectations¡­ Hmm?¡¡A former acid slime fed on seashells and eggs¡­ Hmm?¡¡Acid and egg?¡¡Vinegar¡­ You can make mayonnaise with vinegar and egg. Mayonnaise and pearl¡­ If I think of it that way, then I think I might have an idea how this happened. In the past, there was a very similar chemical experiment called Mayonnaise Pearl. But as much as I¡¯m curious how things ended up like this, there¡¯s a bigger problem right now. In the middle ages of Earth, the technology to cultivate pearls didn¡¯t exist, so people had to catch wild pearl oysters from under the sea. And even then tens of thousands of pearl oysters would only net a paltry amount of pearl, which caused pearl to become really expensive. This was written in a light novel I read before. I don¡¯t know how much pearl goes for in this country and this world, but it¡¯s a precious resource in pharmaceutics and it¡¯s not that well known in society, so it should be fairly expensive. The pearl slime looks like a giant pearl, so just that alone should fetch it a good price, but¡­ Refine Protective Body Liquid, Coating, Crystallization¡­ From the sound of these skills, this slime can probably create more pearls. It¡¯s just a possibility right now, but what if it is possible? Pearl Slime. A slime that looks like an expensive pearl and can create pearls. Considering its value, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if people set its sights on it. It would be better not to show it to others or talk about it. But¡­ ¡°What should I tell Niki-kun?¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s been enjoying himself feeding the slimes everyday, so he knows that I¡¯ve been feeding an acid slime egg and seashells¡­ What to do? ¡°Ryouma?¡¡Are you still asleep?¡± [???] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] That surprised me¡­ It¡¯s Kai-san. ¡°I¡¯m awake.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. It¡¯s time for breakfast already.¡± ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be right there!¡± Before I knew it, it was already that time. ¡­For the mean time, I better go have my breakfast¡­ Chapter 201.1 - Chapter 201: Summon (1/3) ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] Today¡¯s hunt and lunch went by in the blink of an eye for some reason. All that¡¯s left now is to wait for Niki-kun¡­ ¡°Onii-chan!¡¡I¡¯m done with my work!¡± [Niki] Nikki-kun finished his work early too. ¡°Ohh¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Nikki] ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing¡­ There¡¯s something I need to tell you today. Actually¡­¡± [Ryouma] I honestly told him about the evolution of the wire slime. ¡°Huh!?¡¡It evolved already!?¡± [Nikki] ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s because you and the village helped me so much. All that food really helped the slime evolve.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Show me!¡¡Show me!¡± [Nikki] ¡°Of course. We¡¯ll go to the forest after collecting garbage to see what the slime can do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s get going then!¡± [Nikki] And so, we left the cafeteria. It seemed like Niki-kun wanted to see the Wire Slime as soon as possible, so we went to the garbage collection space earlier than usual. Because of that we were also able to collect the garbage quickly. After collecting the garbage, we went to the entrance of the forest where we gathered firewood, and I called out the Wire Slime. ¡°Huh? It doesn¡¯t look any different?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Yep, but it did get a little bit smaller, and also¡­¡± [Ryouma] I ordered the slime to turn itself into a really thin and long thread ¡°Ah!¡¡Wow! So it can do this kind of stuff now? ¡­It did eat nets too. Can it be used like a net?¡¡Can you change the thickness?¡¡And how far can it stretch?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Let¡¯s find out.¡± [Ryouma] I asked the Wire Slime and it told me that it can change the thickness of the threads. But if the threads are thick it can¡¯t extend itself very far. I hypothesized this morning that the maximum range it can extend might be related to its volume. To test that I had it extend its threads at a fixed thickness into the shape of a cylinder. From that I was able to judge that the maximum distance it can reach is roughly 40 meters. I calculated the volume, and it was pretty much the same as the volume of the ball-form wire slime. But while the body could expand and contract, the nucleus couldn¡¯t. When the wire slime extended as far as it could, the location of the nucleus became obvious. After all, the body thinned out so much. One glance is all anyone would need to spot it. The volume is within the margin of error, but the location of the nucleus becoming obvious is something I have to be careful about. I also checked if the wire slime could become a net just as Niki-kun asked, and it turned out it could extend threads from anywhere on its body. It could maintain several threads at the same time too. The wire slime could also entangle the threads, so it was possible to make a net or a thick rope with it. It can also change into the shapes it learned when it was still a metal slime, but when I had it changed its thread to something like a barbed wire or had it add thin blades on the side of its threads like a coping saw, its transformation was limited to thread + ¦Á. ¡°¡­Something like that, I guess. Niki-kun, do you want to see the moment when a slime evolves?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I do! I do!¡¡Can I watch a slime evolve?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Yeah. Actually, I have a slime that can evolve right away.¡± [Ryouma] This time I took out the new slimes I got in the past few days. Some of these I caught on my own and some were given to me by the village. ¡°Slimes don¡¯t just react to food, they react to the mana that¡¯s used to cast spells too. If you feed a lot of a certain type of mana to a slime, it will evolve into a slime that casts magic of that type of mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Come to think of it, you did mention that you evolved your own slimes to be able to cast magic. Is that how you did it?¡± [Nikki] ¡°It was just a coincidence at first. What type of mana the slimes like depend on their environment. There were only earth and dark types back at my base, but I hear slimes that cast fire magic ¨C fire slimes ¨C have been spotted in volcanic regions. So first, we have to find out what type of man the slimes living around here like. I already tested it actually, and it seems the slimes here mostly like water type mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So if the slime evolves, then it will turn into a slime that casts water magic?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Yeah. I can provide the mana the slime needs, so I can make it evolve immediately. I also don¡¯t have any slimes that can cast water magic, so it would be nice if I could get one. Let¡¯s give it a try.¡± [Ryouma] I released water type mana from my hand, then I placed the slime that reacted the quickest between me and Niki-kun. Nikki-kun watched the slime with rapt attention as I poured water magic into it. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s trying to stick itself to your hand.¡± [Nikki] Niki-kun remarked. The slime is also trying to absorb the mana I¡¯m pouring into it, so it might look like it¡¯s extending its body toward my hand. While I was realizing that, the slime finally absorbed enough mana. Chapter 201.2 - Summon (2/3) Chapter 201: Summon (2/3) The slime brought back the part of its body that it extended. After vibrating a few times and seemingly making some adjustments of some sort, the siime stopped moving completely and then started releasing trace amounts of mana. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not moving¡­¡± [Nikki] Niki-kun couldn¡¯t feel the mana, so I had to be the one to tell him that it was releasing mana. ¡°Huh. I can¡¯t use magic, so it just looks like it¡¯s sitting still to me¡­ Hey, onii-chan, what¡¯s its mana like?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Hmm¡­ It¡¯s a bit hard to put into words, but it¡¯s like a wave. Small waves emit from the slime and become a flow, and then it goes back into the slime. It¡¯s like it¡¯s breathing the air it exhales. It¡¯s hard to catch the slimes evolving, so I don¡¯t have a lot of experience watching them evolve, but the metal slimes also did this mana exhale-inhale thing, so it might be something necessary for the slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Ah. Gradually the color of the slime began to change. It wasn¡¯t a big change, though. Its transparent body just became a little blue. A little tinge of the sky¡¯s hue so to speak. Before long the slime stopped releasing and absorbing mana. I used Identify and¡ª Water Slime Skills Water Magic Lv2 Water Magic Resistance Lv8 Absorb Water Magic Lv1 Jump Lv1 Digest Lv3 Absorb Lv3 Split Lv1 ¡°It safely evolved.¡± [Ryouma] I had the slime produce water with magic, and the water slime was more than happy to gush out water. ¡°Wow! It¡¯s really using magic!¡¡What else can it do?¡± [Nikki] I had it cast the attack spell, Waterball, next, and Niki-kun clapped his hands out of joy. After having our fun with the slime¡¯s magic, we ran through the forest to look for more slimes to use in the experiments later. Today we managed to catch 15 slimes. ¡°Huh?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t it kinda noisy?¡± [Nikki] We went back to the village, and just as Niki-kun said, something was amiss. Normally, the villagers would be going home around this time or be cooking supper, but instead, there were a lot of adults out in the road. The people nearby seemed to be talking about something. ¡°Let¡¯s ask them. Obaa-chan!¡± ¡°Huh?¡¡Oh, Niki-kun and Ryouma-kun. Did you go to the forest again?¡± [Grandma] ¡°Yeah. We just got back now. Did something happen?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Actually, the feudal lord¡¯s messenger came to the village just a while ago. Apparently he¡¯ll be visiting tomorrow.¡± [Grandma] ¡°The feudal lord is!?¡¡What is it so suddenly?¡± [Nikki] ¡°The thing is¡ª¡± [Grandma] Suddenly, the grandma turned to me. ¡°He wants to meet you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Huh!?¡¡Me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently. I don¡¯t know the details, but Hoi-san should have been contacted already. Why don¡¯t you try dropping by the headsman¡¯s place?¡¡It was the village headman who spoke to the messenger knight, so he should be privy to the details.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll go.¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t think of any reason why the feudal lord here would want to call me. I¡¯ve heard of him before, but he shouldn¡¯t know about me. Just what could the reason be? Anyway, before going back and before it got dark, I dropped by the village headman¡¯s place. I thanked Niki-kun¡¯s grandma and bid him goodbye, then immediately made my way to the house of the village headsman. When I did I happened into the village headman in front of his door. Looks like he was just coming back from somewhere. ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun. Good timing. I just came back from Hoi¡¯s place.¡± [Village Headman] ¡°It¡¯s about the fedual lord coming to the village tomorrow, right? I heard some of the rumors just now actually. Apparently, the feudal lord wants to meet me. But why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s because of your help with the fishes. It seems the lord wants to visit the people helping out. It¡¯s not just you. Little Kai and Little Kei were called too.¡± [Village Headman] Oh, so that¡¯s what it was. ¡°Thank goodness¡­ I couldn¡¯t think of any reason why I would be summoned all of the sudden, so I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯d done something.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, don¡¯t worry about it so much. The feudal lord here is friendly and gentle. I¡¯m sure it will end quickly if you just talk to him normally.¡± [Village Headman] ¡°I see. Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Ah, come to think of it¡­ ¡°Village Headman. I actually have a letter of introduction with me in case I meet with the feudal lord.¡± [Ryouma] The letter of introduction is of course from the duke. In other words, from Reinhart-san. He told me to use it in case anything happened in Fatma Territory. I got it before going back to Gimuru from his residence. I didn¡¯t have any plans of meeting the feudal lord, so I thought I wouldn¡¯t have any opportunity to use it, but it¡¯s good that I stored it in my Item Box. ¡°Hmm¡­ In that case, I¡¯ll take care of it before your audience with him.¡± [Village Headman] ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be in your care tomorrow then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Likewise. Please take care of the fishes tomorrow too. Well then, I bid you a warm sleep tonight.¡± [Village Headman] After the village headman saw me off, I went back. Chapter 201.3 - Summon (3/3) Along the way, as I was passing through the square, the small wayside shrine in the corner caught my attention. The shrine was probably exposed to a lot of rain and wind throughout the years, as the idol was really worn out. ¡°¡­I guess I could pray a little.¡± [Ryouma] When I think about it, tomorrow is the second time I¡¯ll be involved with the nobles. The rumors say he¡¯s a good person, but surely he wouldn¡¯t come without even a single escort, right? Hopefully, nothing wrong happens¡­ I clapped my hands in front of the small wayside shrine and prayed that. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] Suddenly, white light filled my vision. Am I going to be summoned even though I¡¯m not in a church? ¡°Uu!?¡± [Ryouma] It felt like I was floating in the air. It was my first time being summoned like this, so I couldn¡¯t help but open my eyes wide. Something spread out in front of me. ¡ªWater!? As soon as I recovered my awareness, I fell into the water. I don¡¯t know how high up I was, but there wasn¡¯t much of an impact. But the water clung onto me and I gradually sank. I wasn¡¯t floating at all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s alright. You can breathe here. Give it a try.¡± [???] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] When I was starting to get uneasy and tried to push aside the water, a voice reached me. ¡­It¡¯s true. It¡¯s hard to move like in water, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to breathe. As I calmed down, I followed the voice and looked up. There, a shadow about the size of a middle school student floated in the water with the dazzling light behind it. The shadow moved through the water easily toward me. It was then that I finally saw the figure clearly. ¡°Good day.¡± [???] ¡°Good day. I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi. ¡­Excuse me if I¡¯m mistaken, but would you happen to be the God of Waters and Fishes, Sereriputa-sama?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡Did I mention my name?¡¡You¡¯re pretty sharp, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure my statue is supposed to be a muscular man.¡± [Sereriputa] Looks like I¡¯m right. If I recall correctly, the common legend surrounding him ¨C just as he said ¨C revolves around an ideal man of the sea. But the person in front of me now is speaking in a gentle and androgynous voice with long hair that appears to have been allowed to grow as it pleased. Because of that the entire right side of his face can¡¯t be seen. The left side that can be seen has skin as white as snow with distinct dark circles around the eyes. Nothing about him looks even slightly resembles the word, health. His clothes are really loose¡ª They¡¯re basically cloths layered on top of each other to cover his body. Because of that it¡¯s hard to tell where his body¡¯s line begins. I can see his hands through his baggy sleeves, but they seemed so delicate they could break at any time. The exact opposite of a burly man. If anything he looks more like a girl¡­ I know this is a bit rude, but he really gives the feeling of a shut-in. The reason I thought he was the God of Waters and Fishing was because the wayside shrine I prayed at was at a fishing village, and what¡¯s more is¡­ ¡°It¡¯s because I fell into this water.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah~ Now that you mention it, it¡¯s only natural to think of me when thinking of gods related to water.¡± [Sereriputa] He laughed as he floated in the water. The clothes on his body fluttered like the scales on a fish. ¡°Ahaha, you won¡¯t sink even if you don¡¯t move your limbs so restlessly, you know.¡¡Relax your body like this and just let it take its course. That should make it way easier for your body.¡± [Sereriputa] I relaxed just as he told me to, and I indeed did not sink. Moreover, thanks to the buoyancy, I didn¡¯t have to strain my body at all. ¡°Right, right. Just like that. You don¡¯t have to mind your words too¡­ By the way, are you the one Gayn and the others summoned to this world and who also frequents the divine realm?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yes. I drop by from time to time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I normally don¡¯t bestow an oracle on people, but I wanted to meet you.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°You wanted to meet me?¡¡That¡¯s an honor then. But why? Ahh, could it be you¡¯ve been watching me like Gayn and the others and I did something interesting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nope. It wasn¡¯t interesting at all.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I mean you¡¯re just living a normal fisherman¡¯s life in the village. There¡¯s no unexpected dangerous monster or anything, so if it¡¯s just a normal villager¡¯s life, there¡¯s already plenty to watch in the village. ¡­It was really boring with no variation whatsoever¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯re happy living such a peaceful life, and it¡¯s not like adventuring and fighting is all there is in life, but even if you lazily show me your normal life, even if it¡¯s fine at the start, it can get boring real fast. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Y-Yeah¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not exactly the same, but the things you do are pretty much the same, aren¡¯t they? If you¡¯re going to do something, then you might as well make it flashy. Think about your audience more, okay?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve never really thought about how interesting my life might be in the eyes of other people¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right~?¡¡That¡¯s why it¡¯s really something for you to ask others if they find your life interesting. First of all¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] Like that Sereriputa-sama stabbed me with words one after another like it was nothing and I quietly took it all. Chapter 202.1 - The God of Waters and Fishing I (1/2) ¡°¡ªSo, do you get it now?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yes. But I won¡¯t make any promises.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure you have your circumstances too¡­ Huh?¡¡Come to think of it, why are we talking about this again?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Umm¡­ I believe we were originally talking about why you wanted to meet me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah! Right. And then you asked if it was because I found you interesting, right?¡¡But that wasn¡¯t the case at all, so I ended up talking about how boring you are!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! Yeah! Okay. So the reason I called you is because I¡¯m concerned about you. And it¡¯s not because you¡¯re interesting. Okay?¡± [Sereriputa] I think I¡¯m starting to get this guy. This god keeps running his mouth about how boring I am, but he¡¯s not doing it out of ill will. He just says whatever comes to his mind. ¡°So what is it about me exactly that¡¯s on your mind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gayn and the others told me that someone new came to this world, so when I dropped by the village where you were and I saw you, I thought, ¡®Huh. This kid might actually be similar to me.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I¡¯m similar to you, Sereriputa-sama?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can just call me Sere. It¡¯s not like anyone is listening in on us.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­Alright, Sere. In what ways are we similar to each other?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. What do you think?¡± [Sereriputa] After taking so long to answer, that¡¯s what he comes up with? What an annoying guy¡­ How could we possibly be similar to each other?¡¡The only common point we share that I know of in this short time we¡¯ve spent with each other is¡­ ¡°We¡¯re both shut-ins?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re saying that based on my appearance, aren¡¯t you?¡¡You¡¯re right, though.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°We both talk too much and are insensitive?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, but that¡¯s not exactly right.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­We¡¯re both insular?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t hold your punches, do you? Even though we¡¯ve just met¡­ Still, you¡¯re not completely wrong. But to be more precise, you and I are similar at a more fundamental aspect.¡± [Sereriputa] Fundamental aspect? ¡°Humans have that aspect where ¡®they can¡¯t understand themselves even though the topic is none other than themselves¡¯. Is it so hard to understand? Even when we¡¯re talking like this, there are parts that become apparent and parts that don¡¯t become apparent on the surface. What do you call it, the standard for judgment?¡¡The basis of a personality? ¡¡Hmm~ It¡¯s difficult to put into words. In the first place, I¡¯ve never talked this much with someone¡­¡± [Sereriputa] I think he¡¯s talking about how one is clueless about the parts of one¡¯s self that one is not aware of. ¡°Anyway, gods and people alike have all sorts of things they think and feel about. Just think of it as the fundamental thing that forms the basis of that.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Alright. I kinda get it. I guess. And that fundamental thing is what makes us similar?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just ¡®similar¡¯¡­ And by the way, my way of thinking inclines toward the survival of the fittest ¨C the strong shall live and the weak shall die ¨C that sort of stuff. You too, right?¡¡Something like that.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Is that so?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t understand?¡¡Alright, let¡¯s talk for a bit then.¡± [Sereriputa] He was originally positioned as if he were sitting on an invisible chair, but now he was lying down, and the conversation moved along with great progress. I can¡¯t follow this conversation very well. ¡°Oh, do I talk too much?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°There¡¯s no¡ª Did you read my mind? But that¡¯s not the case. I¡¯m just a bit confused at why you¡¯re so eager.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. As I¡¯ve said earlier, I rarely talk to people. In fact, I rarely talk to other gods.¡± He talks well, but he doesn¡¯t seem to have a sense for distance and is too volubly. Anyway it¡¯s not a big deal as far as communication issues go. It¡¯s nothing weird. ¡°Thank you for being understanding. Back to the topic. Today you kept the pearl slime a secret from the kid who was helping your slime research, right?¡¡Why?¡± [Sereriputa] He folded his arms and placed his head over it as he tilted his neck. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would¡¯ve mistaken him for a girl. It was a strangely difficult topic, but I answered honestly anyway. ¡°Because I didn¡¯t know the exact value of the pearl slime, but it seemed like it would be very profitable. Niki-kun is still a kid, and if he doesn¡¯t know anything, I won¡¯t have to worry about him leaking information. I thought it was safest this way.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. And your conjectures are correct. Pearls in this world are far more valuable than what you think. Especially, in the Riforu Kingdom, where you reside. After all, it is a jewel that is yet to be harvested. Should you sell it, it will fetch an excessively high price. Naturally, the people looking for the source and a way to acquire it will come, and there will be no end of people seeking to make the source their own. They will employ all manners of methods, and there are those who will not mind breaking the law. You have merchants that you can trust and have the powerful and influential duke family behind you. Even if you yourself are attacked, you can defeat most of them with just your own strength. But that boy, Niki, doesn¡¯t have any of those. Perhaps even the villagers will be able to defend against your common thief ¨C if he were alone ¨C but the dark guild or other nobles? Surely not.¡± [Sereriputa] Sere continued to smile as he listed out those cruel possibilities. Chapter 202.2 - The God of Waters and Fishing I (2/2) ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand that much.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°This much isn¡¯t really anything to speak of, though¡­ Isn¡¯t it common sense for anyone to become wary when acquiring something related to a great deal of wealth?¡¡In my past life too, people who won big at the lottery would also receive a warning from the bank.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Pu, ahaha!¡± [Sererpitua] Sere suddenly raised his voice and laughed at me. ¡­Did I say something weird? ¡°Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s just that¡­ Are you really not self-aware?¡¡Or are you just playing the fool?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°?¡¡Can you explain it in a way that¡¯s easier to understand?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, right. Let¡¯s see¡­ First of all, you said it was a ¡®given¡¯ to know that much, but it¡¯s actually surprisingly hard to act properly in spite of that. For example, in human society it¡¯s a ¡®given¡¯ that one should greet someone when you meet them. It¡¯s a ¡®given¡¯ to respect older people, right? But there are actually a lot people who can¡¯t do that ¡®given¡¯ thing and because of that people get mad at them, right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­Right. I got told that a lot at my company too. I remember telling a kouhai of mine too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. It may be important, but people have a surprising inclination to be negligent in such obvious things. Even that lottery you were talking about earlier. The reason why the bank warns people is because a lot of people failed after winning the lottery, right?¡¡Well, people who fail even after being warned are bound to fail anyway.¡± [Sereriputa] That¡¯s true, but I still don¡¯t get it. Weren¡¯t we originally talking about me believing in the survival of the fittest? ¡°That¡¯s not really the point. The main point is wariness. When you realized that you could get a lot of money out of something, the first thing that came to your mind was to be wary of other people. Such wariness is crucial in a dog-eat-dog world. Living creatures without wariness can¡¯t survive in the wild. They¡¯ll be killed immediately. Moreover, you hired two former assassins in your store, right?¡¡You noticed it before hiring them, right?¡¡They were hiding some weapons, so you thought something was off¡­ The reason why doesn¡¯t matter. The act of hiding that in such a way that others don¡¯t notice is an indispensable skill to assassins. If a common person could easily see through them, then they would be nothing but a third-rate assassin. Are those two employees of yours that incompetent?¡¡The answer is no. In other words, that¡¯s just how wary you are of other people.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡­ ¡°The law of the jungle ¨C that is the natural world. There may be people who believe that beasts don¡¯t concern them, but as far as I¡¯m concerned, humans are no different from beasts. They live in the same world, after all. They just do things differently. For example¡­¡± [Sereriputa] That last thing he muttered seemed frightfuly loud. ¡°You build and learn various things, right?¡¡Why?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] Another unrelated question. But for some reason, my heart jumped when he asked it. ¡°Because I have experience working various jobs¡­ And I¡¯m the sort of person who would look up something whenever I become curious about it. There¡¯s something really convenient called ¡®internet¡¯ back in my previous world, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So in other words, you jumped from one job to another.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°The way you word it is a bit misleading, but yeah.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Every time you changed jobs, you had to resign from your old job, right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] I wonder why.¡¡He¡¯s just asking me some obvious questions. But for some reason I¡¯m feeling anxious or restless.¡¡There are emotions swirling within me that I can¡¯t put into words. ¡°You resigned from a lot of jobs. If I asked you why, I¡¯m sure you have a lot of reasons to give. So I¡¯ll just ask you this. Did you leave all of those companies on good terms?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] An emotion I can¡¯t understand began to grow within me. ¡°There¡¯s no way. After all, from what I¡¯ve heard, humans need a good reason to resign from their work.¡± [Sereriputa] It¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t leave all of them on good terms. ¡°A lot happened.¡± [Ryouma] One time your relationship with a coworker and a boss turned sour and you were driven away. One time you were charged with something you didn¡¯t recall doing. One time you were vilified for some reason you didn¡¯t know. One time you had to leave because it was convenient for your employer. One time the company went bankrupt. One time¡ª Every time his voice resounded, images from my past would flash through my mind. It felt disgusting. It was as if I was being washed away by a muddy stream. ¡°U¡­!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry. Looks like I made you remember a lot of painful things.¡± [Sereriputa] As I endured that disgusting feeling, before I knew it, Sereriputa-sama was right in front of me and was hugging me. He whispered by my ears like someone comforting a child. ¡°But that is a part of you. Even if you¡¯re strong physically, societally speaking, you are a weak human. And the things that you¡¯ve experienced have undoubtedly been carved into your soul. How many years has it been since you came to this world?¡¡You spent three years in the forest, so this should be your fourth. Just 4 years. The things you experienced aren¡¯t something you can forget by living comfortably for 4 years.¡± Strangely enough, his voice this time soothed me. ¡°How long do you think it would take to heal a human¡¯s heart that has fallen sick?¡¡It varies depending on the person and the sickness, but there are people that never recover. If you think a heart can be healed after resting for just 3 years, you¡¯re underestimating it. Even if the patient is none other than yourself¡­ You need to treasure yourself more. You were planning on spending this past four years in this world living as fun as you could to forget all of your worries, right?¡¡I get where you¡¯re coming from. It¡¯s also true that you¡¯re having more fun compared to your previous life, but¡­ That¡¯s just you ignoring the problem. All it takes is for someone to poke you a little, and it will all come bursting forth. I mean in the first place, even minor things can trigger your memories. It¡¯s happened in your everyday life here, right?¡± [Sereriputa] So that unpleasant feeling from before was me remembering my past life?¡¡Something is weird, but¡­ It feels comfortable¡­ ¡°¡­Actually, you know all of this already. Why don¡¯t you try to remember it?¡¡What was the first thing you asked Gayn and the others?¡¡¡¯I want to live away from people.¡¯ ¡®I want to live freely in the wild.¡¯ The one who asked for that was none other than ¡®yourself¡¯.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡­That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no doubt about it. ¡°That was the answer. You should have just lived away from people like that. If you did, then you would have become free in the truest sense, but Gayn and the others just had do a half-assed job picking out the location. Because of that you ended up back in human society before your heart could be healed. ¡°!¡¡Wait!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yes. Oh, but don¡¯t get me wrong, the duke¡¯s family don¡¯t mean you bad. They just wanted to take care of a strange child they had no relation with. A human¡¯s virtue. I know that. But, in the end, you left them.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] That unpleasant feeling is coming back. Stronger and heavier than before¡­ I want to refute his words, but the words won¡¯t come out. This isn¡¯t a conversation at all. But even then, he just keeps continuing. ¡°You refuse to make friends too. You meet people in your travels and get along with them, but the only ones always with you are your familiars. Even though there are so many people who want to be your friend after seeing how strong you are. Even though you could just talk with adventurers that you¡¯ve already been acquainted with. Even though you have a store now, you use training as an excuse to leave. ¡­You don¡¯t seem to realize it yourself, so allow me to enlighten you.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡®The truth is you want to be with others more than anything else, but you¡¯re afraid of getting too close.¡¯ Chapter 203.1 - The God of Waters and Fishing II (1/4) Chapter 203: The God of Waters and Fishing II (1/4) Scary?¡¡Why?¡¡It¡¯s almost as if there¡¯s fog inside my head¡­ ¡°I told you before, right?¡¡The unreasonable things you experienced have been carved into your soul. It¡¯s true that you yearned for a peaceful life with others like the villagers are doing. It¡¯s true that you¡¯re having fun everyday. There¡¯s no doubt about that. But you should know that such a thing is not so simple that you could simply say it and it will happen. Reality isn¡¯t so easy. Your happiness right now is a fragile thing that could collapse under the pettiest of reasons. Humans have desires and feel fear toward rejection and those that are different from them. That¡¯s why even though you yearn for your ¡®ideal¡¯ from the bottom of your heart, you are never able to forget reality and are always on guard. You do it unconsciously and to a greater degree than normal humans. In one sense, enough for you to be labeled ¡®abnormal¡¯. Like a beast holding its breath out in the wilds where enemies lurk in every corner¡­ Like the two sides of a coin.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­So what should I do then?¡± [Ryouma] Inadvertently, those words came out. For some reason, when I asked that, Sere opened his eyes wide. Or at least I thought he was, but then he just moved away and cackled, returning to how he was before he hugged me. ¡°It¡¯s hard, but my recommendation would be for you to ¡®live more freely¡¯.¡± [Sere] Freely? ¡°Exactly. Be honest with your desires and feelings. You want to be with people, but you¡¯re still holding back too much. Especially, when it comes to your strength. There¡¯s nothing wrong with using your familiars, but because of that you¡¯ve never really had to show your full strength to other people. The reason for that is¡­ Well, I don¡¯t have to say any more, do I?¡± [Sere] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Honestly, you¡¯re really strong. If you go all out, you could already pass for an A Rank adventurer. Given time and if you pile up achievements, you could even aim for an S Rank. Considering your age, you¡¯re already abnormally strong. Moreover, Gayn and the others even gave you the talent to use magic. Although you¡¯re still green in the ears when it comes to magic, with enough training you¡¯ll eventually be able to cast powerful magic. Couple that with your knowledge from Earth, and you¡¯ll be able to develop complicated and powerful spells. But that¡¯s not all. You also have your familiars to back you up, so you can deal with any situation. A noble personality and a spirit of cooperation will be demanded from anyone with great power. If you act or behave in any way that goes against that, you¡¯ll immediately be labeled as a dangerous person, and praise will turn into a storm of jeers and abuse.¡± [Sere] I don¡¯t know about the future, but I get what he¡¯s saying. ¡°But to be honest I don¡¯t really care about any of that.¡± [Sere] ¡°¡­Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu, didn¡¯t I say it?¡¡Humans are also a part of nature. And the law of nature follows the same precepts as the survival of the fittest. Humans use their reproductive abilities and knowledge to build a great power within nature. Their sense of values and rules are things that were born to protect themselves from threats and to lead their race that has grown in number. When one wishes to live within society as a person, one must abide by the rules or else he will be expelled, but¡­ That is limited only to human societies. When you lived in the forest for three years, you were not a part of human society; hence, those rules did not apply to you. In this world, monsters run rampant and there are many places that are too dangerous for humans to live in. That¡¯s why there are still plenty of places that humans have yet to explore. There are places everywhere in between countries that are not under anyone¡¯s rule. You could look for a place you want to live in, make whatever rules you want, and live however you please. If you¡¯re not strong enough, then the monsters or countries nearby will drive you away, but that too is merely a part of nature¡¯s law. You can run or you can fight. Whatever you want.¡± [Sere] He added. ¡°Of course, I think it¡¯s also possible to live however you please within human society. For example, if there¡¯s someone you don¡¯t like or is in the way, you could kill him. If you did that, you¡¯ll be driven away for being a criminal, but in the end, it was something that occurred because you had the power to kill while your victim didn¡¯t have the power to resist.¡± [Sere] Sereriputa, a god who talks as if none of this had anything to do with him. But to him these things were all matter-of-facts. The flippant way he spoke when I first met him has also vanished. ¡°Is this your true nature?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm~?¡¡I won¡¯t deny it, but it¡¯s not as if I was acting earlier.¡¡When I get excited and talk a lot I tend to talk really fast. ¡­Oh, hey. You¡¯re back to normal. Since when?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­I could still understand feeling bad when the past is brought up, but those trauma-like symptoms I started feeling was strange. My mind became dazed because of that, but just a while ago, it cleared up again. I guess it was around the time when you were telling me to live more freely. When I thought of it as a kind of mental attack, that strange feeling cleared up like a fog.¡± ¡°I see. So that really was the case. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not an attack. The one I used at the start was a power to move emotions. The second was a calming power. I heard you had extremely high resistances, so I gave you a strong dose, but I¡¯m surprised you can talk as if nothing happened. By the way you¡¯re talking, I¡¯d say you¡¯ve already mostly neutralized it.¡¡Wait. I was never told about this¡­ But, I see¡­¡± [Sere] As Sereriputa started mumbling by himself, I became wary. I don¡¯t want to antagonize a god, but¡­ ¡°!?¡± Suddenly, a chill I never felt before ran through my body. Chapter 203.2 - The God of Waters and Fishing II (2/3) Chapter 203: The God of Waters and Fishing II (2/3) My body reacted faster than my head, but it was already too late. Sereriputa had vanished and was now behind me. My body felt heavy and I couldn¡¯t move even a single finger; he must be controlling the waters. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± [Ryouma] I can¡¯t help it if I panic in a situation like this, but I still tried to be calm and talk. ¡°Hmm, I know the situation is like this, but don¡¯t misunderstand. I really just wanted to talk to you because I wanted to know you better, okay?¡¡You don¡¯t have to be that stiff when talking to me. I just used my power because I wanted to hear your real thoughts.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Then please say that right from the start. You didn¡¯t have to use your godly powers. Because of that I can¡¯t figure out the distance I should take when talking with you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I never intended to go this far either. It¡¯s turned into something really unexpected, but do you understand what you¡¯ve done just now?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°My body just moved on its own because I felt something unpleasant. Considering this posture, I guess I was about to attack.¡± [Ryouma] My right finger tips were extended in a straight line, penetrating the place he was at just awhile ago. ¡°You reflexively chose an attack that minimized the resistance of water¡­ If it weren¡¯t me, you would have penetrated my solar plexus. What¡¯s more is that you deflected my power¡­ I tried to open your soul all the way inside, but seriously, what¡¯s going on with you? A human normally shouldn¡¯t even be able to resist a god¡¯s power, but your resistance is just too strong.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Like I said. I don¡¯t know. How could a normal person like me know what a god doesn¡¯t?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­That¡¯s true. There¡¯s no point even if I ask you. Since it can¡¯t be helped, I¡¯ll just have to investigate you seriously. Don¡¯t worry. I don¡¯t intend to kill you.¡± [Sereriputa] In the next moment. ¡°GAH!?¡± [Ryouma] Water along with something else wrapped around my body. It was disgusting, as if something was stirring inside my body. My consciousness¡­ my brain¡­ they¡¯re rejecting comprehension. Something steadily encroached into me and searched within me. ¡°¡ªSee¡ªthis¡ªreason¡ªso that¡¯s why¡ªwhat a bad hobby¡ªEarth¡ªgod¡ªEven I¡ªwouldn¡¯t¡ªmess around like¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] Indistinct words echoed from behind me, but I couldn¡¯t understand it. When I asked loudly what was going on, my vision suddenly went black, and then it felt like I was being spun violently as if I had been thrown into a washing machine, but then¡ªit suddenly stopped. ¡­?¡¡Is it over?¡¡Did I die? My surroundings were completely black, and my body wouldn¡¯t move an inch, but it didn¡¯t hurt like before. Maybe I fainted because so much was happening. But it doesn¡¯t seem as if I¡¯d returned to my body due to the time limit¡­ In that case, just where is this place? The divine realm is generally white. Although sometimes there would be other things too depending on the gods. But I¡¯ve never seen a place that was pitch black¡­ This couldn¡¯t be hell, could it?¡¡¡­Surely not. And besides, it may be dark, and I can¡¯t move, but I¡¯m strangely at ease here. Unable to do anything but think, I spent my time here pondering what place this could be. Before long I realized that there was some kind of sound from above me. SAKU, SAKU, SAKU, said the sound in a constant rhythm as it inched ever closer. Along with the sound was a vibration. Is this¡­ A hole being drilled?¡¡Huh?¡¡Was I buried? While I was thinking that to myself, I could suddenly hear the sound from right next to me, and then before long, the dark world was dyed in white. ¡°Uu.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ohh!¡¡Are you alright!?¡± [???] ¡°Y-You¡¯re?¡± [Ryouma] I raised my head up as much as I could, and a seemingly gentle old man with a straw hat greeted me. He had a hoe on his shoulders. ¡°I say~ That sure was a disaster, wasn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll dig you out right away. Give me a sec.¡± [???] The man started gently digging with his hands as if he were digging out some Japanese yams. Before long, he was able to quickly remove the hardened earth on my upper body. Lastly, he stuck his hands under my armpits and pulled me out like a daikon. ¡°Thank you very much. You really saved me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re safe. Do you feel bad anywhere?¡± [???] ¡°Not at all. You really helped me out a lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What were you thinking!!!!?¡± [Willieris] ¡°!?¡¡Huh!?¡¡Willieris!?¡± [Ryouma] I turned around when I heard an angry voice, and there I saw a large pond. The Goddess of the Land that I was previously acquainted with before, Willieris-sama, was standing on its bank. The calm look she had when I first met her was gone, and in its place was an angry face. Looking closely, I could see Sereriputa sitting atop the lake unhappily while grasping his knees. I can¡¯t hear what they¡¯re saying, but they seem to be talking even though he¡¯s sulking. ¡°Acha~¡­ She¡¯s really mad. If your tongue slips, the sparks will spread here, so just keep quiet for now.¡± [???] ¡°!¡¡Excuse me, but by any chance, could you be the God of Farming, Grimp?¡¡I heard you were in the middle of a honey moon with Willieris-sama.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 203.3 - The God of Waters and Fishing II (3/3) Chapter 203: The God of Waters and Fishing II (3/3) ¡°Ohh!¡¡So you¡¯ve heard of me? I am indeed Grimp the God of Farming. You should be the Ryouma who came from Earth, right? I heard about you from my wife.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Please allow me to express my thanks once more. Thank you for saving me. Also, if you don¡¯t mind my asking, why is the situation like this?¡¡I don¡¯t recall what happened, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just as you said, we were on our hundred-millionth honey moon. Along the way we saw Sereriputa¡¯s barrier. We thought it strange, and when we got closer, we found out he was messing with you¡­ After that my wife¡­¡± [Grimp] It seemed to be something hard to say, so I didn¡¯t pursue the subject, but either way, it seems Willieris-sama broke the barrier forcefully. After that they secured me and Sereriputa, and now the latter is being given a stern talking to. Grimp-sama was left in charge of digging me out and protecting me. ¡°My wife and Sereriputa has never gotten along well, you see¡­¡± [Grimp] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When the land and sea of this world was born, they argued about how to divide. Ever since then they¡¯ve had a relationship akin to cats and dogs.¡± [Grimp] ¡°¡­That¡¯s a pretty big thing to argue about¡­¡± [Ryouma] As I listened to him talk and quietly watched the two gods argue, Sereriputa turned to me. Looks like he noticed me. ¡°Ah, Ryouma-kun!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Listen to me!¡¡Good grief¡­ Ryouma-kun, are you okay?¡¡Let me apologize in place of this self-righteous god. I¡¯m very sorry for the discourtesy and pain you had to go through.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Umm, please raise your head.¡± [Ryouma] This incident wasn¡¯t Willieris-sama¡¯s fault in the first place. ¡°But¡­¡± [Willieris] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine, Willieris? Ryouma-kun says it¡¯s fine, after all.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s not something you should be saying!!¡¡Just as you¡¯ve heard, Ryouma-kun, this degenerate of a god doesn¡¯t think one bit that he did anything wrong and has no intention of apologizing.¡± [Willieris] Well, yeah. I always thought that was the case. ¡°After talking to him all, I¡¯ve kind of figured something out¡­ Sereriputa is that, isn¡¯t he?¡¡The kind of guy who thinks it¡¯s okay for a strong guy to do whatever he wants¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s exactly right!¡¡I knew you¡¯d understand, Ryouma-kun. That¡¯s exactly right. That¡¯s the truth of all living things! What¡¯s more is that you¡¯re somehow able to remain calm and are able to talk with me like this. I thought if it was you we¡¯d be able to get along and that you¡¯d accept me for who I am. I see I wasn¡¯t mistaken!¡¡A normal human would find fault with my appearance and¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Shut up for a moment, will you?¡± [Grimp] I¡¯m glad that he confirmed it, but I wasn¡¯t asking for more info. Sereriputa-sama approached me with a face full of smiles, but Grimp-sama suppressed him. ¡°Thank you very much. So since he¡¯s exactly how I think he is, and Sereriputa-sama is an existence above me ¨C being a god and all ¨C he¡¯ll never listen to the words of someone like me, a lower existence.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But¡­¡± [Willieris] ¡°Willieris, leave it at that. Ryouma has a point. If Sereriputa says something like that to him, it¡¯s only natural that he¡¯d be troubled.¡± [Grimp] Grimp-sama interjected again. He¡¯s really a huge help. Mentally speaking. ¡°Dear¡­ Yes, you¡¯re exactly right. My apologies. In that case, let¡¯s notify all the gods about this matter. That way Gayn (God of Creation), Kirillel (Goddess of War), and Fernoberia (God of Magic) can give him a proper talking to and the appropriate punishment.¡± [Willieris] ¡°GEH!¡¡Those guys!?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll be joining too. Your actions have clearly broken our rules!¡± [Willieris] It¡¯s good that the gods can solve the problem among themselves. However the person himself may appear to be unhappy, he understands that he has indeed broken the rule of the gods and isn¡¯t trying to refute the fact. ¡°Please do that. As for me, I¡¯ll just consider the incident with Sereriputa-sama as water under the bridge.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You mean it¡¯ll just the God of Waters¡¯ issue?¡¡Hmm, that¡¯s not really that interesting.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­¡± [Everyone Else] That timing! Because of that poorly timed comment, Willieris-sama looked like she was about to snap again. What¡¯s more is no one said anything like that! ¡°Ah, this sounds like it¡¯s going to be a pain, so I¡¯m going home!¡¡Oh, right! Ryouma-kun!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Now what?¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t think I can respect this guy anymore¡­ ¡°I¡¯m here already anyway, so I might as well tell you how to catch the mud slime like you¡¯re looking for. There¡¯s a forest around the village you¡¯re at, right?¡¡Try rummaging through the mud there with mud magic. The mud slimes use a skill called ¡®assimilate¡¯ to hide themselves inside the mud, so you¡¯ll have a hard time looking for them just by relying on your eyes. If you move the mud they¡¯re hiding in with mud magic, they¡¯ll come out on their own.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°O-Oh?¡¡Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­This is really good information. ¡°Later then, Ryouma-kun. I pray that in the near future you will be able to become happy in the ¡®true sense¡¯. It¡¯ll get noisy around you in the near future, so do your best. Enjoy your peaceful life at the village until then. If you ever find it too hard to live, you¡¯re welcome to drop by my place anytime.¡± [Sereriputa] I was confused to see him suddenly make a serious face and say that. There was a sharp glint to those eyes heavily laden with deep black corners that said he was not joking. ¡°Well then, until next time!¡± [Sereriputa] Or so I was thinking, but then he suddenly went back to his usual expression and then vanished into the lake. When he was completely gone. ¡°¡­What just happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Weird, right?¡¡He¡¯s always been a selfish guy who never thought of how troubled others are by his actions, but I haven¡¯t seen him say something so serious in thousands of years.¡± [Willieris] ¡°That¡¯s¡ªOops!¡¡Out of time, huh.¡± [Ryouma] Those grain of lights began floating around me again. ¡°Well then, you two. I¡¯ll be going now. Thank you very much for saving me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s talk more leisurely next time. And¡­¡± [Willieris] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Willieris-sama¡¯s expression tightened once more. ¡°Ryouma-kun. I heard what Sereriputa told you. From what I¡¯ve heard, it¡¯ll be hard to tell you not to worry, so I just want to tell you that¡­ ¡®your life belongs to you¡¯. I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be plenty of worries and bitterness in life, so it¡¯s fine you take some time. But please live the way you want to. You have the right to have that freedom. Please don¡¯t forget that.¡± [Willieris] ¡°¡­Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, come to think of it, there was something I wanted to tell you when I met you.¡± [Grimp] When the atmosphere was getting heavy, Grimp-sama jumped in and softened it again. I noticed this earlier, but he sure is mindful others. The exact opposite of Sereriputa. ¡°It¡¯s about your crops. Your crops have taken shape somehow thanks to your fertilizer and magic, but your farming is pretty much just relying on brute force.¡± [Grimp] ¡°I understand. If I have the time, I¡¯ll properly study up on farming.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be good. If you do then you should be able to further increase the quality and rates of your harvest. I¡¯ll tell you more next time.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Thank you very much for advising me. I¡¯ll be going now!¡± [Ryouma] Wrapped in light, my consciousness returned to the now dark village. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] There really are all sorts of people among the gods¡­ Actually, I came here to pray because I¡¯m going to be meeting the feudal lord tomorrow, but it looks like there was no point in that¡­ Anyhow, I was able to come back safely, so let¡¯s just go back and sleep. I left the small wayside shrine and went back home. As the cold winds blew against me on the way back, Sereriputa¡¯s words echoed in my mind. ¡®It¡¯ll get noisy around you in the near future, so do your best¡¯ ¡®If you ever find it too hard to live, you¡¯re welcome to drop by my place anytime.¡¯ It¡¯s almost like a prediction. Is he talking about Gimuru?¡¡I¡¯ll be going back soon, but it does seem like the public order has worsened. But still¡­ I wonder why he left such serious words? ¡­Well, whatever. ¡®Your life belongs to you¡¯ Just as Willieris said, I¡¯m going to keep on living in this world. Even if Sereriputa is right, I¡¯ll just have to chase after my kind of happiness on my own. Fortunately, I have plenty of time. And what¡¯s more¡ª ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, welcome back.¡± [Mother] ¡°Supper will be ready soon.¡± [Mei] ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you!¡± [Hoi] ¡°Ryouma, sorry but please drink with our dad.¡± [Kai] ¡°Something seems to have happened, but his pace is too fast and we just can¡¯t keep up.¡± [Kei] ¡°Please leave it to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªWhatever might be waiting for me in the future, I¡¯m sure this happiness I have now isn¡¯t wrong. Chapter 204.1 - he Feudal Lord of Fatima Territory (1/3) Chapter 204: The Feudal Lord of Fatima Territory (1/3) The next day. After the fishing in the morning ended, I quickly finished my lunch to prepare for my meeting with the feudal lord. Everyone in the village knew of our meeting with the feudal lord already, so they allowed us to eat ahead of the others. I¡¯m grateful for their consideration, but to be honest, I actually couldn¡¯t taste the food. The same was true for Kai-san and the rest. After all, the feudal lord was right there. And for some reason he was right in front of us. ¡°Fugu, mugu, yes, delicious!¡± Moreover, the feudal lord was a member of the pig tribe. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of his race, but he sure is fat. Moreover, because of his kimono and hair that has been tied into a bun, he looked more like a sumo wrestler than a feudal lord or a noble. Fitting to his stature, he had a bowl overflowing with rice and four peoples¡¯ worth of side dish. ¡­Why did it turn out like this? First, the feudal lord reached the village through the lake on a boat. But because of the winds, he arrived earlier than expected. The village headman welcomed him and then summoned us,¡¡saying, ¡®it would be scandalous to make the feudal lord wait¡¯. But because the feudal lord arrived earlier than promised, we had to wait. It would be bad for us to just wait without doing anything, so the village headman suggested we eat first. ¡­As a result, we ended up having lunch with the noble feudal lord. Also, an important person like the feudal lord couldn¡¯t possibly go out on his own, so his attendants were with him. Currently, they are seated on either side of him. On one side was a young samurai-like warrior who wore a scale-like mask that covered his right eye. On the other side was a man who looked like a sumo wrestler just like the feudal lord. A closer look at his hands would show that there were scales covering his hands from the wrist to the lower half of the palms. They are probably Dragon Newts. I hear technical experts are sometimes invited from the dragon newt village. They probably came from there. ¡°More please.¡± The sumo-like person held an appetite that wouldn¡¯t louse out to the feudal lord¡¯s¡­ Hmm. Is he not his escort? The samurai-like person isn¡¯t eating and is just watching the surroundings. Could he be the only guard among the three of them? ¡­I don¡¯t really get it, but I guess I¡¯ll just eat my meal for now. After breakfast. ¡°Fuu¡­ That was really delicious. The women here sure are good at cooking. Thank you. And village headman, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been saving a lot to get over the winter and yet you prepared such a grand welcome for me. I¡¯m really grateful. I ate even more than usual. I¡¯ll have food ingredients brought to you later. It¡¯s not much, but please add it to your supplies.¡± [Feudal Lord] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Village Headman] I heard the feudal lord around these parts was a good person. Looks like it¡¯s true. For one, he at least pays for what he eats, and he doesn¡¯t seem to be the type to misuse his authority and say, ¡®I¡¯m a noble, so of course you should welcome me!¡¯ ¡°Now then, I believe you are the ones in charge of the defense of the village, yes?¡¡Allow me to introduce myself, I am the feudal lord of this Fatma Territory, Lord Porco Fatma. First of all, please allow me to thank you for your assistance in the defense of this town.¡± [Porco] ¡°We are unworthy of your word, my lord. Right, everyone?¡± [Shin] The leader of the Wharf of Shikumu represented us and replied, but he was clearly too nervous. When the feudal lord saw him like that, he spoke. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so stiff. Please speak as you normally do. I shan¡¯t take offense.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord smiled and gave us permission to be at ease. At that, Shins countenance improved. ¡°The mud salamanders have been increasing in number these past few years. We invited adventurers outside the fief, but they are especially more populous this year. Already, we lack people in a number of villages, the defensive line broken through, and some villages have even been thoroughly plundered of their catch.¡± [Porco] ¡­The other villages turned out like that? ¡°I thought this village would also be exposed to the same threat, but not only were you able to defend it, you were even able to help the other villages.¡± [Porco] ¡°My lord, I¡¯m afraid the credit does not belong to us alone.¡± [Shin] The five members of the Wharf of Shikumu turned to me. ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. It would appear that a monster tamer boy has contributed greatly to this village. But be that as it may, it is not as if the others did not toil at all; hence, I offer you my thanks. I must say, though. Your group is too honest!¡± [Porco] The feudal lord laughed and the five members of the Wharf of Shikumu bowed their heads once again. I can¡¯t see their faces, but they seem happy. ¡°And speaking of that monster tamer boy who contributed greatly, I take it is you?¡± ¡°Yes. I am Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The village headman mentioned you had a letter of introduction for me?¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. From the present head of the Jamil family. Rei¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Reinhart¡¯s letter of introduction!?¡± [Porco] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 204.2 - The Feudal Lord of Fatima Territory (2/2) Chapter 204: The Feudal Lord of Fatima Territory (2/2) As soon as I mentioned who the letter of introduction belonged to, Lord Porco Fatma stood up in surprise, which in turn surprised me too. I wonder if there¡¯s a problem. ¡°Yes. I have it in stored in my Item Box. May I take it out?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, by all means, please let me see it. I don¡¯t mind if you use magic.¡± [Porco] He gave me permission, so I went ahead and took out the letter. The feudal lord stretched out his hand and received it from me himself. Normally, since it¡¯s too dangerous, the servant will be the one to receive the letter on the feudal lord¡¯s behalf, but it seems he doesn¡¯t mind receiving it directly. The feudal lord unsealed the letter and read the contents with rapt attention. ¡°Mu mu mu¡­ You are Ryouma-kun?¡± [Porco] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did Reinhart say anything when he handed this to you?¡± [Ryouma] I thought back to when I received the letter. ¡°¡­He¡¯s someone I trust, so he just told me to rely on him if a problem ever arises. That¡¯s all. Now that I think about it, perhaps there was something he found hard to say, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Hard to say, huh? I see¡­ Ku, ha ha ha ha!!¡¡¡ª*Snort!¡± [Porco] ¡­Just what was written on that letter, I wonder. Just when I thought he understood, in the next moment, he suddenly laughed, and then snorted like a pig due to laughing too much. Everything was happening so quickly I wasn¡¯t able to keep up. I glanced around, and it seems that it wasn¡¯t just me but everyone too, his servants included. I¡¯d like some explanation please. ¡°Fu, fu fu, fuu. Ah, excuse me. Where are my manners? It seems Reinhart treasures you a lot.¡± [Porco] After he calmed down and regulated his breathing, he started speaking again. ¡°This letter of introduction states that the Jamil family is thinking of roping you in as one of their specialist. That is to say that you are an individual skilled enough to be valued so. Moreover, this letter of introduction presumes that you have been embroiled in some kind of trouble that necessitated your meeting with me; hence, there is a request included in it to help you. Moreover, since you are someone that they wish to rope, he also wishes for me not to take you away.¡± [Porco] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. In the first place, it¡¯s a strange thing for Reinhart to write a letter of introduction. What¡¯s more who would¡¯ve thought that the contents would turn out to be this? Truly, strange things do happen, don¡¯t they?¡± [Reinhart] The feudal lord¡¯s expression when he looked at the letter was really gentle. I might have stared too much for when he raised his head up our eyes met. ¡°Hmm?¡¡Oh, right. You weren¡¯t informed, were you? I am an earl and Reinhart is a duke. Are you wondering why I call him without honorifics despite being lower ranked?¡± [Porco] ¡°No, I didn¡¯t mean that, but now that you mention it, why is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re an honest kid too, aren¡¯t you? Actually, Reinhart and I are senpais and kouhais back in the academy.¡± [POrco] ¡°!¡¡I see. So you knew each other since your academy days.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, in public, we have to address each other properly, but in private, we can just call each other as we please. Also, since we go way back, I know a lot about his blunders and embarrassing memories. He probably didn¡¯t talk about me much because he didn¡¯t want to talk about his days at the academy. That guy surprisingly cares a lot about appearances.¡± [Porco] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. But considering the environment he grew up in, I guess it can¡¯t be helped. After all, his dad is none other than that Fire Dragon Duke. Have you heard of Reinbach-sama¡¯s accomplishments?¡± [Porco] ¡°About how he formed a contract with a divine beast?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Because of Reinhart¡¯s amazing dad, he was often referred to in the academy as ¡®his son¡¯. He was often compared with him and couldn¡¯t live his life as he pleased. He couldn¡¯t act improperly even in the most trivial of things.¡± [Porco] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because of that he didn¡¯t have a lot of close friends. It just so happened that I also had an amazing dad. Well, I had it a lot easier, though. But because of that Reinhart and I got along and he started coming to me for advice. Now that I think about it, those were some good times¡­ But this isn¡¯t really the time to be talking about this. At this rate, there¡¯s no telling when we can end this conversation.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you very much for that deeply interesting story.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s talk about this again some other time. But with that I¡¯ve confirmed it.¡± [Porco] ?¡¡Confirmed what? ¡°A monster tamer with many slimes who also happens to be close with Reinhart. Moreover, your name is Ryouma Takebayashi. You also have a laundromat at Gimuru, right?¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I knew it!¡¡You¡¯re the ¡®Barley Tea Sage¡¯!¡± [Porco] ¡­¡­What£¿ The feudal lord was visibly excited as he leaned over the table, but I was just confused. ¡°Barley Tea Sage?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you know the Semroid Troupe?¡± [Porco] The Semroid Troupe! ¡°Of course. We became acquainted this summer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, then it should be fine then.¡± [Porco] According to the feudal lord¡­ There¡¯s been rumors of a troubadour telling tales of a sage that saved a poor farming village by telling them how to make barley tea. When he investigated it, he found out that the troubadour were near the town he was at, so he called his troupe over and listened to their song. Although there was a smattering of creative license applied on the song, the fact that a village was indeed saved by someone meant that the person who passed on the method to produce the tea must also exist. The feudal lord wanted to talk to such a person, and he was told that that the sage was an acquaintance of Reinhart. As he was thinking of contacting Reinhart and asking him to introduce me, someone that seemed to fit the bill visited his territory. And since he also had to thank the people defending the villages, he decided to meet me directly. I can¡¯t believe the Semroid Troupe has even reached this place. And that Prenence-san actually managed to turn that barley tea into a song. I know he said he would, but I can¡¯t believe he actually did it. What¡¯s more is that the reason I¡¯m now meeting the feudal lord is because he heard his song. The world really is small. Still, I¡¯m glad that he seems to be doing well. I wonder what the feudal lord wants to talk to me about. ¡°I have two things I wish to consult you on. But there¡¯s no need to think so deeply about it. It¡¯s just a possibility, so you can also refuse if you want. First, I¡¯m thinking of a local specialty that my fief could produce.¡± [Porco] ¡°A local specialty. Ah, that¡¯s why the barley tea got your attention.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The roads have been maintained since my father¡¯s generation, so there has been an increase in merchants and the economy is booming. But I want a new product other than fish. Of course, I want it to be food because I love eating delicious food the most.¡± [Porco] Smiled the feudal lord faintly as he smacked his tummy. I suppose he loves to eat as much as his looks suggest. ¡°Notices have already been spread through my territory, and already many opinions and recipes have been submitted, but¡¡I still can¡¯t find a product with enough of an appeal¡­ I need a hint from someone with a different viewpoint or an idea for a good dish. The second thing I need help with involves your laundromat. There is a mountain beyond the lake, on top of which is a hidden hot spring that my dad loved a lot when he was still alive. He made a shed there at the top of that mountain. I would like to get your help to clean that shed.¡± [Porco] ¡°?¡¡Couldn¡¯t you have just asked a normal person for that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well the thing is¡­. I¡¯ve been really busy with work ever since my dad passed, and I haven¡¯t been able to manage the shed or the hot spring for a long time. Layers of filth have long accumulated and hardened. No matter how many times we try to clean the place, they just can¡¯t be rid of. What do you think?¡¡Can you clean the place?¡± [Porco] ¡°There are all sorts when it comes to filth, so I can¡¯t say for sure unless I see the place in person.¡± [Ryouma] If I recall correctly, there should be no fishing tomorrow. ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, could I see that shed tomorrow?¡¡If I can I¡¯ll clean it right then and there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ll accept the job then!?¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll get someone to show you the way. If you can clean the place, I¡¯ll pay you 10 small gold coins.¡± [Porco] 10 small gold coins to clean a bath. As expected, even the crowd couldn¡¯t keep calm at such an astounding figure. ¡°Isn¡¯t that much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Perhaps, But it¡¯s fine. That place is really hard to clean, but more than that, that place is like my father¡¯s memento to me.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord spoke normally, but his eyes fell a little. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll be making a lot if I succeed, so I have no complaints.¡± [Ryouma] Like that I agreed to the feudal lord¡¯s request to clean the bath. The feudal lord thanked me with a huge smile, and then he went back. Now that I think back to it, I was nervous at first too, but in the end, everything was wrapped up before I knew it. I may have had a letter of introduction, but I guess this is about what you¡¯d expect meeting someone for the first time. Still, I sure wanted to ask about that sumo appearance, though¡­ As I saw the feudal lord off with the villagers, I thought those things to myself. Chapter 205 - Hot Spring Cleaning I Chapter 205: Hot Spring Cleaning I The next day. The Wharf of Shikumu bought some help and guide before going with me to the hot spring. It was still dark when we got on a small boat and crossed the lake. ¡°You know how to handle a boat, Kai-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyone from our village could do something like this. Right?¡± [Kai] ¡°Boats are the most used transportation method around here.¡± [Kei] ¡°Whether it¡¯s going to a large village to buy some stuff or bringing an ill person to a nearby village, boats are the fastest at them all. Around here all the children are taught how to man the boats by the adults, so everyone knows how to use them, fisherman or not.¡± [Shin] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I guess there are all sorts of transportation depending on the region. ¡°Ryouma, look at that.¡± [Sein] Sein-san?¡¡Just as I was wondering what was up and followed his gaze¡­ ¡°Ah, is that the so-called ¡®Mouse Inn¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] On my first day here when Kei-san showed me around, I heard about a monster that dwelled in the lake. There were 7 or 8 critters that looked like sea otters or beavers gathered together, pushing a raft-like nest made of trees and branches. ¡°When they start pushing their nest like that, that¡¯s a sign that there¡¯s not much time left before the mud salamanders stop coming and the fishing period comes to an end.¡± [Sein] ¡°Huh¡­ Is that so?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°For some reason, these critters seem to know when the ¡®wave¡¯ of mud salamanders will come to an end. As the mud salamander wave begins to subside, these critters begin pushing their nest from the lake to anchor it to the entrance of the river downstream. They stay there until the winter passes.¡± [Peiron] ¡°If they try to anchor it while the wave is ongoing, they¡¯ll be crushed by the mud salamanders, so they first wait for it to weaken enough before they attempt to anchor their nest.¡± [Shin] Peiron-san and Shin-san added. So you can learn the beginning and end of the fishing season by watching the behavior of the monsters. It won¡¯t be long before the mud salamander wave comes to an end. Which also means that the subjugation job will come to a close soon. At the same time, that also means that my life here will soon draw to a close. ¡­I should treasure each day and make sure I don¡¯t leave anything undone. Another thirty minutes of us talking and traversing the lake passed before we reached the port of a large town. The facilities of the beach here weren¡¯t much different from those found at Shikumu Village, but the number and scale was on a whole nother league. There were also a lot of people visiting from other villages to purchase goods. It¡¯s still only morning, but there are already plenty of boats coming to and fro. Large buildings could be seen at the end of the beach and with so many people, the whole place felt lively. ¡°Hey!¡± [Man] A man waved a small flag from the wharf and called out to us. From the looks of things, he seems to be managing the sea traffic. Kai-san followed his instructions and docked the boat at an empty spot at the wharf. ¡°Alright, you can get down now.¡± [Man] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Brr, it¡¯s cold.¡± [Kai] ¡°Rowing a boat early morning is sure to be cold.¡± [Kei] ¡°Let¡¯s get some soup from one of the stalls.¡± [Peiron] The cold early morning was just like that of winter, so no one rejected Peiron-san¡¯s suggestion to warm ourselves up first. Apparently, a lot of people were thinking the same. The moment we entered the town through the beach and reached the main street, stalls selling warm soup and stew could be seen lined up. There were probably more than 60 stalls¡­ With so many to pick from, it¡¯s actually quite difficult to decide where to eat, but for some reason, the members of the Wharf of Shikumu just kept on walking without any hesitation. ¡°Have you all already decided where to eat?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Oh, right. You don¡¯t know. Actually, we have an older brother tending to a stall here. That¡¯s why since we¡¯re here we might as well drop by and get some grub.¡± [Kei] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] We found the stall while we were talking. Everyone was already acquainted, so they just greeted each other a little before ordering food and then moving on to talk about each other¡¯s situation. Somewhere along the conversation, I was introduced, and I too got some warm stew. The seasoning and ingredients were changed a little in order to suit stall food better, but the stew still tasted like Kei-san¡¯s mother. After warming our bodies, we headed straight for the manor of the feudal lord. We took a carriage, so it only took us about 20 minutes to reach it. The manor of the feudal lord was literally straight from the beach along the main street. A rather normal manor. It might be strange to call it a normal manor, but it wasn¡¯t a castle like the duke¡¯s. It¡¯s not very gaudy. Putting it nicely, it¡¯s unaffected and sincere. It¡¯s really big, of course, but it doesn¡¯t feel imposing. It¡¯s built out of bricks and mud, but for some reason, it feels like an apartment complex. There¡¯s a fence around it, and in front of the gate could be seen the pig tribe guards keeping watch. We told those guards what we came here for. ¡°We¡¯ve already been informed. We¡¯ll call the person in charge, so please wait here for a bit.¡± [Pig Guard 1] The guards treated us well and immediately brought out a man who could be responsible for us. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. I take it, you are Takebayashi-sama, and these are the members of the Wharf of Shikumu? I am Piguu. I look forward to working with you today.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Please take care of us.¡± [Ryouma and the Wharf of Shikumu] He looks like he¡¯s somewhere between 50 and 60, or maybe even older. I can¡¯t tell his exact age, but he should be fairly old. As a member of the pig tribe, he had a lot of meat on him and his drooping cheeks gave him the image of a gentle old man. He had prepared a carriage from the duke to take us to the hot spring, so we quickly got on it and departed. It took us one hour to reach the hot spring. ¡°Oh!¡± [Sein] ¡°Sein!¡± [Kai] ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡¡I just slipped!¡± [Sein] ¡°Sheesh, be careful, will you?¡± [Kai] ¡°It¡¯s steep after all. If you fall you¡¯ll fall all the way for sure.¡± [Kei] ¡°My apologies¡­ The road around here used to be a lot more convenient, but¡­¡± [Piggu] ¡°¡­Shin-kun. Let¡¯s take a rest.¡± [Peiron] ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s take a breather.¡± [Shin] There were stairs from the base of the mountain to the hot spring, but somewhere along the way, those stairs turned into a steep slope that we had to climb for three hours. It took a lot of effort to finally reach the hot springs. ¡°Are these the hot springs we¡¯re meant to clean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a bit different from what I expected.¡± [Kei] Just as Kei-san said, although the place smelled like a hot spring and also sounded like one, the only structure that could be found was a dirty shed that looked like a storage room. ¡°This is indeed the place. Fuhi¡­ The previous master who had it built wasn¡¯t fond of unnecessary decorations. He said that one shed was enough.¡± [Piggu] ¡°Can we take a look inside? You can rest here in the meantime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. This is the key. It¡¯s narrow inside, so I¡¯ll be over here. If you need something, just call me.¡± [Piggu] As expected, that climb must have been quite harsh given his age and all. He sat himself beside the entrance, on top of a lump of grass¡ª No, after a closer look, it seems to be an old bench overgrown with grass. I took the key and headed for the shed with the others. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was really narrow inside. So narrow in fact that the five members of the Wharf of Shikumu and me ¨C that¡¯s five adults and a child ¨C just barely fit inside when standing. I don¡¯t know what kind of body the previous feudal lord had, but if he also had that sumo wrestler body, then this would indeed be a shed meant for just one person. Inside was a basket for clothes and a chair for resting. There was also a graffiti-like map drawn on the walls. There was barely anything inside, and as far as filth went, it was at most dust and spider webs. ¡°Cleaning this part doesn¡¯t seem all that difficult. The problem is probably further ahead.¡± [Ryouma] When we opened the door deeper inside, a small staircase greeted us. On the third step down, a spacious open-air bath appeared, but¡­ ¡°Oh¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is terrible.¡± [Shin] ¡°You can¡¯t even call it clean as flattery.¡± [Peiron] Shin-san and Peiron-san said as they peeked from behind. They probably built a bathtub here and then sourced the water from the hot springs. This is just a rough conjecture, but I¡¯m guessing the water here is always on, and when the water in the tub overflows, it falls onto the ground and then into the ditch that¡¯s meant to drain the water outside. Unfortunately, the drainage is currently blocked due to the accumulation of fallen leaves and branches. With the drainage blocked and the water left stagnant, a stench different from the usual sulfur of the hot springs has began to waft. But that¡¯s not all. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s also iron content mixed in with the calcium carbonate crystals.¡± [Ryouma] A thick layer of tightly packed sediments has formed over the floor. There¡¯s also a reddish-brown lump on the bath mirror. Hand prints of the same color could also be seen on the walls. These things formed due to the minerals in the hot spring hardening, so they can¡¯t be removed easily. ¡°For the meantime, let¡¯s start with what we can do. ¡®Dimension Home.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I summoned my scavenger slimes and had them deal with the pile of leaves and branches and the hot water. ¡°Be thorough with the blocked drainage.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡± [Scavenger Slimes] After the scavenger slimes gave their confirmation, we went outside. Piguu-san called out to us anxiously when he saw us leaving. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Piguu] ¡°The hot water is being drained, so we¡¯re going to prepare the next step while waiting for it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so? ¡­You can clean it?¡± [Piguu] ¡°I¡¯m guessing your problem is with the hardened clumps on the walls and the floor?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I tried cleaning it myself before, but no matter how many times we try to clean it, those lumps just can¡¯t be rid of.¡± [Piguu] As I thought. The minerals inside the hot spring were separated due the high temperature and pressure and then they turned into that sediment. This so-called hot spring sediment can add a unique hot spring look, but it tends to get on the floor, walls, and even the plumbing, so in Japan, it¡¯s considered a nuisance. Piguu-san is making a frustrated face while gesturing the scrubbing motion with his hands. Unfortunately, just scrubbing isn¡¯t enough to remove those sediments. ¡°It¡¯s rather abrupt, but I¡¯m going make a liquid meant to remove those things right now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh my!¡¡Is there such a thing?¡± [Piguu] ¡°I¡¯m doing this on the fly, so there¡¯s no telling if it¡¯ll work.¡± [Ryouma] First, I¡¯ll use earth magic to make the jar that will store the chemical. And then I¡¯ll summon my sticky slimes and acid slimes from my Dimension Home, and have them produce some sticky liquid and acid. ¡°These clumps are calcium carbonate. They¡¯re like seashells, so they¡¯re weak to acid. The acid slime¡¯s acid should be able to melt them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that true!?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Should be.¡± [Ryouma] The crystallized lumps will probably melt if I pour acid on them in place of acid detergent, but if the acid is too strong, it¡¯s possible that the walls and floor beneath the lumps will also be damaged. To avoid that, it¡¯s necessary to dilute the concentration with the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid. ¡­Something like this? ¡°Let¡¯s try it out.¡± [Ryouma] I brought the acid and sticky slimes with me to the bathroom, then we went to the edge of the tub, where the water has already been drained thanks to the scavanger slimes, and performed the experiment. I had the acid slimes line up and create a small circle, then I poured the acid mixture inside it. ¡°Oh!¡± [Wharf of Shikumu Members and Piguu] Voices exclaimed from behind me. Piguu-san and the members of the Wharf of Shikumu came along to see the experiment. When they saw bubbles appear as the calcium carbonate reacted to the acid, they exclaimed. The acid is effective, but this mixture is still too strong to be used for cleaning. Also, while the mixture might be more viscous compared to the acid on its own, it¡¯s only a slight difference. I need to change the ratio. I experimented with the ratio several times until I came up with a ¡®strong acid but low viscosity¡¯ mixture for use with thick layers of sediments and a ¡®weak acid but high viscosity¡¯ mixture for use with thin layers of sediments or for places like walls where it¡¯s easy for the chemical to drip down. I also made an ¡®average acid and viscosity¡¯ mixture. All in all, I made three different mixtures of chemical for cleaning. Chapter 206 - Hot Spring Cleaning II Chapter 206: Hot Spring Cleaning II Two hours later. After the members of the Wharf of Shikumu and I finished treating the open-bath hot springs with the acidic sticky liquid, we quickly ate our lunch in front of the shed on top of a cloth spread over the ground. The dishes lined up were the onigiri and soup made by Kai¡¯s mother. For ingredients, she added fish boiled in soy sauce. The strong taste perfectly matched the rice. With such a great weather, the whole thing felt like a picnic. While we were eating, someone called out to us from the mountain path. Just as I was wondering who could be calling us all the way out here on top of a mountain¡­ ¡°Puhaa~!¡¡This road is as harsh as ever¡­ Ohh!¡± [Porco] ¡°The feudal lord!?¡± [Everyone Else] The one who appeared after pushing his way through the plants and trees was none other than the feudal lord himself. Behind him were the two dragon newts who looked like they were his escorts. ¡°My lord!?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Piguu. So you showed them the way yourself.¡± [Porco] ¡°But of course, my lord. There is no one more suited for the job than I.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Perhaps. But while I did leave the selection of the guide to you, you really ought to consider your age more. But enough of that. More importantly, it seems I¡¯ve intruded on your lunch.¡± [Porco] ¡°Nothing of the sort, Porco-sama. But why are you here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I just couldn¡¯t get my mind off of it, so I came here to see how things are going. Can you clean the place?¡± [Porco] Since he was inquiring, I decided to show him the place and explain to him the situation. ¡°I see¡­ So there was a chemical that could melt that filth, huh.¡± [Porco] ¡°I didn¡¯t have any at hand, so I had to come up with one on the fly. It works, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My lord. I saw the experiment with my own eyes. Right now he¡¯s letting the chemical permeate the filth through the soaked cloth, but even at this stage, the filth has already started to melt.¡± [Piguu] ¡°After one more hour, we¡¯ll remove the cloth and begin cleaning the place.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That sounds reassuring.¡± [Piguu] The feudal lord happily left the shed. Outside were the two guards and the members of the Wharf of Shikumu, but they weren¡¯t talking and even appeared to be a little uncomfortable. The feudal lord noticed that too. ¡°Oh, right. Come to think of it, I¡¯ve yet to introduce you. This is Kichomaru-dono, my guard and assistant.¡± [Porco] ¡°Well met, I am Kichomaru, de gozaru.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°There is a martial art known as sumo that has been passed down in the dragon newt village. This person here is a sumo expert.¡± [Porco] ¡°I am Tairyuzan, de gowasu. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Tairyuzan] ¡°He has been acknowledged as Yokozuna ¨C the highest rank for those who study sumo. He is not only my guard, but also my instructor.¡± [Porco] The two people the feudal lord introduced bowed their heads. We took this opportunity to introduce ourselves as well. After the members of the Wharf of Shikumu finished their introductions came my turn. Anyhow, with this the mystery has finally been cleared up. ¡°So you really were studying sumo too, Porco-sama.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I thought you looked at me different from the others, so it turns out you knew about sumo.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. My grandparents traveled the world as adventurers, so I¡¯ve heard about it from them. I didn¡¯t think I would actually meet a rikishi (sumo wrestler) here though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I first learned about sumo during my academy days. At the time I had a friend who was an exchange student from the dragon newt village. When I heard about sumo wrestling from him, it was like an epiphany. We of the pig tribe tend to put on weight easily and have a hard time losing it. Because of that our bodies always end up like this, but dragon newt villagers aspiring to become rikishi actually go out of their way to make their body like ours. Moreover, when learning the sword, the topic of whittling down the body naturally comes up, and it¡¯s fairly common for members of our tribe to overtrain or break their knees or their body because they failed to reduce their weight enough. But with sumo wrestling, the practitioners specifically train to be able to move their bodies while fattened up. So as soon as I heard about it, I thought, ¡®this martial art was practically made for us!¡¯¡± [Porco] Since then the feudal lord has wanted to study sumo. Just recently, when he called for specialists in rice cultivation, he took the opportunity to also invite the yokozuna, Tairyuzan. ¡°By the way, Ryouma-kun. Can I ask you one more thing?¡± [Porco] ¡°?¡¡If it¡¯s something I can answer, then by all means.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I noticed there were a lot cloths plastered onto a part of the bath earlier. You explained what they were for, but do adventurers normally carry so many cloths on them?¡± [Porco] ¡°Ahh¡­ Right. Adventurers normally can¡¯t move around while carrying all that with them, but I can use dimension magic, so having a lot of luggage on me isn¡¯t a problem. Besides, they¡¯re also useful for when I run out of bandages, and I can also use them to make clothes. I bought them from a cheap place.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that true? Is that jacket you¡¯re wearing also made by you?¡± [Porco] The feudal lord said while pointing at my attempt at down jacket. I honestly answered him. ¡°Hoh¡­ Actually, on the way back home yesterday, the topic of your clothes looking rather warm came up. My escorts say that there¡¯s similar clothing back at the dragon newt village.¡± [Porco] ¡°Clothes similar to mine? Could you be referring to a hanten?¡¡It looks like a shorter haori¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly it, de gowasu!¡± [Tairyuzan] ¡°You even know about the haori? I see you¡¯re rather well informed about our village, de gozaru.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°Thank you very much. Most of it is thanks to my grandparents, but I also have an acquaintance who trained there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°Hmm. As expected of the barley tea sage, I suppose.¡± [Porco] Is the feudal lord going to bring that up again? ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say, but that barley tea sage thing is rather embarrassing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think it¡¯s fine, though. It is true that you are an erudite, after all.¡± [Porco] ¡°But my lord. Wouldn¡¯t most people think of the famed Melia-sama when the word sage is brought up? It only stands to reason that Ryouma-dono would be reluctant to have the same name as that esteemed person who achieved so many things.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Hmm. Now that you mention it, perhaps that is the case. My apologies.¡± [Porco] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Please don¡¯t mind it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. You were saying that the cleaning will still take some time, yes?¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. I want to let the clumps soak in the chemical a bit more.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll come again later to take a look. I¡¯m looking forward to the results, so please take care of it.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes, Porco-sama.¡± [Ryouma] I bowed my head, and then the feudal lord left the mountain with his two guards¡­ Huh?¡¡He¡¯ll come again later? He¡¯s going to go down and then come back up? ¡°The feudal lord will probably visit the grave of the previous head. The previous head was buried at the top of this mountain just as stated in his will. The feudal lord often complained about how he can¡¯t visit the grave easily, so he probably saw the cleaning job here as a good excuse to visit.¡± [Piguu] ¡°I see. That¡¯s good then.¡± [Ryouma] Still, to think that the only luxury the previous head was this hot spring, and he even had his grave built here through his will. ¡°The previous head must have really loved this mountain.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ Whenever the previous head had time, he would always go up this mountain. He also built this hot springs with his own hands.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Huh!?¡¡He built all this on his own?¡¡I heard it was his only luxury, so I thought for sure he had a specialist build it.¡± [Ryouma] Piguu seemed to recall something and gently smiled. ¡°He was never really one to use money on himself. Whenever there was spare funds, he would use it to build roads.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Roads? I heard a little about it, but apparently it was really hard work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The previous head wasn¡¯t the first to think of building roads here, but all of his predecessors were impeded by the muddy terrain and the trees, so they had no choice but to give up. But the previous head invested his own money and even came to the scene himself to observe despite doing so meant that he would get dirty. He kept focusing his efforts on building the road, and eventually, he succeeded. Through and through he was a person that didn¡¯t waste anything. He even handled the repairs of his manor, and until he died, the management of this place was pretty much done by him, as he would take care of it every time he visited this place.¡± [Piguu] Truly a thorough person¡­ I glanced at the dressing room in passing and noticed the map past the open door. ¡­? ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing. The map in the graffiti just caught my attention.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is there something the matter with it?¡± [Piguu] ¡°I thought it was a map of this region, but it felt a bit off.¡± [Ryouma] Huh?¡¡In the first place, why would he put a map here? This shed was built with no decoration whatsoever, and yet such a map was actually drawn inside it. Moreover, that map has been put inside a frame. Clearly, it¡¯s something important. ¡°That¡¯s a map of the hot springs.¡± [Piguu] ¡°The hot springs?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not common knowledge, but there are several mud baths in Fatma Territory. If you take a closer look at the paths drawn on this map, you¡¯ll see that it contains the roads leading to these mud baths. Roads yet to be built can also be found in the map, so some parts of the map are probably plans made by the previous head. It¡¯s likely that the feudal lord intended to turn this region into a hot spring region once the roads were complete.¡± [Piguu] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know anything about mud baths, though, so that¡¯s probably not the reason why I found it odd. I took a closer look at the map again, but I still couldn¡¯t figure out what was bothering me¡­ I can¡¯t waste too much time on this. ¡°Ryouma-kun, isn¡¯t it almost time?¡± [Kai] ¡°Right. Let¡¯s resume cleaning.¡± [Ryouma] And so we started cleaning the hot springs again. I put on a pair of gloves, wrapped a cloth on my face, and then wore a cleaner slimes for my goggles. After removing the cloth soaked in acidic sticky liquid, I used High Pressure Washing Magic to clean off the remaining acidic sticky liquid on the walls and floor. With that, the sediment clumps that have already started to crumble were easily washed away. Unfortunately, this wasn¡¯t enough to completely clean the place, but I was expecting this. ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you guys.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure thing.¡± [Members of Wharf of Shikumu] At this point, I had a fully equipped Wharf of Shikumu join the fray. I had them treat the persistent clumps with the acidic sticky liquid again and then clean them off. ¡°Oh!¡¡Looks like they¡¯ve already been softened a lot by the previous does.¡± [Kai] ¡°This bathtub here too.¡± [Kei] ¡°It¡¯s thick but it seems the chemical has gotten into the small cracks.¡± [Shin] ¡°The clumps have really gotten brittle. They look like they will crack if I hit them.¡± [Sein] For the bigger clumps, we used a tool and whittled them away. The different slimes helped out too when necessary. ¡°And done!¡± [Everyone] After two hours of scrubbing and applying chemicals we finally finished cleaning the bath! Chapter 207 Chapter 207 The feudal lord came back and I asked him to check the job we did. ¡°Oh my!!¡¡To think that old bath could become this clean!¡± [Porco] ¡°It¡¯s almost like we¡¯ve taken a trip to the past.¡± [Piguu] Piguu-san and the feudal lord, who both knew what the bath was like before, were happy from the bottom of their hearts. Looks like it was worth cleaning all those hardened clumps. ¡°Thank you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Porco] ¡°With this I can finally afford to show my face to the previous head.¡± [Piguu] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± [Ryouma] They mentioned that there was one place I wasn¡¯t allowed to clean. Curious, I asked about it. ¡°By the way, are you sure it¡¯s really alright to leave the sluice gate as is?¡± [Ryouma] The exit of the hot spring drawn hasn¡¯t been cleaned. It also has clumps of calcium carbonate in it, which impedes the flow of hot water. ¡°If you were to take care of that too, you wouldn¡¯t be able to finish cleaning the bath in a day. That thing is connected to the hot spring, after all. And¡­ I know it¡¯s a little strange to say this after asking you to clean this place, but I actually don¡¯t use this bath all that much. It¡¯s like my dad¡¯s heritage, so I just wanted to restore it as much as possible. It¡¯s fine like this. If I had to ask for more, I suppose it would be great if the view outside could be cleaned up. As you can see, the bamboos have grown tall enough to block the view¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°We left the bamboos unchecked too, after all.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Were these not like this before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. My dad planted them some ways away from the bath. He even fed me some bamboo shoots he dug up. But as you can see, these bamboos have also been left alone, and now they¡¯re like this.¡± [Porco] ¡°In the past, you could see the view below really well from here¡­¡± [Piguu] Apparently, after being left unchecked for many years, the bamboo grove has expanded below the bath, blocking the view. ¡°¡­¡± [Members of the Wharf of Shikumu] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] The members of the Wharf of Shikumu looked at me from the entrance of the dressing room. That look they¡¯re giving me is ¡®that¡¯, right? Are you sure?¡¡In that case¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll go and cut and the bamboos then. That way you¡¯ll be able to see the view from here. After that we¡¯ll consider this job complete.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, I wasn¡¯t actually asking you to do that. Are you sure?¡± [Porco] ¡°You did promise to pay us 10 gold coins. But even without that, something on this level could still fall under ¡®service¡¯. The five guys behind me are also very eager to do it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait!¡± [Kai] When we turned to the members of the Wharf of Shikumu, they visibly panicked. Seriously, you guys. You don¡¯t have to sneak around. If you panic like that, you¡¯ll¡ª Ah, the feudal lord went to call them. Alright. I think I¡¯ll go and prepare while they¡¯re relishing in their embarrassment. I opened my Dimension Home and got my Wire Slime and some rods. I also got a sturdy rope so we can safely get down¡ª Woah!? ¡®Ryouma-kun, that was so cruel of you~¡± [Kei] ¡°We¡¯re not used to nobles like you¡­¡± [Kai] Kei-san and Kai-san walked up to me while holding each others shoulders. Looks like they¡¯re done talking with the feudal lord. ¡°Well, the feudal lord seems like a good guy. You¡¯ll be fine if you just act normally around him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You sure have big balls despite how you look¡­¡± [Shin] ¡°I thought it was because we¡¯re from the countryside, but I guess that¡¯s not it, huh.¡± [Sein] How rude. I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m also bad with people in lofty positions. I was really nervous when I met a noble for the first time. But enough of that, let¡¯s talk business. Not that this is a complicated job or anything. ¡°First, my slimes and I will do a quick cut of the bamboos. It won¡¯t be the cleanest cut and some parts will be left from time to time, but it¡¯ll be efficient. I¡¯ll leave the parts left over to you guys. It¡¯s a steep slope down, so use these ropes to be safe.¡± [Ryouma] With those few words, everyone knew what the plan was. We¡¯ve been working for a while now, so they already trusted my slimes. As everyone quickly started preparing, I went ahead and walked over to the edge of the open bath, and then I climbed over the fence and went down the mountain. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡± [Wire Slime] The wire slime was brimming with motivation as it turned itself into a coping saw and stretched itself. The wire slime could stretch itself as far as 40m. This time I had it stretch itself 20m between my two rods. When I saw that it had stretched itself long enough, I connected the wire slime to the ends of the two rods and formed a hoop. As for the nucleus that couldn¡¯t transform, I had it cling to the tip of the rod with the excess thread. Finally, I sent my ki into the wire slime through the rod, strengthening its coping saw form. ¡°We need to cut the bamboos from the roots and as parallel to the ground as possible. Alright. Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Ryouma] At my signal, the wire slime pulled the hoop tight. As the slightly loose thread tightened to its limits, the saw blade ate into the bamboos standing between it. The wire slime then began expanding and contracting as it moved the tightened threads sideways. The ki-reinforced saw blade was sharp, and the hoop that instantly cut the bamboos contracted and moved on to the next bamboos. It only took about 10 seconds for the bamboos and other plants and vegetation within the hoop to be completely cut. ¡°This whole process reminds me of a chainsaw. I sure come up with some scary stuff¡­ Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Noticing an odd shadow, I abruptly looked up, and there I saw the shocked expression of the feudal lord. ¡°Were slimes always like that?¡± [Porco] ¡°Umm, Ryouma-kun¡¯s slimes are probably special.¡± [Kai] ¡°Just recently he cut down a lot of trees around the village under the pretense of an experiment.¡± [Kei] ¡°The grandmas and grandpas that saw Ryouma-kun¡¯s slime cutting wood mentioned they wanted one themselves. They said it would make getting fire wood so much easier.¡± [Shin] Sigh, you guys too? Well, I guess it is true that the slime makes for a great lumberjack. In fact it¡¯s so good at cutting that I¡¯m using these rods because I don¡¯t want to accidentally touch the wire while it¡¯s in the process of cutting these bamboos, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to keep cutting like this, so after a little while, please take care of the ones that weren¡¯t cut properly!¡± [Ryouma] The members of the Wharf of Shikumu had completely gone into spectator mode, so I called out to them before starting to cut another 20m of bamboos in the opposite direction. After that I took a step down the slope and cut another 20m. Repeating that, I cut 40m of bamboos around me while going down the slope. The countless bamboo that have been cut fell down toward the base of the mountain. They were stopped by the other bamboos and vegetation that have yet to be cut, but those eventually couldn¡¯t support them and broke themselves. The number of bamboos on the ground increased. I have to be careful not to get crushed. Speaking of which, people that use wires or threads for their weapon are fairly common in manga and light novels. I wonder if I can do something similar if I use the wire slime.¡¡Although I feel like I¡¯m using it a bit differently now, it is still able to cut the bamboos really quickly. If I use it well, maybe I can use it to help with transportation too¡­ As I was thinking that to myself, what appeared in my mind was the image of a pulley on top of a wire dangling and sliding from the rope its attached. No, that¡¯s a bit wrong¡­ If it¡¯s like that, then it¡¯ll just be an obstacle course for children. Though I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll affect me with my current body. Moreover, it does take quite a bit of time to get to the foot of the mountain from the top of the abandoned mine, so it might be a good idea even if it¡¯s just for a one-way trip. I¡¯ll try making it when I get back. ¡­Huh?¡¡What was I thinking again before the whole obstacle course thing came up?¡¡Oh, right. The uses of the wire slime. And from there, the thread users often found in manga and light novels came to mind¡­ Be it ally or foe, those guys are usually strong, aren¡¯t they? Not that that¡¯s related or anything.¡¡Still, I do feel like characters that use only normal threads or can¡¯t fight are rare. In fact, I can¡¯t recall ever coming across such a character. Why is that?¡¡Even though in stories like battle-type mangas there are plenty of non-combatant characters whose role is to explain things¡­ ¡°Oops.¡± [Ryouma] There I go again thinking of unnecessary things. As I roused myself up from that, I noticed that I had already reached the end of the bamboo grove. Since I can already see a little further than before, the view from the open bath should have already cleared up. I think I can wrap up the bamboo cutting here. While I was looking at the view from the slope, I remembered that strange feeling from before. It was then that it dawned on me. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± And I found out what that strange feeling I had earlier was about. It was probably the direction. Open air baths are often made so that a beautiful view can be viewed from them. This open air bath was also made like that, as can be seen from how it has no wall facing this slope. That¡¯s probably why I unconsciously thought that I should be able to get a sweeping view of the Ratoin Lake from it. But in truth, the open air bath turned out to be facing the ¡®opposite direction¡¯ from the lake. The only sweeping view that you can get on this side are the marshes and the trees. My sense of direction got all messed up because of the bad road and the complicated road we had to climb to get here. That¡¯s probably why I felt something was off when I saw that map. Piguu-san was around to show us the way, so I never thought about getting lost, and even if we did get lost, I could just rely on my Rimel Birds to get the direction of the town. Because of that I didn¡¯t pay much attention to the direction we were facing. I should probably be more careful of this in the future¡­ The question now is why build the open air bath facing this direction?¡¡The view here isn¡¯t particularly bad, but it¡¯s a rather common view to this region. Is it an issue with the source of the water? When I got back to the open air bath, the feudal lord gave his approval. I took that opportunity to ask where the water came from, and it turns out that it was apparently close to the lake, so the previous head had actually gone out of his way to bring the water here. If that¡¯s the case, then there must be a ¡®reason¡¯ why. Curious about the ¡®reason¡¯, I left the cleanup to the Wharf of Shikumu and used the time to look at the view and think. Why did the previous head go out of his way to build the hot spring here? ¡°¡­?¡¡Come to think of it, the materials and construction method¡­¡± [Ryouma] The personality of the previous feudal lord¡­ It was just a gut feeling, but with that as the key point, I considered many different possibilities. In the end, all I could get was just a conjecture, but¡­ ¡°Piguu-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Earlier, you mentioned that the grave of the feudal lord was at the top of this mountain, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, I did. Is something the matter?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Could that place be¡­¡± [Ryouma] I asked a question based on my conjectures, and it looks like I hit it right on the money. Piguu-san was shocked. ¡°Why do you know that?¡¡It is exactly as you say, there is nothing at all around the grave of the previous head. We felt bad about it, but everything ¨C from the location of the burial to how to cut the trees ¨C was written. So we did just as the will said.¡± [Porco] I¡¯m probably correct. ¡°Thank you very much ¡°Piguu-san. Thanks to you, I think I¡¯ve found another hint to the other request of the feudal lord.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m happy to be of service.¡± [Piguu] Despite saying that, however, his face was full of confusion. That¡¯s only natural. After all, I didn¡¯t really explain anything. But now the question is how to make use of this unexpected hint. I focused my attention on that. Chapter 208 - A Slime Experiment and Ryouma’s Conjecture Chapter 208: A Slime Experiment and Ryouma¡¯s Conjecture That evening. Upon completing the clean up job, the feudal lord paid us 10 small gold coins as promised along with a mouthful of praise, and then we went back home. We split the reward between the Wharf of Shikumu and I 5:5. I¡¯d intended to distribute the earnings equally, but all the knowledge and tools from the chemicals to the cloths to the slimes were all from me, so the members of the Wharf of Shikumu refused to be paid. It didn¡¯t sit right with me not compensating them when they did their share of the work, so in the end, we decided on that ratio. After receiving their compensation, the Wharf of Shikumu quickly purchased expensive liquor, food, and other daily necessities before going back. Because of that we had to rent another small boat to get back to the village. When the villagers saw the souvenirs the Wharf of Shikumu brought and found out that they¡¯d made a killing, the whole place lit up. It was a little troublesome, but all in all, it was fun. As I thought back on the things that happened today, I stretched myself across the futon inside the room I was borrowing. ¡°Hmm~ ¡­Fuu. We managed to clean the bath successfully, get a hint on what dish to make, and even found a new use for the acidic sticky liquid. Today was a really productive day. Right, before I go to sleep¡­¡± [Ryouma] I opened my Dimension Home and took out the acidic sticky liquid and its container. I also took out the pearl slime and some snails that I need to feed it to get it to evolve. I was reminded of the mayonnaise pearl on the day the acid slime evolved into a pearl slime, but thanks to the cleaning job today, another possibility came to mind. In order to test that possibility, I first had to confirm that the shells were indeed the feed for pearl slimes, and then I used the excess acidic sticky liquid to soak the shells. Bubbles began to form on the surface of the shell soaked in the strongest acid. After putting a stop to that, I washed the shell in the container and had the cleaner slime clean it. The surface had melted a little, but there were still some fine sand sediments on the shell. I sank the shell once more into the acidic sticky liquid and repeated the same process several times until the liquid was gone. After that I put it aside to let it rest through the night, and then put away the slimes and the tools in the Dimension Home too. With that, I retired for the day. The next day. I woke up a little earlier than usual. It¡¯s probably because I have an experiment today. After readying myself, I checked the results of my experiment. The shell that had been marinated overnight in acidic sticky liquid was¡­ ¡°I knew it.¡± [Ryouma] The surface of the shell had melted and beautiful white spots could be seen here and there. When I polished the shell, it turned into a beautiful mother of pearl. ¡®Mother-of-pearl¡¯ Just like with pearls, the main ingredient behind its luster is the calcium carbonate that¡¯s secreted from the mantle of the shell. Mother-of-pearls aren¡¯t just found inside shells that make pearls, but also in those that don¡¯t make pearls. A popular example would be the marbled turban that can be found in places like Okinawa. The inner part of this shell can also be eaten. But of course, that¡¯s a shellfish that lives in seawater. ¡°Identify¡± [Ryouma] Sunagakure (Lit. hidden in sand) A type of shell that secretes liquid to stick the surrounding fine sand and stones onto its husk to deceive external threats. Lives in fresh water and can be eaten. It is generally cooked in its own shell, though it should be noted that when exposed to heat, the mother-of-pearl loses its luster. ¡°There are similar shellfish living in the lake here, so the pearl slime probably evolved after eating the mother-of-pearl inside those shells.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s a much more believable theory than the mayonnaise pearl theory stemming from the acid slime¡¯s acid and the mayonnaise made from egg. I feel a lot better now that the questions surrounding the evolution of the pearl slime have been cleared up. ¡°¡­What should I do with this result?¡± [Ryouma] A few days ago, the god called Sereriputa told me that the value of the pearl was far beyond my imagination, so I figure if I could create a husk with the same luster as the pearl, I could sell it for a good price. Yesterday before going back, I saw the stalls selling accessories made out of shells, but I didn¡¯t see anything that used a mother-of-pearl. Besides, the villagers here also just treat these things like garbage and throw them out, so I doubt they know that they¡¯re good for anything other than food. It¡¯s a bit wasteful, but I can¡¯t tell Niki-kun and the villagers about this. Just as Sereriputa said, it¡¯s simply too dangerous. I was able to be acquainted with the lord ruling over this region, Porco-sama, but I¡¯m hesitant to tell him about it too. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] He doesn¡¯t strike me as a bad person. The time we¡¯ve spent together doesn¡¯t even add up to a day, but we¡¯ve eaten together, talked¡­ And so far he strikes me as an easygoing guy who¡¯s admired by the people. I don¡¯t think the people are just acting when they behave amiably in front of him either. But I suppose that¡¯s ¡®exactly why¡¯ I¡¯m hesitant to tell him about it. Speaking of which, there¡¯s something bothering me. ¡°I think the feudal lord might be lacking in war potential. He might also be on the weaker side when it comes to the power balance of the nobles.¡± [Ryouma] When Niki-kun ran away and we went out to look for him, we happened across some goblins. Word has it that those goblins were released here by some nobles to harass the feudal lord. I don¡¯t know how accurate those rumors are, but I did see those goblins with my own eyes, and what¡¯s more is that there are cages that have clearly been tampered with by human hands. To make things even worse, these things supposedly ¡®happen a lot¡¯. ¡­Isn¡¯t it strange?¡¡Even if it¡¯s just harassment and even if it¡¯s just a few goblins ¨C some of the weakest monsters out there ¨C they¡¯re still monsters. One step wrong and someone could get hurt. Just look at Niki-kun. If not for that secret base of his, he would have been in danger. So why isn¡¯t the feudal lord doing anything about it? If the feudal lord didn¡¯t care about his people, then it would still somewhat make sense, but then the locals wouldn¡¯t admire him so much. And personally I don¡¯t think he¡¯s that kind of person either. So I¡¯m thinking that maybe it¡¯s not that he ¡®doesn¡¯t want¡¯ to do anything about it, but rather that he ¡®can¡¯t¡¯ do anything about it. Fatma is a pretty a big place, after all. On top of having difficulties dealing with the sporadic harassment, before the roads were constructed, Fatma was supposedly so poor that people actually starved to death. In order to hunt monsters or to protect one¡¯s people from those with ill intent, the first thing one needs is someone who can fight. In other words, soldiers. But raising soldiers require food. And that¡¯s not something that can be solved just by putting in ¡®effort¡¯ or being ¡®motivated¡¯. How is a land so destitute that it can¡¯t even provide enough to keep its people from starving to death supposed to raise an army? Even if the feudal lord can maintain some degree of military to defend his territory, the fact that there were people starving is all the proof one needs to prove that they don¡¯t have enough food. If the feudal lord intends to raise an army despite that, then the people will suffer. Hence, it only stands to reason that the feudal lord likely has the smallest army he can get away with. And that would also explain why he can¡¯t deal with the goblins ¨C because he doesn¡¯t have enough hands. Still, if it were only an issue of having not enough soldiers, then he should still be able to ask for help from his neighbors. Of course, he would have to pay them compensation, and since it¡¯s considered the duty of a feudal lord to be able to defend his territory and people, he will also incur some shame. But as far as shame goes, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a big difference between asking for help from other people because you¡¯re too weak to defend your territory and not asking for help and just accepting that you¡¯re not strong enough. If so, then the reason he can¡¯t ask for help must be because of his poor relationship with his neighbors. Word has it that the neighboring nobles are the culprits behind the harassment. Of course, I don¡¯t just plan on believing those rumors without proof. As the saying goes, a man¡¯s mouth cannot be kept shut. But regardless, it is possible that these rumors are going around because the people can feel the strain in the relationship between their lord and the surrounding nobles. Finally¡­ ¡°Supposing that the feudal lord does in fact have a poor relationship with his neighbors and is weak, then¡­¡± [Ryouma] After reaching this point, I recalled a story from my school days. There¡¯s no basis for it or anything. It¡¯s just that the situation is similar. That was a story from when I¡¯d just entered middle school. A story where I happened upon a kid being bullied. That in itself wasn¡¯t noteworthy. If there were a hundred schools, then even a thousand such incidents would be too few. As the story goes, I saved the male student being bullied and asked him about his situation. It turns out that he and the bully were from the same school and that he was always being bullied. Now that he was a middle school student, he also wanted to graduate from being bullied. A month ago he started training at a karate dojo, so when he saw his bully that day, he told him that and was beaten harsher than usual. ¡­At that, all I could really think of was that he was the very picture of an honest fool who ended up digging a deeper hole for himself. I understand wanting to graduate from being bullied, and going to a karate dojo is fine too, but there was really no need for him to tell all that to his bully. It¡¯s true that you can¡¯t solve all your problems just by calling the teacher, but if you¡¯re going to try and solve your problem with strength, then at the very least, you should first gain enough strength or there¡¯s no point. I also believe it¡¯s best not to say anything to until after you¡¯ve gotten strong enough. Trying to show off your strength or training when you¡¯ve only just started is just going to get you beat up since it¡¯s no different from telling your opponent ¡®I¡¯m training so I can beat you up¡¯. You¡¯re only making your opponent wary of you and adding fuel to the flames. If the weaker one announces that he¡¯s going to fight back, the stronger one isn¡¯t going to just say ¡®okay¡¯ and then wait for the weaker one to get stronger. The moment the weaker one show signs of resisting, the stronger one will beat him up harder than before. ¡°¡­The feudal lord might be in a similar situation.¡± [Ryouma] Him looking for rice that could be cultivated in Fatma, inviting specialists, studying sumo personally, and showing interest in martial arts that suits the pig tribe could be him trying to improve his situation. Perhaps the issue isn¡¯t just that the feudal lord can¡¯t respond to the harassment but that he has no way to solve it at all, and he¡¯s just accumulating strength for the time being. If so then stories of pearls or anything with similar value would only be a problem for him. In fact, it would be akin to gifting him a bomb. Just as Sereriputa said, the pearl is too dangerous without enough strength. ¡°It would be best not to bring it up, but what¡¯s there is there, so someone might still notice it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­But then again, Sereriputa did say¡­ ¡®Especially, in the Riforu Kingdom where you reside. After all, it is a jewel that can¡¯t be harvested yet.¡¯ For better or for worse, Sereriputa is the kind of person to just say what he wants, so he¡¯s probably not lying. Moreover, he used the word ¡®yet¡¯. If I look at it from another perspective¡ª ¡°Oh?¡± [Ryouma] I heard footsteps. It¡¯s almost time for me to go, so let¡¯s wrap up my thoughts here for now. It¡¯s going to get busy again starting today¡­ Chapter 209.1 - The Village Festival and the Proposal for the Local Specialty (1/3) Three days later. Evening. Most of the villagers had gathered at the village square. Bonfires, large pots, and tables could be found everywhere. On the tables were all sorts of dishes. Just as I heard on the boat yesterday, the mouse inn blocked the river connecting downstream, and the numbers of the mud salamander greatly dwindled. Moreover, word from the Fishing Association came, informing Shikumu Village and the other villages and fishermen that the fishing season was finally coming to a close. Presently, preparations are underway at the village square to celebrate the end of the fishing season. The ingredients to be used are either purchased from the town or from the last haul this year. It¡¯s already mostly done though, and it won¡¯t be long before the party starts. And¡ª Speak of the devil¡­ ¡°The feudal lord is here!¡± [Villager] A male villager ran into the square to announce the arrival of the feudal lord. At that, the village headman and the rest of the village authorities gathered to welcome him. I mixed in with the crowd at the rearmost and headed to the beach. We got to the beach at roughly the same time as the feudal lord made land. ¡°Welcome!¡± [Village Head] ¡°Village Headman-dono, thank you for giving us such a warm welcome.¡± [Porco] After the feudal lord greeted the village headman, he greeted me next. ¡°And Ryouma-kun. Thank you for the invitation. I¡¯m looking forward to tonight¡¯s festivities.¡±[Porco] ¡°Thank you too for going out of your way to visit.¡± [Ryouma] A few days ago after cleaning the hot springs. When the feudal lord had given the task to clean the hot spring, he mentioned that he was also hoping to find a local specialty for his territory, but this request was only said in passing, as his main concern was the hot spring. After I cleaned the hot springs, I was reminded of the feudal lord¡¯s request, so I invited him to the End of Fishing Season Festival, so I could give him a taste of my cooking. Of course, the feudal lord could have refused, but fortunately, he did not. Thanks to that, he can be with us tonight. Accompanying the feudal lord were the two dragon newts and Piguu-san. There was also another male from the pig tribe with him. Along the way I found out that he was none other than the head chef of the count. The End of Fishing Season Festival immediately started as soon as we got back to the square. There was no fixed time for when the festival would begin. It could start whenever everything was ready and everyone was present. This time the village headman and the feudal lord gave some opening remarks, but they were just perfunctory, and they didn¡¯t take much time. After that, at a corner of the village square¡­ The feudal lord and his escorts were led to the special seat placed beside the idol I prayed to before. I had my special made magic cooking tool set placed on the side. The head chef of the feudal lord was the first one to react. ¡°Ohh¡­ A sophisticated and portable magic cooking tool set. There are four large pots and a large stove that can be placed on an iron plate. Amazing.¡± [Head Chef] ¡°I¡¯m acquainted with a skilled craftsman, so I was able to get this custom made. I¡¯m an adventurer, so there are times when I have to stay out in the wilds, but as much as possible I want to eat delicious food. Fortunately, I can use dimension magic, so carrying stuff that¡¯s a little bigger isn¡¯t a problem for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bufu, I see you¡¯re quite the gourmand too. I¡¯ve seen many adventurers, but it¡¯s my first time seeing an adventurer walk around with something custom ordered like this. And that inscription. Is this from the recently renowned dinome¡¯s magic tool workshop?¡± [Porco] Looks like the feudal lord also knows about Dinome¡¯s Workshop. ¡°Eagle eyes, Porco-sama. As you¡¯ve said, this is indeed a product of Dinome¡¯s Workshop.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As a noble, it is only natural that I be aware of what¡¯s in vogue. Otherwise I won¡¯t be able to converse with other nobles.¡± [Porco] He sent me a wry smile that seemed to say, ¡®You understand, right?¡¯ As I thought, being a noble must be tough. ¡°Now then, I shall be making the dish I wish to propose. Personally, I think it¡¯s delicious, but I shall leave you gentlemen to be the judge of that. I¡¯ve already completed my preparations, so this won¡¯t take long. That being said, I also have other dishes prepared here for the festival¡¯s sake, so feel free to eat while waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to it. What kind of dishes have you prepared?¡± [Porco] ¡°I would recommend the ¡®oden¡¯ over here. The villagers who tasted it say that it¡¯s like the common soup made extravagant. It has fish and tofu for its ingredients, as well as processed vegetables and root crops. If you eat it with grated horas, it has a taste akin to that of the soup common around these parts, giving it a familiar taste that¡¯s easy to like. Other than the oden, there¡¯s also the Agedashi Tofu (Fried Tofu), the Hamburger Tofu, and the Inari Sushi. I was only able to make these thanks to the cooperation of the tofu makers¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Inari sushi?¡¡Did you say inari sushi?¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°Ah, yes. Inari sushi.¡± [Ryouma] ?¡¡One of the dragon newts looked like he couldn¡¯t wait anymore. If I recall correctly, he should be Kichomaru-dono. Just as I was wondering if he was fond of inari sushi, the feudal lord spoke. ¡°Kichomaru-dono can only eat certain food as part of his training.¡± [Porco] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] Well, it can¡¯t be helped if that¡¯s his belief. Would it have been better if I asked beforehand what they could and couldn¡¯t eat?¡¡Just as I was thinking that to myself¡­ ¡°But there¡¯s an exception to everything. And one exception should be the inari sushi.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. Inari Sushi, Tempura, and Sukiyaki, de gozaru.¡± [Kichomaru] That explanation shocked me. The exempted food were akin to a foreigner¡¯s image of Japan. It was then that I remembered about something I heard from Asagi-san back when I¡¯d just gotten out of Gimuru. The dragon newt village was founded by an otherworlder. And it was founded by a foreigner who had the wrong idea about Japan and samurai culture. Is that the reason why? ¡°That¡¯s good to hear then. At least you have something you can eat. By the way, there¡¯s sukiyaki too, and there¡¯s oil too, so we can prepare tempura too if you want. The end product might not be exactly the same as you remember them, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh my!¡¡I-In that case, could I have some inari sushi?¡¡And some sukiyaku and tempura too?¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°Of course. Also, there are still other dishes like the ones that use rice ¨C ¡®Chimaki (cake wrapped in bamboo leaves)¡¯ and ¡®Takikomi Gohan (rice seasoned and cooked with various ingredients)¡¯. And there¡¯s also ¡®Kinpira Gobou (chopped burdock root cooked in sugar and soy sauce)¡¯, ¡®Deep-Fried Stuffed Lotus Root¡¯, and ¡®Mustard Filled Lotus Root¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll have one of everything then.¡± [Porco] ¡°Alright then.¡± [Ryouma] I passed the feudal lord¡¯s order to the village headman and had him prepare it. Meanwhile, those that were already prepared beforehand were either added into the soup or steamed or fried or deep fried¡­ ¡°Hmm. I see you added the minced fish and crushed tofu as is and just mixed everything along with the vegetables before frying. With so many ingredients, one can never have enough.¡± ¡°This lightly deep-fried tofu¡¯s coating is full of flavor. It has a gentle taste to it.¡± [Piguu] ¡°This deep-fried stuffed lotus root is great. I¡¯ve always been a sucker for lotus roots.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯ve always found inari sushi mysterious since I never saw it back at my hometown, but I have to say, it¡¯s pretty good.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°The Takikomi Gohan and the Kinpara can be found at the village too. This taste. It¡¯s so nostalgic, de gowasu¡­¡± [Tairyuzan] As the feudal lord and the rest of his entourage gave their praise for the food, I prepared the sauce for the finishing touch. It¡¯s ready! ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. This here is the dish I wish to propose. It¡¯s called ¡®Gyoza¡¯!¡± [Ryuoma] Chapter 209.2 - The Village Festival and the Proposal for the Local Specialty (2/3) I glanced at the table before me. Just awhile ago, there were all sorts of food on top, but now, they were all mostly finished. I put away the empty plates and lined up new ones. ¡°Hmm. The wrappers seem to be made from kneading wheat and then frying them. I see there are multiple variants too. Some have been added into soup, while others were deep fried or steamed. Regardless, they¡¯re all basically the same thing.¡± [Head Chef] ¡°Indeed, but depending on the method used, the resulting product could be called boiled gyoza, pan-fried gyoza, deep-fried gyoza, or steamed gyoza. I have a pair of father and daughter from Zilmar working at one of my stores, and apparently, they have food like this there too.¡± [Ryomua] ¡°Oh? So this is Zilmar Cuisine. Let me have a bite.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯ve prepared 8 types of sauce, so please use whichever you like.¡± [Ryouma] The feudal lord and his entourage simultaneously ate the different gyozas. ¡°Ofu, fuu, fuu¡­ umu!¡¡It¡¯s hot¡­ And delicious!¡± [Porco] ¡°Indeed. When I bite into this pan-fried gyoza, the fat of the meat steadily seeps out.¡± [Head Chef] ¡°This boiled gyoza pairs well with soup and has a mellow taste.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°I like the texture of the deep-fried gyoza, de gowasu.¡± [Tairyuzan] Everyone compared the various types of gyoza and gave their impression of them. But the feudal lord wore a disappointed look on his face. ¡­But that was only a given. After all, the gyozas that I made wer really simple. ¡°These certainly taste good, but¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°These can¡¯t become a local specialty like this.¡± [Piguu] ¡°Indeed. This gyoza is made by wrapping meat and vegetables with a wrapper made from wheat. The steamed gyoza¡¯s wrapper appears to be made from rice, but most of the ingredients aren¡¯t local to this region. They must have been purchased from the stores in town, who likely sourced it from other places. Goods from other places are already being traded around these parts to some extent, but regardless, food that was made using ingredients sourced from elsewhere can¡¯t become a local specialty. But I¡¯m sure you understand that, Ryouma. If so, then¡­ Are you saying that we should make these gyoza using ingredients local to our region?¡± [Porco] I was just about to say that, but Porco-sama was a step ahead. ¡°As eagle-eyed as ever, Porco-sama. Just as you¡¯ve said, tonight I merely intend to ¡®propose¡¯, and these gyozas are but ¡®examples¡¯ to that end. Examples of a simple but diverse dish.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Diverse?¡± [Porco] ¡°As you¡¯ve mentioned, these are made by kneading wheat flour and then filling them with bean paste. This time around I used pork and vegetables, but the ratio I followed isn¡¯t set in stone. What¡¯s more is that even the ingredients themselves can be changed. So long as the wrapper is made from grain flour, there won¡¯t be a problem. In fact, the wrappers of the steamed gyoza and the boiled gyoza were made using rice. Although I chose these wrappers purely out of personal preference, this does show that there are at least two options for the wrappers. Moreover, the wrapper can be made in four different ways. You can boil them, fry them, steam them, or even deep fry them. And even the sauce can be prepared in so many ways that tonight I was able to produce 8 variants. There¡¯s no end to the combinations one could come up with regarding the filling, so we¡¯ll skip that part, but even then, with just the wrappers, the cooking method, and the sauce, you can already come up with as much as 64 different combinations. Of course, you can also choose not to eat the gyoza with sauce. And then the combination of the filling can still be changed. When you consider all of that, the possibility is simply endless.¡± [Ryomua] ¡°That certainly rouses the interest. A dish whose taste can be changed infinitely.¡± [Porco] ¡°I think so too. That¡¯s why I had everyone in the village make their own gyoza.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Porco] I turned to the village headman, and from the looks of things they¡¯re finished preparing, as he walked up to me. ¡°My lord, the villagers have prepared their own gyoza after hearing from him. We don¡¯t know if it¡¯ll be to your liking, but won¡¯t you have some?¡± [Villlage Headman] ¡°By all means, please allow me to taste the gyozas the villagers have come up with.¡± [Porco] And so, the original gyozas and the villagers who made them appeared before the feudal lord one after another. The first to present her dish was a grandmother. She appeared before the feudal lord while supported by her grandchild. ¡°Hmm. So this is gyoza boiled in horas soup. It¡¯s warm and soft.¡± [Porco] ¡°Thank you, my lord. My husband and I are already at this age. Hard food isn¡¯t something we can easily afford to eat anymore because of our teeth, and because we¡¯ve already gotten used to the taste of soup, I decided to make it like this.¡± [Grandma] The second to appear was a male fisherman. He had a good constitution, but he looked really nervous. ¡°M-My lord, I-I normally don¡¯t cook well, s-so I don¡¯t know if y-you¡¯ll like it, but¡­¡± [Fisherman] ¡°Ha ha ha. This pan-fried gyoza is indeed misshapen, but it doesn¡¯t taste bad.¡± [Porco] ¡°T-Thank you very much.¡¡M-My wife is pregnant, so I wanted to make a dish that was as nourishing as possible!¡± [Fisherman] The third one was a woman with a great body. She was overflowing with confidence and was the most unreserved of the bunch. ¡°Ohh!¡¡This is great!¡¡The elastic freshwater shrimp. The finely chopped locus root. The firm texture. It¡¯s perfect.¡± [Porco] After that the 4 or 5 more people came and offered their gyoza to the feudal lord. By the end of it, the feudal lord didn¡¯t know which dish to pick. ¡°Hmm¡­ They all taste good. I also understand now why you call this dish diverse, but now I¡¯m at a loss.¡± [Porco] ¡°My lord, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to narrow the dishes down to just one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And why is that?¡± [Porco] ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if the various villages of Fatma Territory just made their own version of gyoza according to the ingredients local to them?¡¡After all, even if this whole territory is known as ¡®Fatma Territory¡¯, it¡¯s not as if all the villages are blessed in the same way. In this village, for example, although there¡¯s a lot of freshwater fish here, there¡¯s not much meat to go around. But in the outer parts of Fatma Territory or those near the neighboring territories, aren¡¯t there places where it¡¯s easier to source meat, vegetables, and wheat flour?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. There are certainly areas like those. And as you¡¯ve said, there are certainly differences in food. Now that I think about it, there are probably places within the territory that could produce the meat gyoza you made earlier¡­ I see. If each place comes up with its own version, then a taste local to each place will naturally appear. And if that could rouse the interest of the merchants and nobles passing by, it might just be enough to reinvigorate the region.¡± [Porco] The famed Utsunomiya and Hanamatsu cities are a thing in Japan, after all, and I¡¯ve never heard of anyone hating gyoza either. If the feudal lord could get the people within his territory competing with each other, he might just be able to bring life to the whole Fatma Territory. I think there¡¯s plenty of potential here. Chapter 209.3 - The Village Festival and the Proposal for the Local Specialty (3/4) Another thing worth mentioning is that I¡¯ve noticed abandoned buildings here and there along the road. They seem to have been developed to accommodate travelers. I asked the feudal lord about those. ¡°Those were built by my dad when the roads were being built. They¡¯re lodging meant for the workers. They served their purpose when the roads were completed, so we could demolish them now, but it would take us considerable effort. In the end, we decided to just leave them alone. Besides, it rains frequently in this region, so we figured leaving them be would do the travelers some good. Do you have something in mind?¡± [Porco] Personally, I think it¡¯s a waste to just leave all those structures like that. Porco-sama will have to deal with various problems like hiring personnel, but I think he could turn those places into something akin to the parking areas or drive-through from my previous life. ¡°Hmm¡­ In order to spread word of a local specialty, a lot of people need to taste it. People have to eat even if they¡¯re in a hurry, and even if they¡¯re going to be eating inside their carriage, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a big difference between eating dried meat and freshly made gyoza. Boiled gyoza might be tricky, but if it¡¯s fried, deep-fried, or steamed gyoza, then depending on how they¡¯re prepared, I think it can work out. Actually, I¡¯ve also been worrying about those abandoned structures along the highway. We can¡¯t let bandits or other ruffians take root in them, so we¡¯ve been sending people to patrol the roads irregularly, but perhaps it would be best to station someone soon.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord¡¯s reaction was surprisingly good when I told him about my idea about turning those abandoned structures into places akin to parking areas or drive-throughs. Also, listening to the feudal lord reminded me of the police boxes back in my previous life. ¡°You could station one or two guards in them. In my opinion, just having a few guards around to consult when needed is a lot more reassuring than having none.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I think so too. And gyoza isn¡¯t that hard to cook in the first place. Among the people who submitted their own take on the gyoza, there was even a guy who rarely cooked. If a guy like that could cook gyoza after being taught a little, then spreading the method to cook gyoza to the rest of the villages shouldn¡¯t be difficult.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. Moreover, there seem to be a lot of ingredients in Fatma Territory that¡¯s not being used.¡± [Ryouma] Like crabs or octopuses or creatures resembling squids and sea cucumbers. Even back at Earth, octopuses were known as devil fish, and there were even foreign countries that at one point never considered eating them. Of course, there¡¯s no harm in refusing to eat squid or other similar creatures. That¡¯s the ¡®food culture¡¯ in those places, after all. Not wanting to eat something because of its appearance is in itself a part of the development of a food culture. ¡°Sometimes people don¡¯t want to eat something because of how an ingredient looks. But if you look at it another way, if they just can¡¯t see how the ingredient looks, maybe they¡¯ll be more inclined to eat it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now that you mention it, when making gyoza you have to crush the meat first and then wrap it with gyoza wrapper. What¡¯s more is that Gyozas are small enough to be eaten whole, so the ingredients looking weird will never be an issue! ¡­Fu fu, fu ha ha ha ha!¡¡Fugo!?¡± [Porco] The feudal lord suddenly started laughing, and then just as abruptly snorted. Because of that the villagers all turned to us. The feudal lord didn¡¯t seem to mind that one bit and continued. ¡°Interesting. Very interesting. I¡¯m impressed you were able to think this far. Countless chefs and proud housewives have sent me their recipes, but you¡¯re the first one to go as far as to think of how to sell the product. But then again, I¡¯d only asked for recipes, so I guess that shouldn¡¯t come as a surprise. I know I was the one who asked you to come up with a local specialty, but I never expected that you¡¯d be able to come up with an answer like this at your age. As expected of the Barley Tea Sage, I suppose. I know you don¡¯t like to be called as such, but the situation just begs for it. Hang on. I suppose given the situation we¡¯re in, it would be more apt to refer to you as ¡®the Barley Tea and Gyoza Sage¡¯?¡± [Porco] Why was my title turned into something I would want to eat during summertime!?¡¡Porco-sama doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s joking, though. ¡°There¡¯ll be a lot of preparations and circumstances to consider on my end, so I can¡¯t decide right away, but I¡¯ll consider your proposition. It was truly a convincing proposition. Thank you.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯m unworthy of your word, my lord. Besides, the only reason I was able to propose this idea was because of the hot spring job you gave me. If not for that, I would have at most proposed a hot pot that made use of the ingredients that could be found around here, such as fish and tofu. ¡°Oh?¡¡I¡¯m curious how that will taste all the same, but I¡¯m even more curious how the hot springs could have given you the idea. If I recall correctly, we talked about all sorts of things that day.¡± [Porco] If a reason had to be given, it would have to be the graffiti map in that hot spring shed that was outfitted with nothing but the bare necessities. If you¡¯ve ever tried to draw a map yourself, you¡¯ll find that it¡¯s surprisingly hard to draw one. Of course, it¡¯s not as difficult if you¡¯re just going to be drawing the area around your house or a place that you frequent, but drawing a map of the entire region plus its main roads and geographical features¡­ Unless you know the whole region like the back of your hand, that¡¯s not something that one should easily be able to do. At the very least, I can¡¯t do it. And while it¡¯s true that a feudal lord should know his territory in and out, why would he hang a map of his territory at the top of a mountain in what is otherwise a private space? Is it that important? Is there a special reason behind it? The map was detailed, so I was able to find out that the mountain was not just one of the few mountains in Fatma Territory, but also the tallest. In other words, the peak of that mountain provided the highest and most extensive view of the region. Just how much did the late feudal lord love his people and region for him to have his grave built on the peak of such a mountain? According to the map, the road I passed through made up only a tiny portion of the region. There should be no mistaking that. After all, I went straight to Shikumu in order to participate in the Mud Salamander job. I didn¡¯t take any detours. When I saw that map and spoke to Piguu-san, I found out for the first time that there were hot springs other than the one on that mountain. I¡¯ve been having a great time at Shikumu Village, but this region still has plenty of charm I¡¯ve yet to see. ¡°When I thought about it like that, my perspective gradually changed.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 209.4 - The Village Festival and the Proposal for the Local Specialty (4/5) Before long, I figured that since I didn¡¯t know enough to come up with a local specialty for Fatma, I should just get the people who did know enough to come up with one instead. After that I considered many things, such as the reason behind coming up with a local specialty and the objectives one wished to accomplish with it¡­ ¡°While thinking about those things, in the end, the answer I came to was the gyoza. As a result, I ended up troubling you, Porco-sama, and even the villagers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡What do you mean?¡± [Porco] ¡°Do you remember what I asked you before going back from the hotsprings?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, you had me promise to visit Shikumu today¡­ You don¡¯t mean¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes, the village didn¡¯t even know about my plan when I invited you. It was only after that I got their permission.¡± [Ryouma] I feel really bad about that. After all, an outsider like me just went and invited the feudal lord to participate in their festival without consulting anyone. The invitation had already been given, so the villagers couldn¡¯t say no anymore. After all, it wasn¡¯t like they could actually tell the feudal lord not to come. To make things worse, I even had the gall to get them to make gyoza for the sake of my presentation. Seriously. Even shamelessness should have its limits. Overcome with guilt, I implored them to let me help me out in various things¡­ They were taken aback by that, but¡­ ¡°You¡¯re the type who completely loses sight of his surroundings when focused, huh.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. Fortunately, the villagers were kind enough to be so accepting of me despite that.¡± [Ryouma] As my eyes naturally drifted toward the village headman, my head also naturally found itself bowing. ¡°I was shocked at first, but it was an honor for the feudal lord to partake in our festivities. Moreover, we¡¯re deeply indebted to the previous lord ¨C that¡¯s especially true for the older generation like me ¨C so if anything, we¡¯re glad to make ourselves useful. And besides, you donated high-quality beef for our festival and even erected a barrier to keep the village square warm. No one¡¯s angry with you at all. In fact, everyone¡¯s thankful for your help. So instead of worrying about something like that, you should just enjoy the festival. My lord and good sirs as well. There are plenty of food to go around, so please enjoy yourselves.¡± [Village Headman] I really can¡¯t thank these people enough. ¡°Anyhow, it¡¯s good that everything ended well. By the way, there¡¯s a kid who¡¯s been looking at us since awhile ago. Does he have business with you, Ryouma?¡± [Porco] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] When I followed the feudal lord¡¯s eyes, I spotted Niki. It wasn¡¯t just me who looked at him, so poor Niki couldn¡¯t help but panic. He looked like he didn¡¯t know what to do, so I called him over. ¡°My lord. I¡¯ve been getting along with this child lately, and he¡¯s been helping me all this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, really. What¡¯s his name?¡± [Porco] ¡°It¡¯s Niki!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, i see. Niki, huh. Thank you for your help. Thanks to you I was able to eat a lot of delicious food.¡± [Porco] ¡°R-Really?¡¡He he.¡± [Niki] Niki was unusually nervous, but he seems happy. Just as I was thinking that to myself, suddenly¡­ ¡°There¡¯s still more delicious stuff to come, right!¡¡Onii-chan?¡± [Niki] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, is there still something else?¡± [Porco] What is Niki-kun talking about?¡¡I¡¯ve already presented all the food I made. ¡°I¡¯m talking about ¡®that¡¯! That!¡¡Didn¡¯t you make a lot preparations for an experiment!?¡¡You even used the slime that evolved!¡± [Niki] ¡°Are you referring to ¡®Ash-Drying¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] Actually, another slime evolved these past three days. It was the ash-eating slime that I found inside my charcoal pot. It¡¯s been quietly eating ash all this time, but we were recently able to acquire a huge amount of ash from the hearth thrown away by the families. After eating all of that it successfully evolved into a slime of ash. Its name and skills are as follows. ¡®Ash Slime¡¯ Skills: Scatter Lv3 Clump Lv3 Absorb Moisture Lv5 Dry Lv5 Sterilize Lv3 Digest Lv1 Absorb Lv2 Split Lv2 Unlike all the slimes until now, the ash slime doesn¡¯t appear to have a drop of moisture in it and looks just like a slime made out of smooth and dry ash. The skills Scatter, Clump, Absorb Moisture, Dry, and Sterilize are probably because of its body¡¯s characteristics. Its body flutters about every time it moves or the wind blows, but the ash immediately gathers afterwards. Also, unlike other slimes, it doesn¡¯t drink water. Strictly speaking, it can drink if it wants, but the amount of fluid it needs is so little that the moisture in the air and the ground is more than enough. On the other hand, it can¡¯t handle that much water. Fortunately, it does have the Dry skill, so it can still deal with excess moisture. As long as I don¡¯t throw it into a tub of water or keep spraying it, it should be fine. It has the Absorb Moisture skill, so I think it might be able to serve as a dehumidifier. But other than the dehumidifier, there was another way I thought it could be used. That method is none other than the Ash Drying that Niki-kun mentioned. I can¡¯t remember exactly when it was in my past life, but once upon a time, a colleague of mine came back from a business trip with a souvenir. It was an ash-dried product made using volcanic ash. When I remembered that, I decided to give it a try myself. The ash slime feeds on firewood and charcoal, and not on volcanic ash. I just tried it out as an experiment, so I can¡¯t guarantee the taste. Unfortunately, the feudal lord is already too interested and is giving me that interested look of his. It can¡¯t be helped. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee the taste, but if you insist.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡I know there¡¯s the ash-dried products too, but weren¡¯t you also talking about how delicious eel, scorpionfish, and pufferfish are?¡± [Niki] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I saw you, you know. When you got the slime feed from the processing plant, you took out some of the small fishes and used the bloody slime to check which ones didn¡¯t have parasites, and then stealthily cut them. Didn¡¯t you cut those for tonight?¡± [Niki] ¡°You were watching!?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 209.5 - The Village Festival and the Proposal for the Local Specialty (5/5) Those three fishes were supposedly inedible because they¡¯re ¡®poisonous¡¯. It was really bugging me, so I wanted to know if I could sort them out by relying on Identify and the poison slime. Of course, there was no guaranteeing the taste after rendering them safe for consumption, so I stealthily tasted them. I¡¯d intended on being discreet about it, but who would¡¯ve thought Niki-kun was watching me the whole time! ¡°Heh heh!¡¡It seems you were hoping not to get caught, but you forget that I¡¯m a prankster expert!¡± [Niki] ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m being put in the same group as a prankster now¡­¡± [Ryouma] And so, I had to explain the situation to the feudal lord and the others who had no idea what was going on. ¡°And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re dying to taste it now, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. Poisonous food aren¡¯t eaten and are thrown away precisely because they¡¯re poisonous. If there¡¯s actually a way to eat them and they turn out to be really delicious, then our food supply will increase and my people¡¯s lives will improve; hence, as a feudal lord, I am very interested in your findings. If it¡¯s possible at all, I would love to try eating these poisonous fish.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯m also curious¡­¡± [Village Headman] Even the village headman was interested. What¡¯s more is that we have plenty of the necessary ingredients and seasonings since we purchased them recently from town. It might be because they got the help of a dragon newt specialist, but they had a lot of Japanese seasoning stocked up like miso and soy sauce. Anyway, with all that, there was just no way for me to refuse. ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll use Identify and make sure that the food isn¡¯t poisonous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m aware this is still an experimental dish. Be at ease and just throw me what you¡¯ve got.¡± [Porco] I took out the ingredient from my Dimension Home. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love to help out too.¡± [Head Chef] I took the head chef on his offer and we started working on the food. Before long we served ¡®Heated Ash-Dried Red Mullet¡¯, ¡®Scorpionfish Tempura¡¯, ¡®Unseasoned Grilled Eel and Eel broiled in soy-sauce¡¯, ¡®Pufferfish Sashimi¡¯, ¡®Boiled Pufferfish Dish¡¯, and ¡®Hot Sake with Grilled Pufferfish Fins¡¯. As a result¡­ ¡°And here I was wondering what would happen to the fish after you buried it in ash. Can I have another?¡± [Village Head] ¡°This is delicious, de gowasu!¡± [Tairyuzan] ¡°Indeed¡­ This has been skilfully cut and the meat inside so fluffy. It¡¯s really delicious, de gozaru. It would be a waste not to eat something so delicious. Please give me another fish, some vegetable tempuras and other side dishes too.¡± [Kichomaru] ¡°Delicious!¡¡There are no bones to worry about and it doesn¡¯t stink of mud at all! ¡¡Just how did you prepare this?¡± [Piguu] ¡°Piguu, it¡¯ll taste even better if you cover it in sauce. This boiled puffer fish dish is really sophisticated, and this sake with heated puffer fish fin has really good umami¡­ I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve left such good food to waste just because we were scared of the poison.¡± [Porco] Everyone happily ate the properly prepared and seasoned eel, scorpionfish, and pufferfish. That¡¯s good and all, but¡­ ¡°We don¡¯t have any ash-dried fish left!¡¡I¡¯ve fried the assortment of tempuras!¡¡The eel was prepared by letting it rest for three days in freshwater and removed the mud from inside it. Its bones are hard, so when handling it, you need to finely cut up¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, I¡¯ll explain everything later,¡¡so just focus on the food for now!¡± [Head Chef] ¡°Alright!¡¡But just remember that as delicious as pufferfish are you have to be careful with the poison!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t forget.¡± [Porco] After hearing the feudal lord¡¯s reply, I went back to cooking. As for why¡­ ¡°Hey, can we taste those ash-dried fish of yours too?¡± [Villager 1] ¡°One puffer fish sashimi please!¡± [Villager 2] ¡°Tempura for me!¡± [Villager 3] ¡°Do you still have any grilled or broiled eel left!?¡± [Villager 4] ¡­That¡¯s because the smell coming from all the food ¨C especially, the smell coming from the broiled eel ¨C had attracted all the villagers. The feudal lord did announce prior to just relax and have fun, so before anyone knew it, the crowd around us was already just like the crowds around popular food carts. ¡°Uha ha ha ha!¡¡This is awesome!¡± [Villager 5] ¡°These bastards are always eating through our nets, but starting next year, we¡¯re going to be eating you!¡± [Villager 6] ¡°We need more sake!¡± [Villager 7] ¡°Anything¡¯s fine, so just keep them dishes coming!¡± [Villager 8] Ugh, we¡¯re out of ingredients¡­ ¡°Ah, we¡¯re out of pufferfish!¡¡The next batch of scorpionfish is also the last!¡± [Head Chef] ¡°How about some eel instead!?¡± [Ryouma] We still have some eel, but at this rate¡­!¡¡Ah, but if I turn it into hitsumabushi (chopped kabayaki eel on rice), I just might be able to serve it to more people. Right. There are still some meat gyoza left, so I should serve those!¡¡It¡¯s a rare opportunity, so I might as well use the extra rice to make fried rice. We should also have some shappaya among the preserved food we bought at town. If I let it rest in the deodorizing liquid of the deodorant slime, wash it, and then fry it in sesame oil, I should be able to turn it into a snack! There¡¯s not enough sake?¡¡The fruit wine I made by soaking fruits in the drunk slime¡¯s alcohol should do!¡¡Maybe I can make a cocktail too! ¡°Hey, we have some excess ingredients. If you want you can use them.¡± [Mei] ¡°Thank you!¡± [Ryouma] Mei-san brought some of her excess food ingredients over. What a huge help!¡¡With this we can still fight!! I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because of the atmosphere brought about by the festival, but the villagers that kept on coming started to have a strange tension about them. Still, it¡¯s unexpectedly fun. I make what I can with the ingredients at hand and offer them to the guests. Like this the night gradually grew late. Chapter 210.1 - Wish and Warning After the Festival (1/3) Late at night, when an exhausted child and a drunk adult went home, the festival too came to an end. The village headman went to the beach to see the feudal lord and his group off. ¡°We¡¯ll be fine here. I had a lot of fun today. Thank you.¡± [Feudal Lord] ¡°Likewise. Thank you for enjoying the village festivities, my lord.¡± [Village Headman] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] The feudal lord smiled, but for a moment he tottered. ¡°Whoops, looks like I drank a little too much today¡­ Ryouma-kun.¡± [Feudal Lord] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I want to sober up before getting on the boat, can you accompany me for a bit?¡± [Feudal Lord] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. Village Headman.¡± [Feudal Lord] ¡°My lord, please allow me to excuse myself here. At my age, the chill of the night wind is simply too harsh.¡± [Village Headman] ¡°I see. My apologies. Piguu, it shouldn¡¯t take long for me to sober up, so can you get the boat ready with everyone?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± [Piguu] The village headman went back to the village, while Piguu-san and the others left to prepare the boat. Only the feudal lord and I were left at the beach. With only the sound of the wind and the waves audible, the feudal lord took a large breath. ¡°¡­Fuu¡­ What a nice night breeze. Ryouma-kun, aren¡¯t you cold?¡¡As you can see, I¡¯m pretty fat, so this level of cold is just at the right level for me.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯m fine, my lord. If it were really cold, I could just use barrier magic to stave it off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, I see.¡± [Feudal Lord] The feudal lord rubbed his stomach and laughed. ¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, I really had fun today. Thank you for allowing me to eat so many delicious food.¡± [Porco] ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure, my lord.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was completely absorbed in gorging myself, so I¡¯d forgotten about it, but I just realized that I never really spoke to you about the reward of the request concerning food. Is there anything you want?¡± [Porco] ¡°If I had to say, then¡­ Oh, but wasn¡¯t this matter spread throughout the region? If so, then shouldn¡¯t a reward have already been decided for completing it?¡± ¡°The ash-dried cooking method and the method of preparing 3 kinds of fishes that couldn¡¯t be eaten because they were poisonous and did not taste good¡­ The same could be said for the gyoza, but in any case, there¡¯s no way I could just give you the reward for one recipe when you¡¯ve given me so much information that could start new industries. If the other nobles were to get wind of this, they¡¯ll laugh at me, saying that I couldn¡¯t even give you an honest evaluation and properly compensate you. To be honest, it requires a considerable amount of investment to start something new. Of course, I don¡¯t mind paying with cash, but you don¡¯t seem like you care much for it, so if there¡¯s someway I can make things more convenient for you and pay you through that, I would be most grateful.¡± [Porco] Now that he mentions it¡­ Reinhart-san and Pioro-san previously mentioned that technology is a treasure. But, frankly speaking, the feudal lord is¡­ ¡°Something I want¡­ The things that come to mind now are¡­ Ahh, in that case, please make sure to get word around of those things I warned regarding the preparation of poisonous fishes.¡± [Ryouma] Thanks to my enormous mana pool, I was able to rely on my Identify spell and my poison slime to distinguish which was safe to eat, but¡­ ¡°After all, they really are poisoned.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The villagers should also be aware of the poison. After all, even the children are being strictly warned by their parents about it. So if anything, I think people accepting these poisonous fishes as edible will be the harder part.¡± [Porco] Well, I guess that¡¯s true. Although, thanks to the festivities tonight, there were a lot of people who ate them¡­ Of the three poisonous fishes, the most famous of them was the eel. The aroma of the kabayaki was strong, and they were probably also less reluctant to eat it since according to Niki-kun, ¡®When there¡¯s nothing to eat, we just endure the taste and make do with it.¡¯ The second most popular was the scorpionfish, while the fish with the strongest poison, the pufferfish, was the least popular. As expected, most people kept their distance from it. Just like how it¡¯s common sense in regions other than Fatma Territory not to eat Okuta (Octopus) and Water Spiders (Crabs), it¡¯s common sense in Fatma Territory not to eat eel, scorpionfish, and pufferfish. Older people were especially averse to them. ¡°Of course, now that the villagers know how tasty they are, they need to be careful, but you did warn the mayor during the festival¡­ With new knowledge and technology comes the danger of misusing it, being reckless with it, and a lack of understanding. But if all we do is fear, then we won¡¯t be able to grow or develop. The knowledge you gave us have the possibility to improve these villagers¡¯ lives. As such, it is only right that we put it to good use by sharing it with others and monitoring its use. Coming up and implementing laws to ensure that is another job for politicians such as myself. As the feudal lord of this region, I¡¯ll make sure that people are properly warned and taught the correct methods to prepare the fishes.¡± [Porco] Seeing the feudal lord speak so seriously reassured me. ¡°In that case, please take a look at this.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a bundle of documents from my Item Box and passed it to him. ¡°Is this the preparation method of the poisonous fishes?¡± [Porco] ¡°It¡¯s a record of my findings when I was experimenting. For example, about the fish I called eel. From its sharp teeth and when I handled its bone, I noticed that it resembled another kind of fish called Garden Eel. It still stinks of mud even after leaving it out for just a day, so it can¡¯t be eaten yet. On the second day, most of the stench has left¡­ etc. Anyway, this bundle of documents contains my findings. I explained and demonstrated the preparation methods to the head chef, but I¡¯ve also written everything in there. They may not be needed immediately, but there are also things I haven¡¯t told the head chef about there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This is a huge help!¡¡¡­And I¡¯d love to accept this, but then the scales will tip toward my side again. With this I won¡¯t have compensated you at all.¡± [Porco] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 210.2 - Wish and Warning After the Festival (2/2) W-Well, this is kind of like an omake for the cooking methods. ¡°And¡­ Oh, right!¡¡My lord. Can I have some of the bamboos growing beside the hot springs?¡± [Ryouma] If I recall correctly, I spoke to the feudal lord about bamboo shoots a few days ago. Bamboos can be used to make charcoal or to craft things with. They¡¯re very convenient grasses. I should be able to create a place just for them somewhere in the mines. When I said that, the feudal lord stared at me, then heaved a breath. ¡°So you don¡¯t want anything¡­ As you¡¯ve seen before, bamboos grow everywhere. We¡¯re not using them for anything, so feel free to take as many as you want with you. Is there nothing else you want?¡± [Porco] Hmm~ In that case, how about I just ask for money? ¡¡¡­When I think of something that might have value¡­ ¡°I heard that on top of fishes, Fatma also had pottery for its local specialties.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. We do have plenty of clay here, after all. Do you want some pottery?¡± When I cooked at the village, the earthenware pots looked really easy to use. I want to purchase a couple and take them back with me. Also, wood and metal are more popular back at Gimuru, so earthenwares might actually be rare goods there. I could buy a few and bring some to Serge-san¡¯s store. And if there are some good ones, I could decorate the reception office of my store with them. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t really have any sense for aesthetics, so I don¡¯t really know¡­ ¡°In that case, I can gift you one of the jars I have back at my mansion. It¡¯s worth quite a bit, so you should be able to decorate your store with it. I can also introduce you to a potter I¡¯m friendly with, so you can buy as much as you want from him. He¡¯s an honest potter, he should be more than willing to accommodate you if you wish to consult with him.¡± [Pottor] When I told the feudal lord what I had in mind, he immediately arranged everything for me. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯m just compensating you for everything you¡¯ve done. And Reinhart did ask me to help you too.¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu¡­ Oh, right. You remember what I said when I talked about my relationship with Reinhart?¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. You¡¯re Reinhart-san¡¯s senpai, right? And since Reinhart-san was Reinbach-sama¡¯s son, the people around him all looked at him with biased eyes, which inconvenienced him greatly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. My dad also achieved greatness by building the roads in these lands, but Reinbach-sama¡¯s achievements went beyond that. The weight Reinhart inherited must¡¯ve been equally great. What¡¯s more is that the duke¡¯s family has a lot of enemies.¡± [Porco] ¡°I suppose that¡¯s to be expected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The nobles are always fighting among themselves, and there¡¯s plenty to be envious about too.¡± [Porco] It¡¯s a common story¡­ ¡°Especially the pedigree of the duke¡¯s family and the history and authority that comes with it. Not to mention, Reinbach-sama¡¯s personal achievements and the matter of forming a contract with a divine beast. So long as he¡¯s alive, no one will probably come to pick a fight with them, but recently, there¡¯s been a lot of rumors of Reinhart¡¯s territory being turbulent.¡± [Porco] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s a brilliant man. When we were still students, he was always within the top 5 regardless what field it was. But what allowed him to accomplish that was the great effort of many people. Reinhart wasn¡¯t a genius. Of course, he wasn¡¯t incompetent either, so it¡¯s not as if he didn¡¯t have any talent, but¡­ No. This isn¡¯t really what I wanted to talk about.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord gazed at the night sky for a few seconds, then started talking again. ¡°I¡¯m not asking this as a lord. This is a personal request¡­ As much as possible, please help Reinhart.¡¡He¡¯s a brilliant man, but he can¡¯t handle the administration of his fief alone. What¡¯s more is that he¡¯s the sort to carry all of his worries alone.¡± [Porco] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°?¡¡Does he not appear that way?¡± [Porco] A little, actually¡­ I mean if anything the one who doesn¡¯t rely enough on others is me. In fact, I¡¯ve caused him a lot of worries because of that. When I told Porco-sama that. ¡°Pu!¡¡Puhahaha!¡¡Puga!¡± [Porco] Ah, it¡¯s the usual pattern where he snorts from laughing too much. ¡°S-Sorry. But, still¡­ Ku ku. I see, so he told you to ¡®rely on others¡¯, did he? I guess it¡¯s only natural that he would no longer be the same as back then. Was he able to fix that bad habit of not relying on others then?¡¡Even though he almost got crushed because of that. Or maybe it¡¯s precisely because he¡¯s experienced it for himself that he advised you that. Fuha.¡± [Porco[ The feudal lord became a lot more cheerful after I told him that. He happily nodded. ¡°Fuu¡­ If there are people around him that he can rely on, then I can be at ease. And if you can also be there for him, then all the more so. After working with you, I¡¯ve come to realize that the way you see things is different from us. Also, that you know many things. It¡¯s only natural that Reinhart wants you. If not for that letter of introduction from him, I would love to employ you myself.¡± [Porco] ¡®It¡¯s an honor¡¯, I was about to tell him, but then¡­ ¡°But that¡¯s all the more reason you should be careful.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord stopped smiling and looked me in the eye with a grave atmosphere. ¡°I gave you two jobs. I¡¯d mentioned that it was because I ¡®heard about the rumors of the Barley Tea Sage¡¯, remember?¡¡In other words, even if one didn¡¯t know about ¡®the adventurer from Gimuru named Ryouma-kun¡¯, word of you has traveled far enough that if someone wanted to investigate you, they could summon the Semroid Troupe like I did or send their subordinate to investigate you in Gimuru. Reinhart warned me, so I won¡¯t ask about your accomplishments, but there are many people in this world who would stain their hands if it meant fattening their purse. That¡¯s true even for nobles. After all, not everyone is like me or Reinhart.¡± [Porco] ¡°What have you done so far?¡± He says, but¡­ I feel like he knows more than he¡¯s letting on. This is a warning. ¡°Thank you for your warning. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Since you¡¯ve managed to form a relationship with Reinhart, you should use his authority well.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord stretched his body. ¡°Now then, I should be mostly sober now. It¡¯s not good to stay out for too long.¡± [Porco] As though he¡¯s done saying his piece, the feudal lord started preparing to go home. Perhaps, sobering himself was just an excuse and what he really wanted to do was to warn me. If so, then he has my gratitude. ¡°Oh, right. Ryouma-kun. When are you going back to Gimuru?¡± [Porco] I have to prepare first and I have to buy some souvenirs. I also still have to catch myself a mud slime, so I should still be here for a few days. I¡¯m concerned about the bad rumors surrounding Reinhart-san¡¯s fief, though. A trustworthy man like Carm-san is taking care of my store and Fei-san and the others are there too, so it¡¯s probably fine, but¡­ I should push forward my schedule. ¡°I¡¯m going to be preparing as much as I can tomorrow, so the earliest I can leave would be the day after tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, I¡¯ll talk to the pottery store first thing in the morning tomorrow. I¡¯ll leave our houses jar with them too, so you should pick it up from there. The end of the year is a time for socializing, so we have a lot of preparations to do too.¡± [Porco] ¡°I understand. Thank you for helping me despite your busy schedule.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Likewise. It was fun, Ryouma-kun. Well then.¡± [Porco] The feudal lord left me the name of the store, then got on his boat and left through the lake. Chapter 211.1 - A Hurried Departure (1/2) It¡¯s been two days since the End of Fishing Season Festival. I finished my shopping needs yesterday, so my goal for today is to catch the mud slimes. Sereriputa said that I could find them if I used mud magic, but to be honest, I¡¯ve never used it. But I have seen it before, and I know that it¡¯s just a fusion of water magic and earth magic, I¡¯ve used fusion spells before too, so I should be able to make it work if I give it a try. ¡°Onii-chan! Over here!¡± [Nikki] Early in the morning, Nikki and I entered the forest and went to a place where the ground was especially muddy. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s get to it then.¡± [Ryouma] Mud magic¡­ Mud is basically a combination of water and earth. Water magic uses water-type mana, while earth magic uses earth-type mana. I mix the two types of mana and let it soak into the mud. For the spell I¡¯m using, I imagine waves forming on the mud just like with the water spell ¡®Wave¡¯. If I were to give a name to this spell, it would be¡­ ¡°¡®Mud Wave¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] The moment I casted the spell, a small ripple formed on the surface of the mud that then turned into a wave of mud. THe mud wave pushed into the surrounding trees and engulfed them. It was then that they appeared. ¡°Uwaah!?¡±¡¡Onii-chan, they¡¯re here!¡± [Nikki] ¡°Yeah¡­ I didn¡¯t expect there to be so many.¡± [Ryouma] Just as I thought that the choppy mud was moving strange, one mud dumpling after another started appearing. With just a cursory glance, I¡¯d say there¡¯s about 30 of them. They looked like they were about to fall apart due to too much water, but they still hurriedly wriggled away from us. ¡°Let¡¯s catch them. Do it just like we planned.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright!¡± [Nikki] On land, the mud slimes were as slow as the other slimes¡ª On second thought, they¡¯re even slower than them. Niki-kun scooped them up one after and threw them into the jars I took out from my Item Box. There were a lot more of them than expected, so some were able to assimilate the mud again, but we still managed to catch 27. Using Monster Identify¡ª ¡®Mud Slime¡¯ Skills: Scatter Lv3 Clump Lv3 Moisturize Lv5 Digest Lv1 Absorb Lv2 Split Lv2 Assimilate (Mud) Lv5 ¡°Wow¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Onii-chan, did you learn anything?¡± [Nikki] ¡°Yeah, its skill set is similar to the Ash Slime¡¯s.¡± [Ryouma] Scatter and Clump haven¡¯t changed, but it has Moisturize in place of Dry. Of special note is the Assimilate (Mud). It¡¯s my first time seeing a skill with parentheses. These are probably meant to indicate that it can only assimilate mud. Anyhow, with this I¡¯ve managed to acquire another slime. And since I was able to catch nearly 30 in just one go, we might be able to catch enough to form a big or huge mud slime. I want to gather some more. I told Niki-kun that, and¡ª ¡°In that case, let¡¯s keep looking!¡± [Nikki] ¡ªHe happily agreed. And so we ran around the forest for a few hours¡­ It was easy finding the mud slimes with mud magic. They pretty much bit at every cast, although we weren¡¯t exactly fishing. We took a break from time to time, but while I was only intending to change locations and catch as many as we could without pushing ourselves too much, we were able to catch over 600 slimes and successfully form a contract with them. Regardless where I casted the spell, at least 4 to 5 mud slimes would come out every time. There were so many of them it made me wonder if most of the mud around here were just mud slimes. ¡°Ah.¡± [Nikki] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Look, over there.¡± [Nikki] ¡°Ah, it¡¯s your secret base tree.¡± [Ryouma] I turned to the direction Niki-kun pointed at, and there I saw the tree he hid in when he ran away from home. ¡°Wait here for a bit!¡¡I¡¯ll be right back!¡± [Nikki] Nikki-kun entered the roots of the tree where his secret base was. Meanwhile, I sat on the thick roots while wondering to myself what he was doing. 2 minutes later, Nikki-kun came out with something in his arms. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Onii-chan, I¡¯ll give these to you.¡± [Nikki] ¡°These are?¡± [Ryouma] From a glance, they looked like a handful of different sized rocks. ¡°These are Humid Light Stones. They can be found inside mud, but if you wet them, they¡¯ll glow in dark places. These are some super rare stones, you know!¡± [Nikki] ¡°Wow!¡± [Ryouma] Come to think of it, during that incident, there was a light source inside his secret base. I wasn¡¯t looking carefully back then, but it seems the light back then was due to these. But why would he give these to me? ¡°Onii-chan, you¡¯re going back today, right?¡¡You taught me all sorts of stuff, so I¡¯m giving these to you to celebrate. Besides, I don¡¯t need them anymore.¡± [Nikki] ¡°You don¡¯t need them anymore?¡± [Ryouma] To be honest, these stones really give me that ¡®fantasy stone¡¯ feeling, so I¡¯m very interested in them, and having them would indeed make me happy, but why does he not need them anymore? Doesn¡¯t he need them to light his secret base? ¡°Children are still allowed in this part of the forest, but it¡¯s still a considerable distance away from the village, right?¡± [Nikki] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would be dangerous if something like before were to happen again. My parents talked to me, and while I¡¯m reluctant since I went through all the effort to build my secret base here, I decided to rebuild it somewhere closer to the village. I¡¯ll make it more visible too to keep my mom and dad from worrying. I¡¯ve already decided on the location, so I don¡¯t need these stones anymore.¡± [Nikki] ¡°You¡¯re amazing, Nikki-kun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Heh heh. I¡¯ve grown big enough to help with the adults now after all!¡¡Nikki the prankster is no more! I¡¯ve graduated from that already!¡± [Nikki] Chapter 211.2 - A Hurried Departure (2/2) Looks like he¡¯s talking about the time when he helped out with the processing plant. Now that I think about it, he does seem to have enjoyed his time there, and it seems to have done him a lot of good. ¡­But seeing how lively he is, I think it may be awhile before we can really say that he¡¯s graduated from the prankster life. ¡°Should we go back and build your base then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Have you caught enough slimes already?¡± [Niki] ¡°Yep. I already have about 600 of them, so let me help build your base as thanks for those stones you gave me. I can use a lot of convenient spells, so feel free to ask whatever you have in mind.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. In that case, can you build it on top of the tree?¡± [Niki] A tree house, huh? I should be able to manage if it¡¯s just something simple. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at the location you picked first.¡± [Ryouma] We went back to the village and Niki-kun showed me the location he picked out. The location was between the border of the village and the forest. I¡¯ve passed it many times before since it¡¯s one of the corners in the forest I got firewood and lumber from. It seems Niki-kun¡¯s eyes were drawn by the big tree that was left alone since it was hard to cut. ¡°They said I could use the area around this tree. Dad, the village headman¡­ Everyone gave me their permission. They even said they would help me build it.¡± [Niki] ¡°Wow, good going, Niki-kun. The trunk and branches are thick, so it should be able to support some weight.¡± [Ryouma] The problem would be the size of his secret base. When I asked him what kind of base he wanted to build, he said he wanted something along the lines of a shed. ¡°¡­Just leave it to me!¡¡¡¯Dimension Home.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I called out the wire slime that evolved in this village. ¡°Onii-chan?¡¡Are you going to cut the tree?¡± [Niki] Niki-kun looked anxious, but the wire slime isn¡¯t here today to cut things. I reassured him that I wasn¡¯t planning on cutting the tree, then gave the command to the wire slime. These mangrove-like trees have many branches. So I had the wire slime place itself over those branches, then pulled it to bend the branches and create a space at the fork of the tree. And then, while it was bent like that¡­ ¡°¡®Grow¡¯ !¡± [Ryouma] I used the spell from wood magic that grew things. The branches I casted a spell on grew a little and ate into the wires. As the branches were forcefully grown while in this bent state, I casted spells while imagining them in the right direction. ¡°Amazing!¡¡You changed the shape of the tree!¡± [Niki] ¡°There is an art known as ¡®Bonsai¡¯ that expresses nature by artificially changing the shape of a tree like this. Although, normally it¡¯s done over a period of many years.¡± [Ryouma] I pulled out the good and thin branches, then entangled them with the branches of the nearby trees and affixed them. After entangling the two thick branches to support each other, it was sturdy enough that it didn¡¯t budge even when I dangled from it. Let¡¯s set up a swing here. I mean when you talk about tree houses, there¡¯s got to be a swing, right? ¡°Let me help too!¡± [Niki] ¡°Alright, in that case, you can help with pulling the wire once I¡¯ve set it.¡± [Ryouma] Like this we arranged the branches of the large tree for an hour. We spread out the branches diverging from the trunk, then after they grew horizontally, we made the ends face up. The shape of the large tree has changed a lot, and now it looks like a giant table. With this and by passing the planks through the gaps between the branches, there should enough space to build a shed now. ¡°Next up is the installation of the swing and a rope ladder to make it easier to climb up, and then we¡¯re done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What about the shed?¡± [Niki] ¡°That you should ask your dad. He promised to help you, remember?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh yeah!¡¡I¡¯ll build a great base with my dad!¡¡I¡¯ll show it to you when you drop by next time.¡± [Niki] After getting permission, I prepared some suitable lumber. Then we built the rope ladder and swing, and then we installed them. ¡°Done!¡± [Ryouma and Niki] It¡¯s just the foundation, but I think we managed to build something great. It¡¯s almost time. ¡°Are you going back now,¡¡Onii-chan?¡± [Niki] ¡°After I bid everyone in the village goodbye.¡± [Ryouma] I did inform them that I¡¯ll be leaving today, but leaving without saying anything is just poor manners. We cleaned up after ourselves, then went back to the village. There I dropped by Hoi-san¡¯s place who served as my host. ¡°Oh!¡¡He¡¯s back!¡± [Villager] A large number of villagers were gathered in front. The members of the Wharf of Shikumu were with them too. Before I could start wondering what was going on, they called out to me. ¡°Boy!¡¡So you¡¯re going back now, are you?¡± [Villager 1] ¡°Y-Yes!¡¡Thank you for taking care of m¡ª!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What are you saying!?¡¡You helped us fish and prepare our festival!¡± [Villager 2] ¡°You should have relaxed more.¡± [Villager 3] ¡°Even though the fishing period has finally ended and things have finally started to settle down¡­¡± [Villager 4] ¡°Ah, w-wait!¡± [Ryouma] A crowd of men and women of all ages ages surrounded me and started talking to me. I have no idea what¡¯s going on. ¡°Wait, wait!¡± [Kai] ¡°You¡¯re troubling Ryouma.¡± [Kei] ¡°Please calm down.¡± [Shin] Kai-san, Kei-san, and Shin-san interjected, then Sein-san and Peiron-san came in and pulled me out of the crowd. ¡°Are you okay?¡± [Sein] ¡°Thank you very much. That was a big help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry about that¡­ Everyone just came to see you off. They don¡¯t mean ill.¡± [Sein] ¡°Everyone¡¯s really free when there¡¯s no fishing to be done, so it turned out like this. Good grief.¡± [Peiron] While we were talking like that among ourselves, the crowd seemed to have grown bigger. ¡°Ryouma, take this with you.¡± [Mei] ¡°Have it for your supper or something.¡± [Mother] Mei-san and her mother came out of the house and gave me something that was wrapped in big leaves. It¡¯s probably a box lunch. A fragrant aroma wafted from it. The dad came from behind them and left me a few words. ¡°Take care¡­ On the way.¡± [Dad] ¡°Thank you very much. And thank you so much for taking care of me all this time!¡¡I really enjoyed my time with you!¡± [Ryouma] I spoke in a loud voice for everyone to hear and bowed my head. ¡°It¡¯s good if you had fun.¡± [Villager 5] ¡°Hey, take this with you too.¡± [Villager 6] ¡°Need some dried mud salamander meat?¡± [Villager 7] ¡°Drop by again.¡± [Villager 8] ¡°This was from last year, but it can still be eaten. If it goes bad, just give it to your slimes.¡± [Villager 9] Everyone started talking again and they even started gifting me souvenirs and food. I was really confused, but being surrounded by all these people like this made me feel really warm. To be honest, I never thought they would send me off with these many people. I know the fishing period has already ended, but still¡­ There was no end to the voices that called out to me. I was a little reluctant to part, but I can just come again next time. Everyone told me that I could drop by whenever I felt like it. That¡¯s why there was no need to be sad. ¡°Thank you so much!¡¡I¡¯ll be sure to visit again!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Be well!¡± [Villager 10] ¡°Come again!¡¡Make sure of it!¡± [Villager 11] ¡°We¡¯ll wait for your letters!¡± [Villager 12] The villagers noisily saw me off right until the very end. I promised to visit again one day before finally leaving the village that took care of me for a while. Chapter 211.3 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1 Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1: Trial of the Gods and Sereriputa¡¯s True Intentions (1/5) Meanwhile, after Ryouma left Shikumu Village, nine gods gathered together in a building within the divine realm. Eight of them sat in a circle, and the remaining god, Sereriputa, was sat on a stone seat at the center. A faint light emanated from the chains that bound him. ¡°¡­Hey, mind removing this? With so many of you surrounding me, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to try and run. Come on, now. Also, this chair is really hard and uncomfy.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°At least endure that much!¡¡Do you realize what you¡¯ve done!?¡± [Willieris] ¡°I know I broke the rules, but these things are useless. It would be one thing if there were just two gods here, but there are eight gods here. Even if I were to try to do something, you can easily put me down.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Well that¡¯s true.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°That¡¯s no reason to loosen those chains.¡± [Fernoberia] The Goddess of War, Kirillel, found herself agreeing with Sereriputa¡¯s unhappy remark, but the God of Magic and Knowledge, Fernoberia, shot the idea down. ¡°That aside, are Meltrize and Manoairoa not coming yet?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Hmm¡­ I did call out to them but I guess they¡¯re not coming after all.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Manoairoa is a moody person¡­¡± [Kirillel] ¡°And Meltrize is always asleep.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°There¡¯s no point in waiting anymore. Let¡¯s get this started already.¡± [Tekun] Gayn the God of Creation looked at everyone¡¯s faces. ¡°It would have been best if everyone were gathered, but I suppose we¡¯ll just have to start like this. I trust you are all aware why we are here today. Sereriputa, one of our own, has laid a hand on Ryouma-kun¡¯s soul; hence, our purpose here today is ¨C none other than ¨C to decide how he shall be dealt with. Let it be known that Willieris and Grimp witnessed the crime in the act, and Sereriputa himself as admitted to it. Anything amiss?¡± [Gayn] ¡°None at all.¡± [Willieris] ¡°¡­Everything is in order.¡± [Grimp] ¡°I did admit to it.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Well then¡­ Dearly beloved, as I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all aware, manipulating the soul of a living creature is something that is very close to a taboo for us gods. One cannot simply be acquitted for transgressing it, though there is room to discuss how one should be punished. Does anyone wish to say anything? Is there anyone among us who would like to defend Sereriputa?¡± [Gayn] The first to speak in response to that call was Kirillel. ¡°I do have something to say. First, I want to hear from the person himself why he did what he did. Sereriputa appearing on his own volition and being involved with a person is by itself an anomaly.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°You heard her.¡± [Gayn] All eyes gathered on Sereriputa, but it was Kirillel¡¯s unhappy gaze that made him talk. ¡°A reason, huh? Well, you guys have met Ryouma too, right?¡¡I just happened to have some interest in the guy. That¡¯s all. I just fiddled with his soul because I wanted to investigate him. I mean there was talk going around that there were some abnormalities. Besides, while I may not have much interest in otherworlders, isn¡¯t Fernoberia the same?¡¡I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really all that strange.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Indeed. But isn¡¯t fiddling with a soul too much?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Hey, I was also just planning on reading the kid¡¯s mind, but¡­ I miscalculated a bit. To be honest, I think I¡¯m in the wrong too, that¡¯s why I¡¯m actually reflecting on my actions.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°You don¡¯t look like you¡¯re reflecting one bit. And what exactly did you ¡®miscalculate¡¯?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Haven¡¯t I been telling you all this time? In various meanings, that is. As I said, I was just planning on asking the kid some questions and read his mind. So I made it easier for him to show his emotions, but he actually resisted, and in the end, he even neutralized my sleight of hand¡­ Because of that he found out that I was manipulating his mind, and he became alert. He himself didn¡¯t seem to be aware of what he did, so I had no choice but to investigate his soul directly.¡± [Sereriputa] The gods were all greatly troubled upon hearing that. Wry smiles appeared on their faces, and though they showed different reactions, there was one thing they had in common ¨C they were all ¡®flabbergasted¡¯. Sereriputa¡¯s way of doing things really couldn¡¯t be praised. Still¡­ ¡°He resisted the power of a god and even neutralized it. Are you telling me you wouldn¡¯t have investigated a human¡¯s soul after seeing one accomplish a feat like that?¡± [Sereriputa] The gods hesitated a little. After all, a human soul resisting the power of a god and even neutralizing it was unheard of. ¡°The souls that have come from Earth have all had some manner of abnormality to them. Ryouma¡¯s abnormalities, however, are remarkably conspicuous. If his soul really can neutralize our powers, then leaving his soul without investigating it would in fact prove dangerous. Don¡¯t you think?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Hmm. So you¡¯re saying his soul might be capable of threatening us; hence, you took it upon yourself to forcefully investigate it?¡± [Gayn] ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be good to leave it alone. Besides, once a living creature dies, the soul it contains will ¨C in time ¨C be reborn as a new life-form¡­ And the reason why manipulating souls is a taboo to us is because the souls we¡¯ve fiddled with can no longer ¡®reincarnate correctly¡¯, correct? Ryouma is an otherworlder. His soul has already been fiddled with the moment he came to this world, so his treatment after death has already been decided to be different. Although he may have suffered a lot because I handled him forcefully, I was still considerate enough to ensure that there would be no bad effects on him. ¡­In fact, if Willieris over there hadn¡¯t jumped in like that, everything would have ended a lot safer.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Relax. Let¡¯s all get along.¡± [Grimp] A few unnecessary remarks caused Willieris the Goddess of the Land to react, but before anything could start, Grimp the God of Farming interjected. ¡°Ahem! Anyway, so you¡¯re saying that you did what you did out of necessity and you¡¯ve taken the necessary precautions?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yeah. I acknowledge that I¡¯m wrong for taking action on my own without contacting anyone, but at the same time, my relationship with you guys was really bad at the time and it wasn¡¯t really the time to be asking others for permission either.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°After fiddling with someone¡¯s soul without permission, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯d be treated that way when found out.¡±[Gayn] ¡°Well, yeah. But it couldn¡¯t be helped¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Enough. What are you hiding?¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡ªHuh?¡± [Sereriputa] Chapter 211.4 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1 Gayn was fed up with Sereriputa, his gaze boring into him. That was true for the other gods too. ¡°How long do you think we¡¯ve known each other?¡± [Grimp] ¡°As much as I hate it, the truth is we¡¯ve spent more time with each other than I could count.¡± [Willieris] ¡°And you¡¯ve been nothing but docile today.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Just hearing the slightest bit of ¡®sorry¡¯ from your mouth gives me the creeps.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°You¡¯re not someone who would say something so admirable, after all.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°A sourpuss like you has never been one to apologize.¡± [Tekun] ¡°If anything, you¡¯d act defiant and try to push the blame onto someone else.¡± [Kufo] Grimp, Willieris, Kirillel, Fernoberia, Rurutia, Tekun, and Kufo¡­ Before the merciless remarks of seven different gods, Sereriputa¡¯s face could only cramp. ¡°You¡¯re going that far?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Hurry up and spill the beans. What are you hiding?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°I haven¡¯t been lying, though.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°We¡¯ll decide that after you spill everything.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Hopefully, it¡¯s not for something stupid. Or else¡ª¡± [Willieris] ¡°Ah, alright already!¡¡Sheesh! I¡¯ll talk, I¡¯ll talk¡­¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa sighed, then started talking in a complaining manner. But¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯d be any point even if I told you, though.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°We¡¯ll be the ones to decide that. Just answer what you¡¯ve been asked.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°¡­Fernoberia¡­ I know it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, but don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too rude?¡¡We may be equals, but I¡¯m still much older than you!¡¡For someone who fancies himself to be an intellectual, I see you don¡¯t know your manners.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Those aren¡¯t the words of someone who broke the rules and is now awaiting his punishment. This is precisely why old people who¡¯ve nothing going for them but their age are a problem¡ª¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Enough!¡± [Gayn] As the two gods started glaring at each other, Gayn¡¯s loud voice resounded. ¡°Fernoberia, please calm yourself. And Sereriputa, don¡¯t try to change the topic. Otherwise, this will never end.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Tch.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Sigh¡­ I need to watch some idols live to heal my soul¡­¡± [Gayn] Gayn was the one burdened with the task of ensuring this gathering went smoothly, so no one bothered to say anything to those few words that leaked out. Sereriputa spoke once more. ¡°So I left out some things about Ryouma or more specifically about the God of Earth who sent Ryouma here. You see, after fiddling with Ryouma¡¯s soul, I found out something about the Earth God. I found out that the guy has some really twisted hobbies..¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Twisted hobbies?¡± [Gayn] ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard from Gayn¡¯s group, he seems to be trying out all sorts of things.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s related to those, but¡­ Are you guys familiar with ¡®Life Simulation Games¡¯?¡¡It¡¯s a game from Ryouma-kun¡¯s world. Putting it briefly, information is inputted into a special machine to make it possible for humans to play with fake nonliving humans and animals.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Sounds like a game made after us. At least the part where we¡¯re watching over humans, animals, and nature.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Oh, hey. We agree on something, you don¡¯t see that often, but you¡¯re exactly right. Just that in these life simulation games, the ¡®target doesn¡¯t have a life or a soul¡¯. The only thing being reared in these games are lumps of information. No matter how closely they resemble the real things, they aren¡¯t alive. And that¡¯s exactly why, you can do anything with them. A lifeless lump of data can be toyed with however one wishes, and in the end, everything could be reset back to square one. No matter what you¡¯ve done, you can make everything seem as if they didn¡¯t happen. That¡¯s the difference between games and reality, but¡­ To the God of Earth, that difference may as well not exist.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°!!¡± [The rest of the gods] ¡°Are you saying that the God of Earth used real living people to enact a life simulation game in real life?¡± [Rurutia] There was a quiet anger exuding from Rurutia¡¯s voice, but Sereriputa just matter-of-factly answered her. ¡°At the very least, that seems to be the case with Ryouma. You were in charge of his transmigration in this world, so you know that he¡¯s always had certain talents, right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yes, he¡¯s been given several talents, but most of them appear to have gone to waste in his previous life.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°You see those talents are just one part of what he¡¯s been given. In fact Ryouma has been given other talents, only they¡¯ve been hidden so deep inside his soul that unless you directly peered into it, you would never be able to find them. In other words, the talents you noticed were nothing but a diversion meant to draw our eyes away.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°What!?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Hey, I¡¯m being honest, none of these is a lie.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°There¡¯s no reason to tell a lie like that anyway since it¡¯ll easily be revealed if we just investigated Ryouma-kun¡¯s soul. Moreover, we don¡¯t directly investigate souls without a reason, so the depth of one¡¯s soul indeed makes for a great hiding place.¡± [Kufo] ¡°But what talent could possibly necessitate being hidden that deeply?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°¡®Murder¡¯¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°!?¡± [The rest of the gods] ¡°That¡¯s not all. There¡¯s also burglary and larceny. In fact, pretty much anything you could think of when the word ¡®crime¡¯ pops up, he has a talent for. Oh, but he doesn¡¯t have any talent in sexual crimes. That¡¯s probably because it wouldn¡¯t help further that god¡¯s objective. There seemed to especially be a lot of that ¡®Murder¡¯ from earlier, though. There was even ¡®Butchery¡¯ and ¡®Indiscriminate Killing¡¯¡­ Lots of killing-related specializations¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Wait just one moment!¡¡So what are you saying?¡¡Are you saying that the God of Earth tried to raise Ryouma to become a bloodthirsty killer?¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡­You know, I¡¯m explaining here, so I¡¯d appreciate if you could let me finish first, but¡­ Fine, whatever. My personal take is that Ryouma becoming the worst criminal possible was ¡®convenient¡¯ for the Earth God¡¯s goal. He wanted to make him as unhappy as he could, keep all that pressure building up, until one day he goes, BOOM!¡¡Bloods spurt, heads start rolling¡­ You know? The works. He wanted to push him to a point of no return. And seeing how Ryouma specializes in old weapons like katanas and bows, but with no talent whatsoever for guns, though it seems the Earth God did make him have some interest for them¡­ I think Ryouma was basically an experiment of ¡®How far could an expert warrior from the olden times go against modern weapons?¡¯ ¡¡After all, if he were to become a criminal, the cops would have given him chase, and if he kept resisting, the special unit with gun training would have eventually been dispatched. Of course, none of that ended up happening, though.¡± [Sereriputa] Chapter 211.5 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1 Sereriputa has been speaking nonchalantly without any emotions until now, but suddenly, his face became serious. ¡°I¡¯ve been talking about my conjectures until now, but I want to make one thing clear. Ryouma-kun isn¡¯t a bad person.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°We know that perfectly well without you having to point it out.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°In the first place, we wouldn¡¯t have taken him to this world if he were a bad person.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Indeed. But in that regard, the Earth God seems to have done a poor job? What do you think, Fernoberia?¡± [Gayn] ¡°I agree. If he really wanted to, he could have created a human that could do exactly what he wanted. He could have even decided his fate for him.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°But if he did it that way it wouldn¡¯t be as interesting. After all, if a god were to empower someone without reserve, the answer would be obvious. So what the Earth God did instead was to give only the talents needed and prepare a suitable environment. By doing things in such a roundabout way, an element of randomness could be introduced, and not even the Earth God himself would know what the end result would be. And I¡¯m sure he must¡¯ve also tuned things to make sure that things didn¡¯t escalate too much past human limits.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­I see. So you could also look at it that way.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°This whole thing is making me sick¡­ Damn it¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°But it was precisely because Ryouma was ¡®toyed¡¯ with like that that he lived his whole life practicing self-restraint. It was by exhibiting self-restraint beyond that of the Earth God¡¯s expectations and resisting the temptations that ever whispered by his ears that he was able to increase his resistance against mind control abilities to such high levels. So much so in fact that the simulation broke. Thanks to that there are many traces of the Earth God¡¯s attempt at bestowing him talents and trying to lead him astray. The earth god was being really hardhanded with manipulating Ryouma¡¯s fate. It wasn¡¯t just once or twice that Ryouma¡¯s soul was fiddled with.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°So that¡¯s the reason behind his ability to resist¡­¡± [Willieris] ¡°Well, the person himself knew absolutely nothing about the god¡¯s situation and just lived his life without knowing anything, though.¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa said in response to Willieris¡¯ mutterings. And then Grimp, who was sitting beside her, spoke in agreement. ¡°So that¡¯s why you said something like that.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Ah¡­. Are you really going to mention that here, Grimp?¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa has been aloof all this time, but upon hearing Grimp say that, his expression suddenly twisted. It was as if Grimp knew something he didn¡¯t want him to say, rousing the interest of the other gods. ¡°¡®I pray that you are able to become truly happy. It¡¯ll get noisy around you in the near future, so do your best. Enjoy your peaceful life at the village until then. If you ever find it too hard to live, you can come to my place¡­¡¯ I think I got it right. It was so unlike you to say something like that, so it stayed on my mind.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Sigh¡­ I¡¯m sure he must¡¯ve really wanted to take his anger out on someone in his past life. There was probably a lot of times he thought just that. After all, there were so many reasons he could have killed someone.¡¡But despite that he never killed anyone and never committed a crime¡­ Even if his actions were really nothing more than hypocrisy, even if he knew nothing about the Earth God¡¯s doings, he stuck to his principles until the very end. It would have been one thing had he lived a normal human¡¯s life, but to resist the temptations of a god while being a mere human¡­ That¡¯s more than enough to earn my respect.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°When you put it that way, it is pretty amazing.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Even if the Earth God was just playing around, a weak will couldn¡¯t have possibly endured his toying.¡± [Kufo] ¡°It¡¯s frustrating, but the Earth God is also higher ranked than us¡­¡± [Tekun] ¡°Well, fortunately his soul ended up here. The Earth God shouldn¡¯t be able to mess with him anymore¡­ But his ¡®personality¡¯ which is a product of all those decades of abuse has remained, so I¡¯m still worried.¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa¡¯s expression twisted. ¡°Just like how children who are told by their parents and those around them that they¡¯re ¡®bad children¡¯ end up really thinking they¡¯re ¡®bad children¡¯, the Earth God¡¯s games have drastically affected Ryouma¡¯s personality, causing it to become twisted. Of course, there are children who are able to have a firm grasp of their ¡®identity¡¯ and live with confidence despite being told by their parents and those around them that they¡¯re bad, and Ryouma has indeed managed to pick himself up despite the Earth God¡¯s abuse; however, the self-restraint that he gained in order to resist the ¡®temptation to commit crime¡¯ is too strong.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Hmm? Wait a minute. Was Ryouma that kind of guy?¡¡Hasn¡¯t he taken up bandit subjugation jobs?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Yes. That part actually makes it a bit more complicated, but basically, his attitude concerning the bandits is just him adapting to the laws of the country. He¡¯s just properly adhering to the laws. He won¡¯t kill needlessly, but he doesn¡¯t have much reluctance when it comes to killing as long as it¡¯s out of necessity ¨C and that could be either for self-defense or to feed himself. But that part about ¡®not having much reluctance to kill¡¯, and you know how he also has a tendency to go too far? He himself isn¡¯t ¡®aware ¡® of it, but he can already instinctively feel the danger of the talent sleeping inside him. And he blames it on himself under the guise of ¡®his immaturity¡¯.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Ah!?¡± [Kufo] ¡°What¡¯s the matter,¡¡Kufo?¡± [Gayn] ¡°No, I just remembered. Didn¡¯t Ryouma leave the duke¡¯s family and suddenly started training himself because he beat up some ruffians at the mines?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Oh, my. Now that you mention it, that is the case.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I remember too. But weren¡¯t those bandits in the wrong?¡¡If I recall correctly, they were a group of no good adventurers and were threatening some kids so they could keep their profits for themselves.¡¡They also tried to threaten Ryouma.¡± [Tekun] Chapter 211.6 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1: Volume 3 Extra Chapter 1: Trial of the Gods and Sereriputa¡¯s True Intentions (4/4) ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­ He became younger since coming to this world, right?¡¡His mentality has also grown younger, so apparently, his force of will has also grown looser. And for a moment, he was swept away by his emotions. Because of that he panicked and wanted to fix himself. He¡¯s also been living in the forest and was hunting animals and fighting bandits, so for the longest time he was in an environment were the act of ¡®killing¡¯ was normal. That might have also helped loosen his will. Personally, I think it¡¯s normal for people to think of killing others when they¡¯re angry or have a grudge. In a sense, it¡¯s a given. Of course, it¡¯s another story altogether to be able to pull it off or not, but in my opinion, having no such thoughts whatsoever is stranger.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­In other words, Ryouma accepts killing as necessary in order to live, but at the same time, he thinks it¡¯s abnormal and considers himself dangerous. That sounds like a contradiction to me, but that¡¯s about it, right?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Ah, yeah. I think Fernoberia put it the best. Ryouma recognizes he¡¯s a dangerous person. That¡¯s why although he wants to be with other people, he feels a sense of discomfort.¡¡¡¯This is not a place where I belong. This is not a place where something like me should be¡¯. ¡®I should be gentle to others but harsh to myself¡¯¡¡¡¯I have to be good¡¯ ¡®I have to be unselfish¡¯ ¡®I have to be useful to others, or else I¡¯ll have no worth¡¯¡­ Something like that?¡¡From a human¡¯s perspective, that might be a virtue, but Ryouma-kun takes it too far. His evaluation of himself is too low. It¡¯s because of that that no matter how poorly people treats him, he just accepts it. It¡¯s also the reason why he so recklessly tries to repay people who are kind to him. Unfortunately, he¡¯s not aware of any of this at all.¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa heaved a deep sigh, then he spoke once again to wrap everything said so far. ¡°¡®Free Love¡¯ might sound nice, but if you do this and that for others, the greedy society of humans will just take you for a sucker. Depending on the perspective, they could also take such actions as contempt for those who work to be compensated. When such actions cause frictions with your surroundings, then what?¡¡It would still be fine if Ryouma became defiant or abandoned his responsibility and left, but unfortunately, his personality won¡¯t permit that. In all likelihood he¡¯ll either take on someone¡¯s anger or slander head on, and then he might even accommodate demands made from him. Unless the fundamentally distorted unconscious part of him is fixed, his actions can never truly be corrected. It seems like it¡¯s going to get noisy around him from now on, so when push comes to shove and he still doesn¡¯t reflect over his actions¡­ If he keeps that up, one day, his body or soul, or maybe both will break. When that time comes, I can bring him to an uninhabited island or give him a powerful divine protection like the ancestor of the mermaid tribe and make it possible for him to live under water. It would be best for him to completely leave human society. Even if something happens to him outside of it, the damage will be minimal at most. The human world is something that will naturally change over time. The same is true for Ryouma-kun. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no need to hurry. It would be best if he could spend time in a place he could calm down and stabilize himself¡­¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I see. So you¡¯ve thought it through that much.¡± [Gayn] The other gods agreed with Gayn and silence filled the room. And then¡­ ¡°That¡¯s unexpected. You kept talking about how boring Ryouma was, and yet¡­¡± [Willieris] ¡°I may have said that observing his current life isn¡¯t any fun, but I don¡¯t recall ever saying that I had no interest in him personally or that I hated him.¡¡Besides, I do my best to treat all lives equally. Even if I¡¯m not interested, I¡¯ll still accommodate them accordingly.¡± [Sereriputa] Willieris said unapologetically, though she wasn¡¯t able to finish her piece. Even if she had a relationship akin to cats and dogs with Sereriputa, she still felt she said too much¡ª ¡°Well, to be honest though, I actually love kids like him who¡¯re able to struggle despite suffering and squirming so much.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­¡± [The rest of the gods] ¡ªThe moment he said that, the rest of the gods went blank. Sereriputa didn¡¯t notice anything amiss and continued to run his mouth. He sounded really excited for some reason, and his voice grew louder and louder. ¡°How do I put it? I guess you could say he¡¯s akin to a baby fish that had most of its body eaten but is still alive. Or maybe like an ant thrown into antlion pit but somehow managed to survive? Either way, he¡¯s someone who desperately struggled from the claws of death. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s amazing how there could be such a brilliant life force¡ª?¡± [Sereriputa] It was here that Sereriputa finally realize it. The surrounding gods either had their eyes turned white or were so fed up they could only look at themselves. ¡°Sereriputa¡­ A guy like you is really¡­¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Aren¡¯t you more twisted than Ryouma?¡± [Kufo] ¡°I don¡¯t really want to find fault with other people¡¯s preferences, but¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have worded it better? Something like ¡®I can feel the value of life¡¯ or ¡®his effort to stay alive is amazing¡¯ or ¡®I¡¯m going to support him¡¯?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°And here I was admiring you for a moment. How blind could I have been?¡± [Tekun] ¡°I don¡¯t ever want to be liked by you.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°There you go running your mouth again. I don¡¯t even.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Huh? W-Wait a moment! What¡¯s with this atmosphere?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Sereriputa.¡± [Willieris] Willieris called out his name. But the way she looked at him was completely different from before. ¡°Uwaah!¡¡What¡¯s with that face!? You¡¯re scary!¡¡Weren¡¯t you looking all glum just a while ago!?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Oh, yes. I was wondering just why it was that I had to reflect over what I¡¯d done. Fu fu, fu fu fu fu.¡± [Willieris] ¡°¡­Weren¡¯t you guys going to forgive me?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°It did seem like that for a moment, didn¡¯t it? Unfortunately, it was only for a moment¡­ Anyway, your plan was to make us feel sentimental by talking about Ryouma and then run away from your crimes, right!?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Huh!?¡¡That¡¯s a false accusation!¡¡And at the very least, you guys should reduce my punishment because of my achievements from determining the plans of the earth god or because of how I dealt with Ryouma!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°So you did have an agenda!¡± [Willieris] ¡°Uwaah, you¡¯re such a pain. Wait a minute, you guys. This is supposed to be a court of some sort, right?¡¡You can¡¯t just let this woman do whatever she wants!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ We¡¯ll change locations and discuss the matter again, and then make a decision. Willieris, we¡¯ll leave you behind to keep watch, so accompany him for awhile. Now then, let us be off.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Ah!¡¡Hey!¡¡Gayn!?¡¡Guys!?¡± [Sereriputa] None of the gods responded as they left one after another. The only ones left behind was a Sereriputa bound to a chair and a Willieris who stood up and approached him. ¡°Everyone is gone now.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to think of a fitting punishment. Until then I have a lot to say. So make sure you listen until the end, okay?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Uwaah¡­ I-I might actually pass on before Ryouma does¡­¡± [Sereriputa] After this Willieris gave Sereriputa a sermon he would never forget. By the time the rest of the gods came back, Sereriputa looked like a dried up corpse. Tl Note: We¡¯re caught up again, but there are usually two releases per month, so maybe there¡¯ll be a new RAW chapter by next week. Chapter 212.1 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 2 Some time passed since Ryouma¡¯s departure, and just as in the last days of the year at Japan, the people of this world also busied themselves to greet the end of the year¡­ At a certain mansion in the imperial capital, within one of its rooms, were tea and sweets being distributed to five girls. But only one of them touched those teas and sweets. That girl was the daughter of the mansion¡¯s master, Elialia. ¡°Girls, you don¡¯t really have to worry so much. Especially you, Kanan.¡± [Elia] ¡°Telling me that only makes it worse!¡± [Kanan] ¡°Kanan, can¡¯t you just do it like you normally do? I¡¯m sorry, but now I¡¯m nervous too.¡± [Michelle] ¡°I beg your pardon!?¡¡Michelle, aren¡¯t you the daughter of a count? At the very least, you should show us how it¡¯s done.¡± [Kanan] ¡°Ha ha, unfortunately, our family¡¯s peerage was something we acquired by chasing after our scholastic pursuits for generations. It was something we just happened to pick up. This isn¡¯t really something that could be said openly, but frankly, whether it¡¯s me or my parents, we would much rather prioritize our scholastic pursuits rather than manners and etiquettes. I have been instructed on it, yes, but only the barest minimum required. If you¡¯re looking for a demonstration, you should ask Riera instead.¡± [Michelle] ¡°You sure don¡¯t hesitate to say something so unadmirable so brazenly. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t really have the right to speak for others about being a proper lady¡­ At most, I suppose I could teach about the proper ways to put on a dress?¡± [Riera] ¡°But didn¡¯t she say to just do it ¡®as you normally do¡¯? Besides, if anyone here is going to be seen through for doing it poorly, it would be me.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I see. Still, you sure are calm despite that.¡± [Riera] ¡°Surely you don¡¯t believe that. I have simply ¨C how would you put it? ¨C ¡®accepted my own fate¡¯. Something similar has happened before too anyway¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Honestly, girls. This is just an introduction of my friends to my family¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Elia.¡± [Michelle, Kanan, Miyabi, Riera] ¡®And that in itself is an important event,¡¯ they tacitly told her with their eyes. It was at a time like that that someone knocked on the luxuriously decorated door. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. The masters have come.¡± [Maid] ¡°!!¡± [Michelle, Kanan, Miyabi, Riera] The moment the maid announced that, the four girls simultaneously stood up with a jolt, while Elia elegantly stood up a little slower. And then a young couple and an elderly man entered. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the current head of the Jamil family, Reinhart. Thank you for always taking care of my daughter.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Father! And grandfather and mother too, you¡¯re late.¡± [Elia] ¡°Sorry about that. An unexpected guest came, you see.¡± [Elize] ¡°But enough of that. You seem to be doing well, Elia.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see you¡¯re doing well too grandfather, mother, father.¡± [Elia] After the family exchanged a few words, the topic moved on to the four girls visiting them. ¡°By the way, Elia. Won¡¯t you introduce us to your friends?¡¡A simple introduction will do.¡± [Elize] ¡°Right! From the left, the most nervous of them, Kanan.¡± [Elia] ¡°Greetings. My name is Kanan Shuza!¡¡I¡¯m aiming to become a magic tool craftsman!¡± [Kanan] ¡°So you¡¯re Kanan-chan. I¡¯ve heard about you from Elia¡¯s letters. You¡¯re from the Shuza family, yes?¡± [Elize] ¡°Oh, speaking of the Shuza Family, is Defel-dono doing well? He helped me a lot in the past, but when I dropped by his store recently, I was informed that he¡¯d retired already¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Gramps¡ª I mean, my grandfather is doing well. And he didn¡¯t retire because of illness but because of his age. He complained, saying that he couldn¡¯t move his fingers well, and couldn¡¯t do a good enough job anymore, then suddenly retired¡­ But he still fiddles with magic tools every day as a hobby, and his works are still better than actual active craftsmen and is even always scolding the young craftsmen.¡± [Kanan] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. If there¡¯s an opportunity, please send him my regards.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°No probs!¡¡¡­Ah.¡± [Kanan] Darn it!¡¡Kanan seemed to say as her countenance went grim. The three adults were all smiles. In the first place, although she hasn¡¯t noticed it, her dog ears and tails have always been fidgeting the whole time, so it was evident to everyone here how nervous and unfamiliar she was with the situation. Elia paid her faux pas no heed and proceeded to introduce Miyabi. ¡°My name is Miyabi Saionji. I think you might know already, but I am the daughter of the president of the Saionji Company. It¡¯s a pleasure to make everyone¡¯s acquaintance.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°So you¡¯re Pioro-san¡¯s daughter!¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Your dad¡¯s been a great help to us too.¡± [Elize] ¡°I heard you¡¯d be here, but this is our first time meeting each other. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Next is Riera.¡± [Elia] ¡°Greetings, Your Grace. I am Riera Clifford, Baron Clifford¡¯s youngest daughter. It brings me great joy to be able to meet you.¡± [Riera] ¡°A serious child, I see. This isn¡¯t a public place, so feel free to be at ease.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It is reassuring though that there¡¯s at least one girl like her.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Personally, I¡¯d much rather hear all the stories.¡± [Elize] ¡°Understood! I¡¯ll do my best.¡± [Riera] Her salute was wonderful, but the words that followed afterwards were weak. The adults couldn¡¯t help but smile at her diligence. ¡°Lastly, Michelle. She¡¯s wearing male clothes, but she¡¯s definitely a woman, so please don¡¯t misunderstand. Especially you, Father.¡± [Elia] ¡°Of course. Michelle-san, right? I heard you¡¯re Count Willdan¡¯s oldest daughter.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s an honor to learn that you know me, Your Grace. But may I know what exactly Elia meant by misunderstanding?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Ah, I¡¯m really sorry about that, but¡­ Elia had sent me a letter prior, wherein she mentioned that Michelle-san was ¡®popular among female students¡¯. Well, how do I put it¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Let me guess, you thought that the Michelle-san spoken of was a male student, and in your jealousy, sent back a letter demanding to know who he was?¡± [Elize] ¡°Good grief, you should know full well that going to school means that your daughter will have to interact with boys as well. And yet just because you heard your daughter was getting along well with some guy, you lost your cool. And we¡¯re not even talking about a romantic relationship here. You may be my son, but that is truly pathetic behavior.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ugh¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­¡± [Kanan, Miyabi, Riera, Michelle] Chapter 212.2 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 2 Volume 3 Extra Chapter 2: Elialia Introducing Her Friends (2/4) With his daughter, his wife, and even his own father telling him off, poor Reinhart felt like he¡¯d just been given a verbal beating. He looked much smaller than when he¡¯d entered the room, making him appear less dignified, but to these young girls, that was a boon that allowed them to finally loosen their nerves. With the atmosphere less tense than it was earlier, everyone¡¯s countenance became gentler. ¡°Anyhow, we shouldn¡¯t be standing here the whole time. Everyone, please. Let us all sit.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Do serve us more tea and sweets please.¡± [Elize] Reinhart urged everyone to take their seat, while Elize asked the maid to serve more sweets and teas. ¡°I¡¯ve heard many things from Elia¡¯s letters, and as I understand it, you are all members of the same group, yes?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Indeed, Your Grace.¡± [Riera] ¡°This sure brings back memories. I too went through dungeons back when I was a student. Well, how is it? Is our Elia causing you trouble?¡± [Elize] ¡°Surely not, Your Grace. We have our respective strengths and weaknesses, but as a group we are doing quite well. Elia doesn¡¯t have any issues with academics or with the basic subjects. After all, she¡¯s excellent when it comes to magic prowess and rate of fire, and is even at the top of the class. In practice, she can deliver a powerful offense.¡± [Kanan] ¡°She¡¯s not very good at swords, but she¡¯s more than capable enough to be able to keep up with the lessons. She¡¯s a top scorer as far as the girls are concerned. In training, it¡¯s usually me or Kanan who¡¯s in charge of the vanguard, but when there¡¯s trouble, she is able to aid us as well.¡± [Riera] ¡°She helps out with the chores too. The other noble students often left such chores ¨C for example, setting up tents or cooking ¨C to the commoner students or their retainers, and there¡¯s also quite a lot of them who would complain while others worked, so at first, I too was at a loss whether it was really okay to let Elia help out with the chores, but it all turned out well.¡± [Kanan] After hearing Michelle, Riera, and Kanan say that, the three adults nodded in relief. ¡°Top of the class at magic and academics, while being fairly decent at the sword. You trained quite a bit before enrolling, but you must¡¯ve worked hard, Elia.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Such results are a proof that Elia has worked hard. And there¡¯s no reason to worry about the chores. At the academy, all students are equal regardless of status. Or at least that¡¯s the official stance of the school and has been since my time, but nobles are just too helpless during emergencies without their servants.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Regardless of what happens after graduation, it¡¯s a part of your curriculum now, so I¡¯m glad that things are going well for you, Elia. And from the looks of things, you¡¯ve found some really good friends.¡± [Elize] ¡°Mother?¡± [Elia] ¡°Although it wasn¡¯t as much as your father, I was actually also worried. I raised you up properly and with discipline, a daughter I could be proud of, but when it comes to interacting with nobles, well, you know¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Michelle, Kanan, Miyabi, Riera] ¡°Mother!? And you girls too!?¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s not in a bad sense.¡± [Michelle] ¡°You¡¯re a good girl and easy to get along with, though you do approach commoners without discrimination¡­¡± [Kanan] ¡°I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because you¡¯re honest or pure, but you¡¯re not very good at cheating others like the other noble children do.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°It¡¯s true that there are places I can¡¯t match up to, but¡­ Don¡¯t those people just dominate others by talking loudly? They look down on others with a lower social standing than theirs and then prattle about how they¡¯re rude or how they should know their place? To families of equal standing, they boast to no end, while to those above them, they try to approach with flattery. They make mountains out of mole hills and find fault with the things people say¡­ Aren¡¯t such people just a bunch of sham imitating adults and ¡®playing nobles¡¯?¡± [Elia] ¡°Those are some really scathing words you¡¯re spitting there, Elia. Be careful not to say that to the people you¡¯re talking about.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°I-I know. I would only say something like this here.¡± [Elia] ¡°Well, none of us here would deny it.¡± [Kanan] ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak ill of others too much, and it¡¯s common for such talk to spread, so please don¡¯t drag me in by looking for my approval.¡± [Riera] ¡°Children like that are the same regardless of the times. There were a lot of those back during our time too. They would try to out-boast each other or look down on each other, and in the end, their arguments would devolve into a spitting contest between two kids hurling abuse at each other. Well, they¡¯ll change when they grow up.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh? But there are so many adults who haven¡¯t grown up, people who can only reject or criticize other people¡¯s actions and works.¡± [Elize] ¡°¡­I see Your Grace is also fairly bitter¡­¡± [Miyabi] ¡°They are mother and daughter, after all¡­¡± [Kanan] ¡°As Elias¡¯ grandpa, I¡¯m happy that she didn¡¯t become friends with such children.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°But of course. It would be shameful even if I were merely watching such things from the side, and they¡¯re not as mature as they think they are. In that regard, Ryouma-san is more noble and more adult-like even though he¡¯s neither.¡± [Elia] Elia said nonchalantly to her grandpa. But Michelle picked up on that and reacted. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that that name comes up from time to time, but just who is Ryouma-san? He¡¯s a guy, right?¡± [Michelle] Chapter 212.3 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 2 Volume 3 Extra Chapter 2: Elialia Introducing Her Friends (3/3) ¡°Come to think of it, we never really got to ask about him properly, did we? All we know is that he¡¯s supposed to be Elia¡¯s friend.¡± [Kanan] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a little curious too actually. Elia sometimes talks about him with Miyabi, but it always sounded like it wasn¡¯t something she could easily talk about with us, so I never brought it up, but¡­¡± [Riera] ¡°Oh? You never told them about Ryouma-kun, Elia?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes, I¡¯m quite sure I haven¡¯t talked about him properly, but it¡¯s not as if I was intentionally trying to avoid bringing him up¡­ It¡¯s just that whenever I thought of explaining, I couldn¡¯t really find the words to.¡± [Elia] The three adults and Miyabi, who knew Ryouma, nodded. ¡°I didn¡¯t have anyone I could call a friend before enrolling, so I never really thought anything was amiss, but after meeting classmates of my own age and the senpais here, I finally realized that whether it¡¯s ability-wise or mentality-wise, Ryouma-san is very different. Oh, but he¡¯s not a bad person. If anything, I suppose you could say he¡¯s a very good person?¡¡Father, mother, grandfather?¡± [Elia] ¡°That¡¯s right. I was the first to be acquainted with him. At that time, one of my subordinates was wounded, and just as it seemed all hope was lost, he was the one who saved us.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Apparently, he was raised by his grandparents. He¡¯s a year younger than Elia, but he knows many things and is also a skilled hunter.¡± [Elize] ¡°He¡¯s also a brilliant mage, though his spells are mostly geared towards improving his daily life.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Since everyone¡¯s all praises for him, he must be a remarkable child. And if he¡¯s one year younger than Elia, then that means he¡¯s one year younger than us too.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Brilliant¡­ Yes, he is brilliant indeed.¡± [Elize] ¡°He has some quirks, though.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Quirks?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Ryouma-san is a slime researcher, you see. So when the topic turns to slimes, he becomes just like how Michelle is when she¡¯s talking about magic formations.¡± [Elia] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Riera and Kanan] That was enough to get Riera and Kanan a general understanding of Ryouma¡¯s personality. ¡°Please don¡¯t just drop a person¡¯s name and start comprehending things on your own.¡± [Michelle] ¡°Well, it¡¯s the easiest way to get the point across, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡± [Kanan] ¡°Yeah, I immediately understood that he¡¯s the kind of person to lose track of his surroundings when there¡¯s something interesting in front of him.¡± [Riera] ¡°Mu¡­¡± [Michelle] ¡°Accordingly, the both of you are experts in your respective fields. He also has a wealth of knowledge in other things and is very reliable. He taught me about monster taming too when I was going to catch my first monster just like how you taught me about magic formations, Michelle.¡± [Elia] ¡°I¡¯m not wholly convinced, but let¡¯s just leave it at that. I take it he¡¯s the reason why you have those three slimes with you?¡± [Michelle] ¡°Cleaner Slime, Heal Slime, and Scavenger Slime, right?¡¡They¡¯re really convenient to have around. Especially during camping training at the school dungeon. The other groups were so envious.¡± [Kanan] ¡°It¡¯s only a given, though, considering that we were able to make a simple toilet and bath thanks to Elia¡¯s slimes and Michelle¡¯s earth magic. Even the teachers already used to camping didn¡¯t have such a great setup.¡± [Riera] ¡°Because of that the noble groups demanded that we lend or make it for them too. I was the one who had to talk to them, so it was really troublesome.¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Indeed, that was really a pain.¡± [Elia] ¡°Every year, especially during the first practical training, those bunch tend to lose their temper. Anyhow, although you¡¯ve already learned the gist before enrolling, you have to keep practicing and reviewing or you won¡¯t be able to master the techniques you¡¯ve learned.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Just as Miyabi-san said awhile ago, it¡¯s good to have friends who can compensate for the parts where you¡¯re lacking, but people like those who live proudly as nobles or are simply selfish are present even among adults¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Come to think of it, something like this happened before, didn¡¯t it?¡± [Elia] Like that Elia spoke about the events that happened at the academy and the tension of her four friends gradually loosened. When the sun had started to set¡­ ¡°Excuse me. My lord, it¡¯s almost time for your appointment.¡± [Maid] ¡°Oh? It¡¯s that time already?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Father. I went out of my way to bring my friends here, and yet you¡¯re leaving already?¡± [Elia] ¡°Sorry, Elia. But I¡¯m to have supper with a senpai from my school days that I haven¡¯t met in a while.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Huh?¡± [Elia] ¡°Hmm?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Is it really so surprising?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­You had friends during your school days?¡± [Elia] In that moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze and a strange tension could be felt. Elia¡¯s excessive words left Reinhart¡¯s face cramping. He spoke. ¡°W-What do you mean by that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Umm¡­ Well you never had a friend visit, and I¡¯ve never heard you say that you¡¯re going out to meet a friend. And whenever the topic turned to your time at the academy, you¡¯d always make a difficult face.¡± [Elia] ¡°Ahh¡­ Yeah, well¡­¡± [Reinhart] Speechless, Reinhart turned to his wife and father. But the two of them were already doing all that they could just to keep themselves from laughing. The way they quietly looked at him tacitly implied that he should do something about this on his own. ¡°Sigh¡­ Right. It¡¯s not really a subject I wish to broach much, but my time at the academy was indeed not something I wish to look back on. Still, I did have one or two people I could trust. For example, Elize, who is laughing over there. She¡¯s my wife now, but in the past, she was a friend of mine.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ufufu. This sure brings back memories.¡± [Elize] ¡°Really? I¡¯m sorry, Father.¡± [Elia] ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize. I¡¯ll feel sorry for myself if you do¡­ Anyhow, it¡¯s not something you need to worry yourself over. It is a fact that I rarely visit my friends, and the person I¡¯m about to meet now is someone I haven¡¯t contacted since graduation.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Why all of the sudden then?¡± [Elia] ¡°Actually, Ryouma-kun visited his territory just recently and received his help. Apparently, despite our respective positions, he¡¯s still worrying over me as a kouhai of his. Ryouma-kun secretly informed me that through his letter, so I figured I could use his recent visit to drop by.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Really?¡± [Elia] ¡°The person himself was fairly surprised. And I¡¯m happy to be able to have a friend who could support me regardless the passage of time. I hope you too could find such a friend, Elia. It doesn¡¯t have to be a crowd, if you can just find one such friend, it¡¯ll mean the world.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Father. But you don¡¯t have to worry about that!¡± [Elia] As she said that, she looked at her four friends. ¡°After all, I already have four such friends. If you include Ryouma-san, then that makes five! Five friends I wish to be with for a long time!¡± [Elia] ¡°Elia¡­¡± [Riera] ¡°Oh, my. Well, I guess you sure showed me.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°She doesn¡¯t hold back does she?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°It¡¯s kind of embarrassing.¡± [Kanan] ¡°Oh, did you girls not want to be that kind of friends?¡± [Elia] When Elia asked that to the four girls, they shook their heads with a smile. Seeing the five like that, the adults gently smiled. ¡°Thank goodness. It seems Elia managed to meet some great friends at the academy. I¡¯d love to hear more, but unfortunately, we really ought to go. Still, please do take your time here.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Right. I¡¯d love to talk more too, so how about you all stay the night here?¡¡I want to help Elia pick a dress for the coming parties. Ryouma-kun had also sent us a beauty product prototype. He said he wanted to get as many opinions as possible, so why don¡¯t you girls give it a try too.¡± [Elize] ¡°Ryouma-han made a beauty product?¡± [Miyabi] ¡°Yes, our conversation turned to that direction before. He says it¡¯s to deepen his understanding of medicine, though I think it¡¯s also partly because I showed an interest in the idea. Apparently, he studied under his grandmother. He¡¯s a really studious child, and just between you and me, I think his beauty products are easy to use and effective.¡± [Elize] ¡°Consider my interest piqued. My mom is researching medicine too, so¡­¡± [Kanan] Like this the conversation within the room became lively again, and Elia and the others spoke until it was late in the night. Chapter 212.4 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 3 On one cold night, in the Nobles District, where the dazzling buildings were neatly arranged, was a manor that was a little smaller and slightly inferior to the rest. It was the owner of this manor whom the duke, Reinhart Jamil, was visiting. ¡°Welcome, Your Grace. We¡¯ve met every year in social situations, but we¡¯ve never really met in private like this.¡± [Porco] ¡°Indeed, but we¡¯ve spoken a lot during our time at the academy, and today I¡¯d like to call you ¡®Porco-senpai¡¯ once again, just like I did in the past.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Your¡ª I mean, I see.¡± [Porco] The two spoke formally for awhile at the reception office. ¡°Come to think of it, when we met for the first time too, it was kind of like this, wasn¡¯t it?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, at the time, I was so surprised that a person would go to a place like that. What¡¯s more is that it was the rumored son of the duke who came.¡± [Porco] ¡°I can¡¯t maintain relationships with people I¡¯m not good with, as it¡¯ll only cause problems for my father.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But of course, after all, the influence of your father¡ª I mean the ¡®Contractor of the Divine Beast¡¯ is not something even His Majesty could ignore. I¡¯m sure there were a lot of people who approached you because their parents told them to. It was probably out of their hands too.¡± [Porco] ¡°But even then¡­ Please do hear me out, Senpai. Actually, before coming here today, I met my daughter after a long while.¡¡I was curious how she¡¯s been doing, and she brought four friends with her. They were all good kids.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing? Why do you sound so unhappy?¡± [Porco] ¡°When we ran out of time, and I told her that I would be coming here, she said this. ¡®¡­You had friends during your school days?¡¯¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oof, what a tragedy¡­ Didn¡¯t you tell her about your situation?¡± [Porco] ¡°I did warn her a little, but I also didn¡¯t want her to think like I did, so¡­ And besides, she had little interactions with nobles of her own age, so she was able to grow up with an innocent outlook, and that makes me really happy.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I know it¡¯s strange coming from me, but just make sure you don¡¯t regret anything.¡± [Porco] ¡°Of course, if necessary I won¡¯t just stand idly, but I believe it¡¯s important that she experience things herself. Besides, my daughter managed to find five friends in just one year when it took me six to find one. I pray that they and he will be able to support her.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°They and he? Are you talking about¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes, Ryouma-kun. I heard he visited you a few days ago. Another reason for my visit today is to thank you for taking care of him.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything noteworthy, though. If anything, he was the one who took care of me. Hence, I would actually like to thank¡ª¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯ve heard about that too. He said you gave him plenty as thanks.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart¡¯s anticipatory words made Porco brace himself. ¡°Hmm¡­ Are you unhappy about something?¡¡I¡¯m truly sorry that I¡¯m unable to give any more compensation than that.¡± [Porco] ¡°Oh, no. We¡¯re perfectly happy with the compensation you gave, and neither I nor the person himself have any problems. In fact, he thinks you gave him too much¡­ Do you find it difficult to relax?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart asked, having sensed Porco¡¯s thoughts. In response, Porco spoke slowly but honestly. ¡°¡­.To be honest, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re willing to put aside your status and treat me with respect as my kouhai, but I think I might be a tad too old to still be called by that term.¡± [Porco] ¡°I understand. We also have our duties and position as feudal lords and as nobles. And while I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I wanted to talk with you like I did in the past, that¡¯s not all there is to it either¡­ If we keep trying to feel each other out like this, we¡¯ll never get anywhere, so may I propose that we get the noble talk out of the way first?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I would be most grateful.¡± [Porco] ¡°Then if I may be frank, Porco-senpai, please allow me to participate in the assembly that you are organizing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Assembly, that¡¯s a bit of an exaggeration, what I¡¯m organizing is merely a dinner party, which I do as a pastime. How did you find out about that anyway?¡± [Porco] ¡°I heard from Ryouma-kun. Apparently, you¡¯ve gotten word that my territory is currently in turmoil.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes. Are you saying¡­?¡± [Porco] ¡°Unfortunately, several houses have joined together and are pulling strings behind the scenes.¡± [Reinhart] Porco softly covered his eyes with his hands. ¡°What fools would¡­ Ah, but from the way you¡¯re acting, I¡¯m guessing you already have an idea who these fools are?¡¡If so, then your objective mustn¡¯t be to look for a way to solve it but in consideration of what¡¯s to come.¡± [Porco] ¡°As usual, the conversation progresses quickly with you, Senpai. Personally, I¡¯m not fond of these power struggles, but since there are people who think they can just lay a hand on my territory, I¡¯ve decided to use this opportunity to hold a lesson. And to prevent something similar from happening again later, I wish to expand my personal connections.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But you don¡¯t really have to ask me, do you? I¡¯m sure there are plenty of houses who wish to form a relationship with the duke and his house.¡± [Porco] ¡°True, but not just any noble will do. It would be most reassuring if someone like you who is both shrewd and who¡¯s continued to establish useful contacts through your ¡®dinner parties¡¯ would work with me.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll compensate accordingly. I¡¯ve left my luggage with your subordinates.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯ll have them bring it in then.¡± [Porco] Porco rang the bell on the table, and the butler, Piguu, entered. After hearing what he needed, he left and immediately came back with three boxes in various sizes. ¡°Please take a look at this.¡± [Reinhart] The first box that Reinhart showed was the rectangular one. ¡°This seems to be a necklace of some sort¡­!!¡± [Porco] Porco guessed what was inside the box. His guess was by no means wrong, but the actual product inside the box was beyond anything he¡¯d expected. ¡°Pearl!? And so big and so many too!¡± [Porco] For their country which did not possess its own sea, every bead of pearl was a great luxury. And yet here was an accessory that strung together a series of such pearls to form a necklace. Porco thought of procuring it, but he couldn¡¯t even imagine just how much it would cost. Chapter 212.5 - Volume 3 Extra Chapter 3: Reinhart and Porco (2/2) ¡°Now that is a sight to behold. That is all I can say.¡± [Porco] Porco gently closed the box and asked. ¡°What are your intentions for showing this to me? This item is too much for me. Surely, you¡¯re not saying that you¡¯re planning to use this as compensation.¡± [Porco] ¡°I could prepare another of the same kind if you want, but this particular necklace I intend to give to an acquaintance at a later date. He¡¯s a newlywed man, you see, just last year, in fact, and I just couldn¡¯t figure out what to gift him.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You would gift something so luxurious? Hmm¡­ Of the people you know who married last year¡­ I see, it must be to His Majesty whom this gift is addressed then. In so doing, you will also gain the right to sell the pearls. There are many nobles looking for pearls. I don¡¯t know how you managed to procure these pearls, but you must have a remarkable source if you¡¯re saying that you can procure another of such quality if I so wish. Moreover, if you can gain the endorsement of his Majesty, then not only will your assets, but also your influence over the other houses will increase. And if I were to be one of those who are able to form a connection with the Jamil house, then I too will gain some influence, though at the same time, just as was the case with the dragon¡¯s might, this too will antagonize quite a few people.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯ve already resolved myself. The Jamil family shall face the hostilities of the other houses. And I do not wish to merely have your support for the sake of having ¡®cushion¡¯, rather I am hoping that we will truly be able to become ¡®friends¡¯. And regarding the route of the pearl I showed you just now, you are actually not all that unrelated to it, Senpai.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What?¡± [Porco] ¡°Please take a look.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart opened a box, and inside could be seen a seashell. Its surface was polished, and the hidden mother-of-pearl was both dazzling and beautiful. ¡°This, this brilliance, and this shape¡­ Could this possibly be?¡± [Porco] ¡°Ryouma-kun found it at your territory. Apparently, it¡¯s a shellfish that¡¯s often eaten over there.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°So this is really that ¡®Sunagakure¡¯?¡± [Porco] ¡°He said you had him clean your hot spring. Apparently, it was then that he used a chemical to polish the shell.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, that thing! I see. So this shell was hiding such brilliance within it.¡± [Porco] ¡°According to him, this shellfish and the pearl are made of the same thing, so I would like you to supply these shells to me as a food commodity.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Since you¡¯re going out of your way to ask for them, I take it these shells are the ¡®source¡¯ of your pearls?¡± [Porco] ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s something else. For example, the lump of filth from the hot springs that Ryouma-kun cleaned. If he were to perform some process, he should be able to use that as a substitute, but when it comes to a stable supply, these shells are the best.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Haven¡¯t you thought of hiding it a little?¡± [Porco] ¡°I did say that I wanted us to be open to each other. There¡¯s no point in doing something meaningless. So will you cooperate,¡¡Senpai?¡± [Reinhart] When Reinhart said that so matter-of-factly, Porco was shocked. He rested his whole body¡¯s weight onto his chair and looked up the ceiling. ¡°It would be my good fortune to be able to aid you, but in the first place, would you even allow me to reject?¡± [Porco] ¡°If you really wish to reject, I don¡¯t mind. In the first place, Ryouma-kun was the one who asked me to pass this message to you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What?¡± [Porco] ¡°He got the shellfish from your territory, so he thought it would be best to inform you, but he figured you might become wary of him and cause problems if he didn¡¯t say it properly. He doesn¡¯t know about your situation that much, but he vaguely sensed that you had a ¡®delicate problem¡¯, so he asked me to pass you the message instead. And just so you know, he wanted me to let you know purely out of the goodness of his heart. There¡¯s no ill will in it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m also not trying to use this information to try and force you to do anything. it would be terribly painful if I were to do something like that and be hated by him.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see. I didn¡¯t think he was a normal child, but I didn¡¯t expect he would be able to see through me.¡± [Porco] ¡°Honestly, at the start, both me and my wife also thought he was a kid who knew nothing about the world and would easily be swindled, and were really anxious, but he¡¯s surprisingly sharp.¡± [Reinhart] The ill feeling in his chest was also undone. Seeing Reinhart talk like that, Porco remarked. ¡°Reinhart. could it be? Is he your illegitimate child?¡± [Porco] ¡°!¡¡*Cough, cough!¡± [Reinhart] It just so happened that it was while Reinhart was taking a sip of his black tea that Porco blurted out that remark, causing poor Reinhart to choke. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but why would you ask something like that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Because you were making that face that¡¯s somewhat happy and yet sad. The kind of face a father would make seeing his child grow.¡± [Porco] ¡°Really? I was making a face like that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°So you weren¡¯t aware.¡± [Porco] ¡°To clarify, I don¡¯t have any illegitimate children either.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s true that you don¡¯t look alike, but your personalties are a little¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°That¡¯s enough for the jokes, let¡¯s get back to the topic.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But you said you wanted to go back to how we were before¡ª Alright, alright, I got it already. Don¡¯t glare at me like that. Where were we again?¡± [Porco] ¡°We were talking about how Ryouma-kun asked me to talk to you about the shellfishes, and how he¡¯s surprisingly sharp. If word of this shellfish were to become public, the territorial dispute occurring behind closed door for Ratoin Lake would intensify.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It would no doubt. If the others see this as an opportunity, many of them will come in and try to get an advantage for themselves.¡± [Porco] ¡°Your father also worked on the roads of your fief. Other than the areas around the lakes, your territory was difficult for humans to settle in, but that¡¯s different now. In other words, it¡¯s become that much more appealing.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°To be honest, having the duke¡¯s house as my backing would really be a huge help. So by all means, please do join the dinner party. I¡¯ll also introduce you to the influential nobles I know and promise you my full support.¡± [Porco] It was in this way that these two men promised to work together. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s in the last box?¡± [Porco] ¡°Something different from the pearls but still related. It will be profitable to us both, so how about it? Will you cooperate with this one too?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°The last two shocked me plenty, and yet you¡¯re saying you still have more? There¡¯s no point in doing needless things, right?¡¡Just get to the point.¡± [Porco] ¡°I¡¯ll be frank then. Are you interested in a new technology that could allow food to retain its freshness and taste for a longer period of time?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Of course I would be. My fief¡¯s local specialty is fish, and that¡¯s a commodity that¡¯s all about freshness.¡± [Porco] ¡°The technology is currently under research, and the prototype freezing magic tool apparatus is inside this box.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But if you freeze it, the taste will get worse. Are you saying it can be done now without losing the taste?¡± [Porco] ¡°The difference is like night and day. If you ask me, it¡¯s already good enough.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Just how did you accomplish it?¡± [Porco] ¡°This magic tool can produce a temperature far lower than a normal magic tool. Apparently, the key point is to freeze the food commodity quickly. To that end, a powerful liquor known as ¡®industrial alcohol¡¯ is being used. And supposedly the raw materials for that liquor is the ¡®white sake¡¯ of Fatma Territory that even amateurs could make.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°We certainly do have something like that. It takes quite a bit of skill and effort to make something that could be drank properly, but of course, it¡¯s a different story altogether if only a strong liquor is demanded. The ingredients also grow in those parts, so cultivating them if necessary won¡¯t be difficult either. I suppose in that sense it¡¯s really suitable for my territory.¡± [Porco] After coming to an understanding, Porco asked another question. ¡°Reinhart. I feel like I¡¯m having deja vu, but the face of a certain boy just keeps popping up.¡± [Porco] ¡°As you¡¯ve surmised, this too is indeed Ryouma-kun¡¯s research.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Just who is that child? One thing after another¡­¡± [Porco] ¡°Since we will be cooperating, I suppose it would be best to tell you¡­ He is the forgotten orphan of the famed Melia the Sage and Teagle the Martial God. However, it seems they aren¡¯t related by blood and was merely adopted by them.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­So the troubadours weren¡¯t wrong to call him the ¡®Barley Tea Sage¡¯ then.¡± [Porco] Porco smiled in understanding, but in the next moment, his expression became serious. ¡°We have the opportunity, so I might as well tell you, but I think that boy is a bit unsteady.¡± [Porco] ¡°¡­You think so too, Senpai?¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart¡¯s expression also became taut when Porco pointed that out. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed it since awhile ago, but with the recent events, I¡¯ve confirmed it. He¡¯s too devoted.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You¡¯ve probably heard of it, but actually, I asked him to do a job too. His performance was far beyond what I¡¯d expected, but he didn¡¯t really seem to care about the compensation.¡± [Porco] ¡°That¡¯s just one part of it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°What?¡± [Porco] ¡°His problem is much more fundamental to humans. At least, that¡¯s what I think.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Porco] ¡°Yes. But I, no¡ª Our family would like to continue supporting him, both as nobles and as individuals.¡± [Reinhart] Seeing Reinhart¡¯s eyes that were full of resolve caused him to once again break into a smile. ¡°That part of you hasn¡¯t changed one bit.¡± [Porco] ¡°R-Really?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yeah¡­ Alright!¡¡We¡¯ll talk lots today, we¡¯ll eat delicious food, drink liquor, and hear each other¡¯s grumbles and worries over our work and our family. That is my duty as both your friend and your senpai.¡± [Porco] ¡°Thank you, Senpai.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°We¡¯ll be supporting each other from now on, so there¡¯s no need to be reserved. Just like old times, right?¡± [Porco] Porco rang the bell again and ordered Piguu to hurry the preparations for supper. After that the two men spoke and rekindled their friendship. Chapter 212.6 - The Changes of Gimuru ¡°¡­Huh. The air here has kind of changed¡­¡± Ryouma took a carriage from Fatma Territory and safely arrived at Gimuru. It¡¯s been roughly a month since he was last here, but it felt less nostalgic and more different. There were more people passing to and fro, but it felt desolate. ¡°Wait!¡± [Guard 1] ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] As he was walking toward his store, a voice suddenly resounded, and he turned to it. There, he saw three guards chasing after a man. Was the man so brazen as to snatch a purse in broad daylight? ¡°Got him!¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Damn it!¡¡Let go!¡± [Thief] One of the guards was really fast and was able to catch up to the criminal immediately. But¡­ ¡°Watch out!¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Uwaah!?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Heh!¡¡You donkey!¡± [Thief] ¡°Don¡¯t let him go!¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Yeah!!¡± [Guard 3] The first guard was able to catch up to the criminal, but his pin was too weak, and the criminal was able to take out his knife. Because of that the criminal was able to hurt his face and loosen his hold on him. Fortunately, the other guards were able to secure him. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± [Guard 2] ¡°U, uu¡­¡± [Guard 1] His life doesn¡¯t seem to be in danger. There¡¯s just a lot of blood because he got wounded on the face. Maybe I can use my healing magic on him. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What!?¡¡Can¡¯t you see we¡¯re busy arresting someone!?¡± [Guard 2] ¡°I can use healing magic. If you want I can treat him.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Healing? Sorry!¡¡That would be a huge help!¡± [Guard 2] The guard gave permission, so after examining the wound, I cast the intermediate spell, High Heal. The wound wasn¡¯t that deep despite the bleeding, so just casting the spell once was enough. ¡°How are you feeling?¡¡Feel anything off?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine now. There¡¯s no pain.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± [Ryouma] After confirming that the guard has recovered, this time the other guard called out. ¡°Thanks for the help, Kid. And sorry about earlier.¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Your coworker was hurt, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, getting hurt is normal for us, so that¡¯s no reason to treat a citizen we¡¯re meant to protect so roughly. Especially, someone who would offer to help treat our wounds. This sounds like I¡¯m making excuses, but I¡¯ve been in a really bad mood today.¡± [Guard 2] This guard seems really honest. ¡°In that case, can I ask you something?¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma spoke about how he was away from town for a while, and now that he¡¯s back, the air about it seems to have changed. ¡°Have you seen the new town built by the south?¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just the outer walls for now, but it seems construction has been progressing quite well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Well, it¡¯s good and all that the construction is progressing, but the town has been overflowing with laborers looking for work¡­ Look, over there, and there too.¡± [Guard 2] The places he pointed at were all narrow alleys. The laborers there were either seated by the wayside or sleeping altogether. Some of them were scavenging for leftovers from the restaurants and were chased away. ¡°Just a street off the main road, and it¡¯s that bad?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There were more people last month, but it wasn¡¯t this bad, right?¡¡Apparently, way more laborers came than expected. Because of that there¡¯s been a rapid increase in fights and problems. We¡¯ve also hired more people to try and deal with them all, but even with the fresh recruits that know nothing, we¡¯re still packed with work from morning to evening.¡± [Guard 2] I bowed to the guards as one of the people they were serving to protect. ¡°I see¡­ Thank you for answering my questions despite your busy schedule. Good luck out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. You take care too. Make sure you get back before it gets dark.¡± [Guard 2] Like that I parted with the guards and headed for the store. When I got to the store. I entered through the employee only door, but¡­ ¡°Who are you?¡¡Only related personnel may enter through that.¡± [???] A man I didn¡¯t know called out to me. I would like to ask him that same question, but I didn¡¯t and just told him that I was in fact related personnel, and explained my circumstances and asked to see Carm-san. He seemed to have an inkling what I was talking about, so he peacefully allowed me in. ¡°Welcome back, Boss!¡± [Carm] And I was able to safely prove that I was the boss. And then¡­ ¡°Sorry about earlier. I¡¯d heard that the boss was a child, but I thought they were joking. And even if they were telling the truth, I thought it would be someone a little bigger and more adult-like.¡± [???] ¡°True. There aren¡¯t any age restrictions in having businesses, but anyone would be hesitant to believe a child is the boss.¡± [Ryouma] After confirming each other¡¯s identity, we were kind of able to reconcile.¡¡We weren¡¯t particularly quarreling, so it was a bit weird, but anyway, this person talking to me as if we¡¯re really close is Yurdum. He¡¯s a 20 year-old human with blond hair and a light-hearted personality. He claims to be a martial artist and appear to have a trained body. He¡¯s less muscular and more lean, however, as if all the unnecessary parts have been whittled away, kind of like a boxer¡¯s body. Apparently, he¡¯s been traveling around the country to test his skills, and found himself in Gimuru along the way. It was then that he happened to see our chef, Shelma-san. She¡¯d gone out to buy some ingredients, but unfortunately got caught in some trouble. He helped her and she brought him to the store, where she then explained the situation to Carm-san and the others. Carm-san wanted to increase security just in case since the public order was worsening, so after discussing the matter with Ox-san and Fei-san, he called out to Yurdum-san. ¡°Thank you for always protecting the store, Carm-san. Yurdum-san too, thank you for helping out.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it is my job, after all.¡± [Carm] ¡°In my case, I ran out of money, so this was perfect timing. The treatment is great too, the atmosphere in the store is great, and I have someone I can spar with too. It¡¯s the perfect environment as far as I¡¯m concerned.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Speaking of which, I hear you¡¯re pretty strong, Boss¡­ And from the looks of things, it seems the rumors weren¡¯t exaggerated. How about one round?¡± [Yurdum] Oh? ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°No, I look weak, so I was surprised that someone would actually ask for a fight.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, given your age and your body, you might look weak a first glance, but I was watching you earlier when I was at my post. As a martial artist who¡¯s crushed many dojos, I can more or less tell someone¡¯s ability from the way they move.¡± [Yurdum] Oh, that sounds reassuring! ¡°The air about the town was weird when I got back, so I was a little worried¡­ Carm-san, how is everyone doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fei-san and Yurdum-san are around, so there¡¯s nothing to complain about regarding the store¡¯s security. Everyone¡¯s full of energy. But of course, they do have to go out when buying stuff, so they do get anxious then because of the worsening public order. The number of incidents have also increased, and there was even an arson case a few days ago at the Morgan Company.¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh!?¡¡Serge-san¡¯s place?¡± [Ryouma] I asked, surprised, and Carm-san solemnly nodded. Carm-san and Carla-san, who¡¯s in charge of the second of the store, were both from the Morgan Company and were introduced to me thanks to Serge-san. Having his old nest set on fire must have rattled him. ¡°The Morgan Company has also prepared security in the evening, so the fires were quickly dealt with, but it was a really brazen crime. Apparently, several people filled a jar with oil and threw it and lit it with a fire spell. The criminals escaped during the chaos and haven¡¯t been caught yet. The Morgan Company was by no means lacking in security, so it¡¯s suspected that this might be the work of professionals with a very detailed plan¡­ Because of that there¡¯s a lot of unrest in the city right now.¡± [Carm] ¡°But of course.¡± [Ryouma]¡± The Morgan Company is a very famous store. It has a trustworthy name, it has a brand, and its store in Gimuru is the main store. A lot of people use their services, and even if that wasn¡¯t the case, it¡¯s still a store that¡¯s well known. And yet someone tried to burn that very store. If this were my previous life, the media would have surely flooded the place. ¡°How is Serge-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s safe. He ordered the security to prioritize people over goods, so none of the employees have been hurt either.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. That¡¯s good then.¡± [Ryouma] Still, it¡¯s concerning. The town¡¯s circumstances have changed quite a bit, so I¡¯d like to get some advice. ¡°Carm-san. Are there any urgent jobs?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are some documents I need you to check, but I¡¯m sure you must be tired from the long trip, so they can wait until tomorrow.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see!¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll excuse myself today. I got some things from Fatma, so I¡¯ll be dropping by Serge-san¡¯s.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Please send him my regards.¡± [Carm] ¡°Sure thing. By the way, I brought souvenirs for everyone. I¡¯ll bring them tomorrow once I¡¯ve organized them. Good bye!¡± [Ryouma] I left the store and hurried to the Morgan Company. Chapter 213 - Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (1/4) Chapter 213: Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (1/4) I left the store to Carm-san, and then bolted off for Serge-san¡¯s store as fast as I could. When I got there¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] On the surface of the wooden store¡¯s wall full of warmth were many traces of a fire. Robust men stood in front of the store with stern expressions. It¡¯s been over half a year since I came to Gimuru, but this is my first time experiencing such a heavy atmosphere. Even though it was such a warm gentle place when I came here for the first time¡­ When I thought of how this was the current state of Gimuru, I didn¡¯t know whether to feel lonely or sad. ¡°Excuse me, but do you have business with this store?¡± [Man] ¡°!¡¡Ah, yes!¡± [Ryouma] One of the men with a stern expression called out to me. ¡­Looks like I was a little too absorbed in my thoughts there. ¡°The president of this company helped me out a lot. I¡¯ve been away from town for a while, and just came back. I heard that there was a fire, so I came without any prior appointment.¡± [Ryouma] I told him my circumstances, and the man turned to one of his friends by the entrance. That man nodded and went inside. ¡°Please wait here for a bit, while we confirm with the president.¡± [Man] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After that a few minutes passed, and then I was brought to the reception office as usual. I waited there for a while before Serge-san finally came. He seemed a little tired, but he still seemed to be full of life. ¡°Ryouma-sama, I believe the last time we met was at the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s been a while indeed. it seems some bad things have happened, but I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re safe.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sorry to have worried you. But as you can see, I am perfectly fine. And we¡¯ve also tightened the security.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes, I saw them earlier. They looked a bit gruff, but they were very courteous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because they¡¯re mercenaries from the imperial capital. Mercenaries are known to be brutish, but many first-rate mercenaries have learned proper etiquette. After all, unlike adventurers who are expected to deal with both humans and monsters, as well as people from many different backgrounds, mercenaries are mainly expected to ¡®deal with fellow humans¡¯. As such, it is expected of them to know enough not to offend their clients. If necessary and trustworthy enough, there are times when they¡¯ll also be tasked with negotiating with enemies.¡± [Serge] I see¡­ So the mercenaries in this world can become negotiators too if they¡¯re first rate. ¡°¡­So this town really is in a state where such people are necessary.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, that is indeed the case. It wasn¡¯t just the attempted arson at my store, fights and robberies have been increasing throughout town too. Are you aware of the reason?¡± [Serge] ¡°I heard it was because too many laborers entered town, and now the town is overflowing with jobless laborers. But is that really enough to worsen the public order to this degree?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, the government office and the guild have closed the recruitment of laborers and are doing everything they can to stop them from pouring into the city, but there¡¯s just no end to them. There are people claiming to be recruiters too. They charge an introduction fee, and leave the laborers just some ways away before arriving. There are also those who gather people through swindles or kidnappings. It¡¯s a fact right now that the authorities and the guild have their hands full. Also, it seems that this whole thing is being done intentionally, a plot by a few nobles, so to speak. Ah, but of course, this isn¡¯t something that could be said openly.¡± [Serge] ¡°!!¡¡That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Most of them are probably trying to harass the duke¡¯s family. I haven¡¯t the slightest clue why they would engage in such foolish behavior, however. Also, it seems Reinhart-sama already knows about this matter and is moving to deal with the problem by the roots. I know this because I¡¯ve been helping out.¡± [Serge] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a bit of a mess right now, but it should calm down soon. Until then, please be alert and pay attention around you.¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Ryouma] If they¡¯re already in the process of dealing with the problem, then all I need to do is to tighten security and wait¡­ ¡°By the way, Ryouma-sama. I heard you brought some things today.¡± [Serge] ¡°Oh!¡¡Right. As I mentioned before, I went to Fatma Territory for an adventurer job. I was able to make some good relationships there, so I decided to dip my hand in some peddling work. I was hoping you could take a look at the goods I brought back, as well as the new product I found.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho ho. Your words do tickle my curiosity, Ryouma-sama. Pray tell, what have you brought?¡± [Serge] I opened my Item Box and took out the potteries I bought from Fatma Territory. I lined them one after another. ¡°Ho ho. Rice bowls, tea cups, earthenware pots, jars, and plates¡­ Either one looks like they would fit right in for regular use. The quality seems to be fairly up there too. How many have you brought?¡± [Serge] ¡°Please take a look.¡± [Ryouma] I passed him the catalog I prepared when I purchased the goods. ¡°Hmm¡­ With this many, it will sell for about this much. I can¡¯t put a high price on any one of these, but I see you picked them out to be sturdy.¡± [Serge] ¡°The clerk helped me pick.¡± [Ryouma] The price he showed me was 20% higher than the initial purchase. It wasn¡¯t much, but it¡¯s more than enough for some pocket change. Besides, I had to pay for travel expenses too. If I think of it as money made while sidelining, it¡¯s not bad at all. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll sell them to you for this price then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Serge] Chapter 213.2 - Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (2/4) Chapter 213: Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (2/4) The next thing I took out wasn¡¯t something I was hoping to sell, but a vase that the feudal lord gave me as thanks. From the attitude of the clerks who helped me pack it and take custody of it, it seemed to be really valuable. I was planning on decorating the store with it, but before I proceeded with that, I want to know its actual value. When I told Serge-san that and asked him about it¡­ ¡°T-This is¡­¡± [Serge] The moment Serge-san opened the box, his expression became solemn, and he hurriedly took out a pair of white gloves from his chest, and then carefully unpacked the vase. The unpacked vase gently placed onto his desk was tinged with blue and had a brightly colored image drawn onto it. It looked fairly impressive as far as vases went, but¡­ ¡°Mu¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Is this vase really that amazing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This blue texture and this brightly colored decorative feature¡­ This is most likely an artifact from an ancient ruins.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ancient Ruins? What is that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It refers to the ruins of an ancient civilization said to possess advanced technology. They are rarely found throughout the world, but I believe one was found in Fatma Territory a long time ago. So not only does this vase look expensive, its method of production is no longer actually being passed down, and as such can no longer be made in this age. It is extremely rare to find jars like this retain its shape perfectly. Historically speaking, this is without a doubt a treasure. I¡¯m not confident I could put a price on something like this. If you really need to know its value, you would need to request an expert¡¯s help.¡± [Serge] ¡°But why would the lord of the Fatma Territory give me something like this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly know that. But if he gave it to you as compensation for a job you did for him, then perhaps you simply did a work that necessitated that much compensation?¡¡Exactly what did you offer to Fatma¡¯s lord?¡± [Serge] But I didn¡¯t tell him anything about those pearls or those shellfishes¡­ All I did was clean his hot spring for him and teach him how to prepare the poisonous fishes. When I told Serge-san that¡­ ¡°I see. The Count of Fatma is known to be a gourmet and is well connected with people of similar interests. He was probably itching for news of new cuisines and was confident enough to be able to make use of such knowledge well. That dish called Gyoza could be the start to a favorable economic flow, and if his territory were to benefit from that in the next few decades, then¡­ Gifting you a vase like this makes perfect sense.¡± [Serge] I see¡­ But if this vase is so prized, then I should prepare a special protective case for it before putting it up on display. ¡°Alright then, next up are my slime products.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, new slime products. Those do indeed make one curious.¡± [Serge] The first thing I brought out was the acidic sticky liquid I used in the hot springs. I also lined up a spool of thread beside it. Serge-san¡¯s eyes were visibly taken in by the threads. ¡°This acidic sticky liquid is formed by mixing the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid with the acid slime¡¯s acid. One needs to take care when using it, but it can be used to do away with filth weak to acid. For example, it could be used to rid of the yellow tint in toilets.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normal households would likely want to buy that product too, but I think the biggest demand for it will come from the inns. The actual demand will likely depend on what you mean by ¡®taking care of when using it¡¯. By the way, this thread is?¡¡It clearly looks different from the sticky slime¡¯s thread.¡± [Serge] As expected from Serge-san, he¡¯s more interested in the thread rather than the acidic sticky liquid. ¡°This is a thread made by a slime that evolved just a few days ago along the way back from Fatma Territory.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ho ho, may I ask what kind of slime this is?¡± [Serge] The slime that evolved was the sticky slime that ate nets. It evolved into Fiber Slime. Based on the name, it seems that it wasn¡¯t really the net it wanted to eat but the fiber that it was made from. That sticky slime has always been particularly good at spitting out threads and was often tasked with making threads to sell wholesale to the Morgan Company. Perhaps that had something to do with it too. Upon evolving, it learned a new skill called ¡®Fibrification¡¯. ¡°With this Fibrification skill, the slime can take in a material into his body and dissolve it, then spit it back out as a thread-like material.¡± [Ryouma] When I realized what this skill did, I was immediately reminded of the Rayon from my previous life. Rayon is a regenerated fiber made through a method called Wet Spinning, where cellulose ¨C the main component of plants ¨C is dissolved in an alkaline chemical and spun in acid. Because it was made to imitate silk, it is also known as artificial silk. The fiber slime didn¡¯t use chemicals to realize its fibrification skill, but the process was similar to the production method of Rayon. As soon as I realized that, I gave the fiber slime cellulose. There was also something on my mind regarding the production of the acidic sticky liquid, so to test it, I handed it the fluff slime¡¯s fluff to serve as the cellulose, and the result was a 100% slime-made thread, this thread. ¡°I call it Slime Rayon!¡¡I only have one fiber slime right now, so I can¡¯t mass produce it yet, but the only ingredients needed to produce it is the fluff slime¡¯s fluff, so if needed I could give them a fertilizer to increase production. The ingredients will probably never be an issue. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 213.3 - Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (3/4) Chapter 213: Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (3/4) ¡°What a wonderful product!¡¡This luster, this texture. When I look at it closely, I can see that it¡¯s a little different from silk, but it looks really similar, doesn¡¯t it? If we wove something with this, I¡¯m sure a beautiful cloth would be produced. Moreover, not only is the quality great, procuring it is also easy.¡± [Serge] Normal silk relied on silkworm cocoons, so only a limited amount could be produced at a given time. They couldn¡¯t be mass produced. But the Slime Rayon could be produced as long as the Fiber Slime was given enough ingredients. Moreover, the production rate could be further bolstered once the fiber slime started multiplying. As for the ingredients, as I¡¯ve said earlier, I could produce as much as necessary as long as I have enough fertilizers. ¡°Until now the silk products could only be marketed toward nobles as luxury products. But by using this Slime Rayon as a ¡®substitute¡¯ for silk, it will finally be possible to market those products even toward commoners, making it possible to distinguish oneself.¡± [Serge] ¡°Entering an already established competitive market is really hard, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. Moreover, in the end this Silk Rayon is no more than a ¡®substitute¡¯. So long as silk is recognized as the ¡®real thing¡¯, and the noble customers look for that real thing instead, then the merchants and manufacturers dealing with silk won¡¯t become hostile. Some degree of mass production will be needed to target the commoner market, but that too seems to be but a matter of time. Could I keep this spool of Slime Rayon?¡± [Serge] ¡°Of course, as long as you examine it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll use it as reference for later.¡± [Serge] Looks like the Slime Rayon will turn into a big thing. But I still have one more thing to show Serge-san, the last product I brought. ¡°Serge-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you¡¯ve even brought ¡®something¡¯ that I must prepare myself for, I see.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. This too is a product brought about through the evolution of slimes, and I myself was shocked by it. Of the things I¡¯ve showed you so far, this one is the most valuable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is rare to see you praise something so much, Ryouma-sama, fret not, I¡¯ve prepared myself. Do your worst.¡± [Serge] Serge-san made a serious expression just like that time when I spoke about the blood serum of the bloody slime. At that, I brought him the greatest boon of my recent trip, a small box with the pearl of the pearl slime. In the next moment¡­ ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Serge] ¡°Serge-san!?¡± [Ryouma] Serge-san collapsed limply into the back of his chair as if he¡¯d just suffered anemia. He extended his hand and said that he was fine, but¡­ He seemed to be muttering something. Serge-san seemed to be calculating something, and it took a few minutes before he finally returned to normal. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s alright, I was shocked myself, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. It gave me a shock, quite a shock indeed.¡± [Serge] Serge-san nodded as though to say being shocked was a given. ¡°This is clearly pearl. Just you having one of these would have been enough to surprise me, but you said you could make this?¡± [Serge] ¡°Precisely. Recently, a slime that evolved came to possess the body of a pearl as well as the skill to make pearls. Of course, you¡¯re the first one I¡¯m talking to about this as I know the importance of discretion in such matters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear, really.¡± [Serge] ¡°By the way, how much is the market price for pearls?¡¡All I know is that they¡¯re really expensive since you can¡¯t get them from this country.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯d need at least a small platinum coin to acquire one of these.¡± [Serge] A small platinum coin¡­ If I recall correctly, that should be an unbelievably large sum of money that¡¯s about a million suits worth. ¡°Is it that expensive?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s plenty of reason why it¡¯s so expensive. For starters, you need to search the seas to acquire shells, but there are monsters there too, so it¡¯s really dangerous. And then of the shells gathered, only one out of ten thousand would have a pearl in them. What¡¯s more is that there¡¯s no end to the differences in color and shape of the pearls. The ones that could pass for jewels are even rarer, making their price go up even more¡­ But of course, purchasing them from the country where they are procured would make the price much lower. But since you can¡¯t get the pearls from here locally, merchants who want to sell them have to go to other countries to stock up and then go back here to sell them. By then the price jumps up even more due to all sorts of fees being added from taxes, transport, guards¡­ etc. Naturally, they can¡¯t sell them at their original price without also charging for their expenses in acquiring them; otherwise, they¡¯ll incur a loss. The annual yields of the fishery also affect the market price, so if anything, consider the small platinum coin as the lowest possible price.¡± [Serge] S-Serge-san sure is talkative today. There¡¯s also a strange pressure about him. I suppose that just goes to show how profitable and precious this topic is. Chapter 213.4 - Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (4/4) Chapter 213: Consultation with Serge-san and a Flash of Insight (4/4) If it¡¯s worth that much, then¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama?¡± [Serge] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] Suddenly, it occurred to me, perhaps one could even call it a flash of insight, as the things scattered in my mind and even those with no relation suddenly connected. ¡°Ryouma-sama, what¡¯s the matter¡ª¡± [Serge] ¡°Serge-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡ªYes?¡± [Serge] ¡°Do you remembering the garbage processing plant I told you about previously?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The garbage processing plant? Ah, that conversation about using the scavenger slimes to deal with the town¡¯s garbage? I do remember it, but what about it?¡± [Serge] ¡°Actually, when I was staying at Fatma Territory for my work, the families there gave me their garbage everyday. The scavenger slimes gets to eat their fill too, but on top of that, because of the differences in garbage thrown out due to their different lifestyle compared to Gimuru, I was able to discover a new slime. Yes, just like the fiber slime I talked about earlier. The garbage thrown out by a single household may not be much, but when you¡¯re talking about an entire village, the amount really adds up, so the slimes evolve even faster. That¡¯s why collecting garbage is really important to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°R-Right. Indeed, as you say, perhaps that might just be the case.¡± [Serge] ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why I want to make a garbage processing plant for my hobbies. But to that end, just leaving the scavenger slimes to deal with the garbage won¡¯t be enough. I¡¯ll need people to collect the garbage, people to filter out the things useful for evolving slimes or experimenting, people to manage those people, and so on and so forth. In other words, I¡¯ll be needing a lot of people. Most of it is dirty work, so at first I thought it would be really hard finding enough hands, but now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The town is overflowing with people looking for work¡­ I see!¡± [Serge] ¡°Exactly. You could even say that the current situation allows me to have my pick of laborers.¡¡I don¡¯t know what the nobles were thinking pulling strings behind to send them here, but I¡¯m sure there are those among the laborers who genuinely just want to find work. If I look, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll find skilled people too. And for people who want to find work even a moment sooner, I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t demand too much either. I don¡¯t know about hiring them for cheap and making them work in poor conditions, but at the very least, if they¡¯re demanding less, then that should make it easier for me, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are those who rate themselves needlessly high from time to time too, after all. I get what you¡¯re trying to say.¡± [Serge] ¡°What¡¯s more is this.¡± [Ryouma] I pointed at the small box containing the pearl on the table again. ¡°A considerable amount of investment is necessary whether it is to hire people or start a new enterprise. Though of course, ideally one would get the necessary expenses from said enterprise itself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And even if your business isn¡¯t able to profit, you¡¯ll be able to stay afloat for the time being with this.¡± [Serge] ¡°Yes. And there are still plenty of things I want to do and have to do.¡± [Ryouma] Given the current state of the town, I want to strengthen my store¡¯s security. I also need to prepare for my trip to the Great Shurus Forest. To be more precise, I need time to train myself and I want to study up on medicine too just in case. I also want to perform research on tools to make my life easier, as well as preserved foods. Of course, slime research too. In order to feed the slimes that will continue to increase from here on out, I learned about the monsters at the duke¡¯s family used to feed their monsters, but in order to raise some myself, I¡¯ll need to get a license from the Tamer Guild. To that end, I¡¯ll have to study for their exam. Presently, the number of things I want to do and have to do are too many. I also haven¡¯t been researching the slimes as much as I did before. If I add all the new stuff too, I really will be done for. If I wait until everything is done, who knows when I¡¯ll be able to go to the Great Shurus Forest? Should I go while making my preparations?¡¡No, going without sufficient preparations is out of the question. ¡°Everyone¡¯s been telling me that I don¡¯t have to do everything by myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± [Serge] ¡°I now see the error in my ways. I want to do the slime research myself, but preserved food research or the tool production research can be taken over by other people. No, I need to find people to take over them!¡¡Am I wrong?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Ryouma-sama. I don¡¯t think what you¡¯re saying is wrong, but basically, you¡¯re saying you want to give the laborers work, right?¡± [Serge] ¡°Surely not. That¡¯s something for the authorities or the nobles or the big-wigs to think about. It¡¯s not my place as a mere individual. All I want is to use the money at my disposal to help me find a solution to my problems. Everything is for my own sake. Of course, in the process, I do believe the laborers will end up finding work, however.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Truly?¡± [Serge] Serge-san said as he stared at my face. Hmm? What is it all of the sudden?¡¡What is he looking at me like that for? Just as I thought he was doubting me, he suddenly heaved a sigh and looked like he understood something. ¡°I see. But starting a new enterprise requires groundwork. Especially, building a new garbage processing plant. How about talking to the guild master of the merchant guild first to figure out the details?¡± [Serge] ¡°Thank you very much!¡¡Yes, I do think that¡¯s a good idea!¡± [Ryouma] To turn misfortune into a fortune¡­ Is this a good time to say that? By changing my way of thinking and looking at things, I just might be able to make a chance out of this grim situation! Chapter 214.1 - Carm’s Worries I (1/4) Chapter 214: Carm¡¯s Worries I (1/4) Side Carm Norad As a fragrant aroma wafted up my face, I opened my eyes. That should be Shelma-san preparing today¡¯s breakfast. ¡­I¡¯ve never smelled this aroma before. It smells great, but I wonder what she¡¯s cooking. It¡¯s already been over half a year, and I¡¯ve already gotten used to this peaceful time in the morning. As I anticipated what today¡¯s menu might be, I readied myself, and then headed to the cafeteria of the dormitory. ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, the boss was helping out with today¡¯s breakfast. ¡°Good morning, Boss. You sure are early today.¡± [Carm] The boss is also managing the northern mines, so he usually comes to the store from there. That¡¯s why he¡¯s usually not here at this time. When I asked him why he was here so early¡­ ¡°Actually, I dropped by Serge-san¡¯s store before going home yesterday, and we talked for quite a while. Because of our conversation, I ended up going to the merchant¡¯s guild too, where I spoke to the guild master and again talked for a long time. Before we knew it it was already late into the night, so the guild master let me sleep in the guild¡¯s nap room.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re here so early.¡± [Carm] Of course, he¡¯s early. He didn¡¯t go back home. If he was able to get a good night¡¯s rest despite that then it¡¯s fine, but there¡¯s something bothering me. ¡°What did you talk about that you even had to involve the guild master on top of Serge-sama?¡± [Carm] ¡°Oh, right. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll have any effect on the laundromat, but I might as well ask you. Actually¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning!¡± [Jane] Oh? Jane-san and the others have come too. ¡°Huh!?¡¡Boss!?¡± [Fina] ¡°Oh my~?¡¡You really are here, Boss~¡± [Maria] ¡°Good morning, Boss.¡± [Jane] ¡°Good morning. Sorry to intrude. Ah, Carm-san. We can continue our conversation over breakfast.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well.¡± [Carm] The boss seems occupied at the moment with helping Shelma-san. He went back to prepare breakfast. ¡­He talked late into the night as soon as he came back, and then he¡¯s even helping out with breakfast early in the morning. I wonder if he really managed to rest. While I was thinking that, the employees entered the cafeteria one after another. Before long, it was already time for breakfast. ¡°¡ªAnd that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] The boss is acting casually, but he just said something really crazy just now. ¡°In other words, you¡¯re planning to enter multiple industries?¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s necessary in order to prepare for my objective of ¡®going back to the Great Shurus Forest¡¯, and necessary in order to deepen my knowledge and research new technologies¡­ You could say it¡¯s an investment toward myself, but yes, in the end, I will be dipping my toe in multiple industries.¡± [Ryouma] I understand what the boss is getting at¡­ Even if it is to ¡®prepare for a journey¡¯. Unlike other people, the boss can use dimension magic, so he can carry more things than other people and is also able to sleep at ease in the night. But I hear there are many situations during adventurer work where he¡¯s not able to resupply and has to rely on his own abilities. And the boss is also planning on going to one of the top 5 most dangerous regions in the country. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if he found himself in a situation where he had to conserve mana or couldn¡¯t use magic. If he finds himself in such a situation, then it wouldn¡¯t do if he couldn¡¯t do anything without magic. I¡¯m sure he also wants to be able to rest his mind and body as much as possible during his journey. If so, then he¡¯ll likely want to be able to take better camping tools and preserved food with him. I myself have experienced having to camp outside and eat stale food when I traveled here for the first time. I recall being really tired when I finally arrived. It¡¯s not just adventurers. When people who aren¡¯t used to traveling travel, they have a hard time even when escorted by guards. I know that by experience. I think any adventurer who travels and camps out regularly would want better accommodations if they had the coin to spare. But while that might be true, would any adventurer go so far as to start researching into ¡®making preserved foods¡¯? ¡­Other than this person in front of me, is there really anyone who would go so far? Moreover, what the boss wants to do isn¡¯t just limited to preserved food. The ¡®scope¡¯ of his plans, the people to talk to and the groundwork necessary, as well as the investment needed¡­ It seems he discussed all of those last night. What¡¯s more is that the guild master apparently wrote to the guild masters of the other guilds too, and that the boss would also be participating in the guild master meeting three days later¡­ As usual, the boss says some crazy things so casually. ¡°Psst, assistant-manager? Just how much of that was true? It sounded a little too unbelievable for me.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°All of it. The boss meant everything he said.¡± [Carm] The others were a little shocked too, but it was the boss after all, so they came to terms with it very quickly. Only Yurdum-san, who¡¯s new, found the boss¡¯s story unbelievable, and had to confirm with me. ¡­But that¡¯s only natural. It¡¯s only natural to be in disbelief. In the first place, it¡¯s not normally so easy to meet the guild master just by barging into the guild. Not to mention talking late into the night. It¡¯s a really busy job, so sparing so much time for a person is normally impossible. If it were a big time merchant like Serge-sama, then perhaps the guild might still accommodate him. Or in the case of an emergency, perhaps even other merchants would be accommodated. But in most cases, someone lower in the hierarchy would hear the merchant out, get confirmation, and then get the more specific details on another day. Getting an audience immediately is normally impossible. But considering the influx of laborers, and the number of problems pestering the town, perhaps it¡¯s not so strange after all. ¡°Are you doing this to provide work for the laborers?¡± [Carm] Chapter 214.2 - Carm’s Worries I (2/4) Chapter 214: Carm¡¯s Worries I (2/4) You too? Serge-san and Grisiera-san told me the same thing, but that¡¯s not really a matter for an individual like me to think about. This is an investment toward myself and my future, no more no less. Of course, the laborers will get to work too as a result. I won¡¯t deny that.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s what he says, but his ¡®for my own sake¡¯ isn¡¯t really that believable. He said the same thing when he opened this laundromat. He said that it was to serve as an insurance in case his adventurer work went awry, but in the end, he¡¯s more concerned with his employees and slimes¡¯ wellbeing and work environment than he is with the store¡¯s profits. Because of that all the employees here including me are very satisfied with our job and morale is also very high, but even after us the ones he¡¯s most concerned with next are the customers. As for himself? There¡¯s probably two or three more after the customers before he even has a thought to spare. Serge-sama told me to be careful about that part regarding him when I was introduced to this store for the first time, but I¡¯m sure even if Serge-sama didn¡¯t say anything that I would have still become concerned. The boss is ¡®too good of a person¡¯. As a person, that¡¯s a virtue, but as a merchant, it¡¯s a cause for anxiety. I believe it was because of that that me and my older sister were dispatched here in the first place ¨C to compensate for his kindness and support him. That¡¯s just how kind the boss is. ¡°It is true that there are a lot of things I have to prepare.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re going to a dangerous place, so you need to prepare properly.¡± [Fina] He¡¯s not wrong, but to me it sounds like he¡¯s just looking for an excuse to provide work to the laborers. In fact, the other employees seem to think so too. No one¡¯s saying anything, but I¡¯m sure no one believes the boss when he says that he¡¯s doing this just for himself. At most, the newest employee, Yurdum-san, is unsure if the boss is really serious, but that can¡¯t be helped. The investment needed to enter a new industry is no laughing matter, but if the risk was too high, then I¡¯m sure Serge-sama and the guild master would have stopped him. If they decided that it¡¯s something they ¡®could keep talking about¡¯, then the boss¡¯ idea must have that much value behind it, and is not just a mad gamble at the market. I¡¯ll just do what I can and do my best managing the store here. And then in the future¡ª ¡°Ah, by the way, Boss. You asked me before to investigate the laundromats that tried to imitate us. I would like to give my report on that assignment.¡± [Carm] ¡°Come to think of it, I did ask you to look into that before leaving. Well, alright. Let¡¯s hear it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. 90% of the stores have already been closed. They didn¡¯t have any cleaner slimes, so they had to rely on people to do the laundry. Moreover, they also couldn¡¯t keep up with us in terms of speed and quality, but I think the biggest culprit why they had to close down was because they couldn¡¯t compete with us in price. That being said, there is still a store that¡¯s continuing to operate.¡± [Carm] ¡°Oh? What kind of store is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In the western part of Gimuru, in the Craftsman District, there is a former workshop that is also a house that now serves as a store. It¡¯s run by a family of three ¨C a mother, a young son, and a young daughter.¡± [Carm] ¡°Are they making money?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all. But the husband who passed away last year was really popular, so their neighbors are supporting them, and they¡¯re somehow able to get by.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see¡­ This is the eastern part of the town, so it¡¯ll probably be much easier on the customers from the western side if we were to put up a branch store there. If my memory serves me right, there are many braggarts among the customers from there. It¡¯s not a bad location, but it would be reassuring if we could cooperate with someone trustworthy to the locals. But I¡¯m sure they too have their circumstances. Just talking among ourselves won¡¯t do. It looks like we¡¯ll have to meet them to discuss the takeover and the consolidation of the management.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. This task is too heavy for a representative to handle. Moreover, there are also people who find such actions rude, so I suggest you do this yourself, Boss. Of course, I¡¯ll help out with the preparations too. I could also accompany you and help with the details of the contract.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. Can you tell me about the process and etiquettes of a take over?¡¡I don¡¯t have any experience with such matters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please don¡¯t worry, I understand that very well. But for the meantime, let¡¯s finish our meal first.¡± [Carm] Like that we finished our breakfast, and then moved to the office at the store. Explaining the process of the take over, preparing the necessary documents, contacting the other party, and finishing the stockpiled paperwork¡­ It took us an entire day to finish all of that. ¡­To be honest, this issue isn¡¯t so important that we had to finish everything in one day, but the boss looked like he was about to do everything on his own again. You can always count on the boss to surpass expectations. There¡¯s that conversation of his with Serge-sama too. Sigh, he really is just that sort of person. The sort who racks his head, trying to bring everything toward a good direction, only to end up making more work for himself. Chapter 214.3 - Carm’s Worries I (3/3) ¡°Assistant-Manager.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Huh!?¡¡Ah, Yurdum-san. You startled me.¡± [Carm] ¡°I knocked. Something on your mind?¡¡Did the boss go back already?¡¡Shelma-san asked me to bring some sweets and tea for you two.¡± [Yurdum ¡°He left already since the work was done. He said he¡¯d go back home properly this time.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. Can I have the leftover tea and sweets then?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Go ahead. It would be a waste to just throw them away, after all.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± [Yurdum] As he said that he started digging in. His actions could be regarded as frivolous, but it wasn¡¯t offensive. ¡°By the way, did he really finish the job?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. Is something the matter?¡± [Carm] ¡°Normally, a child wouldn¡¯t be able to handle that kind of paperwork. At the very least, it would have been impossible for me when I was at his age. Sitting down somewhere and studying was a big enough pain as is.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, that¡¯s what you meant.¡± [Carm] ¡­Come to think of it, where did the boss learn how to do paperwork? He has asked me to teach him how to do paperwork before, but it was regarding the official documents to be submitted to the guild, so it felt more like he was simply ¡®not used to the style here¡¯, and in truth was very used to doing paperwork. In fact, he seemed to be a veteran at it. ¡°I was also just starting to study how to do paperwork when at I was the boss¡¯s age. Perhaps it¡¯s possible depending on the person?¡± [Carm] In my case, it was more like I was just helping out, and the work I was doing was less than half a person¡¯s share, but considering the things that the boss has done until now, I feel like it only makes sense that he can do this much. ¡°I know there are children with talents beyond their age in a certain field, but the boss is different. How do I put it? He doesn¡¯t feel like a child at all.¡± [Yurdum] He suddenly made his face look serious as he asked me for my thoughts. I couldn¡¯t help but slip a chuckle at that. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± [Carm] ¡°Right?¡¡Well, that¡¯s fine and all, but there¡¯s something bothering me.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Something bothering you?¡¡What is it?¡± [Carm] ¡°It would be great if it¡¯s just my imagination, but don¡¯t you think that boss is really tense?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Tense?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. Especially, when we met for the first time. He was really tense. I¡¯d heard that he was a gentle person, so I couldn¡¯t believe it was the same person. Today it feels like he¡¯s hiding that tenseness and is forcing himself to act cheerful.¡± [Yurdum] I see¡­ ¡°Do you have an idea why he might be feeling like that?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think he was being overly tense or forcing himself to be cheerful, but he did seem more focused in his work than usual. Or rather it felt like he was trying to get it done quickly. Though that could also partly be because it¡¯s going to get even more busy from here on.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t really get it myself, but didn¡¯t he go to meet the president of the Morgan Company?¡¡It seems he mainly wanted to confirm his safety, so why did it end up with him starting a new business?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Right, if you¡¯re not used to his antics, no, even if you¡¯re used to his antics, you might still find it weird, but sometimes, the boss suddenly takes a huge leap in thinking like that or outright skips a process.¡± [Carm] ¡°Is that the so-called temperament of a genius?¡¡But in that case, won¡¯t it be difficult talking to him?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°At first, a little, and there have been times when I¡¯ve been overwhelmed by him too, but if you ask him one at a time how he ¡®arrived to that conclusion¡¯, he¡¯ll answer properly, so it¡¯s not that troublesome. Besides, it¡¯s a common peculiarity as far as researchers go. I can¡¯t talk about this so loudly, but the boss is a lot easier to talk to than the researchers I had to deal with in my previous workplace. At least, he answers properly when you ask him.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ahh, those kind of people are a thing, aren¡¯t they? They rattle on and on, and then wonder why you can¡¯t understand them.¡¡When you take that into consideration, I guess the boss really is generous.¡± [Yurdum] Oh?¡¡He seems rather familiar with those people¡­ ¡°Yurdum-san, do you know someone like that?¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh?¡¡Ha ha, I¡¯ve gone to all sorts of places in my quest to test my strength, so I¡¯ve gotten to meet all sorts of people. People like that aren¡¯t bad per se, but they sure are a pain.¡± [Yurdum] We both shared a laugh at that. ¡°But speaking of which¡­¡± [Carm] ¡°Hmm?¡¡What is it?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You were talking about how the boss was ¡®tense¡¯ and about how he ¡®doesn¡¯t act like a child¡¯, right?¡¡I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s related, but¡­ The boss has a habit of immediately looking for an ¡®answer¡¯ whenever there¡¯s a ¡®problem¡¯.¡± [Carm] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°How to put it? He doesn¡¯t cry like a kid or he¡¯s quick to adapt¡­ Hmm¡­ Explaining it is a bit difficult.¡± [CArm] While I was racking my head how to explain, Yurdum-san patiently waited. He¡¯s really diligent when it comes to things like this despite seeming so flippant all the time. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ For example, earlier, you were asking about how he ended up wanting to start a new business when he just wanted to make sure that his friend was safe, right? But if you consider it from the perspective of a ¡®merchant¡¯ and think about the profits, don¡¯t you think his actions make perfect sense?¡± [Carm] ¡°Why is that?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Bluntly put, no matter how much you tell someone how worried you were about them, it won¡¯t amount to a single copper.¡± [Carm] ¡°That really is blunt!¡± [Yurdum] Of course, having someone so concerned about your wellbeing is something to be grateful about regardless if you look at it from the perspective of a normal person or a merchant. ¡°But the damages incurred from the fire ranging from the goods to the structures, the sales lost due to the store needing to be closed to deal with the aftermath, the increased security to prevent another arson¡­ etc. All of that costs money. Because of that there¡¯s no point in prattling on endlessly about the safety of the personnel or the security. All the more so when the company has already dealt with the problem; hence, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that the only remaining problem is the financial burden. If you look at just that one ¡®practical aspect¡¯, then talking about something that could turn over a profit is far more valuable than 10,000 words of concern. As a manager myself, I would be grateful.¡± [Carm] According to the boss, his source of funds would be the large sum he inherited from his grandfather and grandmother. And the plan for his new business would involve a slime goods factory to be built in collaboration with the Morgan Company. So wouldn¡¯t that mean that he would also be supplying funds to the Morgan Company? Serge-sama isn¡¯t the kind of manager to lurch just because of one arson, but that¡¯s another story. Having extra funds to cover his unexpected loss should still be a huge help to him. Moreover, even if this investment were to be considered a loan, the boss isn¡¯t someone who would force a takeover. Seriously, you couldn¡¯t ask for a better lender. What¡¯s more is if a factory to produce popular goods could be successfully put up, then that should also open up another source of income in the future. ¡°I see. A child would cry when given a problem, but crying alone won¡¯t change anything, so instead he thinks up a solution immediately. In that sense the boss is a very practical and rational person. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± [Yurdum] Looks like he understands. ¡°He¡¯s a strange person who always gets involved with slimes and who possesses mysterious knowledge, but the way he immediately sets off to look for an answer when presented with a problem, as well as his diligence in his work, is very reassuring¡­ Even if he does look like a child. As for the parts he lacks, that¡¯s for me and the others to compensate.¡± [Carm] ¡°You really trust him.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°He does have a habit of becoming absorbed with something and burying himself in work, though. That¡¯s definitely something to worry about.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s something I¡¯ll probably never understand. After all, I¡¯m someone who wants to do his job with the least effort needed¡­ Oh, right. Thanks for telling me something so interesting. I¡¯ll go back to my post now.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, yes, please take care.¡± [Carm] But before I could even say that, he¡¯d already taken the tea cups and the plates of sweets and left the room. ¡°He sure licked those plates clean.¡± [Carm] Hmm¡­ Yurdum thinks the boss is tense, huh. That¡¯s worrying. That man surprisingly has a habit of watching people, so he¡¯s rather sensitive to them. There¡¯s also something I¡¯m worried about a little. I better pay more attention to the boss. Chapter 215 - Carm’s Worries II (1/5) Chapter 215: Carm¡¯s Worries II (1/5) Side Carm Norad The next day. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] The boss arrived at his usual time today. He doesn¡¯t seem tense to me, but he¡¯s so cheerful it¡¯s concerning. ¡°Good morning, Boss. Did you go home properly yesterday and get a good night¡¯s rest?¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh?¡¡Ah, yeah. More or less.¡± [Ryouma] He paused for a moment there, didn¡¯t he? ¡°Boss?¡¡Did you rest properly?¡± [Carm] ¡°I went back home properly and got some sleep. But the slimes evolved as soon as I came back, so I stayed up late.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Again? Please keep your all-nighters in moderation.¡± [Carm] I¡¯m fine. It won¡¯t get in the way of my work, and all these evolutions should end soon. I got a lot of garbage from the villagers of Fatma Territory, so the slimes were able to get a lot of nutrients and evolve. Ah, by the way, two types evolved last night. Both were sticky slimes who evolved after eating ¡®water spiders¡¯. One of them became a spider slime with the skills ¡®Build Nest¡¯ and ¡®Capture¡¯, so I guess the water spiders really are spiders. I thought they were crabs, but¡­ I guess it¡¯s a trivial matter. The other slime evolved into a ¡®Crust Slime¡¯ with the skill ¡®Mold Shell¡¯. Their abilities and appearance aren¡¯t any different from the normal sticky slimes, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, by the way, Boss. The laundromat we were talking about before replied.¡± [Carm] ¡°¡ªAh, already?¡¡Didn¡¯t we just contact them yesterday? I thought they¡¯d take more time to respond.¡± [Ryouma] I feel bad cutting him when he¡¯s so happily talking, but there¡¯s no telling when the conversation will end when the topic is about slimes, so I distracted him by showing him the letter that arrived first thing this morning. I don¡¯t really mind talking to the boss about slimes during break time, but we¡¯re in the middle of opening the store right now. It won¡¯t look good to the rest of the employees if both the boss and the assistant-manager are slacking. Of course, the boss himself understands that and he¡¯s also generally a diligent person, so that¡¯s not really a problem¡­ Oh? ¡°Hmm¡­ This letter says I can visit their store anytime. Should I take that at face value and drop by today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can I see that letter?¡± [Carm] I got the letter from the boss and looked through it¡­ I see. ¡°It does say that you can visit them, so I think it should be fine to drop by as long as it¡¯s not at a busy time.¡± [Carm] ¡°I see. In that case, I¡¯ll drop by around noon after lunch. I want to wear something proper, and I don¡¯t want to intrude on them during their break time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. In that case, I¡¯ll go get ready too.¡± [Carm] While I was saying that, my eyes happened to fall onto the boss¡¯s arms. ¡°It¡¯s rare to see you wearing something like that. Is that a bracelet?¡± [Carm] The boss normally isn¡¯t one to wear accessories. In fact, I¡¯ve never really seen him wearing one. Depending on one¡¯s customs, a person might wear certain things regardless of age or gender, but I¡¯ve never heard anything of the sort from him. But today the boss had a metallic rope wrapped around his left arm that¡¯s connected at both ends with a clasp decorated with embellished stones ¨C in other words, a bracelet-like object was wrapped around his left arm. ¡°You mean this?¡¡Fu fu fu, does it look like that to you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Am I wrong?¡± [Carm] ¡°No, I made it look like that, so you¡¯re not wrong, but this is actually a slime. The wire slime that evolved at Fatma Territory could turn itself into a thread-like object by stretching its body. I figured it might be possible to combine it with some stones to make it look like an accessory, so I gave it a shot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Carm] Is there any point in turning a slime into an accessory? That simple question popped up in my mind, but I hesitated to voice it out seeing how happy the boss was. In the end, I didn¡¯t say anything, and just looked for a good timing to end our conversation and went back to work. After lunch and after having readied myself to go with the boss¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you, Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to me!¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san ended up going with us too. I was internally surprised when I found out that the boss had asked him to escort us himself. As for why I found that surprising, that¡¯s because the boss normally doesn¡¯t bring any guards with him. I know now that the boss is an adventurer and is quite powerful himself, but when I first met the boss, he really struck me as a mature child, so when people were starting to get jealous of our store and started to cause disturbances, I repeatedly advised him to have some guards with him. The boss normally listens to me and my older sister, but¡­ ¡®I can protect myself¡¯, ¡®I¡¯ll protect my own body¡¯, ¡®It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡¯ Is what he¡¯d gently tell us while firmly rejecting the notion of having any guards. The one exception was when he went to visit the duke and he needed Fei-san to accompany him out of formality¡¯s sake. That was really the one exception. Even though the store is armed to the teeth with Fei-san, Leelin-san, Dolce-kun, and Ox-san to prevent anything from happening to the employees, he¡¯s completely unconcerned when it comes to himself. Though perhaps that¡¯s also because a half-baked guard would only hinder him¡­ ¡°Carm-san, is something the matter?¡¡I feel like you¡¯ve been staring at me since awhile ago.¡± [Ryouma] It seems I¡¯ve been staring at him unconsciously. ¡°I was just thinking how strange it was for you to ask for an escort.¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh?¡¡¡­Come to think of it, you and Carla-san did advise me many times to have some with me.¡± [Ryouma] So he does remember our advice. It looks like he¡¯s also a little embarrassed for not listening to us since he awkwardly averted his eyes when he said that. ¡°I¡¯m not mad about that, Boss. After all, I understand now just how strong you are. I¡¯m just curious why you suddenly decided to have Yurdum-san accompany you today.¡± [Carm] Chapter 215.2 - Carm’s Worries II (2/3) Chapter 215: Carm¡¯s Worries II (2/3) ¡°I hear it¡¯s been dangerous lately, and something also seems to have happened this morning, as I saw some suspects being taken in, and these clothes (suit) also aren¡¯t really fit for moving around in, so¡­ Ah, but I guess I could make a suit out of beast hide or some other material that¡¯s easy to move in for later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A formalwear you can move around in easily? I don¡¯t know about a formalwear meant for combat, but just something that¡¯s easy to move around in should have plenty of demand. After all, even normal clothes are best when they¡¯re easy to move around in.¡± [Carm] Come to think of it, when the boss goes to town from the northern mines, he has to pass through the northern gates. If I recall correctly, there should be a guardroom and a jail in that area. If so, then it makes perfect sense that he¡¯d end up spotting some people being taken in, so he should have already seen something similar happening before¡­ And besides, is having clothes difficult to move in really enough to get him to bring an escort? ¡°For example, even just the joints¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, there¡¯s this place I went to before¡ª¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There¡¯s a beast hide and a plant like that!?¡¡There really are all sorts of monsters, aren¡¯t there? In that case¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡­Umm, Boss, could you not suddenly start talking about clothes that are easy to move in with Yurdum-san? ¡°As expected of you, Boss, coming up with an idea just like that from a casual conversation¡­ I¡¯m impressed by your imagination, but you don¡¯t need to spill all of your ideas, you know?¡± [Carm] ¡°Ah, sorry. Let¡¯s talk again later, Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay.¡± [Yurdum] Good grief, sometimes I don¡¯t know if the boss has the spirit of an artisan or a researcher. It might just be an idea now, but it might turn into a huge profit later. And as a merchant, I couldn¡¯t just watch the boss spill his ideas for everyone to hear while he walked through town. I¡¯ve always thought that Serge-sama and the guild master were overprotective of the boss, but when he does things like this I can¡¯t help but worry too. While I was thinking that, I followed after the two, who spoke about idle topics like the surrounding stores or the buildings in the city. And then¡ª ¡°¡­Umm, Carm-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes?¡± [Carm] ¡°That¡¯s the store we¡¯re supposed to be visiting, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Should be¡­¡± [Carm] When we entered the street where the store was supposed to be, we stopped walking. There was a crowd of people gathered just a few steps away from the store. What¡¯s more was that this crowd was made up of well-statured young men carrying squared timbers and hammers. There was a dangerous atmosphere about them that suggested they weren¡¯t customers. ¡°No matter how you look at it, they don¡¯t look peaceful. What now, Boss?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Well, they¡¯ve already noticed us, and even if we change the date, unless we talk to them, we won¡¯t know when it¡¯s convenient or not. If things turn for the worse, I¡¯ll be counting on you, Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] The boss said with a firm voice, then he brazenly approached the crowd. As we approached the crowd, ascertaining gazes fell upon us. ¡°Good day. If you don¡¯t mind my asking, did something happen here?¡± [Ryouma] When we were about a horse¡¯s distance away, the boss spoke. The crowd became a little noisy at that, and one of the men replied. ¡°Nothing you¡¯d need to be concerned about.¡± [Man] ¡­There¡¯s no way that¡¯s true. ¡°I see. In that case, can you let us pass?¡¡We have business with that store over there.¡± [Ryouma] The moment the boss said that, the countenance of the man changed from displeasure to anger. ¡°You have business with this store? What business?¡± [Man] ¡°Umm, are you related to the store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Who gives a damn if I¡¯m related or not!¡± [Man] ¡°It actually matters, though.¡± [Ryouma] The boss¡¯s attitude finally got to the man, and he approached the boss while glaring at him. But¡­ ¡°We¡¯ve come here to talk with the owner of that store. We have no obligation to reveal the details to outsiders. Such actions would only hurt our reputation as merchants; hence, it¡¯s only natural to first confirm whether you¡¯re related or not. In the first place, we¡¯ve already sent a letter to the owner of that store and have contacted them prior. If you aren¡¯t related, then I will have to ask you to stand back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­!¡± [Man] The man couldn¡¯t find the words to refute with and stood there silent for a while, but after a few seconds¡­ ¡°Tch! I knew it!¡¡You¡¯re land sharks who want to use some weird contract to get the store!¡± [Man] ¡°¡­Hah?¡± [Ryouma] Just what is this guy saying all of the sudden? ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d bring a kid with you, but if you¡¯re land sharks, then it makes perfect sense why this brat is so gutsy.¡± [Man] ¡°No, that¡¯s just the boss¡ª¡± [Carm] ¡°Don¡¯t try to give me your lip service!¡¡We know a letter was sent to this store wanting to purchase it!¡± [Man] ¡°That¡¯s!¡± [Carm] It¡¯s true that we sent a letter yesterday to buy the store, but we¡¯re not land sharks. The main point of that letter was to make our services more convenient for customers. It would also be possible to reduce the burden on each branch by distributing the customers to multiple branches. The condition we gave was the purchase of the owner¡¯s current store and workshop. Just the workshop alone was fine too. Everything was negotiable and after the purchase, if the other party was interested, we could hire them and they could keep working. We didn¡¯t ask them to leave their current address. The main difference before and after the acquisition would only be the work, as there would be a need to consolidate with the Bamboo Forest¡¯s way of doing things. Despite that we intended to minimize the change in the chain of command. We wrote all of this in the letter. We¡¯re not trying to drive away the family from their home. In fact, we even think it would be best if they could continue working, so there¡¯s no reason for them to treat us like this¡­ Chapter 215.3 - Carm’s Worries II (3/3) ¡°Like hell we will! That¡¯s exactly how you people swindle others out of their money and house!¡± [Man] ¡°Yeah! Yeah!!¡± [Crowd 1] ¡°It¡¯s because of you people that people have been driven out of their houses!¡± ¡°And you¡¯ve been pestering this store to sell its land for a while now too!¡± The angry bellows of the first man was the impetus that drove the other men to also bellow angrily. People driven away from their houses?¡¡Pestering the store to sell its land? ¡°Carm-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss. I¡¯m probably thinking the same thing as you.¡± [Carm] ¡°They¡¯ve obviously mistaken us for someone else.¡± [Yurdum] Various problems have been occurring in town recently, and it seems this part of town is no exception. But while the criminals they¡¯re talking about might be active around here, we have nothing to do with them. ¡°I more or less understand what you¡¯re saying, but we¡¯re not responsible for those crimes. We are from the laundromat at the eastern part of Gimuru, Bamboo Forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The owner of that store has also replied to our letter, saying that we could drop by anytime.¡± [Carm] We firmly denied their previous accusations, and after the boss gave the name of our store, I explained to them that the store owner here has also replied to our letter. ¡°Bamboo Forest? Isn¡¯t that that store?¡± [Crowd 1] ¡°Yeah, our workshop enlists their services too.¡± [Crowd 2] ¡°The madam replied?¡± [Crowd 3] ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s a rumor going around that that the owner of that store is a kid¡­ Huh?¡¡Seriously?¡± [Crowd 4] Looks like there are people who know about our store. As voices raised from the crowd, the hostility toward us lessened, but¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t let them fool you!!¡± [Man] That man from before yelled again. ¡°Some land sharks misrepresent themselves to be from a real store, wanting to discuss a deal, when in fact they¡¯re just greedy to grab some land!¡± [Man] ¡°Y-Yeah!¡± [Crowd 1] ¡°But that store seems to be making a killing, though.¡± [Crowd 2] ¡°Right?¡¡You could at least let them talk.¡± [Crowd 3] ¡°Fool!¡¡Remember!¡¡Just how many people have been swindled because they were willing to lend an ear!?¡¡Even the guild refused to do anything when a contract was involved!¡¡At this rate, the madam and her children will be left out in the cold without any way to feed themselves!¡¡Can you guys still face the boss with that!?¡± [Man] The faces of the people gathered grew darker with every word the man spoke. Perhaps, some of these people have also been swindled before. The guild not intervening is a bit concerning, though. ¡°You might be a child, but if you¡¯re going to lay your hand on this store, I¡¯m not going to show you any mercy!¡¡I¡¯ll beat you up so you never feel like starting anything here again!¡± [Man] This is bad. They¡¯re not listening to us at all. ¡°¡­even though¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡Boss¡ª!?¡± [Carm] I couldn¡¯t quick pick up what the boss was muttering, but when I turned to him, I was shocked by his eyes. From time to time, the boss would become depressed because he remembered something, but I¡¯ve never felt anything this dark and heavy before. ¡°Boss?¡¡Is something the matter?¡± [Carm] ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just that when I see this situation like this, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed¡­ Of course, I¡¯m sure everyone has their fair share of troubles, but¡­ Like this, what¡¯s the difference between the townspeople and thugs?¡± [Ryouma] There was a deep dejection and disappointment mixed in with those words. Well, I do understand why he feels that way. In fact, I agree with him, but¡­ ¡°What was that, you little brat!?¡± [Man] Saying that here is like pouring oil into the flames. Yurdum immediately rushed forward¡ª ¡°!?¡¡Are you sure?¡± [Yurdum] ¡ªBut the boss stopped him. ¡°This is merely the result of me giving voice to my own thoughts, so it¡¯s only right that the one to deal with this also be me. You just protect Carm-san, Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Understood.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You¡¯ve got guts kid.¡± [Man] ¡°Because I haven¡¯t said anything wrong, so there¡¯s nothing to correct either. There¡¯s no need for it.¡± [Ryouma] The atmosphere grew even worse because of that, but the boss didn¡¯t stop. ¡°A group of adults gathered together, then started showing off their weapons and even threatened people with their loud voices. They refuse to talk properly, and they won¡¯t even try. So I wondered to myself, just how are these people different from the thugs that cause trouble throughout town?¡¡The thought came up, so I said it. Is there something wrong with what I said?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°T-This little brat¡­¡± [Man] Boss, I agree with you, but you don¡¯t have to say it over and over. He might be talking politely, he even appears uninterested, but his words are sharp. ¡°Yurdum, I think I get it now. That tension you were talking about yesterday.¡± [Carm] ¡°Great, so how do you deal with it?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know. He usually just brushes off anything you tell him with a smile. This is my first time seeing him like this.¡± [Carm] We should probably pull him out of this situation by force if we have to¡ª ¡°By the way, is the person by that door the owner of the store?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡± [Crowd] ¡°Ah¡­!¡± [Carm] I was so preoccupied with the boss and the man that I didn¡¯t notice her at all. The door to the store the men were crowding had opened a little, and a young woman could be seen peeking. She¡¯s probably the owner of the store. ¡°W-What are you doing, Madam!? Please go back inside!¡± [Man] ¡°Umm¡­ I¡­¡± [Owner] ¡°Can we ta¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t butt in when people are talking!¡± [Man] ¡°Do you mind if we talked?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry!¡¡I¡¯ll protect you and your children!¡± [Man] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Owner] The owner of the store glanced alternatingly between us and the crowd of men. All the while, the noisy man desperately called out to the perplexed owner. ¡°¡­Sorry.¡± [Owner] In the end, the owner went back inside her store. At that, the boss looked at us. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡± [Ryouma] Uhh, what happened to the earlier exchange? Suddenly, the boss wanted to go back as if he had lost all interest all of the sudden. Even the man picking a fight with him was confused by his sudden change. ¡°Huh, ah?¡¡Hey!¡± [Man] ¡°Ah, my apologies for intruding. We¡¯ve already ascertained the intentions of the owner, so we will be taking our leave now. We probably won¡¯t be coming back here again, but if you still have any complaints, then please schedule an appointment through one of my employees.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Appoi¡ª What?¡± ¡°Ah, excuse me, it means to promise a meeting. I won¡¯t run away or hide. You can even bring that thing in your hands with you, I don¡¯t mind. But if you try to scare my employees or my customers, if you try to hurt them, know that I will be dealing with you and thoroughly.¡± [Ryouma] There was a quiet but overbearing power hidden behind those words. ¡°Yurdum-san, let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Yurdum] Fortunately, the boss was just walking leisurely, so it was easy to catch up to him. ¡°Boss. What happened all of the sudden?¡± [Carm] ¡°Carm-san. I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯ll have to give up on acquiring that store¡­ It¡¯s already lost its appeal. We¡¯ll have to search for another store or simply put up another branch.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I agree, but there¡¯s also no need to rush it. Let¡¯s think this through again from the start.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­With that the boss went completely silent. One of the boss¡¯s bad habits is that he tends to think too much, but considering how sharply he dealt with that situation earlier, it might be worse this time around. I can understand why the boss is angry, but normally, the boss just lets those things pass. He¡¯s not ignoring the things he normally ignores? Is that proof that he¡¯s been driven into a corner? ¡°Boss. You seem really tense. Is everything alright?¡± [Carm] The boss wordlessly denied being tense, then after reflecting on it a bit, sighed and then spoke. ¡°I see. It seems I have been a bit too tense.¡± [Ryouma] He acknowledged it. ¡°If there¡¯s something on your mind, I can lend you an ear.¡± [Carm] ¡°It¡¯s not a problem right now. I just wanted to be careful. And this might sound like I¡¯m talking badly about someone behind their back, but if for example, the store didn¡¯t have Carm-san but that woman instead, I wouldn¡¯t feel safe leaving the store to her.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I completely agree with you. Putting it mildly, just as the information we¡¯ve gathered says, her store is only able to continue to exist because of the support of the people around her.¡± [Carm] The boss nodded. It seems we share the same opinion here. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m rarely in the store, but as the owner of my store and the person above my employees, I believe it is my duty to ensure the stability of the store¡¯s operation as well as the safety of the employees.¡± [Ryouma] It seems the boss believes that I¡¯m capable of making that happen whereas that woman can¡¯t. This is probably what he means by ¡®being able to entrust the store¡¯ to me. ¡°But unforeseen and unreasonable things happen when they¡¯re least expected. Regardless how careful one might be, as long as we¡¯re humans, the word absolute doesn¡¯t exist¡­ It takes only a moment for us to lose something. A moment of thoughtlessness, a moment of carelessness, just one moment to lose something important forever¡­ That¡¯s not an uncommon story either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Carm] Words that sound like they belong to an old man with a wealth of experience. The boss naturally said such words and then wryly smiled. ¡°In order to avoid the unexpected as much as possible, we need to take extra care, or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking, and before I knew it I¡¯d ended up more tense than usual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you really can¡¯t calm down with the town like this?¡± [Carm] ¡°I can¡¯t refute that, but this is an issue with my personality. You, me, the townspeople¡­ We can all feel the worsening public order and we¡¯re all trying to deal with it in our own way. I¡¯m not doubting the effort made by the authorities or by other people, but no matter how many measures are taken, there are still people who think ¡®it¡¯s not enough¡¯, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [Carm] ¡°I want to be careful too, or rather, thinking like that is simply a part of my personality, so I¡¯ll have to rely on your continued support from here on out too.¡± [Ryouma] The boss said with the smile of someone who¡¯s just pranked someone. There was no point in telling me that after all this time. ¡°But of course. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± [Carm] When I said that, the boss smiled again and said, ¡°I see,¡± then continued walking back to the store. That heavy atmosphere from before was gone from his back, and his stride seemed a little lighter. Chapter 216.1 - Reflection and Invitation (1/2) ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] Although there was nothing waking me up, I opened my eyes as usual, and just as usual, I prepared food for the slimes and myself. After that I readied myself and left for work. Or at least, I was about to when I realized that there was still some time left, so as usual, I made an idol for the gods until then. This has been my morning routine recently. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve been depressed ever since that day I screwed up at the Craftsman District. Perhaps one saving grace is that I at least realized that ¡®I was being tense¡¯. When I think back to it, Sereriputa¡¯s words come to mind. ¡®It¡¯ll get noisy around you in the near future, so do your best.¡¯ When he mentioned ¡®in the near future¡¯, perhaps he was referring to my return to Gimuru from Fatma Territory. He said it would get noisy around me, and Gimuru¡¯s public order has indeed worsened. He is a god of this world, after all, so he might have already known then what was happening to this town. I do wish he¡¯d been clearer, but he doesn¡¯t really strike me as the type to provide information for no reason. Just the fact that he gave me a tip could be considered kindness on his part. But still, why is my heart so rattled? When I thought about it calmly, I realized what the reason behind that was. ¡®The current atmosphere of Gimuru is just like the atmosphere back at my previous world and the company I worked at there.¡¯ Nothing about this world is similar, but somehow someway it reminds me of my previous world. It¡¯s almost as if everything until now has been nothing but a happy dream, and now I¡¯m finally waking up from it¡­ As if all that good luck is finally swinging back¡­ I can¡¯t really explain it well, but it¡¯s a kind of vague anxiety that feels like something like that. I trust my employees, but¡­ It¡¯s precisely because they¡¯re so helpful and so kind to me that I want a protect them. No matter how unlikely it is, the chance of losing them scares me. If this were just some groundless fear, then it wouldn¡¯t really matter, but¡­ Even these kind of thoughts have already become routine for me. And yet despite that I still can¡¯t find an answer. ¡°Sigh¡­ Ah, it¡¯s almost time.¡± Before long it was time for me to leave, so I picked myself and left. When I got to the store¡­ ¡°A letter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s from that laundromat from before.¡± [Carm] ¡°From that laundromat?¡± [Ryouma] When I arrived at the store, something to sour my mood was already waiting for me. ¡­Apparently that showed on my face, as Carm-san wore an apologetic face as he handed me the letter. I reflected over my actions as I opened the letter. ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, if it¡¯s okay with you, can I also see that letter?¡± [Carm] ¡°Sure. It¡¯s basically a letter of apology.¡± [Ryouma] The owner (mother) of the store wrote in the letter an apology for the events that transpired recently, as well as her thoughts regarding the matter and the men in front of the store. She also gave her reasons why she acted the way she did. ¡°What should we do?¡± [Carm] ¡°Nothing¡­ It¡¯s not like she¡¯s asking us to come again nor has she expressed her will to talk. We can just take her apology as is. More importantly, let¡¯s deal with the other issues we have.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Carm] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, I agree with you. It¡¯s just that normally you¡¯d probably just laugh the matter off and suggest to visit her again to talk. I just thought you ¡®weren¡¯t acting like yourself¡¯.¡± [Carm] ¡°Hmm¡­ It is true that I don¡¯t mind petty things, and I do in fact not think anything of that matter anymore, but I still don¡¯t feel like entrusting the store to her. Still, I understand your feelings. Thank you for your concern.¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s worried about my mental state. ¡°Are there any other letters or documents that have been delivered?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°These are the ones that have been delivered just now. This one was delivered by the guild master of the Merchant Guild, Grisiera-sama. This one from the guild master of the Tamer Guild, Taylor-sama¡­ But as for this envelope, no name has been given. A young boy adventurer did come to deliver it, though. I believe his name was Berk-kun?¡± [Carm] ¡°In that case, it must¡¯ve been sent by Revel-san, the person responsible for the slums. Let¡¯s see¡­ Ahh, that¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You seem happy.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes, there were some things we talked about, and it seems that they¡¯re heading in a good direction. Remember that slime garbage processing plant or that slime goods factory of the Morgan Company that I talked to you about before? This is a continuation of that. The processing plant of course, but even other related facilities require land, so we needed to figure out where to build them, and in the end, it was decided that we would be demolishing a portion of the slums.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that alright? What about the people living there?¡± [Carm] An obvious question, the answer to which is this letter. ¡°According to this letter, most of the structures in the slums are one-story houses. With only one floor and few rooms, they¡¯re no different from tightly packed sheds.¡± [Ryouma] What¡¯s more is that they¡¯re miserable shacks with cracked crumbling walls and rotten wood. They¡¯re barely able to keep standing thanks to the slum people repeatedly fixing them. ¡°If we were to build a two-story structure like this store there, we¡¯d easily be able to provide space for at least twice the amount of people that the current structures there can provide shelter for. And if we can¡¯t expand the store horizontally, we can just expand it vertically.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I suppose.¡± [Carm] ¡°I only needed about an hour to build this store with my magic and my slimes. I told them that and called out to the slum people with houses or lots. ¡®Is there anyone among you who would let me rebuild their house into a two-story house?,¡¯ I told them. Naturally, the people who would be living in it would be the owner. So I asked them, ¡®Would you be willing to let someone else use the free rooms?¡¯ Of course, under the premise of a lease.¡± [Ryouma] In this way, the owner would not only have a new house, but he¡¯d also have a source of income. ¡°To be honest, I thought it would be difficult too at first, but when I asked the guild master, she told me that so long as I properly compensated the people I was trying to evict, then the rest depended on negotiations. And when I actually discussed the topic with Revel-san, the slum people were much more favorable to the idea than expected. They said stuff like, ¡®We¡¯re poor, so we don¡¯t have a lot of belongings¡¯ ¡®We can move anytime.¡¯ ¡®When do you plan to start,¡¯ ¡­etc. Based on the documents they¡¯ve sent, it seems there are a lot of proactive people among them. It¡¯s actually really surprising.¡± [Ryouma] Naturally, it won¡¯t do to evict them unless they agree to our conditions and the whole matter is consensual. After all, if we end up being thought of as those illegal land grubbers, it would only end in tragedy for both parties. ¡°Anyhow, that¡¯s what we¡¯ve agreed upon. And Arnold-San, one of the bigwigs of the government office, did also ask me if I could readjust the slums, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] At this rate, I might as well suggest that we build a housing complex. Besides, I was always planning on building a dormitory for the employees of the factory and the garbage processing plant. I can also dismantle all of the buildings in one go with my magic and my slimes. As for the simple physical labor stuff like cleaning up the rubble, I could hire people to make the work more efficient, but¡­ At this point, isn¡¯t this already on the scale of a land readjustment project? What¡¯s more is that I will be putting up a lot of slime industrial facilities in the slums. In that case, it might just be fitting to call the slum district the slime district¡­ Yeah, that doesn¡¯t sound so bad. Chapter 216.2 - Reflection and Invitation (2/2) Chapter 216: Reflection and Invitation (2/2) ¡°¡ªSomething like that, I guess.¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get that last part, but either way, it¡¯s good that everything¡¯s going well, and you also seem to be having fun.¡± [Carm] Now that he mentions it¡­ There are some problems and things I¡¯m worried about, but yeah, it doesn¡¯t feel bad. When I think that, I feel like doing it all the more. ¡°Just make sure not to push yourself too much.¡± [Carm] Carm-san smiled and went back to his own work. After seeing him off, I went through the remaining letters and documents, and wrote my replies. Recently I¡¯ve started to think about how convenient emails are. The fastest way to discuss something is for everyone to meet up and talk, but everyone is so busy that the schedules just can¡¯t match. In that regard, letters that can be read at anytime is the most logical way to communicate. An evolution of that is email, which allows people to send and receive mails instantly. It¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve longed for a modern convenience¡­ As I continued my work, before I knew it, a lot of time had passed, and the setting sun was already upon me. Normally, I would take a break here until it was time to end the work day, but¡­ ¡°Boss~ You have a guest~¡± [Maria] ¡°Please let them in.¡± [Ryouma] The people visiting me were the florist, Pauline-san, and the butcher, Zeke-san. Their daughter, Leni, and their mischievous son, Rick, were with them. ¡°Hello, Ryouma-kun¡­¡± [Zeke] ¡°Zeke-san, is something the matter? You seem even more exhausted and thinner than usual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha¡­ It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve been really busy lately, but it¡¯s calmed down a little now, so I¡¯m fine. Once the winter gets into full swing, the number of spoils will go down too, and I have Pauline to help me.¡± [Zeke] ¡°It is winter, after all. I suppose there¡¯s not much to sell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Flowers can be made to bloom by force through magic, and there are those that bloom even in the winter, but those are a bit expensive. Customers don¡¯t really drop by the store even if I open. But enough of that, thank you once again for agreeing to look after our children.¡± [Pauline] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯ll be going with you, so my employees will be the ones taking care of them.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I glanced at Maria-san, who brought them here. ¡°Just leave it to us, Boss~ Back at the village, we were always the ones taking care of the small children.¡± [Maria] ¡°Thank you. You¡¯ve really helped us. Normally, it would¡¯ve been fine if it were just me or my husband, but¡­¡± [Pauline] ¡°They said that there had to be a representative for each store¡­¡± [Zeke] Three days ago we had a conversation. It was the day after my blunder at the Craftsman District, and a letter was delivered through the merchant guild. ¡°With the worsening of the public order of Gimuru, the stores have also been negatively affected. ¡®As such, let us, store owners, gather together, so that we can exchange information and work together to come up with a plan¡­¡¯ Or so it says. The sender is the Association of Mid-Sized Stores of Gimuru. Was this association put together just recently?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Probably. We¡¯ve never heard of them until now.¡± [Pauline] ¡°But it is true that a lot of problematic things have been happening recently. I¡¯m sure there are people who felt threatened by that and started raising their voices.¡± [Zeke] It¡¯s not unusual for managers to gather and hold an assembly. Of course, not just anyone can participate. There are conditions, but since they¡¯ve sent us a letter, I suppose that means we qualify. But when I inquired about them at the guild and found out that they didn¡¯t have any known history, I became wary. Still, just as these two say, it is true that the town hasn¡¯t been in good condition, and that it¡¯s possible that there are those who¡¯ve felt threatened by that, and as such have decided to call out to others. The person in charge at the guild also told me that during my inquiry. And so I figured that this too was me being needlessly apprehensive, and in fact, this was truly just a newly found association. ¡­Or so I thought. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] There were about 50 people. And as one might expect from store owners, it was a gathering of well-dressed people. The moment I entered the large meeting room at the merchant guild, I immediately thought to myself, ¡®this is bad.¡¯ I did have an interest in the contents of the meeting, and I did come, thinking that it would be a good idea to meet with other store owners from the same region, but the moment I entered the room, I felt like taking a u-turn and going home. In fact, I think I should go home right this instant. But while I was thinking that¡­ ¡°Ryouma? You came too?¡± [???] ¡°Huh?¡¡Ah, Darson-san!¡± [Ryouma] The person who called out to me was none other than Darson Tigger from the Tigger¡¯s Arms Store, who has always helped me out in my adventurer work. ¡°Darson-san, you came too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I am making quite a killing myself. These are?¡± [Darson] ¡°Oh, please do excuse me, this young man here is my assistant-manager and assistant, Carm-san. And this lovely married couple are my friendly store neighbors, Zeke-san and Pauline-san.¡± [Ryouma] I also introduced Darson-san to the three of them. There were many people who saw our introductions, and there was someone among those who¡¯s worked with Pauline-san before, and then there was another that the three of them were acquainted with, and before I knew it¡­ ¡°Hello, it¡¯s a pleasure to meet you. I¡¯ve heard so much about your store.¡± [Merchant 1] ¡°To be at such a young age and yet possess such an amazing store, you have my admiration! I¡¯ve always wanted to meet you!¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°I hear you¡¯re acquainted with the duke¡¯s family too.¡± [Merchant 3] ¡°What good luck to be able to meet you here.¡± [Merchant 4] ¡°We too would like to be acquainted.¡± [Merchant 5] ¡­I was at the center of the store owners. And then as I cheerfully dealt with them¡­ ¡°My apologies for having kept everyone. It is already time, so if it¡¯s alright, I would like to start this meeting.¡± [Man] ¡­A man entered the room and announced that. Looks like it¡¯s time for the meeting to start. Chapter 217 - The Rich Quibble Chapter 217: The Rich Quibble There was a platform and a blackboard at the front of the assembly, and then some tables and chairs in front of that. It¡¯s probably because there were so many attendees that the meeting room was arranged just like a school classroom. When everyone was seated, the man who called out to everyone stood at the platform and spoke. ¡°Honorable friends, thank you for taking the time to come out here today. My name is Wanz, and I am the promoter of this event. I may be inexperienced, but I shall do my best to serve as the facilitator for today¡¯s meeting.¡± [Wanz] The man who named himself Wanz bowed and a round of applause welcomed him. ¡°Thank you. If I may cut to the chase, my friends, what do you think of the current state of the town¡¯s public order?¡± [Wanz] The reason he asked that question was to emphasize that the current Gimuru was in a dangerous situation, so there was a need to work together. ¡°Gimuru¡¯s guards aren¡¯t incompetent. I hear they¡¯ve hired more people and have even strengthened their security policies.¡± [Merchant 1] From time to time, there were people who would retort, but¡­ ¡°I have heard that as well, and I don¡¯t believe Gimuru¡¯s guards to be incompetent either. However! It was precisely because they believed that they couldn¡¯t handle all the crimes that they had to hire more people and put into place even tighter policies! They knew they couldn¡¯t handle it, that¡¯s why they had to get more help!¡± [Wanz] ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­¡± [Merchant 1] ¡°They were forced to increase their hands and tighten security, forced to take desperate measures, and because they had to employ so many on such short notice, the new guards are poorly trained. Because of that more guards are dying and more criminals are escaping pursuit. Of course, they¡¯re doing their best. We acknowledge their efforts. But!¡¡There is no denying that the very guards meant to protect this city have themselves become victims! My friends, this is the reality!¡¡Can any among you really say with certainty that if we simply left everything to the guards, everything will turn out well? That we will without question be safe?¡¡Do you trust the guards that much?¡± ¡°B-But¡ª¡± [Merchant 1] ¡°¡ªMy friends, when the trust you¡¯ve given is betrayed, the one who will be hurt will be none other than you. No. It will be the people precious to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡± [Wanz] Like that the people who argued were spoken down. And each time a seed of doubt would be planted into those who observed the exchange. I too am thinking about that one-in-a-million ¡®what if¡¯. Maybe that¡¯s the reason why I can understand what he¡¯s saying, but at the same time it feels like something is off. As for what that something that feels off is¡­ I thought about it for a while, and I realized there was a big difference between me and Wanz. I have prepared myself and my surroundings, so that if this one-in-a-million ¡®what if¡¯ were to occur, I would come out unscathed. But I have no intentions of pushing my methods onto someone else. Wanz, however, appears to be compelling others to think the problem through, and then stir doubts within them by telling them about the worst possible situation. And¡­ ¡°This year, the store I¡¯ve been studying under for many years has finally permitted me to go independent. Yes, I am an inexperienced man who is finally leaving his nest for the first time, a newcomer to Gimuru. Unfortunately, I am not so brave a man as to leave the situation to Gimuru¡¯s guards. I was able to open a store, but everyone in town is just like the people gathered here today, always uncertain.¡± [Wanz] ¡°The town is in a bad situation, after all.¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°I was thinking we needed to do something about all these crimes.¡± [Merchant 3] Wanz stirred doubt in the people by mixing in words such as ¡®us¡¯ or phrases like ¡®I¡¯m just like you.¡¯ And every time people agreed with him, more and more people accepted him. Stirring doubts¡­ Is he related to those frauds? The more I watch, the more I wonder if that¡¯s the case, then as the retorts against him grew less, I remembered something. The air in this place. It¡¯s an air I¡¯m familiar with. Those meetings that have already been decided by the upper brass. Meetings that are there only for the sake of it. They may be called meetings, but they¡¯re not looking for a new opinion, and neither are they looking for an argument. Any arguments are either shot down or ignored, but then they never mattered in the first place anyway. Frankly, in those cases, calling for a ¡®report¡¯ would have more than sufficed. They say preparations are important when starting something, but in this case, the script has already been prepared, and the actors are merely playing their roles. To that end, there should already be people here who advocate for Wanz. By stirring doubts and taking the initiative, Wanz and his cronies are able to stir the situation wherever they please. Already, the air is pointing toward ¡®cooperation¡¯. He hasn¡¯t said anything bad just yet, but at this rate, things could turn for the worst. The more I think about it, the louder the warning bells peal. Perhaps there really are nobles pulling the strings behind Gimuru. And if Wanz and his cronies are responsible for the worsening public order, then this meeting could very well be a trap. Just what do they want people to do under the pretense of ¡®cooperating¡¯? ¡°As fellow store owners of the same city, let¡¯s work together to overcome this tribulation!¡± A round of applause erupted even louder than at the start. I called out to the person beside me. ¡°Carm-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes?¡± [Carm] ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Carm] ¡°Can I have a moment?¡± [Ryouma] I left the confused Carm and raised my hand. All eyes gathered on me, but I was sitting furthest to the back, so it took awhile before Wanz found me. ¡°Umm, I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t recognize your face, may I know who you are?¡± [Wanz] ¡°I am Ryouma Takebayashi. I own the laundromat known as Bamboo Forest at the western side of Gimuru near the Residential District.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi-kun!¡¡What a great pleasure it is to make your acquaintance. I have heard much about you despite my terse history with Gimuru. I¡¯d heard you were a young but brilliant manager. My apologies for not recognizing you immediately.¡± [Wanz] An apology with a cheerful smile. Faint laughter could be heard from the crowd. ¡°I am the only child here, and I¡¯m also sitting furthest back. I suppose it can¡¯t be helped.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for your understanding. So, how may I be of service?¡± [Wanz] ¡°Yes. Your speech was of great interest to me personally¡­ I myself have also just opened my store at Gimuru this spring. As a newcomer, I don¡¯t know that many people; hence, I believed this would be a good opportunity to meet with the store owners of Gimuru. Of course, I too hold my fears regarding the worsening public order, and so do hope to form good relationship with everyone here and if possible cooperate.¡± [Ryouma] That was indeed my purpose for coming here. I didn¡¯t know many store owners in Gimuru, so I figured I should take any opportunity to form a good relationship with the locals. And if we can work together, then why not? You could say that I put a lot value to the word ¡®peace¡¯. I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s because I used to be Japanese, but no matter how much I value it, that only applies to people ¡®I can work with¡¯. ¡°Ohh!¡¡So you¡ª¡± [Wanz] ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡± [Wanz] ¡°I wish to know. What plans do you actually have in regards to the worsening public order that you seek cooperation? Exactly what is it that you want us to do?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I said that, Wanz¡¯s mouth froze for a moment. But it was only for a moment. Had I not been paying attention, I wouldn¡¯t have noticed it. At most, I would have thought it to be my imagination. ¡°Of course! An obvious question. Please do excuse me.¡± [Wanz] Wanz started talking again, but his words weren¡¯t for me, but for the other attendees, to coax them. Information exchange, secret communication, night watch, self-defense classes, seminars to raise employee awareness on anti-crime measures, etc¡­ He kept on saying stuff like ¡®We can¡¯t rely on the guards!¡¯, and kept trying to get people to join his cause by stimulating their sense of duty and self-importance. Also, there seemed to be about 4 or 5 people working with Wans. They would take turns agreeing with him, enlivening the place and giving their opinions. ¡°And that concludes my proposal. What do you think?¡± [Wanz] ¡°Amaz¡ª¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°That will not do.¡± [Ryouma] Immediately, I spoke over the man about to praise him, and bluntly rejected Wanz¡¯s proposal. Silence froze the room, and there was even faint hostility coming from a part of it. ¡°It will not do? What do you mean, Takebayashi-kun?¡± [Wanz] ¡°Exactly as the words mean. Such measures are long-term. There¡¯s no point in panicking and implementing them in haste.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true that they don¡¯t have immediate effect. However!¡¡If we don¡¯t start them, we¡¯ll never get anywhere.¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°Exactly!¡± [Merchant 3] ¡°Nothing is going to happen if we give up before we even try.¡± [Merchant 4] ¡°Seriously, this is why today¡¯s youth are¡­¡± [Merchant 5] As expected, they¡¯ve already started to shoot down my arguments. I¡¯ll need to brace myself. ¡°Idiots. Every single one of you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Merchant 5] Neither the people who tried to provoke me nor the people who tried to strike me down expected that I¡¯d insult them so bluntly. They were all tongue-tied when I said that. ¡°Boss!?¡± [Carm] ¡°Shut up, Carm.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡¡¡­¡± [Carm] I feel bad for Carm, but he needs to shut up right now. Fortunately, he¡¯s quick on the uptake. I intentionally used a different tone, and it looks like he got the message. It doesn¡¯t seem like he agrees, but at least he¡¯s agreed to keep quiet and believe in me. ¡°The public order has been worsening all this time, and the situation is only getting worse, and yet you¡¯re saying that we don¡¯t need a plan that can make a difference right now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well it beats doing nothing!¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt to learn self-defense either, does it?¡± [Merchant 3] ¡°Don¡¯t we need patrols?¡± [Merchant 4] There were faint voices of agreement too, but others spoke loudly over them, and then everyone started giving their own opinion, turning the whole place into a mess. ¡°Everyone, please calm down. Thank you for your proactive participation in this meeting. Thanks to that various opinions have been brought forward. Personally, I believe that the patrols could still have immediate effect, and just as someone said, the self-defense lessons indeed don¡¯t hurt. What do you think?¡± [Wanz] ¡°If you want to do patrols, then patrol. If you want to study self-defense, then study. You can learn whatever you want. But when it comes to self-defense, Wanz-san, didn¡¯t you just say earlier that some of the newly employed guards were themselves killed and turned into victims because of poor training?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Wanz] ¡°It is a fact that some of the guards have died to armed thugs and thieves due to insufficient training. Even the guards who devote themselves to fighting crooks have suffered casualties. And yet you¡¯re telling me and all the merchants gathered here that we should learn self-defense in our spare time so we can save ourselves?¡¡You think that¡¯s feasible?¡¡I don¡¯t think so. Oh, right, didn¡¯t you say, ¡®the guards work hard, but if they can¡¯t get results, it¡¯s meaningless¡¯?¡¡I fully agree with you. It is indeed meaningless.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Wanz] The same was true for the patrols. ¡°The patrols can certainly act as a deterrence. But if you find a suspicious person or a crime in the act, there¡¯s a high probability hostilities will break out. Armed burglars with the intention of killing will also flare up when spotted, and there will probably be those who will silence eyewitnesses as well. It¡¯s the same issue with the self-defense lessons. Can you really deal with those people?¡¡Please look around you.¡± [Ryouma] The difference between men and women aside, the people gathered here were either plump, thin, or old. They¡¯re merchants. Most of them don¡¯t regularly train their bodies. ¡°To make things worse, it¡¯s hard to find one¡¯s way during a night patrol. There likely won¡¯t be much people other than the people patrolling, so you won¡¯t have eyewitness. I don¡¯t know how many people are gathered here today, but I am also an adventurer, so let me tell you what I think as someone who works in a combat profession¡­ Don¡¯t underestimate real combat.¡± [Ryouma] Though they lived in a world where weapons and magic were always at hand, they usually lived in town, where the guards would come to save them when they¡¯re in trouble, and any threat to their lives is a distant story. Do you really understand?¡¡Do you want to die?¡¡Do you want your families and servants to die?¡¡I looked at the people in the room with those kind of thoughts. When I did they all averted their eyes from me. Only one man from two rows ahead met my eyes and stood up. It was Darson-san. ¡°Ryouma, I understand how you feel, but calm down. Withdraw your killing intent. If you pressure them like this, they won¡¯t be able to talk either.¡± [Darson] ¡°On the contrary, Darson-san. If a ¡®child¡¯ like me could silence them with a little pressure like this, then that¡¯s all the more reason they shouldn¡¯t be suggesting to learn self-defense and take the crime issue into their own hands. If the people quietly listening were to accept this proposal, they would have to take up arms, and in the worst case, they, their families, or their servants could die. Alternatively, they might end up killing someone. Are you people prepared for that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That pressure isn¡¯t something a child could muster¡­ But now that you mention it¡­¡± [Darson] For a moment, Darson looked like he¡¯d eaten a bug, but then he turned to the facilitator. ¡°Wanz-san. I am a former adventurer, and I believe Ryouma has a point. Regardless of the reasons, fighting with a criminal is a kill-or-be-killed situation. I¡¯m not against learning self-defense, but I think it¡¯s overly optimistic to think we¡¯d be safe with just that.¡± [Darson] ¡°¡­In the first place, what exactly does ¡®self-defense¡¯ mean here anyway? We do everything we can to prevent crime regularly, but when all of that proves insufficient, and we end up in a dangerous situation where we have to do something or be killed, in that sink-or-swim situation, when we defend ourselves, that¡¯s what we refer to as self-defense. And the first step that one should take then is to flee from the threat and not let it approach oneself. That¡¯s self-defense. If you¡¯re approaching someone with the intention of fighting, that is no longer self-defense. That¡¯s just martial arts. Don¡¯t misunderstand the two.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, I see¡­ So the two of you are current and former adventurers. Your opinions are very important for everyone here.¡± [Wanz] I added a few words to what Darson-san said, but Wanz just nodded. I¡¯m finally starting to get this guy. He never breaks his easygoing attitude and positively accepts anything he is told, then he rejects it. He¡¯s used to this. At least, it feels like that. ¡°In that case, what do you think we should do? Please give us your opinion as specialists.¡± [Wanz] ¡°That¡¯s a good idea!¡± [Merchant 1] ¡°Surely, you have a good answer prepared.¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°Hire some adventurers or merchants. Even retired ones will do. Get some people who can actually fight and establish a system that will allow them to regularly patrol the streets and respond in case of emergency. We can source the funds from everyone here. If we all chip in a little, then the expenses should be considerably cheaper than just one person paying for it. You¡¯re all merchants, right?¡¡Let¡¯s solve this like merchants do. There¡¯s no need to play adventurer or mercenary.¡± [Ryouma] Oddly, we were discussing something similar a few days ago, so I was able to reply immediately. Some of the merchants voiced their agreement, while some begun talking among themselves. ¡°Sigh¡­ And here I was wondering what you had to say, but it seems my expectations were too high.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hire adventurers and use everyone¡¯s money to pay for it. It does sound like a good idea, after all it solves both the financial and security issue. But there is a big hole with your proposal!¡± [Wanz] Since he¡¯s emphasizing ¡®big hole¡¯¡­ ¡°Stop being cheeky. Say it. What¡¯s the problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll get straight to the point. Your method will get the attention of the nobles.¡± [Wanz] Those words were enough to send the meeting into a clamor. ¡°Do you know why the ¡®guild¡¯ exists?¡¡To the nobles, that is.¡± [Wanz] ¡°To ¡®manage the authority and strength of the commoners¡¯, yes?¡± [Ryouma] This too I heard recently. By the way he¡¯s putting on so much air, he probably wanted to say it himself. True enough, when I got it right, his mask showed signs of breaking. ¡°¡­You knew? You knew and yet you proposed a plan like that?¡± [Wanz] ¡°Is there something strange about knowing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t just talk by yourselves! Explain it to us too!¡± [Merchant 7] ¡°Oh, excuse us!¡± [Wanz] As expected, the other side has the initiative. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are all aware that the nobles are always wary of a certain thing. That certain thing being none other than the ¡®rebellion of the masses¡¯. Of course, nobles use their wealth and authority to protect themselves with powerful weapons and a private army. However!¡¡In terms of numbers, the nobles amount to no more than a tenth of the population. If you look at history, there are many precedents were the masses have united and overturned them. To the nobles, it¡¯s a terrifying thing that could happen any time. So what should they do to prevent that?¡¡Well, they decided that it would be best if commoners could be unified.¡± [Wanz] Like an actor performing on stage, Wanz spoke to the merchants. ¡°All the guilds are approved by the king and function under the management of the country. The nobles can¡¯t meddle at a moment¡¯s notice, but the nobles are the ones that manage the country. In other words, the guilds are under the management of the nobles. Through the merchant guild, they can understand our wealth. Through the adventurers guild and mercenary guild, they can understand our strength. We gain various benefits through the guild, but at the same time, we are being monitored by the nobles. Should our authorities and strengths be gathered too much into one point¡­ You understand what I¡¯m getting at, yes? A unified force ¨C so long as it¡¯s still small ¨C can still be easily dealt with by the nobles.¡± [Wanz] ¡°B-But Wanz-san, calling this a rebellion is too much. No one here is thinking something like that. That Ryouma is also but a child.¡± [Merchant 8] ¡°Oh, no doubt!¡¡Neither me nor you nor anyone for that matter here is thinking about staging a rebellion! But the nobles can¡¯t be at ease if more strength than necessary is gathered. Even if the objective is ¡®self-defense¡¯ to us, to the nobles all they see is the possibility of us ¡®preparing for a rebellion.¡¯ That¡¯s just how the human mind works. It¡¯s how the nobles think. Our objective is irrelevant. The problem is how the nobles see it!¡¡The odds are very high that if we gather soldiers, we will alert the nobles, and every one of us who provided money will be considered as one group, and be treated as ¡®colluders¡¯!¡± [Wanz] Wanz was saying some really exaggerated things, so the merchants couldn¡¯t immediately wrap their heads around it. ¡®Really?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s too much.¡¯ ¡®Surely not?¡¯ ¡®Maybe¡­¡¯ Such words could be heard in the meeting room. But¡­ ¡°I hate to rain on your parade, especially seeing how much effort you put into your speech, but your worries are needless.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Wanz] ¡°As long as they¡¯re sensible people, they¡¯ll understand if we just properly tell them that we just need some people to protect the city and the stores.¡± [Ryouma] As expected, Wanz¡¯s information led everyone to a dangerous direction. It¡¯s true that there¡¯s a precedent for nobles suspecting a rebellion when too much power is gathered, but people coming together to hire adventurers and mercenaries is a fairly common thing. That¡¯s especially true for small villages and settlements. If they didn¡¯t do something like that they wouldn¡¯t be able to protect themselves against monsters and bandits, after all. In other words, there¡¯s no problem as long as it¡¯s kept in moderation. ¡°Some of you might be aware, but I¡¯m also a friend of the feudal lord of this region. I can contact the Jamil Household beforehand, and explain to them that we mean no ill.¡± [Ryouma] I said that with confidence, but¡­ ¡°¡­Won¡¯t that mean that you¡¯ll be the only one who¡¯ll get off scot-free?¡± [Merchant 8] ¡°No, in the first place, is that even possible?¡± [Merchant 9] ¡°I did hear you were connected to the duke¡¯s family, but¡­¡± [Merchant 10] ¡°You seem to be full of confidence, but I wonder if a child like you is really capable of negotiating something like that.¡± [Merchant 11] Everyone that responded were skeptical. It can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Ha ha¡­ Oh, excuse me. But Ryouma-kun, it would appear that you don¡¯t understand the feelings of normal merchants like us.¡± [Wanz] ¡°It must be nice to be protected by a noble. You have nothing to fear.¡± [Merchant 12] ¡°Even a kid can have a store and make money.¡± [Merchant 14] ¡°You people may envious of his security, but you should still watch your mouth.¡± [Merchant 15] ¡­I see. Now I get it. Although they¡¯re all store owners too, they¡¯re different from Serge-san, Pioro-san, and the Moulton Slave Company¡¯s Orest-san. Those three had the mettle to stand up to anyone ¨C even a noble ¨C as long as it was related to business. They maintain their stores and they can even expand, but these guys don¡¯t have that. They have one store, they work a considerable amount, and do have stable income, so they can afford to live a life of moderate luxury, but that¡¯s it. They¡¯re satisfied with that. They don¡¯t want to be involved with nobles since it¡¯s an unnecessary risk. They¡¯re fairly successful, I¡¯ll give them that, but they¡¯re not a part of the elite that try to aim for the top. And I doubt I¡¯m capable enough to convince them to put aside their fear of the nobles. ¡°It would appear that any further talk is meaningless.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I stood up. ¡°Oh? Will you be going back?¡± [Wanz] ¡°Yes, any further talk is a waste of time. It doesn¡¯t seem like cooperating would be possible either.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I doubt he was ever planning on cooperating with anyone in the first place, though.¡± [Merchant 2] ¡°The way he¡¯s acting didn¡¯t seem at all like he was planning on cooperating at all.¡± [Merchant 3] Wanz and his likely cronies intentionally talked among themselves loudly, so I added one more thing before leaving. ¡°Before I go I¡¯ll tell you this. I won¡¯t give names, but the moment I entered, didn¡¯t you judge me and look down on me?¡± [Ryouma] When I glanced at them, I saw many people looking down. Ever since I entered this meeting room today, I¡¯ve been feeling those gazes. They laugh, show respect, treat me as equals, but they don¡¯t think that at all. In that regard, they¡¯re also different from Serge-san and Pioro-san. That was the reason why I knew it was hopeless the moment I entered the meeting room. It¡¯s true that I¡¯m a child and that I rely a lot on Carm-san. My managerial skills really isn¡¯t anything to speak of, so if it were just that, then I still wouldn¡¯t have minded. This was our first meeting too, so it would¡¯ve been fine if they understood while we continued our relationship. Or at least, that¡¯s what I thought, but in the end, it turned out like this. ¡°It¡¯s a rare opportunity so I might as well say it. It¡¯s true that I am a child, and that I rely on Carm¡¯s knowledge and ability to manage my store. It¡¯s also true that I have been blessed with my connections to the duke, but the fact that I was invited to this Association of Mid-Sized Stores of Gimuru ¨C aptly named ¨C means that my store is equal yours, and that I possess equal wealth and income. You think it¡¯s because of my connection to the nobles?¡¡Because I¡¯m a lucky brat?¡¡I don¡¯t know how each one of you thinks of me ¡ª But don¡¯t look down on me. Even if fate did have a hand in it, just how strong are people with connections and wealth? And just how important are those for business anyway? If you don¡¯t understand, and if you still think I¡¯m a coward for possessing those, then I suggest you give up on your business.¡± [Ryouma] I dropped those words, but no one had anything to say. I thought at least one would retort, but whatever. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s go, Carm.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yes!¡± [Carm] Carm-san was also petrified, so I had to shake him awake. After that we left the merchant guild. Chapter 218 - On the Way Back From the Meeting Chapter 218: On the Way Back From the Meeting We left the merchants guild, but neither Carm-san nor I said anything even after walking for a while. I should apologize first. ¡°Carm-san. I¡¯m sorry for talking rudely to you earlier.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know you didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it, but why did you act like that back there?¡± [Carm] He was calm, but it was evident from his voice that he was holding back his emotions. I guess anyone would be angry after that, but¡­ ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want you to say anything there. I didn¡¯t want you or the other employees to be ostracized. I don¡¯t know what that guy called Wanz is going to tell the people there in that meeting he organized, but it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the uncooperative people end up getting labeled.¡± It¡¯s normal to refuse a deal when you don¡¯t like the conditions or don¡¯t agree with the reasons given, but ¡¯emotion¡¯ is a pesky thing. Once the idea called ¡®cooperation¡¯ has infected everyone, and it ceases to be a ¡®conclusion¡¯ and becomes a ¡®premise¡¯, then those that refuse will be treated as ¡®villains¡¯. ¡°Not wanting to give in to peer pressure might sound nice, but it¡¯s no different from disrupting peace. The one who disrupted Wanz¡¯s meeting was none other than me. That¡¯s why I¡¯m the bad guy. Of course, I played the villain because I believed there was a need for it, but either way, just one villain was enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I figured that might¡¯ve been the case.¡± [Carm] Carm-san sighed and then confirmed one thing after another with me. ¡°I too realized over the course of the meeting that something was off. That Wanz was just too suspicious. Perhaps he has an agenda of his own behind his suggestions of working together and preventing crime. Ostracism is a bit much, I think, but refusing would definitely give the other participants a bad impression. There wouldn¡¯t be any gain to it. It would be slinging mud onto one¡¯s reputation. That¡¯s why¡­ You told me to keep quiet. And by keeping quiet, your actions became ¡®yours alone¡¯. That¡¯s what you wanted to show them, right, Boss? And to make sure of that, you acted the way you did. It¡¯s said that people have an easier time seeing the bad in other people. Regardless of what you said, I¡¯m sure a lot of the adults back there weren¡¯t happy with you since you¡¯re a child and yet you acted so arrogantly. It¡¯s also their first time meeting you, so that makes it even worse. When I first met you, I thought you were the son of some noble playing store for fun. I¡¯m sure there were many people back there who thought the same. By taking on such an arrogant attitude and telling me to keep quiet, you made it look like I had no authority and couldn¡¯t disobey your order, making it even more likely that they see you to be merely acting on your own¡­ Am I right, Boss?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m happy to have a subordinate who can understand things without needing me to explain everything.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mock me!¡± [Carm] Carm-san yelled in a rare display of anger. This might be a first. I know he¡¯s worried about me, and it hurts to know that he¡¯s making a face like that because of me, but¡­ ¡°I¡¯m not mocking you, Carm-san. I trust you. That¡¯s why I want to be able to entrust everything to you if the worst were to happen. As long as you¡¯re there and everyone else is also there, then I¡¯m not needed. The Bamboo Forest Laundromat will be able to operate without problem.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s okay to throw yourself away?¡¡Why do you keep trying to sacrifice yourself alone!?¡± [Carm] ¡°Because sometimes it¡¯s necessary. A person responsible for something, someone, anything must take responsibility when the time calls for it. A boss is someone who protects his workers. At least, that¡¯s what I believe. But of course, resignation is always a last resort.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But still!¡¡¡­Huh?¡¡Last resort?¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes. What are you making such a weird face for?¡¡I said I¡¯m preparing for the worst, but it¡¯s not as if I¡¯m about to abandon everything already.¡± [Ryouma] That place was like a trap. Once you¡¯re caught in it, you can¡¯t free yourself without getting hurt. We managed to notice the trap and free ourselves, but in the end, we didn¡¯t cooperate with the others and gave a bad impression to the people who agreed with Wanz. There is a fear and a reluctance to disrupting peace, and I know all too well the risk that comes with it and the acts of vengeance that could result from it. That¡¯s why I wanted to ensure that I would be able to protect my store and my employees even in the worst case scenario. That was his duty as their boss. But¡­ ¡°Being ostracized is just a what-if. We don¡¯t actually know what¡¯s going to happen, so if nothing happens, there¡¯s no need for me to sacrifice myself. And even in the worst case scenario, as long as I haven¡¯t committed a crime, I could make you the manager while I remain an investor who only deals with financial-related matters, and the situation would pretty much be the same as what we have now.¡± [Ryouma] Also, even if I end up unable to do my business at Gimuru, I could just take it to a different city. For example, I could move to Gaunago, where the feudal lord¡¯s manor is. Reinhart-san did personally ask me to start a branch there as soon as I can, and most of the people working at the main store except Dolce-san are working away from home. It¡¯s been nearly one year since I started my store and have gotten used to it, but it¡¯s not as if it has to be at this town. Gimuru and Gaunago are also both within the Jamil Duchy, and they¡¯re close enough that Dolce-san can go home regularly if he wants to. Of course, I need to get everyone¡¯s opinion first. There should still be something we can do. ¡°I understand you¡¯re worried about me, but please don¡¯t make a face like that. Instead, let¡¯s look forward and do what we can to avoid the worst case scenario. It¡¯s precisely during times when we¡¯ve failed that we need to take a good look at the situation and try to fix the situation. So, can you lend me your mind and strength, Carm-san?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Carm-san tried to say something but failed. He tried again, but again he failed. Each time he tried, his expression would change a little. Apparently, he himself didn¡¯t know whether he should be angry or sad. In the end, he just sighed deeply. ¡°Boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was me who asked why first, and you have been talking hypothetically for a while now.¡± [Carm] ¡°Right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know I jumped to conclusions, but still!¡¡Your actions are just too confusing, Boss!¡± [Carm] ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± [Ryouma] That was all I could say in response, and Carm-san sighed again. ¡°I¡¯m frustrated, Boss. Just a few days ago, I said that I¡¯m here to support you.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But today that Wanz confused me and I even misunderstood and thought that you were making a scapegoat out of yourself. To make things worse, you even had to tell me to keep my head up and look toward the future. I know we don¡¯t have time to waste on the past right now, but is this really alright? What am I doing?¡± [Carm] Carm-san laughed weakly. But¡­ ¡°I know it¡¯s strange coming from me, but Carm-san, you¡¯re still young, and yet you know, you didn¡¯t look any worse compared to the adults back there. Or could it be, that deep inside you already see yourself as Serge-san¡¯s equal?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course not!¡¡Serge-sama is a much more experienced merchant than me. There¡¯s no way I would see myself as his equal.¡± [Carm] ¡°I¡¯m sure, but I believe Serge-san too has gone through a lot of success and failures. Compared to him, we¡¯re just a bunch of kids with barely any. But that just means to say that we need to accumulate experience from here on out. If there¡¯s something we don¡¯t know, then we just need to study it. We¡¯ve been given the time and opportunity just for that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Right. You¡¯re absolutely right.¡± [Carm] Carm-san nodded. ¡°You know, Boss. For some reason, sometimes when I talk to you, I feel like you¡¯re the older one.¡± [Carm] ¡°Ha ha ha.¡± [Ryouma] I just laughed his words away, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. ¡°I know I still have a lot to learn, but I wasn¡¯t lying when I said that I¡¯m here to support you, Boss. Let¡¯s continue working together, and I¡¯d love to hear more about that stuff you were talking about regarding the duties of a boss.¡± [Carm] ¡°Yes, let¡¯s do our best.¡± [Ryouma] We bowed our heads at roughly the same time, but¡­ ¡°That being said, I do still have a thing or two I¡¯d like to say, especially, about you acting on your own to prepare yourself as a scapegoat, so let¡¯s have a nice long chat about that later, okay?¡± [Carm] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Serge-sama and the duke¡¯s family also asked me to contact them if anything were to happen, so I¡¯ll be reporting today¡¯s matter.¡± [Carm] ¡°Report!?¡¡But I¡¯m your boss!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but I also have my personal relationships¡­ I¡¯m just getting help from some people I know. That¡¯s all. It¡¯s not really strange to see people go to a bar and complain to a friend about one¡¯s troublesome boss, right?¡± [Carm] T-That¡¯s true¡­ And it¡¯s not like any confidential information would be leaked, but¡­ Wait a second. He really is mad after all, isn¡¯t he?¡¡But he has his poker face back on, so I can¡¯t tell whether he¡¯s serious or not! ¡°Umm, I was just preparing for the worst, you know? Preparing for the worst.¡¡That¡¯s not report-worthy, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, it shouldn¡¯t trouble you if I made the report.¡± [Carm] ¡°Wait, hang on, let¡¯s not rush, let¡¯s talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About what to do from here on? Well, at the very least, I don¡¯t think we should be participating in any more of those meetings¡ª¡± [Carm] I know it¡¯s my fault, but Carm-san was really mean to me the whole walk back to the store. ¡°Like I was saying¡­ Huh? Were we meant to have guests today?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Guests?¡¡That¡¯s a rather abrupt topic change.¡± [Carm] ¡°I mean, look.¡± [Ryouma] There were three carriages parked at the empty lot beside the store. I¡¯m not sensing anything strange from them, and the weed slimes I had hiding in the grasses just in case also hasn¡¯t senses anything amiss. ¡°That is strange. That¡¯s a lot of carriages too to park illegally.¡± [Carm] ¡°For the meantime, let¡¯s enter the store.¡± [Ryouma] When we entered the store¡­ ¡°Welcome back, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Sup, Ryouma!¡¡You¡¯re looking a lot livelier than I thought you¡¯d look!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Why?¡± [Ryouma] When we entered the store, Rurunez-san the maid of the duke¡¯s family and Hyuzu the guard of the duke¡¯s family was there along with several people I was acquainted with. Chapter 219 - Reinforcements Have Arrived Chapter 219: Reinforcements Have Arrived Let¡¯s calm down and confirm the situation first. Inside the office was Carm-san and me. The guards of the duke¡¯s family, Hyuzu-san, Jill-san, Zeff-san, and Camil-san were also here along with the maids of the duke¡¯s family, Rurunez-san, Lilian-san, and Riviola-san, and for some reason even the guild master of the merchant guild, Grisiera-san, was here as well. With 10 people gathered in the office, it couldn¡¯t be helped that it felt cramped. For the meantime, I offered Grisiera-san a seat. I have a lot of things I want to ask, but the first thing I should ask is definitely this. ¡°So, what brings everyone here?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Hyuzu-san answered honestly. ¡°I¡¯m here under the orders of the duke. You wanted his permission to start a store that dispatched guards plus some other things, right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] It was discussed in the earlier meeting too, but the current public order of Gimuru was indeed bad. One method I thought of to deal with that was the ¡®establishment of a security company¡¯. I spoke with the guild master and the others on how to solve the issues surrounding that, then summarized the conditions and submitted a proposal to the duke. But all I did really was to ask them if the idea was possible. There wasn¡¯t any need to send so many people just to deliver me their reply. ¡°The duke¡¯s decision was to support you ¡®thoroughly¡¯. I mean, your plan was all benefits for the duke and the town, so there was no way you¡¯d be refused in the first place.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°That¡¯s because if the plan succeeds, I will be making a considerable amount of money even if it¡¯s just a portion of the whole thing. There are also other benefits. By not being overly greedy and making it so that the duke and the laborers will benefit a lot, I figured I¡¯d surely be able to get the duke to accept my proposal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And that¡¯s exactly why they sent us!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The duke agreed to your proposal, but your conditions benefit their side too much. If he were to accept it just like that, it would look like he¡¯s fleecing to you, and that would be terrible for his reputation. So that¡¯s why¡­ Uh, what was it again?¡± [Hyuzu] Are you serious? That¡¯s the most important part! An equally dumbfounded Jill-san explained in his place. ¡°Reinhart-sama added another condition wherein you have to let Hyuzu-san be in charge of bringing together the security personnel and educating them. Hyuzu might not seem very reliable, but he¡¯s been properly promoted and will be in a position where he has to lead other people. So the duke wants him to gain experience at your security company. I will also be working in the security company as the aide of this forgetful officer. It¡¯s also better for you to have someone experienced educate those laborers you plan to hire, right?¡¡And while I don¡¯t really think anyone would, in case someone tries to interfere, since we¡¯re direct subordinates of the duke, we¡¯ll be able to deal with such situations quite effectively.¡± [Jill] ¡°That¡¯s great news for me indeed. Much obliged in fact, but in that case, are the others also?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It is as you¡¯ve surmised, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Rurunez] Hyuzu-san¡¯s wife, a maid of the duke¡¯s family, and member of the cat tribe, Rurunez-san, stepped forward. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re acquainted with the head maid, Arone, but she¡¯s already put on the years, and there¡¯s no telling when she¡¯ll have to retire. As such, it¡¯s necessary to start training those with potential to be the next head maid. The job of the head maid is no different from the head guard; hence, she is expected to have the ability to educate her subordinates and lead them, the insight to delegate work properly, and the ability to perform other clerical functions. In other words, Lilian, Riviola, and I have been chosen to be candidates, and we¡¯ve also been ordered to aide you, Ryouma-sama. Our ability will be measured by our work. Please use us as however you please until the household orders our return.¡± [Rurunez] However I please? ¡­Woah, woah, wait a sec. ¡°We were also told to help out with the security company, but really, we can work on anything if you need help. Use us well, alright, young man?¡± [Zeff] ¡°I¡¯m not that good with physical labor, so if possible, I¡¯d prefer to work behind the scenes.¡± [Camil] ¡°Zeff-san and Camil-san too.¡± [Ryouma] A new commanding officer, candidates of the next head maid¡­ Although all of that is true, it¡¯s obvious Reinhart-san is just looking for an excuse to send them here. The main point is that he wanted to send these people here to help me. These people have helped me out before, and I know that they¡¯re all brilliant people. Considering how busy it¡¯s going to be in the coming days, I¡¯m really grateful that they¡¯re here. That¡¯s also probably the reason why they came here without telling me anything. I have no intentions of refusing them, though they probably wouldn¡¯t accept it even if I did. ¡°Thank you, everyone. I¡¯ll be in your care. Let¡¯s talk again later for the more specific details¡­ So, guild master, how about you? What brings you here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I had a bit of a jump start, actually. After all, I knew they were coming here today.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°You knew!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who communicates with the duke, I¡¯ll have you know.¡¡I¡¯m sure you understand just what kind of situation the town is in right now.¡± [Grisiera] Ahh, so the guild master is also doing what she can for the town. But of course, that should be a given¡­ ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve been strange lately.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Uu¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡¡You think I wouldn¡¯t notice even though we¡¯ve been talking for the past few days?¡± [Grisiera] ¡°No, that¡¯s not it.¡± [Ryouma] When I thought back to what happened earlier, I couldn¡¯t help but glance at Carm-san for a moment. Naturally, that didn¡¯t escape the guild master. ¡°Come to think of it, the two of you went somewhere, didn¡¯t you? You joined the meeting at the guild?¡¡It was organized by the ¡®Association of Mid-Sized Stores of Gimuru¡¯, right?¡¡I think it sounds suspicious, but from the way you¡¯re behaving, I¡¯m guessing something must¡¯ve happened. Tell us.¡± [Grisiera] That one glance was enough for her to figure out that something must¡¯ve happened, so I had no choice but to explain. Realizing that it would¡¯ve been pointless to hide things, I told them everything even up to the part when we walked back home. After finishing my explanation, Grisiera-san looked at me. ¡°Good grief, I really can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re brilliant or stupid. I¡¯ve already been keeping tabs on that Wanz.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m doing my own investigations at the merchant guild, you see. I noticed him then, but he hasn¡¯t done anything to stand out and his history is also clean. Naturally, I can¡¯t just forcefully have him searched or dealt with just because I think he¡¯s suspicious.¡± [Grisiera] If she could do something like that without any basis, that in itself would be a problem. ¡°That¡¯s why I left him alone¡­ But human ¡¯emotions¡¯ really are troublesome. It¡¯s common to be unable to reason with someone once their blood gets to their head. Deals that have been going smoothly could also break down at a moment¡¯s notice. But that doesn¡¯t mean you have to play the role of the villain. Although I will commend you for wanting to protect your store and employees at all costs.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? Ryouma¡¯s still young, so it¡¯s great that he¡¯s so spirited, right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] Hyuzu-san placed his arm around my shoulders, but it was quite heavy, probably because of the difference in height. ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s a lot better than not saying anything.¡¡It¡¯s not like he gave up, and everyone has one or two things they won¡¯t budge on. It¡¯s not uncommon for people to have conflicts from time to time too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Well, you have become honest enough to be able to accept other people¡¯s help, so I guess you¡¯ve grown a little.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°T-Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Was I forgiven?¡¡Although if this were a test, it feels like I¡¯ve just barely made the passing mark. While I was thinking that, someone knocked on the door. ¡°What is it?¡± [Carm] Carm-san immediately checked on it, and then came back with a troubled face. ¡°Boss, Zeke-san and Pauline-san from the neighboring stores came back¡­¡± [Carm] Ah, they must¡¯ve come to pick up their kids. After what happened earlier, it must be awkward. ¡°Darson-san from the Tigger¡¯s Arms Store is also with them, and apparently, they want to talk with you.¡± [Carm] ¡°Darson-san?¡¡Alright. Where are they?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re waiting at the reception.¡± [Carm] And so, I excused myself and left the room. When I went to the reception, they immediately noticed me. ¡°Welcome back. Did the meeting end?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t know. We left early too.¡± [Darson] They left early too? ¡°Why?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Everyone¡¯s eyes were opened because of you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Zeke] The one who said that was Zeke-san. ¡°We were overwhelmed by the air in that place and just vaguely accepted the words of the host. But after you spoke out, we were able to calm down. After you came back, the people who¡¯ve been keeping quiet started talking.¡± [Zeke] ¡°There were people other than us who left midway too. Among them were people who knew you, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Pauline] Pauline-san started listing names. The names she gave were people related to the stores I used when I went out to buy stuff in town. ¡°It¡¯s this late already, so we¡¯re the only ones who came here, but they all wanted to apologize. Because we adults were too timid, you ended up getting the short end of the stick.¡± [Pauline] Pauline-san and the two men bowed their heads. As I panicked and asked them to raise their heads, Darson-san continued. ¡°Most of the people who didn¡¯t leave early like us should also be thinking. The place was already a mess before we left, after all. I don¡¯t know how to put this, but¡­ You speaking out like that wasn¡¯t a waste.¡± [Darson] ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Just a little, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. ¡°Looks like everything worked out in the end.¡± [Grisiera] ¡°Guild master.¡± [Ryouma] The guild master came out of the earlier room with Hyuzu and the others. I know they were worried about me and were keeping an eye out for me, but when they all come out one after another like that, it¡¯s only natural that these three would be shocked. I had to calm them down and explain to them why all these people were here. ¡°¡­So in other words, that plan you were proposing about ¡®hiring people who can fight¡¯ was actually already in the works? And you¡¯ve even gotten permission from the duke already?¡± [Darson] ¡°That would be the case.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then you could have just said that back there¡­ Though I suppose you did say something close.¡± [Darson] ¡°I actually wasn¡¯t aware that the plan has progressed this far already. Besides, even if I was expecting a good result, without any evidence at hand, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible for me to get anyone¡¯s trust.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If I¡¯d known it would turn out like this, I would have ridden that horse quicker to get here a moment¡¯s sooner even if I had to do so alone.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. The timing was just poor. Besides, since you¡¯re all here, this means that we can start working out the details, right?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, everyone that came from the duke¡¯s family bowed deeply. Zeke-san and Pauline-san also bowed. ¡°Ryouma-kun. If it¡¯s alright with you, can you call out to us if there¡¯s anything we can help with?¡± [Zeke] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Obviously.¡¡Don¡¯t hold back at all, okay? If you want we could even call those people who left the meeting. At the very least, you¡¯re a lot more trustworthy than that Wanz.¡± [Pauline] ¡°That¡¯s actually a good idea. We could have a meeting of our own.¡± [Darson] When Darson-san said that, everyone laughed. After confirming a couple of things, we decided to conclude the day and dispersed. ¡°Ryouma, come here for a sec.¡± [Grisiera] When I saw them off, Grisiera-san called me to her carriage. As I approached the entrance of the carriage, she pulled me with her cane. ¡°Listen, Ryouma. Listen well. You can¡¯t do business without looking at reality. If idealism is all you have, you will lose your store. That¡¯s the undeniable truth. But a person who¡¯s only harsh can¡¯t attract people. That¡¯s true too. The gentleness to talk about ideals and value other people. The cruelty to cast away your emotion, consider the benefits, and sacrifice what must be. If you want to become a first-rate merchant, then you need both. And actually, you already have both, you just don¡¯t know how to use them¡­ I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just unskilled¡­ But regardless, you should remember what happened today. Take a good look at the people around you. And believe in the things you¡¯ve built up, and above all else, yourself.¡± [Grisiera] She looked at me gently as she said those words earnestly, then without waiting for a reply, she released me from her cane and bid me farewell in her usual tone. ¡°Next time, you be the one to pay me a visit at the guild, alright?¡± As she said that, the doors to her carriage closed, and she went back to the merchant guild. Chapter 220 - Day 1 of a Three Day Rest The next day. Hyuzu and the others came to Gimuru last night and will be helping me for awhile, so I really got fired up to do some work, but¡­ ¡°Today¡¯s a rest day¡­¡± Saying it didn¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s a rest day, guys. I haven¡¯t rested for even a day since I came back from Fatma Territory. And the guild master went out of her way to inform Hyuzu-san and the others that I started talking to her and Serge-san as soon as I came back, so now I have to rest for the next three days. During this time the skilled maids and the men will be taking over my work, and I won¡¯t be allowed to go outside or drop by the store. They even offered to help take care of my meals and other daily necessities, but of course, I refused them¡­ Anyway, because of that I will be taking a break for the next three days. I have plans for the last day of my break, that is the day after tomorrow, but from today and tomorrow I am completely free. Which is why¡­ ¡°I will be researching slimes the ¡®whole day¡¯!¡± For the longest time I couldn¡¯t find the time to organize the slimes, and I just kept on feeding them and they kept on evolving, but now we have the time, so let¡¯s do that. Also, I have something I want to try out after I made that acid back there at Fatma Territory. Let¡¯s use this opportunity to do what we can! Alright! And so, time passed, and before I knew it, it was night time. After experimenting and observing since morning, I organized the notes I took down. I decided to make a list of what the slimes ate and what they evolved into. After that I summarized my observation records and inquiry. First, let¡¯s talk about the three slime variants that evolved from the Sticky Slime¡­ ¡®Spider Slime¡¯ Appearance: Slightly smaller than the sticky slime. Skill: It didn¡¯t lose any skill, and it learned two new skills, Build Nest and Trap Mastery. Note: The spider slime has woven a nest at the tunnel walls. Lately, it could frequently be seen crawling along the threads like a spider. The thread it produces has also changed a little. To test it, I had a sticky slime and a spider slime produce the strongest thread they could, and then I asked them to bind my arms with it. I compared the two threads by trying to break free from them. From that I found out that the spider slime¡¯s threads were more elastic and harder to tear. Overall, they felt stronger (Note: This is merely based on my personal impressions and as such is completely subjective.) Spider threads were seen as well structured fibers with good qualities even back at Earth and was a topic for research. The sticky slime threads were also fairly durable, but the spider slime¡¯s threads have probably undergone some sort of structural change. I don¡¯t know how good a material it is right now, but I¡¯ll find out once I talk to a specialist when the opportunity presents itself. Also, I mentioned that the spider slime had become smaller, but the change was within the margin of individual specimen differences. I¡¯ll find out their average size once there¡¯s more of them. ¡®Crust Slime¡¯ Appearance: No particular changes. Skill: No skills lost from evolution. Learned a new skill, ¡®Form Carapace¡¯. Note: The Form Carapace skill works by covering itself with its liquid and letting it harden. Hardening the surface of its body does not impede its movement, and can be considered as a pure increase to its defense. I used Identify on the carapace and was able to discover that it¡¯s almost of the same nature as the ¡®Hardening Liquid Plate¡¯ which are made with the liquid of the sticky slimes. The hardening liquid plates were originally made from the liquid of the sticky slimes, so it should possible, but just in case, I had the crust slime spread the liquid it used for its Form Carapace skill on a surface, and when that liquid hardened it indeed successfully produced a hardening liquid sheet. With the crust slimes, I can make hardening liquid sheets without having to rely on alchemy, but other than that, it¡¯s not really that different from a slime. The spider slime was like that too. It feels as if they¡¯re just taking the special characteristics of other species and evolving while keeping their intrinsic nature as slimes. Appearance: No notable change. Skill: No skills lost from the evolution. Learned a new skill, Fibrification. Note: In the same way the fluff slimes could make fluff, this one could make slime rayon. If I change the material, I wonder if it would be possible to make fiber out of those too.For example, I could give it metal or glass to produce wire or glass fiber¡­ I should give it a try sometime. Next are the two acid slime variants. ¡®Shell Slime¡¯ Appearance: It carries a turban-shell-like spiral shell on its back and hides in it like a hermit crab. Skill: No skills forgotten, but its Produce Strong Acid has become Produce Weak acid, and it learned the Create Shell skill. Note: This might be the most surprising evolution yet. It doesn¡¯t look much different from the slimes until now, but when I investigated the acid from its Produce Weak Acid skill, I found out that it was actually highly concentrated succinic acid. I discovered that there were a lot of ¡®umami ingredients¡¯ mixed in with the shellfish. Although it can¡¯t be eaten straight, by adjusting it with alchemy, the succinic acid can be used as a seasoning. Thanks to that I was able to make a delicious oyster-sauce-like ingredient in the afternoon. ¡®Pearl Slime¡¯ Appearance: Milky white with a peculiar luster. A big pearl. Skill: Its body has transformed from the acid slime¡¯s gel-like body to a solid body like that of the metal slimes. Because of that it looked completely different from its previous evolutions. Its special traits include ¡®Refine Protective Body Liquid¡¯, ¡®Coating¡¯, and Crystallization. Note: It can use its skill to create pearls, which are highly sought after in this world. As such, its value is limitless. Making pearls won¡¯t endanger the pearl slime itself, but I do have to exercise caution when using it. There are also two evolutions from the poison slimes. ¡®Filter Slime¡¯ Appearance: Its body is black all over with little water content. It sparkles here and there and reflects light, so it looks like hardened black sand. Skill: It transformed from a gel-like body to a body with little water content, so it lost most of the skills it had when it was a poison slime. But the remaining Poison Resist skill has been strengthened, and it learned the Filtration skill. Note: The results of my experiments show that ¨C just as the name implies ¨C the Filtration skill can filter liquid and gas that pass through its body. It seems to be a slime that feeds off the deposits and poisonous substances caught in its filter. I¡¯ve already confirmed in today¡¯s experiments that the ¡®Filtration¡¯ skill can help in the production of medicine and can be used in place of a water filter. Perhaps it can even help in treatment when coupled with a gas mask or a bloody slime. Perhaps even an artificial dialysis would be possible. The list goes on. ¡®Sting Slime¡¯ Appearance: The purple color of the poison slime has gotten deeper and the nucleus can¡¯t be seen anymore. Skill: It didn¡¯t lose any skills. It learned the Poison Needle skill. Note: Just as the name implies, the Poison Needle skill produces a poisonous needle from its body. Upon testing, the Sting Slime shot out countless needles from its body like a sea urchin. It looked exactly like a sea urchin too. Even the color matched. To be more precise it looked like a black longspine urchin. Also, since it knew the Spear Mastery skill, I asked it if it could produce a thick, long, poison needle and use it as a spear, and it turned out to be a success. Moreover, the spear it made possessed the same structure as the smaller poison needles and could release poison at the end like a syringe. Here I was thinking the poison needles looked like those of a creature used as feed, but they turned out to be a rather gruesome spear. Anyhow, injecting poison into your foe during a battle should be quite effective. For example¡­ Ah, just imagining it seems too dangerous, let¡¯s not follow through with that thought. The evolution from the metal slimes, ¡®Wire Slime¡¯ Appearance: It doesn¡¯t look much different from your usual metal slime, but it did become one size smaller. Skill: It didn¡¯t lose any skills and learned a new skill, Expansion and Contraction. Note: It can stretch its body into a thin thread and even turn itself into a coping saw or a barbed wire. The maximum distance it can stretch is proportional to its maximum volume, but it¡¯s not possible to stretch the nucleus and change its shape. The evolution of the Stone Slime, ¡®Sand Slime¡¯ Appearance: A mountain or lump of sand. Skill: Because its body has transformed into sand, it has lost its skills when it was a stone slime, and learned the same skills as the ash slime. These are: Scatter, Clump, Absorb Moisture, and Dry. Moreover, it also learned the ¡®Assimilate¡¯ skill of the mud slime. Note: During experimentation a new possibility occurred to me. As such, I will be continuing the experiments in the following days. The evolutions under the weed Slime. ¡®Aquatic Weed Slime¡¯ Appearance: It looks like there¡¯s a water weed floating in it. It kind of looks like a glassless aquarium. Skill: No change from the Weed Slime. Note: No change in abilities, but it¡¯s become able to live under water. It can leave for a while outside water, but it doesn¡¯t like land. I wasn¡¯t prepared for it, so I had to build a water tank using the Hardening Liquid Sheets for it. Next time I¡¯ll make a bigger water tank for it, or if the climate permits it, I can make a pond for it too. Its diet is similar to the weed slime, so it can either grow more water weed inside it and eat those or it can make do with photosynthesis. It¡¯s not hard to feed. As mentioned, it looks like an aquarium, so once I start proselytizing people about the goodness of slimes it might be a good idea to recommend this one first. ¡®Alga Slime¡¯ Appearance: A clump of green algae. Skills: No change from the weed slime. Note: A slime that lives underwater just like the Aquatic Weed Slime. Not only can it grow algae under water and eat that, it can also nourish itself like the plant-type slimes via photosynthesis. I took some of the algae covering its nucleus and used Identify on it, and I found out that it contained an abundance of nutrients. One of the types of algae on Earth, the Euglena, has been researched and used for diet supplements because of its abundance of nutrients, so perhaps the moss of the Alga Slime can also be used for something like that. I¡¯ll have to prepare a special water tank or pond for it later, so it can provide more algae to me for research. ¡­Well, that about wraps it up. To be honest, there are still a lot of other stuff I want to do, but if I don¡¯t get any sleep because of my research, the maids will really start keeping a close eye on me, so I better stop here. I guess being able to control myself is proof that I¡¯ve grown a little? ¡°¡­Just kidding.¡± Now then, it¡¯s a bit early to sleep, so I better prepare a little??????for the day after tomorrow. Like this the night gradually grew deeper¡­ Chapter 221 - Day 2 of a Three Day Rest The next day. Today, I will once again be researching slimes from morning till dusk!¡¡Well, okay. Actually, today¡¯s theme isn¡¯t all slimes. I want to run some experiments about spells and mana attributes. The sand slimes and the mud slimes were the ones who got me to build my hypothesis for my experiment today, so I got one of each to help me. ¡°Well, I only have one sand slime right now, though¡­¡± I needed to prepare sand and mud in order to get these slimes to use their Assimilate skill. Both could change the ground with their magic, though, so preparing the sand and mud wasn¡¯t hard. After everything was ready, I had them use their Assimilate skill. After they did¡­ ¡°¡­So that really was the case.¡± The mud slime and the sand slime seemed to melt when they approached the mud and the sand. After a while, they couldn¡¯t be seen anymore, but they were still there. They had completely assimilated with the mud and the sand, becoming completely one with them. If I were to completely eliminate the target they¡¯ve assimilated themselves with, they wouldn¡¯t be able endure it of course, but physical attacks like poking, cutting, and hitting are completely ineffective. Even more surprising is that the weakness of the slimes, the nucleus, is gone. They¡¯ve become just like the mud and sand they¡¯ve assimilated themselves with. But despite that they appear to retain their consciousness, and if I were to order them to go back to being a slime, they can. They can also crawl and move around while in that nucleus-less state. It¡¯s a bit unbelieveable, but they¡¯re doing it right in front of me, so I have no choice but to acknowledge it. Besides, I¡¯ve already concluded that this was possible yesterday. What I really want to know is how and why they can do this. To that end, what got my attention was ¡®mana¡¯. As for why, well, for one¡­ Normal-looking slimes (normal variants) leave behind only their nucleus when they die, while the rest of their body vanishes. The second reason is because based on my previous observations and experiments with the magic slimes, the slimes absorb mana and have individual preferences regarding the type of mana they absorb. The third reason is because in a previous experiment a poison slime was able to successfully use a magic tool spear, but at the cost of debility due to the loss of mana and a reduction in volume. Given the three reasons above, I am led to believe that the body of the slimes is made out of mana. Mana, uncontrolled, will disperse ¨C that is the fundamental concept of magic. It is commonsense. And it also gives a perfectly understandable reason as to why the body of the slimes vanish upon death. If their body is in fact made out of mana, then perhaps the reason why they are able to assimilate themselves with an object is because of magic.¡¡I don¡¯t know how to feel about magic solving everything, but this world does have that ¡®magic¡¯ that can make the impossible possible. Besides, 100 slimes can combine to form a Big Slime, and 500 slimes can combine to form a Huge Slime. Perhaps it¡¯s not that the slimes themselves are magic, but that the mana they possess has a characteristic and power that makes it possible for them to fuse with each other and assimilate with other things. At least, that¡¯s what I think. I want to try out an experiment to confirm something about the second reason I gave, ¡®slimes absorb mana and have individual preferences for the attribute¡¯. ¡°But first I need to double check some things.¡± Let¡¯s find out what type of mana the slimes with Assimilate like to absorb. Upon checking, I found out that the mud slime likes earth and water, while the sand slime likes earth and wind. I checked this yesterday too, actually, as part of my observation process, and the results were the same. ¡°The mud slime that assimilates with mud likes earth and water.¡± And mud magic is a fusion of the earth and water attribute. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s just a coincidence. I also have an inkling as to why the sand slime likes earth and wind. ¡°¡®Polish Wheel¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Earth magically transformed into sand is swept by a whirlwind and then together they spin quickly like a tire. Polish Wheel is an original spell I came up with that grinds objects through the momentum of the sand grains. I made it when I needed it, so I just took the word polish from the English word for Ä¥¤¯ (migaku). Moreover, I visualize it using the image of a tire, so wheel. When put together you get ¡®Polish Wheel¡¯. A simple name, nothing too deep, but now that I think about it, maybe Grinder or Sand Blaster would have been easier to understand. But perhaps this sloppily named and sloppily made spell is a sand-type magic just like mud magic.¡¡And perhaps there¡¯s a relationship and a rule behind why slimes like the mana attributes they like. ¡°It¡¯s too early to make any conclusions, though, what with only two samples. Alright.¡± Let¡¯s test it with the other slimes too. The other slimes with two elements I have are¡­ Ah, there¡¯s the ash slime. The attributes the ash slime likes are water and wood. If you think about how charcoal can be made by burning trees, it¡¯s easy to visualize too. ¡°What kind of magic should I test, hmm¡­ ¡®Ash¡¯ ¡± Keeping things simple, I invoked a spell while imagining ash appearing just like i would with the water-type spell, ¡®Water¡¯. When I tried it out, fire and water attribute mana combined and turned into ash by my feet. ¡°This is a success too¡­ It¡¯s starting to get fun.¡± Next is¡­ If I recall correctly, the acid slime likes poison and water¡ª And then it hit me. Acid slime is acid. Acid is symmetrical to alkali, and the word, alkali, comes from ash. If you mix water with ash, the aqueous solution will show alkalinity¡­ If so, then wouldn¡¯t ash (fire + wood) and water be able to create alkali? ¡­I¡¯ll have to be careful when handling an alkali solution. Of course, acids require caution too. I made some preparations and tested my hypothesis with another experiment. 20 minutes later. The experiment was a success. It was difficult to mix three different elements, but fire + wood + water successfully produced an aqueous solution. But in order to neutralize the alkali, I had to produce acid by combining acid and water¡­ Unfortunately, producing the acid ended in failure. Just what went wrong? ¡°I have the poison slimes and medicine slimes for when I need poison, so I¡¯ve never really used poison magic much¡­ And now that I think about, I never used it for any of my chores either.¡± It might be a good idea to study poison magic right from the basics. I¡¯ll think about the reason for the failure afterwards. After that I reviewed the attributes of the other slimes too, and anything that could be turned into magic, I tested, resulting into a series of failures and success, and every time I tried something out, I would make a record of it. And because I kept using magic I wasn¡¯t used to, by the time it was past noon, I¡¯d expended most of my mana. With that I had to put an end to today¡¯s research. ¡°¡­Because of that I don¡¯t have anything to do anymore¡­¡± After thinking about it for awhile, I decided to make lunch and eat. Afterwards I spent the rest of the day in leisure, playing with the slimes and preparing for tomorrow. When I went to prepare supper for the slimes, I applied what I learned about the ash slimes liking fire and wood by trying to feed the weed slimes ash. When I did, 53 weed slimes showed a strong reaction. As I thought, the relationship between mana and slimes is intriguing. Chapter 222 - Day 3 of a Three Day Rest (1/2) On the morning of the last day of my three-day break, I readied myself and then I waited by the entrance of the abandoned mine. ¡°It¡¯s here!¡± [Ryouma] A carriage passing through the Gimuru road was headed in my direction. It was driven by the maid, Lilian-san. Beside her was Yurdum-san, so it¡¯s definitely the carriage I¡¯m waiting for. I waved at them to get their attention, then I led them to an acceptable parking area. After that the three working girls, Maria, Fina, and Jane-san, alighted from the carriage. ¡°Good morning.¡± We exchanged greetings, and then the three girls from the farming village spoke. ¡°This carriage is really good!¡± [Jane] ¡°It¡¯s really comfortable~¡± [Maria] ¡°Back in our village, we¡¯d either walk or use a carriage that swayed a lot.¡± [Fina] ¡°So it really is a good carriage.¡± [Ryouma] This carriage is one of the three carriages that parked at the empty lot of the store last night. It¡¯s one of the carriages used by the members of the duke¡¯s family. That¡¯s why I thought for sure it would be an excellent performer. ¡°It¡¯s good, alright.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I thought it might be.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s an old carriage scheduled for disposable, so please feel free to tell us if you need it.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯ve already lent me a carriage, so if you include this, that makes two. Reinhart-san had them pass a message, saying, ¡°It¡¯s going to be busy from here on out, so please feel free to use these carriages to help you get around.¡± That¡¯s why they¡¯re lending them to me like this. Of course, it¡¯s not only the members of the duke¡¯s family and the carriages that I¡¯m grateful for. Although the married couple had to leave that night after picking up their children, until then, the employees were the ones taking care of their children. Hence, in our absence, it was the employees who accompanied the guild master and the members of the duke¡¯s family. They probably became curious as to why everyone was at my store, and in the course of asking questions and getting an explanation, they ended up asking me if there was something they could help with. I was more than willing to accept their help since they were offering it, so today, the three girls from the farming village will be teaching me the basics of farming. ¡°Thank you for coming here despite your day off. I¡¯ll be in your care today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha ha!¡¡What are you being so stiff for, Boss?¡± [Jane] ¡°You¡¯re always taking care of us~ It¡¯s the least we could do~¡± [Maria] ¡°If anything we¡¯re just happy to be able to help you, Boss. But why do you want to farm so suddenly?¡± [Fina] ¡°Ah, right. I haven¡¯t explained that part, have I? Actually¡ª¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t tell them the parts about the God of Farming, but I did tell them that I¡¯ve been basically brute forcing my wood magic, so if I could learn how to farm properly, I should be able to produce better results. ¡°So that¡¯s actually a thing~¡± [Maria] ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about magic, though. Will this really be alright?¡± [Fina] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Fina-chan. It¡¯s more important to know about the subject of a spell.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Ryouma] Just as Yurdum-san says¡ª Wait. ¡°Yurdum-san, can you use magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t specialize in it, but I can use wood magic. I can also use some water magic though just enough to sprinkle a bit of water.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You¡¯ll be a lot of help then!¡± [Ryouma] If he knows about magic too, then I¡¯ll be able to rely on him a lot. Looks like I still have a lot to know about Yurdum-san. I should use this opportunity to get to know him¡­ Oh, right. ¡°Let¡¯s not just stand here, please, come in. I¡¯ve prepared a place for us to talk.¡± [Ryouma] Like that I led the five of them inside. I brought them to a vast and level area in the western part of the abandoned mine. It was overrun with weeds just recently, so I¡¯d cleaned things up in a hurry, but¡­ it seems I made a mistake somewhere. ¡°¡­¡± [Everyone Else] After all, the five people I brought, especially, the girls from the farming village, were all shocked. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, I mean, Boss¡­¡± {Fina] ¡°Is that a greenhouse over there?¡± [Jane] Although some parts were normal terrain, it was already almost winter, so I thought it would be better if I built a greenhouse. I built it with a plastic greenhouse in mind, but I used the sticky slime and the crust slime¡¯s hardening liquid sheet, so it looks like a glass greenhouse¡ª Oh, right!¡¡Glass is supposed to be really expensive in this country. If I use that much glass to construct something, it¡¯s no wonder that they¡¯re surprised. ¡°Ah~ So it¡¯s not glass then~¡± [Maria] ¡°I was so shocked.¡± [Jane] ¡°Come to think of it, the same material is used for the store windows. I should have known.¡± [Fina] ¡°Personally, I think it¡¯s surprising even then¡­ It¡¯s not common even for nobles to have a green house.¡± [Yurdum] Oh, really? That¡¯s a surprise¡­ ¡°For the mean time, please come inside.¡± It¡¯s cold outside, so I led them inside. The greenhouse was surrounded with hardening liquid sheet, so the wind couldn¡¯t get in, but the sunlight could still enter, so it was plenty warm. It¡¯s hard for the air to circulate here, so it¡¯s quite humid. There are windows for ventilation above the two entrances and the sides of the greenhouse, so I could open them if needed, but I should probably start thinking about a way to regulate the temperature here. ¡°Alright, where should we start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How about you show us how you do it first, Boss.¡¡I want to see how magic farming works too.¡± [Fina] ¡°I understand!¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 222.1 - Day 3 of a Three Day Rest (2/2) I did as Fina-san suggested and showed them how I normally farmed. First, I softened the ground with earth magic, then I had the scavenger slimes build ridges on the soil while mixing in the fertilizer. After that I had the slimes scatter the seeds, while I watered the ground with water magic, and then facilitated the growth with wood magic. ¡°And done!¡± [Ryouma] Just like that a field of dandelion flowers was completed in the blink of an eye! I chose dandelion flowers since the seeds could be turned into cooking oil, while the roots could be used for dandelion coffee, and the stem could be fed to the sticky slime and the latex slimes. ¡°¡­¡± [Everyone Else] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Everyone was quiet again. ¡°Umm¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± [Fina] ¡°Magic sure is amazing.¡± [Maria] Fina-san and the other two girls from the farming village were like ¡®I don¡¯t really get it, but it¡¯s amazing!¡¯¡¡Or at least their reaction felt like that. Lilian-san has seen me farm before at the residence of the duke¡¯s family, so she wasn¡¯t surprised, but she was wryly smiling. As for the only guy in the group, Yurdum-san¡­ ¡°Ha ha, what is this?¡¡Huh?¡¡Illusion magic?¡± [Yurdum] He seems quite shocked. ¡°Yurdum-san?¡¡Are you okay?¡¡Is there anything strange about my farming?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Strange?¡¡You¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡¡You made the flowers bloom in one go from a seed! Of course it¡¯s strange! What¡¯s more you flowered an entire field!¡± [Yurdum] ¡°P-Please calm down!¡± [Ryouma] It was hard to understand what he was saying because he was so excited, so I first calmed him down. ¡°Yeah, umm¡­ Sorry. It was just too shocking. You must have a lot of mana, huh, Boss?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There¡¯s that too, but the fertilizer of the scavenger slimes plays a huge part.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, that fertilizer and those slimes must be amazing. I¡¯ve dabbled a bit myself with normal fertilizers like compost and mulch, and magic medicine to speed up the growth of plants, but a person¡¯s worth of mana couldn¡¯t possibly make an entire field bloom like this. Some medicine might be able to pull it off, but the strong ones also have worse side effects. Compared to that, this field looks really normal. You could even say it¡¯s overflowing with life. A normal mage¡¯s amount of mana shouldn¡¯t be enough to make something like this happen.¡± [Yurdum] When I heard that, I turned to Fina-san and the others for confirmation. ¡°We don¡¯t use magic medicine at the village.¡± [Fina] ¡°Those medicine are too expensive, so we can¡¯t use them~¡± [Maria] ¡°After all, you¡¯d need a lot of them if you¡¯re going to use them for an entire field.¡± [Jane] But they just said that they didn¡¯t know anything about it. ¡°Yurdum-san, you really know a lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My family has been serving as imperial court gardeners for generations, so I studied the subject a lot when I was young.¡± [Yurdum] No wonder he knows so much. But ¡®Imperial Court Gardener¡¯? Based on the words alone that sounds like a gardener who works at the castle, and if he¡¯s from a family like that, then¡­ ¡°Yurdum-san, you¡¯re a noble?¡¡I never knew.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­ I come from a baron¡¯s household, but I ran away from home. I don¡¯t have the right to use my last name anyway, and even if tell people I¡¯m a noble, they just end up shying away from me. Sometimes I end up being unable to join a tournament and girls get scared too. So it¡¯s already become a habit not to talk about it.¡± [Yurdum] There are certainly people who shrink back as soon as they find out you¡¯re a noble. That probably made it really hard to find people to test his skills against. As for me, I don¡¯t really mind, and I¡¯m not the sort to try and expose a person¡¯s history either. ¡°My dad was the one with the court rank, and he was a noble of the robe without any territory, so we weren¡¯t really that much different from commoners.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san wryly smiled. ¡°So just treat me as usual.¡± [Yurdum] And then he turned to Fina-san and the others and said that. He sure switches gears quick. He¡¯s so quick Fina-san and the others were still shocked. ¡°Are you sure?¡± [Fina] ¡°It¡¯s totally fine!¡¡My dad just happens to work at the castle, really. He¡¯s no different from your usual gardener, and I ran away from home anyway, so I don¡¯t have any privileges or authority. If anything, the boss is the dangerous one with all the authority. After all, he¡¯s connected to the duke and he even gets to work together with his people.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Now that you mention it!¡± [Fina, Jane, Maria] ¡°That¡¯s how you come to terms with his history? Really?¡± [Ryouma] When realization dawned upon them, the three girls became shocked, and then they found themselves agreeing with Yurdum-san. Even Lilian-san was quietly nodding. W-What in the world?¡¡I mean it¡¯s true that the duke helps me out a lot all the time, but¡­ ¡°Of course, not in a bad sense.¡± [Yurdum] Anyway, I pulled myself together and brought the topic back to farming. ¡°I noticed that when you were farming, you never touched the crops again while they were growing.¡± [Fina] ¡°Normally, you have to remove the weeds and prune bad sprouts~¡± [Maria] ¡°I see¡­ I knew about pruning, but I didn¡¯t know which sprout to prune. I mean in the first place, I don¡¯t know what counts as a bad sprout. Since even the poorer ones I could just forcefully grow by pouring mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true that wood magic can make a plant grow, but it requires a lot of mana and the rapid growth also puts a lot of burden on the plant. That¡¯s why it¡¯s usually done gradually and in stages across several days. That way the amount of mana consumed per plant and per day can be reduced along with the burden on the plants. Those with poor growth or those that¡¯ve fallen ill can grow on their own or resist the disease, so it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t force them to bloom and instead skilfully assist them.¡± [Yurdum] They told me the problems in my self-taught farming magic. ¡°Let¡¯s try growing a crop for real next!¡¡I brought a potato that¡¯s already started to germinate from Shelma-san!¡¡If we plant this potato like this, it will turn into a seed potato too, so I¡¯m sure it should be easy to grow!¡± [Jane] ¡°You too, Jane?¡¡I brought a soybean that can be grow with magic.¡± [Fina] ¡°I brought some barley too~¡± [Maria] Because of that I used the seeds the girls brought with them. ¡°Stop!¡± [Jane] ¡°This is when you should prune~¡± [Maria] ¡°As for how to distinguish between which to prune and which to leave¡ª¡± [Fina] ¡°Ah, let¡¯s replant the ones that grew poorly here. That should serve as practice for wood magic.¡± [Yurdum] I practiced how to farm with everyone¡¯s help. ¡°When growing barley, this is the part where we step on them!¡± [Fina] ¡°We need to give enough time for this soybean to grow.¡± [Jane] They taught me how to grow crops I haven¡¯t grown yet too. While the crops grew quickly, I studied about the important parts and the various process I needed to do to take care of them properly. As I came to learn one thing after another, I found out just how forceful my method of farming was. But that just meant I had more to study, and because of that it was a really fruitful day! Chapter 223.1 - The Result of Playing Around (1/2) Chapter 223: The Result of Playing Around (1/2) The next day. After my long three-day vacation ended, it was finally time to start working. And so, I happily went down the mountain and headed to Gimuru. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] I greeted the men guarding the northern gate, and then I headed to a corner of the slums. Upon arriving in front of the large old building, I noticed that a crowd had gathered. ¡°Excuse me. Excuse me¡­ Ah!¡± [Ryouma] I pushed my way through the crowd, and when I finally reached the front, I saw the seven people dispatched by the duke. The president of the Morgan Company, Serge-san, was also with them, and even the head of the government office, Arnold-San, and the manager of the slums, Revel-san, were there too. Men who appeared to be their guards and their carriages could also be seen. As a group, they were clearly different from the rest of the crowd. When I walked up to them to greet them¡­ ¡°Ryouma-sama? Oh, please don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s still some time earlier our promised time.¡± [Serge] ¡°We were just early. The kids haven¡¯t finished their preparations yet either.¡± [Revel] Everyone greeted me, and Serge-san and Revel-san gave me a brief explanation of the situation. Also, the ¡®kids¡¯ Revel-san was referring to were none other than the children living in the large old building. There were several buildings like this in the slums. They¡¯re meant for children with nowhere to go and are known as a ¡®children¡¯s home¡¯. But¡­ ¡°This isn¡¯t my first time seeing it, but it sure is old¡­¡± [Ryouma] My remark might offend someone, so I made sure to choose my words. ¡°That¡¯s a given. According to the records, this building was used to store the raw materials when the town was being built. In other words, it¡¯s even older than the town itself. The storehouses for raw materials are often expanded and relocated during construction, and the ones no longer in use are usually sold to the people.¡± [Arnold] After receiving Arnold-san¡¯s explanation, a lot of things suddenly started to make sense. The reason why this stone building was built so plainly with an emphasis on space and robustness was probably to make it easier to bring things in and out of it. There are two entrances and exits on the front and back of the building, all of which are big enough to accommodate a carriage. Moreover, the doors to those entrances and exits were thick as though the makers wanted to take care to prevent theft. The windows were small, and they felt like they were made just big enough to provide ventilation and lighting. There were high walls surrounding the building too, and there were even traces of a thick gate that made sure to separate the inside from the outside. But what¡¯s more is that it¡¯s so old it seems attempting even the simplest construction if done irresponsibly would cause the whole thing to crumble. ¡­But of course, as far as I¡¯m concerned, it¡¯s just an abandoned building, not fit for kids to live in. ¡°Revel-san. I just want to make sure, but once the kids are ready and they leave and we¡¯re sure that there¡¯s no one left in the premises, we can start dismantling???? the building, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The sooner you work, the sooner you¡¯ll be able to reconstruct?? those kids¡¯ house, after all. We¡¯ll take care of the kids while the house is being rebuilt, but it¡¯ll be a lot more reassuring to have it ready sooner.¡± [Revel] Although his face was grim and his words were rough, he was thinking about the children. That¡¯s why he agreed to my proposal in the first place, and talked with the owners of this building, the people supporting the children, and the children themselves. My goal is the construction of a garbage processing plant and a factory, but he probably believes that cooperating with me would improve the living conditions of the people here. That¡¯s why I¡¯m able to dismantle this house today. ¡°Thank you for your cooperation. I¡¯ll be sure to build it well, so as to not betray your trust and expectations.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m counting on you. Not just me, but this whole crowd of people as well ¨C I¡¯m sure you¡¯re well aware.¡± [Revel] ¡°Of course!¡± [Ryouma] And then speaking of the devil, it was at that moment that the kids started leaving the building one after another. All that¡¯s left now is to confirm a few things¡­ ¡°Were you able to prepare the helpers I asked for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I secured about 30 people. They¡¯re waiting somewhere nearby, so I can call them anytime.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Looks like we have enough for our first day. In that case¡­ ¡°Serge-san and Rurunez-san. That thing I asked you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The old clothes for the kids?¡¡We¡¯ve purchased plenty. They¡¯re inside my carriage. We washed them just awhile ago too.¡± [Serge] ¡°The cleaner slimes you lent us are inside this carriage. The children and the contractor, Lilian, are on board. I¡¯ll guide you.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Perfect. Thank you for your help.¡± [Ryouma] What I¡¯d asked the three maids was to prepare a full body cleaning service via the cleaner slimes for the children. Once the kids have been cleaned, we will be distributing the old clothes to them to compensate them for the trouble we¡¯ll be causing them. ¡°They¡¯ll be getting a new house just before winter fully sets in. Personally, I don¡¯t think they¡¯re troubled at all, but¡­ Well, I¡¯ll thank you for your concern anyhow.¡± [Revel] ¡°Likewise¡­ Now then, it¡¯s still a bit early, but shall we begin? Everything seems ready, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, let¡¯s.¡± [Rurunez] The children gathered by the entrance of the building ranged from a pre-schooler to a middle schooler¡¯s age. There were 50 of them all in all. Presently, the older kids were counting heads. ¡°I¡¯ll leave the kids to Revel-san, Serge-san, and your group, Rurunez-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to us.¡± [Revel, Serge, Rurunez] ¡°Hey.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Let¡¯s make sure there¡¯s no one left.¡± [Ryouma] I used my search magic and confirmed with Hyuzu-san¡¯s group that there was no one left inside the children¡¯s home. After making doubly sure that there was no one left, it was finally time to start demolishing the building. ¡°I¡¯ll call the workers then.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Ah, Zeff-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah?¡± [Zeff] ¡°After you call the workers, please have them wait for a while. I discovered something that might be useful while playing with the slimes during my break, so I want to test it out a bit. The odds of success are pretty high, and if this works out, it¡¯ll be quite useful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A-Alright.¡± [Zeff] ¡°As usual, you get really heated when talking about slimes, huh.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Ah, my bad¡­¡± [Ryouma] I did it again, but anyway, they agreed, so let¡¯s start the experiment. First, I got Hyuzu-san and the others to leave the premises too, then after confirming that there was no one left, I left. I¡¯m sure it must be starting to get quite annoying hearing me drone endlessly about confirming that there¡¯s no one left in the premises, but safety is priority number one in construction work. After leaving the premises too myself, I opened my dimension home and took out a large jar I prepared. With this, preparations were finally complete. ¡°Hey, is our work not starting yet?¡± [Worker 1] ¡°What is that kid doing?¡± [Worker 2] ¡°I don¡¯t give a rat¡¯s ass. I just hope we can get started already¡­¡± [Worker 3] I could hear the unhappy voices of the workers from behind me, so¡ª ¡°Fu fu¡­ Since I have an audience today, I might as well put on a show!¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªI put a lot of mana into the jar! Chapter 223.2 - The Result of Playing Around (2/2) ¡°¡ª!¡± [Some of the Crowd] Looks like there were some people who could use magic among the crowd, as the crowd stirred and the word ¡®mana¡¯ could be heard amidst their voices. ¡°This much should be enough, I think.¡± {Ryouma] I had to spend a quarter of my mana pool, but this should serve me well. In the next moment, the sand that filled the large jar rose up like a whirlwind. ¡°Woah!?¡± [Crowd] After shooting up higher than the building itself, the sand clad itself with the wind and took on the shape of a sphere, then it started spinning quickly midair. At this point, I brought down my raised right hand, and then the sand and the wind scattered, but very quickly gathered once more in midair before descending rapidly???. While a sound akin to that of the wind and the grains of sand resounded, the wind and the sand quickly reached the ground from the roof. As a result¡ª ¡°Hey, what was that just now?¡± [Worker 3] ¡°I don¡¯t know, but¡­ I heard a ¡®JA!¡¯ sound,¡¡and then a line was suddenly drawn on the wall.¡± [Worker 4] ¡°A line? Isn¡¯t that a crack?¡± [Worker 5] ¡°It looks pretty deep too.¡¡It must be fairly powerful to inflict that much damage on a stone wall.¡± [Worker 6] ¡°Wrong.¡± [Worker 7] ¡°Huh?¡¡What is?¡± [Worker 6] ¡°You can see inside the building all the way to the wall on the other side through the crack.¡± [Worker 7] ¡°What!?¡± [Worker 6] ¡°I have beast blood running through my veins, so I¡¯m confident in my eyes. There¡¯s no mistaking it.¡± [Worker 7] ¡°But that would mean¡­¡± [Worker 6] ¡°That kid¡¯s magic broke the stone wall?¡± [Worker 5] ¡°Broke? More like he cut it.¡± [Worker 4] ¡°¡­.SERIOUSLY!?¡± [All of them] To be more precise, I didn¡¯t cut it but ¡®ground¡¯ it instead. In the same way that a rocky mountain exposed to the rain and the winds for many years will transform into a magnificent valley, the cohesion of the particles can be weakened by earth magic, and the blowing wind and moving sand will grind the land and the stones, transforming them into sand. Or at least that¡¯s the visualization I used in this new sand spell of mine. Moreover, I¡¯ve also assimilated the sand slimes into the sand I used earlier. As for what good that¡¯ll do, well¡­ ¡°Divide yourselves into two groups and cut the wall once more.¡± [Ryouma] The mountain of sand piled up on the ground split into two clumps and crawled on the ground. While ensuring proper spacing, two lines of sand were suddenly drawn on the wall, and in the next moment, a new space was created once again. The sand I was controlling with my sand magic has been assimilated by the sand slimes. In other words, the sand was sand but at the same time it was also my sand slimes.??????????. The sand slimes could move on their own volition to some extent, and we are also able to understand each other through the monster tamer contract. Thanks to that ¡®controlling the spell has become much easier¡¯. It sounds a bit strange when put into words, but basically, the target of my spell, the sand, is able to communicate with me and move on its own. Because of that it¡¯s possible to execute something akin to a chantless spell invocation and the mana consumption is also a lot lower compared to when I¡¯m using similar spells the normal way. The skill of the assimilated sand slimes is also able to be used. Really, this method of using the sand slimes and my sand magic is full of benefits. Moreover, controlling the assimilated sand with my magic has also had an effect on the sand slimes. First, just as is the case with the magic-type slimes, by pouring mana into the sand, the sand slimes are able to absorb mana. And apparently they were even able to eat my magic, as they learned the skill ¡®Erosion¡¯. By using the sand magic, moving at high speed becomes possible, the range of their movement expands, and its also possible for them to use their spell at the cost of my mana. The skills and abilities of the sand slimes also seem to get stronger when I give them my mana. It¡¯s as though the sand slimes have taken the role of the mana staff, which is mean to reinforce one¡¯s spells, while I have taken on the role of the mana tank. It¡¯s as if we¡¯re making up for each other¡¯s weakness. The sand slimes are using mana to use their skills, or at least I think so anyway¡­ I¡¯ve never used a magic staff myself, so I can¡¯t be sure that my hypotheses are correct, but regardless¡­ By using the sand slimes like this, something like this is possible. ¡°Go!¡± [Ryouma] After cutting the walls vertically, the sands that have split into two split into four more each???? and then cut the walls that already resembled a pillar. Like this the surface of the stone wall was diced in less than five minutes., and a thunderous sound rumbled as the diced stone parts fell to the ground. Naturally, that would give rise to a cloud of dust or sand, but¡­ ¡°We don¡¯t want to trouble our audience, now do we? Please be sure to collect that sand too.¡± [Ryouma] I was in charge of maintaining the scope of the spell and the power, while the fine control was left to the sand slimes. That was the kind of image I had in mind as I gave more mana to the slimes. In the next moment, as though the sand was responding to my will, it scattered and transformed into a sand storm within the premises of the building marked for demolishing. The sand born from the collapse of the diced stones were caught up in that, pulled away from the crowd. ¡°¡­I went out of my way to increase the strength of the spell this much, so I might as well go all the way.¡± [Ryouma] The sandstorm converged. Standing two stories high, denser than ever, in the next few minutes, it ground away at the stone walls and the outer walls, revealing the wooden framework that supported the building. To be honest, this spell has a much harder time grinding wood than it does with walls, but if I increase the density and the speed of the spin, it¡¯s even possible to cut wood much less grind it. The wood appears to have rotten in some parts too, so I cut it into parts just big enough so that it couldn¡¯t be swept away by the wind, then I dug it out from the foundation¡­ Success! ¡°Well, something like that.¡± [Ryouma] Like that the entire building vanished, and now only a vast sandy area could be seen. All the people that gathered around the building could now be seen without any obstructions. And yet despite such remarkable results, the surrounding buildings weren¡¯t affect in the slightest bit. A perfect result if I say so myself! While I was thinking that, I felt someone looking at me, so I turned around. ¡°¡­¡± [Everyone Else] Most of the people were acquainted with me, but the people that were less acquainted were either shocked or in disbelief, while the people who were close to me just muttered, ¡®business as usual¡¯ or ¡®he¡¯s gone and done it again¡¯. Everyone looked alternatingly between me and the mountain of sand behind me. Chapter 224.1 - The Result of Playing Around II (1/2) ¡°That was quite a show, Ryouma.. Your countenance was looking good, so I thought you were finally able to get a good rest, but to think that the result of your break would be this¡­ Ah, you don¡¯t have to explain. Or rather don¡¯t explain the details here. We don¡¯t know who¡¯s listening.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san told me seriously after the four guards surrounded me. ¡°Camil, you¡¯re the magic guy here. Tell us your thoughts about what you saw.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Alright. First of all, summoning a sandstorm of that size is still normal. I felt him using a lot of mana, so any advance mage should be able to do something similar, but being able to turn an entire building into scrap with it is another story. Moreover, despite using such a large spell, he contained all of the effects within the premises of the lot. Finally, I don¡¯t know if he used chantless casting to invoke different spells, but it looked like he was instantly adapting to the situation and changing the scope and movement of the spell. With those three points, anyone who knows a bit about magic will immediately realize how difficult it was to do what he just did. And yet somehow Ryouma was somehow able to pull it off thanks to his new spell or new technique.¡¡Either way, what he just did should be considered as his house¡¯s magic.¡± [Camil] ¡°My house¡¯s magic?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s my first time hearing that term. From the way it¡¯s worded, it¡¯s probably referring to a magic passed down in one¡¯s family, but to be sure I asked him. ¡°You¡¯re not far off, but to be more precise, a house spell or house magic is the culmination of a magic researcher family passed onto only a few people within a house. Think of it as a special but difficult kind of magic. You could even call it a secret technique. A strong magic will become a strong weapon, and in turn become a source of income. That¡¯s why there are many people who want to learn of these special magic. Even if they don¡¯t commit any crimes, it would be problematic if they exposed the secret, right? There are a lot of secretive people and contrarians among the magic researchers, and the famous families are mostly nobles, so when matters relating to house magic are poorly handled, they could easily turn into a huge incident. That¡¯s why as soon as the term House Spell pops up, it¡¯s considered taboo to ask any further. Or at least, that kind of tacit understanding is a thing. Anyway, it¡¯s mostly a thing among nobles, but dodging the question is usually the best way to deal with matters surrounding house magics.¡± [Camil] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If they still won¡¯t drop the topic, be sure to consult us immediately. Anyway, that¡¯s how you should deal with this issue.¡± [Camil] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, let¡¯s leave this at that then.¡± [Hyuzu] After Camil-san advised me, Hyuzu-san immediately wrapped up the discussion and moved on to the next topic. ¡°The house has already been demolished by Ryouma¡¯s spell, so what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Ah, right.¡± [Ryouma] I know they were just telling me off for showing off too much, but there¡¯s actually one more thing I wanted to try. ¡°Just like the spell from before, I was messing around during my break, but I messed around a bit too much and ran out of mana, so there were some things that I couldn¡¯t try¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine?¡¡I mean it¡¯s a bit too late now anyway after that. And if he¡¯s going to do something like that, then he might as well do it while we¡¯re around.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­True.¡± [Rest of the Guards] Everyone agreed with Hyuzu-san and reluctantly gave me permission to go ahead with my experiment. Alright, let¡¯s give it a shot! I gave an order to the sand slimes and invoked my sand magic. The mountain of sand started moving as though it was being swept up by a squall, but it didn¡¯t do any complicated movements like earlier and instead simply gathered at a nearby corner at the end of the lot. Like that a scene akin to an hourglass being turned upside down came to life. Before long the sand hourglass came to resemble a rectangular sand mountain that looked just like a giant tofu. Surprised voices could be heard, but it wasn¡¯t as bad as earlier. I didn¡¯t do anything complicated, though, so their surprise must be mostly because of confusion. I don¡¯t blame them. It¡¯s certainly hard to understand what¡¯s going on just by looking at it from the outside. But I¡¯m contracted with the assimilated sand slimes, so I know exactly what¡¯s going on inside. As for what exactly was happening, well it just happened to complete while I was thinking to myself. ¡°Woah!?¡± [Crowd] Like an artist taking the veil off his unannounced work, I let the sand mountain collapse, giving rise to waves of sand that moved onto an empty lot, leaving behind a ¡®2-story house¡¯. It was about a fifth of the entire lot with a large entrance and hall at the center, past which was a flight of stairs. To the sides of the hall was a shared toilet and several rooms. It had a relatively simple design. But of course, the onlookers couldn¡¯t tell that much just by looking at it from outside. Despite that it would appear that a complete building suddenly popping out of the crumbling sand was a lot more shocking than when I demolished the building. Or maybe it¡¯s just a consequence of my seemingly simple actions, but regardless, the crowd was really stirred up. ¡°Y-You¡¯re kidding¡­¡± [Onlooker 1] ¡°What spell is that? Isn¡¯t it too convenient?¡± [Onlooker 2] ¡°It certainly is convenient.¡± [Ryouma] This spell is a reversal of the demolishing process, where pillars and walls are connected by sand particles through the process of accumulating sand. It¡¯s basically an attempt at making the 3D printer a reality in this world through sand magic. By working together with the sand slimes, the degree of freedom and precision of the spell could also be greatly increased. When I was finally able to easily build complicated structures with it, I spent my time during break time making and breaking dolls with it. This time I used the same spell to build ¡®something big enough for people to live in¡¯. Building houses via 3D printers was supposedly also being researched back in Earth, so I figured that as long as I had enough mana and sand it should be possible to build a house. But¡­ ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not yet¡ª¡± [Ryouma] When I was about to say something¡­ ¡°Wow!¡± [Kids] ¡°It¡¯s our house!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°Our new house!¡± [Kid 2] Some of the children from the house I demolished were so happy that they immediately ran toward the newly built house. The maids and the older kids were shocked and couldn¡¯t react in time. ¡°Ah!¡¡Stop those kids!¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 224.2 - The Result of Playing Around II (2/2) Chapter 224: The Result of Playing Around II (2/2) They finally reacted when I called out, but two of the kids were too fast. Those two must be from the beast man tribe or something, so I had to make a move. ¡± ¡®Teleport¡¯ !¡¡Got you!¡¡Can¡¯t you wait!?¡± [Ryouma] Fortunately, I succeeded in directly capturing them. I practiced my dimension magic a lot when I had to recover so much of the mud salamander corpses back at Fatma Territory. The result of all that effort was showing now. ¡°Let go!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°That¡¯s our house!¡± [Kid 2] ¡°I want to see our house!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°Y-You need to wait, it¡¯s still dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] While I was trying to keep the two kids in check¡­ ¡°What are you brats doing!!?¡± [Revel] ¡°!¡± [Two Kids} ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to wait until the adults told you it was safe before entering since it¡¯s dangerous!?¡± [Revel] The person in charge of managing the slums, Revel-san, arrived before anyone else and caught the two kids. The menacing look he wore made it so that the two kids couldn¡¯t argue. After securing the kids, he handed them back to the older kids. ¡°Seriously. Sorry that the kids got in your way.¡± [Revel] ¡°In the end, nothing happened, so it¡¯s fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. ¡­Still, that¡¯s some amazing magic you¡¯ve got there. You can destroy and create stuff as you wish.¡± [Revel] ¡°It¡¯s still experimental, so I was just trying it out.¡± {Ryouma] Although I did it because I thought it was possible, a structure that has been made through sand magic is essentially built with a compressed and hardened ¡®sand stone¡¯. Sandstones are easy to work with but they¡¯re fragile and don¡¯t last that long. They also absorb a lot of water, so it¡¯s possible for them to be damaged during winter. They¡¯re not a good material to build outer walls with. It¡¯s also my first time building something at this size, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange if I messed up somewhere. To be safe, I need to double check it. ¡°That¡¯s why I need to build something sturdier for the children¡¯s home. That¡¯s also why we had the laborers come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s one thing I¡¯d like to confirm.¡± [Zeff] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] When I turned out around, Zeff-san was there. Arnold-san, who was talking to some other people earlier, also approached. ¡°I heard that since most of the laborers we gathered today are experts at construction you want to use them to ensure the safety of the building?¡± [Zeff] ¡°Would it be fine?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The work will just change a little at most. You¡¯ve gone out of your way to build so much already, and the sooner those kids have a place to sleep, the better, right?¡± [Zeff] ¡­That¡¯s true. The kids who ran off earlier might have also been scared of losing their home. ¡°Revel-san, we were planning on building a garden for the kids to play at, but do you mind if we build it just within this structure? Like that you can just destroy it and change it into a garden once a proper house has been built.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A garden would be luxurious. As long as the kids have someplace to sleep, it¡¯s all good. If they can live there, then they should just live there.¡± [Revel] ¡°I see. In that case, Zeff-san, can you talk to the laborers? Today, we¡¯ll be having them ensure the safety of this house. If it¡¯s safe enough, then they should take measurements for the windows and the doors. When that¡¯s done with, they need to build a wall around the lot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it!¡± [Zeff] After that Zeff-san ran off. ¡°We¡¯ll go back to our guard duties too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Oh, yeah. Now that you mention it, there¡¯s more people trying to get a look at the house now too.¡± [Jill] ¡°See you later!¡± [Camil] Like that Hyuzu-san, Jill-san, and Camil-san left to manage the crowds of onlookers. When they were all gone, Arnold-San from the government office approached me. ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Takebayashi-sama. I¡¯ve been watching you work all tis time, but it sure was different from what I was expecting.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m sure he was expecting us to take a hammer out and build it normally. Even if he did consider the use of magic, he probably didn¡¯t expect us to rely on it so much. Actually, I also wouldn¡¯t have done this if I hadn¡¯t realized the potential of the sand slimes during my rest day and would have surely built it more orthodoxly. ¡°But since you were able to make so much progress in such a short time, shall we speed up our preparations for the land readjustment project?¡± [Arnold] ¡°Right. It¡¯s too much for me to do everything myself, but with the help of the laborers, it shouldn¡¯t take too much time to demolish everything. We can also start rebuilding them immediately, so the construction time will be shortened by a lot. Also, while I said that this building needs to be checked for safety, I didn¡¯t build it thinking it would only last a day or two. I made it with the intention of building a temporary residence that people could use to take shelter from the rain or as a place to take refuge when needed. So please take that into consideration when tuning it. As for the rest, I supposed we can just see how things go and respond accordingly?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. It¡¯s good that we can settle our discussions so quickly.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Please make sure to get the people¡¯s consent.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. Revel-san is cooperating too, so I¡¯m sure the people will understand.¡± [Arnold] As he said that he smiled and turned to Revel-san. ¡°As long as the government office is doing a proper job, we won¡¯t complain needlessly either. Anyhow, I know you¡¯re someone I can discuss things with properly, so I¡¯ll work with you.¡± [Revel] ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s my fortune to have a built a relationship with the boss of this district. Thanks to you it¡¯s become a lot easier to hear the honest remarks of the people.¡± [Arnold] ¡°Hmm.¡± [Revel] ¡°Anyway, I should excuse myself now. I still have other work to do. If you ever see me at the Cat¡¯s ForeheadCafe please don¡¯t hesitate to say hi. ¡°Be careful. Ah, and please don¡¯t just eat cakes all the time and eat a proper meal, okay?¡¡The auntie at Cat¡¯s Forehead told me that you¡¯ve been taking home even more cake than before.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I¡¯ll consider it.¡± [Arnold] Arnold-san wryly smiled and left. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you were talking about, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to listen.¡± [Revel] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Ryouma] Later, Zeff-san told me that the house I made suited the climate around here and while it couldn¡¯t last for many years, it should be fine to live at temporarily. After that the laborers took measurements for the windows and the doors. As for the construction itself, I left it to the slimes, while the laborers built the wall with stones I prepared using my magic. Meanwhile, I started constructing the children¡¯s home for real at one of the empty spaces. I finished everything by the time sun had set. Chapter 225.1 - : Debriefing (1/2) zChapter 225: Debriefing (1/2) After the construction job ended, I went back to the store for one more job. It¡¯s great to have a lot allies, so just as I spoke about with Darson-san a few days ago, I¡¯m going to be meeting with the people who left the meeting, but before that¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s begin today¡¯s report.¡± [Ryouma] Gathered at the office of my store were the seven people dispatched by the duke. We need to exchange information and discuss about the progress made today before Darson¡¯s group comes. That being said, we were all at the construction site this morning, and the guards were with me the whole time, so the only ones who weren¡¯t with us were the maids. Riviola-san from the Big Monkey Man Tribe met my eyes. ¡°Would it be alright I started as the representative of the maids?¡± [Riviola] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After leaving the construction site, we purchased a plot of land from the Merchant Guild, and made preparations to establish the security company and hire personnel. We didn¡¯t experience any problems, but we need a signature from the you, Ryouma-sama, as the manager, as well as from Hyuzu-sama, and Jill-sama. Also, we intend to inform the various guild branches at Gimuru our intention to establish the security company and hire various personnel tomorrow.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Thank you. Sounds like everything is going well. That¡¯s good to hear.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Also, we returned here in the afternoon, and during our time here various people contacted us. Revel-sama, the manager of the slums, said that the people who had put on hold their response regarding being moved have finally voiced their agreement. The owners of the ¡®children¡¯s home¡¯ who haven¡¯t replied until now also apologized for their belated response and informed us of their agreement.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Wonderful news!¡± [Ryouma] The people from the slums were cooperative, but naturally, there were still people who couldn¡¯t agree to our terms immediately. Moving is a big issue, after all, and there¡¯s also a chance that they might lose their home, so it¡¯s perfectly understandable why they¡¯d worry and be unable to respond immediately. The owner of the children¡¯s homes also has to deal with children with no relatives. But if they¡¯ve changed their minds, then¡­ ¡°Looks like the magic show this morning convinced them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. I can¡¯t think of anything else that would have caused them to change their mind. When Camil-san was giving instructions after the demolition during the rebuilding, I thought to myself, ¡®maybe that¡¯s why Ryouma-sama is putting on a show.¡¯¡± [Riviola] ¡°I really did mean for it to be an experiment, but at the same time, I also wanted to appeal to the people that the job won¡¯t take that long. Also, while I¡¯m still not that confident in my spells for rebuilding, I¡¯m confident in being able to demolish the buildings quickly¡­ And besides, I¡¯m going to stand out anyway once I start spending a lot of money to start several businesses at the same time. I¡¯m bound to attract some trouble, so I figure if people see me as a skilled mage, that can act as a deterrent. Above all, I have all of you here supporting me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Next time please be more specific when informing us before you do one of your experiments.¡± [Riviola] I smiled and told them that I was counting on them, but all I got in return were wry smiles. ¡°Next. After the managers spoke among themselves, we were informed that the children from the children¡¯s home to be demolished next will be moved this evening to the temporary house built this morning, so the next children¡¯s home can be demolished anytime.¡± [Riviola] ¡°They¡¯re moving already?¡¡I don¡¯t know how many they are, but will there be enough space to accommodate everyone?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That children¡¯s home is a storehouse just like the one this morning, but its floor has already completely deteriorated. Some of its walls and ceilings have already been torn off, so there are plenty of dangerous places inside. Because of that they¡¯re already used to living in small spaces. Moreover, the children themselves are just happy to be able to live somewhere where they can get cover from the winds. Especially, since it¡¯s already that time of the year when the winds are harsh.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Hmm, well, if they¡¯re alright with that then that¡¯s fine¡­ Although I should probably compensate the children that moved for their nuisance tomorrow. Also, it¡¯s good that the next place can be demolished now. According to our original schedule, we¡¯re supposed to buy that land and then demolish the building, so the head quarters of the security company was originally meant to be built later.¡± [Ryouma] When Hyuzu-san heard that, he raised his voice. ¡°Oh?¡¡Does that mean we can get our headquarters soon?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°That¡¯s the plan. I¡¯ll be using my sand magic to demolish and reconstruct the place.¡± [Ryouma] I plan on building a proper house later for the children, so I only built it with a rough outline and fixed it up a little, but the security company will require more precision on my part. I also plan on treating it with the sticky liquid of the sticky slime too to give it a waterproof coating, so it will be good to see how it compares with a temporary house that was built quickly. It should be a good reference to see how the application and type of coating affects the structures. ¡°Hyuzu-san, Jill-san, Zeff-san, Camil-san, please let me know if there are any facilities you need and if you have any preferences regarding the interior design of the headquarters.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood!¡± [Hyuzu, Jill, Zeff, Camil] ¡°The last message is a letter from the duke¡¯s family. Ryouma-sama, you wanted a ¡®doctor that could be trusted¡¯, and originally only one doctor was meant to come, but now, the doctor is hoping to take four young apprentices with him. Do you mind?¡± [Riviola] Chapter 225.2 - Debriefing (2/2) Chapter 225: Debriefing (2/2) ¡°¡±Not only are they not canceling their visit, they¡¯re even bringing more people?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently, they¡¯re not coming just for you, Ryouma-sama. Supposedly, it was a suggestion from their their master, Arafral-sama¡­ Are you acquainted with him?¡± [Riviola] ¡°¡±I know the man. He¡¯s a live-in elven doctor at the duke¡¯s family. He helped me before when I was there. I consulted him about the mana recovery medicine to prescribe to my worker, Ox-san.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s probably the reason then. Apparently, Arafral-sama was full of praises for your knowledge, and he suggested for his apprentices to go too after the master consulted him. He said that while it was fine for his apprentices to study under him, it would be best if they studied from others from time to time. He also mentioned that the four apprentices have studied enough and that it was about time for them to start treating and examining others.¡± [Riviola] So, basically, those four are resident doctors. I don¡¯t know exactly what they can learn from me, but I do understand that they want to gather experience. ¡°We need to prepare for injuries at the security company anyway, so there¡¯s no reason to refuse. If anything, I welcome them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll let them know.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Alright, that should be it for today¡¯s briefing¡­ Ah. ¡°Oh, by the way, would it be a problem if I raised some goblins in the abandoned mine to the north?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, everyone glanced at each other, and then Rurunez-san spoke. ¡°If you tame them, it should be fine, but why all of the sudden?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Since I¡¯m going to be teaching some apprentices, I figured I might as well take out some time to study, so I can actually teach them something decent. In my opinion, that¡¯s the least courtesy I should give to people who¡¯ve gone out of their way to learn from me. Also, I¡¯ve been thinking about delegating some of my work to free up my time, and after seeing everyone today, I¡¯m once again reminded how convenient it is to have extra hands. For example, it¡¯s not hard to feed slimes everyday, but when there¡¯s so many different type of slimes to feed, the time quickly adds up.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, everyone was immediately able to understand. ¡°Come to think of it, how many slimes do you have now?¡¡From what I know, you should have more than 1,000.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Wait, can¡¯t slimes of the same kind fuse?¡± [Jill] ¡°Yes, if there¡¯s more than 100 of them. My slimes are much more varied now, and I¡¯m also increasing their numbers because there¡¯s something I have on mind, but I don¡¯t have any specific numbers just yet. I¡¯ll have to calculate it later. The stone slimes and weed slimes reproduce really quickly everyday too.¡± [Ryouma] The more I feed my slimes, the more I feel like a caretaker working at a zoo. Though I can¡¯t really speak for zoo caretakers since I¡¯ve never been one, but I think it¡¯d probably feel something like this. Or maybe not? ¡°Right, although it¡¯s your hobby, I¡¯m sure the work gets really tiring when there¡¯s so many of them.¡± [Rurunez] While everyone was nodding to Rurunez-san¡¯s words, I brought the topic back to the goblins. ¡°I saw some goblin traces this morning before I left. It¡¯s likely they were lured by the scent of the potato field we planted a few days ago, so they¡¯ll probably come again. I know the abandoned mine was left to me to manage, and I¡¯m supposed to be subjugating these monsters, but for the sake of the fields¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You want to hire some laborers, huh? Just like the construction this morning.¡± [Jill] ¡°Those goblins sure are lucky. I¡¯m sure they much prefer labor work over extermination.¡± [Hyuzu] Jill-san and Hyuzu-san are right. I don¡¯t like time as much as I do slimes and rimel birds, but it¡¯s not as though I have a hobby of inflicting pain on others. As long as they work for me, I¡¯ll fulfill their basic needs and even permit them rest. At the very least, I¡¯ll treat them as well as I treat the Clever Chicken, who are giving me their eggs. ¡°If you¡¯re going that far, then couldn¡¯t you just hire people?¡± [Lilian] Lilian-san suggested. ¡°Some of the results from my slime research can¡¯t be leaked carelessly, and having to keep a lid on that information isn¡¯t exactly easy with other people around, but if it¡¯s the goblins, then even if they do overhear some things, they won¡¯t tell people.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true. My apologies.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Oh, no, please. I appreciate your opinion. There are times when I make mistakes too, and I also think that I might have to hire people eventually.¡± [Ryouma] The variant of slimes increased so quickly after just one expedition. Depending on the results of the experiments from here on, their numbers might just explode. ¡°In any case, that¡¯s why I want to use the goblins as laborers. Perhaps I might be able to use them as a source of feed for the cleaner and scavenger slimes too.¡± [Ryouma] Everyone talked among themselves just to be sure, and in the end, their conclusion was that there were a couple of things I had to keep in mind, but since it¡¯s me we¡¯re talking about, it¡¯s fine. ¡°Alright, in that case, I¡¯ll go catch those goblins when I see them next time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right, Ryouma, there¡¯s something that¡¯s been on my mind.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°?¡¡What is it, Hyuzu-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve heard that some other nobles are meddling with this town, right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know who or from where, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right, so I was thinking it might be best if we talked to you about that too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°If you¡¯re willing to talk about it, then by all means.¡± [Ryouma] Hyuzu-san and I turned to the others six people in the room. ¡°Ryouma isn¡¯t someone unrelated anymore. What¡¯s more he¡¯s even cooperating with us, so at the very least, we should share him some information.¡± [Jill] He was making a difficult face, but Jill-san properly explained the situation to me. ¡°It probably won¡¯t concern you, so there¡¯s no real need to remember this, but¡­ The people maneuvering behind the scenes are Baron Ransore, Baron Rufred, Viscount Forgotten, Viscount Danietan, and Count Sandrick.¡± [Jill] ¡°Five nobles, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. but Baron Ransore has no reason to be hostile to the Jamil family or to Reinhart-sama, and is apparently being forced by the other four to cooperate with them.¡± [Jill] Apparently, the Ransore Household was once an insignificant noble family that ruled over a small territory with nothing to speak of. But in the last generation, they found a large vein of gold sleeping in one of their mountains, and suddenly found themselves in possession of a great amount of wealth. People think they¡¯re lucky, but that¡¯s not really true. The Ransore Household didn¡¯t have the slightest idea how to develop a mine or protect it. They had no choice but to rely on the neighboring Fargutton Household that possessed a small mine. Before they knew it, they¡¯ve found themselves in a situation where they had no choice but to rely on the other four families. ¡°The Ransore Household might appear to be a lucky family that received a windfall of wealth, but in truth, they have to gift a large amount of wealth yearly to the four families. They¡¯re an investor, but at the same time, they¡¯re also an underling. A puppet that can only move according to the will of the four houses.¡± [Jill] ¡°¡­He might be an enemy, but he sure is pitiful, that Baron Ransore.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Reinhart-sama is working to separate him the four families. In other words, he intends to ¡®cut their source of funds¡¯. To that end, enough material has already been gathered. While there¡¯s no mistaking that Baron Ransore is one of the people responsible for this conspiracy, since he¡¯s not involved because he wants to, the duke will forgive him as long as he pays reparations. As for not being able to manage the mine without the help of the other families, well, the duke¡¯s household can take over that.¡± [Jill] I see¡­ So the duke is going to take over the role of the other four families. ¡°Reinhart-san sure is cunning to think of stealing the rights to the gold mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. Regardless, a situation like this will still favor Baron Ransore more than the current situation.¡± [Jill] Unfortunately, it was almost time for Darson-san and the others to arrive, so we had to cut our conversation here. ¡°Reinhart-sama will decide this battle during the socializing at the end of the year. Once the enemy have lost their source of funding, they shouldn¡¯t be able to do much anymore, so it should be much more peaceful starting next year. We¡¯ll just have to endure until then.¡± [Jill] With that, we at least had a clear goal now. It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s something to celebrate. Chapter 226.1 - Mending Relationships (1/3) Presently, the people who left the meeting early were gathered at the break room of the Bamboo Forest Laundromat. There were 15 people all in all, including the arms dealer, Darson-san, and my neighbors, Pauline-san and her husband. Jill-san and Hyuzu-san were also present on behalf of the security company. Our goal is to discuss the current state of Gimuru, as well as discuss the various means by which we can defend ourselves. Unfortunately, we weren¡¯t making much progress. As for why, it¡¯s because the people who weren¡¯t acquainted with me were too scared. The reason behind their fear was also none other than myself. I was too tense in the last meeting and ended up saying too much. Their fear today is a lingering effect from that. They¡¯re not looking down on me anymore, but this kind of atmosphere is bad too, and more importantly, they¡¯re not asking questions or giving their opinions. As such, I decided to go ahead and first propose the establishment of my security company. To calm them down, I decided to first put at ease their fears of ¡®nobles intervening¡¯, which was the reason why that shady meeting became such a mess in the first place. ¡°¡ªAnd that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] To that end, I had Jill-san explain the details, but when they found out that they were sent directly by the duke¡¯s family, they were surprised and couldn¡¯t respond quickly. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter as long as they understood, but did they? Or so I was thinking to myself when¡­ ¡°Ah, excuse me. I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all acquainted with me now, but I¡¯m Darson from Tigger¡¯s Arms Store. Ryouma, do you mind if I ask you a few questions?¡± [Darson] ¡°Of course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°First, in regards to the establishment of this security company of yours, I understand now that there¡¯s nothing to fear about nobles intervening, but are you serious? According to the explanations provided, there are four conditions needed to establish this company. First, the two people sent by the duke will have to manage it. Second, the expenses for the employees and the management will all be covered by you. Third, the company will continue until the situation calms down. And fourth, once the problem has been resolved, you will offer all of the security personnel to the duke. Hiring people, training them, giving them equipment, and feeding them until they¡¯re ready to stand on their own should cost a considerable sum. I don¡¯t know how many you intend to hire, but I¡¯m sure you will be hiring quite a number. And yet despite spending so much, those two will be the ones in charge of everything, so you won¡¯t be able to do as you please.¡¡What¡¯s more is once the situation calms down, all of your investments will have to be given to the duke. Frankly, I don¡¯t see one bit of profit in this to you.¡± [Darson] That¡¯s true. But¡­ ¡°I¡¯m serious. Or rather with the exception of the duke dispatching two people to manage the security company, all of the conditions were proposed by me.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, everyone made a face that said they couldn¡¯t understand what I was thinking. I¡¯m sure that to businessmen such as themselves, it looks like I¡¯m just trying to spend a lot of money for nothing. ¡°In the first place, I¡¯m not really trying to turn over a profit with this security company. There are various reasons why, but one reason is because of the existence of competitors. Although they¡¯re not able to handle the situation right now, this town already has its own guards. There¡¯s also the adventures guild, and there are also mercenaries that specialize in violent jobs. The security company I¡¯m proposing is too close to these establishments and would essentially become something akin to a business rival. Moreover, there¡¯s a vast gulf in trustworthiness between a guild that has been around for a long time and a newly established company that¡¯s privately managed. I¡¯m sure you all understand just how big of a disadvantage that is.¡± [Ryouma] On this point, many people nodded. ¡°Moreover, if I just wanted to build a security force, cultivating one security personnel from square one isn¡¯t the most efficient. It would be a lot more affordable to simply hire from the adventurers guild or the mercenary guild. It would be faster too.¡± [Ryouma] On this point too, everyone agreed. ¡°If so, you might be wondering why I want to establish a security company, to which my answer would be, ¡®because it¡¯s necessary.¡¯¡± Even if it might cost a fortune, I believe it¡¯s a necessary step for us to protect our assets and our lives. There¡¯s a saying I heard once. ¡®The defenseless rich are no more than prey to armed bandits.¡¯ If we were to be too stingy and end up being robbed, then wouldn¡¯t we have simply lost both the interest and the principal?¡¡I¡¯m sure no one here wishes to lose their precious family or employees. At the very least, I don¡¯t. Moreover, while I might not be able to directly profit from the security company, I will still be able to turn over a profit elsewhere?????. In addition, although I haven¡¯t added any conditions in order to have my proposal approved as soon as possible, the duke appears to be willing to compensate me once I hand over the security personnel to him.¡± [Ryouma] Also, handing over the security personnel to the duke is actually a way of keeping them employed. I mean it¡¯s fine and all to keep them around when needed, but what happens when they¡¯ve outlived their usefulness?¡¡I can¡¯t exactly just say, ¡®I¡¯m done playing with you¡¯, and just throw them by the wayside, now can I? That would be too irresponsible and would put the employees in a bad spot. In that regard, the duke and feudal lord, Reinhart-san, should have much use for these security personnel, given that he¡¯s building a new town. It should also be reassuring to the security personnel to know that they will still have work once the situation has calmed down. Moreover, knowing that they might end up working for the duke should also make the security company more enticing. Just that knowledge should be enough to spur some people to apply at the security company on their own volition. When I told the people gathered here that the relinquishing of the security personnel to the duke would make it easier to recruit people, they finally understood where I was coming from. Chapter 226.2 - Mending Relationships (2/3) At this point, Darson-san spoke again. ¡°I see you¡¯ve really put some thought into this. If so, then you likely aren¡¯t merely being reckless with your money. But even then an endeavor like this should require a huge investment up front. If you¡¯re going to compensate for that by making security a commodity, then obviously it will cost money.¡¡How much do we have to pay to benefit from this security company?¡¡And what benefits will we gain by paying?¡± [Darson] ¡°We¡¯re still discussing with the experts of various guilds regarding a ¡®reasonable price¡¯ for the services we could offer, so nothing has been decided yet. Besides, we¡¯re just about to start hiring and training people. So for the meantime, we¡¯re planning on splitting the people we¡¯ve hired into groups, and then have them go do patrols around the town. This will also serve as an advertisement for our security company. At that time, our guards will drop by your stores to explain the services we can offer and hear out any opinions you might have regarding them. We¡¯re also planning on putting up signboards and posters with the warning ¡®This Store is Being Watched¡¯ to serve as a deterrent to anyone up to no good. In the future, we¡¯re also planning on stationing guards at each store, but this will depend on the size of our work force and their work hours. The fees will also change according to their experience and skill, so the price will have to be discussed later. That being said, as I¡¯ve mentioned previously, I¡¯m not planning on turning up a profit from this security company, so ¡®I¡¯ intend to make the price reasonable. But of course, we can¡¯t lower our prices too much or we¡¯ll end up angering the guilds and mercenaries¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a bit complicated, but regardless, it appears a clear price can¡¯t be given for the time being.¡± [Zeke] Oops. The conversation was starting to get long-winded, so Zeke-san had to interject. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine if the price hasn¡¯t been decided just yet. That¡¯s still much better than telling us a lie or pulling out some random number.¡± [Darson] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] At this point, I don¡¯t have much left to talk about regarding the security company. No one else appears to have any questions, so we can move to the next topic. The next topic is regarding the measures we can take to defend ourselves and the methods we can implement to maintain the public order, but once again it seems no one wants to talk, so I¡¯ll have to start. For the meantime, I decided to share the policies my store is implementing. Increasing the number of guards. Discussing with the employees how to act in times of emergencies. Regular training on how to deal with crimes and how to flee. Providing defensive equipment (shields). Using weed slimes and stone slimes instead of an alarm. Something like that. If I could get everyone¡¯s cooperation, I would also like to draw a safe map like I did during my elementary school days. It would be a really big help if we could work together on it. ¡°Can I have a moment?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Yes, Pauline-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand increasing the security personnel and discussing with the employees what to do during an emergency, but what do you mean by shield?¡± [Pauline] ¡°Ah, please let me show it to you in person.¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that¡­ ¡°We have one prepared here.¡± [Lilian] ¡°At Bamboo Forest, we always have a shield under a counter for use during emergencies.¡± [Rurunez] Without even asking for it, the three maids suddenly appeared and brought with them the shield-in-question. The shield was the transparent sort that covered the whole body. It was designed after the ones used by cops and riot squads. It was made using the hardening liquid sheet of the sticky slime. A light but durable riot shield. While security will immediately mobilize in case of emergency, it was important to ensure the safety of non-combat personnel. ¡°Wow, this thing is light!¡¡Even a weak woman like me could easily carry it. You give it a try too.¡± [Pauline] As Pauline-san said that, she handed the shield to her husband, Zeke-san. ¡°It really is light.¡± [Zeke] ¡°Mind if I tried it too?¡± [Store Owner 1] ¡°Please go ahead.¡± [Zeke] Like that the shield was passed around, and everyone expressed their intent of procuring one. Before I knew it, the meeting had livened up. ¡°By the way, what was that ¡®safe map¡¯ you were talking about earlier?¡± [Store Owner 2] ¡°A safe map is a map that shows where crime is likely to occur. Locals might already know which parts of town are unsafe, but the environment is ever changing. For example, do you know of any places that used to flourish with people but because the popular store around that street closed, people suddenly stopped visiting?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I do. There are several such stores indeed.¡± [Store Owner 3] ¡°Same. If I recall there were stores that did well that aren¡¯t doing well now.¡± [Store Owner 4] ¡°Right?¡¡The goal of the safe map is to identify the areas that are dangerous now. Of course, any adult can tell that places rarely visited are dangerous, and caution will indeed have to be exercised then, but another goal of the safe map is to identify places of possible danger that could be seen in our everyday life.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 226.3 - Mending Relationships (3/3) ¡°Can you elaborate on that?¡± [Store Owner 5] ¡°Right¡­ Do you know any alleyways with many boxes?¡¡Or stores where supplies or garbage are piled up in front of it? Or perhaps a place where a carriage has stopped. This carriage could have stopped only for some time, but if anyone knew about it, someone could use it for mischief. Anything that can obstruct prying eyes can be used for hiding, and if the things piled up are combustible, they can be used to start a fire.¡± ¡°Now that you mention it, criminals do tend to make conditions favorable to them.¡± [Store Owner 6] ¡°So this safe map of yours means to identify places like these and try to fix them?¡± [Book Store Representative] The number of people asking questions have increased. The representative from the book store I frequent has even started to participate. He¡¯s normally so lackadaisical, but look at him now. ¡°Exactly!¡¡And if possible, I¡¯d also like for your children to participate in making this map too. Adults and children have different perspectives. After all, children have places they can enter or consider entering that adults would never even think about.¡± [Ryouma] I used Niki-kun¡¯s secret base and talked about what happened at Fatma Territory. ¡°As someone with a child of my own, that¡¯s a really scary story. I¡¯m sure there are hidden places in town too.¡± [Store Owner 8] ¡°It would be best to consider places that children can hide in as places where one can hide children in. For example, boxes can be used to hide children without anyone knowing, bigger areas could be used to confine children in, and medicines could be used to knock someone out. In order to minimize danger, parents should know the places their children frequent, and also explain to them the danger of places like those previously mentioned. If you could encourage your children to heed caution too, that would be for the best. While we can¡¯t just keep children locked up inside just because the public order is bad, I believe it¡¯s unwise to simply let them move around without thought.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, voices of agreement resounded. ¡°Hear, hear! Alas, that brat of mine keeps playing outside until the very last moment.¡± [Store Owner 7] ¡°Same¡­ I¡¯m glad to have help buying stuff, but he keeps using that road barely frequented by anyone.¡± [Store Owner 8] ¡°At least your kids help¡­ My kids are just¡ª¡± [Store Owner 9] ¡­Somehow, this meeting turned into a parent¡¯s competition on who has the worst kids. But¡­ ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t one to listen either when I was a kid.¡± [Darson] When Darson-san said that, the adults all looked at each other. I¡¯m sure everyone has one or two moments in their lives as a kid when they didn¡¯t listen to their parents. ¡°In other words, there¡¯s not much point telling kids what to do since they won¡¯t listen, huh. Well, I am a kid myself and I¡¯m doing something like this here.¡± [Ryouma] When I broke the silence, this time everyone laughed. There were some who tried to keep themselves from laughing, but it was in vain. ¡°Did I say something strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, not at all, Ryouma. It¡¯s just that when you¡¯re the one saying it¡­¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san said something, but I didn¡¯t really get it, and then the rest of the people in the meeting started speaking as well. ¡°I beg your pardon, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s really funny for a child such as yourself to talk about a child¡¯s heart?¡± [Store Owner 9] ¡°You act so much like an adult, I¡¯ve actually forgotten you were a child as well.¡± [Store Owner 10] Voices of agreement raised in response to those comments. In that moment, I could feel that the stiff atmosphere that had been permeating the air had finally left. After that more questions around my proposals were brought forward. We ran out of time in the end, so we decided to adopt a simple policy for the time being, and then discuss the specifics at a later date. I saw most of the store owners off, then went back to break room, where Darson-san, Pauline-san, and Zeke-san were waiting. When they noticed me, they greeted me. ¡°Thank you for coming out here today. And thank you so much for all the help you¡¯ve given me!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°W-What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Darson] ¡°Today¡¯s meeting was a success, and when everyone went back home, they were all satisfied. What¡¯s more is that they even apologized to me about what happened in the last meeting.¡± [Ryouma] At that time, I was surrounded by unfriendly gazes all around and was really isolated. I didn¡¯t want to be led astray by some vague words, so I took on a firm attitude. I don¡¯t think I said anything wrong that day, but I was still too tense at the time and was even ready to¡­ No. At that time, I had definitely given up on everybody and was ready to abandon all hopes of cooperating with them. That¡¯s why my words were so harsh. ¡°I didn¡¯t help you to make you lower your head.¡± [Darson] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯ve always been thinking about other things as well on top of your store, right?¡¡Those feelings have reached everyone today. I think that¡¯s really all there is to it.¡± [Zeke] That¡¯s what Darson-san and Zeke-san says, but I believe a gulf had formed between me and those people because of the recent events. They were the ones who filled that gulf by proactively asking questions. If my feelings were able to reach them, then it was only because Zeke-san and the others mediated on my behalf. If not for them, I¡¯m sure we wouldn¡¯t have even been able to talk. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true that it was a bit hard at first, but¡­ You haven¡¯t forgotten, have you?¡¡The people who came here today are those who left the meeting midway. They were already people who acknowledged you to some extent.¡± [Pauline] ¡°I think it¡¯s because of that, though. At that time, Ryouma looked just like a wounded monster trying to protect its cubs.¡± [Darson] ¡°¡­Is that so?¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We may have been the impetus for those guys to come here, but I believe if you just reached out to them many times, they would have eventually lent you an ear.¡± [Zeke] Does that mean that they didn¡¯t see me as someone simply on edge but someone dangerous?¡¡I-I suppose I have some reflecting to do then¡­ Regardless, although it was only some of the store owners, there¡¯s no mistaking that I successfully mended my relationship with them today! So from here on out, I¡¯m going to do my best to form a good relationship that benefits both sides! Chapter 227.1 - Laying the Groundwork (1/4) The next day. When the sun was yet to rise, the weed slimes suddenly alerted me, so I hurriedly left my room and rushed to the farmland. When I got there, I saw four goblins making a mess of my fields, so I decided to catch them. ¡°GIGI!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°GYAH!!¡± [Goblin 2] ¡°GOGA!!¡± [Goblin 3] ¡°GAAA!!¡± [Goblin 4] I stopped their legs with the sticky liquid and hardening liquid of the sticky slime, then as they tumbled onto the ground, I hardened even their arms, leaving them in all fours. The only part of their body that they could still move was their head, and they used that very head to look at me menacingly. I¡¯d much rather form a contract with them than exterminate them. Maybe they¡¯ll calm down if I give them food. I opened my Item Box and took out a handful of that mud salamander meat I got as a farewell gift from the Shikumu Village. I brought the meat near the mouth of one of the goblins. ¡°GAH!¡¡GO, FU?¡¡¡­!!¡¡GI!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°GIGI!?¡± [Goblin 2] ¡°GI!¡¡GIGI!!¡± [Goblin 3] ¡°GUAH!¡± [Golbin 4] The goblin made a threatening face at first, but when it smelled the aroma coming from the meat and realized it was food, it immediately started eating. When the other goblins saw that, they cried foul!¡¡Or at least, it seemed that way, so I fed them some meat too. After feeding them four times, they were calm enough, so I casted the contract spell on them. It seemed to have succeeded, but the goblins were too focused on eating the remaining meat to pay me attention. ¡°Can you hear me?¡¡Can you understand me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°GIGI!?¡± [Goblin 1] Looks like the contract was established properly. I could feel that the goblin was surprised at suddenly being able to receive my thoughts. I didn¡¯t know how much we could understand each other, so I tried asking it why it came here. (Want, food.) [Goblin 1] (Was, looking for.) [Goblin 2] (Lots, here.) [Goblin 3] (Take, everyone, can eat.) [Goblin 4] Although they spoke in broken language, we were able to communicate without any problems. And then they suddenly remembered that they were still bound by my sticky liquids. At that, they suddenly got rowdy and demanded that I let them go. They tried to be menacing, but then their bodies shook, and then they tried to run away, only to remember again that they were still unable to move. I¡¯d already expected this, but as I thought, they really aren¡¯t a threat. As such, I decided to start my hiring process. I tried explaining to them that I¡¯m the owner of the farmlands here and that the feudal lord has given this plot of land for me to manage, but¡­ ¡°???¡± [Goblins] ¡­They didn¡¯t seem to understand. ¡°Hmm¡­ In other words, this place, here, my, territory. Understand?¡± [Ryouma] They seemed to understand. ¡°Here, food, mine. Understand?¡± [Ryouma] They understood this too. ¡°You, entered, my territory, food, stole. So, I, kill, you. Understand?¡± [Ryouma] I could feel the despair of the goblins through our contract as they shook their head. ¡°But, you, haven¡¯t stolen, anything, yet. If you, work, here, I won¡¯t, kill, you. You, work. I, give, you, bed, and food. All of you. Understand?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, they turned to me in disbelief. Are you sure? They seemed to be asking if I was serious. ¡°Of course. Choose, die, or, work.¡± [Ryouma] (Work!) [Goblins] Good. Negotiations were successful. Apparently, the goblins can¡¯t understand overly complicated things. So it¡¯s best to use simple words and get straight to the point when talking to them. I asked if they had any other friends, and they did, so I had them lead me those friends of theirs, and I did the same thing to them. Like that I ended up with 8 new goblin friends. The sky had already gotten bright, so for the meantime, I gave them one of the tunnels of the abandoned mine and some food, then ordered them to help me prepare for the morning. In the future, I intend to provide them an easier place to settle in, but this mine was once home to many goblins, so it should do just fine as their dwelling place for the time being. After everything was ready, I left for work. First up on today¡¯s list of work is demolishing the children¡¯s home and quickly building a place for the security company. After rendezvousing with Hyuzu-san¡¯s group of 7, I was to build the rooms according to their designs, but¡­ ¡°Hyuzu-san, Jill-san, this blueprint only has the partitions of the rooms in it. What about the exterior of the building?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah¡­ Sorry, I haven¡¯t thought of that. I just made sure that all the rooms we needed would be there.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°We just need something that can be used as our base, so can you just take care of it?¡¡Anything is fine, but it would be best if you could make it a bit dignified.¡± [Jill] Like that the design of the building was left to me. And the result of a ¡®dignified building after much thinking was¡­ ¡°Woah!?¡¡That¡¯s pretty good!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Symmetrical and beautiful.¡± [Jill] It was a bit small since I had to make it fit the lot used for the children¡¯s home, but it was still big enough to serve as a noble¡¯s mansion. On this day, a building resembling the national parliament of Japan appeared in Gimuru. I sent the sticky slimes in to add the finishing coat to the building, and with that, my first job for the day was done. ¡°I¡¯ll continue rebuilding the children¡¯s home. Please take care of the sticky slimes for me.¡± [Ryouma] Zeff-san and Camil-san accompanied me to the place I was working at yesterday. When we got there, I gave orders to the laborers, and then we worked together until noon. Chapter 227.2 - Laying the Groundwork (2/4) Chapter 227: Laying the Groundwork (2/4) I ate with Zeff-san and Camil-san for lunch, then we went our way to meet someone. The place we headed to was a lawless area where even more miserable shacks and temporary housing could be seen. ¡°This place sure is a lot worse off than the others.¡± [Zeff] ¡°I heard we need to meet someone influential in order to build the garbage processing plant. What kind of person will we be meeting?¡± [Camil] ¡°Popularly known as ¡®Trash Hag¡¯¡­ She¡¯s been making a living for the past few decades picking trash in Gimuru, so if you need to talk about garbage, then she¡¯s the person you¡¯re looking for. She¡¯s also well acquainted with the children and the garbage collectors. She¡¯s quite prideful about garbage collection, however, so she can be a bit moody. I met her recently too, and¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it isn¡¯t the rich boy.¡± [Trash Hag] We turned to the voice that suddenly called out, and speak of the devil, the garbage grandmother was right there, carrying a jute bag over her bent back. ¡°Ah, good afternoon, Garbage Grandmother. Are you on the way back home from work?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There was still some time until our appointment, so I was taking a walk. I can¡¯t believe you¡¯d actually go all the way out here just to meet an eccentric old grandma like me.¡± [Trash Hag] ¡°As I¡¯ve mentioned last time, it¡¯s a huge help to have the advice of a specialist when entering a new industry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are those two behind you related to your business as well?¡± [Trash Hag] Right, I should introduce them. ¡°They¡¯re Camil-san and Zeff-san. They¡¯re helping me with my work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± [Camil] ¡°A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma¡¯am.¡± [Zeff] ¡°A pleasure indeed. Feel free to call me Trash Hag. Everyone around here calls me that.¡± [Trash Hag] When she told them that, they visibly became troubled. For normal people with some degree of propriety, calling an elderly person they are meeting for the first time ¡®Trash Hag¡¯ would certainly make them hesitate. I understand exactly how they feel, unfortunately¡­ ¡°She refuses to say her name no matter how much I asked. As such, I¡¯ve taken to calling her Garbage Grandmother?? instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, we¡¯ll refer to you as Garbage Grandmother too then.¡± [Zeff] Like that we concluded our conversation there and moved to her house. In order to build a garbage processing plant, we would be needing the help of garbage collectors. What point was there in having a garbage processing plant if there was no one to bring the garbage to it? Hence, another problem was negotiating with the people currently working as garbage collectors. After all, we will essentially end up becoming enemies with them since we will be contesting their livelihood. I¡¯ve considered hiring them, but I doubt all of them would respond positively, and sudden changes do make it more likely for sparks to flare up. Because of that I¡¯ve decided that my garbage processing plant and garbage collectors will only target the places that the slum people find difficult to reach. In the future, I do intend for my garbage processing plant to cover the whole town, but for now, it would be best not to get in each other¡¯s way and slowly build trust. As such¡­ ¡°What kind of places would allow us to avoid the current garbage collectors?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ For starters, the western side of town, the Craftsman District, is definitely out of reach for us. Amateurs have no business fiddling with the work of craftsmen, and some knowledge is needed in order to properly handle the chemicals they use. Because of that the craftsmen take responsibility for their own garbage and have arrangements already made to deal with them.¡± [Trash Hag] In other words, industrial waste. It¡¯s probably fine, but I better make sure beforehand that we can dispose of them properly and have a safe way to transport them. ¡°The adults also don¡¯t frequent the eastern side of town, the residential district. Those parts are under the jurisdiction of their association, and matters regarding garbage are handled by them. It¡¯s a rule of ours not to poke our nose there. People don¡¯t like seeing poor people like us as is. If we start causing trouble just to gather garbage, our standing will get even worse. If it¡¯s just enduring some bad looks, the small children can go, but at most, all they can get are the small garbage on the wayside. They¡¯re not allowed to get the garbage gathered by the association. That¡¯s a taboo.¡± [Trash Hag] I see¡­ ¡°The people here often frequent the Business District to the south. That district has plenty of inns and restaurants, so garbage is easy to come by. The store people would throw their garbage at one of the designated places, and we would come to pick those up. Lately, there have been people who would go to the store directly and wait with their cart at the back. It¡¯s quite a hassle, really. If they¡¯d just asked like you, I would have happily told them, but because of them even we¡¯re getting caught in their mess.¡± [Trash Hag] The slum people follow their rules to avoid being a nuisance to the town people as much as possible. They didn¡¯t ask for it, but I might as well do them some good and leak word of that through the merchant guild. After getting some information from the expert, Garbage Grandmother, I promised to drop by again, and then went back to my store to deal with some documents. There wasn¡¯t much work to do at the store since I¡¯m at Gimuru, so there¡¯s no room for them to pile up, and on top of that, Carm-san is also working hard. Because of that most of my job at the store is merely to drop by, check the documents, and sign them. Frankly, it¡¯s so easy it might as well be break time for me. In my spare time, I got some secondhand clothes for the kids, as well as some clothes that might fit the goblins. I also spoke with the employees who were in their break time. After some rest, evening came, and it was time for me to do my last job for the day. Chapter 227.3 - Laying the Groundwork (3/4) Chapter 227: Laying the Groundwork (3/4) I changed to my only good suit, then I rendezvoused with Hyuzu-san and Jill-san to visit the office of the guards. Their offices could be found in any one of the four gates. They also had places akin to a police box littered through the town. The place we¡¯re visiting was slightly bigger than all of those and could be said to be their headquarters. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Captain of the Guards] ¡°Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule.¡± [Ryouma] Within one of the rooms of the guards¡¯ headquarters, we met the person with the highest authority among the guards. ¡°Oh? If I recall correctly, you¡¯re the person who healed one of my subordinates.¡± [Captain of the Guards] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re from that time!¡± [Ryouma] The person that met with us was the same person I happened into on the day I came back, the same guard that explained to me about Gimuru¡¯s situation. ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that the highest authority among the guards would have been out on patrol himself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were really lacking hands that day, you see¡­ I didn¡¯t even name myself back then. My apologies. Manfred Dammaia, the Captain of the Guards, at your service.¡± [Manfred] ¡°I didn¡¯t name myself either. I¡¯m¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi-kun, right?¡± [Manfred] ¡°You knew?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My subordinates knew. I have guards who rely on the services of your laundromat. But I never expected that the rumored founder of the new security company would turn out to be you. Not to mention your age, but¡­ I suppose age doesn¡¯t really matter. But enough of that, let¡¯s get to business.¡± [Manfred] Right, I¡¯m sure he must be a busy man. We should conclude our matters here quickly. ¡°As you know, I hope to establish a security company to trade security and sell goods that improve security. Although merely temporary, this security company will still encroach into your domain, so for that I apologize, but for the safety of Gimuru¡¯s guards and people, I would like to cooperate with you. I understand it¡¯s audacious of me to ask so much, but I would be much obliged if we could work together.¡± [Ryouma] The worsening public order of the city is a matter of grave of concern. As an individual and as the owner of a business in this city, the current situation is too unfavorable. That¡¯s why I want to build a security company, but at the same time, if I were to suddenly establish a security company, what would the guards who¡¯ve been protecting this city all this time think? That¡¯s why I¡¯m here tonight. ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize. So long as you don¡¯t cause trouble, don¡¯t hurt people, and don¡¯t break the law, then there won¡¯t be any problems on our end. If you go through the merchant guild and act as a business, then all the more so.¡± [Manfred] As he said that, the Captain of the Guards, Manfred Dammaia, smiled. ¡°It¡¯s true that we guards pride ourselves in protecting Gimuru and its citizens, but that¡¯s all. As long as you through the guild, no one has any right to complain. That being said, I do appreciate you going out of your way to come here to communicate with us. So at the very least, I promise to let my men know of your visit here.¡± [Manfred] ¡°Thank you very much!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s great that we were able to come to an understanding quickly! As I thought, this guy is really sincere. ¡°I believe we understand the current situation of Gimuru the best. We know full well that there are many places we are unable to cover, and that the citizens have started to worry because of that. The security company you¡¯re planning to start will surely help in wiping away their fears. There is nothing to be gained by fighting among ourselves. I believe the safety of citizen should be our priority. To that end, we will do everything that we can do. There¡¯s nothing I can do about the individual opinions of my guards regarding your men, but prioritizing such opinions would turn our ¡®pride¡¯ into meaningless ¡®self-importance¡¯. As much as I¡¯d like to hope that there are no such people among my men, I don¡¯t believe just hoping would be enough; hence, I¡¯ll make sure to keep an eye out so that none of my men would try to do anything to disadvantage you.¡± [Manfred] ¡°From the bottom of my heart, truly, thank you. I will also do my best to ensure that my men will do their utmost to cooperate with your guards.¡± [Ryouma] I glanced at Hyuzu-san and Jill-san, and the both of them nodded. ¡°With that our cooperation has been decided, but exactly what kind of cooperation do you have in mind?¡± [Manfred] ¡°For now I have two ideas in mind. Joint training and information exchange.¡± [Ryouma] I have to train my security personnel from the ground up, so they¡¯re in much need of training. If the opportunity presents itself, I figure a joint training would serve as a good stimulus for both sides. As for the information exchange, it¡¯s because I intend to have my security personnel patrol. That will also serve as an advertisement for the company. Naturally, they can¡¯t just ignore the incidents that they happen upon, so the cooperation with the guards should allow us to be able to respond as fast as possible, exchange information quickly, and hand over arrested culprits quickly. ¡°We have plenty of fresh faces in our ranks too, so the joint training sounds good. Sharing information will be a huge help too.¡± [Manfred] ¡°We¡¯re a security company, so if possible, we would like to expand the scope of our activities as much as possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case¡­¡± [Manfred. After that we spent much time discussing our cooperation. Of course, I listened to the requests of the guards¡¯ side as well. Chapter 227.4 - Laying the Groundwork (4/4) On the way back. There were no jobs left to do, so I was originally planning on going home directly, but I decided to drop by the tamer guild. It was evening already, so there were barely any people left in the tamer guild. The reception desk was also empty. But despite it almost being closing time, the receptionist girl didn¡¯t make an unhappy face and called out to me. ¡°Welcome. What may I do for you today?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I¡¯d like to procure some sprint rabbit meat. I¡¯d like to get as much as I can, but how much would be convenient for you? I can use dimension magic, so please don¡¯t worry about the transportation. Also, I caught some goblins this morning and tamed them, so I¡¯d be much obliged if I could receive some pointers on what to watch out for when raising them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. The sprint rabbit meat needs to be checked first, so please wait for a while.¡± [Receptionist] As she said that, she turned to the man that passed by behind her, and asked him to checked the store room, then she turned back to me. ¡°As for the goblins, first, can you tell me what you intend to use them for?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°For some odd jobs. I¡¯m managing the northern abandoned mines, so I was thinking of having them help with the farmlands and with carrying some luggage.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s start with their food then. Goblins are omnivores and can eat basically anything, so they¡¯ll eat anything you give them. There¡¯s nothing in particular that they¡¯re not allowed to eat, so as long as you use some common sense, you can feed them basically anything, even slightly old food. If there¡¯s one thing you need to be careful of, it would be ¡®feeding them too much¡¯.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Feeding them too much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. If you feed them too much, they¡¯ll multiply quickly.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°The reproductive strength of goblins is said to be their strong point. It¡¯s also the most dangerous part about them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. So long as there¡¯s food and they¡¯re able to copulate, they can breed three times in a month. If you¡¯re not careful, a horde will be upon you before you know it. Also, this isn¡¯t common knowledge, but overfeeding goblins can also make it more likely for hobgoblins and other higher variants to appear.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s why large hordes of goblins are dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] Of course, number in and of itself is a threat, but what makes a horde of goblin really dangerous is the fact that when there¡¯s more of them, it¡¯s easier to procure food, which in turn makes it easier for higher variant goblins to appear. I myself once participated in a large-scale goblin subjugation mission. At the time I was in charge of dealing with the goblins running away, but something like that was probably happening in the nests that the higher ranked adventurers invaded. ¡°Oh? You participated in that mission during spring?¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Yes, actually, I mainly work as an adventurer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so? If you were there, then I¡¯m sure you must understand already, but goblins are really terrifying monsters when it comes to their reproductive strength. It¡¯s common for people to say things like ¡®before I knew it, there was too many of them¡¯ or ¡®I couldn¡¯t stop higher variants from appearing and an accident occurred¡¯. Should your tamed monsters end up hurting others, you will be penalized along with your monsters, so please be careful. Of course, your safety is a matter of concern as well.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll keep it in mind.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The receptionist girl couldn¡¯t hide her doubts from showing on her face, but apparently, hobgoblins are much bigger and stronger than normal goblins. Because of that there are tamers who want to feed their goblins lots of food to tame a hobgoblin, thus causing there to be many many accidents involving them. It¡¯s necessary to know one¡¯s limits and cut down the goblins when needed, but¡­ I can¡¯t even see the limits of my contracts just yet, and as long as I figure out how to talk with the goblins effectively, they¡¯ll probably be much easier to handle than the clever chickens. I threatened them at first, but they¡¯re simple-minded and honest, so dealing with them should be a lot easier on the mind than the clever chickens. Moreover, the clever chickens might look like they¡¯re all bark and no bite, but they¡¯re actually a lot stronger than the goblins. Besides, Kohaku is doing his best mediating, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. In fact, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s working even harder when I¡¯m not looking, so I should really be thanking him for his efforts. Unfortunately, if I give him special treatment, the other clever chickens will get annoying, so any attempt to thank him might just end up causing him more trouble. If anything, not doing anything special for him might actually be the best thing I can do for him. While I was thinking that to myself, the male employee from before came back and handed a small letter to the receptionist girl. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. We can provide as much as 50 sprint rabbits.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°I¡¯ll take 50 then. There¡¯s no need to butcher them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. We¡¯ll prepare them immediately.¡± [Receptionist] At that, one hairless rabbit after another that looked like a naked mole rat was brought before me. These rabbits were also bulging with muscles like bodybuilders. They were so big that a child would only be able to carry one of them at a time. They¡¯re rabbits, but they¡¯re not soft at all. On the contrary, they¡¯re really hard, and they don¡¯t look cute. Although, depending on the person, I suppose they could still be cute, but I don¡¯t know. Regardless, that¡¯s what a sprint rabbit looks like. ¡°49, 50. And that¡¯s all of them. That will be 1,500 suits.¡± [Receptionist] I paid the amount she asked for. It was quite affordable, really. After all, 1,500 suits for 50 rabbits comes down to 30 suits per rabbit. That¡¯s about a third of a normal adult¡¯s daily living expense. ¡°Sprint Rabbits reproduce even faster than goblins, you see. They¡¯re beast tamers¡¯ most reliable ally when it comes to raising carnivorous monster beasts.¡± [Receptionist] ¡°At this size and at this prize, the costs of raising beasts can also be minimized¡­ By the way, can humans eat these? I¡¯ve never seen a butcher sell them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re not poisonous, but you¡¯d better not. Some financially burdened people have tried them before, but everyone always says that they¡¯re ¡®difficult to chew¡¯ and ¡®can¡¯t be eaten¡¯. As you can see, they¡¯re full of muscles, so their meat will also be quite hard. I¡¯ve heard that there are even some people who¡¯ve broken their jaws trying to eat them.¡± [Receptionist] Figures. At this price some people would have naturally also thought about eating them. Still, I can¡¯t help my curiosity. Anyway, I threw those mountain of sprint rabbit corpses into my Item Box, and went on my way after thanking the receptionist girl. The goblins have just joined the ranks of my monsters, and I want to show to them that I intend to keep my promise this morning, so tonight, I¡¯ll let them feast as much meat and potatoes as they want. As for the higher goblin variants, I¡¯ll talk to them about it. Chapter 228.1 - Mass Hiring (1/2) On one morning, one week later¡­ ¡°At long last, this day is finally here¡­¡± I stood at the highest floor of the security company HQ that resembled the national parliament building, and looked down toward the gate where the hasty laborers had already gathered. When doing something big, you need to make enough preparations, and that¡¯s why I¡¯ve been running all over the place this past week. It was really busy. But now this day is here¡­ Don¡¯t get me wrong, though, this isn¡¯t the end. If anything, everything is just beginning. ¡°Ryouma-sama, excuse me.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] The maid, Rurunez-san, was panicking a little when she approached me. ¡°The doctors from the duke¡¯s family have arrived. They want to greet you and receive their orders.¡± [Rurunez] They¡¯re already here, huh. They¡¯re supposed to arrive this evening or tomorrow, but for some reason, they arrived ahead of schedule. ¡°I understand. Thank you, I¡¯ll go there now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This way please.¡± [Rurunez] The place she led me to was the newly constructed reception office. I had Serge-san take care of the furnishings, so it was well decorated. Within that room were three young men and two young women. They all stood up when I entered the room. ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. You must have had a long journey.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for your kind consideration. I am the son and the disciple of Doctor Arafral, Mafral. These are my junior disciples¡ª¡± [Mafral] ¡°Tint Cantelli!¡¡A pleasure to make your acquaintance!¡± [Tint] ¡°¡­Hector Moncada.¡± [Hector] ¡°Isabel Rozada.¡± [Isabel] ¡°Clarissa Roniati, it¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Clarissa] They all looked to be in the latter half of their twenties, but Mr. Mafral was an elf. He was probably much older than he looked. Handsome too. The rest of the four were humans, so they likely looked their age. Tint Cantelli was an invigorating young man, the sporty sort. In contrast, the other man, Hector Moncada, struck me as more of a gloomy researcher.¡¡I¡¯ll probably get along easier with him. As for the women¡­ Isabel Rozada was a female doctor through and through, she looked like a capable woman. Clarissa Roniati, on the other hand, struck me as a gentle-mannered nurse. ¡°On behalf of my fellow disciples, thank you for providing us with a place to sharpen our skills.¡± [Mafral] As Mr. Mafral said that, the other doctors bowed as well. ¡°Nothing could be more reassuring than to have you with us!¡¡It is also a wonderful opportunity for myself to be able to learn from the pupils of Doctor Arafral.¡± [Ryouma] I replied as such, but when I raised my head, I noticed that something was off. For some reason, they seemed nervous. But why?¡¡Mr. Mafral¡¯s next words would clear my doubts. ¡°Takebayashi-sama, we¡¯ve heard from his grace that you¡¯re the disciple of Melia the Sage. Is it true?¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I suppose I am technically the disciple of Melia-sama.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s been awhile since I last took out my Status Board, but I took it out and showed them my title of ¡®Disciple of the Sage¡¯, and in the next moment, the nervousness I felt from them evidently changed into that of reverence. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re trustworthy, and I¡¯m sure Reinhart-san is trying to make things easier for me, since I¡¯m really just too young, so he told them about my title, but¡­ This is also uncomfortable in its own way¡­ ¡°Umm, there¡¯s no need to be so stiff. Please. Feel free to be casual.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you sure!?¡± [Clarissa] ¡°That would actually be much better for me. It¡¯s my grandparents who are amazing, not me, and as far as I¡¯m concerned, they are not my masters but my foster parents. And besides, even if I have studied under them, in the end, I¡¯m still but a young, inexperienced junior. As I¡¯ve said before, I believe there is much I can learn from you. So please, just be casual with me and call me Ryouma when you need me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright then!¡¡In that case, please call me Tint!¡± [Tint] ¡°Tint-san it is then.¡± [Ryouma] His voice sure is loud, though, like those students from the sports clubs when they¡¯re doing their practice. ¡°Should I do the same for everyone?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, the other four nodded. ¡°¡­It is indeed much better if we don¡¯t have to bother with formalities¡­¡± [Hector] Hector-san absentmindedly muttered. I guess among important people, they really have to fuss over authorities and other annoying stuff like who is who¡¯s disciple. ¡°Oh, by the way, if it¡¯s alright with you, would you like to take a look at your work place?¡¡After all, we¡¯ll have to make changes if you find anything problematic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright.¡± [Hector, Mafral, Clarissa, Tint, Isabel] They seemed quite ready to work, so I took them along, and we headed for the area to the right side of this building from the front, the internal hospital of the security company, which will serve as their workplace during their stay here. In the first floor, there¡¯s a reception area for outpatients. There¡¯s also a waiting room, an examination room, a break room, an operating room, a room to prepare for operations, a laundry room, and a room to store medicines in. In the second floor are their individual rooms, and there¡¯s also a meeting room, and a sick room for the inpatients of the nurse center. Chapter 228.2 - Mass Hiring (2/2) After giving them a tour, I asked them what they thought of the place. ¡°So, how is it?¡¡I made sure to prepare as much facilities as I could, but I¡¯m not sure if these will be enough.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s more than enough. In fact, it¡¯s a lot more than what we were expecting.¡± [Mafral] ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of the medicine storage room, all the basic medicines and herbs seem to have already been prepared. There were even some rare herbs.¡± [Hector] ¡°With this much, I think we¡¯ll be able to treat anyone so long as they¡¯re not afflicted with some strange disease!¡± [Clarissa] ¡°The only things lacking are the medical instruments, and how many people do we have?¡± [Isabel] ¡°It will also depend on how many patients come and how many we¡¯ll be accepting.¡± [Tint] ¡°Your main job will basically be to patch up the guards that get hurt during training or during official duties, as well as to give them health-related counseling when needed. The only patients who¡¯ll be hospitalized are those who¡¯ve suffered grave wounds, so there shouldn¡¯t be many in-patients. There are sickrooms, but let¡¯s hope they never get used. At first, we¡¯ll just see how things go, if we have people and time to spare, we can explain that we¡¯re doctors-in-trainings and that we have a proper doctor in Mafral-san leading us. If they agree, we can consider accepting them as outpatients. I believe this method will be the most conducive to a good study environment. But if it becomes too busy, it won¡¯t be possible to heal the patients properly, and that would be counterproductive, so I¡¯ll just leave it to Mafral-san to decide when to accept patients.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you so much for providing us such a wonderful place to study at.¡± [Mafral] ¡°There¡¯s an application form for when you¡¯re lacking hands or materials, so just let me know whenever. By the way, we also have plans to improve the hospital environment, and are currently hiring¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sorry to interject, but¡­¡± [Rurunez] Oh?¡¡Rurunez-san, who had erased her presence all this time, suddenly interjected. ¡°Ryouma-sama. It¡¯s almost time¡­¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Time? Ah.¡± [Ryouma] I forgot! ¡°I¡¯m sorry, everyone, I just remembered that I had an appointment to interview the new hires.¡± [Ryouma] I apologized to them, and they laughed, saying that they just happened to arrive too early. Speaking of which, the reason why they arrived earlier than schedule was because Mr. Mafral possessed the Weather Forecast skill and realized that it would rain soon, so they hurried their carriage. Ryouma left the five doctors to Rurunez-san, and hurried to the lower house of the parliament building, the center of the security company¡¯s activities. It is where the new hires would be expected to wait and also where they would be training. Today, the interview of the people that they spent a week gathering would be performed today. ¡°But before that¡ª Oh, my bad, sorry to keep you waiting!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, Ryouma, you¡¯re here.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. We¡¯ve been told already.¡± [Jill] I entered the room while apologizing, and Hyuzu-san and Jill-san greeted me. Fei-san and Leelin were also there. They came from the Bamboo Forest to support me. I¡¯ve also hired some adventurers I could trust to help me with the education of the new hires. ¡°We¡¯re already more or less done with the interviews¡­¡± [Roche] ¡°It¡¯s a good opportunity, though, so why don¡¯t you leave them some encouraging words?¡± [Howard] The ones who said that were Roche-san and Howard-san. They participated as instructors in the beginner training of the adventurers guild. As adventurers, they¡¯re both half-retired and have taken on a supporting role to instruct the new adventurers. They¡¯re both members of the adventurer party, ¡®Guiding Light¡¯. The three beside them are also members of the same party. They are Lucas-san, Lucy-san, and Mimil-san. ¡°Umm, I just got here, but I do have some words to leave you. First of all, thank you for cooperating with my security company project.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey, you¡¯re being too formal, and you¡¯re too standoffish. They¡¯re people from this town too, so it¡¯s only natural that they¡¯d want to cooperate when asked.¡± [Jeff] The one who said that was Jeff-san. He was a B Rank adventurer who grew up in the slums of Gimuru. ¡°Indeed. It is an adventurer¡¯s duty to help the town that¡¯s taken care of him. It is also a kind of training.¡± [Asagi] ¡°There are also less monsters because of the winter. It¡¯s a good opportunity to wrap up my research and analyze it, but that¡¯s only when the town is peaceful.¡± [Raypin] The A Rank samurai adventurer, Asagi-san, and the monster researcher and mage, Raypin-san, were the ones who said that. ¡°As far as we¡¯re concerned, it¡¯s a huge help to have a job like this during this season.¡± [Wereanna] ¡°It¡¯s not as though we don¡¯t have any work nowadays, but there are definitely less jobs than usual. It¡¯s cold too.¡± [Mizelia] ¡°The weather is unpredictable too. It¡¯s likely for the ground to be unstable, so it¡¯s dangerous.¡± [Syria] ¡°We¡¯re not so lacking in funds that we have to keep working without rest, but it¡¯s still best to be able to move your body, nyaa. This is a great job to pass the winter, nyaa!¡± [Miya] Wereanna-san, Mizelia-san, Syria-san, and Miya-san. The adventurer party of four beast girls were here too. ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. No one was forced to come here, so don¡¯t even think about thanking them.¡± [Gordon] ¡°Everyone came here after hearing out your request, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Cher] The dwarf, Gordon-san, and the young but well-renowned Cher-kun. ¡­They are the people whom I¡¯ve come to be acquainted with during my stay here. Today, they are my reliable allies who are lending me their aid. ¡°Looking back to the time when I first came here, I would never have thought that a time like this would come. Ah, of course, it¡¯s not good that the town is in such dire straits.¡± [Ryouma] I took some time and put together what I wanted to say. ¡°I¡¯m sure you all know this by now, but until just spring of this year, I¡¯ve been living alone in the forest. It was only because I met the duke that I was able to leave the forest and come to this town. A lot of things happened since then, and I ended up settling down in this town, but even when I put up my laundromat, I still thought I would just close the store and go back to the forest if things were ever to take a sour turn. I was a challenger, but I didn¡¯t have any attachments to this town. But after becoming an adventurer and participating in many events in this town¡­ After getting to know a lot of people from this town¡­ Before I knew it, I¡¯ve come to love this town, and now, it¡¯s a precious place to me.¡± [Ryouma] At the very least, it makes me unhappy to see it in such poor shape. It makes me so unhappy in fact that I¡¯ve even worried some people. ¡°But there¡¯s only so much I can do alone.¡± [Ryouma] Even the preparations until now wouldn¡¯t have been possible with just me. Even if I tried to force my way through with money and authority, it¡¯s unlikely that things would have progressed this fast. The only reason I was able to get this far so quickly was because of everyone¡¯s cooperation. ¡°I have too much to thank everyone for, and I¡¯ll just end up repeating what happened earlier if I tried, so I¡¯ll just say this¡­ Everyone, let¡¯s bring Gimuru back together. With our own hands!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah!!!!¡± [Everyone Else] It was at this point of time, when various people of various positions, raised their voices as my comrade that our??? plan truly began to move. Chapter 229.1 - The Changes of the Town and Cher’s Worries (1/2) The next day. When I visited Gimuru early in the morning, it was clear that the atmosphere it town had begun to change. There were a lot of people going to and fro the main street as usual, but their faces were much brighter. ¡°Welcome!¡± [Store Owner 1] ¡°Low prices all around! Get some while you can!¡± [Street Vendor 1] ¡°Grilled skewers for just 5 suits!¡¡That¡¯s a special price you can get only now!¡± [Street Vendor 2] Even the voices coming from the stalls and stores were livelier than usual. When I passed by a shop at an alley¡­ ¡°Good morning.¡± [Housewife 1] ¡°Madam!¡¡It¡¯s been a while!¡± [Housewife 2] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been hard to come here recently¡­¡± [Housewife 1] ¡°Indeed, for some reason, a lot of people suddenly appeared and started sleeping on the wayside.¡± [Housewife 2] ¡°Exactly!¡¡It¡¯s sad that they can¡¯t find the job they came here for, but it¡¯s really troubling having them sleep on the streets, it¡¯s scary to approach too.¡± [Madam 1] ¡°Yes, but fortunately, those people aren¡¯t around today, so I was able to drop by.¡± [Housewife 2] ¡°You too, Madam?¡¡Me too!¡± [Housewife 3] ¡°Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen any of them today.¡¡There¡¯s always been at least around one of them over there¡­ Did they go somewhere?¡¡It would be really troubling if they came back, though¡­¡± [Housewife 1] The housewives gossiped about the missing homeless people among themselves. As I walked further along the street, I found more people talking about the same things. There were also people who said that the town¡¯s atmosphere has turned for the better because of that. The homeless laborers didn¡¯t have any bad intentions. They were helpless and had no other choice but to loiter in the streets. But while they may not have had any bad intentions, their presence still had a negative effect on their surroundings, which affected others. As for where those missing laborers are now, I brought them to a dorm yesterday. This morning they¡¯re supposed to be working at the security company or at the garbage processing plant or at the workshop we built with the Morgan Company. The laborers may have been the reason why Gimuru¡¯s public order has worsened, but most of them didn¡¯t come here to commit crime. Most of them were really just people looking for work. People are suited for different things too. For example, one might find himself generalizing the work of the security company as just ¡®the security company¡¯s work¡¯, but different positions require different skills. Guards would require stamina and combat ability, while clerks would need literacy and math skills. In my personal experience, people who¡¯ve found themselves in a difficult position in their livelihood will become anxious, start tunnel-visioning, and start saying stuff like, ¡°Any job will do!¡± Without any consideration for their abilities and aptitude. The interview yesterday was meant to filter just that. It wasn¡¯t meant to fail or pass people, instead it was meant to figure out what positions suited which people the best. In total, the number of people we hired yesterday numbered to 546. I don¡¯t know how many laborers in need of a job there are in total, but that¡¯s 546 people who won¡¯t have to worry about where to sleep or what to eat. Which goes to mean that that¡¯s 546 less people likely to commit a crime or cause trouble because they¡¯re broke. At least, I hope so, anyway. ¡°Oops¡­¡± [Ryouma] After walking through the main street, while getting a good look at the city sights, I finally arrived at my destination, the head quarters of my security company. From the sound of the loud voices coming from the courtyard, it seems that the training of the guard candidates has already begun. I¡¯m relieved to see that the town¡¯s atmosphere has finally started to improve. It makes me want to work harder too. Yeah, I should do what I can. Like that I headed to the hospital inside the security company. My purpose is to improve my understanding with the doctors, whom I will be relying on from now on, as well as, discuss about medicine and other related research. And¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun! Can you tell us more about that serum of yours?¡± [Tint] ¡°Please talk about the medicine slime first!¡¡Being able to purify body fluids possessing all sorts of medical effects is simply too convenient!¡¡With something like that, treatment in places without doctors or sufficient medicine would improve a lot!¡± [Isabel] ¡°Personally, I¡¯d love to hear more about those nutrients.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°Alchemy¡­ The real really is convenient¡­ Refining medicine is a lot simpler with it, and it¡¯s even possible to extract medicinal components that were previously impossible. Perhaps, a new medicine isn¡¯t far off either¡­¡± [Hector] ¡°As an elven doctor, I thought I¡¯ve studied plenty in the field of medicine already, but it seems there¡¯s still much for me to learn. It¡¯s really interesting.¡± [Mafral] During their stay here, I¡¯m their employer, but at the same time, I¡¯m also going to be learning from them. Because of that, while we¡¯re in the hospital, Mafral-san is a ¡®Sensei¡¯, while the residents and I call each other by name. By establishing myself to be in a similar position as them, I was able to get them to open up. What I didn¡¯t expect however was how hungry they were for knowledge. They were introduced by Reinhart-san, so I spoke to them about my slimes, alchemy, and even my research regarding serums. They were quick to pick up on the things I told them, and before I knew it, they were hounding me. They quietly listened when I was talking, but when I asked for any last questions, it turned out like this. 3 of them wanted to be the first to ask, while one of them seemed okay with any one of the questions and just looked on with a smile, and another just started getting lost in his own thoughts. ¡­I understand how they¡¯re feeling since I¡¯ve done something similar myself, but¡­ What to do? And then I realized it was already noon. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but can we take a break first?¡¡It¡¯s lunchtime already.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right. Let¡¯s reorganize our thoughts while eating.¡± [Mafral] Dr. Mafral was all praise for my suggestion, and the four residents calmly agreed too. We headed to the cafeteria together, but¡­ ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a lot of people¡­¡± [Ryouma] There were already 120 people in the cafeteria from the guard department. There were still some empty seats, but there weren¡¯t any tables that could accommodate all six of us together. Chapter 229.2 - The Changes of the Town and Cher’s Worries (2/2) ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± [Cher] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] When I turned to the direction of the voice, I saw Cher-kun waving at us with one hand, while pointing to the seat next to him with his other hand. Looks like he noticed us looking for a table, and it just so happened that the people sitting next to him were about to leave. From how he¡¯s gesturing at us, it looks like he¡¯ll be securing the table for us. ¡°Looks like we¡¯ve found ourselves a table. Let¡¯s go get our food.¡± [Ryouma] I thanked him with a gesture, and left with the others too get some food. ¡°So we can pick our food from the menu here, huh.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°Food is the fuel of all activities, so I got some people who used to work as cooks or at restaurants to man this place.¡± [Ryouma] Of course, employees don¡¯t have to pay to eat here. Today¡¯s Lunch A is a sandwich, while the B Lunch is sausage with vegetable soup. It¡¯s likely that there are only 2 choices now to make it easier on the cooks, but it is the first day, so let¡¯s just see what happens in the following days. I was interested in the soup, so I went with Lunch B. Everyone chose their food, and we went to the table that Cher-kun secured for us. ¡°Thank you, Cher-kun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. By the way, who are these people?¡± [Cher] It¡¯s only natural he¡¯d be curious, and it¡¯s not a secret or anything, so I went ahead and introduced him to the doctors. ¡°Cher-kun is a skilled adventurer trusted by the people.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-You¡¯re exaggerating, Ryouma-kun. I¡¯m not that amazing.¡± [Cher] Cher-kun was acting all humble, but I really did think highly of him. He¡¯s a really good kid. I know this sounds really arrogant coming from me when I¡¯m physically younger, but he¡¯s really mature for his age. ¡°Besides, aren¡¯t you a lot better adventurer than me, Ryouma-kun? It hasn¡¯t even been a year since you registered and you¡¯ve already caught up to me in rank.¡± [Cher] We¡¯re both D Ranks, but even though he¡¯s saying something like that, I can¡¯t feel any jealousy or anger from him. It just feels like he¡¯s honestly acknowledging me, just like back when we first met. I¡¯m glad he¡¯s so accepting of me, and at the same time, I think that¡¯s really amazing. I worked as an instructor for the new adventurers recently, and unfortunately, not everyone saw me favorably. There were even senior adventurers who started openly avoiding me after I displayed my abilities at the mock battle. I don¡¯t blame them, though. Adventurers might operate on a merit-based-system, but it still doesn¡¯t feel good to have someone overtake you. As my senpais, I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t enjoy being overtaken by me. Someone who can look past that senpai-kouhai relationship and honestly acknowledge a person¡¯s skills without being discouraged isn¡¯t easy to come by. Sure, ideally speaking, acknowledging one¡¯s abilities might be a ¡®given¡¯ and something ¡®ought to be done¡¯, but humans are creatures ruled by their emotions, and it¡¯s not an easy thing to put that ¡®ideal¡¯ into practice. I¡¯ve personally been surpassed many times by my subordinates in my previous life. Really, there¡¯s no end to the number of people more skilled than me. I recall being frustrated a lot back then, but of course, I didn¡¯t let it show. I vaguely told that to Cher-kun, and Cher-kun scratched his cheeks. ¡°When you put it like that, it¡¯s really embarrassing¡­ I¡¯m not very talented, so all I can do is work diligently, and I do get jealous of other people too. Speaking of which, do you actually ever lose to anyone or get jealous of anyone?¡± [Cher] ¡­Just what does he think I am? ¡°I mean you¡¯re strong and you know a lot of stuff, you¡¯re smart too.¡± [Cher] ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m strong and can put up a good fight with most people, but I¡¯m actually average or bad at everything else. For example, when it comes to human relationships.¡± [Ryouma] In that regard, it took me almost 40 years to get to where I am today. But of course, given how I look, it¡¯s a bit too much to expect others to realize that. ¡°And I think ¡®knowledge¡¯ and ¡®intelligence¡¯ are two different things altogether. Knowledge would be the tool, while intelligence is how you use it.¡± [Ryouma] In that regard, there are a lot of people way better than me, and the only reason why I know so much is because compulsory education was a thing in my previous life. I even went to college. Also, fortunately or unfortunately, I had a lot of opportunities to experience many things. There were also a lot of people near me who taught me many things whenever I asked. And then, there was this convenient thing called the ¡®internet¡¯ that fed me as much as my curiosity demanded. When you put all of that together, well¡­ ¡°I just happened to be blessed with a good environment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ In that case, I should work harder then.¡± [Cher] Uh, the guild and the townspeople already acknowledge you, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need to work harder, but¡­ Well, if he¡¯s fired up, then so be it. I¡¯ll just cheer him on. ¡°Come to think of it, what things do you have a hard time with?¡± [Ryouma] We¡¯ve known each other for a while now, but he¡¯s always struck me as an all-rounder who can do pretty much anything decently. ¡°Ah, well, how do I put it, it seems I¡¯m the type that finds it hard to put on muscle. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not that confident in my physical strength or explosive strength. The guild master also told me to work more on my technique than on my strength.¡± [Cher] Apparently, the reason why the townspeople trust him so much is connected to that. When he was just starting out as an adventurer, he didn¡¯t have the Stamina or skill that he had now, so he did all sorts of odd jobs throughout town to build his strength. The reason why he seems so flexible is probably because of that too, but if that¡¯s the case, then maybe I can help. ¡°Sorry to ask so much, but what kind of training have you been doing?¡¡And also, you need to get some protein, though I wonder if you can even get some¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention it, and I even tried asking the doctors just in case, and apparently, not one of them know about it. ¡°Is that protein a muscle-strengthening drug? From how you describe it, it sounds like it is.¡± [Cher] That¡¯s a misunderstanding. Protein is protein. It¡¯s an important material used by the body not just for muscles, but for internal organs, skin, hair, and even the nails. They can normally be found in food. It¡¯s not a ¡®drug¡¯ that has side-effects. ¡°So that protein stuff is one of those nutrients you were talking about?¡± [Clarissa] The one who said that was Clarissa-san, who was quite taken by the topic of nutrients. ¡°Yes. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to think of it as such. Protein is one of the essential nutrients needed to build muscle and maintain health, but in order to maintain one¡¯s health and build even more muscles on top of that, a considerable amount of protein is required. If one were to try and procure that amount of protein just by eating, other unnecessary nutrients like fat will also be procured in the process, and that will naturally puff up one¡¯s belly, making it difficult to procure the necessary amount. That¡¯s where pharmaceutical technology comes in, and by extracting just the necessary protein, we are able to produce a protein supplement.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Remove the waste and leave only what¡¯s needed, huh. It¡¯s just like when packing up for a trip.¡± [Cher] Looks like he understood it from an adventurer¡¯s perspective. By the way, protein also needs to be taken at the right time and be accompanied with the right training. In that way, the effects of protein can be maximized, and the body can build more muscle. When I explained that to him¡ª ¡°That¡¯s amazing. But is it really okay to tell me that?¡± [Cher] Cher-kun is helping out with my work, and I think this will be quite useful in raising my guards. Maybe it¡¯s even possible to mix muscle training with healing magic. The more I talked, the more interested he became. I hear it¡¯s not good for children to put on too much muscle while growing up or it¡¯ll affect their growth, so if he¡¯s willing to cooperate with me as a test subject, I¡¯d be really grateful. When I told him that, he offered me his right hand. I happily took it and gave him a firm handshake. ¡°Can I participate in that research too?¡± [Tint] It was the athletic resident, Tint-san, who said that. It¡¯s a huge help to have his support, but what are those flames burning within his eyes? When I asked him about them¡ª ¡°As a child, I¡¯ve always wanted to be a knight of the royal family. I fell off a horse while training one day and was injured, so I had no choice but to give up on it. Since then I¡¯ve decided to become a doctor, so that there¡¯d be less people who¡¯ll have to give up on their dreams because of an injury or illness. I know muscle training doesn¡¯t fall under treatments, but I¡¯m very interested!¡± [Tent] No wonder his voice was always so loud. Come to think of it, he¡¯s also the one most interested in the serum, isn¡¯t he? I didn¡¯t think there¡¯d be this kind of backstory behind it. ¡°I don¡¯t have any reasons to refuse, so, by all means, please, do help us. Your cooperation would be a huge help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much!¡± [Tint] Like this I found myself a new research topic, a new test subject, and a new assistant. But¡­ ¡°Umm, excuse me, Ryouma-sama, but¡­ The two of you are drawing attention.¡± [Mafral] When I looked around me, it was just as Dr. Mafral was saying. We were in the cafeteria, so naturally, there were a lot of people here, and because of that a lot of odd gazes had gathered onto us. Chapter 230.1 - The Garbage Processing Plant and Wist-kun’s First Love (1/2) The next day. This afternoon I¡¯ll be dropping by the Garbage Processing Plant and the factories to check for any problems in their operation. I¡¯ll also be taking a look at the slimes holding post there. Especially since there will probably be some scavenger slimes that can split since I left them there yesterday. I¡¯ll have to retrieve those new slimes and form a contract with them. ¡­And so, I visited the garbage processing plant. When I got there, there were already a lot of employees bringing in garbage. I also noticed a familiar face watching from the wayside. ¡°Good morning, Branch Head Taylor!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡¡Ahh, Ryouma-kun. Good morning.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Is something the matter, Branch Head?¡¡Why are you standing here on your own?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I suddenly found myself with some free time, so I thought I¡¯d take a walk. I figured I might as well see how everyone is doing.¡± [Taylor] ¡°You did introduce us to some good drivers.¡± [Ryouma] With how big the city was, just garbage collectors alone wouldn¡¯t be able to efficiently collect garbage. To that end, carriages and monster carriages were necessary. By the way, monster carriages are carriages pulled by monsters controlled by monster tamers. It was Branch Head Taylor who introduced us to the monster tamers that could handle monster carriages. Apparently, the tamer guild was also having problems due to the large number of monster tamers looking for work. Gimuru has its mines, so there are a lot of jobs to transport ore and people, but even those have a limit. A lot of monster tamers have come to town looking for work. Because of that all the available jobs were being saturated quickly. What¡¯s more was that most of the people were lured here because they were told stuff like, ¡°the Jamil family is descended from the founder of monster taming, so their territories employ a lot of monster taming¡¯ and ¡®if you learn monster taming, you¡¯ll be able to do more jobs and have an easier time making money¡¯. There were even some who were told that the tamer guild would take care of them as long as they just learned how to form a contract with a monster. In other words, these people just learned monster taming to ¡®find¡¯ work. They¡¯ve never actually worked as monster tamers, and neither did they possess the heart of a monster tamer. A lot of new monster tamers like that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Naturally, the guild would have a hard time dealing with them. True enough, cases where monsters have rebelled against their tamers and gone wild have increased. There were even cases where people other than the tamers were hurt too. Fortunately, the branch head had taken measures beforehand, so the damages the troublesome monster tamers caused were minimized. Because of that word of the guild¡¯s issues hasn¡¯t spread much. Despite that the guild still had to take responsibility when people affiliated with them caused trouble. In the meet-up a few days ago, the branch head was heard grumbling, saying, ¡°I¡¯m not asking for much! I¡¯m not even going to ask them to take pride in being monster tamers! All I ask is that they have some awareness and responsibility when handling their monsters¡­¡± It must be hard, Branch Head. And so, in order to avoid having these beginners damage the town or unrelated people, they sent a lot of them to me, a veteran who had plenty of time on his hands. ¡°Oh?¡± [Man] When a carriage carrying garbage passed by us, the man driving it nodded to us with a smile. Must be an acquaintance of the branch head since he returned the greeting. ¡°¡­By the way, a lot of garbage is being transported, but it doesn¡¯t seem to stink, no?¡± [Taylor] ¡°We built the garbage processing plant in the middle of town, after all, so I took special care to make sure that it won¡¯t stink.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s normal for people to feel bad when they see or smell something filthy. This part of town may have once been part of the slums, but it¡¯s still best to be careful. Also, while the collection and transport of garbage may be an important job, it¡¯s a stinky job, so people have a tendency to look down on people who do them. As such, I¡¯ve taken it upon myself to give the garbage processing plant as clean of an image as possible. ¡°To that end, I isolated the stench coming from the garbage collector carriages as much as possible. I also required the use of box-shaped carriages and covered wagons, so people won¡¯t have to see any of the garbage. The part of the carriage that holds the barrels and jute bags filled with garbage have been treated in a generous amount of the deodorant slime¡¯s odor-absorbing liquid to prevent the smell from leaking out. The workers are also required to wear their work clothes, and are even instructed how to groom themselves. The Bamboo Forest¡¯s deodorizing liquid is also being distributed to the workers. They are required to use it after work and before meeting people.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, I received a report on that before¡­ Right, so that¡¯s how you¡¯re keeping the smell in check.¡± [Taylor] On top of that, the garbage processing plant was built in a simple rectangular shape with no special features. The first floor is currently being used to collect the garbage and dispose of them. The garbage carriages are meant to go through a large door with their garbage, then once their load has been unloaded, they are to go through the opposite door and start collecting garbage once more. A one-way wind barrier has been erected on the entrance, exit, and windows of the processing area, so the smell from outside can¡¯t enter. The smell from inside won¡¯t leak out either. A wind magic tool is used for exhaust inside the processing area, but before the air is exhausted, the air goes through the filter slime¡¯s filter that¡¯s been treated with the deodorant slime¡¯s abilities to make the air as clean as possible before it is returned outside. Chapter 230.2 - The Garbage Processing Plant and Wist-kun’s First Love (2/2) Chapter 230: The Garbage Processing Plant and Wist-kun¡¯s First Love (2/2) ¡°You¡¯re even using magic tools just to get rid of the stench?¡± [Taylor] ¡°I¡¯m acquainted with a skilled craftsmen willing to work with me, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. That¡¯s good. You should treasure your relationships¡­ Anyway, I should be going. Everything seems to be going well, after all.¡± [Taylor] ¡°I¡¯ll send you off.¡± [Ryouma] A dorm has been built here for the employees of the garbage processing plant and the other employees, the view is also unobstructed, and the atmosphere is great too, but this place was still once part of the slums. The branch head is quite old, and he is also the branch head of a guild, so I think it would be best if someone accompanied him still. ¡°You don¡¯t have to, I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not the branch head of the tamer guild just for show, you know.¡± [Taylor] He said as he patted his chest over his coat. ¡°Kyu?¡± [Hamster?] A super tiny creature that looked just like a hamster poked its head out of his coat¡¯s chest pocket. ¡°What a cute little guy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°He¡¯s my familiar, Fernek. He¡¯s a kind of monster beast known as Resonance Mole. Resonance Moles excel at sensing and finding enemies, and they can even communicate with other members of their species even from far away. He¡¯ll notice it if anyone dangerous approaches, and his friend at the guild will also inform everyone on our behalf.¡± [Taylor] ¡°Wow, he¡¯s pretty amazing despite being so cute.¡± [Ryouma] He looked like a hamster, but it turns out he was a mole instead. ¡°He might be small, but he¡¯s really dependable. I have some other cards to play in case something happens, and I¡¯ll be going back through the road you built, so I¡¯ll be fine. Besides, unlike me, you have a lot of work to do, right?¡¡You better get those done. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll end up helping me out a lot indirectly too.¡± [Taylor] We had to fix the roads around the garbage processing plant to make it possible for the carriages to transport garbage in and out of the garbage processing plant. We even connected the roads here to the main roads, and there are a lot of carriages going to and fro, and I have my slimes on alert too, so¡­ ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll stay here then. Please be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too. Once everything¡¯s calmed down, let¡¯s go out for a cup of tea sometime.¡± [Taylor] As he said that, he left, and I headed inside the garbage processing plant. The employees used a rake-like tool to make the piles of garbage collapse, then they quietly spread it over the coarse-wire-mesh-floor next to it. By doing that they were able to loosen the solidified garbage, separate them, and send them to the scavenger slimes waiting below in the basement. The bigger garbage that couldn¡¯t fall through the wire mesh would be taken away and brought to the department in charge of crushing things to be crushed, and then the crushed garbage would be brought back. This is done to ensure the safety of the scavenger slimes below and to make their absorption of the garbage more efficient. After all, the Absorb skill of the slimes is most effective when used on a target that they can bring into their bodies. On top of that, it¡¯s also easier for them to absorb things that are softer. ¡°Looks like everything is going well.¡± [Ryouma] Zeff-san and Camil-san are in charge of this area, so I wanted to talk to them, but¡­ Where are they? Hmm? I noticed someone working at a corner of the area. ¡°Wist-kun?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­When I was starting this job, I called out to Berk, an adventurer friend of mine, and to Gazel, a friend I became acquainted with during the adventurer¡¯s guild beginner instruction program. Just as the expert garbage collector, the garbage grandmother, told me, nothing would be more reliable than to have people privy to the rules and the actual work accompany the workers. In that regard, the guys I mentioned were from the slums and were even garbage collectors themselves until just recently. They were more than qualified. So I asked them to do the job, and they happily agreed. Although in Wist-kun¡¯s case, I¡¯d only heard from Berk that he¡¯ll be taking the job too and we hadn¡¯t actually met in person. He seems to have grown a good deal bigger since we last saw each other. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] I did my best to avoid interrupting everyone during their work as I approached Wist-kun and called out to him. ¡°Ah, Ryouma-kun. Good morning.¡± [Wist] His voice sounded a lot heavier than I last remembered. ¡°So it really was you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-Yeah. You couldn¡¯t tell?¡± [Wist] ¡°I thought it was you, but you¡¯ve grown up so much so suddenly, for a moment, I wasn¡¯t so sure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I-I started growing up really quickly recently. Because of that I had to buy new equipment all of the sudden. Meanwhile, everyone else was fine just making some minor adjustment on theirs.¡± [Wist] I¡¯m sure that must have been a serious blow financially¡­ But since he¡¯s grown bigger, that means he¡¯s also a step closer to being an adult, and that means he can do even more things now. This place pays well depending on how much work one has done, so I hope he does his best. ¡°By the way, have you seen Zeff-san and Camil-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°T-They¡¯re probably in the office upstairs. The garbage grandma dropped by just a while ago, and they seemed to have showed her in.¡± [Wist] ¡°I see, thank you. Sorry for disturbing you when you¡¯re in the middle of work.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, I headed for the office in the second floor, but¡ª ¡°R-Ryouma-kun!¡± [Wist] ¡°?¡¡What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah. Umm, actually, uh¡­¡± [Wist] I wonder what this is about. He called out to me so suddenly, but he¡¯s all shy again. Is it something hard to talk about? I¡¯m curious, but first I need to calm him down. When he spoke again¡­ ¡°T-There¡¯s a m-maid over at your place, right?¡¡T-That beautiful¡­¡± [Wist] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Ryouma] Those words and his blushing face were more than enough to tell the story. Wist-kun might be timid, but he¡¯s a boy too. And he¡¯s in his puberty too. Come to think of it, on the day of the interview, the interview for Berk¡¯s group was meant to be only perfunctory, so I¡¯d left it to the maids. That must be when he saw them. ¡°I-If it¡¯s not a problem, c-can you please t-tell me her name?¡± [Wist] Just when I was wondering what he was going to ask, it turned out to be something really wholesome ¨C her name. But which one? There¡¯s three of them, after all. I asked him which one he was referring to, and¡­ ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure how to put it, but t-the person with great style, or erm, the woman¡­¡± Wist-kun¡¯s face blushed an even deeper shade of red as he started talking about the maid¡¯s body. I¡¯m not trying to embarrass him, really, but his descriptions aren¡¯t really helping. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s talking about Lilian-san or Rurunez-san. They both know how to dress, but if it¡¯s Rurunez-san, then unfortunately, she¡¯s already married, so I don¡¯t think his love is going to be reciprocated, but¡­ ¡°I-It¡¯s the burliest one among the three!¡± [Wist] Hmm?¡¡Burly?¡¡Could he be talking about¡­ ¡°You mean Riviola-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that her name?¡¡That maid from the Big Monkey Man Tribe?¡± [Wist] ¡°If it¡¯s the maid from the Big Monkey Man Tribe, then there¡¯s no doubt about it. Come to think of it, you¡¯re from the Big Monkey Man Tribe too, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Ryouma] The Big Monkey Man Tribe was one of the Beast Tribes, and were known for their big stature and their well-developed muscles. Frankly speaking, it¡¯s easy for them to put on muscle. Riviola-san is so muscular in fact that it¡¯s easy for people from other races to mistake her for a man. She has a tough body, but I suppose she does have good style as well. Although, that¡¯s less along the lines of being a woman and more along the lines of being a bodybuilder, but I digress. I¡¯m so sorry, I know it was really rude of me, but when he mentioned ¡®beautiful¡¯, I subconsciously omitted her from the list¡­ I need to do some reflecting. After that, because I was feeling guilty, I told Wist-kun about Riviola¡¯s good points and told him that she was a good person, and then I left. Chapter 231.1 - On One Particular Evening (1/4) At a certain place in the town of Gimuru was a bar that people kept entering despite the ¡®closing¡¯ sign. On this day, 9 men visited it. They visited the store in groups of three. One of them sat at the table at the center of the bar, while the remaining two sat in the table behind him. One after another, the people took their seats, and a dangerous atmosphere filled the store as the representatives of all three groups took the center table. ¡°Wanz-san, can you explain to us what¡¯s going on?¡± [Representative 1] ¡°Yeah, give us an explanation. Or what? Has our swindler, who¡¯s all talk, gone mute all of the sudden?¡± [Representative 2] ¡°You want an explanation? Fine, I¡¯ll admit that our work isn¡¯t going as planned, but isn¡¯t that the same for you?¡± [Wanz] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Representative 2] One of the people seated at the table of the representatives was Wanz. He was the man who created the Association of Mid-Sized Stores of Gimuru and opened a meeting, where he fought a battle of words with Ryouma. That same Wanz¡¯s provocative attitude caused one of the other representatives to become angry, while another one clicked his tongue. The people who accompanied them became nervous. But before things could escalate, the man, who clicked his tongue, stopped them. ¡°Stop it. There¡¯s no point arguing here.¡± [Representative 1] ¡°Yes. Everything was going well for me up till the part where I gathered the merchants and opened the Association of Mid-Sized Stores of Gimuru¡­¡± [Wanz] ¡°?¡¡Hey, it was going well, so what happened¡ª¡± [Representative 2] The angry man from before was still acting belligerently. ¡°Yes, it was going well, until then?????, anyway. I did my research, pulled people to my side beforehand, and the discussion was also going well, but then some stupid brat just had to mess it all up.¡± [Wanz] ¡°¡­Hey, didn¡¯t this guy always have his nose up in the air? So he¡¯s actually like this.¡± [Representative 2] He liked how Wanz cussed without so much as raising a brow. ¡°I¡¯d had my suspicions, but it seems ¡®Ryouma Takebayashi¡¯ really is the problem¡­ Our people are having problems with him too. I had my subordinates pretend to look for jobs and quarrel with his subordinates to make it hard for the real people looking for jobs, but¡­¡± [Representative 2] ¡°I tried that too. I tried getting people to commit crimes by taking advantage of how hard their life is, but that kid employing a lot of people seems to have given them hope. They¡¯re not as willing as before. And he did in fact hire a hundred people. He even says there¡¯s going to be another round of employment soon. Just how much money does he have?¡¡Do laundromats make that much?¡± [Representative 1] ¡°Ha, ha ha, no, that¡¯s not it. If you look at the conditions he promises, it¡¯s really good. There¡¯s a salary, of course, but on top of that, there¡¯s lodging, food, and even health care. His store definitely makes a lot of money, but that alone isn¡¯t enough. Of course, we¡¯re not the only ones who¡¯ve noticed this. Word has it that the stupid brat¡¯s grandparents left him a lot of money. But it¡¯s too convenient to have a wealthy inheritance at this point in time, and even if it did exist, no one would use it like this. He¡¯d either be a saint or an idiot who doesn¡¯t know the value of money. Evidently, he¡¯s working against us, so the duke must be the one behind him, the money and the orders, must be from him too. That stupid¡­ boy is nothing more than a bait and a puppet¡­ Well, given his age, I suppose he¡¯s pretty smart to be able to play the role of a puppet.¡± [Wanz] Wanz seemed to have calmed down while talking, as his expression and attitude returned to normal. ¡°It¡¯s much more believable to think that instead of blindly believing that the boy thought of everything and brought about this situation. The duke¡¯s people are with him too¡­ But enough of that, what are we going to do now?¡¡That security company is supposed to start doing rounds already. Won¡¯t your thieves have a hard time moving?¡± [Representative 1] ¡°They¡¯re already having a hard time¡­ That security company is working with the guild. They¡¯re thoroughly targeting our targets and exposing a lot of our modus operandi. It looks like they have someone familiar with our work.¡± [Representative 2] ¡°¡­I see. Actually, several of the empty houses in the slums that could be used as a hideout or to accommodate our secret deals have been demolished. The land readjustment has changed the air in the whole slums for the better too.¡± [Representative 1] ¡°So the land sharks are having problems too, huh. Then what about the swindlers? Can you give us some intel?¡¡If we know the route and schedule of the patrols, we can target the stores lacking hands and wait for the patrols to come, then give them a world of pain. We¡¯ll try to make it easier for the land sharks to do their job too. That¡¯s why we¡¯re cooperating right?¡± [Representative 2] ¡°Unfortunately, I couldn¡¯t get enough people. Some of the people became suspicious because of that boy, and now it takes me a lot of effort just to get a conversation going. I¡¯ll need to take things slowly and earn their trust first.¡± [Wanz] Silence filled the room. The one who caused it was Wanz, but he was also the first to break it. ¡°Let¡¯s continue our respective work for the time being. They¡¯re not the only ones backed by the nobles, after all. And there will probably still be people looking for jobs. There are just too many unneeded people in the city.¡± [Wanz] ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s anything else we can do¡­ All we can do right now is take on jobs like before. We can¡¯t stop either. For people in our line of work, stopping means death. Even if we survive, we won¡¯t be able to live decently.¡± [Representative 1] ¡°The land shark is right. It¡¯s gotten harder for us to move, but we¡¯re not out of cards just yet.¡± [Representative 2] The men all wore grim faces. Chapter 231.2 - On One Particular Evening (2/4) Meanwhile. When it was past work hours and most of the employees had returned to their dormitories, the people sent by the duke ¨C the four guards, the maid, and the doctors ¨C were gathered within one of the rooms of the security company. Serge-san, who just happened to drop by, was there too. ¡°To everyone¡¯s efforts! Cheers!¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Cheers!¡± [Everyone Else] Hyuzu offered a toast, and everyone simultaneously said ¡®Cheers!¡¯ Well, everyone except Jill, who made a difficult face and asked him a question. ¡°Hey, Hyuzu. Is this really something we should be doing when we¡¯re supposed to be giving a report?¡± [Jill] ¡°C¡¯mon, Jill, don¡¯t be so stiff. Even if we are having some problems, everything¡¯s still within expectations. And the report is just a sort of confirmation, so we can just do it while drinking. Besides, didn¡¯t we tell Ryouma to lighten up? We wouldn¡¯t be very persuasive now if we¡¯re so tense, right?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°that¡¯s true¡­¡± [Jill] ¡°If you keep making a face like that, Serge-dono will be troubled, you know.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°M-My apologies. ¡­Wait a moment, didn¡¯t you drag Serge-dono here!?¡¡¡­Sigh, I really can¡¯t apologize enough for Hyuzu¡¯s behavior.¡± [Jill] ¡°Ah, please, there¡¯s nothing to apologize for at all. Hyuzu-dono only invited me so as to not make my trip here a waste.¡± [Serge] ¡°It puts me at ease when you put it that way.¡± [Jill] After their conversation wrapped up with that, Camil remembered something and asked Serge. ¡°Come to think of it, why are you here, Serge-san?¡± [Camil] ¡°A magic tool craftsman I¡¯m friends with has entrusted me with a package to hand over to Ryouma-sama. I agreed to deliver it since I figured I would also be able to talk about the factory¡¯s products.¡± [Serge] ¡°Unfortunately, you just missed each other. Ryouma¡¯s been going back home early recently.¡± [Camil] ¡°Now that you mention it, ever since he¡¯s started raising those goblins, he¡¯s been wrapping up his work and going home earlier.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°He has some new familiars, so it¡¯s only normal he¡¯d want to go home earlier. Ryouma-sama needs to learn more about goblins, and familiars are living creatures too. I¡¯ve heard that goblins have a tendency to become sick or throw a tantrum when they¡¯ve yet to acclimate to their new environment too.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°That¡¯s true, but even if that wasn¡¯t the case, it¡¯s still a good thing for a workaholic like Ryouma to go home early.¡± [Hyuzu] When Hyuzu said that, everyone nodded, and when the atmosphere loosened up, Lilian asked. ¡°By the way, Serge-sama, since you wished to talk with Ryouma-sama, is the factory having problems?¡¡If it¡¯s something urgent, I could send my familiars.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you, but it¡¯s nothing urgent, so please don¡¯t worry. I just thought it would be good if I could speak to him about the future production schedule and top products, as well as the various products he ordered.¡± [Serge] ¡°It¡¯s good if there aren¡¯t any problems. But isn¡¯t the waterproof cloth your top product?¡¡Will you be making something new?¡± [Lilian] ¡°As you¡¯ve surmised, the factory will mainly be producing waterproof cloths made from the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid that¡¯s been treated. But Ryouma-sama has indeed spoken of other products that take advantage of the slimes¡­ Do you know that a part of my store was set on fire just recently?¡± [Serge] Naturally, they did, and everyone but Serge nodded. ¡°Ryouma-sama was deeply concerned about that incident, and when we spoke, he suggested many things, from ¡®fire-prevention policies¡¯ to prevent fire from being a problem in the first place to a ¡®fire extinguisher¡¯ to deal with the fire in case a fire were still to occur, to ¡®rescue methods¡¯ in case someone were to be left behind a burning room, and even ¡®special equipment¡¯ for the people performing the rescue operations. He kept coming up with one idea after another, but every one of them seemed worthy of consideration, so I was thinking of coming up with a prototype, and then depending on the results, sell them as actual products.¡± [Serge] ¡°Come to think of it, there was something like that in the curriculum of the security company¡¯s training, wasn¡¯t there? The recruits are currently still at the foundation building process and are just building their strength, but in the future, they¡¯re supposed to undergo rescue training. He also suggested training those interested to become medics.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Serge-san¡¯s store being set on fire must¡¯ve really been quite the shock for him.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°That young man has always been one to treasure others and take the initiative to start something, but that¡¯s also why we can¡¯t just leave him alone. You also can¡¯t help but be concerned whenever he says he wants to help.¡± [Zeff] Everyone agreed with Zeff, but Hyuzu tilted his head and became thoughtful. ¡°?¡¡¡­¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Rurunez¡­ It¡¯s a bit late for me to be saying this, but I think Ryouma is doing quite well at this city.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Isn¡¯t that why he¡¯s able to get other people¡¯s help on top of us and make his plans a reality?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Yeah.¡¡And he¡¯s well-connected too.¡± ¡°He¡¯s got his adventurer buddies to help him build his security company, but on top of them, he¡¯s also got the support of three guild masters, the head of the government office here, and the person in charge of the slums. Not to mention big merchants and influential people like Serge-san.¡± [Jill] ¡°He seems to know a lot of people from town too. There¡¯s those store-owners, those slum kids that¡¯ve worked as garbage collectors, and apparently, he goes to church frequently too and leaves donations.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I haven¡¯t known him for long, but he¡¯s always struck me as a child who¡¯s thoughtful about others. Although there are times when he seems to be lacking common sense and has a somewhat strange perspective.¡± [Riviola] ¡°True, true¡­¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu agreed with Riviola, but he seemed to be thinking about something else too. When Jill saw that, a worried expression appeared on his face, and he asked. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡It¡¯s not like you to worry so much. Feeling under the weather?¡± [Jill] ¡°Nah, I just thought it was a bit strange. It hasn¡¯t been long since we first met, but he¡¯s really changed a lot. I mean, you guys remember, right? He was cooped up all alone by himself in the forest.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Yeah. But he¡¯s gotten so used to life in the city, I¡¯ve forgotten about it already.¡± [Jill] ¡°Right? And as we were talking about earlier, he knows a lot of people too. When I think about how he¡¯s been doing recently, he¡¯s not just doing really well. In fact, it feels like¡­ You remember when he said he was ¡®bad with people¡¯? Well, I¡¯ve started to feel like that might not actually the case.¡± [Hyuzu] Chapter 231.3 - Volume 3 Chapter 231: On One Particular Evening (3/4) At this point, Mafral, who hadn¡¯t spoken at all until now, finally spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s bad with people either. We just arrived here, and yet he went out of his way to make sure that we felt welcomed. He didn¡¯t hesitate to divide the work among us either, and he also worked hard in his spare time to lay the groundwork for us.¡± [Mafral] After being told that, the people participating all became thoughtful and thought back to Ryouma¡¯s actions. ¡°¡­It was really busy, so I never paid much attention to it, but now that you mention it, you¡¯re right¡­ Moreover, it¡¯s not like anyone told him to do that either. He just did it naturally on his own.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Yes¡­ Ryouma definitely isn¡¯t bad with people.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s simply because that¡¯s what Ryouma-sama thinks?¡¡And perhaps it might also be because he has a low opinion of himself, while also having a tendency to ignore the burden he places on himself.¡± [Serge] ¡°Ahh¡­ I see. You might be right, Serge-san. Ryouma certainly has the tendency to do everything on his own, but it¡¯s not as though he would never rely on others.¡± [Hyuzu] It was curious whether Hyuzu felt relieved or his worries have simply been cleared, but his voice sounded refreshed as he drank a mouthful of liquor. Meanwhile, in the divine realm¡­ ¡°Hmm, it doesn¡¯t seem like there are any problems.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yes. Those people working in the shadows of Gimuru still haven¡¯t given up, but the city has calmed down a lot compared to before. Ryouma has his friends with him too.¡± [Kufo] ¡°By the way, what is Ryouma-kun doing right now?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°He just finished feeding his goblin and slime familiars, and is preparing his own supper. He appears to be running some experiments on preserved food too.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Looks like he took my advice and is properly studying farming. He¡¯s still just at the starting point, but it seems like he¡¯ll be able to raise some decent crops this time.¡± [Grimp] ¡°He¡¯s started to brew liquor too ¨C the local liquor of Fatma Territory. He grew the ingredients himself, and is testing out various things to make it delicious. He tamed himself some goblins and has more hands now, so maybe it¡¯s a good thing after all that he started living at the mines. He needs to fix the place up a bit, but it¡¯s not bad for fermenting wine. Moreover, given Ryouma¡¯s disposition, I think we can expect him to come up with something good.¡± [Tekun] Six gods were gathered together, watching Ryouma, his friends, and the town. They drank their favorite drinks, while casually sharing the information they had. Suddenly, two gods appeared within that space in the divine realm. ¡°Good job out there.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Kirillel. Is it over?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Not yet, but we¡¯ve decided to pause the punishment temporarily since he¡¯s like this.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Guhe!?¡± As she said that, she threw the god in her arms. It was none other than Sereriputa. Sereriputa cried out in pain when he fell, but he didn¡¯t twitch even a little afterwards. ¡°C-Couldn¡¯t you have let me down gentler?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°What stupid thing are you saying? Your punishment hasn¡¯t ended yet.¡¡Although there¡¯s no point punishing you when you¡¯re like this, you should still be grateful that you¡¯re even being allowed to rest at all.¡± [Kirillel] Sereriputa complained in a faint voice, but it was immediately shot down. Kirillel, who had brought him here, looked around her and spoke a few words. ¡°Fernoberia isn¡¯t here?¡¡He was supposed to take over keeping watch, but he didn¡¯t come.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°So that guy went off on his own without contacting you.¡± [Gayn] ¡°He¡¯s gone home already. In a real hurry too.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Hah?¡¡Why all of the sudden?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Ryouma started using his magic with the slimes. I don¡¯t know if the slimes are just really compatible with magic or if there¡¯s a loophole somewhere, but the resulting synergy was really impressive.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Because of that Fernoberia just up and left, saying, ¡®I need to investigate this matter.¡¯¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Well, magic is his domain, after all, and he¡¯s a really diligent kid.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Hmm¡­ Fine, whatever. How¡¯s the situation here?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°It¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t seem like Sereriputa¡¯s interfered with the lower world.¡± [Gayn] When he said that, the person-in-question spoke up. ¡°Huh? Were you guys suspecting even that?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Well, you did leave Ryouma with some prophetic words. To be safe, we had to make sure that you haven¡¯t tried anything with the lower world.¡± [Gayn] ¡°There¡¯s no way I would do something like that. I just took a look at the situation of the town he came from and figured things would probably develop this way.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°You only have yourself to blame. People can¡¯t help but be suspicious with you since you¡¯re always acting so mischievous.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it.. By the way, how is Ryouma-kun right now?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Hmm¡­ I suppose it doesn¡¯t really matter ¨C here.¡± [Gayn] Gayn raised his hand toward Sereriputa¡¯s head, who was still lying on the ground. ¡°Ah¡­ As I thought, he ended up like this.¡± [Sereriputa] One flick of his hand was all he needed to share the information he had with Sereriputa. ¡°You predicted this? So everything¡¯s going as you¡¯ve planned?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t told him anything, there¡¯s a high chance things would have still ended up like this¡­ At that time, the city was already starting to get rowdy, so he was bound to find out anyway once he got back, and he¡¯s still sure to see Serge¡¯s store after the fire. Besides, the one who told him that the nobles are responsible for this mess is Serge, not me.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­That¡¯s true.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It¡¯s only natural to prepare for it if you know what¡¯s happening. After all, using some shady people to cause trouble in another noble¡¯s territory to try to lower his reputation is no different from a ¡®declaration of war¡¯. The lord of the territory, Reinhart, seems to have chosen to avoid a direct confrontation, but even for gods like us, we would have to use our power to find out the future that his choice would lead to, and naturally, Ryouma has no way of knowing the future either. As such, the only option he has is to prepare. The only difference would be if he prepares quickly or slowly. Well, in times of emergencies, how fast you prepare can make a big difference, though.¡± [Sereriputa] Chapter 231.4 - On One Particular Evening (4/4) ¡°That manner of talking of yours that makes it seem like you¡¯ve already seen through everything is really suspicious.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Aren¡¯t you just not using your brain~?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Stop it, you two.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Good grief, they¡¯re at it again, and they¡¯ve just met¡­ Sereriputa isn¡¯t even moving.¡± [Tekun] ¡°We should change the topic.¡± [Grimp] The one who spoke next was the Goddess of War, Kirillel. ¡°Ryouma seems to have started preparing all sort of things, and they aren¡¯t bad if you consider them as preparations for war. Just as this guy said, this issue could become the trigger to a war between nobles. Even if that noble doesn¡¯t want it, there¡¯s no guaranteeing that he¡¯ll be able to continue avoiding a military confrontation. If that were to happen, and while I¡¯m sure that given Ryouma¡¯s personality he wouldn¡¯t force anyone, the soldiers he¡¯s cultivated in that security company of his could undoubtedly serve as a military force. Meanwhile, that research of his on preserved food will help out in logistics, while medical technology will definitely be of much use in the battlefield. Of course, those guards of his are no different from a mob compared to actual soldiers and mercenaries, but war isn¡¯t something that¡¯s fought only in the front lines. If they¡¯re properly trained, they could be used to transport goods in safer areas or be used for logistical support. Conscripts aren¡¯t rare in times of war either. Of course, if a war doesn¡¯t break out, then those guards could just be used for their original purpose, which is to secure the public order of the town, but it doesn¡¯t hurt either way.¡± [Kirillel] When Kirillel saw the image projected in front of her, she laughed and appraised Ryouma¡¯s preparations. ¡°Well, it¡¯s Ryouma-kun, after all.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Again, you¡¯re talking as if you already knew everything beforehand.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Well, it¡¯s within my predictions. After all, the God of Earth did give him his talents.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Ahh¡­ You mean those criminal and murderous talents of his?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Even if that god is rotten, he¡¯s still higher ranked than us. A talent from him isn¡¯t just for show¡­ Because of that Ryouma is able to act on an instinctual level. He is able to sense and predict the movements of those aiming for him and his people just by inferring it from the mood and the situation. Part of it is because he¡¯s been continuously exposed to the malice of other people in his previous life, but if he were to train it well, he could refine it into an ¡®instinct¡¯-type skill. And I might have said that the talents for crime and murder have been buried deep within him, but you know, in the end, talents really are just tools.¡¡Having them can make your life easier, and not having them, can make your life harder. But they¡¯re not absolutely necessary. And most importantly, it¡¯s entirely up to you how to use them. Humans don¡¯t live on talent alone, and talent alone isn¡¯t enough to determine the life of a person.¡± [Sereriputa] The gods all agreed with him when he said that. Even Willieris, who was always quibbling with Sereriputa, agreed. ¡°Yes, even a talent for crime if used properly can be used to save and protect others. And given how he¡¯s been acting recently, you could say he¡¯s been doing just that unconsciously.¡± [Willieris] ¡°It might be because of that pseudo-instinctual-type skill born from talent and experience that he inadvertently chose the best way to prepare given his circumstances.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Moreover, the people around him aren¡¯t just there because of the divine protections that we gave him.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Indeed¡­ It¡¯s true that Ryouma doesn¡¯t have the talentTOP???/rt> for communication, it¡¯s non-existent, in fact, but he spent 39 years in his previous life doing his best?? to get along with others, and those efforts continue to this day. That¡¯s why there are a lot of people around Ryouma today and that they¡¯re helping him so much.¡± [Gayn] ¡°In the first place, wasn¡¯t it all the God of Earth¡¯s doing that his relationships went so poorly in his previous life?¡¡During our occasional visits to Earth, I took a look at Ryouma-kun¡¯s former coworkers, and I noticed that most of them were the type who couldn¡¯t hold a proper conversation in the first place.¡± [Kufo] ¡°¡­If I had to stay with those guys around the clock, I would have just ended up beating them up.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be strange for someone to become really good with people if he could endure dealing with people like those.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Exactly. Unfortunately, he¡¯s way too conscious of his inexperience when he was a child. He¡¯s had that wrong impression with him his whole life, though, so it can¡¯t be helped, but it would be great if this serves as a turning point for him to start realizing various things¡­ But then again, he is still in his teens, and we¡¯re gods, so we have plenty of time. We should just leisurely watch over him.¡± [Sereriputa] A peaceful atmosphere flowed between the gods, but¡­ ¡°Sereriputa, you¡¯re all healed up already, right?¡¡It¡¯s a bit too early for you to be leisurely.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°¡­Huh?¡¡I-I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡¡I still can¡¯t move¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°You need to fix that bad habit of yours of getting caught up in the moment. You¡¯ve been talking all this time, right?¡¡Well, I can tell how you¡¯re doing from the tone of your voice. If you¡¯re that lively, then you should be able to continue with your punishment.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Wait!¡¡Ah, you don¡¯t have to carry me¡ª¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll bring you over just like I did when we came here.¡± [Kirillel] In the next moment, Sereriputa was forcefully taken away by Kirillel. ¡°¡­Good grief, it¡¯s really lively today¡­¡± [Gayn] At that remark, the remaining gods shared a good laugh before resuming their watch of the lower world. Chapter 232.1 - The Changing Days (1/4) The next day. Despite the dark cloudy sky and the stormy cold winds, I headed to the Security Company to check the messages left for me and see what work I had for the day. There, I was informed that Serge-san had left a package for me. ¡°This is the package. I¡¯ve been told that it¡¯s the magic tool you ordered quite some time ago.¡± [Lilian] It was the maid, Lilian-san, who brought the package to me. Unfortunately, I¡¯ve asked for so many magic tools lately, that the description was a bit too vague to figure out which magic tool it was. I had to open the package to find out. Inside was a ¡®pressure cooker¡¯ that one could often find in Japan. ¡°Ah, they finally made it.¡± [Ryouma] This was something I asked the magic tool craftsman, Dinome-san, to make a long time ago. He told me it would take some time to make because there were too many new things he had to deal with, such as, the sealing, the durability, the safety¡­ etc. But at long last, it¡¯s finally here! ¡°Moreover, it couldn¡¯t have come at a better time.¡± [RYouma] It¡¯s gotten really cold recently, and I¡¯ve been really wanting to make some food with a pressure cooker. I¡¯m glad Dinome-san was able to make it by this time of the year. ¡°Oh? Ryouma-sama, there¡¯s a letter at the bottom of the box.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you very much¡­?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is anything the matter?¡± [Lilian] ¡°Apparently, he wants me to give him my impressions of the tool since it¡¯s his first time making it. He also wants more of that ¡®rubber¡¯ ingredient that I gave him. He has a lot he wants to talk about, so he wants me to drop by when I¡¯m free. There¡¯s nothing strange about his request, but his writing is unusually formal¡­¡± [Ryouma] Dinome-san mainly dealt with cooking utensils, but when it came to magic tools, he dealt with a lot of letters too. He¡¯s surprisingly a good writer, not that he¡¯s sloppy normally, mind you, but¡­ Maybe he wants to meet up because he can¡¯t write anything related to the product itself due to confidentiality. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound urgent, so I¡¯ll have to check my schedule, but dropping by in the near future sounds like a good idea.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll try to make time for it from my end as well.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Next were two fairly thick bundles of documents. ¡°These are reports from the Construction Department and the Government Office.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] The Construction Department refers to the people working on the land readjustment project. The group is being led by the 30 people Zeff-san gathered the day I first dismantled a ¡®children¡¯s home¡¯. While they were helping me with the reconstruction of the demolished children¡¯s homes, I taught them my construction method that¡¯s similar to the Precast Reinforced Concrete construction method, and got them used to the process with an emphasis on ¡®assembly¡¯. Presently, they¡¯ve been divided into five teams, and are serving as site supervisors and managers, leading the newly hired laborers to complete the land readjustment project. I¡¯m sure the newly employed laborers also prefer being led by adults rather than by some kid like me. They¡¯d have to be considerate in various ways if it were a kid leading them, after all. ¡°¡­The Construction Department is doing well. Their current job is likely to complete as scheduled, so I should prepare their next work this afternoon. The government office is also doing well in inviting the homeless people and allocating housing. There are even some people who¡¯ve requested housing, perhaps they should be prioritized. We have the place for it too.¡± [Ryouma] I wrote down a schedule on another sheet of paper. I¡¯ll send this proposal to the Construction Department and the Government Office, and once they give their approval, I¡¯ll use my magic to take care of the demolishing of the old buildings, the construction of the foundations, and the procurement of materials all in one go. By dividing the labor in this way, we¡¯re able to quickly progress through the land readjustment project and the reconstruction. The weather is only going to get colder from here on, and it¡¯s about time for there to be more rain and snow as well. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for people to die out there in the cold, so as much as possible, I¡¯d like the workers to work even faster, of course, without pushing them too much. ¡°That should do it. I¡¯ll entrust this letter to you. There aren¡¯t any pressing matters, so I¡¯ll be dropping by the adventurers guild as scheduled.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Take care, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Lilian] I left the security company and into the cold streets of Gimuru to make my way to the adventurers guild. ¡­Recently, I¡¯ve needed to run less errands. I¡¯m dropping by the guild for a meeting today, but once that concludes, I¡¯ll be free again. There¡¯s that construction-related job that just came in later this afternoon, but I don¡¯t have any other plans. Most likely, I¡¯ll have barely any work again soon, and I¡¯ll be able to use an entire day for studying and training to better myself. That¡¯s plenty fun in and of itself, but it feels a little lonely too, as though a fun festival has come to an end. Maybe this is also a kind of workaholism. Oh, we¡¯re at the adventurers guild already. The moment I opened the door¡ª ¡°What did you say, ya bastard!?¡± [Angry 1] ¡°What!?¡¡You got a problem with me!?¡± [Angry 2] ¡°You¡¯re so noisy, why don¡¯t you pipe down some, huh!?¡± [Angry 3] ¡°You want to do it!?¡± [Angry 5] ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± [Angry 6] ¡ªI was greeted by the angry yelling of two groups of men. Apparently, a group of vulgar men were arguing. Some receptionist girls and male guild staff members immediately came out to mediate between the two groups. One group was made up of humans, while the other group was made of up some youngsters from a beastman tribe. They were all men. The staff desperately tried to quell the two groups, but it still looked like a fight was about to break out at any time. ¡°Don¡¯t cause trouble inside the guild, you dumbasses!¡± [???] But then the an angry heavy voice came out from the inner part of the guild. I couldn¡¯t see who it was because of all the people blocking my view, but I¡¯m quite sure that voice could only belong to the guild master, Wogan-san. Chapter 232.2 - The Changing Days (2/3) ¡°Uu.¡± [Angry 1] ¡°Tch, it¡¯s the former S-Rank.¡± [Angry 2] ¡°Hmph¡­¡± [Angry 3] Until just a while ago, the two groups argued among themselves without giving any regard for the guild staff trying to stop them, but as soon as Wogan-sancalled out, they became as meek as lambs. ¡°What happened to all that energy you had awhile ago, huh!¡¡If you have something to say, then say it.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I don¡¯t really have anything.¡± [Angry 4] ¡°We were just having a little chat.¡± [Angry 5] The guild master¡¯s glare was quite effective, as the two groups started making excuses. They weren¡¯t reckless or brave enough to go against the guild master himself, but some tinge of dissatisfaction could still be seen on the youngsters¡¯ faces. They looked about as old as university students, so I¡¯d wager a guess that they¡¯re in their twenties. Wogan heaved a sigh. ¡°You boys come here tomorrow at this time. As punishment, I¡¯ll have you do some odd jobs under supervision. Until you complete those jobs, you¡¯re prohibited from taking any other job.¡± [Wogan] He declared. ¡°What!? We haven¡¯t even done anything yet!¡± [Angry 6] ¡°Exactly! Don¡¯t just decide that on your own!¡± [Angry 7] Naturally, the youngsters weren¡¯t happy with his decision. ¡°I see. If you¡¯re not happy with my arrangements, then you don¡¯t have to come tomorrow. But if you do that, you won¡¯t have to come anymore at all!¡¡Because by the authority of the guild master, I will be revoking your qualifications to be adventurers! And you can consider yourselves expelled from the guild!¡± [Wogan] The youngsters complained, but the guild master didn¡¯t flinch and expelled them. ¡°T-This is tyranny!¡± [Angry 8] ¡°Yeah! Yeah!!¡± [Angry 9] ¡°Enough!¡¡My decision is final. You have until tomorrow to think about what you¡¯ve done. If you still don¡¯t think my decision is fair, then you don¡¯t have to come to the guild anymore. For today, you boys should just obediently go home.¡± [Wogan] He gave them a scary look and concluded the conversation with a warning. When the youngsters got cold feet and backed off¡­ ¡°Hmm?¡¡Ah!¡¡Ryouma! You came!¡± [Wogan] ¡­The people blocking me were gone, so he was able to notice me, and called out to me with a smile. Naturally, given the course of events that took place just now, the people in the guild turned their attention to me. ¡°Good morning. I just got here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Sorry, I know I called you and all, but can you wait for a bit? I need to clean up the documents in my room first.¡± [Wogan] He¡¯s the guild master, so I¡¯m sure he has a lot of documents he can¡¯t show to outsiders. So I told him it was fine, and to just call me whenever he was ready, and then he went back in. The receptionists and the rest of the staff that came out went back to their respective positions as well. At this point, I thought the guild would go back to normal, and I would have to find something to kill time, but things took a different turn instead. ¡°What¡¯s up with the brat?¡± [Angry 1] ¡°No idea.¡± [Angry 2] ¡°Since when did the adventurers guild become a playground for kids?¡± [Angry 3] ¡°The guild master said he called him, so maybe he¡¯s an adventurer.¡¡He¡¯s unarmed though.¡± [Angry 4] ¡°Then maybe he messed up somehow, and because of that can¡¯t work anymore since he doesn¡¯t have any equipment left or something.¡± [Angry 5] ¡°Wasn¡¯t the guild master smiling a bit too much for that?¡± [Angry 6] The delinquent adventurers that witnessed my exchange with the guild master started looking at me rudely and made some threatening remarks. ¡°They seemed close.¡± [Angry 7] ¡°And the kid is wearing some nice clothes too.¡± [Angry 8] ¡°Maybe he got an easy job that pays a lot? You know, special privilege?¡± [Angry 9] ¡°Favoritism, huh. I don¡¯t like the sound of that¡­¡± [Angry 10] ¡°Meanwhile, here we are having our work taken from us for some random reason, nyaa.¡± [Angry 11] ¡°Because of that our rank won¡¯t go up at all.¡± [Angry 12] Even the bad apples from the beastman tribe have started to let their imaginations go wild and mutter rude accusations among themselves. This might actually turn into something really annoying. From the way they¡¯re acting, this might be related to what the guild master wants to talk about. ¡°Ryouma-kun, the guild master is ready.¡± [Maelyn] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Maelyn-san, the guild receptionist that often took care of me, called out to me, and I headed to the guild master¡¯s room. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Wogan] ¡°It¡¯s fine, I did see the commotion.¡± [Ryouma] He signaled at me with his hand to take a seat, and I told him what happened earlier while I sat at the sofa. ¡°I see¡­ Tsk, those guys really aren¡¯t helping themselves.¡± [Wogan] ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ve been marked, but they¡¯ll probably remember me at least. Did you call out to me and make me stand out on purpose? What were you thinking?¡± [Ryouma] If I wasn¡¯t imagining things, his smile back then wasn¡¯t just scary, it was quite the mischievous face too. ¡°You know why I called you here today, right?¡± [Wogan] ¡°It¡¯s about cleaning the town, right?¡± [Ryouma] Putting together what I¡¯ve been told beforehand¡­ The climate in this region will soon fill our days with rain and snow. A job has been posted requesting that the drains built along the town streets be cleaned and inspected. A part of the delinquent adventurers will be made to help out in the cleaning job as part of their punishment. On the day of the job, the guild master along with some trusted people will supervise the delinquent adventurers. I¡¯ve been asked to help supervise them too, and this meeting is taking place to brief me on the situation. That about sums up what I¡¯ve been informed beforehand. ¡°Awhile ago, you told them to drop by tomorrow, so I¡¯m guessing those quibbling adventurers are part of the delinquents participating.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, but not just them¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard already, but we have our share of issues with the influx of laborers as well.¡± [Wogan] ¡°There¡¯s really no end to the list of things to worry about, is there? What kind of people were those adventurers earlier?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From time to time, among those guys who leave their hometown, you get some guys who don¡¯t understand how the world works. The earlier group is made up of those kind of people. People who think they¡¯re some big shot just because they were the best at their tiny village.¡± [Wogan] ¡°They did have a bad attitude¡­ Are you saying they¡¯re all bark?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, they do have experience subjugating monsters from their village, they have potential too, so if they just stopped being so arrogant and trained themselves seriously, they could be quite decent, but unfortunately, the way they¡¯re going, that¡¯s nothing more than a pipe dream.¡± [Wogan] The guild master sighed. ¡°Ah, sorry, I started grumbling again.¡± [wogan] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I can lend you an ear if you want.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, let¡¯s go for a drink some time then.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] A smile appeared on the guild master¡¯s exhausted face, but he quickly switched back to a serious expression. ¡°Going back to what we were talking about, I¡¯ll be participating in the job too, but only after tomorrow, and I¡¯ve also hired other people to monitor them. The people participating are all like those guys. They¡¯re full of complaints, and breaking out into fights is normal for them. With someone like you keeping an eye on them, I¡¯m sure a lot of them will try to get sneaky and pick a fight with someone. So, Ryouma, if anyone picks a fight with you on your back today or during work, feel free to beat them up. In fact, please beat them up.¡± [Wogan] Chapter 232.3 - The Changing Days (3/3) Chapter 232: The Changing Days (3/3) What did he say!? ¡°I mean, they¡¯ll get beaten up later anyway, so the only difference is whether they get beaten up now or later. I¡¯ve already warned them many times. If that¡¯s still not enough to get through that thick skull of theirs, then breaking their nose is the next best medicine.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Besides, if they were to quit being adventurers, they¡¯ll just end up being taken away by the guards,¡± Wogan added in a mutter. He might have a scary face, but he¡¯s really considerate of others. Unfortunately, as the guild master, he can¡¯t afford to be lenient with them anymore. Still, despite not listening to him, he¡¯s still nice enough to give them another chance, though. ¡°¡­It¡¯s normal to brush away the falling sparks. Just leave them to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll be sure to treat you next time.¡± [Wogan] After that we checked the annual records to figure out which places would take the most time cleaning and which places should be prioritized to maximize the efficiency of the cleaning job. ¡°Given the annual records of the amount of rainfall and snowfall, it¡¯s probably best that we get this job over with as soon as possible.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, the rain and snow have really been pouring these past few years. Drains have been clogged due to all the garbage swept away, so there¡¯s more flooding too. It would be best if the inspections could conclude before it really starts pouring. We¡¯ll have to rely on you and your slimes.¡± [Wogan] ¡°Just leave it to me. It¡¯s my specialty, and you¡¯ve also been helping me out a lot lately. We¡¯ll be working together the day after tomorrow, right? Please take care of me then.¡± [Ryouma] And that concludes our meeting. Now, I¡¯ll just be on my way back, and¡ª ¡°W-Wait a sec.¡± [Wogan] ¡ªOr so I thought, but he asked me to wait before I could leave. Did he forget to say something? ¡°Do you have a weapon on you?¡¡I don¡¯t think you¡¯d lose to them barehanded, but¡­¡± [Wogan] Ah, I see, he¡¯s talking about them possibly jumping me. We were only supposed to be talking today, so I came in my suit. I¡¯m sure it must look like?????? I¡¯m unarmed to him. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll be fine.¡± [Ryouma] As I said that, I reached for my belt, and grabbed the buckle, then pulled out the hidden iron slime. With a swing, the iron slime turned into a sharp katana. ¡°You hid something like that in your belt?¡± [Wogan] ¡°I¡¯ve often played the pig many times back when I was in the forest. A small trick like this is nothing. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯re aware, but just recently, there was a time when I was a little over cautious, and¡­¡± [Ryouma] In India, there¡¯s martial art called Kalaripayattu that uses a traditional steel sword that¡¯s thin and flexible called Urumi. In China, there¡¯s a thin sword too that they hide in their belts called a waist-band sword. The pure iron body of the iron slime is soft and normally unsuited for cutlery. But because it¡¯s ¡®tenacious¡¯, it can recreate the urumi or the waist-belt sword just fine when extended thin. Moreover, since it possesses the Harden skill, and I can also clad it in my ki, it functions as a katana just fine. It¡¯s a really convenient weapon and partner. ¡°Come to think of it, you were really tense before the people from the duke came. Don¡¯t tell me even that bracelet on your left arm is a weapon? I thought you were just dressing up, but now that I think back to it, it was around that time when you started wearing it, right?¡± [Wogan] Sharp, as expected. The arm bracelet Wogan-san was talking about is actually my Wire Slime. I had it wrapped around my arm as an iron rope, so that I can use it as a kusari-fundo ¨C a weapon used in feudal Japan ¨C anytime. The decorative stone used in the ¡®bracelet¡¯ is meant to serve as the weight. There are other uses for it too. It can serve as an armor when it¡¯s still in its iron-bracelet form, and it can also be used in place of a rope to tie someone up. It¡¯s pretty flexible. Another convenient slime. ¡°Anything else?¡± [Wogan] ¡°Nah, these two are the only ones that can become a weapon. For defense, I have my Stab-Proof Shirt under this suit, and my pants are made of the same material. As for my shoes, they¡¯re safety shoes with hardening liquid sheets and iron plates inserted.¡± [Ryouma] We also plan to mass produce some of these for the employees of the security company and to increase the safety of the people from the construction department and the garbage processing plant. ¡°In other words, despite appearances, you¡¯re actually fully geared?¡± [Wogan] ¡°As ashamed as I am to admit it, yes. I was really upset back then, you see¡­ I¡¯m calm now, but since I¡¯ve already prepared these things, I figured I might as well use them. Can¡¯t let our guard down just yet, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not worried about your equipment anymore, but now I¡¯m starting to worry about something else altogether¡­¡± [Wogan] He seemed shock, but he didn¡¯t pursue the topic anymore. After I left the guild, those guys brazenly tailed me as expected, so I led them to a quiet area, and punished them successfully. After I told them to make sure that they¡¯re there for the job tomorrow, I had them forcefully treated at the security company before releasing them. After that nothing else happened, and the day ended¡­ Five days later, the first snow finally fell in the Town of Gimuru, announcing the true beginning of the winter. Chapter 233.1 - On the Morning of the First Snow (1/2) Chapter 233: On the Morning of the First Snow (1/2) Awoken by the cold, I went outside to be greeted by a world dyed in silver. ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t really the time to be dropping lines from some famous book somewhere, though.¡± [Ryouma] This is my house, it¡¯s located north of Gimuru and is a few hours walk, it¡¯s also an abandoned mine. Naturally, there¡¯s no one else here except me. Which also means that there¡¯s no one else here to take care of the snow other than me. I¡¯d guesstimate the snow to be anywhere between 5 to 6 centimeters thick. It¡¯s not as bad as Hokkaido¡¯s streets when I visited it that one time for a business trip, but it¡¯s more than enough to be a hindrance. ¡°I need to get this over with quickly or I¡¯ll be late for my appointment.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t prepare it specifically for this situation, but I do have something prepared that might just help me here. With that in mind, I quickly went out to test it. 30 minutes later¡­ ¡°Well, it worked¡­¡± [Ryouma] In a forest near Gimuru¡¯s northern gate was me, lying on the ground. ¡°It only works for places I¡¯ve been to, but with this I¡¯ll be able to easily use Long-Distance Teleportation. I do need to be careful after teleporting, but there¡¯s snow all over right now, so it doesn¡¯t really matter even if I fall.¡± [Ryouma] What I¡¯ve done just now is one of things I¡¯ve been thinking about for a while now ¨C another way to use the weed slimes and the stone slimes. In a sense, it¡¯s similar to the combination sand magic spell I used with my sand slimes a few days ago, but it¡¯s not as complicated, and all I¡¯ve really done was to leave a stone slime with a stone (for food) in the forest. The teleportation spells under the Dimension Magic Tree are Teleport, Warp, and Gate. Teleport being an Beginner spell, Warp, an Intermediate spell, and Gate being an Advanced spell, of course, I can¡¯t use that one just yet. But Sebasu-san, an expert on Dimension Magic, had this to say. ¡°These are essentially the same spells. The only difference between them is the distance they cover and the amount of mana they consume, but the fundamentals are the same.¡± [Sebasu] When Sebasu-san taught me, the most I was able to learn was Teleport, but I eventually managed to learn Warp. Naturally, I figured I should be able to learn Gate as well. Unfortunately, teleporting to a place I couldn¡¯t see was more difficult than I imagined. The beginner skill, Teleport, would at most teleport me to a few meters, but the new skills demanded that I cover a distance multiples of tens further. Even the Warp skill already had me on my knees. I might¡¯ve been relying on my eyes unconsciously, but I can¡¯t teleport to a place I can¡¯t see. I could probably do it if I just used the same concepts I use for Teleport and poured enough mana to cover the distance, but I found that too dangerous, and so abandoned the idea. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if it turned out like that old game, and I ended up inside a stone. In the worst case, I could even die. My solution to this problem was to teleport near a slime that I¡¯ve placed beforehand. Because of the Familiar¡¯s Contract, I can still share my thoughts with my familiars even when we¡¯re separated. And even when that¡¯s not possible, I can still feel the direction and distance they¡¯re in, so I figured I could rely on that to teleport. It¡¯s kind of like the fast-travel feature in games, where you open up a map and pick a spot to fast-travel to. Anyway, with this, I¡¯ve successfully teleported to the forest next to the town and have greatly shortened my travel time. I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be a lot more uses for this in the future. The day is just starting, and we¡¯ve already accomplished something meaningful. While I was thinking that, I headed for the northern gate. I have some free time now because of the teleportation, so I changed my plans a bit and dropped by the laundromat. Along the way, I saw people shoveling snow here and there. There was still a lot of time before we opened for business, but the employees were already gathered in front of the store. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] I called out to them, and they all greeted me simultaneously. Carm-san asked me why I came. ¡°What brings you here so early, Boss?¡± [Carm] Carm-san asked in surprise, so I answered him. ¡°The snow started falling, so I dropped by to see how you guys were doing. We¡¯ve already spoken about what to do in case of snowfall, so it would¡¯ve probably been fine just to leave it to you guys, but I still have some time, so I figured I¡¯d drop by.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, sorry, that¡¯s not what I meant. I mean what time did you have to leave the mines to get here at this hour? Not to mention with all this snow.¡± [Carm] Oh, right. I better tell him about the Long-Distance Teleportation, or he¡¯ll misunderstand and think I left the house at a really early hour. ¡°Ahh, that¡¯s good to hear. I thought for sure you pushed yourself too hard again.¡± [Carm] ¡°Umm, I¡¯m pretty sure being able to use Advanced Spells at the Boss¡¯s age is pushing it plenty¡­¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san has only been with us for a short time, so he still made a troubled face upon finding out what I¡¯d done, but everyone else was already used to it and didn¡¯t bother asking for the details. His reaction sure takes me back. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Zeke] ¡°Hey, Ryouma!¡± [Pauline] Oh, it¡¯s our friendly neighbors. ¡°Good morning!¡¡I see everyone is busy with the snow, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gotta clear the road, or the customers won¡¯t come. It¡¯s dangerous too!¡± [Zeke] ¡°My kids are really happy, but unfortunately, this time of the year is really hard¡­¡± [Pauline] Zeke-san the Butcher and Pauline-san the Florist. As I approached this married couple while talking, I stopped, and then turned around. There, their son and daughter, Rick and Leni, were playing with the freshly fallen snow. ¡°Brr!¡¡It sure is cold, huh¡­¡± [Zeke] ¡°Ah, Zeke-san. In that case, I have a spell that might help¡­ ¡®Sunlight¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] As I visualized the spell and chanted its name, a ball of light appeared several meters up high. Under the light of the ball, warmth immediately filled me. It¡¯s been a while since I last used it, but it looks like I was able to cast it successfully. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s warm.¡± [Zeke] ¡°It¡¯s a spell that uses the sun as its image and combines the light and fire attributes.¡± [Ryouma] The spell, Light, will do if a light source is all that¡¯s needed, but just like LEDs, it can¡¯t produce much heat. Sunlight is a spell that I came up with after trying to recreate the warmth of the sun¡¯s light. Alone, it can provide warmth akin to being bathed by the sun in a good day, but if I combine it with a Windbreak Barrier and a Heat Insulation Barrier, the warmth of the light can fill an area, and serve as a replacement for heating within the winter forest. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a couple of these, so people can rest in them. Please feel free to use them. Too much cold really isn¡¯t good for the body.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 233.2 - On the Morning of the First Snow (2/2) Chapter 233: On the Morning of the First Snow (2/2) Actually, I have another spell called Halogen Heater that¡¯s better for heating, but it could end in scalds or a fire if poorly handled, so it¡¯s better not to use it. Even in the forest, I can make do with just Sunlight or a fire unless it¡¯s really cold, so I¡¯m sure this¡¯ll be enough. I¡¯ve also made some hand warmers, so I distributed it to the people here too. ¡°It¡¯s a trial product, so please feel free to use it. I¡¯d be much obliged too if you could give me your input later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much~¡± [Maria] ¡°Fingers and toes do tend to get cold, after all. It¡¯s nice to have something to warm them.¡± [Fina] From their reactions, the homemade hand-warmers seem to be a hit with the women. The three girls working away from home, Fina-san, Jane-san, Maria-san; the chef, Shelma-san, and Leelin talked among themselves where they should store it. Compared to them, the men didn¡¯t make much of a fuss and just stored the hand-warmer in their chest pocket. ¡°I still have a lot of convenient tools on me, and I¡¯m also testing out a lot of products, there are also still plenty of uses for the slimes that I have in mind, so if you¡¯re troubled by anything at all, please call out to me. It¡¯s a huge help for me too to have my ideas tested out.¡± [Ryouma] You can prevent some snow from accumulating with salt, but considering the days to come, it might be a good idea to synthesize some Anti-Freeze and Snow-Melting Agents through my Alchemy.¡¡Gotta be careful with salt damage, but it¡¯ll probably fine if it¡¯s just in town, right?¡¡Although there won¡¯t be any telling how the drainage will affect the environment. In that case, maybe alcohol will be safer?¡¡It is used as the main ingredient of anti-freeze for car windshields, so it should be more than good enough to melt frost. I could source the raw material from the Drunk Slime¡¯s alcohol or from failed liquor products. Alternatively, if the temperature isn¡¯t cold enough for refreezing to be an issue, hot water could get the job done too. After all, I can get hot water by combining fire and water spells, and if I add the wind attribute on top of those two, I could get a hot steam going too. Or maybe, since I¡¯m using magic anyway, maybe it would be more efficient to just lower the freezing point of snow to melt it?¡¡There¡¯s also the option of turning snow into a lump of ice and removing it from the ground. If I recall correctly, Hokkaido has a snow melting device that uses well water and river water. Maybe I could use that as reference to make some kind of tool. I can¡¯t remodel the town drains for that purpose, but with the slimes¡¯ help, I might be able to use it for that. There are slimes that evolved just recently too since I¡¯ve more or less figured out how to make them evolve. I have more free time on my hands too, and I can now also raise the goblins while performing my experiments without any problems. Because of that I¡¯ve been able to discover many things, and my research is progressing smoothly as well. ¡°Boss, you look like you¡¯re having fun, but do you really have the time for all this? Aren¡¯t you supposed to be somewhere else today?¡± [Dolce] ¡°Ah!¡± [Ryouma] Oh, right. I have to check up on the others too. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t help them, but I need to excuse myself. I told them that and was about to leave, but before I could, Ox-san called out to me. ¡°Master.¡± [Ox] Fei-san was beside him too. ¡°I might only be skilled in the sword, but if you there¡¯s anything I can do to help, please don¡¯t hesitate to call out to me. I am your slave, after all. I know you don¡¯t intend to treat me as one, but I owe you much for letting me wield a sword once more.¡± [Ox] ¡°I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s already told you not to push yourself, but even without you, boss, the store will function just fine with us. Still, it would be really troubling for us if you were really to disappear. The store still needs you, Boss. So if anything happens, call us, okay?¡± [Fei] As they said that, the rest of the employees behind them nodded too¡­ That¡¯s what I was intending from the start. Looks like I really can entrust the laundromat to them. As for the other things¡­ ¡°Thank you. In that case, I¡¯ll be sure to ask you to help me with my training and with testing my experiments too.¡± [Ryouma] My trusted subordinates saw me off, and I left for my next destination. After I¡¯d visited various parts of the town and the sun had risen, I finally made my way to the adventurers guild. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] I dropped by various places, such as the Security Company, the Garbage Processing Plant, the Construction Site, but I was just cheered on by the people I met there. I guess a store managed by a kid really is strange, after all. As it turns out I¡¯m really famous among the customers of the laundromat, especially among the married ones. After coming back from Fatma Territory, I¡¯ve been doing a lot of eye-catching things, so my reputation in Gimuru has really risen. Recently, people I don¡¯t know at all have been calling out to me. There were a lot of people who ¡®saw me cleaning the drainage¡¯ and thanked me for my work. They also checked on me to make sure that the delinquent adventurers working with me weren¡¯t bullying me.¡¡¡±Are they bulling you?¡±¡¡¡±I¡¯m worried about you.¡± They would say. I¡¯m grateful for their concern, but honestly, bringing up the delinquent adventurers just depresses me. As for why¡­ ¡°Good morning.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!!¡± [Delinquents] ¡°L-Line up!!!¡± [Delinquent 1] ¡°Good morning, Aniki!¡± [Delinquents] ¡°Y-Yeah¡­ I¡¯m not your Aniki, though¡­¡± [Ryouma] Before I knew it, my relationship with them had taken a strange turn. Now I look like some Yakuza. Wonderful¡­ Chapter 234.1 - Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (1/3) Chapter 234: Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (1/3) I just greeted them a little, but before I knew it, twelve delinquent adventurers that have been waiting in front of the adventurers guild were all lined up in a row in front of me. They bowed simultaneously and greeted me. If they do something like that in town, they¡¯re bound to gather attention. I finally couldn¡¯t stand all the gazes, so I told them to raise their heads, and then hurriedly took them away to Darson¡¯s store. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You came. Come in.¡± [Darson] As expected, Darson-san was also shoveling snow in front of his store, but upon seeing us, he stabbed the tool in his hand into the snow and invited us inside. ¡°Do you mind if we take a look at the store goods?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not at all. Look as much as you¡¯d like.¡± [Darson] ¡°Thank you. Alright, you heard the man, go ahead and choose a weapon you like. Just be sure to handle the items carefully.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ussu!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°And quietly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just leave it to us, Aniki.¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] They replied in a quiet voice. This is probably that kind of stuff, huh. While I was thinking that to myself, Darson-san called out to me from the counter. ¡°Ryouma, are these people the rumored delinquent adventurers that have gotten popular lately? Wogan told me about them, but they seem to be doing pretty well, aren¡¯t they?¡± [Darson] ¡°You think?¡¡Well, they¡¯re not rebelling at least.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You managed to get a group of rebellious adventurers to stop being rebellious. That¡¯s plenty. And aren¡¯t they calling you ¡®aniki¡¯?¡± [Darson] ¡°They¡¯re only behaving because they¡¯re scared. And they¡¯re calling me ¡®aniki¡¯, because they think I¡¯m older than them¡­ You know how there are races that look like kids despite actually being old?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, well, I can understand. You don¡¯t really act your age, after all. Sometimes you act just like an old man.¡± [Darson] ¡°What!?¡± [Ryouma] That can¡¯t be! I¡¯m only eleven! That¡¯s a reference joke by the way, a pretty old one, so I guess that kind of speaks for itself. Well, I am aware that I¡¯m mentally old, so I guess I don¡¯t really feel like denying it. ¡°But why are you giving weapons to these guys?¡¡You¡¯re paying for everything, right?¡± [Darson] ¡°Because the very day I was left in charge of them, I broke all their weapons, that¡¯s why.¡± [Ryouma] That day I brought them somewhere no one could see us, then just as the guild master told me to, I gave them the most thorough reality-check I could give. ¡°I provoked them quite a bit too.¡± [Ryouma] At first, we fought bare-handed, but they were a lot more stubborn than expected and refused to accept their defeat. They kept coming up with excuses, saying stuff like ¡®that still wasn¡¯t my full strength¡¯, so I healed them, and crushed their excuses one after another. ¡°In the process, I had to let them use their weapons. Because of that I ended up breaking all of their weapons. Those were their personal belongings and something they need to do their job. Also, even if they were the ones who picked a fight with me, I was still the one who provoked them to use their weapons and broke them, so I figured I should at least compensate them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did you really have to come buy it with them, though?¡¡I think most would¡¯ve just given them the money.¡± [Darson] ¡°There was something bothering me too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Something bothering you?¡± [Darson] ¡°I feel like the weapons they were using didn¡¯t really suit them. For example¡­¡± [Ryouma] When I saw one of the delinquent adventurers finish choosing a two-handed sword, I called out to him. ¡°Benno-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, Aniki!¡¡What is it?¡± [Benno] ¡°That two-handed sword resembles the weapon you used last time, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, yes. I figured using something that resembled my last weapon would be best.¡± [Benno] ¡°Can you try assuming stance for a bit? You don¡¯t have to swing.¡± [Ryouma] He didn¡¯t really understand what I was trying to do, but he obediently wielded the two-handed sword in front of him. But because of the weight of the sword, the tip of the sword was swaying a little. During our recent battle, it even seemed like he was being pulled by the weight of his weapon. ¡°I see. His stature doesn¡¯t match the weapon. I would recommend that you either use a lighter two-handed sword or a long sword that can be used with two hands. A blunt-weapon of the same weight works too. If you really want to use that weapon, you should train your body first.¡± [Darson] ¡°You heard the man.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that true?¡± [Benno] ¡°Darson is a specialist when it comes to weapons. Moreover, he¡¯s also your senpai.¡¡He used to be S-Rank, you know? He used to work with the current guild master, Wogan-san, too.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, even the other delinquent adventurers, who were eavesdropping, were shocked. Looks like they really had no idea. ¡°That¡¯s an old story already. But that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m talking out of my ass either. No matter how big or small, in the end, a sword is a weapon meant to cut, and you can¡¯t cut anything if the blade can¡¯t get deep enough. Well, that¡¯s about all I can really say to new adventurers.¡± [Darson] ¡°Is there a special reason why you¡¯re so hung up about two-handed swords?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not really¡­ I¡¯m just using one since there was a two-handed sword covered in dust back at my parents¡¯ barn.¡± [Benno] ¡°If you don¡¯t need your weapon to be a two-handed sword, then I recommend using this opportunity to pick a different weapon. Of course, I won¡¯t force the matter. This is related to your life, after all. Also, you should receive some training from the guild. The weapon you pick and the way you use it will greatly affect the outcome of your battles.¡± [Darson] ¡°U-Ussu!¡± [Benno] Chapter 234.2 - Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (2/3) Upon receiving the former S Rank Adventurer, Darson¡¯s, advise, he examined the shop¡¯s lineup for one-handed swords and swords that could be used with just one hand or with both hands. He also took a look at the shop¡¯s war hammers. ¡°Excuse me, Aniki, actually, I do best with weapons that can cut, and have made do with a knife so far, but can I get your opinion too?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer] One of the people watching us asked a question. I gave him some pointers of my own, but I also asked Darson for his insight. Like that one delinquent adventurer after another came to get our advice, and before I knew it, we¡¯d helped pick out a weapon for all of them. ¡°¡­With this, everyone has decided what weapon to buy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ussu!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Darson-san, the bill please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure thing. Give me a sec.¡± [Darson] After quickly settling the bill, our trip here was finally concluded. At the same time, though, all twelve delinquent adventurers suddenly had a glum expression on their faces. ¡°Hey, what are you all looking so glum for all of the sudden?¡± [Darson] ¡°It¡¯s probably because we¡¯re about to have ourselves a training session to try out their new weapons.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s important to familiarize yourself with a new weapon after purchasing it, so we¡¯ll be going to the Security Company to borrow a vacant training area. There, I¡¯ll have them practice with a metal slime that¡¯s transformed into the exact same weapon that they bought, so they won¡¯t have to hold back out of fear of breaking their newly purchased weapon. As for their wounds, we have healing magic, and there¡¯s a hospital in the Security Company, so we¡¯ll be able to treat any wounds immediately. Above all¡­ ¡°Don¡¯t worry, guys, this training won¡¯t be as harsh as when we were fighting last time, so there¡¯s no need to be so scared.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°If anything, this is the perfect situation for you to muster that fighting spirit you showed before. There¡¯s no death to fear, and you¡¯re all adventurers, right? You can¡¯t be losing your nerve after just losing a few times.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ Aniki¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Umm¡­ You know the outcome last time was sort of a given. I might look like this, but I¡¯ve been training a lot longer than you think, and I had a master teaching me properly too¡­ And besides, aren¡¯t you frustrated after losing to a kid like me!?¡± [Ryuoma] ¡°!!¡¡O-Of course, we¡¯re frustrated!¡± [Delinquent Adventurer] ¡°In that case, you better come at me with the intent to kill!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°I can¡¯t hear you!!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes!!!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers]¡± ¡°Good!!!¡¡¡­And so, we¡¯ll be off now. Thank you very much for helping us today. Come on, you guys say it too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Y-Yeah. Good luck.¡± [Darson] They looked half-hearted, so I tried encouraging them, but¡­ Did I fail? It kind of feels like they¡¯re just being forced to be encouraged, but anyway, like that we left Darson¡¯s store. ¡°¡­Huh, he¡¯s surprisingly good at straightening up guys like those, isn¡¯t he?¡± [Darson] I heard him mutter from behind me. I guess I really do look like a Yakuza. That¡¯s kind of worrying¡­ When it was almost afternoon. ¡°¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] Heaps of corpses could be seen all over the courtyard of the Security Company. ¡°Hey, get a hold of yourself¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you still alive?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey¡­¡± [Ryouma] The twelve delinquents were all lying on the ground, unable to stand up. But they weren¡¯t dead, no, their bodies and minds have merely been driven to exhaustion. I stopped my attacks right before I was about to hit them, so no wounds have been inflicted, and it¡¯s not as bad as last time. Therefore, nothing I said earlier was a lie. ¡°You were able to move a lot more than you thought you could, right? The way your body is right now is your true limit for now. Please be sure to remember that feeling. If you end up in that state while fighting or while you¡¯re outside of town, you can consider yourself dead. Since you can¡¯t move at all, even a normal kid will be able to easily finish you off. You won¡¯t be able to run either if you encounter a wild animal. As such, please be sure to finish off your opponent or flee to a safe place before you reach that state.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] Good. If they can still answer, then everything should be A-OK. This sure takes me back. Back in the days, my dad would kick me or hit me with a wooden sword, but I think he still held back. Well, he did push me until I lost consciousness, though. Compared to that, this kind of training can still be considered soft. But at this rate we¡¯ll end up interfering with the Security Company¡¯s training in the afternoon. Because of that I used a healing magic I learned from Mr. Mafral. ¡°Energy Charge!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm!?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer] ¡°How do you feel?¡¡Feeling better?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°U-Ussu!¡± [Delinquent Adventurer] Good, looks like it was a success. This spell is able to recover stamina, but in my opinion, it¡¯s better to think of it as a spell that converts mana to stamina. It¡¯s a more advanced variant of the basic healing spell, Heal, that I¡¯ve used countless time. Just recently, Mr. Mafral told me that healing spells are often used to heal wounds, but they actually have the side-effect of also recovering stamina. Energy Charge is a spell that specifically sacrifices the ability to seal wounds to specialize in recovering a person¡¯s stamina. Because of that it¡¯s useless for treating wounds, but it¡¯s an invaluable tool when it comes to recovering the strength of a weakened patient or to prolong a patient¡¯s life. Normal healing spells also don¡¯t have any effect on diseases, but recovering a person¡¯s stamina can help in treating diseases and alleviating symptoms. Chapter 234.3 - Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (3/3) Chapter 234: Accompanying the Delinquent Adventurers (3/3) The way I¡¯m using it now isn¡¯t really what the spell was originally designed for, but these guys did their best, so just a little bit should be fine. I casted the spell on the delinquent adventurers one after another, and eventually, they were all able to stand up and walk on their own. ¡°Now then, although you haven¡¯t been wounded deeply, you do have some scratches from tumbling around, so please go to the hospital to receive treatment. I¡¯ll prepare your lunch during that time, so gather at the cafeteria once your treatment is over.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, Aniki!!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] They¡¯re just like those students from sports club after their club activities. Well, they are still in their teens, and that¡¯s high school age. They looked like college students at first, but that¡¯s only because they have better physique compared to their peers. Young strong boys like them need to eat properly after an intense workout. I saw them off to the Security Company¡¯s hospital, then hurried off to the cafeteria. After the Security Company employees finished their lunch, I borrowed the kitchen and went to cooking. Some cooks approached me out of curiosity, so I had them help out. Apparently, they were curious about my recipe and my new cooking tool, the pressure cooker. They helped me out despite it being their break time. As we prepared the food, the hungry boys eventually came to the cafeteria, and we served them lunch. ¡°Uoo!?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 1] ¡°Wow, that¡¯s a lot of food¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 2] ¡°Can we really eat all of this!?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 3] ¡°Yes. You all did your best today, so eat as much as you want.¡± [Ryouma] Today¡¯s menu includes: 1. Bread 2. Vegetable and Sausage Soup 3. Boiled Root Vegetables 4. Pumpkin Boiled in Soy Sauce 5. Sprint Rabbit Stew The bread and the soup are leftovers from today¡¯s employee lunch. The boiled food I picked out for their nutrients and satiety factor. The Sprint Rabbit Stew is an experiment to see if the pressure cooker can soften the meat. When I told them to eat as much as they want, they all reached out for the food and filled their plates with the contents of the pot that just as quickly vanished into their bellies. After calming down a bit, they started chatting among themselves. ¡°This boiled potato tastes a bit different, but I think I¡¯ve eaten it at my village before.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 1] ¡°Oh, that. It does take me back.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 2] ¡°..Pumpkins¡­ We had these at our farm.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 3] ¡°I can¡¯t believe I can eat so much bread here. Wheat was usually turned into porridge back at my village.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 4] ¡°Ah, we do that at ours too, but don¡¯t most farmer villages do that?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 5] ¡°Turning wheat into flour takes effort and money, after all. And even when we make some, it¡¯s usually the hard kind to make it last longer.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 6] ¡°Soft bread was a luxury back at our village too. We could only get it when it was occasionally sold in town.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 7] ¡°Speaking of luxuries, having meat like this during winter is definitely a luxury.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 8] ¡°Yeah, normally you only get sausages or salt-pickled meat or pickles during winter.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 9] ¡°True, true.¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Speaking of which, where are you guys from?¡¡What specialties and cuisines do your villages have?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My village is normal. We usually eat wheat porridge or boiled potatoes.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 10] ¡°Our village, or rather our entire region specializes in potatoes, so our local cuisine revolves around potato noodles. It¡¯s nothing amazing enough to be called a local specialty, though. It¡¯s just that wheat is expensive, so we mix them with potato starch.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 11] Noodles that use potatoes. Curious, I asked for more details, and it turns out they mix potato starch with wheat flour to create something akin to Hokkaido¡¯s Gousetsu Udon. As we talked about their villages¡¯ local specialties, I started eating too. ¡°I-I can¡¯t move an inch¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] In the blink of an eye, most of the food we prepared had vanished. This was despite me having just eaten one person¡¯s worth of food. ¡°You sure ate a lot.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 1] ¡°Ah, it was so good, I ate too much¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 2] ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I ate so much.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 3] The boys rubbed their bulging bellies and laughed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you enjoyed it. If you¡¯d like, I can invite you again sometime.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously!?¡¯¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 4] I told them it would be mostly experimental recipes and leftovers, but they didn¡¯t mind at all and were really elated. Looks like they¡¯ve been having a hard time in their own way too. ¡°I¡¯m sure you must all be having a hard time, what with you having to come here all the way from your village. I¡¯m sure the change in environment is taking a toll on you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly!¡¡Aniki!¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 5] ¡°I was really excited until I left the village.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 6] ¡°Ever since I left my town, nothing has been going well.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 7] They calmed down a lot after eating, so the conversation took a glum turn. It was different from their usual aura that was always so full of thorns. They were honest now. Having to leave your family and your hometown to live all by yourself is sure to change your life. That¡¯s true whether it¡¯s on Earth or here in this world. They might have come here on their own volition, but the difference between a village and a city is still too big. At farmer villages, people who can¡¯t read aren¡¯t unusual, and they only have to use money a few times a year. Most times you either barter or simply help each other out. Apparently, they studied the bare minimum to be able to read and write before leaving the village, but they¡¯re not good at it. They¡¯re bad at calculating money too. They¡¯re not particularly bad at using money, but they¡¯re not good at it either. Due to their lack of experience and the way they used their money, their lives gradually became worse. The gap between dream and reality stimulated the confidence and pride that they built up in their hometown. As their attitude worsened, the locals became colder. Afraid of being isolated from others, they naturally flocked together. And with the moral support from their numbers, they sought to protect their pride by rebelling against those around them. A vicious cycle. ¡°¡­You never blamed us, though, Aniki.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 8] ¡°?¡¡I¡¯m pretty sure I scolded you plenty.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true that you said a lot and you even beat us up, but that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 8] ¡°What you mean is that he¡¯s not preachy like those guys from the guild, right?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 9] ¡°Yeah! Exactly!¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 8] ¡°Ah¡­ Well, that¡¯s because I¡¯m not good enough to be preaching to others.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve troubled others myself plenty of times, after all. ¡°And besides, the guild master and the others have given you more than an earful already, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, yeah.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 9] ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s no need for me to say anything more. Besides, you all understand exactly what you¡¯re doing wrong anyway.¡± [Ryouma] They might be rebellious on the surface, but beneath that, they¡¯re a simple and honest folk. Because of that they¡¯re easy to understand. When I asked them if they were aware of what they were doing, they all turned their eyes away from me and became silent. That was all the proof I needed to know that they were aware of their own actions. Someone who was really unaware of his own faults won¡¯t understand it even if you point it out. A person like that will just look at you oddly. Or maybe he¡¯ll be understanding on the surface and look like he¡¯s reflecting, but deep inside, he won¡¯t doubt that he¡¯s correct. I¡¯m not that confident in my ability to judge others, but I¡¯ve met people like that in my previous life. I¡¯ve kept in touch with them for years and have seen how they act. That¡¯s why I¡¯m really glad that these guys are ¡®different¡¯. Although they¡¯re stubborn and cause a lot of trouble for those around them, as long as they¡¯re aware of what they¡¯re doing, then they should also know gratitude. They¡¯re a lot better compared to my previous subordinates. ¡°Of course, if you do something bad where I can see, I¡¯ll deal with you with force, but if you have any concerns, I¡¯m willing to lend an ear as long as it¡¯s something I can help with. In the end, though, the ones who¡¯ll have to act are you guys. Sermons don¡¯t seem to work on you, but I honestly hope that you¡¯ll be able to do your best and start over. It takes courage to acknowledge your faults and better yourself, but I believe you can still start over.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Start over¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 10] I turned to the adventurer that reacted when I said that. Apparently, he¡¯d intended to just mutter to himself, but even the others were looking at him now, so he spoke reluctantly. ¡°We¡¯ve caused so much trouble for others already, do you really think we can still start over?¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 10] Yes. ¡°It might not be possible to lose the trust you¡¯ve lost immediately, and even if you better yourself, people will still look at you harshly, but it¡¯s a whole ¡®nother story whether you break or not¡­ A person that¡¯s truly hopeless won¡¯t feel anything even when they commit evil. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s innate or something they simply got used to, but if you reflect over your actions and feel some regrets ¨C no matter how small ¨C about what you¡¯ve done, then I believe you can still come back. And if there¡¯s a place you can return to, I believe you should come back with all of your strength.¡± [Ryouma] Of course, it¡¯s best to do no wrong from the start, but if you¡¯ve already done it, then instead of doing wrong again and again, it¡¯s obviously better to stop. When I told them that bluntly, silence filled the cafeteria. Their bellies seemed to have calmed down already. ¡°In that case, Aniki, we¡¯ll be going now.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 10] We¡¯ve settled all of our business, so the delinquent adventurers would be going their way now. I saw them off until the gate of the security company. ¡°Yes. Take care on your way back. Also, be sure to rest plenty, you might have been treated with magic, but you still pushed yourselves really hard. See you tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ussu!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Aniki, thank you for the weapons, the food, and the bruises!¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 1] ¡°Bruises!!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­ I¡¯m warning you just to be sure, but don¡¯t use your weapons for evil. Or else¡­¡± [Ryouma] I have that much responsibility as the person who bought them those weapons. If they were to use those weapons to hurt an innocent person¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to snap the criminal¡¯s neck¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We absolutely won¡¯t use it for evil!!!¡± [Delinquent Adventurers] ¡°¡ªI was joking. I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t do anything bad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°O-Oh, you were joking.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 1] ¡°That was a pretty scary joke.¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 2] ¡°It didn¡¯t sound like a joke, though¡­¡± [Delinquent Adventurer 3] Like that, amidst dry laughters, the delinquent adventurers left. ¡°I should drop by the church.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s been really busy since I came back from Fatma Territory, so I haven¡¯t been able to show my face lately. I think it¡¯s about time I showed my face. I don¡¯t have anything planned today anyway, so I can only go. ¡°What should we talk about today? The stories have really been piling up.¡± [Ryouma] I walked to the church as I thought pondered that to myself. Chapter 235.1 - Sereriputa’s Punishment and Ryouma’s Calling (1/2) ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] When I visited the church and offered a prayer in the chapel, I felt myself being summoned into the divine realm as usual, but when I opened my eyes, all the nine gods I was acquainted with were there. Usually, there would only be two or three of them around, but now there¡¯s so many of them. I wonder if something happened. ¡°You came.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Willieris and Grimp-sama? You¡¯re here too? Thank you so much for saving me recently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was the right thing to do.¡± [Grimp] ¡°We couldn¡¯t just turn a blind eye to what Sereriputa was doing, after all. We even made sure to gather together and mete out a suitable punishment for him.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why everyone¡¯s here and Sereriputa is the only one looking like that.¡± [Ryouma] I wasn¡¯t sure whether to point it out or not, so I¡¯ve been ignoring him, but currently, Sereriputa is lying face down on the pure-white floor of the divine realm. ¡°Ryouma-kun~, save me~¡± [Sereriputa] He¡¯s conscious enough to ask me for help, but his body isn¡¯t moving. Just what kind of punishment did they give him? Willieris explained with a fed-up voice. ¡°He¡¯s just exaggerating, you don¡¯t have to pay him any attention.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] The God of Magic, Fernoberia, was the one to enlighten me. ¡°Sereriputa¡¯s punishment is to have a ¡®portion of his divine power sealed¡¯. We left him enough power to allow him to fulfill his part in managing the world, but most of it has been sealed away. The sealing itself can¡¯t hurt him, so the reason he looks like a worm right now is purely because he¡¯s weak¡­ You were inside a giant water sphere when you met this guy, right?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Before being sealed, he spent most of his time inside that. He rules over water, so it only makes sense that that¡¯s the place most comfortable for him. It¡¯s also the place where he can exhibit his power the most. It¡¯s a barrier of sort. It¡¯s strong even for gods like us, but on the other hand, he can¡¯t use his real power without it.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] So basically, he¡¯s the sort that¡¯s unbeatable under a condition. ¡°Yes, something like that. However, there are some of us who believe that he¡¯s getting off too lightly with just having his powers sealed; therefore, we¡¯ve decided to have him undergo the ¡®elite solider training¡¯ of various countries in the lower world while in a weakened state and under the watch of the Goddess of War, Kirillel. The pain and suffering he goes through during training shall also be his punishment. In other words, the pain he¡¯s feeling now is nothing more than simple muscle pain. Moreover, our bodies are different from humans, so no matter how much he trains, it won¡¯t benefit him.¡± [Fernoberia] Going through elite-level training without any benefits? That¡¯s harsh. If that¡¯s how I¡¯m seeing it, it must be even worse for someone like Sereriputa who looks so weak. ¡°To give you an idea of how fragile he is, Sereriputa is so weak that after just 3 minutes of walking outside of his barrier he¡¯ll start complaining.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Aren¡¯t you too weak?¡± [Ryouma] I inadvertently ended up calling out to the god lying face down on the ground. Apparently, he was conscious enough to reply. ¡°That¡¯s because there¡¯s no need to walk inside the water! And I can go wherever I want just by manipulating the flows. My body is just pointlessly heavy on land because I can¡¯t float¡­ What kind of dumbass would make something as stupid as gravity anyway?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°As you can see, Ryouma-kun, he¡¯s well enough to complain, so you don¡¯t have to mind him. Also, the one who created this world¡¯s gravity was me. So, mind you, I heard your complaints loud and clear, Sereriputa.¡± [Gayn] Sereriputa kind of replied to me, but it was more of him grumbling rather than actually answering my question. Because of that the other gods, especially Gayn, glared at him. What do you think the god in question did? ¡°Uwaah~ Save me, Ryouma-kun~¡± [Sereriputa] He started messing around and even crawled to my feet. ¡°Come on, you know I can¡¯t butt in in a matter involving the rule of the gods.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but~ How about giving your opinion as the victim?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t really mind, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, I know this thing is technically a god, but you really don¡¯t have to be so concerned about him.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Perhaps, and I¡¯m not really that concerned about him, but while I certainly felt like I was in danger at the time, I wasn¡¯t really angry. Rather than hate, what I felt then was ¡®disgust¡¯ or ¡®confusion¡¯. And I don¡¯t think he was planning on killing me anyway. When I think back to it, if he really wanted to kill me, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist. In the end, I came out fine, and he¡¯s already been punished enough, so I won¡¯t demand any more than that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­You¡¯re serious.¡± [Willieris] ¡°Well, I do have less respect for him than others.¡± [Ryouma] In the first place, with Sereriputa¡¯s personality, I¡¯m sure he had no malice whatsoever. He might have poked his nose where it didn¡¯t belong, but he didn¡¯t mean ill. There are plenty of busybodies back in my world too, not to mention, I myself am guilty of being one many times. If I bothered over every single one of those instances, there wouldn¡¯t be an end to it. ¡°Fu fu fu~ As expected of the man I believe in! Truly worthy of my trust!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Tch!¡¡It¡¯s because of that! That damned triumphant face of yours that it¡¯s so hard to believe you¡¯ve really reflected over your actions!¡± [Willieris] Chapter 235.2 - Sereriputa’s Punishment and Ryouma’s Calling (2/2) ¡°Calm down, Willieris.¡± [Grimp] ¡°I have my misgivings about his attitude too, but don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit late to be fussing over his attitude now?¡¡Just as Ryouma says, there won¡¯t be an end to it if we fuss over everything.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I know. I¡¯m the one who wanted to hear Ryouma-kun¡¯s opinion anyway, and he agreed with our methods, so let¡¯s put this topic to rest.¡± [Willieris] Sereriputa and Willieris really don¡¯t get along, do they? Or maybe they get along so well they can quarrel with each other? Regardless, Willieris doesn¡¯t look happy. Despite that though, after being scolded by two gods and hearing my thoughts, she decided to respect my opinion and stop pursuing the matter. For some reason, though, Sereriputa was looking at me with a face that seemed to say, ¡®Don¡¯t worry. You helped me out, so I¡¯ll keep quiet this time,¡¯ while smiling and clinging to me. He looks so much like a girl, but he¡¯s a guy, right? ¡°Stop clinging already. It¡¯s annoying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wait, let me cling a bit more or I really won¡¯t be able to stand up.¡± [Sereriputa] He¡¯s so weak right now I could easily brush him aside. He really has gotten weak. Speaking of which, I remember hearing about deep sea fishes not having many high-density tissues like bones because it¡¯s easier for softer bodies to handle the high pressure in the deep sea.¡¡Or at least that¡¯s what I think I heard about the football fish once upon a time, but I¡¯m not sure anymore. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate it if you didn¡¯t lump me with those deep sea fish.¡± [Sereriputa] So he says, but honestly, there¡¯s not much difference between him and the fish that wash ashore. ¡°Ha ha!¡± [All the gods except Sereriputa] I was just thinking that to myself, but everyone suddenly started laughing. Apparently, everyone was reading my thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I just really wanted to know how you truly felt about Sereriputa, you see.¡± [Gayn] ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve known since a long time ago that you guys can read minds.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no point lying since they can just read my mind anyway, so when I talk here, I just talk as honestly as I can. They¡¯ve also given me permission to speak without formal speech, so I¡¯m able to talk to them naturally too. And because they can read my mind, there¡¯s no need to be afraid of them misunderstanding me because of my poor communication skills. Surprisingly, having your mind read actually isn¡¯t so bad, though, I¡¯m sure there are people who wouldn¡¯t like having their thoughts read. ¡­Huh?¡¡¡¡Didn¡¯t something like this happen before? Deja vu? ¡°I¡¯m glad you see it that way.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I¡¯ve had enough of that topic. I want to hear your stories, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Rurutia] Rurutia has been quiet up till now. Kufo waved his hand and a luxurious table big enough for a large family or a feast suddenly appeared with enough tatami chairs for everyone. After everyone was seated, I started talking about my life after coming back to Gimuru. ¡°Those delinquent adventurers seem to be doing well.¡± [Gayn] ¡°So they called you ¡®aniki¡¯.¡± [Kufo] Whether it¡¯s in the human world or in this world, that part is always the focus. ¡°I wish they¡¯d stop, though. I mean I¡¯m not even in the right age.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re mocking you or anything. If anything, that just shows how much they respect your strength.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°It¡¯s fine if they just see me as someone they can depend on when they¡¯re struggling, but back in my previous life, people often mistook me to be working with the yakuza, and it always ended up causing a lot of problem for my work and other stuff, so I can¡¯t say I¡¯m fond of them calling me aniki.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you meant. But you know you might actually be really suited for that line of work?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Since it¡¯s a god like Kirillel saying that, then it¡¯s probably true, but that just makes it even more complicated, so I can¡¯t help myself but remain dubious. I turned to the other gods, but everyone just wryly smiled. Would¡¯ve been nice if they shook their heads instead. ¡°Well, no matter the job, the person at the top needs to have the skills or the history to go with it, right?¡¡Just like how weak people can¡¯t become adventurers.¡± [Tekun] ¡°You¡¯re good at taking care of others, and you do it so naturally too. That¡¯s an important trait to have for someone in the position of bringing people together.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°I¡¯m sure having subordinates of your own back in your previous world and having to guide them must¡¯ve played a big role in that. It¡¯s not about being good at it. Just having the experience, even if that experience is full of failures, makes a big difference.¡± [Gayn] ¡°True.¡± [Ryouma] Perhaps, it¡¯s just as Tekun, Rurutia, and Gayn says. ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned, it would be even better if you had a subordinate who could compensate for the charisma or leadership part. Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re good at watching over others, but you¡¯re lacking when it comes to those parts.¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa was seated beside me with his body laid down on the table. Only his head moved as he told me that. I agree with him. In fact, that¡¯s exactly how I¡¯m operating my business right now. At the laundromat, my assistant-manager, Carm-san, is supporting me. The other departments are being taken care of by the people sent by the duke. Delegating the work has made my life much easier, and now I have plenty of free time for my studies and research. Everything is going so well. It¡¯s really nothing like how things were back in my previous world. And since I¡¯m able to produce so much results with this method, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the right way to do my business. At the very least, it¡¯s a lot better than how I ran things back in my previous world. ¡°Actually, you really should¡¯ve chosen your jobs at your previous world more carefully. Even if you¡¯re going to be working under someone, at the very least, you should¡¯ve chosen a job that allowed you to look after others, like a school teacher, for example.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yeah, my subordinates told me that many times before.¡± [Ryouma] Something along the lines of how I would make a great PE teacher or how I¡¯d look great wearing a jersey while wielding a wooden sword. There were also those who thought I¡¯d do great as a guidance counselor or as a head teacher. Basically, their image of me was that of those over-the-top PE teachers from long ago. Oh, there was also that one time when someone suggested I become a kindergarten teacher. ¡­Then they started making jokes about me being in charge of that perverted kindergarten protagonist from that one anime. ¡°A job that looks after kids isn¡¯t bad too. Kumichou (yakuza boss), right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°The word your looking for is enchou (kindergarten teacher). Why do you even know that? Can you not just so casually pick at my memories?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unlike the others, I can look into your heart without any reserve while talking. I¡¯ve also looked into the depths of your soul once before, so I have a good understanding of you. It¡¯s a bit late to be worrying about it.¡± [Sereriputa] The way he¡¯s so brazen about it pisses me off, but if i get mad, I¡¯ll feel like I¡¯ve lost, so I¡¯ll just leave him alone. ¡°Anyway, since I can do my current job at my own discretion, I¡¯m sure that must mean that my way of doing things now suits me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed.¡± [Gayn] All the gods wore an expression of approval. It¡¯s great to be able to get the opinion of the gods. I should keep them in mind when I continue my work later. Chapter 236.1 As I continued chatting with the gods, the topic of the conversation moved from the fields to the climate. This year¡¯s winter seems to be harsher and longer than usual, so I asked them about it. ¡°Abnormal weather?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°It¡¯s just the usual, really. Ryouma-kun, do you remember why you came to this world?¡± [Kufo] ¡°To bring Earth¡¯s mana here, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. In order to supplement the lack of mana in this world, we brought you into this world along with a great amount of mana, and now the whole world is active. To make an analogy, it would be akin to a human suffering from malnutrition being able to eat normally and start recovering.¡± [Kufo] ¡°There are various factors to the environment and climate of the world, and they¡¯re constantly changing while maintaining equilibrium. Just think of it as though the range of fluctuation for these factors has gotten slightly bigger.¡± [Fernoberia] Thanks to Kufo and Fernoberia-sama¡¯s explanations, I was able to understand. So it turns out this year¡¯s harsher winter is actually a good thing for the world. The only problem is the so-called ¡®slight¡¯ climate change. As that ¡®slight¡¯ is only slight from a god¡¯s perspective. We humans will have to prepare. ¡°It¡¯s a little harsh for humans, I suppose.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be any problems as long as they prepare for winter, though.¡± [Rurutia] Kirillel and Rurutia were sitting nearby, and when I heard their conversation, I thought to myself, ¡®just as I thought¡¯. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to say this, but the information I got before coming to this world was a little off.¡± [Ryouma] The three gods that brought me to this world wore an apologetic look. ¡°Ah, but I¡¯m not mad or anything, though. After all, that gap in information is what led to me becoming involved with the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Ryouma] Besides, even among humans, there are differences in cultures between nations. And even those of the nation, when separated by as little as 10 years, can have a so-called generational gap. It¡¯s only natural that there¡¯d be a gap in the way humans and gods see things. ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand that.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Living for so long changes one¡¯s perception of time too.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t even feel the difference between decades and centuries.¡± [Kufo] I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to relate, but anyhow, it seems this year¡¯s winter really will be stronger than usual. We¡¯ll have to prepare. This will also open up a new job I have in mind. As I thought that to myself, Sereriputa grinned broadly. ¡°Are you going to start something new again?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°For the meantime, I¡¯m thinking of coming up with a way to prevent snow from accumulating.¡¡Snowfall once isn¡¯t a problem, but if it continues, the snow will eventually pile up and make it harder for people to move around. This will naturally also affect the flow of goods. I can make do with my magic and slimes if it¡¯s just the snow around my store and my neighbors, but that won¡¯t be enough if I want to help the whole town. Moreover, if the snow is going to be harsh every year from here on out, then it would b best to come up with a countermeasure as early as now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly what do you have in mind?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I¡¯m thinking of throwing people at the problem. There are still a lot of laborers, after all. To make things more efficient, I¡¯m also thinking of trying out some snow shovels and ice breakers from Earth. There are some things I can use from my slime research too, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? That¡¯s not like you. Normally, you¡¯d be a lot more talkative when it comes to your slimes.¡± [Willieris] I knew the humans saw me that way, but I didn¡¯t know the gods did too. ¡°There are some research results that could prove useful in removing snow, but caution needs to be exercised when applying them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Caution?¡¡Did you make a bomb or something?¡± [Kufo] Kufo said that in jest, but he¡¯s actually close. ¡°Seriously? You really made one?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t make a bomb. But I accidentally made something similar to gunpowder.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I never heard anything about that.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t talked about it yet.¡± [Ryouma] I have too many things I want to talk about, so I¡¯d ended up postponing it. ¡°If you want to hear about it, I¡¯ll explain.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Rather than wanting to hear about it¡­¡± [Kufo] ¡°Ryouma, your eyes are already sparkling.¡± [Tekun] Apparently, the look on my face was so enthusiastic that Tekun just had to point it out. ¡°Okay, okay, I¡¯ll restrain myself a little.¡± [Ryouma] Anyway, as the story goes, the start of this whole thing was when I made the ¡®acid detergent¡¯ when I took on that job to clean the hot spring back at Fatma Territory. The acid detergent is created by mixing the acid of the acid slime and the sticky liquid of the sticky slime. That¡¯s all it was, really, but coming up with the acid detergent made me realize that until then I haven¡¯t really combined the liquids of different types of slimes. It¡¯s always only been liquids from the same type of slime. There¡¯s just too many slime evolutions, and there¡¯s just so many ways you could make use of a single slime variant, so the thought of mixing liquids from different slimes just completely slipped my mind. Looking back on it, I can¡¯t help but wonder why I couldn¡¯t try out something so simple. I really should¡¯ve tried mixing liquids from different slimes sooner, but I digress. Anyway, as I was saying, the acid detergent I made was created by mixing the acid and the sticky liquid, and upon creating the solution, a trace of fine powder settled at the bottom of the solution¡¯s container. ¡°This is that fine powder.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Interesting.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Mu.¡± [Kufo] Chapter 236.2 - Snow Countermeasures and a New Field for Slime Research (2/3) Volume 3 Chapter 236: Snow Countermeasures and a New Field for Slime Research (2/3) That¡¯s the resulting product after I combined the acid slime¡¯s acid and the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid. A super water repellent powder. It¡¯s filled with the mana of the slimes and is combustible, so caution needs to be exercised when using it. I believe the same substance that allows the sticky liquid to make my waterproof cloths waterproof is also present in it. ¡°So you can get something like this by mixing the liquids of the slimes, huh.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It appears that the mana within the two liquids reacted against each other and caused the change.¡± [Fernoberia] The reaction of the God of Technology, Tekun, and the God of Knowledge, Fernoberia, was good. [1] But given their reaction, I can¡¯t help but wonder if they know something about it. ¡°This is a bit off topic, but is this thing strange to the gods? Identify couldn¡¯t give it a name too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not particularly strange, but, well, I suppose seeing one in this form is strange.¡± [Tekun] ¡°Well, it¡¯s certainly strange for humans. The simplest way I can put it is that it has a similar trait to that of magic potions and magic stones. If I were to explain any more, it will take too much time, so just make do with that.¡± [Fernoberia] It seems this is a much more complicated matter than I¡¯d assumed. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to patiently research it for myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude to have. As the God of Knowledge, I encourage it.¡± [Fernoberia] We veered off topic there for a bit, but we didn¡¯t spend too long before getting back on track. ¡°Anyway, something like this came out, so I became even more curious, and I tried mixing the liquids of the other slimes too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, I figured that would be the case.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I could just imagine you happily experimenting.¡± [Rurutia] Kufo and Rurutia nodded. The problem is what came next. As I mixed various slime liquids in pursuit of a way to deal with the piling snow, my experiments led me to produce a black-colored powder. It looked just like charcoal that¡¯s been thoroughly crushed, but it didn¡¯t have any hint of luster to it. The powder was made from the fertilizer of the scavenger slime and the deodorizing liquid of the deodorant slime. ¡°At first, I suspected it might release a poisonous gas, so I tried mixing it outside to be safe, but then it suddenly boiled and then blew up. What¡¯s more is that it caught flames when it scattered. Kind of like a Molotov or an incendiary grenade. It really took me by surprise.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re laughing after something like that happened?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°It¡¯s good that you didn¡¯t get hurt.¡± [Grimp] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have a shield and a place to evacuate to in times of emergency.¡± [Ryouma] As the sayings go. ¡®Failure is inherent in research¡¯, ¡®art is an explosion!¡¯¡­ etc. So I always make sure to have plenty of safety measures in place. ¡°Anyway, I continued investigating the black-colored powder, and from that I discovered that it had the property of efficiently absorbing light and generating heat.¡± [Ryouma] I tried mixing the black powder with a glass of water, then left it in the light, and before long, steam began to rise from the muddy solution after just a few seconds. How long before steam appears depends on the strength of the light, but with daylight, it takes at most 10 seconds. I left the solution to completely evaporate under the light, and within three minutes, the remaining black powder that settled at the bottom of the vessel caught fire. ¡°Since it could release considerable heat just by being exposed to light, I figured I should be able to use it to remove the snow.¡± [Ryouma] Scattering the black powder over the snow should melt the snow, right? The only problem is that there¡¯s a chance that a fire might break out if there are any left over powder after the water from the snow has completely evaporated. Given that, scattering crushed charcoal is still much safer. They¡¯re not as effective as the black-colored powder, but they should be quite effective when coupled with magic, while still being safe. But on the other hand, if I could just implement sufficient safety measures, then the black-colored powder would be much more effective. ¡°Do you have any in mind?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Right. I don¡¯t think you really need to rush it for this year, but if you want to make it to the next snowy day, well, you don¡¯t have much time.¡± [Willieris] Rurutia and Willieris were right, of course. ¡°I have a plan to prevent the fire. Incandescent light bulbs were used a lot in my previous world, particularly in my childhood.¡± [Ryouma] Incandescent light bulbs emit light and generate heat by passing electricity through a light-emitting part called a filament. Carbon is used for this filament. After many improvements, at one point in time, carbonized bamboo became the choice of material to make this filament. Electricity is passed through carbonized bamboo, and heat and electricity are generated. But the bigger question is why the filament doesn¡¯t burn up. The reason behind that is the vacuum. You need three things to start a fire: oxygen, heat, and fuel. Incandescent light bulbs create a vacuum inside the light bulb to block the oxygen needed to burn an object. As a result, it is possible to emit high temperature and light without starting a fire even when electricity passes through. ¡°I see. So you intend to do something similar to that incandescent light bulb and cut off the oxygen. I take it you already have an idea what material you¡¯ll use for that?¡± [Rurutia] [1] ¨C Tekun¡¯s other godhood, other than the God of Wine, was originally translated as the God of Art and Craftsmen, but God of Technology and Craftsmen seems to make more sense here, so it¡¯s now been changed. There is also a separate god for fine arts, so this probably should¡¯ve been changed earlier. Chapter 236.3 - Snow Countermeasures and a New Field for Slime Research (3/3) Chapter 236: Snow Countermeasures and a New Field for Slime Research (3/3) ¡°Yes, my choice of material is the sticky slime¡¯s hardening liquid sheet. It¡¯s highly resistant to heat and transparent, so light can pass through it. Black powder doesn¡¯t generate heat in a space where light is blocked by Dark Magic, so I should be able to mix the slime¡¯s hardening liquid sheet with the black-colored powder. The only problem is that there¡¯s a chance that filling the hardening liquid sheet with black-colored powder will cause another transformation that results in a new product altogether.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have a problem there. This water-repellent powder of yours is in a stable state already. That black-colored powder of yours should also be in a similarly stable state, so just putting it in and mixing it shouldn¡¯t cause a reaction. That being said¡­ There is this thing that¡¯s really similar to this powder of yours. If this actually turned out to be that thing, well, I don¡¯t know what would happen. It makes one curious, though.¡± [Tekun] I don¡¯t know what kind of thing that ¡®similar thing¡¯ Tekun is talking about is, but he thoroughly inspected the vial of water repellent powder with eyes brimming with interest. ¡°You can take it with you if you want? I can just make another one again when I get back, so I don¡¯t mind.¡± [Ryouma] Tekun did give me a sake cup last time. I know he just ended up giving it to me because of the flow and wasn¡¯t really intending to from the start, but still. I can consider this as me paying him back for that time. ¡°Oh, really?¡¡In that case, I won¡¯t hold back.¡± [Tekun] As he said that, the vial on his palm disappeared. Well, I¡¯m happy that he¡¯s happy. ¡°Ah, right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Is there still something more?¡± [Tekun] ¡°The black-colored powder is useful for dealing with the snow, but there¡¯s another powder. And this powder, just as Kufo was making jokes about bombs awhile ago, is essentially gunpowder.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s different from the black-colored powder from before¡­¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s colored black too, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] It reacts to light, so it¡¯s difficult to handle, but¡ª Wait.¡¡If I look at it another way, since it ignites only when exposed to light, then couldn¡¯t I make a bomb that reacts to light?¡¡As long as I find a way to prevent the bomb from accidentally detonating, I should be able to come up with something like a time bomb¡­ ¡°Ryouma-kun, you¡¯re thinking about making bombs already? Why don¡¯t you explain that powder of yours first?¡± [Kufo] ¡°Oops, sorry, Kufo. This problematic gunpowder-like substance is made my combining the acid slime¡¯s acid and the fluff slime¡¯s fluff. It produces a fierce flame when lit just like cotton.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s similar to ¡®nitrated cotton¡¯ and ¡®nitrocellulose¡¯, which can be found in Earth, and I¡¯ve used those myself when performing magic tricks at parties. ¡°By the way, nitrocellulose is also known as single base powder, and is used in the production of handgun ammunition.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s not just like gunpowder, it is gunpowder.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s also really inexpensive to make, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Kufo] ¡°The ingredients come from my slimes, after all, and I have a lot of them. They¡¯re easy to make too, so they¡¯re really good from a cost-performance perspective.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A lot of otherworlders wanted guns of their own.. But they all struggled with the cost and manufacturing processes of gunpowder. Some gave up too. Who would¡¯ve thought that a method like this would allow one to produce gunpowder?¡± [Gayn] ¡°I wasn¡¯t intentionally trying to make it either. I also don¡¯t know much about guns or about military stuff, so frankly, I don¡¯t really know what to do with it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Tabuchi-kun is the one familiar with that sort of stuff. That¡¯s a good subordinate of mine, by the way. I only know about that nitrated cotton and nitrocellulose stuff because I heard it from him. He told me a lot of other stuff too, but the information is just too scattered¡­ Revolvers are about the most I know when it comes to guns. And even that is because of an old anime I used to watch. A hitman and a thief¡¯s friend used it there. So, yeha, I don¡¯t really know anything about the latest guns.¡± [Ryouma] I have had the opportunity to shoot guns before in some of my business trips overseas, but nothing too serious, so at most, they¡¯re just some topics for conversations. I can use guns, yeah, but¡­ I don¡¯t know. Maybe they just don¡¯t suit me or they just don¡¯t feel right. If I really had to use a projectile weapon, I¡¯d still much prefer a bow. ¡°That¡¯s why if I were to make something related to firearms, the only ones I might really be able to make are gunpowder, round bombs, the famous dynamite, and a musket. Yeah, that¡¯s about it, I think. But even then, I really just have a smattering of knowledge. I¡¯ve never actually made those things. Never used them either. Personally, I¡¯d much rather turn my attention to more peaceful endeavors like mining my mine and using the explosions to help with that. Researching firearms is fine too when I have time, but it¡¯s dangerous, and I guess keeping it a secret is best after all. I suppose I can consult with Reinhart-san and the others, or more like, I¡¯ll just leave the decision to them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good.¡± [Gayn] Gayn, Kufo, and Rurutia were happy with my decision, but for some reason, when I said that, I feel like I just saw a really troubled Reinhart-san. I must be imagining things. Chapter 237.1 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Slime Magic (1/4) ¡°It seems the more I study slimes, the more secrets I have to keep.¡± [Ryouma] But I guess that just goes to show how valuable slimes are. And besides, anything can be dangerous if you use it the wrong way. While I was thinking that to myself, Kirillel asked Fernoberia a question. ¡°Speaking of secrets¡­ Fernoberia. Didn¡¯t you say you had something to talk about with Ryouma?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Huh, really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, you used a sand spell with your slimes recently. There are a few things I¡¯d like to say regarding it.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Although we just finished dealing with Sereriputa¡¯s issue, it¡¯s actually rare for this guy to show up with so many people around. He¡¯s really bad at dealing with people, you see.¡± Huh!?¡¡So he has something so important to talk about that he¡¯d showed up here despite being bad with people!? If he¡¯d mentioned it earlier, then we would¡¯ve been able to talk about it first before I started going on about my slimes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I like how you study things that interest you. The way you bring together the things you¡¯ve learned and pass it on to others is essential for the development of knowledge.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] So, what did he want to talk about regarding my slime spells? Maybe¡ª ¡°Before anything else, I want you to know I don¡¯t want you to stop using that spell. There are a few things I¡¯d warn you about, but if anything, I¡¯d actually prefer it if you proactively used it. Kufo talked about why he brought you here to this world, right? I¡¯ll skip the specifics, but that slime magic of yours has a good influence on the world¡¯s mana.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, it¡¯s nothing more than a smidgen, but as you Japanese like to put it, ¡®when piled up, even trash can become a mountain¡¯. Piling up little things like that is necessary in order to solve a bigger problem. Can¡¯t look down on it, just because it only makes a small difference.¡± [Fernoberia] Huh, who would¡¯ve thought that spell would¡¯ve an effect like that? So on a personal level, casting magic means consuming mana, but from a wider perspective, the mana is being restored instead? ¡°If you¡¯re curious about the specifics, you should research it yourself. It¡¯s related to the nature of slimes.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°!¡¡Really?¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Fernoberia nodded as though it was a given. Apparently, it wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to explain, he wanted to leave me something to research. He knows that I¡¯m interested in slimes and enjoy researching them, so he¡¯s holding himself back. Moreover, as the God of Knowledge, he prefers that I study on my own and come up with my own answer. ¡°Now, as for the things I want to warn you about, there are three. These are regarding the effects and special characteristics of the slime magic, as well as their influence on the slimes. Regarding the effect, I¡¯m sure you know already, but using your spells in conjunction with your slimes increases their power and precision. If you combine your abundant mana pool as an otherworlder with several slimes, in the future, you might even be able to bring about an effect similar to the ¡®calamity spells¡¯ that once shook the world.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Calamity Spells¡­ That¡¯s my first time hearing about that. Sounds dangerous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s just a combination of normal elemental spells. But it was an otherworlder who used it. What¡¯s more it¡¯s the ancestor of the duke¡¯s family you¡¯re deeply involved with.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Ah, did that otherworlder specialize in magic?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. This otherworlder combined the knowledge of science with magic to give birth to powerful magic. It was a time full of wars, so the otherworlder just casted the magic wherever he was told to, causing great damage. Before long, people came to call his spells, Calamity Spells, with much fear. Normal people can¡¯t use it, and even otherworlders can¡¯t unless they specialize in magic. But you and your slimes should be able to use it in the future if you keep growing. It would be great if you could use your slime magic a lot, but do consider the time and place when using it. Using it to demolish a building like you did a few days ago is good.¡± [Fernoberia ¡°Thank you for informing me.¡± [Ryouma] Fernoberia nodded, and then moved on to the next topic. ¡°Next, let¡¯s talk about the special characteristics of your newfound slime magic. Your slime magic puts a greater emphasis on your understanding with your slimes over magical talent. It requires excellent compatibility with slimes. If one is not compatible enough with slimes, not only will the slime magic fail, there is also a chance for the spell to go berserk. Of course, you¡¯re highly compatible with slimes, so you have no problem casting the spell, but people with worse aptitude will find it difficult to learn, and people with terrible aptitude simply can¡¯t learn it. It¡¯s a picky technique, so be sure to choose well who you teach it to.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] Next, Fernoberia spoke about the side effects on the slimes when using the magic. It was the part that Ryouma was most curious about. ¡°The more you use your slime magic, the more the slimes¡¯ Assimilate skill will level up. Once the Assimilate skill reaches level 10, the slimes will become able to perfectly assimilate themselves with their target, that is to say that they will return to nature.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°¡­Uh, does that mean that they die?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°From a human perspective perhaps, but from my perspective, no. There¡¯s no denying, however, that you will be parting with them.¡± [Fernoberia] Honestly, that¡¯s pretty heavy. The heaviest out of everything he¡¯s said. Apparently, the price for great power is the lifespan of the slimes. Everything else could be dealt with so long as I avoided other people or paid attention to my surroundings, so I was intending on using the slime magic in secret to help fix the mana of the world, but¡­ ¡°While I said it would be best if you used it proactively, I won¡¯t force you to. You decide when to use it.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] The life of a single slime and his feelings couldn¡¯t possibly be more important than the fate of the world. The gods could force him to do their bidding, but they chose to respect his wishes instead. I¡¯m surprised to find out about the shortening of the slimes¡¯ lifespan, but at the same time, I¡¯m grateful to Fernoberia-sama for not forcing me to use slime magic. Chapter 237.2 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Slime Magic (2/4) ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] The other gods looked at me oddly. Their eyes darted to and fro between me and Fernoberia-sama. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm, it¡¯s good and all that you¡¯re so understanding, but Fernoberia really should do a better job explaining.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°The atmosphere¡¯s gotten so heavy because you¡¯re so stingy with information.¡± [Tekun] ¡°I get that you don¡¯t want to explain everything, but Ryouma-kun is being really understanding here, so can you do a better job explaining?¡± [Willieris] ¡°Ryouma-kun is really generous. I know it¡¯s strange coming from someone such as myself who had to be forgiven by him, but I also think you should do a better job explaining.¡± [Sereriputa] Kirillel, Tekun, Willieris, and Sereriputa said. It was rare for Willieris and Sereriputa to agree on something. ¡°Ryouma-kun, Fernoberia isn¡¯t lying, but your slimes won¡¯t die after just a few times of casting that spell, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it that much.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yeah, yeah. Besides, dealing with the mana problem is our job. If you don¡¯t want to use slime magic, then just don¡¯t. We don¡¯t mind, really.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°But more importantly, do you remember how your slimes felt after you used slime magic?¡± [Kufo] Gayn, Rurutia, and Kufo said. ¡­Now that I think about it, that slime magic was something I came up with for fun. I¡¯m not so sure, but I think the slimes enjoyed it too. ¡°So in other words, it had a good effect on the slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. At the very least, the slimes weren¡¯t in pain when you used the spell. Fernoberia can vouch for this. He told me the same thing, after all.¡± [Kufo] I turned to Fernoberia-sama, and he nodded unhappily. Just a little, though, in fact it¡¯s hard to tell since his face is so stoic. ¡°I understand that going into the details will take away the fun from Ryouma¡¯s research, but I think you¡¯ve singled out the bad parts a little too much.¡± [Gayn] Is that how it is? In that case, I¡¯ll put aside this problem for the time being, and only use the slime magic when necessary. In the meantime, I¡¯ll be sure to keep an eye out for the slimes¡¯ Assimilate skill and continue my research. Eventually, I¡¯ll figure out on my own what exactly it is that Fernoberia-sama is keeping from me. I don¡¯t know how many decades it¡¯ll take me, but I¡¯ll do my best. It¡¯s just a vague direction, not even something that can be called a plan, but I shared it with everyone anyway. ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude to have, Ryouma. You just keep at it like that. You still have plenty of time.¡± [Grimp] Grimp-sama said, and everyone agreed. Like that this topic came to a close. But¡­ ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, that Fernoberia, pu, ku ku ku.¡± [Sereriputa] Someone suddenly laughed. Fernoberia reacted to that, and he wasn¡¯t happy. ¡°What do you want to say?¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s nothing, really. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s my first time seeing you be so considerate about someone. Not to mention, you actually like Ryouma-kun enough that you don¡¯t mind him dropping the ¡®sama¡¯ when he calls you, and yet you never mention it. This is that, isn¡¯t it? That thing from Japan. What do you call it? Ah, yes, ¡®tsundere¡¯.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I haven¡¯t the foggiest clue what you¡¯re talking about. I simply think highly of his attitude. His attitude to proactively study the power he¡¯s been given instead of just using it. It¡¯s not just Ryouma, really, I would praise anyone who held such an attitude. In fact, that was the case for that otherworlder who used the Calamity Spells. Perhaps, he could¡¯ve chosen how to use it better, but there¡¯s no denying the effort and ingenuity that went into it. That¡¯s why I think highly of¡ª¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this, but the market has no demand for male tsunderes.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡ªDamn it! Listen to me! Don¡¯t just move the conversation on your own!¡± [Fernoberia] But to Fernoberia-sama¡¯s dismay, Sereriputa just kept on laughing. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not just Fernoberia, actually. Everyone is really different when you¡¯re around, Ryouma.¡± [Sereriputa] When Sereriputa said that, everyone became quiet. What does he mean by that?¡¡Did something happen?¡¡Is this something I should even be asking about? ¡°It¡¯s fine. You¡¯re not unrelated at all, I mean, you¡¯re the reason why.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I¡¯m the reason?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Sereriputa turned to me without getting up and replied with a smile. ¡°No one told you?¡¡Normally, humans can¡¯t come up here. That¡¯s true even for otherworlders. People who frequent church might acquire the Oracle skill, but even then, at most, they¡¯ll be able to hear our voice.¡± [Sereriputa] That I heard about a long time ago. Something about me being really eccentric among the already eccentric otherworlders. ¡°That¡¯s right, although we still have to be the ones to summon you here, the fact of the matter is that you¡¯re actually able to come here in your soul form and talk with us. Since the beginning of this world, that¡¯s a feat that no one has been able to do. That¡¯s why me, and everyone else here, we don¡¯t actually have much experience talking with others. Especially since we don¡¯t even actually have to talk among ourselves. We can just send information and images to each other with a thought. Because of that it¡¯s rare for us to have misunderstandings, just like when Fernoberia spoke with you earlier. Also, the Oracle skill is just us talking to the humans, so it can¡¯t be called a conversation at all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, so does that mean¡­¡¡Just like with Fernoberia-sama earlier, the information I¡¯ve gotten from Gayn and the others might not have been passed on to me properly?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, although there¡¯s also the difference in our respective understanding as god and man, there¡¯s definitely a communication issue too. There are some things that are obvious to us, but completely alien to you, right? We have to be careful about those when talking to you. The way we communicate with you is so different from how we are with each other. Because of that it¡¯s so fun seeing everyone interact with you.¡± [Sereriputa] Chapter 237.3 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Slime Magic (3/4) Sereriputa laughed as he said that, but what about him? ¡°Me?¡¡I might act a little different with you, but I¡¯m usually fair. Do you think I¡¯m the sort to show any concern or reservation whether it¡¯s a god or human in front of me?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That was a stupid question.¡± [Ryouma] This guy surely doesn¡¯t know the word ¡®reservation¡¯. When I thought that to myself, everyone nodded. ¡°Hey, that¡¯s uncalled for. I try to get along with you guys, you know.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I get it, I get it, so please get off me¡­ You¡¯re heavy¡ª I mean, okay, you¡¯re not heavy at all.¡± [Ryouma] You¡¯re too light. Abnormally so. But it¡¯s still annoying. ¡°It¡¯s a little annoying having Sereriputa point it out like that, but it¡¯s true we act different than usual.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yes. When you think about it, the reason we gather so frequently is because of Ryouma-kun. When was the last time the nine of us gathered like this?¡± [Rurutia] ¡°When the world was just born, we gathered like this, I think.¡± [Kufo] ¡°There was a time when the world was small. It kept growing bigger and bigger until it developed into this.¡± [Willieris] ¡°We can just send each other whatever information we need, so we gradually went our separate ways.¡± [Tekun] ¡°And even when we do gather, we only gather when it¡¯s necessary, and only with the necessary people, so not everyone.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Whether we met each other or not depended on necessity.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°Even when we do meet, we never drank or talked like this.¡± [Grimp] The gods earnestly nodded. It probably feels like working from home where there¡¯s no need to meet others. Though I probably shouldn¡¯t put the power of the gods on the same level as technology. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s actually pretty close. Just that in our case, the unit of time is in centuries, and sometimes even millennia. That¡¯s especially true for a certain god. In fact, there are gods I can¡¯t remember when I last met them¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m actually grateful to you, Ryouma-kun. Because of you we started gathering together again like this.¡± [Gayn] ¡°It wasn¡¯t intentional on my part, but nonetheless, I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re happy.¡± [Ryouma] Everyone¡¯s laughing so gently, so I¡¯m really happy. ¡°So do you guys still have something to tell me?¡± [Ryouma] To be honest, though, I can still talk about my slimes. ¡°As in something important like what you said earlier?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing on the same level as that warning about your spell. I have a lot to say when it comes to farming, but there¡¯s no point if you can¡¯t apply it right now, so just try to learn what I¡¯ve told you first. So, yeah, there¡¯s nothing left for me to say¡­¡± [Grimp] Grimp-sama turned to the others. ¡°If there¡¯s no one else, then I¡¯ll speak.¡± [Sereriputa] A voice said from beside me. ¡°¡­Well, I guess I can lend an ear.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that wary of me. What I¡¯m about to tell you is something I¡¯ve already spoken about with Kirillel.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°With me?¡¡What are you talking about, Sereriputa?¡± [Kirillel] ¡°That Ryouma-kun should work on his intuition. We talked about it, remember?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Intuition?¡¡Come to think of it, I guess we did. While you were doing your punishment training. I thought you were just buying time to rest.¡± [Kirillel] Apparently, they really did talk about it beforehand. But still, what exactly do they mean about ¡®intuition¡¯? ¡°I mean, look, you¡¯re the logical type, right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Hmm, I guess?¡¡I don¡¯t really know.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not really a bad thing. But you know, everything is a question of time and place. For example, when telling something to others, you need a logical and coherent explanation. But depending on the situation, sometimes it¡¯s more important to act first.¡± [Kirillel] That makes sense. People have things they¡¯re good at and bad at, but balance is important. It just so happens that I¡¯m leaning more toward logic than intuition. But¡­ ¡°Originally, you¡¯re the type that does things by feeling, the type that excels in intuition. Sereriputa and I agree on this.¡± [Kirillel] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. It might¡¯ve been because of the environment in your past life that you started leaning so much on theory. But in this world, there are a lot of things that rely on an expert¡¯s experience or feelings. Earth has made much progress in the way of its technology, so they put a lot of emphasis on data and reasoning, right? In a world like that, it¡¯s only a given that you¡¯ll have to lean on logic. Especially for someone like you, who¡¯s conscious about your inadequacy in communicating with others. You¡¯re conscious about it, so you try to do something about it. But because of that you¡¯ve became unable to take advantage of your strong points.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°¡­Even if you tell me that.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not really feeling it. ¡°You said something about failing before, right?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yeah, because of the atmosphere in town being bad and the atmosphere during the meeting being similar to a company I worked at in my past life, I lost control.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s it. If you were able to properly control that ¡®feeling¡¯, you wouldn¡¯t have run out on your own like that.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°You¡¯re talking about that time?¡¡But I just felt bad during that time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Why? Because you weren¡¯t being logical?¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa stood up and gestured as though to say ¡®you really don¡¯t understand, huh¡¯. If I react to him, I¡¯ll lose. Gotta keep my cool. ¡°Look, I don¡¯t get it, so explain.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 237.4 - Advantages and Disadvantages of Slime Magic (4/4) Chapter 237.4 : Advantages and Disadvantages of Slime Magic (4/4) ¡°Can¡¯t be helped¡­ Intuition and feeling might be confusing to understand, but I¡¯m not just saying random things to try and confuse you. ¡®Humans learn¡¯. In fact, this isn¡¯t limited just to humans. Most living creatures learn. Let¡¯s say there¡¯s a dog and an owner. If the owner hits the dog with a stick everyday for no reason, what do you think the dog will do?¡± [Sereriputa] Get mad at the owner, run, or maybe fight back¡­ I think those would be the most common reactions. At the very least, the dog won¡¯t like his owner. ¡°¡­Why?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Well, it hurts to get hit, and you might get injured too. Even a dog wouldn¡¯t like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Even a dog can learn???? that getting hit hurts, and thus learn???? that his owner is an existence that brings him pain. Once the dog learns pain, he will either try to flee from the source of pain or try to remove it. Either way, the dog will try to avoid pain or danger. This isn¡¯t an ability but an instinct. A living creature¡¯s ¡®self-defense instinct¡¯, that is. Even technical experts put a lot of important to the intuition they¡¯ve cultivated through their years of experience, right,¡¡Tekun?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Well, yeah. First-rate blacksmiths know to pay attention to and carefully balance the temperature of the furnace, the color of the fire, and the time it takes to heat the metal. What¡¯s more is that they take note of the temperature and humidity of the day too. It¡¯s not something they just do with their head, it¡¯s something they learn with their body. You can¡¯t make light of that.¡± [Tekun] ¡°And Ryouma-kun has inherited his memories and experience from his past life. After saying this much, you understand already, right?¡± [Sereriputa] After saying all that, Sereriputa lied down on the table again. Now that he mentions it, I guess I¡¯m just like the dog he was talking about during that time. I sensed danger, so I moved to expel the source. I get what Tekun means by not making light of it too. ¡°Sereriputa¡­¡± ¡°Hmm~?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Were you always so observant of people?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What!?¡¡That¡¯s what stood out to you after everything I said!?¡¡I¡¯m a god, you know!?¡± [Sereriputa] Just like that that smug face of his crumbled. ¡°I mean.¡¡You looked like a really overbearing guy last time, so to be honest it¡¯s really shocking.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ehhhh!¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°But I get what you¡¯re saying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good then¡­ Bad memories and fear are also part of one¡¯s ¡®experience¡¯. If it shackles and tortures you, then it might be considered trauma, but if you use it well, it can become a powerful weapon too. That¡¯s why you should work on improving your intuition and feeling. You might have lost control at that time, but the fact that you were able to sense the kind of situation you were in just goes to show that you¡¯re suited to being an intuitive type.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll try to make something of it.¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, my surroundings started to glow. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s almost time already.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I forgot about the time limit. Still, we sure talked a long time this time.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Nine of us summoned him this time, after all.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Looks like the length of time you can stay here depends on how many of us are present.¡± [Gayn] ¡°Since it¡¯s such a good opportunity for us to gather, maybe we should gather together like this every now and then?¡± [Willieris] While everyone started talking like that, ¡°By the way, Ryouma-kun, will you be going home immediately today?¡± [Sereriputa] Sereriputa suddenly asked that. ¡°You mean once I get back to the church?¡¡That¡¯s the plan since I have nothing else planned for the day. I figure might as well go back and study what¡¯s going on between the slimes and the slime magic¡ª Ah.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans, but I just realized it might be a good idea to drop by the Children¡¯s Home.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By Children¡¯s Home, you mean that, right?¡¡That thing you rebuilt.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Yeah, that one. I asked the kids living there to do a simple job for me. They¡¯ll probably be fine, but I better take a look.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm, it¡¯ll probably be fine.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] He was the one who asked, and yet he¡¯s not interested at all. Or maybe I¡¯m mistaken.¡¡Rather than not being interested, ¡°¡­The night three days before the end of the year.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re alone in those mines of yours, you might just be able to get rid of your doubts.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± [Ryouma] As the light grew brighter, it was time for me to go back. ¡°Looks like¡¡it¡¯s goodbye for now.¡± [Sereriputa] ¡°Oops, it¡¯s time already.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Till next time!¡± [Sereriputa] After Sereriputa said that, everyone else bid me farewell, and then the light swallowed me. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] By the time I noticed it, I was back in the chapel. ¡°¡­Haa¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡®If you¡¯re alone in those mines of yours three days before the end of the year, you might just be able to rid yourself of your doubts.¡¯ Apparently, Sereriputa was looking for an opening to pass me a message without anyone noticing. What does he mean by doubts? What exactly is he trying to do? There¡¯s a lot I don¡¯t understand, but for the meantime, there¡¯s one thing I understand. Sereriputa is scheming something again¡­ What a persistent jerk. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± [Ryouma] As I thought that to myself, I stood up and left the church, but then¡­ ¡°Excuse me, Takebayashi-san. Can you spare a moment?¡± [Nun] ¡°Ah, yes. ¡°It¡¯s alright. What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually I would like to talk about the soup kitchen project.¡± [Nun] The church nun called out to me and consulted me about the soup kitchen project. Chapter 238.1 - Ryouma the Medical Resident (1/4) After getting back home. ¡°So far I think I¡¯m about done with all my chores¡­ Taking care of the slimes, checking my research plans, feeding the goblins and having supper, taking a bath¡­ Next I should¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was already evening, but I still had some time, so I used the time until bedtime to think about the relationship between slimes and magic. When an idea came to mind, I called out to a mud slime that was living in a waterside I prepared in the corner of the room to try it out. When I got its attention, I used the Shared Perception skill to connect its senses to mine. ¡°Hmm~¡­¡± [Ryouma] Shared Perception is one of the spells under the branch of Monster Taming, and it is often used to gather information. Most of the time, I use it to share sight, but other senses such as hearing, touch, and taste can be shared too. However, the slimes don¡¯t have any sensory organs, so it¡¯s not possible to use Shared Perception with them. Or at least that¡¯s what Reinhart-san and the others told me when they taught me Shared Perception. True enough none of the five senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste can be felt when I connected myself to the slime. At the very least, I couldn¡¯t pick up any such signals. But I already knew this. What I wanted to try out was something else. What I wanted to do was to connect the slime¡¯s mana perception¡¯ to me, that is to say I wanted to connect its ability to sense mana to me. Mana Perception is essential in order to be able to use magic. There are individual differences between mages, but regardless, all mages can sense mana. Because of that the existence of a mana ¡®sensory organ¡¯ definitely exists. You could call it a sixth sense of sort. After the many experiments, hypotheses, and results I¡¯ve had with researching slimes, it is my personal belief that mana was involved in every aspect. That¡¯s why I wanted to connect to the slime¡¯s mana perception. I only felt a faint resistance after connecting to the slime, but immediately after¡­ ¡°!¡¡Uu¡­ Ah!!¡± [Ryouma] A great impact crashed into me as vast amounts of information poured through our connection. I couldn¡¯t understand the flood of information at all. Stopping the flow of information was the most I could do. My body temperature quickly rose, nausea set in, I felt like throwing up, and my head even started to ache. It was a feeling of weariness just like those times when I overworked myself in previous life. In the past, I had to push myself to work even when my body was in poor condition. But now, there¡¯s no need for me to push myself, and there¡¯s no one to scold me for resting either. So I ended the Shared Perception skill and cut off the stream of information. Though I was finally able to catch my breath after ending the skill, I was still exhausted. ¡°This¡­ Demands caution and a proper investigation¡­¡± [Ryouma] By the time the sun was out, my body had already recovered. Today I will be studying and working at the hospital, so I teleported to town and made my way to the hospital. After changing into the white gown specially prepared for me in the dressing room, I went to the waiting room of the medical office. Dr. Mafral and the five doctors from the duke¡¯s family were already there. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning. I¡¯ll be in your care today as well.¡± [Mafral] The morning meeting began, and we confirmed our work for the day. After we reported about our respective work and studies, there was still some time left, so I asked about my symptoms last night just to be safe. It¡¯s an important time right now, after all. Although it was only for a moment, my body still ended up in a fairly bad state, so I figured the doctors here might be aware of similar symptoms and causes. As a result¡ª ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be any problems with your body for the time being. The cause is surely ¡®mental strain¡¯ and ¡®exhaustion¡¯. It sounds like you overworked your head.¡± [Mafral] By mental strain, I guess he means stress, and as for exhaustion, that¡¯s probably the mental fatigue. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s no need for medication. If I really had to prescribe something, it would be rest, but if you don¡¯t feel anything wrong with you, then just act as you usually do. I am curious about the source of the symptoms, however. You said you connected with your slimes and a vast amount of information flooded into your head? From what I understand, in the case of an inexperienced practitioner, the senses of the monster and the practitioner will mix, causing nausea.¡± [Mafral] What Dr. Mafral is talking about is that feeling of nausea you get when the camera lens is blurred. I¡¯ve had it happen to me too when I was training my Shared Perception for the first time. But¡­ ¡°That¡¯s something else altogether, Doctor. If I were to put what happened to me in perspective, it was as if I was made to read a lot of documents in a short span of time¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t know. I serve the Jamil House, so I do have a smattering of knowledge when it comes to Monster Taming, but it¡¯s out of my expertise.¡± [Mafral] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll consult with Branch Head Taylor later since we have an appointment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, that would be for the best.¡± [Mafral] While we were talking like that¡­ ¡°Maybe¡­ No, surely it couldn¡¯t be.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°?¡¡Did you figure out something?¡± [Ryouma] One of the residents, Clarissa-san, muttered something, so I asked her for her thoughts. ¡°From what you were saying, it sounded like Evil Eye. It¡¯s a story I heard about when I was a child.¡± [Clarissa] That sounds like something straight out of fantasy. Chapter 238.2 - Ryouma the Medical Resident (2/4) ¡°Clarissa-san, what¡¯s the Evil Eye?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of it?¡¡There¡¯s a renowned adventurer¡¯s anecdote regarding it, there are fairy tails too¡­ Ah, I suppose it might be called something else depending on the region and race. An elf like Dr. Mafral would know it as Spirit Eye.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t know much about fairy tales and legends.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, really?¡± [Clarissa] ¡°That¡¯s a surprise seeing how much you know about medicine.¡± [Hector] ¡°You always give off the image of knowing anything complicated, not just medicine, but surprisingly you actually don¡¯t know about a common fairy tail!¡± [Tint] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] I got my knowledge from the gods, after all. It¡¯s been such a huge help. Especially, recently. ¡°In that case, if I were to give a simple explanation, the possessor of the Evil Eye can see a different world from normal people. However the price for using it or failing to manage it can be a severe headache or the consciousness of the possessor being swallowed whole.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] I guess it does sound kind of similar to my situation. ¡°But if you can use the Evil Eye properly, it will give you great power. The headache sounds cruel though.¡± [Isabel] ¡°That¡¯s not all! There are plenty of cases where the head is smashed with a dull weapon or the brain being fried too!¡± [Tint] ¡°It¡¯s said that most people born with the Evil Eye choose to commit suicide.¡± [Hector] ¡°What a ghastly story.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I said it just sounds similar. After all, if it were really the same thing, I doubt we¡¯d be able to talk like this.¡± [Clarissa] That¡¯s true. The four residents and I laughed. ¡°Now then, it¡¯s almost time. Let¡¯s do our best today as well!¡± [Mafral] ¡°Yes!¡± [Everyone Else] When Dr. Mafral said that, everyone cheered, and we all went to our respective posts. As for me, I went to the Medicine Room. ¡°Shall we go?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Hector] Accompanying me was one of the residents, Hector-san. This gloomy guy knows a lot about medicine and poison. In other words, he¡¯s an antidote specialist. He¡¯s the one usually in charge of the medicine used to treat the patients at this hospital as well as the prescriptions. Working under him is one way for me to gain experience and study. By the way, he¡¯s also the researcher type. Because of that he¡¯s the person I talk to the most among the residents. I also get along with him best. ¡°Ah, by the way, Ryouma-kun. About that storage room for medicine we were talking about earlier.¡± [Hector] He¡¯s talking about something we spoke about during the briefing earlier. Apparently, Hector-san and the others also think that the winter will become worse this year, so they¡¯re worried about the effects on the patients. Because of that they want to store as much medicinal herbs as possible. ¡°List down what you need and I¡¯ll do my best to procure them. Ah, by the way, I got back those herbs we gave to those kids yesterday.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those kids? Ah, you mean those kids whose house you rebuilt.¡± [Hector] The amount of medicine needed at a hospital is on a whole ¡®nother league compared to what an individual would need. After all, in order to concoct a large amount of medicine, you need a lot of ingredients and manpower. On top of that, medicinal ingredients vary in quality too. Some can be handled even by amateurs as long as simple instructions are given. So to help provide a side job to the kids of the Children¡¯s Home, I asked them if they would be willing to help us make some simple medicine, and they were more than happy to agree. They did say they wanted to do some safe jobs that they could do even as kids to earn money, so I¡¯m sure they thought helping out was a good opportunity. ¡°Can they be used immediately?¡± [Hector] ¡°I just gave the herbs a cursory glance last night, but I didn¡¯t see anything wrong with them. I¡¯ll take it out now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please take it all out. I want to examine it.¡± [Hector] I opened my Item Box and took out all of the processed herbs. ¡°¡­These look fine. They processed them properly.¡± [Hector] ¡°The difficulty of a job and doing it properly are two different things, after all. They strike me as the sort of kids to take their job seriously, so I¡¯m thinking of continuing to get their help.¡± [Ryouma] Hector-san inspected the box of processed herbs one after another. He would open them, look inside, and then smile. Looks like he acknowledges the kids¡¯ work. ¡°¡­Shall we start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Hector] There are plenty of times when the topic would suddenly change or when we¡¯ll both go quiet. For the mean time, we sorted out the processed herbs, and then we went to work. We didn¡¯t say a word while working. Any mistake in handling or the dosage would turn medicine into poison, after all. So we both focused on our respective work, and kept the talk to a minimum. Like that I carefully concocted the medicine the hospital needed. Before long, I was completely immersed in my work¡­ ¡°¡­Fuu.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun.¡± [Hector] ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s take a break.¡± In Hector-san¡¯s hands were two cups of steaming hot beverage. ¡°Huh?¡¡Ah!¡¡It¡¯s been three hours already¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, he waited for me to reach a point in my work where I can take a break and prepared a drink. ¡°I noticed the time just awhile ago¡­ Usually, I¡¯m the one being called. Honestly, it¡¯s surprising to see that there¡¯s someone who gets immersed in his work even more than me. By the way, are you okay with this drink?¡± [Hector] ¡°This is?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 238.3 - Ryouma the Medical Resident (3/4) ¡°It¡¯s that stuff you¡¯re always drinking¡­ I paid attention to the amount of leaves and hot water you used, so I shouldn¡¯t be mistaken¡­ I¡¯ve been curious about it for a while now, but it¡¯s a kind of herbal tea, right?¡¡Roasted Dante Flower Root, dried Yomugi, and if I¡¯m not mistaken, Gilkoda Leaf was added too.¡± [Hector] ¡°As expected, you know your stuff.¡± [Ryouma] It looks like he was able to figure out the three ingredients I used just from looking at my herbal tea, or rather, my Dandelion Coffee. ¡°What are the effects?¡± [Hector] ¡°There¡¯s a lot. It serves as a nourishing tonic, promotes blood circulation, prevents anemia, helps stabilizes one¡¯s mind, expels toxins, strengthens the stomach¡­ etc.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yomugi does have a lot of effect and is even known as a ¡®panacea within reach¡¯.¡± [Hector] ¡°¡­Want a taste?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You sure?¡± [Hector] I mean his eyes are practically glued onto my cup, so it¡¯s kind of hard not to realize what he wants. I¡¯m sure I¡¯d be acting the same way if someone brought an unknown slime in front of me. We exchanged cups and I got Hector-san¡¯s black tea. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I could call his black tea delicious even as flattery. ¡°Oh, yeah.¡± [Hector] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] Just when I thought he was focused on the Dandelion Coffee, he suddenly turned to me. ¡°It¡¯s a bit late to be saying this, but I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re able to get so many herbs this late into the winter.¡± [Hector] ¡°That¡¯s because I started cultivating my own Yomugi as well as various other herbs. The slimes help out a lot too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I thought you¡¯d say that, but personally, I was thinking it would be more realistic to replace medicine with the medicine slime¡¯s medicinal liquid than to keep concocting medicine from herbs. Is there a slime that makes herbs?¡± [Hector] ¡°I just realized it recently actually, but I think the Weed Slime might be capable of that.¡± [Ryouma] Weed Slime, in other words, a slime of weed. But there aren¡¯t grasses that go as ¡®weed¡¯ in this world. That ¡®Yomugi¡¯ mentioned earlier is treated as a herb. And yet it possesses powerful reproduction abilities, so it tends to grow in empty lots on its own, so it can be considered to be a weed as well. In other words, weeds are just grasses or herbs that can become an annoyance to humans. And the weed slime feeds on all types of grasses. It doesn¡¯t discriminate between grasses. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s medicinal or poisonous, the weed slime can eat anything as long as it¡¯s a grass. It¡¯s basically the grass version of the metal slime that can eat anything as long as its metal. That¡¯s why Weed Slimes can also be used to grow herbs if its ability to mimic herbs is used. As for why they haven¡¯t been able to grow any until I realized it, it¡¯s probably because my orders confused them. I sent the weed slimes my own image of weed, so they couldn¡¯t produce any grass that could be used for anything useful. Having the wrong impression is really a scary thing. You can¡¯t even tell that you¡¯re under a wrong impression until you realize it. It¡¯s definitely something I need to reflect on as a researcher. ¡°By the way, the Weed Slime feeds on water, sunlight, and the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer. Due to the garbage processing plant, we can acquire a large amount of fertilizers everyday, so it should be possible to produce a vast amount of herbs once we start the process. In fact, we¡¯ve already started a little.¡± [Ryouma] I know that the weed slimes can produce medicinal herbs and poisonous herbs. But if they can evolve into medicinal herb slimes and poisonous herb slimes, then that¡¯s even better. That¡¯s why among the many weed slimes, I picked out those interested in poison-type mana on top of the wood-type mana that all weed slimes liked, and am currently waiting for them to evolve. ¡°To be honest with you, I never had any interest in slimes before coming here, but now I know that you really can¡¯t look down on those little critters.¡± [Hector] ¡°I¡¯m just glad to know that you¡¯ve acknowledged the beauty and ability of slimes.¡± [Ryouma] Actually, I discovered one more thing recently after researching the liquid of the slimes, but if I talk about that, we¡¯ll exceed our break time, so I¡¯ll put it off for another day. After our short break ended, we went back to work, and after losing myself in my work again, I completed my quota for the day. ¡°Hector-san. Everything is ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. I can take care of the rest.¡± [Hector] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll move on to my next job.¡± [Ryouma] And so, I went to my next job. My next job was to examine and treat patients who visit the hospital. In other words, ¡®practical training¡¯. The patients in this hospital are mostly laborers from other departments. A lot of them had to cover a lot of distance just to get to Gimuru and didn¡¯t live good lives in their hometown. Among these people are people who couldn¡¯t adapt to the new environment and people whose living circumstances weren¡¯t good, leading to a deterioration in their health. Perhaps because they were finally able to relax after finding employment, the consequences of all their built-up fatigue only flared up recently. These people were brought to the hospital to receive treatment as part of the welfare program and to serve as training material for the residents. ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here. Good timing.¡± [Dr. Mafral] I entered the examination room from the back, and Dr. Mafral was waiting there. The other three residents were already here and were already in the middle of examining their respective patients. Seeing the nurses restlessly go to and fro the examination room, there might be a lot of patients today. ¡°The guards just came.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°That¡¯s my department, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ll get ready immediately.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 238.4 - Ryouma the Medical Resident (4/4) Dr. Mafral¡¯s teaching method is practical. He considers our desired future path and comes up with a curriculum that fits it. For example, in my case, my goal is to ¡®maintain health¡¯ and ¡®increase my survival rate¡¯ as an adventurer. To that end, I don¡¯t need to be able to deal with all sorts of symptoms and conditions. Of course, covering a lot of knowledge, mastering all sorts of techniques, and being able to deal with any kind of symptom isn¡¯t a bad thing. But piling up so much knowledge requires a considerable amount of time, unreasonable even. That¡¯s a level that only someone who¡¯s decided to dedicate his whole life to medicine could cover. My goal is just to maintain my health and improve my survival rates as an adventurer, so I don¡¯t need all that knowledge. Becoming an excellent physician and what not, that stuff should be left to actual doctors or rather people whose main profession is being a doctor. That¡¯s why I manage my and my colleague¡¯s lives, take measures in cases of emergencies, and extend lives while under the supervision of a doctor with superior knowledge and technique. That¡¯s the kind of knowledge and techniques I¡¯m learning. And among all that¡ª ¡°Thank you for taking care of me!¡± [Amos] ¡°Amos-san?¡¡Didn¡¯t you come last week too?¡¡I¡¯m glad to know you¡¯re enthusiastic about your role to protect the people and I¡¯m glad to be able to practice my skills as well, but aren¡¯t you pushing yourself too much?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sigh, the captain told me that too. But I had to protect a kid this time, so I was desperate¡­¡± [Amos] ¡°And because of that your arm is now in a sling?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was beaten by a squared timber.¡± [Amos] ¡°Do you have any other wounds?¡¡Like on your head for example?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I was able to protect my head. As for my back, it was hit too, but I think it¡¯s fine.¡± [Amos] ¡°I should take a look just to be safe. Please turn your back to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªThe biggest focus are these sort of treatments. The sort that you would find during times of war. I guess you could call it ¡®Combat Casualty Care¡¯?¡¡Anyway, that¡¯s my specialty. On top of gathering experience and studying the necessary spells and medicinal ingredients, as well as how to use the medical tools and apply them, the guards that risk their bodies to protect the peace of the town are an important resource to me too. They¡¯re also a good experience for the other residents. Although the guards have been promised better conditions and treatment, I¡¯m still grateful that they¡¯re letting a beginner like me treat them. So I have to make sure to do my best when examining and treating them so as to not betray that trust. ¡­Based off of my examination on Amos-san¡¯s wound and the other factors, the treatment I should give his back is ¡®Heal¡¯. As for his broken arm, I believe that a High Heal should bring it back to shape. ¡°There are bruises on your back, but there aren¡¯t any problems with your spine. I¡¯ll use Healing Magic. Is that okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, Dr. Little.¡± [Amos] ¡­Before I knew it, the patients that come here have started to call me ¡®Dr. Little¡¯. I thought they¡¯d just refer to me as a normal young doctor, but everyone here was young. The four residents were all in their 20s, and while Dr. Mafral¡¯s real age was much older than his appearance suggested, he still looked young on the eyes. That¡¯s why they came to call me Dr. Little to differentiate between me and them. Dr. Mafral gave me the go sign when I mentioned my treatment method, so I went ahead and casted the healing spell on my patient. ¡°¡­?¡± [Ryouma] Dr. Mafral also gave me some pointers when using healing magic. In the past, I just visualized the wound healing whenever I used healing magic, but as it turns out, the way professionals did it, they would focus specifically on what they needed to before using healing magic. And that requires being aware of the ¡®Mana Body¡¯. Every living creature has another body beyond the physical body and that body is what we refer to as the mana body, a body constructed from mana. This mana body is the same ¡®mana inside the body¡¯ that one becomes aware of when casting spells, but apparently, it¡¯s a crucial point when using healing magic. According to Dr. Mafral, the mana body is packed with information of a person¡¯s flesh, so when using healing magic, it¡¯s important to sense the mana body of the target, read the complete information, and then visualize an image that attempts to get as close to the normal values as possible. ¡­Of course, that¡¯s easier said than done. Although I¡¯m able to sense the mana body of my target while focusing, until now all I¡¯ve really been able to feel is a lump of mana in some vague human-form, and I haven¡¯t been able to read any information at all. ¡­But why is that? I do think I¡¯m doing pretty good today, though. I still can¡¯t read the information, but I can sense the mana body much better today than any of my previous attempts. As I focused on the body and mana body of my patient, and homed into the affected part, the bruise, I felt a sense of discomfort. It was faint, but it felt as though there was a gap?? of sort¡­ Maybe this is what the doctor was talking about. ¡°¡®Heal¡¯¡± [Ryouma] In the process of healing the bruise, I visualized the image and casted healing magic. In the next moment, the bruise immediately vanished and the affected part returned to the normal color of the skin. I thought I would have to use healing magic twice, but I did it in just one try? Has my healing magic become more effective? After examining the patient again, I confirmed that nothing was amiss. I moved on to his broken arm and casted High Heal on it. I thought I would need to cast the spell thrice, but I only needed to cast the spell twice. ¡°Wow! I¡¯m feeling great!¡¡Thank you so much, Dr. Little!¡± [Amos] ¡°Take care of yourself now~¡± [Ryouma] I saw Amos-san off and turned to Dr. Mafral. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve started to get a knack for sensing mana bodies.¡± [Dr. Mafral] Dr. Mafral smiled. ¡°Was that what I felt earlier?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I couldn¡¯t possibly know what you felt, but based on the results, I suppose that¡¯s the case. Being able to sense the mana body and read the information will largely affect your skill in using healing magic. The spell you used on Amos-san was clearly much more effective than your healing magic before. But you¡¯re only at the starting point. Once you¡¯ve become proficient in reading mana bodies, you¡¯ll be able to connect severed limbs and even be able to instantly see through the abnormalities of a body.¡± [Dr. Mafral] What? So I can become some kind of human CT or a human x-ray? ¡°But of course, you¡¯ll need a lot of effort and time to reach that level. I myself have lived as long as a human¡¯s lifetime, and yet I still haven¡¯t reached that level. That¡¯s why instead of chasing after something like that, it¡¯s more important for you to not forget the feeling you learned just now. Go ahead and start treating your next patient. Ah, but of course, it would be best if your next patient will need healing magic. I¡¯ll pick one out for you, so please wait for a bit.¡± [Dr. Mafral] As Dr. Mafral said that, he left the examination room and secured a patient from the guards that needed healing magic. Like that I used my healing magic on the patients over and over. Dr. Mafral is usually calm and appropriate in his teachings, but with how practical his approach is to teaching, he might actually be the type to drive his students hard. Chapter 239.1 - Disquieting Movements and an Emergency Meeting (1/2) Chapter 239: Disquieting Movements and an Emergency Meeting (1/2) By the time it was afternoon, there were much fewer patients, so we residents started taking turns attending to the patients, and used the free time to study and exchange opinions. As for what we discussed¡­ The sports-minded Tint-san was interested in protein and training, while Hector-san, who specialized in medicine and poison, was interested in the topic of safer anesthetics and analgesics. As for Clarissa-san, she held a strong interest in nutritional supplements, so her inquiries mostly revolved around nutrients. They all cooperated with me according to their respective specialties. ¡°Thank you again for all the help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s interesting to us too. But enough of that, let¡¯s talk about that makeup remover we were talking about the other day.¡± [Isabel] The one who started this exchange of opinions was actually the beautiful doctor, Isabel-san. She¡¯s helping me out with cosmetology, the topic I fared worst with. When I visited the duke¡¯s family last time, I created a Bath Bomb and a Sugar Scrub, and because of that, the madam has started to hold expectations of me developing cosmetics. There¡¯s no pressure or anything, but I¡¯d still like to do my best to improve my studies in that direction. Isabel-san is a woman herself and she has an abundance of medical knowledge, so her help is indispensable. Occasionally, an emergency case would pop up, but most of our time at the hospital was peaceful. Since the hospital isn¡¯t struggling with its finances, it¡¯s good that it¡¯s not too busy. And then, evening came. While I was preparing to go home, the maid, Lilian-san, came. ¡°Ryouma-sama. Can I have a moment?¡± [Lilian] There was nothing else left to do but to go home, so I told her, ¡®sure¡¯, and she brought me to the meeting room. Inside were the people in charge of the security company, Hyuzu-san and Jill-san. The people in charge of the garbage processing plant, Zeff-san and Camil-san. As well as the people who¡¯ve been supporting me all this time, Lilian-san, of course, and Rurunez-san and Riviola-san as well. This was the usual line up of the people dispatched from the duke¡¯s family. ¡°Leelin-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good evening, Boss.¡± [Leelin] But on top of them, Leelin-san from the laundromat was here too. There weren¡¯t really any problems with her being here, but it was strange that she was the only person not from the duke¡¯s family here, and what¡¯s more is that I think this is the first time she¡¯s been here. For the meantime, I decided to take a seat and listen to what they had to say. The first one to speak was the leader-in-training, Hyuzu-san. ¡°Ryouma, since you¡¯re here, we can begin. We¡¯ll dispense with formalities and get straight to the point. The ¡®investigation¡¯ regarding that incident is already 80% done.¡± [Hyuzu] Ah, about that incident, huh. Hmm, 80 percent? ¡°We¡¯re just one step away from concluding our investigation. We would like to continue, but in the course of our investigation, we found someone acting strange. So I wanted to discuss how to deal with him.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Who is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°One of your laundromat¡¯s new guards, Yurdum.¡± [Hyuzu] Oh, him. ¡°Since Leelin-san is here, I take it that you¡¯ve already made progress with your investigations?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Leelin] ¡°So let me guess, at first you just wanted to confirm something at the start, right? But then it turned into something serious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, at first it was just dad¡¯s intuition. We didn¡¯t have any evidence, but you see, that guy really liked to leave the store when there was no work to be done.¡± [Leelin] ¡°But he¡¯s doing his job properly, right? Maybe he just wants to get some fresh air during break time? I know that¡¯s what I¡¯d do, maybe he¡¯s the same. Doesn¡¯t really sound that suspicious to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but I hear Leelin-san here and her dad used to work in the underworld. They must have a sense for this sort of stuff.¡± [Jill] When Jill-san said that, Leelin-san nodded. ¡°I was curious, so I followed him when he went out one day. I told him I wanted to go together with him and show him around town, and he was really happy.¡± [Leelin] ¡°Ahh¡­ I can imagine that.¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum-sam did always strike me as the frivolous sort when it came to women¡­ But thanks to that he¡¯s really friendly while working as a guard, and the children and housewives that visit the store are all praises for him. ¡°So, I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s guilty?¡± [Ryouma] As Leelin-san nodded, she turned to Rurunez-san. In her hands were several sheets of paper. His activates were probably written on those. ¡°At first, it seemed as though we really were just walking around town, but recently, it¡¯s become apparent that he¡¯s scouting the area. Moreover, the scope of his patrols always revolved around places you¡¯re related with, Ryouma-sama. He visited the hospital under the pretense of injuring himself when he fell, and he even inquired if he could visit the security company since he was interested in the training. We have testimonies from the employees.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°We know that he¡¯s visited the garbage processing plant, and we know that he¡¯s also dropped by the vicinity of the Children¡¯s Home according to the account of the children.¡± [Lilian] ¡°He loiters around the former slums you demolished, and he¡¯s spoken with the construction workers there too during their break.¡± [Zeff] ¡°The Land Readjustment Project may be going well, but it¡¯s still not normal for someone to frolic a place that once used to be the slums without any reason.¡± [Camil] ¡°Lastly, and this just happened recently, Fei-sama saw him leave once while being suspiciously vigilant of his surroundings. When Fei-sama followed him secretly, he saw him contact a man in some alley, and handed over something that looked like a letter to him.¡± [Riviola] After Rurunez-san spoke, Camil-san and Zeff-san provided more information. Riviola-san¡¯s opinion that he wasn¡¯t acting normal was sound too. Moreover, the scene of him handing over a letter¡­ ¡°Rurunez-san. With all that information, it appears that he really is poking around on someone¡¯s behalf.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, we¡¯re more or less certain about it at this point. But according to Leelin-san his work is too sloppy, and anyone in their line of work could easily see through him. He hasn¡¯t received training and is basically an amateur.¡± [Rurunez] Is that true? I turned to Leelin-san. ¡°Yes, I spoke with my dad too, so there¡¯s no mistaking it. He¡¯s merely receiving some kind of compensation and giving out information.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] To be honest, it hasn¡¯t been long since I met Yurdum-san. He has things he hasn¡¯t told me about, and I have things I¡¯ve been keeping from him too. I don¡¯t know if he¡¯s a pro or not, but it doesn¡¯t change the fact that his actions might cause problems for us. But¡­ When I think about how he¡¯s acted so far, he¡¯s never really struck me as the sort of guy to betray someone despite his poor personality. But then again, I¡¯m not confident in my ability to judge people either, so¡­ And what¡¯s more, Fei-san and Leelin-san insist that he¡¯s a spy. This line of work falls under their specialty, so their opinion means a lot. If so, then I doubt they¡¯re mistaken. They¡¯re not infallible, but the odds are low. There¡¯s enough evidence and I trust them too. There¡¯s no doubting their abilities either. ¡°So the problem now is how to deal with him, huh.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 239.2 - Disquieting Movements and an Emergency Meeting (2/2) Chapter 239: Disquieting Movements and an Emergency Meeting (2/2) ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s no doubt that Yurdum is leaking information, but there¡¯s not much point even if we arrest an amateur that¡¯s been blinded by greed. According to Fei-san, however, the person Yurdum was talking to was the real deal, so if we should be arresting someone, it should be that guy instead. But then a real spy will probably notice our movements and make a run for it the moment he gets a whiff of our attempt, so we need to be prudent.¡± [Jill] ¡°Do you know how much information has been leaked?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Based off Yurdum¡¯s movements so far, then it¡¯s probably just superficial information at most, the sort that anyone could find out. He hasn¡¯t gone anywhere where he could get anything confidential.¡± [Jill] According to Jill-san, although we were easily able to catch Yurdum leaking information, the information he¡¯s leaked so far isn¡¯t an issue to us. In fact, the information he¡¯s leaked is so irrelevant that it even involves information known publicly. Thats why, although it¡¯s a bit troublesome, we could leave him be and still be perfectly fine. We were able to trail him so easily that it was also unlikely that he was merely being used as bait. ¡°Whether we decide to arrest him or leave him be, we have to be thorough with our decision. So I¡¯d like to make it clear which option we¡¯re going with now.¡± [Hyuzu] Hyuzu-san muttered a few words, and the rest of the people participating in the meeting started voicing their opinions. After everyone else had given their opinion, four wanted to arrest Yurdum-san, while the other four wanted to leave him be. In the end, the one to decide was me. I thought about it for a little, then gave my thoughts. There were some difficulties, but after that, the meeting concluded. ¡°We¡¯ll execute the plan tomorrow evening. That¡¯s all. Dismissed.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Make sure that you carry out your respective preparations thoroughly.¡± [Jill] The next day. ¡°Please bring that table over here. As for the other one, please place it on the other side.¡± [Ryouma] First thing in the morning today, we¡¯re revising the interior design of the security company and the hospital. There are two reasons why we¡¯re doing this just now. First of all, until now, we¡¯ve been focusing purely on the hiring of laborers and the management of the company. When we started this company, we just quickly prepared everything to make sure that we could get everything started without any problems. As a result, thinking about minor stuff like the interior design of the hospital and the security company was put off for later. Now that the company is fully operational, we can now afford to better consider about the interior design of the company, starting with the reception desk that will be the face of th company and the waiting room of the hospital. And so¡­ ¡°Thank you so much for your help!¡± [Ryouma] What was formerly a tasteless room with nothing but a reception desk and some chairs was now furnished with a made-to-order wooden table. Moreover, there was even a giant aquarium that was made with hardening liquid sheets. There was also a smaller aquarium and table meant to partition the waiting area from the reception desk. After thanking the construction department and saw them off, it was time for me to work. ¡°First, water magic.¡± [Ryouma] I half-filled the giant aquarium with water, then I spread mud assimilated with mud-slimes at the bottom of the tank. Next, I arranged the scenery of the aquarium using aquatic weed slimes and stone slimes, then I put some shell slimes inside to inhabit the aquarium. As for the last step, I had to make sure to remove all the waste inside the aquarium to maintain the water quality. To that end, I put inside the Filter Slime and the recently evolved Aqua Slime. I caught the aqua slime back at Fatma Territory. It¡¯s a slime that likes water mana and possesses a water body. Most importantly, it¡¯s not a slime that uses water magic, but a slime that ¨C just like the blood slime ¨C possesses a liquid body. It feeds on water and it evolved after drinking a lot of water, and I mean a lot, much more so compared to the amount its fellow slimes drink. Just like the mud slime, the aqua slime possesses the Assimilate skill. Of course, the target of its Assimilate skill is none other than water. By having it act while in its assimilated form, I am able to create a water current inside the aquarium, and by passing that water current through the filter slime, the water can be filtered. And voila! Just like that I was able to create a simple filtration system that relies on slimes. By the way, I also have some ¡®Water Slimes¡¯ under me. I managed to catch them from Fatma Territory too, and they too love water. But this is this and that is that. ¡°Next, I need to completely fill it up with water¡ª¡± [Ryouma] After completing one aquarium, I moved on to the next. It would be boring to make all the aquariums the same, so I made some changes to the arrangement and type of water plants, stones, and I even changed the stuff I laid at the bottom of the aquarium. As I immersed myself in my work, before long, it was time for the finishing touches. ¡°Like this and like that¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, it¡¯s almost lunch time.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Ah, is that the time already?¡± [Ryouma] I only noticed the time when Lilian-san pointed it out. Recently, time has been passing really quickly for me. But that¡¯s only natural, after all, even though I¡¯m technically working, I¡¯m only doing things that I enjoy. ¡°This is the last part. It won¡¯t take long. We¡¯ll have lunch afterwards.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Understood. By the way, the pots you ordered came.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Please put them somewhere that won¡¯t get in the way. In the afternoon, I¡¯ll plant some weed slime in those pots. As for how to arrange the pots in the building, I¡¯ll leave that to you. I think it¡¯ll be enough if we have one per room.¡± [Ryouma] And with that everything was complete. At a glance, these might only look like some decorative plants and aquariums, but in truth, they¡¯re slimes. With these little critters around, we¡¯ll be able to grasp the movements of everyone inside the building. Yes, in other words, this is a slime security system. And then in order to keep prey that find their way inside the building from running, we need to set some traps. After working on those too, it was finally evening. The sun had set as quickly as it rose, and I found myself standing in the courtyard. I was already outside the building, but it wasn¡¯t cold at all thanks to the anti-cold barrier that¡¯s been erected here. There¡¯s also ample lighting thanks to the evenly spaced light fixtures. And the ground was a nice soft lawn that¡¯s been trimmed, so even if someone falls to the ground here, the impact can be mitigated. It was within a courtyard like that that¡ª ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting, Boss.¡± [Yurdum] ¡ªI confronted Yurdum-san. Chapter 240.1 - Sparring With Yurdum-san (1/2) ¡°Sorry to call you out here so suddenly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. So long as it¡¯s for combat training, I¡¯ll accompany you anytime.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san is a martial artist on a journey to perfect his martial arts. We¡¯ve previously agreed to have a match between ourselves one day, although it was just a spoken promise and nothing written. Regardless, while I don¡¯t know if his story of being on a martial arts journey is just something he came up with in order to get into our ranks, it¡¯s a good opportunity, so I decided to call him out here to accompany me in a simple spar. Right now we¡¯re facing each other in our normal outfits without any weapons. ¡­But of course, my normal outfit includes an anti-knife inner shirt made from durable sticky slime thread, a hidden iron slime weapon inside my belt, and a pair of safety boots. In other words, a full line up that will allow me to act no matter the circumstance. ¡°Weapons are prohibited, and so are offensive and defensive spells, but Ki and strengthening magic are fair game. Are you okay with these rules?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds fair to me. Let¡¯s go with those.¡± [Yurdum] As I swayed my body and assumed stance, his answer came. Standing three meters away from me, he extended his two fists and assumed stance. His stance resembled boxing at first glance, but the distance between his feet was wide and they were planted firmly to the ground. ¡°Begin!¡± [Ryouma] As soon as the signal was given, he immediately closed in on me and attacked without weakening his momentum. But I couldn¡¯t feel any mana or Ki from him. Strengthening Magic was permitted, and yet he¡¯s not using it? Is he trying to test me or is he holding back? Or at least that¡¯s what I thought at first, but¡­ ¡°That¡¯s not an attack you¡¯d use against a kid¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from the guy dodging it so easily!¡± [Yurdum] Huh, he¡¯s just like the martial artists I saw on television back in my previous life. He has both speed and power. He threw punches at me one after another, and gradually increased the rotation and made his combination even more complicated. To be more precise, he would attack by throwing a punch at my face, then stepping back just enough so that I can¡¯t reach him, then he would bring back his fist and close in on me again. After that he would send out his left fist in conjunction with his returning right fist to switch to a stance with his left hand protruding out. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] By taking advantage of even the intervals between his consecutive attacks, he¡¯s able to attack and intercept attacks at the same time. And whenever his hands can¡¯t make it in time to defend, he would just calmly jump back. After that we continued to exchange blows a little longer. When one side pushed, the other would push back. Sometimes we¡¯d throw kicks too, but only sometimes. He never made any big moves that would leave him open. You could say that his fighting style is plain, but you could also say that it¡¯s solid. What kind of technique will he use to attack?¡¡How will I receive it and how should I respond to it? As the battle reached that stage, it was then¡­ ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] ¡­That Yurdum-san¡¯s movements suddenly changed. He dropped his waist a little lower and opened his fists. Then in the next moment, he leaped at me like a beast. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] He took me so suddenly that before I knew it I¡¯d reflexively grabbed his hands, bringing us into a situation akin to that to that of two wrestlers holding hands. Without a moment¡¯s delay, he took advantage of his bigger stature to try and crush me from above, but I relaxed my strength and took a step back, then as I gently received his push, I twisted his hand so that his wrist and elbow would point up, and at the same time, quickly slipped under him. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] A pity. Just a little bit more, and I would have been able to bring his joints to their limit, but right at the last moment, Yurdum-san broke free and jumped back. ¡°¡­I was seriously trying to pin you down, though.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I know how to receive and throw too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad to have you here with me tonight. Really.¡± [Yurdum] As he said that, the atmosphere about him changed. As though synchronizing with his deep breath, I felt the energy of the flesh, the Ki, wrap around him. I too clad my body in Ki, and when Yurdum-san saw that, he smiled. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Yurdum] From then on Yurdum-san¡¯s movements could only be described as a phantasmagoric. Sometimes we would exchange blows, sometimes we would grapple, and sometimes we would exchange blows in the gaps between our grapples. A variety of techniques and an assortment of combinations. Dealing with it his attacks was really fun and interesting. And the fact that he¡¯s able to utilize so many different techniques just goes to show that he¡¯s been training for a long time. At the very least, I don¡¯t think he was just lying about his journey and his passion. If so, then I should give him the respect he deserves and fight him at full strength. Sometimes, when he catches my arms, I would intentionally sink my whole body to break his stance. Sometimes, when he lands a low kick on one of my legs, I would catch his leg too to trip him. I made full use of the techniques I learned in my past life. As a result, Yurdum-san was flung off, thrown, and tumbled to the ground countless times. But not once did the light in his eyes weaken and neither did his movements stop. Moreover¡ª ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] When we exchanged blows one time and we separated from each other, in the next moment, I felt the presence coming from his fists grow stronger, and an attack that shouldn¡¯t have reached??????? managed to land on my shoulders. It wasn¡¯t that strong or painful, but the fact that I ¡®got hit¡¯ by an attack that shouldn¡¯t have reached me shocked me and created an opening. Of course, he wouldn¡¯t let an opportunity such as that go, and in the next moment, he tried to grapple me into the ground. Fortunately, I immediately responded with an overhead judo throw to escape, but that strange attack had me concerned. As we continued our spar, it became apparent that the attack he pulled off earlier was a manga-esque ki-bullet-like ability that throws ki at a target. That got me even more heated up, and before I knew it, I too had lost myself in our spar. Chapter 240.2 - Sparring With Yurdum-san (2/2) In the end, Yurdum-san ran out of stamina. Apparently, techniques that use Ki consume more stamina than just strengthening one¡¯s body. At first, there were no problems, but near the end of our spar, Yurdum-san¡¯s movement got worse every time he attacked. Before long, Yurdum-san was on his knees and he announced his surrender. After that he laid on his back and looked up at the night sky. Despite losing, I can tell from the smile on his face that he¡¯s happy to have been able to use all of his strength. ¡°Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] With Yurdum-san breathing heavily on the ground, I opened my Item Box and provided him a clean towel and a drink. ¡°There¡¯s an anti-cold barrier here, but you¡¯ll still catch a cold if you don¡¯t wipe yourself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Thanks.¡± [Yurdum] He took a few seconds to process what I was saying, but he took my towel to wipe himself and emptied the glass I offered him. He probably just spaced out because he¡¯s so tired. ¡°Puha!¡¡That¡¯s some good stuff!¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a glass for myself and filled it with the same drink. Training with Yurdum-san was good training for me too¡­ The fragrance of the citrus fruit juice was pleasantly refreshing. One more! I poured Yurdum-san another glass, and after hydrating himself sufficiently, he gradually recovered himself. ¡°You okay now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°More or less.¡± [Yurdum] Upon saying that, his expression suddenly became serious as he bowed his head. ¡°Thank you so much for today. I can¡¯t express it in words all that well, but thanks to you I was able to gain an important experience.¡± [Yurdum] From the way he spoke and acted, I could feel his respect as a martial artist who¡¯s acknowledged another. ¡°Likewise. It was a good experience for me too. Especially that technique that used Ki. It was my first time seeing one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡If you gained something too, then nothing could be better.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°If you¡¯d like we could train together regularly.¡¡I¡¯d love to learn more about Ki Techniques.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯d love to!¡¡I have a lot of things I wanted to study too, for example¡ª¡± [Yurdum] In the blink of an eye, Yurdum-san was back to that light-hearted personality of his, but his passion for martial arts burned as fierce as ever. For a while, we spoke about the things we wanted to learn about. Yurdum-san even wanted to become my disciple just to learn, but he figured I probably wasn¡¯t the sort of person to have disciples, so it would be great if we could exchange knowledge. Apparently, this wasn¡¯t something that commonly happened. Because¡­ ¡°Boss, to martial artists their technique is their livelihood. That¡¯s why they normally won¡¯t teach someone who isn¡¯t their disciple.¡± [Yurdum] The Adventurers Guild would teach anyone skills, but that¡¯s in order to raise the survival rate of adventurers and the success rate of jobs, and even then they only teach the basics. Instructors and senior adventurers might teach a bit more than the basics to hopeful students or students that they like, but they almost never share secret techniques or anything of the like. Actually, that was true in Earth too once upon a time. There were many schools that even prohibited taking their techniques outside or competing with other schools to keep everything to themselves. Some schools even require a blood certificate before beginning training. Also, expecting that other people might see their training, they prepare perfunctory forms that¡¯s different from the forms they teach their disciples, separate the teachings, and only by combining everything can the complete technique be learned. The lengths the people in the past went just to prevent any leak in information was so profound that there would be no end to it if I tried to enumerate them all. But that just goes to show just how seriously the people back then took the passing of their techniques and keeping them a secret. ¡­When looked at from that perspective, being able to get an introduction to most martial art schools with a few clicks, and even get a thorough explanation on their various forms and techniques, is basically cheating. There are even videos too. I understand where Yurdum-san is coming from. But in the end, my thoughts incline more toward that of a modern man. ¡°Ah, but I was just informing you that. As far as I¡¯m concerned, nothing could be better than to learn from each other, and it¡¯s not like there aren¡¯t any schools that share their techniques openly.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Alright then!¡¡¡­Oh.¡± [Ryouma ¡°Something the matter?¡± [Yurdum Oops¡­ I forgot about the original purpose of bringing him here¡­ ¡°Yurdum-san. I completely forgot about it, but actually, today, I needed you to come here for a reason other than training too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is it?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like to ask.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ask?¡¡As long as it¡¯s something that I can answer.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Great. Then if you don¡¯t mind my asking, Yurdum-san, have you been leaking information somewhere?¡¡To someone?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°*Cough!?¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san choked on his juice when I asked him that question. ¡°How do you know that?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°As you might be aware, the worsening public order in Gimuru is a scheme done by some people. To be more precise, it¡¯s the work of the subordinates of nobles hostile to the duke. So we¡¯ve spread out a net to catch the people executing these schemes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And I just happen to be caught in that net?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Right, but to be honest, we¡¯re more interested in your partner than you, oh, and by partner, I mean the person you leaked the information to.¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum-san quickly relaxed when he heard that. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because he¡¯s guilty or regretful, but he made an expression that looked like he was bracing himself. ¡°Umm, you look like you¡¯re bracing yourself for something, but I think you¡¯re misunderstanding the situation.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°To be honest, there was a proposal to arrest you immediately,¡¡but there was something bothering me personally, so I requested that an opportunity for us to talk directly be made. So our spar was actually a pretext for us to talk, unfortunately I lost myself in the moment¡­ Sorry.¡± [Ryouma] That apology was directed to a small owl. It was standing at the roof and was looking down at me and Yurdum-san. It was the familiar of the maid, Lilian-san. I also only found out that Lilian-san was a monster tamer yesterday. ¡°It¡¯s true that I¡¯m leaking information, though. Why go through all this trouble?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, yes. We¡¯ve confirmed that you¡¯re leaking information, and I trust the source of this confirmation, so I¡¯m not doubting its veracity. But we don¡¯t know where the information is being sent, so it doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re necessarily an enemy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That may be true, but from the moment I started leaking information, I would normally be branded as an enemy.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s why it was so hard to persuade everyone yesterday. We had to take precautions, Lilian-san¡¯s familiar is one, and the slime security system that we worked on the whole morning is another. I came fully equipped too despite my normal outfit, well, almost fully equipped. There¡¯s also a trick behind this courtyard, and I can escape anytime with my Dimension Magic. Once activated, Hyuzu-san¡¯s group and my security company¡¯s instructors will immediately enter the fray. ¡°Only when all of these precautions were made did they finally give me the permission to talk to you personally. Everyone was reluctant until the end, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I know it¡¯s strange coming from me, but honestly, that¡¯s normal. Why would you go so far?¡± [Yurdum] Honestly, that¡¯s a hard question for me to answer. ¡°I haven¡¯t interacted with you that long, but you never really struck me as an enemy. So, in other words, because my ¡®intuition¡¯ said so. Recently, I¡¯ve been advised by some people that I think too much, and that I should trust my intuition more often.¡± [Ryouma] But to be honest, I¡¯m not confident at all. It¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t think he was an enemy, but when I think about I can¡¯t help but wonder if I¡¯m not just looking for excuses because I want to believe he¡¯s not an enemy. ¡°Anyway!¡¡I don¡¯t know why either, but I trust my guts! So I created this situation so we can talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s such an absurd reasoning, Boss¡­¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Everyone said so too, they even looked at me with gazes filled with various emotions. I¡¯m sorry to worry them so much, but I¡¯m not giving way this time.¡± [Ryouma] Don¡¯t look down on my mental strength that¡¯s been tempered in my past life! Sometimes you need to be shameless too in order to survive at a black company! ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to hear you out as soon as possible. Although I said not to worry about them, everyone¡¯s too worried right now. Being fidgety for so long, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if they just ran out without waiting for a signal. So hurry up and spill the beans, Yurdum-san!¡± [Ryouma] No seriously, I¡¯ve made everyone wait for so long, so please hurry up and talk! ¡°Alright, alright, I got it, so you don¡¯t need to pressure me like that!¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san sighed and asked where he should start. ¡°As I¡¯ve said, if you could start with your employer or where you¡¯re sending your information to, that would be great.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, in that case, that¡¯s simple. The person I¡¯m leaking the information to is¡ª¡± [Yurdum] For a moment, when he said the name, or rather, the job of his employer, I doubted my ears. ¡°Sorry, can you repeat that? Where was the information being leaked to again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Elias De Rifall, His Majesty, the king of this country.¡± [Yurdum] Chapter 241.1 - Yurdum’s Circumstances (1/2) Side: Yurdum When I said that I sent the information to His Majesty, the boss asked me to repeat myself. ¡°His Majesty? So does that mean that your this country¡¯s¡­?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, although there are organizations like that, I¡¯m just the king¡¯s personal errand-runner.¡± [Yurdum] After that I told the boss that it would take a long time to explain everything, but he just said that he didn¡¯t mind. I¡¯m not trying to stretch things out, but it really would take a lot of time, so I¡¯m glad that he doesn¡¯t mind. After all, my story starts from all the way back to my school days before graduation. ¡°At the time, I was always fighting with my dad. He was against my fixation on martial arts and my desire to go on a journey to temper myself¡­ I¡¯ve told you a little about my circumstances before, right?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°If I recall correctly, your family has been serving as imperial court gardeners for generations.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you remember that, then that¡¯s good enough. So anyway, as the days went on and my dad and I were always quarreling, one day, my dad called me to his workplace.¡± [Yurdum] I was a lot younger back then and had a really short fuse, so I got mad. I thought he called me all the way to the garden of the royal palace just so he could show me how much better being an imperial court gardener was than chasing after my martial arts. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to go, but I felt like if I stood him up, I¡¯d be running away, so I went along obediently, and to my surprise, His Majesty was there. That was when I found out for the first time that my dad and His Majesty went a long way back, and became close friends when my dad was just an apprentice. When he heard from my dad that I wanted to go on a journey to temper my martial arts, he thought it was quite convenient.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Convenient, how?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The king gets a lot of information about the kingdom everyday, and these information usually comes in the form of a report. But these reports go through a lot of hands and eyes before reaching the king, and anything that is deemed unworthy of the king¡¯s attention is removed. Unfortunately, this can¡¯t be helped since otherwise there would be just too much information for the king to handle, but at the same time, the king also wanted some unadulterated information. He wanted to hear ¡®the unadulterated voice of the people¡¯, he said.¡± [Yurdum] His Majesty is actually known among the nobles for being too??? uninhibited. In fact, the reason why he came to be acquainted with my dad was because in his childhood days he would frequently run away from his tutor and hide in the garden. He also liked to hide his identity and take a walk in the city. ¡°So that¡¯s the kind of person the king is. And the relationship between you and your dad too¡­ No wonder you called yourself the king¡¯s ¡®personal errand-runner¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Ever since His Majesty became king, it¡¯s become a lot harder for him to leave the palace, but of course, that¡¯s only a given. Anyway, that¡¯s where I come in. The roads I use, the towns I stay at¡­ I gather information about these places and send them to His Majesty regularly. In exchange, he convinced my dad to let me go on my journey.¡± Also¡­ ¡°The information I send needs to be the kind of information that a normal traveler can get. So the atmosphere of the town when you take a walk, your everyday gossips¡­ These are usually the ones I go for. Nothing like the kind of intelligence gathering you were probably thinking about. That kind of stuff that goes deep, that¡¯s a job for actual organizations, mine is just skin-deep, so to speak.¡± [Yurdum] After I said that, the boss seemed to have understood something. I wanted to ask him what he understood, but he asked another question before I could. ¡°Why did you choose to stay at ¡®our laundromat¡¯?¡¡If my memory serves me right, the reason was because you helped Shelma-san and then she introduced you to our laundromat, and also because it¡¯s convenient for you to earn your traveling expenses, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that one is really just a coincidence. Although coming to Gimuru was an order from the king, happening into a troubled woman was purely a coincidence. The public order in the city didn¡¯t seem good, so I decided to escort her back. The part about traveling expenses is also true. As I¡¯ve said earlier, the only thing I get in exchange for my deal with the king is him convincing my dad to let me go. So, yeah, I¡¯m not getting paid for this.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, actually, His Majesty did say he would give me some cash, but my dad rejected it. When we were talking about my renumeration, my dad and I argued a bit, but in the end, the entire point of my journey is to temper myself. And being able to support myself is a part of that, so if I had to smooch off of the king just to support my journey, well, there¡¯s no meaning to it anymore, is there? Or at least that¡¯s what my dad said, anyway.¡± [Yurdum] Makes sense. ¡°But in exchange, the king did give me free reign in choosing my destination and the routes I¡¯ll be using. It¡¯s actually the first time that the king asked me to go to a specific city. Also, normally I¡¯d write the information I¡¯ve gathered into a letter and send it by post to my dad, but this time, someone was actually dispatched to the city to pick up my report. I got a reply once, so either that guy or one of his colleagues is a dimension mage, and they¡¯re bringing the information back to the king.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°So they¡¯re putting more effort into your investigations this time¡­ Can you tell me the reason for that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently, the rumor that the public order in the Jamil Duchy has been worsening has spread among the nobles, and even His Majesty has gotten wind of it¡­¡± [Yurdum] While I was explaining, the boss¡¯s expression turned grave, and a quiet but disquieting aura emanated from him. ¡°That rumor has really grown some wings, hasn¡¯t it? I also got wind of it over in Fatma Territory, that¡¯s why I hurried back.¡± [Ryouma] Ah, come to think of it, he was a lot more terrifying when we first met. I¡¯m not trying to curry favor or anything, but¡­ ¡°It¡¯s normal for rumors of failures or injustice to spread quickly among the nobles. All the more so if the rumors are true.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°So it¡¯s okay to just come up with rumors, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Yurdum] The boss sure is quick on the uptake¡­ But why are his eyes dead all of the sudden? Is he okay? Chapter 241.2 - Yurdum’s Circumstances (2/2) Chapter 241.2 : Yurdum¡¯s Circumstances (2/2) ¡°Boss?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, sorry. I was just thinking. Anyway, next question. So your main job is to gather information about the condition of the town, but according to my sources, you¡¯ve been gathering information about me. What¡¯s up with that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, but let me explain.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] So I told the boss what¡¯s been on my mind ever since I started investigating him. I told him my most sincere feeling in the rawest form. ¡°Boss, you overdo everything, like seriously!¡± [Yurdum] It¡¯s true that my job is to see how the town is doing and to gather information, no lie about that, but! ¡°Everywhere I go, the topic is always about you, Boss! Everyone¡¯s talking about you! There¡¯s no way I could avoid investigating you then, is there?¡± [Yurdum] When I asked people if there was anything troubling them in the city, they talked about the jobless laborers, the deteriorating public order¡­ After that the topic moved to do security company, the garbage processing plant, and the reconstruction of the slums¡­ All of which, the boss initiated. And then they started gossiping about how the boss was close with the duke, about his ridiculous magic, about the absurd number of slimes he¡¯s raising. In the end, they even started talking about stuff I never even asked about in the first place, like where the boss is and what he¡¯s doing. ¡°At that point, it wasn¡¯t an investigation anymore. It was a confirmation of publicly known facts! No matter where I went, I couldn¡¯t get any rumors other than what I got from that aunt in the greengrocer next door! What¡¯s with that, seriously! I know I¡¯ve been leaking information, so I don¡¯t really have the right to say this, but don¡¯t you guys care about controlling the information at all!?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, yeah, I figured that would be the case¡­ I have no excuses¡­¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, the boss was aware that he¡¯s been catching too much attention too. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions. That¡¯s all I wanted to ask. Wait, actually, there¡¯s one more. It¡¯s a bit late to be asking this, but are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to talk about your circumstances so openly?¡¡You haven¡¯t resisted at all, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I just think being honest here is for the best.¡± [Yurdum] It¡¯s common knowledge among the nobles that the Jamil family and the royal family have a close relationship. Especially, the current head of the Jamil family. Besides, the veracity of the things I said can easily be confirmed. My duty to the king hasn¡¯t been made public, but it¡¯s not so important that steps have been taken to hide it. ¡°The moment you invited me to come here, I already had no place to run. Coming up with a half-assed lie would just make my situation worse.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I see. Thank you for your cooperation.¡± [Ryouma] As the boss said that, he waved both of his hands. In the next moment, doors from every direction of the garden opened, and armed men appeared. For a moment, I thought I was going to be apprehended. ¡°Yurdum-sama, there¡¯s no need to be so tense. As long as you behave, we won¡¯t treat you poorly.¡± [Woman] The calm voice of a woman resounded in the garden. If my memory serves me right, this voice belongs to the maid who led me here, Rurunez-san. I remembered her name as soon as I saw her standing behind the armed men. Just as she said, although the armed men surrounded us, they didn¡¯t do anything. ¡°Just to be safe, we made it so that we would all also be able to listen in on your conversation.¡± [Rurunez] ¡°That¡¯s how it is. So, what did you think of our little talk then?¡± [Ryouma] The boss politely bowed to me, and then he asked that question to the people surrounding us. The one who answered him was the man standing close to him. I¡¯ve seen him many times before. He¡¯s one of those people supposedly sent by the duke. ¡°At the very least, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason to apprehend him. Also, you got into that spar a little too much. You enjoyed yourself so much, that we actually let our guard down.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, all is well that ends well. As for what you two talked about¡­ Jill.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°His Majesty¡¯s name can¡¯t be given lightly. Giving his name without permission can by itself become a crime. Of course, it also depends on the situation¡­ But if he were proven to be lying just now, it will definitely be treated as a crime. If word of that were to get out, his family¡¯s name won¡¯t come out unscathed. In many cases, a noble who¡¯s committed such a crime would be abandoned by his family or the family would request for an especially harsh punishment. In that regard, the crime of being blinded by greed is still much better off.¡± [Jill] The man called Jill seemed to be saying something. ¡°But it would probably be better if we did this after confirming the veracity of his story. Now then, Yurdum-dono. We¡¯ll have you come with us. Just as Ryouma requested, we have given you two an opportunity to talk and we¡¯ve observed your conduct during it. As such, we¡¯ve judged you to be much less dangerous than previously thought. That being said, we can¡¯t release you just yet. We need to talk in another room and get the specifics sorted out. Do I have your understanding?¡± [Jill] ¡°Of course.¡± [Yurdum] It felt like he wasn¡¯t really giving me a choice, but given my situation, that¡¯s quite normal. When I showed him I was willing to cooperate, he nodded and showed me inside. ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you then, Yurdum-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, Boss. Thank you. I had a lot of fun today. And thank you for going out of your way to confirm things with me.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. I¡¯m the one who wanted to confirm the situation. See you tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] After parting with the boss, I started wondering what would happen to me next.¡¡In the mean time, the armed men escorted me. Along the way, that guy called Hyuzu spoke to me. ¡°What¡¯s with the weird face? Are you regretting it?¡± [Hyuzu] Was I making a weird face? ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± [Yurdum] I¡¯m the one who accepted the job of sending information back to the king. It may have been nothing more than some trivial gossips, but I still felt proud as a noble working for the king. Besides, it was because I accepted that job that I could live my life the way I do now. That¡¯s why I¡¯m not regretting it. But¡­ ¡°I had a lot fun sparring with the boss. Unfortunately, this result is completely my fault.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You said you weren¡¯t lying about the purpose of your journey and the both of you really did seem to be having fun.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°As someone who had to hide while watching the whole thing, I can¡¯t really say I care.¡± [Jill] ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Jill.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°I was against this whole thing from the start! Our first priority should have been Ryouma¡¯s safety. I can¡¯t believe we left the two of them alone like that¡­ If we were mistaken about Yurdum-dono, Ryouma might¡¯ve been taken hostage already!¡± [Jill] Ha ha ha, it really was careless when you look at it from their perspective. They have my sympathy. But¡­ ¡°Maybe it was because it was me that the boss wasn¡¯t too worried?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I know Ryouma is amazing for his age, but unexpected things happen.¡± [Jill] ¡­This one might sound a bit harsh, but I think he¡¯s actually just overprotective¡­ ¡°Boss was a lot stronger than I thought he was, actually.¡± [Yurdum] I¡¯m someone who¡¯s wholeheartedly pursuing the path of martial arts. I even went on a journey just to temper myself. I know I¡¯m still a novice, but I¡¯ve gotten plenty of experience and have many losses and victories under my belt. There¡¯s a confidence and pride from all that experience. And yet despite going at him at full strength, he was able to stop me magnificently. It was almost like an adult and a child fighting. I could feel the many years of training from his techniques, but beyond that, was the skill to be able to apply those techniques in a match. He trained so much that he was able to acquire that level of skill. And whenever I received one of his techniques or one of his blows, I felt that in the form of a ¡®weight¡¯. He never felt like a child to me, but at the end of that match, the boy before me didn¡¯t look like a kid at all. What was there was a human. An existence that has repeatedly polished his own techniques for many decades. It just so happened that that existence had taken the form of a child. What am I saying. None of these makes sense. I must still be tired. My head isn¡¯t working right. But even then, it felt strange. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t hesitate to acknowledge my loss. I didn¡¯t even hesitate to bow my head, and the words that came in the end were said naturally. Meeting someone like him is the goal of my journey, so nothing could be more fortuitous. Still, the boss sure is loved by the duke and his subordinates, huh. I don¡¯t know what kind of treatment I¡¯ll be receiving after this. But I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fired from the laundromat. I probably won¡¯t be able to approach them anymore since I leaked information. Besides, getting involved with any problem related to the nobles is problematic regardless of the involvement of the duke. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose my life, but I should expect to be imprisoned. ¡­Seriously, just what is going to happen to me? While I was thinking that, the next day came. ¡°Good morning. Hmm?¡¡Did I not get some sleep last night?¡± [Yurdum] I spent the night in a room in the security company, then after having breakfast, I was brought to another room where the boss was waiting. He was waiting there as though nothing had happened, as though nothing could be more natural. And then¡­ ¡°Yurdum-san, this is a bit sudden, but we¡¯ll be changing your position. For the time being, you won¡¯t be working as a guard of the laundromat anymore. You¡¯ll be working as my guard instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­What? Chapter 242 - Escort and Advice ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± [Yurdum] After rendezvousing in the morning and informing Yurdum-san of his fate, he became utterly confused. As Yurdum-san voiced out his doubts, he turned to me, and then to Jill-san, and then started looking alternatingly between our faces. He seemed to be looking for an explanation, so I gave him a simple one. ¡°Based off yesterday¡¯s events ¨C and not just our discussion, but also the interrogation ¨C we¡¯ve judged that you¡¯re most likely ¡®not our enemy¡¯, and that you ¡®don¡¯t have any intentions of harming me.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s still tentative. We¡¯re contacting His Grace, who is currently at the imperial capital, for confirmation. Surely, Reinhart-sama will be able to confirm about your matter with the king.¡± [Jill] ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. It¡¯ll be some time before the results fully come out. But it wouldn¡¯t really be beneficial for either of us if we were to keep you locked up until then, don¡¯t you think?¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum-san wouldn¡¯t be able to move freely while he¡¯s locked up. So not only will the brilliant employee I employed not be able to work, I would also have to spend effort keeping him locked up. ¡°That¡¯s true, but I still investigated you and leaked information¡­¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Indeed, which is why you won¡¯t be working at the laundromat or the other new facilities, instead, you¡¯ll be working under my supervision. As for my safety, as I¡¯ve mentioned earlier, we¡¯ve already judged that you don¡¯t mean me any harm,¡± [Ryouma] After saying that, Yurdum-san turned to Jill-san with a look that seemed to be asking if we were serious. ¡°It¡¯s true that we¡¯re lacking hands, but the biggest reason is because Ryouma asked for it.¡± [Jill] ¡°Your identity wasn¡¯t a lie, so we can at least show you that much trust. Leaving such a brilliant person lying around despite that would be too wasteful. Especially, our current situation. In fact, I wouldn¡¯t even mind if your liaison worked with us too, but understandably, everyone shot down the idea.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course they would!¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I really don¡¯t mind. We¡¯re not doing anything bad anyway. I mean, I even went out of my way to obey the laws and do everything peacefully¡­¡± [Ryouma] If I were to really ignore the law, I could wrap this whole mess up really quickly. In fact, I would¡¯ve been able to round up all those suspicious guys during that meeting right there and then. I¡¯m referring to Wanz and his followers, of course. ¡°Boss, you¡¯re making an evil face.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Oops, my bad. Anyway, it¡¯s already been decided, so let¡¯s get along.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ve advised him so many times already, but he¡¯s just too persistent. In the end, we decided to just give in. Just consider it your good luck.¡± [Jill] Of the two adults, one made a somber face, while the other was confused, but regardless, the matter was settled, so it was time to go to work. ¡°¡­So, now that I¡¯ve been released, what will we be doing, Boss?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°From noon onwards, I have a meeting with the guild master and the others at the merchant guild. Until then, we¡¯ll be walking around, taking a look around the various related places. How are you feeling? We¡¯ll be walking quite a bit, you see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My head is still confused, but my body is fine. I¡¯ll be sure to protect you with all of my strength, Boss. I mean, that seems like a much better idea than trying to think about all sorts of stuff right now.¡± [Yurdum] Good. Looks like he¡¯s not bothered about what happened anymore. Although he¡¯s my guard, it¡¯s not good to be too stiff, so we talked while walking. ¡°I¡¯m counting on you. By the way, I heard from Jill-san that you were a really brilliant student. I heard you were a part of the ¡®Knight Course¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, you heard about that, did you? It¡¯s not really something I enjoy remembering, but¡­ me not wanting to inherit our family¡¯s line of work that¡¯s been continuing for generations goes way before I decided to walk down the path of martial arts. That being the case, I¡¯ve been told to produce enough results to be able to succeed in life on my own¡­¡± [Yurdum] ¡°But even then, I hear that wasn¡¯t a place a person could get to without serious effort.¡± [Ryouma] According to Jill-san, the Academy of the Imperial Capital offers a great variety of courses, so it¡¯s possible for the students to receive training according to their personal goals. Moreover, basically anyone could complete a course as long as they could cover the fees for the class, attend the required subjects, and pass the exams. But the Knight Course that Yurdum-san was part of was a bit special, and it was exceedingly difficult just to get the qualifications to sign up for it. ¡°Apparently, you need to be from a noble family, and then you also need to have taken up etiquettes, basic subjects, history, magic, and so on¡­ Moreover, on top of practical skill in magic, combat, and various weapons arts, one¡¯s appearance is also graded, and only by having high grades in everything can one gain the qualifications to enter the course.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm, well, it is a class for people aiming to become the knights that will protect the royal family and the country in the future. It certainly demands a lot from its students. Moreover, even if you¡¯re able to qualiy for the course, only the top 30 qualified applicants can enter the Knight Course. Life after enrolling isn¡¯t easy either. If you can¡¯t keep up with the lessons, you¡¯ll lose your qualification. If someone with the qualification is able to achieve the same results, they will compete for the position. That continues all the way until graduation.¡± [Yurdum] A harsh environment that made it hard just to remain. A super harsh curriculum that demanded the best because the students were nobles. But in exchange, if one could remain in the Knight Course until graduation, it is without a doubt the shortest route to becoming an imperial guard ¨C those in charge of protecting the royal family ¨C or an important office within the knights or the national army. A super difficult elite course. That was the place known as the Knight Course. Surely, it wouldn¡¯t be possible to enter a place like that just by being a somewhat bright student, but for some reason, Yurdum-san¡¯s expression was stiff. ¡°It¡¯s true that I did my best, but¡­¡± [Yurdum] And his words were evasive. ¡°Is it something hard to say?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It wasn¡¯t really something I would mention. Most people would be shocked when they heard it, and when I said it to my classmates in the knight course, for a moment, I thought they were going to gang up on me and kill me.¡± [Yurdum] Hmm. What to do? I didn¡¯t have any intention of pursuing the topic any further if it was something he was uncomfortable with, but now I¡¯m curious. ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not really that big of a deal. I mean it is true that I did my best to enter the Knight Course back then, and of course, my parents told me to keep my grades up too, and I was also thinking about my future to some extent, but the biggest reason why I got there was because¡­ ¡®I thought it would make me popular with girls¡¯.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san laughed awkwardly, but upon hearing that¡­ ¡°I see, that sounds just like you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s all fine if you don¡¯t think badly of me, but uh, do I really seem that flirty to you?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I don¡¯t know about flirty, but you¡¯ve always struck me as someone really used to women. Even with your job at the laundromat, I heard you had a good reputation among the women. Personally, I thought of it as a good thing.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. Besides, aren¡¯t marriage partners important to nobles?¡¡This might be a bit prejudiced of me, and I¡¯m not sure if I should say that there are a lot of realistic women, but there are definitely a lot who consider the future prospects of their partner, such as his lineage or wealth. So if someone is lacking in a certain regard or have no prospects, they won¡¯t entertain him anymore or won¡¯t include him among their candidates¡­ I mean, that is a thing, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it varies from person to person, but there are certainly people who are ridiculously strict in that regard.¡± [Yurdum] in that case, Yurdum-san wasn¡¯t wrong to enter the Knight Course. Besides, it sounds like he started wanting to walk the path of martial arts when graduation was approaching. It makes sense for him to want to confirm first if he really wants to become a knight or go down a different road. There should be plenty of roads to the future, after all. Marriage is also one one of those. ¡°You entered the Knight Course that has good prospects, and you may have done so because ¡®you wanted to become popular with women,¡¯ but regardless, you still put a lot of effort, and if you consider your future marriage, then I don¡¯t think you¡¯re wrong at allI think your decision is respectable and the efforts you¡¯ve made, genuine.¡± [Ryouma] Upon saying that, I realized that Yurdum-san¡¯s eyes were opened wide. ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh, that¡¯s the first time anyone¡¯s put it like that. I¡¯m a bit surprised.¡± [Yurdum] Really? ¡°I¡¯ve only really talked about this with my colleagues, my teachers, and my family¡­ And not that many either, but most of time, they would just tell me stuff like ¡®Chasing after love? What a weak reason!¡¯ or ¡®Can you become a knight with such shallow feelings!?¡¡Can you fulfill the duty of a knight like that!?¡¯ My teachers and my seniors in the Knight Course even made me run laps around the school.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Erm¡­ Does the Knight Course have a tendency to believe that will can overcome anything?¡¡You know¡­ Stuff like not giving you water during training.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now that you mention, it is something like that. Every time there¡¯s a problem, the instructors would always yell ¡®put your spirit into it!¡¯¡± [Yurdum] Thanks to that the image of the Knight Course in my head started to resemble the old sports clubs. While I was thinking that¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t this the empty lot of the old slums?¡± [Yurdum] Looks like Yurdum-san has noticed where we¡¯re going. ¡°Yes. Since the project is proceeding well, the new buildings should be completed already.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you going to be starting something again?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°This time I¡¯m thinking of building something related to foods and drinks.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Foods and drinks?¡¡Boss, don¡¯t all your businesses include the meals of the employees in their contract?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. Of course, we¡¯ll continue to guarantee that, but once they¡¯ve secured their basic necessities and their wallets grow a little pumper, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll want to dip their toes into some luxury.¡± [Ryouma] For example, perhaps for the sake of a special day, or as a treat to oneself after working hard, to celebrate somethnig, or maybe they just simply want to eat something different. ¡°For the sake of those people, I¡¯m going to build a couple such stores near the company dormitories. The concept is ¡®the taste of home¡¯. I¡¯m also thinking of putting up restaurants that will fill your belly for cheap.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I get the first kind, but what about the latter?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That¡¯s for the laborers that still don¡¯t have money. I¡¯ve employed a lot of laborers, but it¡¯s not as though I¡¯ve employed all the laborers that came to Gimuru, and the influx of laborers is yet to stop.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I see, so it¡¯s geared toward people whose basic necessities you can¡¯t cover.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. For the same reason, we¡¯re also increasing the number of lodging facilities.¡± [Ryouma] As for the kind of restaurants I have in mind, I¡¯m thinking of a Gyudon store, a set meal store, and a bento store. Cheap but filling. These restaurants were some of my important allies back in my previous life. Especially, when I was young. As for the lodging facility, I¡¯m thinking of the Capsule Hotel. I¡¯ll be providing them just the minimum bed space they need. When I said that, Yurdum-san seemed to understand. ¡°So the laborers still keep on coming, huh. Thanks to your efforts, the worsening of the public order has more or less been suppressed, but¡­¡± [Yrudum] ¡°There appears to be a group of nobles working together, and since they¡¯re gathering workers from all over and sending them here, that must mean that they also have a lot of people working, if so, then maybe they can¡¯t stop?¡¡Besides, although the laborers are still continuing to pour in, there¡¯s a lot less of them now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, although they¡¯re working together, it¡¯s not as though they¡¯re a monolith, so their movements as a whole is quite dull too, huh.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°According to the Duke¡¯s family, the five nobles involved are Baron Ransore, Baron Rufred, Viscount Fargutton, Viscount Danietan, and Count Sandrick. But personally, I¡¯m also suspicious of Baron Jerok, Viscount Anatoma, Viscount Jeromon, Viscount Sergier, and Count Bernardo.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Where did you hear that from? Since you mentioned ¡®personally¡¯, that must mean that you didn¡¯t hear of it from the duke¡¯s people, right?¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum asked seriously while paying attention to our surroundings, but it¡¯s not really that big of a deal. I¡¯ve employed a lot of the laborers that came to Gimuru. And as the employer, I have the right to view and confirm their resume. So just looking through their resume is enough to figure out where they came from, which would basically be the same as finding out ¡®from whom they came from¡¯. And when the same places kept popping up, they would naturally remain in memory. ¡°The people leaving isn¡¯t a good thing for the lord in charge of the territory, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, because it would cause a reduction in tax and weaken the labor force. Hence, it¡¯s not uncommon to require one¡¯s subjects to need permission before moving. All the more so if they¡¯re moving outside the territory. Some recognize people leaving to make money elsewhere, but the number of people that have migrated here is really too much. Even just the people that you¡¯ve employed is already a lot. Given that, it¡¯s indeed hard to deny that the lord of the territory they came from may be involved. Even if it¡¯s not proactive, they might have tacitly agreed or be half-heartedly cooperating.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why it¡¯s just a probability. However, it¡¯s not really my job to pursue the matter.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Could it be you want me to inform His Majesty?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Oh, no, no, I wouldn¡¯t dare say a thing about your job. After all, I couldn¡¯t possibly interfere with a royal order, now could I? Besides, I always inform someone from the duke¡¯s family about the things I notice, so the duke should already be aware and should be moving accordingly; hence, the question of whether to inform the king or not¡­. I¡¯ll be leaving that to them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re going to leave it to them? Come on, Boss. After telling me so much stuff related to the present events, there¡¯s no way I can¡¯t report this; otherwise, it¡¯ll look like I hid it on purpose¡­ You¡¯re fully intending on taking advantage of my position, huh.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san made a resigned face once, but in the end, he laughed. Chapter 243 - Branch Head Taylor’s Advice Chapter 243: Branch Head Taylor¡¯s Advice Just as scheduled, in the afternoon, we all gathered at the meeting room of the Merchant Guild ¨C that included the three guild masters, the captain of the guards, Mr. Dammeier, the head of the government office, Arnold-san, the man in charge of the slums, Revel-san, and me. With all seven representatives of the related places gathered, the meeting began. 2 hours later¡­ We still had 30 minutes left until the scheduled end of the meeting, and we didn¡¯t have anything left to discuss, so we just used the remaining time to catch up with each other. It was a good opportunity, so I went ahead and asked Branch Head Taylor about my experience when I used Shared Perception with the slimes. ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s probably the so-called ¡®Monster¡¯s Perspective¡¯. In your case, you have a slime, so it would be the perspective of your slime. I know you tried to link up with your slime¡¯s mana perception, so it might sound misleading, but let¡¯s just phrase it as such to refer to ¡®what your slime is seeing¡¯.¡± [Taylor] I nodded, and the branch head continued. ¡°To start off, the Monster¡¯s Perspective that you are able to see through your Shared Perception skill is not what your monster is actually seeing. This might sound ¡®obvious¡¯, but we humans are built differently from monsters.¡± [Taylor] That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve never paid heed to it until now, but just as he says, the make of our sensory organs, such us our ears and eyes, are indeed different from those of a monster¡¯s. Monsters like goblins that are somewhat resemble humans might still resemble us, but it¡¯s hard to imagine that the eyes of a rimel bird would be any bit similar to mine. ¡°You must¡¯ve noticed it already, but even if the scenery we¡¯re looking at is the same, the way we see things is different from how monsters see them. Normally, anyway.¡± [Taylor] ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that the Monster Taming skill is taking that different perspective and transforming it in a way that we humans can understand?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. The Monster Tamer Contract makes it possible for us tamers to form an understanding with our familiars. That not only allows us to give orders to our familiars, it also allows us to understand their feelings. In a similar manner, it is able to transform visual information into something that the monster tamer can understand. That is the Shared Perception skill of monster tamers. But in your case, because of the experiment you ran to test your hypothesis, you were, to some extent, able to ¡®intentionally¡¯ see the original perspective of your slimes. In other words, you saw the world through your slime¡¯s senses, a world perceived through mana perception alone.¡± [Taylor] So that means my hypothesis was right! My slimes are indeed seeing the world through mana! ¡°Sorry to be a spoilsport, but if you intend to continue your research, do exercise caution. I¡¯ve never heard of anyone doing what you¡¯ve done, so I¡¯m not informed on the subject, but we humans perceive the world through several sensory organs. So, to take that world and experience it purely through mana perception would likely put a significant burden on you. And your health did deteriorate due to the vast amount of information, did it not? And that was just a peek, from what I understand.¡± [Taylor] True. I¡¯m grateful that he¡¯s concerned. I¡¯ll make sure to be careful when running my experiments in the future. I told him as such, and he nodded. ¡°Very well. By the way, to change the topic, I heard you started raising goblins? If I¡¯m not mistaken, the records say you have 8?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes. I caught the goblins that were ruining my crops, so I formed a contract with them to help with my work and to help support my slimes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How was it contracting them? Did it go well?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Although it¡¯s not to the same extent as with the slimes, we are able to understand each other, and they¡¯re subservient to me since I caught them, so there¡¯s no fear of them rebelling, so¡­ Yeah. I¡¯d say it went well.¡± [Ryouma] But it¡¯s not as though there¡¯s nothing to be concerned about. ¡°Meaning?¡± [Taylor] ¡°The air about them is different from any of the goblins I¡¯ve seen until now. I guess they¡¯re¡­ gentle? Or maybe it would be better described as a lack of tension on their part. Of course, nothing could be better than for them to be docile, so I just left the matter be.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ Specifically, how are they lacking tension?¡¡And how do you usually interact with them?¡± [Taylor] ¡°I need them for labor, but I never planned on making them work unreasonably, so I¡¯m having them engage in a variety of jobs without pushing them too hard. Outside of their work, they¡¯re mostly free. Of course, I made sure to prohibit them from attacking humans and from leaving the mines. They¡¯re so faithful to their desires that they¡¯re proactive and quick learners with anything that they find fun or pleasing, so I tell them how the work that they do will benefit them before entrusting it to them.¡± [Ryouma] For example, when I entrusted the farm work to them, I created some crops using magic, and had them experience what it was like to have a full belly. They used to always be naked, so I told them that wearing clothes would warm them up, and since then, they¡¯ve started to put on clothes themselves. They would eat the crops when they got hungry, so I cooked them warm food to their delight, and since then they¡¯ve requested to be served warm food. They also used to eat with their hands, but when I told them that they could avoid getting their hands hot if they just used utensils, they gradually started using them. ¡°And then¡­ I also got them to enter the bath for hygiene¡¯s sake, and since then, those that enjoyed it started entering the bath twice in the morning and evening, even though I didn¡¯t tell them to. When they got a taste of the sample liquor I started making recently, they started proactively making them, so much so in fact that they filled an entire tunnel. Some goblins even started making liquor in their free time. ¡­And speaking of which, just the other day, someone came up with the luxurious idea of bringing liquor to the bath, and when I entered the bath, I saw them all drunk, so I had to warn them that it was much easier to get drunk while in the bath. That¡¯s about it I think.¡± [Ryouma] As I was talking about my goblins, I started to entertain the idea of putting a limit to their alcohol intake, but I noticed Branch Head Taylor looking at me oddly. ¡°Sorry about that, I lost myself in the moment again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. Anyhow, it appears that none of the problems you¡¯ve brought up are particularly worrying. Your goblins sound a little depraved to me, but¡­ If you¡¯ve managed to form a good relationship with some gentle goblins, then nothing could be better.¡± [Taylor] Depraved!?¡¡That¡¯s it! That¡¯s how they felt! They¡¯re depraved! All of them! If not that, then ¡®they¡¯ve lost their wild instincts¡¯! Incidentally, that was the title of an animal video I watched in my previous life when I wanted to heal my soul. ¡®Goblin that have lost their wild instincts¡¯ doesn¡¯t sound particularly soothing, but it¡¯s certainly a fitting description for them. ¡°It¡¯s probably also because you still only have a few goblins.¡± [Taylor] Branch Head Taylor took out the writing tool he used during the meeting and explained the ecology of the goblins while writing the main points and drawing illustrations on a sheet of paper. Goblins weren¡¯t dangerous monsters when they were alone. Of course, that was also because they were weak, but it was mostly because they avoid danger when alone, and just focuses on filling their bellies. Alone, they are an ¡®existence¡¯ that prioritizes themselves, and they won¡¯t attack other living creatures proactively. However, when their numbers increase, starting as early as when their numbers reach two digits, their ferocity gradually increases. And in order to provide for their increased numbers, they begin hunting. While their numbers are still few, they¡¯ll mostly hunt small animals, but as their numbers grow, they will soon start hunting medium-sized creatures, including humans. When their numbers surpass 100, higher variants that are more ferocious and skilled with weapons will be born. An example of this would be the goblin archer, as well as the hobgoblin, which is a variant that¡¯s not just strong, but also as big as humans. From there, the higher variants that are skilled in handling weapons will lead the goblins, help defend their village, and participate in their hunts. With the hobgoblins¡¯ taller stature and stronger physique, their contributions to goblin labor will allow the goblin village to quickly expand. Over time, even higher variants, such as the ¡°Goblin Knight¡±, which has both the advantages of the earlier higher variants, will be born, and eventually, the last evolution, the goblin to be named king will be born, and a large goblin army will be created. I¡¯d heard that higher variants are more likely to be born if you feed them too much, but I didn¡¯t know that they became more ferocious too as their numbers increased. ¡°So they get over their heads when there¡¯s a lot of them, huh. Sounds just like humans.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When the person in charge of a group is the dangerous sort, the whole group will become a threat. In that sense, humans and goblins aren¡¯t much different. That¡¯s why it¡¯s important for Monster Tamers to have a firm grasp on their goblins. In that regard, you seem to be doing well. That¡¯s good. I hope you keep up that up. By the way, the sprint rabbit qualification exam is approaching. Are you ready?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Yes, I think I¡¯ll be fine. Everyone¡¯s so cooperative, and they¡¯re helping me make time to study too. One of the maids sent by the duke¡¯s family also has the qualification, so I¡¯ve been learning from her as well.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m one of the examiners, so I can¡¯t tell you too much, but sprint rabbits aren¡¯t that strong or dangerous. Despite that, one needs to be qualified to raise or breed them. Why is that?¡± [Taylor] ¡°Sprint rabbits have strong reproductive abilities and a big appetite; hence, if they were to cause harm, there¡¯s a chance that they could cause a lot of damage to the farms and the crops, so they need to be managed properly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s the basic and the most important part, so be sure to study the specific management methods and facility regulations. If you can, it would also help if you study past examples, as well as the environments in which they¡¯re raised.¡± [Taylor] An advice from the top executive of the tamer guild! This is huge! I¡¯ll take his advice to heart, and review with it in mind until the exams. Before long, the time for the meeting to end came, and we officially ended the meeting. Chapter 244 - Some Idle Chatter on the Way Back and the Present Situation of the Town Chapter 244: Some Idle Chatter on the Way Back and the Present Situation of the Town ¡°Sorry for making you wait.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, is the meeting is over?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes, it ended well.¡± [Ryouma] I met up with my guard, Yurdum-san, at the receptionist desk. Only the representatives were allowed into the meeting room, so he had to wait here. ¡°I-In that case, I¡¯ll be excusing myself.¡± [Female Receptionist] The female receptionist said before leaving. Apparently, Yurdum was talking to her about something. ¡°Sorry, did I intrude?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nah, it was just some idle chatter. And some information gathering. But enough of that, what¡¯s next on our schedule?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°In the afternoon, I¡¯m going to be helping sweep the town, but there¡¯s still time until then, so I¡¯m thinking of going back to the security company first. I¡¯ve already left everything to the respective department heads, but I need to check their reports and sign some stuff.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay.¡± [Yurdum] And so, we headed to the exit of the merchant guild. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum-san reached out for the door, but before he could, a man entered the guild, whose gaze met with mine. For a moment, the man made an unpleasant face, but it quickly transformed into a smile as he called out to me. ¡°Well, well, it¡¯s a small world indeed. It¡¯s been a while.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Yes, long time no see, Wanz-san?????.¡± ¡°The last meeting didn¡¯t turn out so well, but you seem to be doing fine.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Yes, fortunately. Have you gotten thinner?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s because of the weather. It got so cold so quickly¡­ What brings you here, by the way?¡± [Wanz] ¡°I just met up with some acquaintances.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. I also have an appointment with some acquaintances, so you¡¯ll have to excuse me.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Goodbye then.¡± [Ryouma] Wanz headed for the reception desk, while we headed outside. Apparently, he didn¡¯t want a long conversation with me either. But our eyes met, so we had to keep up appearances and talk. Still¡­ ¡°Boss, that Wanz¡­ Could he be?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. He¡¯s likely the person you¡¯re thinking about.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I knew it. So that¡¯s the guy you were so tense with huh. It¡¯s good that everything ended on a peaceful note.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There¡¯s no way I would¡¯ve started arguing with him there. He¡¯s also keeping up appearances, so he probably wants to avoid causing a commotion too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum said as he looked at me. ¡°So how come you don¡¯t look so good?¡¡Is meeting him that depressing?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°¡­Do I look depressed to you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You do.¡± [Yurdum] Is it really showing that much on my face? ¡°I haven¡¯t talked to him since we argued, but when I met him again after so long, I can¡¯t help but wonder why I even argued with him. I can¡¯t put it into words well, but¡­ In the past, I feel like there was a much stronger ¡®aura¡¯ around him. The kind of aura that makes you think that the situation is dangerous and that things can¡¯t keep going the way they were.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You mean there was an intimidating air about him?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just thought that if things went as he said, the result would be tragic.¡± [Ryouma] But when I met him earlier, there was none of that aura left. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t understand why I was so tense that time. It¡¯s enough to make me consider my action back then an overreaction. No, in fact, I really did overreact. ¡°It¡¯s like when you have a lot of friends, and you¡¯re facing a single goblin, so at most, your concern should be to end the battle without getting hurt, but instead you resolve yourself for death and act like your entire country¡¯s fate is resting on your shoulders. From another person¡¯s perspective, it doesn¡¯t make sense why you¡¯re reacting so seriously against some small fry. And now that I¡¯m looking back at it, it¡¯s just so embarrassing I want to crawl into some hole, and my face is burning up in shame¡­ The more I think about it, the more embarrassing it becomes, and I mean, yeah, if you want to say that I lost my cool back then, then I guess¨D¨D¡± ¡°Okay, I got it. In other words, you¡¯re really embarrassed.¡± [Yurdum] That incident is seriously going to become a part of my dark history in this life. ¡°By the way, and I¡¯m asking this out of personal interest and because of my other job, but¡­ Shouldn¡¯t you be doing something about that guy?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Unfortunately, he¡¯s wary of me, and he¡¯s not one to expose himself so easily, and besides, there¡¯s an ¡®order¡¯ to this kind of stuff, as well as a little something known as the ¡®winning conditions.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Can you explain that in detail?¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san asked quietly after checking the surroundings. ¡°Our enemies¡¯ goal is to worsen the public order, so they¡¯ve been trying to sabotage the town. But getting rid of their agents like Wanz is not among??????? our winning conditions.¡± It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s legally, if it¡¯s done in the shadows, or if they¡¯re done away with physically. No matter the method, even if Wanz and all his cronies were to be rid of, this situation won¡¯t end. So long as the nobles manipulating the strings of the agents aren¡¯t dealt with, or if the ringleaders don¡¯t give up, more agents will just be sent. And if we act poorly against the likes of nobles, they might just turn the tables on us and make us out to be the criminals. Still¡­ ¡°The duke and his wife are already moving in the capital to deal with the nobles. So there¡¯s no need for us to put ourselves at risk to do something. We should just leave the nobles to them.¡± [Ryouma] Just leave it to the specialists. ¡°As for what we can do right now, that would be to ¡®suppress the worsening of the public order until the duke and his wife are able to deal with this problem by the roots¡¯ and ¡®improve the public order to at least the same level before the laborers started pouring in¡¯ ¡­In other words, we don¡¯t need to force a solution, but rather maintain the situation.¡± [Ryouma] According to the guard commander, Dammeier, the crime rate has already been brought back down to similar levels before the laborers came. ¡°Of course, since the population has increased, there are still a lot of petty arguments, but thanks to the regular patrols of the security company ¨C made possible by the huge workforce of the security company ¨C the small quarrels can be mediated and prevented from escalating.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your security company is making use of the laborer influx, so it definitely has a sizable workforce.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°We¡¯re regularly hiring, after all.¡± [Ryouma] Speak of the devil, we passed by one of those patrols. A few steps later, I heard some people thanking them. Not long ago, they were homeless people themselves, but after working an honest job and producing results, the townspeople have started to accept them to some extent. ¡°The air in the town is also starting to calm down. We can¡¯t let our guard down just with this, but it¡¯s apparent that we¡¯ve avoided the worst case situation. We just have to keep this up, and wait for the duke¡¯s family to solve the problem. That¡¯s much more important than bothering with some small fries.¡± [Ryouma] I myself was only able to arrive to this opinion after Hyuzu-san¡¯s group came and I was able to talk to them. ¡°The battle will be decided by the end of year in the social circles. If we can persevere until then, the victory will be ours, so I personally see this as a declaration of our intent to end everything within the year.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see, so you¡¯ve already made that much progress.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°?¡¡What do you mean?¡± ¡°The way you dealt with your previous tension, and how calm you are right now. This might come off as rude, but you didn¡¯t appear that busy. I know it¡¯s just my first day, but that¡¯s how I see it after accompanying you as your guard so far.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°So I¡¯m not as busy as you thought?¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum-san nodded with embarrassment, but I don¡¯t really mind. ¡°I¡¯m calm because the duke sent Hyuzu-san¡¯s group, and I really am not that busy. But I don¡¯t think that has much connection with how much progress we¡¯ve made.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But you¡¯re the leading person of this town right now, no?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Umm¡­ It¡¯s true I¡¯ve been meddling quite a bit, but that¡¯s all???? I¡¯ve really done. I¡¯ve established the security company, the garbage processing plant, and the slime goods factory with the help of the Morgan Company, but at most, I just provided the money and wrote some needed documents. The actual work and management are being handled by the people in charge.¡± [Ryouma] Presently, all of the management has been delegated to the skilled managers. As the owner, my only job is to read the reports they send me and sign what needs signing. That doesn¡¯t take much effort at all. ¡°To ensure that there are no discrepancies between the report I¡¯m receiving and the actual situation, walking around like I did earlier can also be considered as part of my work, but¡­ There¡¯s no denying that I¡¯m free enough to not seem busy. In fact, it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve been working at all recently. Most of the time I¡¯m just researching my slimes, studying farm work, and studying for my tamer guild qualification exam.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But you did participate in the meeting earlier.¡± [Yurdum] That¡¯s just a little discourse. I listen to others¡¯ opinions and give my own. The people that are actually working are the guild masters and the subordinates under them. In the first place, the guards have been protecting this town even before I created my security company. The government office and the guilds have also been working for the sake of this town. Although the public order has worsened, there are establishments already set in place to deal with that. It just so happens that the sudden influx of laborers was too much for them to deal with. It¡¯s akin to a server getting DDoSed, so the server is unable to respond due to the spike in load. Hence, a simple solution would be to reduce the load. If the influx of laborers is too much for the existing jobs and lodging to accomodate, then I just need to provide new ones. And once everything is in working order again, the situation will naturally resolve itself and the public order will improve. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of plan I proposed, and then I executed it through a combination of wealth, authority, and connection, before finally delegating everything to others. So I¡¯m not as busy as one might think.¡± [Ryouma] Incidentally, there was a time when I was too eye-catching, so to people like Yurdum-san, who are searching for information, it must¡¯ve looked like I was the ¡®leading person¡¯ of this whole plan. But nowadays, there¡¯s probably not much meaning in snooping around me anymore since everyone else is working much harder than me to maintain the public order. If anything, focusing on me would just make the people snooping around expend more effort and time needlessly. When I said that, Yurdum-san seemed to have an inkling of what I was talking about, and let out a deep sigh. ¡°Boss, has anyone ever told you that you¡¯re unexpectedly black-hearted?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That¡¯s new. Not to brag or anything, but people usually see me as the gullible type, someone easy to use.¡± [Ryouma] But of course, that¡¯s a story from 39 years ago when there were a lot of swindlers and users around me. After so many years of being swindled and used, the techniques of those pros have even rubbed off on me¡­ Not. I¡¯m sure that has nothing to do with it, yeah. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything bad?????!. But enough of that, let¡¯s continue with our conversation before going to the meeting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What a blunt way of changing the topic. Are you talking about that technique I used in our last bout?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes, if you don¡¯t mind my asking.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not a secret technique or anything, and I also just learned it from an instructor during my school days, so sure.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Thank you very much. If you¡¯re going to be teaching me, then I¡¯ll prepare a time and place. I have a lot of questions, but what I¡¯m really curious about is that technique that shoots ki.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But if you know enough to realize that it was ki I was shooting, then I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much I can teach you with words¡­ First of all, you strengthen your body by covering your whole body with ki. This one you¡¯ve used already.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. I¡¯d heard that that¡¯s how you¡¯re supposed to use ki.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Covering your whole body with ki to fight is the first step. It¡¯s the basics, and you can already do it, so that¡¯s good. But while it¡¯s good and all if you can win with just that, there¡¯s no telling what will happen in an actual battle. Depending on the situation, you might have to face an opponent stronger than yourself or face an opponent your ill-matched with. For situations like that, the ¡®practical technique¡¯ that I used yesterday was developed. To give an example, the technique that shoots out ki was developed to enable a practitioner to attack an opponent that¡¯s outside one¡¯s range. With this skill, depending on your mastery, you could attack flying monsters or even archers from a distance with nothing but your fists. But of course, if you actually prepare properly beforehand, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum chuckled, then continued. ¡°In a similar vein, there are also techniques that were developed to defeat monsters with a hard shell, techniques that increase one¡¯s attack strength, or those that strengthen one¡¯s weapon¡­ There are various techniques that were developed for a myriad of reasons. But no matter the expert, one can only fully exhibit his abilities when in a situation that enables him to use his weapon to the fullest. Also, no matter how many ki techniques one has learned, all experts begin with a ki armor, and end with a ki armor. That¡¯s why strengthening the whole body with ki is the quintessence of ki techniques.¡± [Yurdum] Interesting. ¡°¡­Well, something like that. I made it sound so grand, but really, I¡¯m a long way away from that realm¡­ But that¡¯s what I¡¯ve been taught. It is said that the famed Martial God, Teagle, is impervious to all blades when using ki and that his fist could crush dragons through their scales. There are plenty of proofs to these rumors, so they¡¯re likely true.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ohh¡­¡± [Ryouma] For a moment, I was shocked when the grandpa from my background story was mentioned, but after that, Yurdum-san told me some interesting stories about historical soldiers and famous adventurers. He was so good at telling stories that the time we spent walking actually turned out to be quite meaningful. I didn¡¯t even feel the time until we reached the security company. It was a bit regretful that we had to cut the stories short, but¨D¨D Just as I was thinking that to myself. ¡°Ryouma-sama.¡± [Lilian] When we passed by the reception desk, the maid, Lilian-san, called out to me. She wasn¡¯t sitting behind the reception desk, but she was standing somewhere conspicuous. I wonder why. ¡°Orest Moulton from the Moulton Slave Company arrived just recently.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Orest-san came?¡± [Ryouma] That suspicious but good looking guy came?¡¡But why all of the sudden?¡¡He never mentioned anything about dropping by. ¡°When I told him that you weren¡¯t around, he said ¡®It¡¯s my fault for dropping by without an appointment, but if it¡¯s no trouble, I¡¯d like to wait for him.¡¯ He¡¯s currently waiting at the reception office. Will you be meeting him? Of course, you can also refuse.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Since he went out of his way to wait, I might as well meet him.¡± [Ryouma] I want to know what he needs me for, and he did help me before¡­ I have a feeling this won¡¯t be simple, though. I braced myself and headed for the reception office. Chapter 245 - Dining With Orest After the meeting with the guild masters, I went back to the security company, where I found out that the slave merchant, Orest-san, was waiting for me. And right now, I just got off our carriage and am standing before a restaurant. How did we get here?¡¡Well, it¡¯s nothing special, really. Orest-san just invited me out. I had tea and snacks with the guild masters after the meeting, but I haven¡¯t had proper lunch yet, so before I knew it, our conversation led us to eating out together. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ve already reserved us some seats.¡± [Orest] ¡°Wait, you actually got a reservation before inviting me? What would you have done if I refused?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The reservation didn¡¯t go to waste, did it? So, all is right.¡± [Orest] No, that¡¯s not the problem, but I guess there¡¯s no point arguing about it. And of all the places he could have picked, he just had to pick this one, didn¡¯t he? ¡°Welcome, Moulton-sama. You have a reservation with us.¡± [Door Boy] The door boy at the front of the store bowed, and then opened the door behind him with polished movements. At that, Orest-san entered with familiarity, while I returned the bow of the door boy before following him in. The store was furnished with high-quality carpet and expensive furniture, painting a gaudy picture, but it was not so thoughtlessly designed to be mistaken for a mere collection of expensive articles. There was a sense of unity and refinement to the design that engendered a calming atmosphere palatable for a meal. ¡­But that was only a given. Because this was Gimuru¡¯s most expensive restaurant ¨C what¡¯s more a super famous one that even I know of. As one might expect, it had a dress code, so I¡¯m really glad that I had a suit tailored for me before. ¡°This way please.¡± [Owner] While I was thinking that to myself, Orest-san spoke with the owner of the restaurant inside, and he even personally led us to our room. ¡°¡­Please, enjoy your stay.¡± [Owner] We took our seats, and after ordering our food and a brief explanation of the bell, the owner left. Finally, I could relax. Orest-san didn¡¯t miss that. ¡°Are you bad with places like this?¡± [Orest] ¡°I¡¯m just not used to them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? And yet you appear so dignified, why is that?¡± [Orest] ¡°I¡¯m just putting on a front. It would be too pathetic to be overly flustered.¡± [Ryouma] I took a sip from the glass of water on the table, and after moistening my throat, I asked. ¡°By the way, why did you invite me to eat?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°To deepen our friendship, of course. It¡¯s been awhile since we last met at my Gaunago store, after all.¡± [Orest] ¡°You went out of your way to Gimuru for that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s an assembly that¡¯s regularly held in Gimuru. I intend to participate unless some special circumstance prevents me.¡± [Orest] ¡°An assembly¡­ Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard about that a couple of times. Serge-san, Grisiera-san, and Pioro-san mentioned it too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re informed, I see. Those three will also be participating if their schedule permits them. The participants of the assembly are former and current managers of various industries. The goal is to exchange information, and occasionally, cooperate.¡± [Orest] An assembly involving people on the level of Orest-san, Grisiera-san, Pioro-san, and Serge-san, huh. ¡°Sounds like an amazing assembly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All the participants are veteran businessmen. I¡¯m participating as a successor to my father. It¡¯s an enlightening experience every time. If you¡¯d like, why don¡¯t you participate?¡± [Orest] ¡°Participate? Me?¡¡There¡¯s no way I¡¯d be a good fit for a gathering of big shots like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There aren¡¯t any clear requirements to the participants. As long as there¡¯s an invitation from one of the participants, you can attend. Of course, it¡¯s another question whether you¡¯ll be acknowledged by the other participants or not.¡± [Orest] Isn¡¯t that the important part? ¡°You know a lot of people there, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll fit right in. You seem to be acquainted with the owner of this restaurant too.¡± [Orest] ¡°We¡¯ve had some dealings in the past.¡± [Ryouma] Because of that the owner is familiar with me to some extent. When I told him that¡­ ¡°That¡¯s great. Don¡¯t you know, Ryouma-sama? The owner here is famous for not agreeing to anything unless he thinks the deal is 100% worth it.¡± [Orest] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] I had no idea. But from what I¡¯ve heard, the owner of this restaurant is also the manager of that luxury inn that the duke brought me to before, so he probably remembers me as ¡®that kid with the duke¡¯s family¡¯. Of course, I never planned on proposing anything that might disadvantage him, so he¡¯d probably acknowledge me unless there¡¯s a problem. ¡°If it¡¯s all the same to you, can I inquire on the details?¡± [Orest] ¡°I made the same deal with other places too, so I don¡¯t mind, but it¡¯s a deal pertaining to garbage.¡± [Ryouma] It wasn¡¯t exactly a topic befitting a luxury restaurant like this. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We¡¯re in a private room, and I personally don¡¯t mind. In fact, I¡¯m all ears for any new project of yours.¡± [Orest] Alright, then¡­ Wait, he already knows about my garbage processing plant project? He sure is fast, as usual. ¡°My proposal was about the purchase of food ingredients that would just be thrown away. Food ingredients have an expiry date to them.¡¡Once they¡¯ve spoiled, they can¡¯t be eaten anymore. However, there are cases where they¡¯ve merely discolored due to oxidation, and sometimes, even if they¡¯ve spoiled, you can just cut off the affected portion, and eat the rest. But of course, ingredients on that level can¡¯t be used in the restaurant.¡¡Especially, at a luxury restaurant like this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Right.¡± [Orest] ¡°So I suggested to buy those ingredients instead of just throwing them away. To prevent hygienic problems and to prove that we have no intention of disadvantaging the food industry, we will neither be reselling the ingredients nor selling food made from them; furthermore, we won¡¯t be transferring them to anyone either. That about sums up the main poinst of our deal. ¡± [Ryouma] Since they would just be throwing away those ingredients anyway, my proposal to purchase them was better than nothing. As for me, I would be able to get ingredients that were almost expired at a low price. ¡°These ingredients are either used as feed for my slimes and goblins, or for my research in preserved foods. In that regard, it¡¯s less for my Garbage Processing Plant project, and more for my personal hobby and convenience. These ingredients are being stored in a specialized storage room near my garbage processing plant.¡± [Ryouma] Although this deal can¡¯t bring any profit, it is able to reduce the food expenses, so it¡¯s a huge boon to someone like me with a lot of familiars. There are ingredients that just can¡¯t be eaten, like the ones that are completely spoiled or the ones with mold, but as for those that have yet to reach that stage, they could still be eaten when properly processed, so throwing them away is a waste. This was also how I saw things back in my previous life. At one point, I thought it was common sense, but my subordinates couldn¡¯t believe it when I shared that perspective with them. I can¡¯t remember anymore why we even ended up broaching that topic, but the fresh grads said, ¡®we¡¯re not at war anymore,¡¯ and some even asked if I was just poor. Now that I think about it, why am I even bringing this up in such a luxurious restaurant? Now I¡¯m getting embarrassed. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Waiter] The waiters came with our order with such exceptional timing that I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they intentionally timed it. They brought our food on a cart, and with polished movements, arranged all of the dishes on our table. It¡¯s a luxury restaurant, so I thought the food would be served in courses, but apparently, that¡¯s not the case. There were many appetizers served in a lovely manner on small spoons, a salad with fresh vegetables ¨C something that¡¯s hard to come by in this winter ¨C a mushroom soup that released a mellow aroma ¨C do note mushrooms are rare here ¨C and high-quality steak. Yes, this is luxury alright. After the waiters finished arranging everything, they quickly excused themselves. ¡°This restaurant is frequented by people with influence. Especially, these private rooms. The conversations that take place here are usually of the confidential sort, so the waiters excuse themselves out of consideration.¡± [Orest] ¡°I see. That¡¯s why they left all the food, and then left just as quickly¡­¡± [Ryouma] Wait, did he read my mind just like that!? ¡°It was written on your face. But enough of that, shall we?¡± [Orest] Food like this certainly shouldn¡¯t be put to waste. He went out of his way to bring me here, so I should help myself with gratitude. And so, I started with the appetizers. ¡°Is it to your liking, Ryouma-sama?¡± [Orest] ¡°Of course, it¡¯s delicious. And luxurious.¡± [Ryouma] The ingredients used in these dishes, such as the fresh vegetables specially made with magic, don¡¯t have a set price, but because of the so-called ¡®market price¡¯, even if they¡¯re estimated to be affordable, the actual price they¡¯re going for is 10 times higher. It¡¯s dishes that use ingredients like those that are the main purpose of the wealthy people that come here. I¡¯m surprised that there are people who eat food like these matter-of-factly all the time, but¡­ It really is delicious. ¡°I¡¯m glad that you like it. By the way, was I of any help last time?¡± [Orest] ¡°!¡¡Oh, right, I¡¯ve yet to thank you for that.¡± [Ryouma] Actually, I needed his cooperation for something just some time ago, and he proved to be a huge help. ¡°Thank you so much for advising me despite the abruptness of my request. Thanks to you, the crime-prevention systems in our houses, stores, and even the public order of the town itself as a whole has greatly improved.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. Though I have to say I was really surprised when you suddenly sent a letter, saying that you wanted to purchase criminal slaves.¡± [Orest] ¡°I¡¯m really sorry about that. At the time, the public order in town suddenly dropped, so I panicked and was at my wits¡¯ end¡­ It¡¯s truly shameful how inexperienced I still am¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s nothing to apologize for at all. In my opinion, your decision was calm and rational. Employing criminal slaves ¨C slaves made slaves because of a crime they¡¯d committed ¨C and making them talk about their modus operandi and how they think to come up with a method to prevent crimes was brilliant.¡± [Orest] I remembered hearing about a criminal in the States that was hired to serve as a security advisor, so I wanted to give it a try, but unfortunately, there were legal issues and conditions to the purchase of criminal slaves, so I couldn¡¯t purchase any, but Orest-san asked them my questions instead, and then sent the information in the form of a document. His efforts were a huge help, not just personally, but to the town as a whole in improving the public order. Without that information it would have taken much longer to improve the public order. ¡°Personally, nothing could be more agreeable than to make you indebted to me, so please feel free to seek my help if there¡¯s anything at all.¡± [Orest] Is that something you¡¯d normally say to a person¡¯s face? ¡°Since the public order has improved, how have you been recently? I heard that you lived in the forest before. Do you enjoy living in town?¡± [Orest] ¡°That sure is abrupt, like a father asking his son if he¡¯s enjoying school¡­ But, yes, I am enjoying life in town. My personal life and the management of the store are both in good order, and as misleading as this might sound like, thanks to the issue with the public order, I was able to get to know people that I otherwise wouldn¡¯t have.¡± [Ryouma] Like the owner of this restaurant, or the manager of the clothing store that tailored the suit that I¡¯m wearing now. The deal with this restaurant¡¯s owner I mentioned just now, while the manager of the clothes store, I contacted to prepare clothes for my employees working at the security company and the garbage processing plant. There were also others, like the townspeople I¡¯ve already been acquainted with¡­ I also connected with the young delinquents in a different sense, but you could say that we¡¯ve gotten close. I talked about all of those one after another, even the specific details, and the time went by in a flash. Before I knew it, most of the food had already been eaten. ¡°Ah, my apologies. I¡¯ve been talking this whole time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m the one who asked, after all. Besides, just as I¡¯ve told you when we met before, I enjoy hearing other people¡¯s stories.¡± [Orest] Come to think of it, he did say something like that, didn¡¯t he? There was a lot of unnecessary information at the time, so I¡¯d pushed it all into a corner of my mind. ¡°Since we¡¯re here already, if it¡¯s no trouble, how about listening to my story? I was serious when I said I wished to deepen my friendship with you, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Orest] ¡°Of course. I¡¯m all ears.¡± [Ryouma] It would be great if I could understand this incomprehensible person even a little better. Chapter 246 - Orest’s Woe Chapter 246: Orest¡¯s Woe ¡°Let¡¯s have a heart-to-heart talk then. As you know, I am a slave trader. My parents were also slave traders, and I¡¯ve been living an affluent life ever since. But to the public, those who engage in slave trading are people who make money by selling people. Personally, it¡¯s not that simple a job, but there¡¯s no denying that we are selling people. That¡¯s a terrible impression to most people. Because of that I never had anyone I could call a friend during my childhood days. But it wasn¡¯t really the children themselves who loathed me, but their parents.¡± [Orest] Ah, I can imagine that. It¡¯s that age-old tale of parents telling their kids not to play with ¡®that kid¡¯. ¡°At some point, I started to reach out to the servants and the subordinates of my parents instead. I reached out to the slaves too. Now that I think about it, I probably intended them to be a substitute for friends. After all, they worked for my parents, so there weren¡¯t anyone who would treat me poorly. As for the slaves, they wouldn¡¯t run off or leave me either. That¡¯s probably what I was thinking then. But after interacting with all sorts of people, I found out that there was no one ¡®like¡¯ me. Be it race, or lineage, or birthplace, or history, or disposition. Even the way people thought and their hobbies varied infinitely. Being able to know them, and learn how they differed from me, as well as the knowledge and perspective that they possessed¡­ It was really fun. Before I knew it, I stopped using them as substitutes for friends, and I genuinely wanted to know them.¡± [Orest] Orest-san turned to me with a serious expression. ¡°I¡¯ve been using my position as a slave trader to connect with many people and watch over their growth. But I feel that you¡¯re different from all of the people I¡¯ve met so far. That¡¯s why I want to deepen my friendship with you. It¡¯s a personal interest. That¡¯s one of the reasons I invited you to eat out with me today, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Orest] No doubt that¡¯s because I¡¯m an otherworlder. For the meantime, let¡¯s not reject him. ¡°I¡¯m aware that I¡¯m different from others, but since that¡¯s only one of your reasons, that must mean that you have other reasons, yes?¡± [Ryouma] Orest-san nodded with a smile. ¡°I also wish to form a better working relationship with you, Ryouma-sama. This might come off as abrupt, but what do you think of slave traders?¡± [Orest] ¡°If I were to give my honest opinion, it would be ¡®I don¡¯t understand them¡¯. As you¡¯ve said, slave traders ¡®sell people¡¯, and that¡¯s not something I can be antipathetic to. But it is legal in this country, and I don¡¯t really see the difference between slaves and normal long-term employments. I think they¡¯re being treated decently enough that there¡¯s no actual difference. I¡¯ve also come to know that the social rank of slave is a sort of ¡®last stand¡¯ for those in poverty or those who¡¯ve gone bankrupt due to some kind of failure. As such, I can¡¯t say for certain whether it¡¯s good or bad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you very much. That was a much better answer than what I was expecting.¡± [Orest] Despite my vague answer, Orest-san seemed to be happy with my answer. ¡°Understanding customers such as yourself makes our job much easier. This is a bit of a rant on my part as a slave trader, but there are too many cases of customers lacking understanding regarding slavery and slave traders. But of course, that¡¯s a ¡®given¡¯ since I¡¯m selling people. It is known in our industry that such things cannot be avoided. Anyone entering our industry for the first time woudl also be informed of this immediately.¡± [Orest] Orest-san turned to me and continued. ¡°But personally I believe that the system of slave traders and slaves is already antiquated.¡± [Orest] Well, slavery was already officially??? banned during my previous life, and it only really existed either in history or in fiction. As this world modernizes, there¡¯s a chance that slavery might be abolished here too. ¡°Indeed the official slave contract of today closely resembles the labor contract used in most guilds. The only difference is that the slave owner is obliged to guarantee the livelihood of the slave, and pay in advance the wages of the slave to the slave trader. The reason slaves are being treated so well today is because of the abolishment of the old slave laws that permitted their previous inhumane treatment. The concept of human rights has also been gradually permeating society.¡± [Orest] ¡°To avoid any misunderstandings, please allow me to clarify that I am not against human rights. In fact, I believe such ideas are important to protect the dignity of people. That¡¯s why I believe that slavery is already antiquated. In fact, I¡¯m only able to work as a slave trader today because of the people struggling to make ends meet and those with no choice but to become slaves. As for the nobles in charge of steering the country and establishing laws, it is only because of their obstinacy in honoring tradition and their resistance to change that they turn a blind eye to the growing irrelevancy of the slave system. I¡¯m certain that in the near future, slavery will be abolished, and we slave traders will no longer be needed. As such, I¡¯m currently searching for a way that a slave trader such as myself would be able to keep up with the change of the times.¡± [Orest] ¡°Come to think of it, you don¡¯t just sell slaves, but also lend them, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. So you did notice. I thought you might since when I mentioned it before, you described it as an agency that dispatches people.¡± [Orest] ¡°¡­Did I say that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You did while reading through the material, though you seem to have muttered it without intending to.¡± [Orest] ¡°Of all the people I could have made that careless remark to¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The moment I heard you say that, my appraisal of you shot up, Ryouma-sama. At that moment, I believed that you had an idea how a slave trader ought to function in these changing times. But even if you didn¡¯t, I wouldn¡¯t mind. I figured, if it¡¯s you, you could understand the anxiety I held for the future.¡± [Orest] I could understand his anxiety, huh¡­ After explaining so much, I think I can understand now. The person sitting in front of me is really a brilliant manager. This isn¡¯t just the level of normal brilliance that you can find after searching for a while, no, this is a brilliance on the level of a ¡®genius¡¯, the likes of which only a few exist. I don¡¯t know how much effort he had to exert to get to this level. Perhaps, it would be rude to describe him as simply a genius, as there is a difference between a genius and a normal person. A difference as deep and as cruel as a valley. It is because of that genius that he is able to see a future that¡¯s still only a blur to the greater majority. In short, he¡¯s too ahead of his time?????????. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the slave industry, but most slave traders believe that their business will continue as it always has. But not you, you¡¯re looking decades ahead, a time when its your children¡¯s turn to succeed the business, or perhaps their children, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Although any attempt to plan for the future is nothing more than conjectures and speculations, I can¡¯t help but believe that an uncertain future is waiting for me. That¡¯s why I believe we need to find a new way for us slave traders to do business.¡± [Orest] ¡°And the answer you found was ¡®Temporary Staffing¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not particularly fixated with remaining as a slave trader, but we¡¯ve been in this trade for a long time, and much of the experience and knowledge we have accumulated revolves around training human resources to increase their value, and then introduce them to people that need them.¡± [Orest] If he wants to use the weapons he¡¯s cultivated as a slave trader, then that certainly is a good idea, but¡­ ¡°The problem I see there is how the people you¡¯ve dispatched will be treated. Although we can only imagine how the laws will be in the future, but¨D¨D¡± In Japan, because of the Temporary Employee Amendment, the temporary employees had a hard time, and they couldn¡¯t find jobs or were abused with low salary. Outsiders would look at the situation and irresponsibly say stuff like, ¡®just look for another job¡¯ or ¡®why don¡¯t you just become a regular employee?¡¯ But getting a job isn¡¯t really that simple a story. Once you¡¯ve become a part of that losing group, it becomes exceedingly difficult to get out. And in Japan, people tended to put the blame on the temporary employees themselves, saying ¡®it¡¯s their fault because they weren¡¯t putting enough effort¡¯ or ¡®it¡¯s their fault because they chose to become a temporary employee or because their choices led them to a situation where they have no choice but to be a temporary employee¡¯. That¡¯s why, although I was in an abusive company, since I was a regular employee???, I couldn¡¯t find it in myself to leave. Honestly speaking, though, I¡¯ve thought many times that temporary employees had it easy. ¡°¨D¨DOh!¡¡¨D¨DIndeed, there¡¯s that too!¡¡Yes!¡¡True¨D¨D¡± [Orest] When I spoke to Orest-san about the problematic points, he listened with such zeal that he wasn¡¯t willing to miss even a single word. In fact, he was so hooked into our conversation that he listened to me talk throughout the remainder of our meal, and on the way back, until we finally had to part. I told him everything I knew, and worded it all as ¡®possible concerns¡¯. ¡°Ah, I really enjoyed our time today, Ryouma-sama. It¡¯s the first time I was able to lay out my thoughts so clearly and picture the future.¡± [Orest] ¡°I¡¯m glad that our conversation was meaningful.¡± [Ryouma] When I got off the carriage in front of the security company and Orest-san spoke to me, he was much calmer. Although I can never quite tell what he¡¯s thinking, he has helped me a lot, so nothing could be better if I can be of service to him as well. ¡°If anything ever troubles you, please be sure to consult me. I¡¯ll do my best to help you then. Not just with slaves, but with other matters as well.¡± [Orest] ¡°Thank you very much. If such a time comes, I¡¯ll be sure to reach out.¡± [Ryouma] It was just the usual exchange of pleasantries, but¡­ ¡°¡­¡± [Orest] ¡°?¡± [Ryouma] For some reason, Orest-san suddenly became thoughtful and fell silent. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Pyouma] ¡°¡­I truly do hope that we can keep in touch, Ryouma-sama. There are no lies there, but that¡¯s precisely why I feel I should mention something that might be meddlesome. Do you remember when I asked you if you¡¯ve been enjoying yourself recently during our meal?¡± [Orest] Of course. And my answer then wasn¡¯t a lie. ¡°I have no doubt that you were telling the truth then. In fact, your answer then showed me that you¡¯re truly enjoying your current life.¡± [Orest] Being told that straight to my face is a little embarrassing. But for some reason, there¡¯s a strange sense of relief on him upon finding out that I am able to treasure my present way of life. ¡°Too many people only notice the value of something only after they¡¯ve lost it. Especially the normalcy of one¡¯s day-to-day life. But when you talked about how you enjoyed your days, I could feel through your every word the affection you held for your current life. But at the same time, I also felt how greatly you feared losing it.¡± [Orest] ¡°Fear?¡± [Orest] ¡°When you talked about your day-to-day life, to me, you looked like someone who has finally acquired a treasure that he had been longing for so long but couldn¡¯t get it until now. Someone like that probably wouldn¡¯t abandon the treasure. I feel that in order to protect your current life, you¡¯ve unconsciously been trying to become a ¡®good child¡¯ by listening to what the adults say¡­ Although you seem really happy now, you also seem constrained.¡± [Orest] Unable to understand what he was telling me, I couldn¡¯t figure out how to respond. Before long, Orest-san spoke again. ¡°It¡¯s nothing worth worrying over. Please just forget what I said.¡± [Orest] As he said that and bid me goodbye, he went back into the carriage and left. He showed more emotions today, and he was also a lot more frank, so I thought he was a lot easier to understand today, but¡­ As I thought, I really don¡¯t understand him. Chapter 247 - A Conversation of Those Behind the Curtains Though the sun had long set and the hour struck late, the mansions of the nobles and the stores continued to illuminate the streets of the city. Such was the night in the imperial capital, its resplendent cityscape reminiscent of the scattered fallen stars of the night sky, a sight a glance of which was worth a thousand gold nuggets. On a small hill could be found a large residence, within which was a man that beheld that resplendent sight through a window. ¡°How are the plans against Gimuru proceeding?¡± [Man] The man asked without averting his eyes from the window. The shadows in the center of the room behind the man stirred, and a suspiciously dressed man that donned a mask ill-fit his gentlemanly fashion appeared. ¡°We succeeded at causing the public order to deteriorate to some extent, but they responded much better than expected, and the public order is starting to get back under control again. At this rate, the plan will likely fail.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°In other words, your fears have come true¡­ Ryouma Takebayashi. I first heard that name from you, but it appears that I¡¯ve underestimated him. Who would¡¯ve thought he could prepare a vessel big enough to receive all those people? One could say that he merely solved the problem by throwing money at it, but¡­ It¡¯s not stupid if it works. I have to acknowledge that. Still, even if he was able to think of it, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to execute without enough money. And yet the reports say that the duke¡¯s family haven¡¯t offered any such support secretly? Could it be? That a lone boy his age really has enough wealth to support this much of an undertaking?¡± [Man] ¡°We can¡¯t deny the possibility that they might¡¯ve simply evaded our people, but the movement of wealth becomes increasingly difficult to conceal the bigger it is. Hence, I¡¯m certain that it was Ryouma Takebayashi that financed their response.¡± [Masked Man] When the man heard that, a hint of displeasure surfaced. ¡°Have you investigated his background?¡± [Man] ¡°The report we¡¯ve given so far is everything. We¡¯ve already had the Dark Guild that specializes in investigations pursue the matter, but other than the time when the duke¡¯s family brought him to town, there were only three things that we were able to find out. One, that he lived away from civilization in a forest. Two, that he came from a village in the Great Shurus Forest. And three, that he was treated poorly there. Other than those, there¡¯s nothing.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°Could he be like you? Someone that lives in the shadows?¡± [Man] ¡°We have considered the possibility and have made inquiries, but have found no evidence of any involvement on the part of the Dark Guild or the underworld.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°We refer to them collectively as the ¡®Dark Guild¡¯, but there are many factions within. Perhaps one of those factions are protecting him?¡± [Man] ¡°Certainly, the Dark Guild is by no means united, and there are subdivisions that specialize in various fields, ranging from banditry, to assignations, to fraud, to smuggling¡­ But the reason why we can¡¯t find anything about Ryouma Takebayashi is likely because of the special traits of that place known as the Great Shurus Forest, and his own abilities as someone who was able to survive that special environment.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°Such certainty. In that case, you can forget about his origins.¡± [Man] As the man said that, he turned around and gazed at the masked man. His eyes contained a cruel light. ¡°I care not what methods you use. Erase?? Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Man] ¡°¡­Are you sure? The duke clearly attaches much importance to him and treats him well. If we were to eliminate him, the duke won¡¯t stay quiet either.¡± [Masked Man] But the warnings of the masked man were met with a snort. ¡°For some time now, Reinhardt has been appearing personally in the social gatherings to warn the aristocrats in on the plan. Clearly they¡¯ve started to take this matter seriously. It should only be a matter of time before our existence comes to light. The opportunists have already started taking measures to protect themselves, but I haven¡¯t the slightest intention of bowing my head and begging for forgiveness. I would¡¯ve never come up with this plan in the first place if I was only going to regret it later. If we¡¯re going to be exposed either way, then we might as well hit them as hard as possible until then. If Reinhart treasures Ryouma Takebayashi, then losing him should hurt him just as much. Besides, he got in our way. An unruly child has stuck his head in adult business. It is only right then that he pay the price.¡± [Man] The more he spoke, the stronger his tone became, but perhaps it would be more apt to call it madness. Now that the man has shown his resolve, the masked man abandoned all thoughts of persuasion. ¡°I understand. Our priority is always the client. Since that is your request, then we shall come up with a plan that meets it. That is the duty of us ¡®Planners¡¯.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°I¡¯ve always look highly upon that thoroughness of yours. Let¡¯s get into the details then, shall we? What kind of plan do you have for me?¡± [Man] ¡°If we are to deal with Ryouma Takebayashi directly, then we will need a group of experts to carry out the job. Moreover, we need to isolate him before the attack. We should also tire him out to some extent first. From the reports so far, Ryouma Takebayashi appears to be someone who hates seeing those near him getting hurt more so than himself. That¡¯s why he¡¯s been moving against us so proactively. So instead of doing something about him directly, it would be better if we cause a huge commotion in town, and get someone close to him involved. It¡¯s doubtful that he would turn a blind eye to that person¡¯s trouble. If we put both these plans into action, then we¡¯ll surely be able to deal with him.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°Is it necessary to go so far against a lone child?¡± [Man] ¡°In my opinion, this is the least???? we should do. That boy is¡­ a mystery.¡± [Masked Man] When the masked man said that, the man thought back to the previous reports. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll trust you. Let¡¯s go with your plan.¡± [Man] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°No, the boy has ruined all of our plans. It¡¯s only right that we be as cautious as possible. Ah, this is bad¡­ Before I knew it, I¡¯ve started underestimating kids.¡± [Man] ¡°Normal kids really can¡¯t do much, though. This boy just happens to be an exception. It was only because I was blessed with the opportunity to meet him in person that I was able to correct my prejudices. That¡¯s all.¡± [Masked man] When the man heard that, he remembered another matter. ¡°Come to think of it, you did hide in Gimuru for some time, didn¡¯t you?¡± [Man] ¡°The original plan needed me to prepare the location, so¡­¡± [Masked Man] ¡°Did you see something then?¡± [Man] ¡°Rather than seeing something, it would be more apt to say that I felt something. When I first found out that our plans have been ruined, there was a convenient job at the time, so I took advantage of that to incite some greedy fools and get some payback. The way he responded then, those movements, that atmosphere¡­ I can¡¯t put it into words all that well, but¡­ That boy is dangerous. And I strongly felt that I shouldn¡¯t lay a hand on him directly.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°¡­You, the ¡®brain¡¯ and ¡®commander¡¯ of the Dark Guild, responsible for drafting the plans, deciding the necessary materials, selecting the people needed¡­ Someone who even I, the client, can only refer to as an ¡®advisor¡¯ would go that far?¡± [Man] ¡°There are more experienced people among the ¡®Planners¡¯, who¡¯ve also been around for longer than I. Compared to them, I¡¯m nothing worth mentioning. And in fact, he has already crushed my plans three times?????.¡± [Masked Man] The masked man seemed to be mocking himself, but there was power and confidence behind his words. ¡°Hah¡­ Whatever. Let¡¯s go back to the topic. We¡¯ll use the plan you mentioned earlier as the general outline. As for the finer details, I¡¯ll leave that to you. If possible, when trying to tire out Ryouma Takebayashi, I want you to target the president of the Morgan Company. They¡¯re working together, so if one of them were to disappear, it should prove painful to both sides.¡± [Man] ¡°Very well.¡± [Masked man] ¡°Also, since I¡¯ll be adding more conditions to our contract, how much do I have to pay?¡± [Man] ¡°It will depend on the experts we¡¯re hiring. I¡¯ll need some time to come up with an estimate. However, we¡¯re only in this situation due to my failure to produce results. I have my pride to as a Planner, so I¡¯d like to give you a discount.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but do carry out my request as soon as possible. You won¡¯t be able to get any money from me once I¡¯ve been arrested, after all. I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be troublesome for you too.¡± [Man] Despite knowing that he would lose to Reinhart, he still laughed. ¡°Oh, right, since you¡¯re giving me a discount, there¡¯s another thing I¡¯d like to ask of you.¡± [Man] ¡°What is it?¡± [Masked Man] ¡°If I¨D¨D then¨D¨D.¡± [Man] [1] ¡°I could certainly do that, but are you sure?¡¡If things go poorly, you¡¯ll only be strangling yourself. And in that situation, you won¡¯t be able to stop the job nor change it.¡± [Masked Man] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. If I can hurt Reinhart and the Jamil family even a little, no price is to great too pay. If you want, you can take this.¡± [Man] The man took an extravagant sword decorated on the wall, and thrust it at the masked man. ¡°This is a treasured sword made from Orichalcum that my ancestor from three generations ago acquired. It should fetch a good price even if melted back down to an unprocessed metal.¡± [Man] ¡°That¡¯s quite the expensive item you have there. How about paying for Ryouma Takebayashi¡¯s disposal and your other request with that?¡± [Masked Man] ¡°If you¡¯re fine with that, then sure. I¡¯ll be able to save myself the hassle of preparing the money too.¡± [Man] And so, the two mysterious men concluded their deal. As soon as the masked man received the sword, he melted into the shadows and vanished, and then the man looked out the window again, his lips twisted into a dark smile. [1] ¨C It¡¯s like that in the RAWs. Chapter 248 - Activities at the Royal Capital (1/2) While Ryoma was working at his own pace in the city of Gimuru, the Duke, Reinhart, his Duchess, Elize, and his daughter, Elia, were there in the royal palace, the place said to be the center of the country and the symbol of the king¡¯s majesty. Under the lead of the royal palace¡¯s guide, they passed through the complicated and well-decorated halls of the palace. After passing through several doors, a thick door bigger and more massive than any so far came to view. On both sides of that massive door were four knights donned in a decorated armor. When the guide told them their business, two of the four knights confirmed that they¡¯d been informed and inspected the body of the three guests. The moment the knights gave permission to proceed, a mechanical sound resounded, and the untouched door opened on its own. ¡°This door is a magic tool, I see.¡± [Elia] ¡°Oh, but you should¡¯ve seen it before already. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± [Elize] ¡°Unfortunately, Mother. I¡¯ve visited the palace many times before, but has there really always been a door like this here?¡± [Elia] ¡°This ancient door is known as the ¡®Royal Gate¡¯, and has been here for hundreds of years. It¡¯s been here way before you¡¯ve been born, Elia. The royal palace is full of important places, but within it is a place even more important the rest. This door exists to separate the ¡®private area of the royal family¡¯ with the rest. As you can see, the security here is strict, and they inspect one¡¯s belongings too. Moreover, the door can only be opened when a knight gives the signal to another room, where the operator in charge of operating the magic tool that can open the door is. Without that magic tool, the door won¡¯t open.¡± [Elize] ¡°So there was a magic tool like that. I had no idea.¡± [Elia] ¡°Well, it is meant for security. There¡¯s no reason for them to go out of their way to explain it to the guests. And you were still really young when you came here before. It can¡¯t be helped if you¡¯ve forgotten. More importantly, as Elize said, the area from here on is private to the royal family. There¡¯s no telling when and who¡¯ll you¡¯ll meet, so be sure to act your best. Don¡¯t let your guard down.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Father.¡± [Elia] She looked nervous, but she fixed her posture, and put on a dignified appearance. Reinhart nodded upon seeing that, and looked into the now fully opened door. At their guide¡¯s behest, they continued on their way. And then¡­ ¡°Please forgive our intrusion, Your Majesty, but the Jamil family seeks an audience.¡± [Guide] ¡°Enter.¡± [???] The voice that responded to the guide spoke through a door, but it was brief and imposing. Immediately, the guide moved to the side, and Reinhart stood before the door with Elize beside him. Behind them followed Elia, and as the door opened, the three of them entered together. In accordance with etiquette, Elia took three steps after entering the room, then knelt with her face cast down. When Reinhart was about to speak¡­ ¡°Hey, Dumbass. Get up and take a seat already.¡± [???] Suddenly, a rash remark that completely broke the atmosphere resounded in the private room of the royal family. Reinhart looked up and glared at the owner of that voice a little. Written on his face was not anger but astonishment. ¡°Erias, you¡¯re really¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Hmph! I don¡¯t need such formal greetings. They¡¯re long-winded and annoying, and besides, we don¡¯t need it, do we? I¡¯m acting properly as a king elsewhere when there are other eyes, so at least let me be comfortable in my private room.¡± [Erias] ¡°But even then, you should still act a little like your position dictates. I brought my daughter today too¡ª¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Exactly!¡¡Welcome, Elia. You¡¯ve grown up, I see.¡± [Erias] The moment Reinhart mentioned his daughter, the man called Erias happily spoke to her. ¡°Y-Yes, Your Majesty¡ª¡± [Elia] ¡°So cold?¡¡Last I remember, you were still calling me uncle.¡± [Erias] ¡°Y-Your Majesty, I am already 12, so I can¡¯t talk like I did before anymore.¡± [Elia] ¡°I don¡¯t mind!¡¡There¡¯s no one else here!¡¡So call me uncle, okay?¡± [Erias] ¡°But¡ª¡± [Elia] ¡°But before anything else, you should take a seat in the sofa here. Come, don¡¯t kneel, sit. If you want you can sit on my lap too like old times.¡± [Erias] In the face of the over-doting uncle, Elia was at a loss how to respond. As his best friend and as Elia¡¯s father, Reinhart was about to offer a helping hand, but the moment he turned his head, he realized something, and as his body trembled, he covered his ears. In the next moment¡ª ¡°Enough!!!!¡± [Elize] ¡°!!!¡± [Erias and Elia] When Elize saw the man behaving however he pleased with regards to Elia, she finally couldn¡¯t stand it and erupted. ¡­10 seconds later. The three members sat on the sofa with Elia at the center, while Erias feebly laid down opposite them. Rather than say that his excitement had finally calmed down, it was more apt to say that the man had become depressed. The man had a full beard, a moderately toned body, and was dressed in luxurious loungewear made with the best materials. The man more than looked the part, and would have looked dignified if he just acted the part, but not a hint of that dignity could be seen now. This man was none other than Reinhart¡¯s best friend, Elize¡¯s older brother, Elialia¡¯s uncle and godparent, and the king of the Riforu Kingdom in which Riforu Kingdom and the duke lived. Erias De Riforu. ¡°How about you get up already? We are guests, you know?¡± [Elize] ¡°You¡¯re family, not guests.¡± [Erias] ¡°Elias started attending school this year, so depending on the time and place, she might have to pay respects to you according to your status. We brought her here precisely to help her get some experience, and yet¡­ The most important part, the king himself, is like this¡­¡± [elize] ¡°I¡¯m relaxed when I¡¯m relaxing! And when duty calls, well, duty calls! I just have the lines properly drawn between the two.¡± [Erias] ¡°You¡¯ve always been good at sophistry.¡± [Elize] ¡°Don¡¯t say that. It¡¯s really hard working as the king, you know?¡¡Especially in recent years, all these problems popping up because of all these monsters that¡¯s been getting active, causing my work to pile up. It¡¯s been really exhausting. Reinhart, what do you think about taking over as the king?¡± [Erias] ¡°I¡¯m not doing it, and also, don¡¯t say that so casually.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It really is exhausting¡­ If possible, I don¡¯t want to work anymore¡­¡± [Erias] ¡°Even then, where have you ever seen a person who greets his guest while lying down?¡± [Elize] ¡°You¡¯re looking at one.¡± [Erias] ¡°¡­You really don¡¯t intend on fixing your behavior today, do you?¡± [Elize] ¡°Nope, not one bit. Now, get to the point and let¡¯s do away with whatever trouble you¡¯ve brought me today.¡± [Erias] Erias¡¯ expression suddenly became serious when he asked that, but he still refused to get up. The tension on his face and voice was truly unlike the tension released by his whole body. Reinhart closed his eyes. ¡°The package.¡± [Reinhart] When Reinhart said that, the guide that has been standing next to the wall, took a small box and presented it. ¡°What do we have here¡­ Oh?¡± [Erias] The king supported his body with one elbow to open the box, and when he did, he laughed as though he¡¯d seen an interesting toy. ¡°It¡¯s a pearl necklace. Big, uniform color¡­ Spectacular. Not something that can be found in our country, in fact, even the pearl-producing countries would struggle to produce this. Where did you get it?¡¡Why are you showing it to me?¡± [Erias] ¡°I promised not to say where I got it from, but I can promise you that it¡¯s not through illegal channels. It¡¯s a present for your queen. And we can prepare more if necessary too.¡¯ [Reinhart] ¡°I see. My queen has been looking for an outfit to wear for an evening party. This will serve well. I¡¯ll be sure to have her wear it in the next evening party. And I¡¯ll also be sure to endorse the pearls of the Jamil family.¡± [Erias] Upon hearing Reinhart¡¯s words, the king¡¯s smile deepened, and he said exactly what he would do. When Elia saw how her uncle and her father understood each other just by passing that small box, she was surprised, and she couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°Uncle, did you understand what my father want to say with just that?¡± [Elia] ¡°One reason is because we¡¯ve known each other for a long time, but another is because of the current state of his duchy. I hear that some nobles have been harassing Reinhart lately. And Reinhart and Elize have also started showing their faces more recently, even though they¡¯ve minimized their participation in the social events until now. With the situation like that, by showing me this necklace, and on top of that, saying that he could prepare more later, I could easily surmise that he wishes to use the endorsement of the royal family and the pearl to strengthen his connection to the other families and his influence in high society. I could also surmise that he came here to ask me, the king, for a favor that would benefit his pearl trade. Reinhart and Elize are both also well aware of my personality and what I can do with my authority, so any request from them should be within the scope that I am capable of. Even if they request something difficult, they will provide enough benefits that will make it palatable.¡± [Erias] As he said that, he turned to her parents with a scheming face like that of a child¡¯s. Her parents were wearing a similar expression. Elia eyed the two groups back and forth, and found respect and admiration for the strong trust between them. ¡°So, is there anything else I can help you with?¡± [Erias] ¡°No, that¡¯s plenty. There¡¯s no point if I borrow too much help from you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°True. So, what other business do you have? If there¡¯s none, then I¡¯d like to ask a question of my own.¡± [Erias] ¡°Oh?¡¡What is it?¡± [Elize] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Erias] Chapter 248.2 - Activities at the Royal Capital (2/2) The moment Ryouma¡¯s name was dropped, Elia reacted. Though no words left her lips, a look of shock surfaced on her, the kind of look one made when someone they knew well was mentioned. Reinhart and Elize reacted slower than Elia, but they wore an understanding expression. ¡°So you¡¯ve heard of him already. I thought as much.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Word of your duchy having troubles has reached me too. It would have been a different story were it some other territory, but this is the territory where my friend, my younger sister, and my niece lives that we¡¯re talking about. So I sent someone to one of the cities at the center of that storm, and had him regularly report to me.¡± [Erias] ¡°And that¡¯s when you heard about Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He¡¯s been making waves. All the rumors in town revolve around this boy named Ryouma. And by coincidence, the person I sent chose his laundromat for lodging and employment to cover his travel expenses. His last report mentioned that he¡¯s presently working as his escort.¡± [Erias] ¡°He¡¯s that near?¡± [Reinhart] When Reinhart heard that a spy was beside Ryouma, he thought of Hyuzu¡¯s group. But the next information dumbfounded him. ¡°What¡¯s interesting is that boy apparently found out that my man has been spying for me, and intentionally placed him by his side.¡± [Erias] ¡°I, I beg your pardon?¡± [Reinhart] For a moment, Reinhart doubted his ears and had to ask the king to repeat himself. In response, Erias happily gave a brief account of the events that led to Yurdum becoming Ryouma¡¯s escort. ¡°So, Ryouma-kun brushed aside the opposition of those around him?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Seems so. As for the specifics, I¡¯m sure your men will report them to you soon. But I have to say, even if he knows that that the person I sent means him no harm, he sure is daring to place a complete stranger beside him. And just when I was wondering what he was scheming, he started talking in detail about the situation in Gimuru in front of my spy, and got him to report to me.¡± [Erias] ¡°Ryouma-san, what have you been doing?¡± [Elia] When Elia muttered that, her parents agreed with her in their mind. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a bad move, though. I¡¯m the king, someone much higher than any of the nobles trying to attack you, the duke, and also someone partial toward you. Knowing that, he sent the information to me. He tried to take advantage of me, the king, by cooperating with someone who appeared to be one of my own, a laudable attitude. And considering that me making a big deal out of this would be causing needless friction with you, the duke, there was no way that I would find fault with him for it. He thought it through well. Very well. Such boldness! I love it! He¡¯s even bolder than adults! Why didn¡¯t you tell me such an interesting guy was around!?¡± [Erias] ¡°Because we figured you¡¯d say that.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He¡¯s a good kid, but he does some crazy things sometimes¡­¡± [Elize] Reinhart and Elize tried to imagine what would happen if Ryouma and this free-spirited king were to meet, but they couldn¡¯t. Regardless, they were confident nothing good would come of it. ¡°Nothing good would come out of meeting? That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t tell me about him? Is that really all?¡± [Erias] ¡°What other reason could there be? I¡¯ve been dragged around by you ever since. It¡¯s been really difficult.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°¡­Hmm, whatever. I want to meet him, but I don¡¯t have time right now, so I¡¯ll just tell you this, make sure to keep him under control.¡± [Erias] When Erias said that, he didn¡¯t have a whiff of that joking air he normally had about him. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who¡¯s learned about the existence of Ryouma Takebayashi and the ability he¡¯s shown because of this incident. Anyone quick-eared would have already heard about him regardless if they were noble or commoner. If you¡¯re going to protect him, make sure that you keep him under your control. He¡¯s a bit dicey, that one. He may have acted to protect you and the town, but his actions and his ability to execute isn¡¯t anything like that of a child¡¯s. Power used rashly could greatly affect those around him. If that boy were to move on his own and something were to happen, if the only victim is himself, then he¡¯d be merely reaping what he sowed. If you were to be affected, I personally wouldn¡¯t be happy, but as long as the damage is limited to you, I can still forgive him. But if, as unlikely as it is, that boy were ever to become an existence that would harm this country, then I will no longer be able to forgive him. As the king¡ª¡± ¡ªI will have no choice but to order his execution. An unwavering will and resolve befitting that of the king accompanied him when he said that. Reinhart and Elize were long used to him switching modes quickly like this, but even they couldn¡¯t help but twitch when he said that. ¡°I think it¡¯ll be fine.¡± [Elia] And yet, in that strained atmosphere, Elia¡¯s peaceful voice resounded, and the adults turned to her in surprise. ¡°Ah¡­ My deepest apologies. I¡¯m sorry for intruding in your conversation.¡± [Elia] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. More importantly, why do you think it¡¯ll be fine?¡± [Erias] ¡°It just slipped out, but¡­¡± [Elia] As Elia thought, she enumerated the reasons one after another. ¡°Ryouma-san is certainly an eccentric. He would start something weird suddenly, and even though he knows a lot, he sometimes lacks common sense. But Ryouma-san is a gentle person. From time to time, his consideration would work in a weird direction, and would overdo it sometimes too, but¡­ When we were together, Ryouma-san was always helping me and those around me in his own way. Ryouma-san knows so many things that I don¡¯t know. He¡¯s good at magic, but even without magic, he¡¯s strong, yet he¡¯s never once boasted about it nor tried to use it to get others to do as he wants. If anything, he¡¯s always used his knowledge and powers for the sake of others.¡± [Elia] ¡°The reports I¡¯ve received have certainly mentioned that he has a tendency toward that.¡± [Erias] As her uncle nodded, Elia continued. ¡°I don¡¯t have much experience with people compared to you or my father or my mother, but I¡¯ve met a lot people since enrolling in school this year, and I¡¯ve come to learn that there are people who, regardless of status, try to suppress others by relying on their uncommon ideas or their position, and people who look down on others just because they¡¯re a little better at some specific skill. But Ryouma-san isn¡¯t like that. He¡¯s lacking a bit in common sense, but that¡¯s because he hasn¡¯t interacted with society in a long time. He¡¯ll listen when spoken to, and I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll change if he sees the need. He¡¯ll apologize too when he does something wrong. That¡¯s why Ryouma-san is someone who¡¯ll understand when spoken to. And until now, he¡¯d always consult father or an adult near him before doing anything. Right, mother, father?¡± [Elia] ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°He also asked for permission regarding the recent incident. Although it did feel a little like he would go through with it anyway even if we didn¡¯t let him.¡± [Elize] ¡°Exactly! And Ryouma-san is always sending me letters and talking about how he met various people who helped him and how fun his day was. A person like that couldn¡¯t possibly cause trouble for the country or to other people. That¡¯s why, umm¡­¡± [Elia] Elia tried to continue, but she had nothing else to say. Despite that she still tried to say something, and as she gradually grew desperate, her uncle laughed. ¡°Ha ha ha ha!!!¡¡I see. I see¡­¡± [Erias] ¡°Uncle?¡± [Elia] ¡°Ahh, it¡¯s enough. I understand what you¡¯re trying to say, Elia.¡± [Erias] ¡°Really?¡± [Elia] ¡°My cute niece is going so far. Do you share her opinion, Reinhart, Elize?¡± [Erias] The two glanced at each other. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll watch over him. So it¡¯ll be fine.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Elia just happened to say it ahead of us.¡± [Elize] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll trust you. That boy will stand out from here on, both in a good sense and a bad sense. Be careful not to let some weak noble take him from right under your arms, okay?¡± [Erias] Erias got up, and after saying that, patted Elia¡¯s head. ¡°It was a surprise to see you defend him so desperately, though. Elia, do you trust him that much?¡± [Erias] ¡°Huh? But of course. Is there something the matter?¡± [Elia] ¡°¡­Hmm, I guess I¡¯ll meet him once, after all, and then I¡¯ll hit him once.¡± [Erias] ¡°Uncle!? Why all of the sudden!?¡± [Elia] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. More importantly, do you want to play? Be it cards or board games, we¡¯ve got all sorts here.¡± [Erias] ¡°Please don¡¯t change the topic, Uncle!¡± [Elia] ¡°It¡¯s fine, no? All that talk about business is finally over! Let¡¯s go play!¡± [Erias] And so, Elia and her parents were completely caught up in the pace of the free-spirited king, and after playing several board games, went back to their residence in the royal capital. As for the overly-doting uncle of a king that kept on avoiding Elia¡¯s questions¡­ ¡°¡­Reinhart¡¯s side seems to have secured the majority already, but the opposing side isn¡¯t going to quietly wait either. Especially since the ringleader this time is that man???¡­ Considering how indirect they are, they probably won¡¯t attack Elialia¡¯s family directly, but¡­ Reinbach, no, that¡¯s tantamount to suicide. As I thought, the one most likely to be attacked is someone close to their family. That Ryouma boy has been making a lot of waves and has been gathering attention as a result¡­ But in that case, how will he overcome this crisis, I wonder¡­ If I¡¯m not mistaken, there¡¯s a high chance he¡¯ll survive this, so¡­ If he¡¯s that good, then I¡¯ll need to take him by surprise to hit him¡­ Maybe I should hit him while he¡¯s kneeling. How about a drop kick from my throne? ¡­Hmm, will it work?¡± [Erias] After Elia and her family went home, a lone uncle had a thick stack of documents in one hand, while seriously coming up with a plan to hit Ryouma. Chapter 249.1 - An Act at the Evening Party (1/2) Chapter 249.1: An Act at the Evening Party (1/2) A week after Elialia met King Erias with her parents, a huge evening party sponsored by the king was held in the biggest hall of the royal palace. The hall was divided into six steps. Deepest in was the king and the royal family, then the duke, the marquess, the count, the viscount, and finally, the baron. The positions they would take had already been decided beforehand. They had to make it for the official start of the evening party, but despite that, it was customary for people to arrive earlier the lower their rank, and for people to arrive later the higher their rank. Presently, most of the participants have already appeared, and they were merely waiting for the official start of the evening party. In fact, the participants have already started pleasantly chatting among themselves, but this party wasn¡¯t all about them. The true leading actors of this party were the ¡®children¡¯ of the nobles that attended the academy this year. As people expected to carry the country on their shoulders one day, they have been gathered here to be appraised and blessed. As for if they themselves were aware of that, it didn¡¯t matter. Around the children were not only parents worried over their children. Some kept an eye on their children to make sure that they would not do anything improper, while others searched the halls for a prospective marriage for their children, giving rise to a particular tension in the air. Were Ryouma, someone from Earth¡¯s Japan, here, he would have surely described this evening party as a tense parent¡¯s day. It was in an assembly such as that that another group came. A group consisting of a child that enrolled this year and her parents. Bells rang to announce the arrival of a new guest, and all attention gathered on the new group. A moment passed, and then a staff member standing by the entrance called out. ¡°The present head of the Jamil ducal family, Reinhart Jamil-sama!¡¡His wife, Elize Jamil-sama!¡¡And their daughter, Elialia Jamil-sama!¡± [Staff] With the structure of the hall, there was no escaping the eyes of the large crowd that had entered before them. But in the face of all those eyes, they neither cowered nor flustered, only displaying a graceful bearing. Moreover, accessories with large pearls could be seen accompanying their garment of choice for the night. That along with their bearing caused a commotion among the nobles and their children. ¡°As expected of the Jamil family, they¡¯re in a different league compared to us.¡± [Noble 1] ¡°Lady Elialia should have also just enrolled this year, and yet look at how impressive she is already.¡± [Noble 2] ¡°So that¡¯s the Jamil duke?¡¡He¡¯s really cool¡­ Not like dad at all.¡± [Noble Child 1] ¡°Elize-sama¡¯s crimson dress, and Elialia¡¯s dress with its vivid blue undertone are both amazing. And those accessories¡­¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°A broach on the chest for Reinhart-sama, and earrings for the two ladies. To think they could actually use so many big pearls¡­ As expected of the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Noble Lady 2] ¡°You can easily see the quality of the fabric and threads used, while the design exposes little, and isn¡¯t too gaudy either. Because of that their accessories stand out all the more, and the whole combination looks really good. As expected, they¡¯re different from the lower ranked nobles that only compete with how gaudy they can be.¡± [Noble Lady 3] ¡°Father. I want an accessory like that too,¡± [Noble Daughter 1] ¡°T-That?¡¡Even a single pearl is really expensive¡­¡± [Noble Father 1] ¡°Any woman would be interested in a pearl that pretty. What do you think, Dear?¡± [Noble Lady 4] ¡°Call a jeweler when we get back then. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll able to get one as long as there¡¯s enough money.¡± [Noble Father 1] ¡°Don¡¯t you realize the value of that pearls?¡± [Noble Lady 4] ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a jewel? We should be able to get one if we just order from a store.¡± [Noble Father 1] As the crowd split and a path opened, voices resounded in the back and vanished. Tonight¡¯s party was a buffet. They were free to move, but there was no one here who would call out to these three. It was part of the evening party¡¯s etiquette, and there was a tacit understanding there too, but it was mostly because it was considered rude for a lower-ranked person to call out toward one¡¯s superior. If a person wished to call out to his superior, he would have to ask someone connected to that superior to mediate for him, or simply wait for the superior to call out to him on his own accord. Calling them to halt was out of the question. Hence, no one obstructed them, and Reinhart¡¯s group easily reached the place that had been prepared for them, then just like everyone else, they used the time until the official start of the party to greet the families they were connected to. From other dukes such as themselves to the marquesses, and when Reinhart reached one of the counts¡­ ¡°Sorry to intrude on your conversation, but is that Count Bernardo I see?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°If it isn¡¯t His Grace. It¡¯s an honor to have your attention.¡± [Bernardo] ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal. I just thought I should thank you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank me?¡± [Bernardo] He had been suddenly called out by a duke, and then the duke even mentioned that he ought to thank him. Count Bernardo racked his head to figure out what the duke might¡¯ve been talking about, but he couldn¡¯t find anything. Reinhart continued. ¡°I thought of thanking your friend too, but¡­ Count Sandrick didn¡¯t come tonight, did he?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the count indeed. Apparently, he¡¯s been really busy lately.¡± [Bernardo] ¡°Ahh, yes, he should be very busy right now indeed. Then what about Viscount Fargutton, Viscount Danietan, and Viscount Anatoma? Do you think they¡¯re down there?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Who knows?¡± [Bernardo] ¡°I see¡­ There¡¯s a lot of people I need to show my gratitude to. By the way, are you certain???, you have no leads?¡± [Reinhart] As one might expect, the count has already realized that Reinhart¡¯s ¡®gratitude¡¯ was not literally gratitude. He tried to feign ignorance, but Reinhart continued to pressure him with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s odd. The construction of my new city has been going so well, and you even went out of your way to send so much help. Some few hundred people came. I¡¯m surprised you couldn¡¯t notice that many people leaving your territory.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart did not speak loudly, but he was a duke. A person that high up in the hierarchy had gone out of his way to approach a count. Naturally, there would be people curious about the contents of their conversation, and there were also those scheming to form a relationship with the duke. Regardless, there were many people secretly watching the duke¡¯s every action. As a result¡­ ¡°What are they talking about?¡¡A few hundred people?¡± [Noble 1] ¡°That many people leaving would be enough to make a village disappear. That¡¯s a bit much even for farmers looking to work away from home, no?¡± [Noble 2] ¡°If the count was working with the duke, then it wouldn¡¯t be too strange, but¡­ The person himself says he doesn¡¯t know anything about it.¡¡Did his people run away?¡± [Noble 3] ¡°The problem here really is less the reason for the migration, but the fact that the count knew nothing of the matter. How could he not notice so many people leaving?¡¡Just how does he manage his territory?¡± [Noble 4] ¡°If they did escape, why? I hadn¡¯t heard any particular problems with that count¡¯s management, but perhaps, things aren¡¯t going well?¡¯ [Noble 5] The people eavesdropping on Duke Reinhart and Count Bernardo¡¯s conversation started speculating among themselves in hushed voices while peeking at the count. From the fragments of the conversation that they could pick up, apparently, the situation had turned down an unfavorable road for Count Bernardo. Moreover, a portion of the quick-eared nobles had already gotten wind of the information beforehand. ¡°He knows everything. He¡¯s just acting dumb.¡± [Quick-Eared Noble Lady] ¡°Why?¡¡There¡¯s no point to that, is there?¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°No. I¡¯m sure he must believe that it would be more disadvantageous to him to admit that he knows.¡± [Quick-Eared Noble Lady] ¡°Oh, do you know something?¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s information I¡¯ve gotten just a few days ago, but¡­ You know how there¡¯s been rumors circulating that the duke¡¯s territory isn¡¯t in a good state?¡± [Quick-Eared Noble Lady] ¡°Yes¡­ Reinhart-sama is still young, so I thought it was only natural that he would struggle some.¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°Word has it that that rumor was started by another family. Word also has it that several families conspired to gather the troublesome ones in their territories and threw them at the duke. They say people from the Dark Guild have even been employed.¡± [Quick-Eared Noble Lady] ¡°My! But now that you mention it, the rumors did feel like they were intentionally started by someone.¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°They used the Dark Guild? How terrifying¡­ But if so, then that¡¯s why the count is¡­¡± [Noble Lady 2] Like that, speculation gave birth to new speculation, spreading like ripples among the nobles, and the people casually began to distance themselves from Count Bernardo. No one wished to ally themselves with someone a duke has issues with. No one wished to be mistaken for an ally of a duke¡¯s enemy and incur the displeasure of a ducal family. Nothing would be more troublesome than to become friendly with Count Bernardo and be caught up in the anger and vengeance of a duke. When he realized that people were gradually giving up on him and that he was starting to become isolated, Count Bernardo kept his composure on the surface, but deep inside, he was deeply agitated and was racking his mind to look for a solution. It was at such a time that¡ª ¡°Well, tonight is a time for festivities, after all, so let¡¯s have this conversation some other time.¡± [Reinhart] ¡ªthat Reinhart ended the conversation. For a moment, surprise and happiness filled the count. There was scornful laughter for the duke there too. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Thank you for reaching out to me.¡± [Bernardo] Now that he could be leisurely again, not just on the surface, but inside as well, the count bowed deeply, and then saw Reinhart off as he left. The way he left was so peaceful and graceful no one would suspect that he had just concluded a conversation with disquieting intentions hidden within. Chapter 249.2 - An Act at the Evening Party (2/2) After that Reinhart took his wife and daughter and continued their greetings. ¡°Count Fatma, it¡¯s been awhile.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ohh! Thank you for calling out to me, Your Grace.¡± [Fatma] ¡°You helped me out a lot during our days in the academy, so I was hoping to introduce my wife and daughter to you. I hope you don¡¯t mind.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But of course!¡± [Fatma] ¡°That¡¯s great. Elia, this is Count Fatma, he was my senpai during our time in the academy.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Porco Fatma, my lady. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Fatma] ¡°Elialia Jamil. The pleasure is mine. I¡¯ve heard about you from my father.¡± [Elia] A rendezvous with Reinhart¡¯s senpai, Porco Fatma. ¡°Mother, look¡­¡± [Elia] ¡°Oh? Indeed, we should go.¡± [Elize] ¡°Excuse me, I saw Count Willdan and Baron Clifford with their family.¡± [Reinhart] And then a rendezvous with Elialia¡¯s friends, Michelle and Riera, along with their parents. ¡°Your grace! It is such an honor to have someone of your stature grace this lowly one with your presence.¡± [Clifford] ¡°Baron, there¡¯s no need to be so ceremonious. I hear your two daughters have been helping my daughter.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Likewise, your grace. Riera says Elia has been such a blessing to her.¡± [Clifford] ¡°My daughter, Michelle, says so too. I was worried at first since she is quite the oddball, but thanks to your daughter, she was able to familiarize herself with the school. It¡¯s been such a relief.¡± [Willdan] ¡°They have been a blessing to my daughter too. I hear they are accomplished children. It would be wonderful if they could continue to get along for a long time. Of course, us parents as well.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It is an honor.¡± [Willdan and Clifford] After the parents concluded their conversation, they all introduced their respective families, then had a pleasant chat. In the process, the time for the official??? start of the evening party finally came. The bell in a corner of the large hall was rung several times by the staff to announce the start of the evening party. At the same time, the duke¡¯s family along with the rest of the nobles, who were going around greeting people, returned to their respective positions. Upon confirming that the guests had finished moving, the staff by the side of the bell knelt and faced down. As though that were a signal of some sort, the guests too turned to the seat of the royal family and performed the same gesture. In the vast hall, at the end of the highest step, from the door hidden by a thick curtain, solemnly entered the king and his queen with arms linked. They each took their seat, then turned to their subjects. ¡°You may raise your head.¡± [Erias] At the behest of the king, the guests raised their heads, though their knees remained knelt. ¡°This year I have once again been blessed to welcome this wondrous day. To be able to witness the faces of our future, our youth ¨C and that is no exaggeration ¨C brings me much delight. Now, I¡¯m sure our youth do not appreciate long greetings, and neither am I fond of them, so I¡¯ll just say this. Enjoy the drinks, the food, and the people to your heart¡¯s content¡­ Now, all of you, take a glass!¡± [Erias] At this point, glasses were distributed to all of the guests. The king waited for drinks to be served to all the guests, then spoke. ¡°To the future of our country and our youth!¡± [Erias] The king raised his glass, and the guests followed suit, then they all emptied their respective glass. Like this the evening party had officially begun. ¡­Yes, this was just the beginning. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Elia.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, Father.¡± [Elia] As the three members of the duke¡¯s family returned their glasses to the waiters moving around the vast hall, they headed to greet the king and his queen. Naturally, every eye in the hall was watching them, and not even the slow-witted failed to notice it. That the queen was wearing a pearl necklace. By this point, It was already common knowledge that the three members of the duke were all wearing pearl accessories. Hence, the women interested in the pearls and the men pestered by them couldn¡¯t help but speculate. A speculation proven true when the queen gave her gratitude. From this day on, the nobles wanting for pearl will want to become closer with them, further magnifying the already vast influence of the duke. There were nobles who did not want for that to happen. Like Count Bernardo, whom Reinhart had spoken with earlier. The moment he turned his head away from the affectionate conversation between the duke¡¯s family and the royal family, by coincidence, he spotted two acquaintances of his. They were none other than Viscount Fargutton and Viscount Danietan, whom the duke had mentioned earlier. These two, who had sent people from their territories just like him, were talking among themselves with faces paled. They were probably thinking the same thing as him. Thinking that, he called out to them. ¡°Viscount Fargutton, Viscount Danietan.¡± [Bernardo] ¡°C-Count Bernardo!¡± [Fargutton]] ¡°Thank you for reaching out to us.¡± [Danietan] ¡°There¡¯s no need for greetings. More importantly, are you thinking about that incident?¡± [Bernardo] ¡°Huh? Ah, i-it¡¯s not completely unrelated, but¡­¡± [Danietan] Viscount Danietan was talking rather inarticulately, but they couldn¡¯t afford to cause a commotion here in the party, so it was Viscount Fargutton who spoke in his place with a hushed voice. ¡°Actually, our bad reputation has become the topic ever since we came here.¡± [Fargutton] ¡°What? By ¡®we¡¯, you¡¯re referring too¡­.¡± [Bernardo] ¡°It¡¯s related to ¡®that incident¡¯ you mentioned, so¡­ ¡®We¡¯ refers to us.¡± [Fargutton] When the count heard that, he pricked up his ears and listened in on the conversations around them. ¡°Have you heard?¡¡About Viscount Fargutton¡¯s extramarital affairs?¡± [Noble Lady 1] ¡°I hear Viscount Danietan is also laden with debts.¡± [Noble Lady 2] ¡°My son works as a tax collector, and apparently, Baron Rufred hasn¡¯t been paying his taxes.¡± [Noble Lady 3] ¡°Have you heard? Viscount Sergier has been doing whatever he pleases in his territory with his money and authority.¡± [Noble Lady 4] ¡°Count Sandrick has a company in his territory that he¡¯s rather too close with.¡± [Noble lady 5] ¡°I hear Baron Jerok goes out every night to play in those stores with women.¡± [Noble Lady 6] Ill rumors of those who participated in their plan could be heard left and right. Of course, rumors of himself were included too. Moreover, they were detailed rumors, from secrets he¡¯d hidden because they were embarrassing to secrets hidden because they were crimes. ¡°What is going on? Did you hear anything from that man?¡± [Bernardo] ¡°Nothing, but without a doubt, someone¡¯s spreading rumors.¡± [Danietan] ¡°But they¡¯re coming from everywhere. It¡¯s almost as if they¡¯re competing with each other.¡± [Fargutton] When Count Bernardo heard Viscount Fargutton¡¯s mutterings, he realized what the source of the weird feeling he had was, and froze up. It was indeed strange how the nobles around them almost seemed like they were competing to spread rumors. But what was even stranger????? was how brazen they were being. Conversations between nobles were always held behind the scenes, and they frequently used vague wordings to avoid making any blunders. But of course, the extent of vagueness varied according to the time, place, and the relationship they had with the person. Trying to pull down the reputation of a noble from another house in a public place like this could be taken as an insult. And even if said noble did not take offense, such actions were likely to leave trouble brewing. Hence, there were ¡®rarely¡¯ anyone among nobles who would so openly make such remarks in a place like this. ¡­But there were exceptions. And from the air in this place, it was likely that that exception was occurring this very moment. The moment he realized that, all blood left his face. For the exception was no different from the end of a noble. When a scandal of some house comes to light, and their punishment becomes talk of the town. At such a time, criticisms and insults alike can only be tolerated. Even if the critics were to take a step too far, so long as they had not overstepped too far, a light warning is all they would receive. After all, there was no denying that a scandal had been made, so the one really at fault is the person who caused the scandal in the first place. Moreover, a noble whose honor has been sullied can no longer do anything. Though that noble might still keep his life, the nobles that prize honor will no longer associate themselves with him, and that was no different from a noble¡¯s ¡®death¡¯. ¡°!!!¡± [Bernardo] They were done for????. No longer would they be treated as humans. Already, the gazes around them were no longer what they once were. No, Duke Jamil made this happen. Without them realizing it, the outer moat had been filled. When the count realized that, his limbs began to shake. It was then that the king spoke and the vast hall erupted, but the king¡¯s words did not reach the count. However, the people around him immediately started talking about it, so whether he wanted to or not, he had no choice but to hear. ¡®His Majesty has given his approval for Duke Jamil¡¯s pearls.¡¯ That would raise the value of the duke¡¯s pearls even higher. And the nobles wishing for these royally approved pearls would draw closer to him, magnifying the influence of his house. To the count, that was no different from a death knell. He desperately racked his head to find a way out of this situation, but he could not find a way out. Perhaps, he could throw all shame to the wind, and throw his head to the ground and beg for forgiveness, but such a plan did not once appear in his mind, and instead, incomprehensible excuses filled it. Already, the count was in a daze, and before he knew it, he¡¯d raised up his head. In that moment, his eyes met the duke¡¯s. ¡°A, ahhHh¡­¡± The duke was smiling. Not a word was shared between them. But he knew. It was not that the duke was ill prepared that he did not continue pushing him earlier. Rather, there was no point to it anymore. Without him knowing, the game was already over. The rest of the night was spent by the count like a corpse. He spoke to no one, and no one spoke to him either. A few days later, the scandal of the count and the other nobles would officially??? come to light, and topics of their demotion and ruin would be spoken of endlessly between nobles, but¡­ The nobles were not surprised, and shortly after, the topic too would die down. Chapter 250 - The Arrival of a Great Cold Wave Chapter 250: The Arrival of a Great Cold Wave ¡°Fuu¡­ It¡¯s cold out today too.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s one week left till the new year. The winter has gotten really harsh in these parts of the Jamil Duchy, and it¡¯s been snowing nonstop recently. Because of that I¡¯ve been having to leave for town while it¡¯s still dark out. Thankfully I can use long-distance teleportation with the stone slimes for markers. As I thought that to myself, I made my way through the snowy path with my hand-made snow boots. The snow was piled up high enough to reach a child¡¯s waist. Before long, the familiar city gate of Gimuru appeared. Two guards stood by the two sides of the gate, and when they noticed me, they waved at me. ¡°Good morning!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good morning!¡± [Guard 1] ¡°It¡¯s cold today too, huh!¡± [Guard 2] My gait was slow because of the snow, so I greeted them as I walked. Eventually, I reached the gate. ¡°I see you¡¯re both hard at work today too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s been tough everyday.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°The snow and cold are really annoying.¡± [Guard 2] We chatted a little while they confirmed my identification. ¡°Good, you can enter now. By the way, will you be doing that?? again? We¡¯ll help with the preparations.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Thank you. I appreciate it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ha ha, the one being helped here is us.¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Besides, if we help out, we¡¯ll be able to warm ourselves for a while.¡± [Guard 1] They seemed to be joking, but warming themselves was probably their real purpose. Either way they¡¯re helping me, so I¡¯m grateful. Immediately, I took out the necessary tools from my Dimension Home. ¡°Well, it is cold everyday. Even some of my aqua slimes evolved into ¡®Ice slimes¡¯ because of the cold.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Aqua Slimes? Those are slimes that have water for their bodies, right?¡¡I don¡¯t know much about them, but don¡¯t their bodies just freeze over because of the cold?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Everyone says that, but that doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡± [Ryouma] In a previous examination I performed, I found that the aqua slimes were resilient to temperature changes, but some of them liked the cold, while others did not. And the ones that liked the cold all loved ice mana. Moreover, despite being in the same environment, it was only the slimes that loved ice mana that evolved into ice slimes, so I don¡¯t think it¡¯s as simple as their bodies freezing. ¡°Oh, speaking of ice, can you provide more of those non-slip shoes that you donated before?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t I leave the Morgan Company in charge of those?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, apparently, word of that rubber stuff being really good for keeping people from slipping got out from us guards, and now, they say they sell out as soon as inventory drops.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Most of the accidents these days are caused by ¡°snow¡± or the ice or slush it makes. Some of the adventurers seem to be using special equipment meant for trips to those snowy mountains, but commoners don¡¯t have access to those.¡± [Guard 2] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Ryouma] So this must be what they call an ¡¯emergency demand¡¯. Until now, the weather around these parts has always been on the warmer side. To the residents of this town, this year¡¯s cold wave is abnormal. So it wasn¡¯t possible for them to have prepared for this much snow. And the stores too couldn¡¯t possibly have stored items that normally wouldn¡¯t sell. Even if they did have some, there surely wouldn¡¯t be many. As for me, I just happened to know about it in advance from the gods by coincidence, so I could leak the information to various places and have them prepare. The Morgan Company in particular reacted the fastest. He might¡¯ve gotten information from elsewhere too, but the moment I told Serge-san of the possibility of a cold wave, he immediately mobilized his people. Thanks to that the development of the anti-cold-wave winter goods, such as the non-slip boots, and their mass production through the new workshops and workforce, as well as their sale through the various stores have all been going swimmingly well. In fact, the ¡®small boat¡¯ in front of me right now is one of those. I made a boat based off the one I rode back in Fatma Territory. I put a stove on the back of it like the ones you¡¯d use for barbecue and camping, then I put an apparatus on top that¡¯s basically a stockpot with metal pipes coiled around it. To describe it briefly, it was basically a pop pop boat. I¡¯m not talking about the old boats that used a hot bulb engine, but rather those old boat toys also used in science experiments. I put a filter slime in the two metal pipes extending behind the boat, while inside the stove, I laid out an Ash Slime, and placed some charcoal on top. Lastly, I placed an aqua slime inside the pot and enough water to fill the pipes. That concludes my preparations. All that¡¯s left now is¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright.¡± [Guard 1] While they put up a yellow flag with red letters on it that read, ¡®road cleaning and snow clearing in progress¡¯, I asked the aqua slime that was starting to get hot inside the pot if it was ready, and it took on an eager posture in response. When I looked beyond the gate and saw that there were no people in the vicinity, I knew that it was time. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] I sent mana along with an image of movement to the slime that had assimilated with the water, and in the next moment, the contents of the pot surged, swirled, and floated out of the water bottle to form a sphere on the road in front of the gate. The water, no, the sphere of hot water gently approached the ground and touched the snow. As the sphere collapsed, the hot water spread like a wave, melting the snow. The melted snow became water and merged with the hot water and the aqua slime, increasing the volume of the water. Through the increase in water volume and the utilization of magic, movement was induced. Caught in the flow, the snow on the road melted. As the volume increased even more, more and more snow was absorbed. This has been my daily morning schedule these past few days ¨C clearing snow through water slime magic. As for any concerns surrounding the water freezing over again, which would only serve to make the ground slippier and even more dangerous, that is indeed an issue that occurs when water is left behind in sufficiently cold weather, an impossible problem back in my previous life, but this world has magic. With the help of the assimilated slime and slime magic, super precise control should be possible!¡¡Even the water that scattered can be recovered without leaving even a drop! In other words, it¡¯s possible to prevent the water from freezing up again!! ¡­While I was having a little sales talk to myself, the aqua slime had gotten much bigger from gathering the water around it. Now, it looked like a hemisphere the size of a small hill, and it looked just like a giant slime. Yes, that much water should be fine. ¡°Well then, I think it¡¯s about time I go.¡± [Ryouma] As I called out to the two people behind me, who were warming themselves with the fire, I jumped up the small boat beside them. They knew what would be happening, so they promptly distanced themselves despite the forlorn look they gave the fire. The giant water sphere covered the entire ship, and the aqua slime also entered the pot through the metal pipe and the filter slime inside, while the water that couldn¡¯t enter anymore allowed the boat to float. With that all the preparations were complete. ¡°I¡¯ll be going now!¡± [Ryouma] As the guards saw me off, I steered the ship into town. With water slime magic, it was possible to clear the snow and clean the road at the same time. This was one of the answers I arrived to after pondering the issue of efficiency for a long time. ¡­Well, even if I didn¡¯t clear the snow, the government office or the adventurers guild would send someone to do it, but we¡¯re in an emergency situation, and everyone is starving for more hands, and I have lots of mana to spare, and the gods seem to enjoy watching me use slime magic too, so I volunteered. Besides, leisurely going around town early in the morning in a ship covered in water isn¡¯t all that bad. With it still being dark out, few people would go out at this time, but I still passed by some people. These were those who had a job that needed them this early or those who had to leave at this hour to make it for work because of the snow. Regardless, I¡¯ve acquainted myself with more people since I started clearing the snow. At first, some of them were dumbfounded when the saw me, others thought they were hallucinating and panicked, but nowadays, everyone¡¯s used to my water boat, and even people whose names I don¡¯t know would wave at me and call out to me when they saw me. ¡°Hey! Wizard boy! Come here for a bit, will you!?¡± [Female Stall Owner] The person who called out to me was the owner of a stall that I frequently saw. She seemed to be calling for me, so I manipulated the water to bring the boat to her. ¡°Good morning. How can I help you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, take this with you. Don¡¯t worry about the money.¡± [Female Stall Owner] ¡°Woah, it¡¯s warm. Thank you so much!¡± [Ryouma] The woman gave me a warm soup full of sausages and vegetables complete with a wooden bowl and spoon. ¡°And don¡¯t forget this. You do your best now, alright?¡± [Female Stall Owner] ¡°¡­Thank you very much. I¡¯m going!¡± [Ryouma] Before parting, she warmly encouraged me and gave me a loaf of hard bread. In response, I thanked her and floated back up again to clear the snow. ¡°Fuu¡­ Hafu!¡¡Ho!¡± As I took a spoonful of the soup, heat and umami unfolded inside my mouth, and upon drinking it, warmth spread from the center of my body. Ever since I started clearing the snow, people would give me stuff like this and encourage me from time to time. Beneath the yet sunless sky that grew brighter by the moment, I relished the taste of the soup, swayed by the boat, as a path through this yet silver world opened. Although this job can¡¯t make me even a dime, it can fill up my soul. Sometimes, work like this isn¡¯t so bad. Chapter 251 - The Calm Before the Storm Chapter 251: The Calm Before the Storm After completing my morning routine, it was time to go to work. When I met up with Yurdum-san in front of the laundromat, I noticed that his eyes were already dead despite it being so early in the morning. ¡°Good morning. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, it¡¯s just the usual, but it¡¯s precisely because of that that I¡¯m starting to doubt myself for getting used to that spell of yours, Boss.¡± [Yurdum] Ah, I see. He¡¯s talking about my spell that gathers water to allow my boat to float and move. It certainly would be difficult for a normal magician to maintain this spell for more than an hour while cleaning the road and clearing it of snow, both mana-wise and technique-wise, and yet, here I am doing it as though nothing could be more natural, and everyone just accepts it. I¡¯ve also gradually started to get used to it. But anyhow, if that¡¯s all, then I suppose there¡¯s no problem. I quickly put away my boat, and headed to work with Yurdum-san. Our workplace this morning is right in front of my store. Because today I¡¯m going to be clearing snow manually at the residential district in the eastern part of town. Although I cleared the road of snow with my slime magic early this morning, the snow has been pouring throughout town, and there¡¯s still plenty of streets to clear. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just cleaned everything with your boat?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That¡¯s true, but as small as my boat may be, the streets there are simply too narrow, and even my mana pool won¡¯t be able to last if I had to clean every nook and cranny. It¡¯s not a good idea to drink too many mana potions too, so I¡¯ve been limiting the use of that spell to just places that people don¡¯t pass by much early in the morning, places that have bigger roads, and places that are lacking in help. Once the hour gets a little later into the morning, the adventurers from the guild and the people hired by the government office will also start working anyway. Not to mention, the townspeople themselves will also help clear out the snow, so there¡¯s no reason to force myself to do that much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true, I guess. Or rather, won¡¯t you normally run out of mana? You¡¯ve been doing stuff like that right from the morning, and you¡¯ve never looked tired or anything, so I¡¯ve always thought that that boat was some kind of magic tool, or maybe there¡¯s some magic stone supplying it with mana or something.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There¡¯s no way I¡¯d go through that much trouble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I figured. You don¡¯t look the sort¡­ Wait a sec, wouldn¡¯t it normally be more convincing to be told that he¡¯s relying on some kind of trick or on potions?¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san seems to be conflicted¡­ I never said there were ¡®no tricks¡¯, though. Speaking of which, it¡¯s easy for accidents to occur while clearing snow. While working below the eaves of the roof, snow piled up on the roof can slide down and injure you, or they might bury you under their weight, keeping you from moving. While working in high places, there¡¯s the risk of falling, of course, but on top of that, you can also fall into a pile of snow and be unable to get out. There are a lot of cases of such accidents, so it¡¯s important to prepare well and be careful when removing snow, and it¡¯s just as important to work in groups. While Yurdum-san and I talked like that, before long, we arrived at our destination. ¡°Let¡¯s start from here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright.¡± [Yurdum] Like that we started clearing the snow from a street in the residential district. First, Yurdum-san opened the lid to the gutter for drainage. ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you today too.¡± [Ryouma] Then I took out my filter slimes from my dimension magic, and got them to block both ends of the gutter. After that I took out two more slimes from a water jug, the sewage slime and the sludge slime. The sewage slime evolved from an aqua slime that preferred poison-type mana, while the sludge slime evolved from a mud slime that fed off of sludge. Just like the scavenger slime, both of these slimes possess the Stench skill. Other than that there¡¯s not much difference between them and the aqua slimes or mud slimes. In the same way that ice slimes are thought to be merely aqua slimes that have frozen over, these two slimes are thought to be slimes that have merely been dirtied, and most people don¡¯t consider them to be an actual evolution. They were able to evolve because they¡¯ve been hard at work cleaning the gutters before this cold wave came. In fact, they¡¯re very good at that job. After all, they feed off of sewage and sludge, so they¡¯ll naturally clean the gutters as long as you leave them there. If a proper setup is prepared for them, they should be useful in large-scale sewer treatments too. Also¡ª ¡°Boss?¡¡Is something the matter?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, it¡¯s nothing!¡± [Ryouma] Oops, that¡¯s not good. Lost myself in my thoughts, thinking about the slimes again, there for a moment. We¡¯re at work right now. Gotta focus. As I renewed my focus, I affixed several sheets of my Light-Absorbent Hot Plate on copper tubes that matched the width of the gutters. By the way, the Light-Absorbent Hot Plates are made by combining the ¡®Fine Black Powder¡¯ that I showed to the gods last time and the hardening liquid sheet of the sticky slimes. By raising the temperature high enough to melt snow, the snow thrown into the gutters can be melted, effectively filling the role that would otherwise be filled by a snow melter tank, and greatly increasing the efficiency of our work. ¡­Unfortunately, the plates merely produce heat through light reflected on it, and that heat is passed on to the water through the copper tubes, so they¡¯re really nothing more than a simple apparatus and I can¡¯t judge them to be a complete product just yet. I think they can still be improved, though perhaps not as good as the solar water-heaters that we used back in Japan. I spoke about it with Grisiera-san and her group from the Merchant Guild, and the discussion can basically be summarized as¡­ ?The hot plates already produce enough heat, so they can be used right away. Moreover, their efficiency can be increased by using them alongside light magic. ?There are plenty of workers, especially, adventurers, that can use the rudimentary light spell, Light, even though they¡¯re not mages. ?The design may be simple, but that¡¯s actually a boon, because it¡¯s precisely that simple design that will allow town craftsmen to mass produce the copper pipes. ?Once mass produced, they can be installed throughout town to increase the efficiency of all the workers. ?What needs to be prioritized now wasn¡¯t the completion of the tool, but the countermeasures to deal with the snow. With the discussion concluding as such, improvements to the design were put on hold, and the Merchant Guild tasked the craftsmen to mass produce the copper pipes, while I produced as many hot plates as I could and lent?? them to the Merchant Guild. The water heater produced by combining the two products would then be used by the workers, while the merchant guild supervised the whole affair. I decided to merely lend the hot plates because they¡¯re still merely experimental, so I have no plans on selling them just yet. With Reinhart-san¡¯s permission, I might create an improved water heater and sell them in the future to make some change. As is with its current simple design, the copper pipes can get hotter than the hood of a car on a summer day. It should be possible to further improve and optimize the water heater, and even combining it with a big stove shouldn¡¯t be impossible, but as for whether they can be sold or not, I¡¯ll have to find out once I start experimenting and making estimates. ¡°Heave-ho!¡± [Ryouma] After setting the water heater, all that was left was good old physical labor. Yes, we¡¯re really just shoveling the snow normally. Simple work like this can be done even while deep in thought. I used my dimension magic and took out a tool with the end of a bulldozer made out of hardening liquid sheet in place of plastic to push all of the snow toward the gutter in one go. After that it was up to the water heater and the slimes inside the gutter to take care of the rest. Water above a certain level would be filtered by the filter slime and flushed down the end of the gutter, so the water would never overflow. Like that we continued our work merrily. ¡°Good morning.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Ah, good morning, grandma.¡± [Yurdum] While we were working, Yurdum-san called out to a grandma that walked out of a house. ¡°Have you cleared the snow in front of my house already? Thank you¡­ I¡¯ll go clear the snow in the roof then.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Grandma, are you planning to climb up your roof?¡¡That¡¯s too dangerous, let us do it.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Nah, I¡¯d feel bad. You already cleared the snow in front of my house. Besides, these legs and loins of mine are still plenty strong.¡± [Grandma] ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad, Grandma, we¡¯ll take care of it. Boss!¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I heard. We can¡¯t enter private areas, so we¡¯ve only cleared the streets until now, but if it¡¯s alright with you, we¡¯d love to clear your roof for you. We have a tool just for that too.¡± [Ryouma] I had a terrible experience removing snow from the roof before, so there was a time when I went all over the net researching about tools to deal with snow. Thanks to that, though, I¡¯m able to create a bunch by recalling those memories. Of the tools to help with that, the tool I personally found most convenient was a long rod with a metal fixture at the end for cutting snow and a waterproof cloth. The tool is able to efficiently remove snow by sliding the cut snow over the cloth. ¡°Besides, we¡¯re in an emergency right now. The guild will pay us too as long as we can get proof of our work here in writing. There¡¯s a subsidiary aid from the government office for stuff like this, so there won¡¯t be any demerit to you at all.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Really?¡± [Grandma] ¡°That¡¯s right, so just leave it to us.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be counting on you boys then.¡± [Grandma] And so, we ended up removing the snow off the grandma¡¯s roof. ¡°That grandma hates being treated like she¡¯s old, so we need to be careful.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san told me quietly while we worked. It might¡¯ve been because he sensed that that he suddenly brought the topic to compensation. He¡¯d brought the topic there rather forcefully, but the grandma didn¡¯t seem to mind. He¡¯d also easily taken care of a person who asked something unreasonable before when we were clearing the snow. Yurdum-san appears to be frivolous, but he¡¯s generally a kind and considerate person, though I¡¯m not sure whether to describe him as someone sharp toward people¡¯s emotions or merely someone good at handling distance with others.¡¡The more we work together, the more I feel that. ¡°By the way, Boss, did something happen recently?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve started to become tense again lately, you know, like last time.¡± [Yurdum] ¡­Really sharp. And here I was trying not to let it show on me. ¡°I¡¯m trying not to let last time happen again too, but there¡¯s something about the air that I just can¡¯t shake off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ I think it¡¯s been peaceful lately, though. I haven¡¯t been picking up any strange glances our way when we¡¯re together, and the snow is like this too. Even if the enemies are planning something, I¡¯m sure they didn¡¯t see this snow coming.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You might be right, but¡­ If I were in their shoes?????????, I¡¯d make it so that I can move out at a moment¡¯s notice.¡± [Ryouma] I tried putting into words that vague feeling within me. ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s been peaceful lately. But that¡¯s exactly what makes it feel so revolting¡­ Like the calm before the storm¡­ In the first place, the enemy is trying to harass the duke, the actions they¡¯ve taken strike me as though they have a grudge of some sort.¡¡And yet they refuse to attack the members of the duke directly, choosing instead to wreak havoc in town and pull down the reputation of the duke. Perhaps a direct attack would push their actions beyond the scope of mere harassment, and make it easier to trace them, but what really bothers me is that these people, or the very least, the person giving the orders hasn¡¯t put the town in his eye at all. He doesn¡¯t care about getting unrelated people caught up in his schemes as long as he can accomplish his goals, or at least, that¡¯s the feeling he gives me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yeah, this won¡¯t end as just a nuisance to the people. In fact, when I first came to this city, the air was a lot worse. Apparently, there was an increase in the number of robberies, so the guy definitely doesn¡¯t care about involving unrelated people.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes, now do you think a person like that would give up without accomplishing his goals? I don¡¯t think so. Besides, while the enemy¡¯s influence in Gimuru has been suppressed, Reinhart-san has been acting in the imperial capital. From the enemy¡¯s perspective, their plan failed, and now they¡¯re on the verge of being caught. As the saying goes, a cornered rat will bite the cat. Now that the enemy has been driven to a corner, he¡¯s bound to throw all pretense, and it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he were to stake everything on one last roll¡­ In fact, it¡¯s very likely.¡± [Ryouma] Because the more I think of this enemy, the more I think about his situation, the more I feel that way. ¡°Perhaps this heavy snow was unexpected even for them, perhaps it¡¯s obstructed them. But that goes for us too, and in fact, this crazy snow also has us up a wall. If the enemy has been cornered, then they might very well stake it all on one last bet.¡¡Of course, I don¡¯t have proof for any of this.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Yurdum-san seemed to understand. ¡°In that case, they¡¯ll probably attack the moment we show an opening. Alright, I¡¯ll be sure to keep a careful eye out.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Thank you very much. It would be good if nothing happened, but just to be safe, we should prepare as much as we can. I¡¯ve also sent a request to the related departments to recheck the emergency response manual¡­ So everything that can be done for now has already been done. Just as Yurdum-san said, it has been relatively peaceful recently, so it should be fine to relax a bit¡­ Otherwise, it¡¯ll end up like last time.¡± That¡¯s really a black mark on my history, and I¡¯d really rather not go back to it. Regardless, I¡¯m glad that Yurdum-san is taking my words seriously even though I have no proof to back them up. Of course, there are other people working with me too, but it¡¯s probably because he¡¯s here with me that I¡¯m able to maintain my calm this time and remain leisurely like this. Chapter 252.1 - A Peaceful Afternoon (1/2) By the time the snow cleaning job ended, it was already afternoon, and Yurdum-san and I went to the church. ¡°Good day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Welcome, Takebayashi-san, Yurdum-san. I really can¡¯t thank you enough. Not only did you provide a venue for us, you even provided so much food.¡± [Bell] ¡°Please don¡¯t mention it, this kind of activity is important too, after all. And besides, the ingredients we brought are all just leftovers from the fields I¡¯m using for my experiments.¡± [Ryouma] One of the sisters managing the Gimuru church, Bell-san, bowed deeply. Behind her, Children from the orphanage next to the church could be seen pushing carts of various sizes full of cooking utensils and bags filled to the brim with potatoes and beans. This afternoon we¡¯re to help with the soup kitchen of the church, and we¡¯ll be having lunch with them too. Normally, the soup kitchen would be held in a corner of the church, but because of the mass migration of laborers, there has been more people looking for food, and the venue they were using couldn¡¯t accommodate them all anymore, causing the people to spill over into the streets and become a nuisance to the neighbors. When I heard about that, I took it upon myself to offer them a bigger venue. I also offered to help with the transport of ingredients and tools, as well as provide the ingredients themselves. ¡°Now I¡¯d love to start now, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Bell] ¡°I¡¯d originally planned to bring everything with me using dimension magic, but when I mentioned the matter at the security company, there were some people that offered to help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, they¡¯re here.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, you¡¯re right.¡± [Ryouma] When Yurdum-san said that, I turned around to see a group of men one or two sizes bigger than your common man lined up into two rows jogging toward us. They were still a long way away, but I could easily tell it was them. ¡°They stand out as usual.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yep¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Umm, those people are?¡± [Bell] Though the men were still some distance away, the size of the men made it easy to see just how strong and muscular their bodies were, and Bell-san couldn¡¯t help but ask that question nervously. ¡°I understand they look scary because they¡¯re all so big, but please don¡¯t worry, they¡¯re not bad people.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s understandable, though. I mean even a guy like me finds them intimidating, so what more a girl like our sister here?¡± [Yurdum] While saying that to calm Bell-san, the group of muscle men arrived. ¡°All 38 members of Macho Squad at your service!¡± ¡°Glad you could make it. Bell-san, these are the guys who offered to help. They¡¯re known as the Macho Squad back at the security company. As you can see, they¡¯re a bunch of macho men proud of their strength, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be a lot of help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°My, everyone looks so strong¡­¡± [Bell] ¡°Thank you for the compliment. Just leave all the physical labor to us.¡± [Macho Man 1] The large man at the head of the group happily said that as he flexed his muscles. In fact, most of the people behind him were posing too. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this so suddenly, but can I have you carry everything here to the venue? It would be a huge help too if you could help out with the unfinished tasks there too.¡± [Bell] ¡°Yes!¡¡Please leave it to us!¡± [All Macho Men] ¡°Well, you heard the man. Split into two groups and get to work!¡± [Macho Man 1] ¡°Yes!¡± [Macho Men] At the behest of the head macho man, Team Macho mobilized. The children were initially surprised by the sudden appearance of Team Macho, but knowing I was here and seeing how they were dressed, they were able to put two and two together to realize that they were here to help, so they went ahead and helped guide them along their work. ¡°Sorry about that. Didn¡¯t mean to surprise you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please don¡¯t apologize, if anything I¡¯m the one being rude. After all, you went out of your way to help me. And the children seem to know some of them too.¡± [Bell] ¡°Ah, well, they are kind of famous.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bell-san, could it be that you don¡¯t go out to town much?¡± [Yurdum] When Yudam asked her that, Bell-san nodded. ¡°Yes, I spend most of my days managing and working in this church, and even the shopping is taken care of the older children, so I rarely go out.¡± [Bell] ¡°In that case, it¡¯s normal that you don¡¯t know them. These guys have been tasked with taking care of most of the town patrols. Right, Boss?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. As Bell-san has mentioned, they¡¯re big and strong-looking. That makes them a good deterrent against crime, so they¡¯ve been put in charge of the patrols.¡± [Ryouma] Although physique and muscle strength aren¡¯t the only factors in combat, there¡¯s no denying that they play a large role. There¡¯s also a difference in the sense of security that a muscular security personnel could offer to the people compared to an out-of-shape one. That¡¯s why as far as security and deterring crime goes, their physique and muscles make them perfect for the job. Moreover¡­ ¡°Their team wasn¡¯t created just because of that, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡¡It sure sounded like that to me.¡± [Bell] ¡°Well, originally, they were indeed meant to just be a group of muscle-men, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s right, the Macho Squad is also helping me with my research with one of the residents at the hospital, Tint-san, on protein and its effectiveness. The members of the team mostly belong to the security company, but they¡¯re assigned to different teams, and there are employees from the garbage processing facility too. I was going to name the group the ¡°Body Building Research Group,¡± but before I knew it, the ¡°Macho Squad¡± had caught on, and the members themselves started calling themselves that. Also, the 38 people the man at the head of the group, a.k.a. ¡°Captain Macho,¡± was referring to meant that only 38 people were able to participate today, but that didn¡¯t mean that the Macho Squad only had 38 members. In fact, I don¡¯t even know how many they are anymore with how many apply to join everyday. But that¡¯s only to be expected because¡­ ¡°The nutritional supplements we were researching turned out to be a good match with the participants, especially those of the Big Monkey Man Tribe and the Minotaur Tribe, who were naturally large people, and their physique visibly changed in a much shorter time than I was expecting. Moreover, and this is also a trend particularly common among the beast tribe people, is the appearance of participants participating because they want a muscular physique or because they want to interact with a member of the opposite sex that has such a physique. This has inadvertently led to the development of new relationships. Finally, many of the participants reported less fatigue and muscle pain after exercise or work due to the proper nutrition provided by the supplements. Because of that more and more people have been applying to participate in the research program.¡± [Ryouma] In a sense, the Macho Squad has already turned into a sports gym for people to improve their aesthetics, health, and find people to date. Moreover, and I haven¡¯t the slightest idea where they even got the rumor from, but apparently, some of the house wives quicker on the uptake have shown interest in the program. At this rate, the Macho Squad really might become a sports gym. In fact, I¡¯m actually starting to consider it. ¡°We¡¯re done moving everything!¡± [Macho Man 1] Oh, it looks like they¡¯re done. With Captain Macho and the children coming to report the completion of their task, it was time to head to the venue of today¡¯s soup kitchen. Chapter 252.2 - A Peaceful Afternoon (2/2) On the way. ¡°¡­It¡¯s so much cleaner around here now.¡± [Bell] Bell-san said quietly as we approached the venue. ¡°Have you been here before?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, though just for church business, so not frequently.¡± [Bell] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] The area we were going through might not look much different compared to the residential district, but this is actually already the former slums. Bell-san¡¯s surprise is likely because of all the progress the government and I have made with the land readjustment project, and the construction of new houses and road. When I explained that to her, she asked me anxiously. ¡°I beg your pardon, but what is a land readjustment project? What happened to the people living here?¡± [Bell] ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. We didn¡¯t drive them out of their homes. We spoke through Revel-san, the person in charge of the slums here, to reach out to the residents in advance. The people living here can be largely divided into three groups.¡± [Ryouma] Group one would be the people that don¡¯t have a house even in the slums, as well as those that used to live in the streets and in the abandoned houses. These people have been moved by the government to a housing complex. Group two consists of people with houses in the slums willing to be moved. These people have been asked to cooperate with the land readjustment project and were moved to a new location. This is similar to the ¡®replotting¡¯ that was done in the land readjustment project during the last era. Finally, for group three, the people that refused to be moved no matter what, their houses were just rebuilt. Of course, there were some arguments here and there, but Revel-san and the government office worked together to resolve everything. Some of these residents had issues like their legs being bad, so they couldn¡¯t be moved to a place with a lot of slope. There were various reasons why they didn¡¯t want to be moved, so the government had to hear them out individually and find a point where they could compromise. To that end, the government office prepared a special department to process their complaints and adjust the plans accordingly. This move was met positively, as people claimed that their new house to be more convenient than the old. ¡°That¡¯s good to hear. But if that¡¯s the case, then won¡¯t a new house soon be built in the venue we¡¯re using for the soup kitchen today?¡± [Bell] It¡¯s true that today¡¯s venue is vacant due to the land readjustment project, but¡­ ¡°Perhaps in the future, but there are no plans for now. It would be problematic if all the vacant land is made residential, and there¡¯s also a priority in what and which to construct, so there¡¯s actually a number of vacant lots with nothing planned for. The venue today is one of those, so there won¡¯t be any problems using it as the venue for the church¡¯s soup kitchen.¡± [Ryouma] Also, in order to carry out the land readjustment project, the ownership of all the land had to be centralized under my name via a temporary purchase, so there won¡¯t be any problem using the vacant lot as a venue either. Before long we arrived at the venue. The members of the Macho Squad that arrived earlier have already started setting up the venue. From the looks of things, the kitchen was already ready, so we decided to start cooking right away. ¡°Bell-san, where shall we start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll be making a large batch of potato and bean soup, so we won¡¯t be do anything too difficult. We¡¯ll be washing the potatoes, then peeling them and cutting them into pieces, and then cooking them with the beans. After that the thinly sliced salted meat can be added. Cook everything into a stew to remove the harsh taste, and then all that¡¯s left is to season to taste.¡± [Bell] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go ahead and wash the potatoes.¡± [Yurdum] As Yurdum-san said that, he took several bags of potatoes and headed for the watering hole. One of the helping girls saw that and ran up to help, but he refused her, saying that her hands would get rough. Being able to do that so naturally might be gentlemanly, but the way one of the boys is looking at Yurdum-san and the girl is a bit¡­ Maybe it¡¯s puberty. The girl and the boy are both older than me, after all. Whatever, let¡¯s just leave them alone. ¡°Oh, right. I made that thing I mentioned before, so can you take a look at it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You mean that convenient tool you were talking about?¡± [Bell] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] I took the item from my Item Box. It was something that any Earthling would immediately recognize. A staple of late night shopping channels, the cooking slicers. I made my slicers by using a hardening liquid sheet for the main body, then attaching a metal blade. I took one of the salted meat that needed to be thinly sliced and placed it on top of a plate to demonstrate the tool. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s how you use them.¡± [Bell] ¡°That¡¯s not all, this tool isn¡¯t limited to just thin slices. By simply replacing the blade, you can also cut the meat into strips. And if you slide the ingredient into it like this, you can cut dried meat and vegetable really quickly. Even kids can use these tools, and in fact, they¡¯re even safer than knives. Of course, you need to be careful not to cut yourself. But wait, there¡¯s more. There¡¯s a metal blade attached at the end of the tube, so if you put the peeled potato inside the tube, and then lower the upper lever, voila!¡¡Just like that, the potato is cut, and even a child could easily help with the cooking.¡± [Ryouma] I tried to appeal to her like the experts in those shopping channels, but Bell-san had a seriously look on her face and was deep in thought. Compared to her, the children that saw the demonstration from the side, especially those around my age or below, had a much bigger reaction. ¡°Wow! Can we help with the cooking too if we use those!?¡± [Child 1] ¡°Teacher Bell! I want to help cook too!¡± [Child 2] ¡°¡­Right. It¡¯s too early for you to use knives, but this might actually work out. However, there¡¯s still a risk of cutting one¡¯s fingers, right?¡± [Bell] ¡°Yes, but any tool can be dangerous when used incorrectly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true. In that case, everyone needs to be careful when using the tool, okay?¡± [Bell] As soon as Bell-san said that, the children all rejoiced. As the children jumped for joy, Bell-san approached me. ¡°Thank you for being considerate of the younger children.¡± [Bell] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, I just happened to know something that would be useful.¡± [Ryouma] According to the rules of the mother church of the orphanage, the orphans are supposed to participate in charity activities like this soup kitchen as much as possible. But there are things that the younger children can¡¯t do. Things like handling knives or working the fire. Of course, there are other jobs too, like carrying ingredients or drawing water, but the younger children can only carry so much. Because of that there are some children that can¡¯t help even though they want to once the cooking starts. When I heard that and remembered the slicer, I decided to recreate it in this world, and today, the finished product has finally been unveiled. I¡¯d talked about it with Bell-san beforehand, but it¡¯s good that she agreed to let the children use the tool and help out. Thanks to that the children could happily use the slicer and help out with prepping the ingredients. It took a bit of work, but seeing the smile on everyone makes all that work worthwhile. Now then, it¡¯s about time I got to work too. With that in mind, I headed over to where Yurdum-san was and helped wash the potatoes. There has been a lot of troubling things lately, or no, rather it¡¯s precisely because there¡¯s been a lot of troubling things lately that I should treasure peaceful days like today. Chapter 253.1 - A Restless Night (1/2) Chapter 253: A Restless Night (1/2) Evening. ¡°Thank you for today!¡± [Ryouma] In the end, we probably prepared enough food for some hundreds of people. I haven¡¯t exactly been counting, but I kept preparing and handing out food until we ran out of ingredients. Petty quarrels broke out occasionally while people waited in the queue, but the Macho Squad and the surrounding people helped keep things in order, and in the end, the soup kitchen concluded without incident. We finished cleaning up too. The remaining luggage would be carried by the Macho Squad and Bell-san¡¯s group when they go back to the church, so Yurdum-san and I bid them goodbye and went our way. These days Yurdum-san would escort me to the northern gate since I would be using my dimension magic as soon as I pass it, so the distance back isn¡¯t actually that long. That being the case¡­ ¡°Yurdum-san, do you mind if we make a short detour before going to the northern gate?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Go ahead.¡± [Yurdum] ¡­I decided to make a short detour first. As the sun set and we made our way through the streets, one of the new residential districts soon came to view. It was almost dark out already, not to mention cold, and yet kids could still be seen running around. ¡°Good evening.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, it¡¯s Ryouma!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°The Slime Kid!¡± [Kid 2] ¡°The hidden boss is here!¡± [Kid 3] Hey. The first two are still okay, but what¡¯s with the third? What the heck is a hidden boss? If there¡¯s a hidden boss, is there a boss that¡¯s not hidden? Or at least, I wanted to ask them that, but the kids said ¡®bye bye¡¯ and ran away full of energy. ¡°These parts are still so full of life, huh.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°It¡¯s because a lot of the people here are nocturnal.¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, some of the beastmen tribe have nocturnal characteristics. It varies from person to person whether they¡¯re completely nocturnal or can function in the afternoon too, but regardless, there are a lot of people like that in this district. ¡°I hear it¡¯s especially common among the mole-man tribe.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes, about half of the people living in this district should be from the mole-man tribe.¡± [Ryouma] Just as the name of their race suggests, these people possess the characteristics of moles. For the record, that doesn¡¯t mean that they can¡¯t go out in the sun, rather it just means that they are much more comfortable in dark places. A characteristic like that shows its true worth when working underground. With a small stature, they can move easily even in narrow places, many of them are strong too, but the best part about the mole-man tribe is a kind of ¡®sixth sense¡¯ that enables them to know how likely a tunnel is to collapse and how dangerous it is. The brilliant among them can use this special sense not only to avoid tunnels collapsing, but also to detect the presence of underground waters and noxious gases. ¡°They say the mole-man tribe can usually be found in towns near mines.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°They are some of the best miners out there, after all.¡± [Ryouma] Speaking of which, the mole people mentioned that they prefer to live underground, so we prepared houses with basements for them. And because they prefer the basement, they actually use it for their main living space, while the first and second floor, that are exposed to sunlight, are delegated to storage rooms or free rooms. The first and second floors of the houses of the mole people rarely have any people in them. Anyhow, we passed through that district, and then before long, our destination came to view. In the northeast of Gimuru was the housing complex for the slum people without houses, a place known as the ¡®shelter¡¯. Four square buildings were lined up in fixed distances, and every one of them had been made with my sand slime and sand magic. I¡¯d made them with the image of an apartment, but¡­ The place isn¡¯t really that clean, and there¡¯s a neglected air about it, so the place really feels more like a ¡®poorly managed school dormitory¡¯. Just like the dorms my acquaintances lived in during our college days. ¡°Good evening.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see you¡¯re here again, rich boss.¡± [Destitute 1] ¡°These parts aren¡¯t really meant for your sort, but you keep coming anyway.¡± [Destitute 2] A fire had been made in an empty space. The two people warming themselves with it called out to us in that unsociable manner. But while the words might suggest that we¡¯re not welcome, that¡¯s not actually the case. They know that I¡¯m the one who built this shelter, and they¡¯re also aware that I¡¯m well acquainted with Revel-san, the person in charge of the slums. I also bring some ¡®gifts¡¯ with me whenever I drop by, so despite their seemingly unsociable attitude, they are actually rather welcoming. ¡°I brought the usual stuff, so chat with me for a bit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, if it¡¯s just a chat.¡± [Destitute 1] ¡°Hey! The boss brought booze!¡± [Destitute 2] When one of the two men raised his voice, people came out of the buildings in droves, each with a bowl in hand. With so many people appearing in such filthy and tattered clothing so suddenly, no offense, but it looked just like a scene from a zombie movie. While I was thinking something dumb like that to myself, I used my dimension magic and took out three large barrels of cheap wine that I bought the other day, as well as three large barrels of shirozake that my goblins keep making so much of to fill their bellies with. Then I also took out a box full of lamon fruit and jija root, then a box of full of tools, and then I also let the metal slimes out. The shirozake was left as they were, while I had the metal slimes transform into slicers to help me cut a large amount of jija that I poured into the wine barrels. ¡°¡®Heat¡¯¡± [Ryouma] After that I used a fire spell to heat the concoction and stirred with a rod I¡¯d prepared beforehand until it was just about to boil. There weren¡¯t that many ingredients and the process was crude too, but with this, my ¡®warm shirozake¡¯ and ¡®hot wine¡¯ was complete. ¡°Please line up, we have lamon for the hot wine too, so feel free to have some.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss, I¡¯ll handle the wine.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°You heard the boss! Line up!¡± [Destitute 1] ¡°And one drink at a time!¡± [Destitute 2] Once preparations were complete, the slum people lined up with familiar movements, and then Yurdum-san and I used a ladle to serve them their drinks. ¡°Thank you as always.¡± [Destitute 3] ¡°Haa¡­ That¡¯s the stuff.¡± [Destitute 4] ¡°Hee hee hee¡­. The warmth can reach so deep when it¡¯s cold.¡± [Destitute 5] Before long, when we¡¯d almost served everyone, the person that I was waiting for finally arrived. Chapter 253.2 - A Restless Night (2/2) zChapter 253: A Restless Night (2/2) ¡°Boss, pour me a drink too.¡± [Man] A man wrapped in a dirty cloth called me boss and spoke softly. He had a terrible haircut, and although you could see his face clearly, he didn¡¯t appear clean at all. ¡°Long time no see, though I guess it hasn¡¯t been that long yet. Have you been well?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks to you. Ah, heh heh, thanks.¡± [Man] ¡°How have you been recently? Anything troubling you?¡± [Ryouma] As I poured the man a drink, he walked behind me to avoid congesting the queue. ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s rather peaceful around these parts, actually. You gave us a house to stave off the rain and the wind, and it¡¯s too cold anyway, so people can¡¯t really loiter much.¡¡You don¡¯t really hear a lot of complaints either¡­ Of course, when you gather these many people together, petty quarrels are bound to break out and relationships can become strained, but Boss Revel makes sure none of that becomes an issue.¡± [Man] ¡°I see. It¡¯s good to hear there aren¡¯t any major problems then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Boss.¡± [Man] The man took a mouthful from his cup, then exhaled deeply, a breath dyed white by the cold. Before it vanished completely, the man continued. ¡°Actually, something did happen, but it¡¯s not around here.¡± [Man] ¡°Oh, what happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s that store we talked about last time. That tavern?????????? that¡¯s always closed. They¡¯re never open, but they¡¯re always throwing out bottles of liquor and food waste. And these past few days they¡¯ve started throwing out even more. It used to be just once every few days too, but now, they¡¯re throwing trash everyday, the scavenges are really happy. They¡¯ve been stocking up frequently lately too, so they might be planning to reopen.¡± [Man] ¡°I see. I¡¯d love to drop by if they do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah¡­ Well, that¡¯s about it as far as noticeable events go. Everyone¡¯s just talking about the snow these days.¡± [Man] ¡°That¡¯s only natural, the snow is this heavy everyday, after all. Ahh, right.¡± [Ryouma] We ran out of shirozake, so I informed everyone and put away the barrels, then I took out a package I¡¯d prepared beforehand from my Dimension Magic. ¡°It¡¯s just leftovers from lunch, but if you don¡¯t mind, please have some. It¡¯s ¡®hard¡¯ though, so do be careful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thanks, but don¡¯t worry, we¡¯re ratmen, our teeth is our life, ¡®hard¡¯ is a staple favorite. You¡¯re always so generous, Boss. That¡¯s why I like you. Until next time.¡± [Man] He took the package, then after emptying his bowl, walked away swaying. By then, the hot wine also ran out, so the shelter¡¯s drinking session was over. I too headed for the north gate to go home. Along the way¡­ ¡°I know it¡¯s a bit late to ask this, but boss, have you always been handing out liquor there?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That really is a bit late.¡± [Ryouma] He helped without saying a thing, so I thought he knew. ¡°Well, I did hear rumors.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, you mean from your investigations? I have been doing it for awhile now. There are a number of reasons for it, but one reason is to get rid of the excess liquor.¡± [Ryouma] The goblins at my place are devoted to their desires. Ever since they¡¯ve had a taste of liquor, they¡¯ve been making as much liquor as the ingredients permitted. Moreover, they could make Fatma Territory¡¯s shirozake in a short time, so they could make a lot of wine quickly. The drunk slimes consume liquor too, but there¡¯s still a lot left of the wine I bought for them, so I was having a hard time disposing the excess liquor. ¡°It would be a waste to just throw them away, and the goblins did do their best to make them¡­ So they¡¯ve just been piling up.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you¡¯re like a parent that keeps all of their children¡¯s drawings?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but anyway, that¡¯s one of the reasons why. Also, do you remember that guy I spoke with?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, protecting you is my job, after all. I didn¡¯t say anything since you seemed to be acquainted, and he didn¡¯t look like an amateur too.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yeah, that guy¡¯s an information broker. Revel-san, the manager of the slums, introduced him to me when we were starting out. He was starting to get busy too, so Revel-san told me I could learn most of the happenings in town through him. As it turns out, the man has a lot of clout in Gimuru, and he can gather all sorts of information when needed. His basic rate is a glass of wine and a meal. There could be extra charges depending on the information, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So that¡¯s why. Are you giving out liquor to the others too to hide your deal?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There¡¯s that too, but the slum people are indirectly helping gather information. They pick up trash and do odd jobs downtown, and in the process pick up various information. Information that the information broker goes through carefully before passing to me. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re aware or not, but there¡¯s no doubt that they play a vital role in gathering intel, so giving them liquor is partly thanks for that.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Yurdum-san finally understood. ¡°Did you learn anything new today?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Yes. As was mentioned earlier this morning, the enemy may be on the move.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you know the enemy¡¯s movements enough to think that.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°We don¡¯t have a complete grasp of their movements, but there have always been suspicious people in town. We may be trying to maintain the situation, but that¡¯s no reason to leave them unchecked.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t that generally referred to as ¡®letting the fish swim¡¯?¡¡You might actually be better suited at being an investigator than me, Boss.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I¡¯m just good at the administrative side of the job. You¡¯re much better at communicating with people. We¡¯ve been together recently, and I can see just how well you get along with just about anyone.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? I¡¯m just talking normally, though. It¡¯s a lot easier than talking to nobles¡­ Besides, there are plenty of people way better at socializing and understanding people than me among the nobles. Actually, it¡¯s a basic skill as far as the nobles are concerned.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Uwaah¡­¡± [Ryouma] Just thinking about living a life like that makes me sick¡­ Is Elia alright? By now, she should¡¯ve already made an appearance in the party with the duke and the duchess¡­ She must¡¯ve worked hard. Inadvertently, I pressed my hands together in a prayer for her. As Yurdum-san and I continued to chat, the atmosphere gradually became darker. We should change the topic. ¡°You came from a noble house, right? Are you familiar with rumors or circumstances surrounding the nobles?¡¡I¡¯m completely clueless in that regard.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not really all that different from someone who ran away from home, so I can¡¯t really say anything about the happenings these past few years. If it¡¯s about my days in the academy, though, I can answer to some extent. It would depend on what you want to ask, though.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°What to ask, hmm¡­ I think just about anything would be new information to me. Oh, how about this, would you happen to know about a family that has a grudge with the Jamil family that¡¯s related to a fire?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Yurdum] For a moment, Yurdum-san didn¡¯t know what to say. ¡°Why all of the sudden?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°A continuation of this morning¡¯s topic. If the enemy wants to cause trouble in Gimuru, why would ¡®arson¡¯ be the first method they would try? It¡¯s a question that¡¯s been on my mind for awhile now. Of course, it¡¯s entirely possible that anything would¡¯ve done as long as they could cause a commotion, it¡¯s not as though, it has to be related, but still¡­ Anything come to mind?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know if they hold a grudge or not, but there is one family that has had an incident with the duke related to a fire, the former Marquis Volcano.¡± [Yurdum] That¡¯s a new name. And¡­ ¡°By ¡®former¡¯, I take it he¡¯s not a marquis anymore?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, due to some complicated circumstances the marquis was demoted to a count. It¡¯s a long story, but the Jamil family?? was involved and¡ª¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san spoke about the former Marquis Volcano until we made it to the northern gate. It might¡¯ve been because of that that the wind tonight felt colder and¡­ lonely¡­ Chapter 254.1 - Unveiling the Results of the Experiment (1/2) 2 days later. ¡°Ryouma-sama, it¡¯s almost time for your appointment.¡± [Riviola] ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve been working at the hospital since morning when the maid, Riviola-san, called out to me. Today we¡¯ll be using one of the security department¡¯s meeting room to discuss the preserved food we¡¯ve been researching over lunch with Serge-san and the others, so I quickly cleaned up, bid Dr. Mafral goodbye, and then left the hospital. Some preparations did have to be done, but most of it has already been taken care of by the maids, so all I really had to do was to check their work. Before long the president of the Morgan Company, Serge-san, the president of the Saionji Company, Pioro-san, and his wife, Kurana-sana, arrived. ¡°Thank you for being able to take the time out to make it today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And thank you for inviting us.¡± [Serge] ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to this meeting.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ryouma-han, it¡¯s been awhile.¡± [Kurana] ¡°It¡¯s been awhile indeed, Kurana-san. Come, please take a seat.¡± [Ryouma] It was time for lunch to start. ¡°We have several options for today¡¯s lunch. Most of these are still experimental, so they¡¯re not that varied, but in place of variety, the servings are much bigger than usual. Please feel free to choose what you like.¡± [Ryouma] On the table of the meeting room were three wooden boxes. Within them were several shiny pouches with a paper attached that identified the name of the dish and the date of production. ¡°Oh!¡¡It¡¯s a little different from usual, but this is waterproof cloth, isn¡¯t it? The food inside is liquid, but with a bag made out of a material that doesn¡¯t let liquid pass, even liquid-based food can be stored, though this dish doesn¡¯t seem to be of the pickled sort.¡± [Serge] ¡°The bag isn¡¯t the only thing different, I take it? After all, this seems to have been made two months ago.¡± [Pioro] ¡°This one was made three months ago.¡± [Kurana] The guests chose their dish while chatting among themselves. The main dish for today¡¯s lunch is my preserved food prototype, the Retort Pack! Just as Serge-san mentioned, the coating used in the pouches were concocted with a greater hardening liquid ratio than usual. Furthermore, by adding in an aluminum coil, the resulting cloth is not only impervious to water, but also possesses excellent heat resistance and light-blocking properties. Such a cloth can then be made into a bag or a Retort Pouch. The finished dish is stored inside, then the air is removed and the pouch sealed, upon which a ¡®pressure cooker¡¯ custom made by Dinome¡¯s Workshop is used to sterilize the pouch by heat. Although the ingredients differ from the Retort Pack from Earth, the procedure itself is almost exactly the same. Maintaining high temperature and high pressure while cooking is difficult, and in fact, I¡¯ve tried it many times even before going to Fatma Territory, but it was all to no avail. Fortunately, with the introduction of the pressure cooker, this problem has already been solved. I¡¯ve tried enveloping a pot with barrier magic to apply the pressure, but the result was either too much pressure, resulting in the pot exploding, or the heat being regulated too much, resulting in insufficient heat and failure to sterilize the dish. When I¡¯ve gotten more used to Barrier Magic and my barriers have gotten strong enough that even I could tell they¡¯ve improved, I started succeeding occasionally, but it was mostly a matter of luck. In the end, it ended up being more an exercise to improve my Barrier Magic and less an experiment to realize the Retort Pack. But everything changed when the pressure cooker from Dinome¡¯s Workshop arrived. With it, I can cook at a high temperature and at a high pressure, allowing me to safely make Retort Packs without damaging the pouch, while ensuring sufficient sterilization. I have nothing but gratitude and respect to Dinome-san for making the pressure cooker for me. Thanks to him, I¡¯m able to create something of much higher quality than otherwise possible. Mass-production still isn¡¯t possible, but we¡¯re still only in the trial stages, so it¡¯s not an issue. ¡°I¡¯ve identified the food items when they were brought here with the Identify spell, so I can guarantee that they¡¯re fit for consumption. In the unlikely event that something does happen, we have a hospital in this very building.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bringing up the topic of a hospital just makes me worry more.¡± [Pioro] Pioro-san laughed, then chose the oldest item from the selection. As the president of a company that handles food items, he must be curious about the taste of a food that¡¯s been preserved for an extended period. His wife, Kurana-sana, chose a different dish, but she also made sure to choose the oldest. ¡°I shall go and reheat these then.¡± [Rurunez] The maid, Rurunez-san, took the pouches they chose, and placed them inside pots that have been set atop a magic tool akin to a tabletop stove. ¡°All that¡¯s left is to wait for the food to be reheated, so how about we talk about something else in the meantime?¡± [Ryouma] The maid, Lilian-san, appeared with superb timing to bring hot water, while Riviola-san brought transparent cups made out of the hardening liquid sheet. Although I¡¯d explained to them beforehand what they were supposed to do, when it came to the real thing, their movements were so perfect that there was nowhere left for me to help. ¡°Let¡¯s have a cup of tea first, shall we?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°These cups¡­ They¡¯re the same as the ones I saw during the wedding ceremony, aren¡¯t they? Even without color, I must say they¡¯re really something¡­ Though I suppose what really matters here isn¡¯t the cup but the contents.¡± [Serge] ¡°Put it in the cup, and then take it out. There¡¯s a pot of hot water too, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯re supposed to pour that in too.¡± [Pioro] ¡°There¡¯s a line inside the cup. Please pour until that point.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Allow me.¡± [Kurana] Kurana-san elegantly took the glass pot and poured hot water for them. In the blink of an eye, the fragrant aroma of coffee filled the room. ¡°Wow, what a fragrant smell. It¡¯s just like ¡®kafee¡¯, but it¡¯s not.¡± [Serge] ¡°This is tea made from the root of a Dante Flower. It¡¯s drank as medicine in some regions.¡± [Pioro] ¡°As expected of you, Pioro-san. And Serge-san too, I¡¯m surprised you were able to understand so much just from the smell. I wanted to make black tea for this occasion, but the taste just didn¡¯t sit right with me, so I made Dante Tea instead.¡± [Ryouma] To be honest, I¡¯m not really that sensitive to the minute differences between food items. In fact, my tongue and nose are both completely clueless regarding how Dante and coffee differ. I haven¡¯t had coffee since coming to this world, but I¡¯m sure anyone can easily fool me about where certain coffee beans were produced even if I could smell them myself. I suppose Pioro-san can¡¯t afford to be like that, though, being the president of a company and all. They did mention Kaffee earlier. Maybe I should get Pioro-san to send me some next time. While I was thinking that to myself, my guests tasted my instant Dante Coffee. Chapter 254.2 - Unveiling the Results of the Experiment (2/2) Chapter 254: Unveiling the Results of the Experiment (2/2) ¡°The taste isn¡¯t bad too.¡± [Serge] ¡°Indeed. But it doesn¡¯t appear as though you¡¯ve merely powderized the tea leaves.¡± [Pioro] The tea that I prepared for them is a magical reproduction of the freeze-dry method to remove water content and turn the tea leaves into powder. There are many appealing points to such a product, but it¡¯s a bit more nuanced as to whether it can actually produce enough profit to match the production costs or not. That¡¯s why¡­ ¡°It would be fortunate if these could sell too, but the production method is a problem. This is an application of pharmaceutical technology, but what if the same could be done to other dishes?¡¡Of course, under the assumption that said dish could be drank after pouring hot water and that there¡¯d be little change to the taste despite being preserved.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That would be interesting.¡± [Serge] ¡°This method removes water content without heating, so it should be applicable to many things. Soups are a given, but it should also be usable for boiled and cooked rice, noodles, and beans. It should also be useful for drying herbs and fruits. But of course, it¡¯s not without its downsides. I personally made these using my own magic, but if we want to mass produce these, we¡¯ll need a magic tool craftsman to create a tool with the same effect, and then continuously fuel that tool with precious magic stones. The mana consumption is quite high, so the cost of the production method is bound to add up. In the end, the resulting product will be a luxury.¡± [Ryouma] Ice magic stone will be needed for the freeze-dry method, but such magic stones are expensive even when small. Needless to say, the reason is because such stones are often used to preserve food and for air-conditioning. They¡¯re especially important to the nobles and high-end restaurants during the summer, so they buy them up at high prices, leading to high demand all year. The consumption of ice stones does go down during the winter, but they¡¯re good for preserving things too, so even then the price doesn¡¯t go down by much. Neutral attribute magic stones can also operate ice attribute magic tools, but the mana efficiency will plummet. Though it will still vary from stone to stone and tool to tool, but the difference compared to ice magic stones is so great that just being three times worse off is actually considered good. Also, spray-dry is actually more commonly used than freeze-dry when making powdered tea, but when I consulted Dinome-san about making such a tool, he said that it would be even more complicated and expensive than the freeze-dry tool, and the magic stone consumption would shoot up too. ¡°Even if it¡¯s expensive, as long as the product is good, it might still be marketable to the wealthy and the nobles. In fact, there are a lot of people that don¡¯t eat preserved food, and prefer to bring the ingredients and a chef with them instead, but of course, that¡¯s not something that everyone can do. But yes, if this is to be made available to the general public, an affordable way to mass-produce them needs to be found, and then they need to be sold at a price that even the general public can afford, while still producing profits. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s the direction you were thinking of. In that regard, your preserved food are more feasible than this tea.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sigh~ You said so much to get our attention, and yet¡­ You shouldn¡¯t tease us so much, Ryouma.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Fu fu fu¡­ That just means we¡¯ll have be especially harsh when scrutinizing the new ¡®feasible¡¯ preserved food.¡± [Kurana] ¡°Ha ha ha¡­¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m confident in my Retort Pack. In fact, it¡¯s exceeded my own expectations. Though I have to say that having a beauty of Kurana-san¡¯s caliber smile at me like that really makes one nervous. It¡¯s a little scary too¡­ ¡°Well, it is still in the trial stages, so I¡¯d actually be grateful if you could scrutinize it thoroughly. It¡¯s already taken shape, but I believe there¡¯s still room for improvement.¡± While we were talking like that, the prototype Retort Pack finally finished heating. ¡°Pardon the intrusion. The food has finished heating. They¡¯re hot, so please be careful.¡± [Maid] The three maids set the table with deep plates and distributed the pouches we chose. First, I cut open the top of my pouch with a knife, then poured the contents onto my plate. There¡¯s a coating similar to the hardening liquid sheet in the cloth, so opening it with bare hands is difficult. After seeing how I opened my pouch, the three guests followed suit and opened their retort pack with a knife, then they poured the contents onto their plate and examined it. ¡°Ohh¡­ Was this really made a few months ago?¡¡Not only has it not rotten, it¡¯s releasing such a delicious aroma too. It¡¯s almost as though it was made just recently.¡± [Serge] Serge-san openly showed his interest, but the other two, who specialized in handling food items, quietly and quickly took a spoonful of theirs to taste. They spent a few seconds thoroughly tasting it before gently nodding. ¡°Delicious. A proper ¡®dish¡¯.¡± [Pioro] ¡°Yes, nothing like jerky or pickled food.¡± [Kurana] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have some myself¡­ Oh!¡¡When I was peddling I¡¯ve often had to eat preserved food, but I got sick of them, so I tried cooking real food, many times even, but they never really turned out well. They always ended up tasting simple and messy. Had this been on the market then, I would have likely purchased them even if they were a little expensive. To be able to preserve taste this good for three months, that¡¯s remarkable.¡± [Serge] ¡°Actually, regarding shelf life, we just started ¡®production¡¯ of the prototypes approximately three months ago, so the oldest we¡¯ve got is just three months, but in practice, they should be able to last even longer. Provided that there¡¯s no damage to the pouch, we expect that there won¡¯t be much of a change to the taste even a year from production.¡± [Ryouma] After tasting the food, the Saionji husband and wife shared their brief impression, then Serge-san dug in and gave his own impression. There seemed to be a misunderstanding regarding the shelf life, so I clarified it for them, causing them to open their eyes wide. ¡°One year, huh. That¡¯s fairly long.¡± [Pioro] ¡°We¡¯ve yet to test it, but theoretically, it should be possible.¡± [Ryouma] After all, there¡¯s precedent in Japan that¡¯s in circulation, so as long as I¡¯m able to nail the main points down and reproduce the technology well, it should be able to last that long. ¡°Also¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s ready.¡± [Maid] The efficient maids brought in pots that they¡¯ve prepared. ¡°Inside these pot are potatoes and beans boiled in water preserved in a similar way as those dishes, but without any of the seasonings.¡± [Ryouma] The production method is the same, but they¡¯re better suited to be called a Boiled Pack than a Retort Pack. If you add the freeze-dried ¡®soup base¡¯ to a soup and mix them, you¡¯ll get an ¡®instant potatoes and beans soup¡¯. You could also toss these into the dried noodles that have been boiled in another pot and add the retort sauce, and suddenly, you have ¡®tomato sauce pasta¡¯. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve noticed it already, but by showing them two more dishes prepared so quickly, they should understand that the Retort Pack wasn¡¯t just good for preserving food. True enough, the gaze they looked at me with had already grown stronger. ¡°This technology can be used as food for long-distance travels, but it can also be used to store up food for emergencies, to provide rations to adventurers and soldiers, and by changing the contents, they can also be used to provide food for nobles or ill people requiring a strict diet.¡± [Ryouma] When I¡¯m sick and can¡¯t cook for myself easily, having a ¡®porridge¡¯ that¡¯s easy to eat is a lifesaver. There are things people can¡¯t eat while sick, and preparing food while under such restrictions is a laborious and time-consuming effort. It¡¯s even harder to make such food taste good. Perhaps that¡¯s not such a big deal to the wealthy or to the nobles who can afford to hire specialized chefs. But for everyone else, their daily lives would suffer. Humans can¡¯t live without eating, so the problem of food is an issue to humans as long as they live. In that regard, I¡¯m sure this food preservation technology would have a powerful effect. At least, I strongly believe that. That¡¯s why¡­ ¡°I¡¯ll be speaking about this with the Jamil family as well. Unfortunately, they¡¯re busy right now, so it won¡¯t be till next year before I can report to them. Though in any case, more tests need to be performed, and we still need to see exactly just how long the food can be preserved.¡± [Ryouma] Once I have more data, I can sell the production method and rights to the duke¡¯s family. I won¡¯t mind having them manage it completely themselves, in fact, it¡¯s probably best that way. The rights to the Retort Pack is simply far too big for a commoner without peerage. ¡°But should the production of these as food goods be approved, I would like to request everyone¡¯s help. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] Apparently, they¡¯ve already made up their mind. ¡°There¡¯s no way we could turn you down, now could we? I don¡¯t know what kind of decision the duke, Reinhart-sama, will make, but so long as the decision to sell goes through, we¡¯ll support you with all of our strength!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Food is beyond my field of expertise, but I can surely be involved in the distribution and improvement of pouches that utilize the waterproof cloth. We just built the factories, but it appears we might need to build more.¡± [Serge] Serge-san and Pioro-san happily replied. Serge-san even added a joke at the end there. He seems eager. ¡°How much preparatory time do you think will be necessary if the pouch is to be mass produced?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it¡¯s just a small number of prototypes, we can start at anytime, but mass production will likely be from spring next year onwards. The factories are already at max capacity just working on the normal waterproof cloths, the raincoats made from them, and the rubber products like the anti-slip that you told me about recently.¡± [Serge] ¡°As I thought, everyone¡¯s prioritizing dealing with the snow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes¡­ But fortunately, there¡¯s plenty of demand, so there¡¯s no problem with the financing. Once the demand for snow supplies calms down, I believe we¡¯ll be able to allocate people for your pouch. In fact, I¡¯ll be preparing now, so that we can mobilize as soon as the duke¡¯s order comes out.¡± [Serge] ¡°i see, but there¡¯s no reason to hurry.¡± [Ryouma] After that we continued to examine the taste of the Retort Pack, while talking about their uses and ways to sell them. Serge-san and I also talked about the products that could be produced at his factory. Like that I consulted my three guests regarding various matters while enjoying a peaceful meal. But even our little meeting eventually came to an end. ¡°Thank you for today.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, it was delicious!¡¡Not to mention, exciting!¡± [Pioro] ¡°Ryouma-han, thank you so much for today.¡± [Kurana] Good times always pass in the blink of an eye. This will probably be our last meeting for this year. It feels regretful when I think of it in that way, but everyone is really busy. Because of that I felt like I should at least see them off, so I left the room with them, but then¡­ ¡°Morgan-dono, are you done?¡± [???] Outside the door were five armed men waiting. They had surrounded the door to the meeting room. Chapter 255.1 - Operation Start (1/2 The men surrounding the door were equipped with swords, chain mail, and matching coats with falcons embroidered in golden thread, indicating that they all belonged to the same group. If my memory hasn¡¯t betrayed me, they should be the escorts that Serge-san hired. I recognize that design on their coats and the man that called out to us. ¡°Sorry for keeping you waiting. Oh, right, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Serge] After responding to the man that called out to him, Serge-san turned to me. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve yet to introduce them to you. These are the members of the Wild Golden Falcons, the mercenary group that I hired to guard my store and ensure my safety.¡± [Serge] ¡°The deputy leader of the Wild Golden Falcons, Yashma, at your service.¡± [Yashma] ¡°Thank you for the courteous introduction. I am Ryouma Takebayashi. I believe we¡¯ve met once before in front of the Morgan Company. I barged in so unexpectedly that time, yet you still treated me with civility. Thank you for that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°At the time, our duty was to guard the Morgan Company. It¡¯s only natural that we interfere as little as possible in the operations of the company while we tend to our duties.¡± [Yashma] Unless they see a need to, they won¡¯t say anything and won¡¯t do anything. That was the sort of professional attitude that they had. The eyes of all five mercenaries, including Yashma, felt a little harsh, but that was probably because they were still at work. It¡¯s not as though they were being hostile, and their attitude wasn¡¯t bad either. We didn¡¯t speak any more than that, and the Saionji husband and wife, Serge-san, and I, all went outside with the five escorts. Along the way, Yashma naturally walked next to Serge-san, while I walked on the other side, and the remaining four mercenaries walked in a formation that surrounded us. They put special attention on the space between us, making sure not to interfere in our conversation, while they quietly worked together and kept a watchful eye on all the people around us ¨C those passing by and those somewhat hidden. They did their work so naturally that I couldn¡¯t help but be impressed. So this is how a first-rate mercenary group works. Eventually, we arrived at the entrance where the general reception was. It was then¡ª ¡°¨D¨D¡± ¡ªThat the air suddenly changed. As though the stench of garbage had suddenly mixed in within that fresh air, sending a faint jolt of electricity to run up me, like a bug crawling on my body. It was such a slight yet intense discomfort that ¨C before I knew it ¨C my thoughts were blown away. ¡®Someone is targeting us.¡¯ ¡°On your guard!¡± [Yashma] The leader of the mercenaries noticed something too, and he immediately gave out a sharp order. ¡°On the right!¡± [Ryouma] There were several aquariums planted by the entrance as decoration. In the space between those aquariums was a human-shaped mana that couldn¡¯t be seen?????? with the human eye. Within that human-shaped mana¡¯s hands was a knife, and it was going straight for Serge-san???????. While reflexively calling out, I drew the wire slime, that was coiled around my left arm, and threw it like a bolas. The enemy fell forward to dodge the wire slime, but in doing so, he gave rise to an unnatural sound. A normal person might not be able to make anything of that, but to the first-rate mercenaries of the Wild Golden Falcons, that was more than enough to tell where the enemy was. ¡°Halt!¡± The two mercenaries guarding our flanks formed a wall to protect us, but they couldn¡¯t precisely???? pinpoint the location of the enemy. A beast man could probably pinpoint the location from the sound and the smell, but the enemy has already realized that he¡¯s been noticed and has changed the way he moved. The mercenaries couldn¡¯t pinpoint the exact location of the enemy, so they couldn¡¯t charge in recklessly, but because of that, an opening was made, giving the enemy a chance to attack. Having given up on approaching, the enemy tried to throw the knife at Serge-san instead. (Not on my watch.) Right before I pulled out the Iron Slime in my belt, Yashma, the deputy leader of the mercenaries, stood in front of Serge-san. Upon seeing that the knife¡¯s trajectory was now blocked, I pulled out my katana and threw it. ¡°GUU!¡± As the sound of metals clashing resounded, fresh blood scattered. With that, the spell should have been dispelled too. True enough, the space distorted, and a man in an outfit resembling full-body tights appeared. ¡°Secured!¡± Then a mercenary wrestled the man and choked him from behind. Unable to offer any resistance, the man was knocked out and apprehended. I found it strange how smooth everything went, but I couldn¡¯t find anyone else with my Mana, and I couldn¡¯t sense any other enemies either. For the meantime, there should be no more trouble. If so, then what comes next would be the aftermath. The problem may have been settled quickly, but there was still no changing the fact that a battle had just broken out in broad daylight right in front of the busy entrance. Naturally, the people would clamor. Serge-san and the Saionji husband and wife weren¡¯t making a racket, but they were visibly surprised. Yashma of the Wild Golden Falcons was also looking at me. ¡°¡­Shall we go back for now? We can¡¯t leave this man here either.¡± [Ryouma] For the mean time, I told them that we needed to discuss how to approach this. Chapter 255.2 - Operation Start (2/2) On the evening of the day Serge was attacked, within the reception room of a certain store of Gimuru, were two men in the middle of a disturbing conversation. ¡°How¡¯s it going, Wanz?¡± [Man] ¡°Everything is as the report stated.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Not even a week to prepare, and yet everything instructed was carried out perfectly, huh. I¡¯m sure some weren¡¯t happy about us taking command.¡± [Man] ¡°You¡¯re right on both. We¡¯ve been lurking in this city for a long time preparing. Months for the most recent, and years for the least. But just when our efforts were about to bear fruit, the orders were suddenly changed. Moreover, you people, who brought the new orders out of the blue, would also be the ones taking command of the operation. Naturally, there would be people unhappy. But while the way we do things might differ from you, in the end, we also belong to the Dark Guild. Orders from above are absolute. So long as there¡¯s an order, we¡¯ll follow it even if that means doing our best under you.¡± [Wanz] ¡°¡­I see, that is true. Well then, assuming that the plan is ready, I have an inquiry I¡¯d like to make.¡± [Man] ¡°Whatever you want.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Tell me everything you know about the boy named Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Man] When the man said that, Wanz¡¯s expression stiffened. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve made a report about that boy already.¡± [Wanz] ¡°And your report has been received. Consider this a confirmation of sort. Tell me everything about him, down to the smallest details. Because part of our new orders ¨C aside from the plan ¨C is the assassination of that boy.¡± [Man] ¡°Oh? You¡¯re going to assassinate him? You and your men against a mere child? Talk about excessive. I almost feel sorry for him.¡± [Wanz] Despite saying that, Wanz¡¯s face was filled with glee. ¡°We think so too, but orders are orders, and besides, the boy is too good at magic to be taken for a mere boy.¡± [Man] ¡°He goes around every morning shoveling snow with that huge water spell of his. I don¡¯t know how good he is in combat, but he appears to have a lot of mana. And I hear he managed to make some delinquent adventurers submit to his strength too, but even an amateur like me could tell that those adventurers are complete rookies compared to you and your men. Well, he did lecture me pretty arrogantly, and got in my way too, so¡­ He knows how to talk big? That would probably be it as far as his skills go.¡± [Wanz] ¡°¡­Is that really all there is to him?¡± [Man] ¡°What do you mean?¡± [Wanz] ¡°One of our men went to assassinate the president of the Morgan Company, but the man hasn¡¯t returned yet, while the safety of the president has been confirmed. It¡¯s safe to assume that he failed.¡± [Man] ¡°The president of the Morgan Company appears to be deeply involved with the duke¡¯s family and the boy, so it¡¯s understandable that he would be targeted. But for the boy to prevent the assassination?¡¡The president has mercs from the Wild Golden Falcons around him all the time. If anyone¡¯s stopping anything, it¡¯s got to be them.¡± [Wanz] ¡°We¡¯re aware about the Wild Golden Falcons. That¡¯s why we prepared the ¡®invisible blade¡¯ that could assassinate the target even while under the protection of the mercenaries. The location of the attack was Ryouma Takebayashi¡¯s security company. According to our intel, they should have been dining together. Moreover, our instructions explicitly stated that the president needed to be murdered in a way that Ryouma Takebayashi would immediately learn of it. They wanted us to have him at the scene if possible, so it¡¯s likely that he was there.¡± [Man] ¡°Even then, I¡¯ve already told you everything I know that might relate to his combat abilities. Perhaps, he did something with his magic, but I still don¡¯t think he would be able to stop the Invisible Blade. I think the Wild Golden Falcons were still the most likely culprit in stopping the attack. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to suspect that the security company might¡¯ve hired an upper-tier adventurer too. If it¡¯s about that, then I still have some information I can share.¡± [Wanz] ¡°Let¡¯s hear it then.¡± [Wanz] Like that, Wanz presented the information that he knew to the man one after another. ¡°Well, that¡¯s about all I know.¡± [Wanz] ¡°¡­I see, you¡¯ve done well.¡± [Man] The moment he ran out of things to say was the moment his life would come to an end. ¡°W-Why¡­¡± [Wanz] The small knife the man had hidden on him had found its way into the pit of Wanz¡¯s stomach. ¡°! ¡­W-Weren¡¯t¡­ You¡­ Going to save¡­¡± [Wanz] ¡°If I hadn¡¯t said that, you would¡¯ve run away without completing the preparations. I just wanted to get the most I could out of a useless man.¡± [Man] ¡°N-No¡­ Someone¡­ Save¡­¡± Wanz strained himself to eek out that voice, but it reached no one but the man before him, and then¡­ He died. After confirming Wanz¡¯s death, the man pulled the knife out and cleaned it with Wanz¡¯s outfit, then opened the door. There, appeared a man wearing clothes too similar to Wanz¡¯s murderer, a man that looked just like an unimpressionable traveling merchant. ¡°I¡¯m done. You?¡± [Man 1] ¡°I¡¯ve installed those things all over the store. The office will be the point of origin.¡± [Man 2] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll bring the corpse there. Just to be safe, this room should be covered in oil too.¡± [Man 1] ¡°Alright¡­ So, Wanz was done away with, after all.¡± [Man 2] ¡°He seemed aware of how useless he was for failing to carry out his orders, but he still clung to hope, thinking that he¡¯d be able to survive as long as he showed his worth. Yet for all that, he could barely present any new information. In the end, all I got from him was an opinion piece filled with unnecessary conceit.¡± [Man 1] ¡°He must¡¯ve fancied himself to be a member of the Dark Guild, so he thought he¡¯d be able to explain himself at least. But as far as we¡¯re concerned, he¡¯s just another disposable pawn.¡± [Man 2] ¡°If he understood that much, then we might have still had some use for him, but¡­ It¡¯s all water under the bridge now. More importantly, has the Invisible Blade not returned yet?¡± [Man 1] ¡°Even the last of the regular reports say that he¡¯s yet to return.¡± [Man 2] ¡°I see¡­ Even if something just went awry in our communications, the antidote won¡¯t make it in time anymore. We¡¯ll just have to carry out the plan without him. We¡¯ll use as many disposable pawns as necessary. And while there¡¯s a chance of a third party having intervened, we should be wary of Ryouma Takebayashi too. Contact me if there¡¯s any movement. The operation starts now.¡± [Man 1] ¡°Understood.¡± [Man 2] The two men that looked like traveling merchants quickly carried away Wanz¡¯s corpse. When they came back next, they had a bottle full of oil that they scattered all over the room, then they took off their clothes and left. Before long, all that was left of Wanz was a corpse that spoke no tales, but it would be a long time before anyone would find him. Chapter 256.1 - The Start of a Big Commotion (1/2) A little more than half a day after Serge¡¯s attempted assassination, when the night had grown late and the day had changed, at an hour when most people were asleep, when thick clouds veiled the moon and the stars, within the dark city of Gimuru that awaited the coming of dawn, twinkled small lights. Twinkle, twinkle, the lights flashed, and then with a thunderous roar like that of lightning, the people were roused to a morning still too early. ¡°What!?¡± [Man] Shaken awake by that thunderous roar, a man found himself looking around in confusion. When his eyes found themselves looking outside the window, shock took him, but it lasted only a few seconds before he jolted. ¡°Hey! Wake up! Everyone, wake up!!¡± [Man] ¡°What¡¯s all the ruckus for? Don¡¯t you know how late it is?¡± [Woman] ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be sleeping! The house across is on fire!¡± [Man] When the wife heard that, she immediately rushed to her child, who was still rubbing his eyes on his bed, while the man ran outside to call out to the neighbors. In the blink of an eye, confusion and fear spread among the residents, screaming and yelling for help as they stood around the burning house. That was the kind of sight that quickly spread as early dawn greeted Gimuru. ¡°Water!¡¡Open the water tanks!¡¡Hurry!¡± [Resident 1] ¡°Is there anyone missing!?¡¡Wake anyone still sleeping even if you have to hit them!¡± [Resident 2] ¡°Get the children somewhere safe!¡± [Resident 3] ¡°Someone call the guards!¡± [Resident 4] ¡°I-It¡¯s terrible!¡± [Man 2] ¡°We can see that for ourselves, thank you!¡¡Hurry up and move!¡± [Resident 5] ¡°T-That¡¯s not it!¡¡It¡¯s not the fire. I mean, it is the fire, but¡­ There¡¯s a fire in the store across too, and there are other buildings on fire too. It¡¯s not just here!¡¡They need people there too, so we can¡¯t get help!¡¡The guards are running everywhere! They can¡¯t come help right away!¡± [Man 2] When a man gasping for breath after running here told them that, the neighbors that have been watching the fire became even more perplexed. An expression of despair surfaced on them as realization dawned on them that the fire reaching their own house was just a matter of time. It was then¡ª ¡°Clear the road!¡± ¡ªThat the ¡®voice of a boy¡¯ and the ¡®sound of water¡¯ ¨C loud enough to drown out the surrounding noises ¨C reached them. When the people that heard that turned to its direction, a powerful stream of ¡®river¡¯ could be seen flowing on the distant road, atop which was a ¡®boat¡¯. Moreover, atop the boat could be seen two people, one of which was a ¡®boy¡¯ dressed in strange clothes. With everything presented before them, the identity of that boy couldn¡¯t be clearer. No sooner than the acquaintances that happened to be there called out, did the powerful stream and the boat Ryoum was riding on pass through the cleared road to slip right in front of the burning building. In the blink of an eye, the powerful stream carrying the boat rose high up into the sky, pouring onto the building like a waterfall¡­ Or so it seemed, but then the snow and mud piled up on the ground gathered together as well to enclose the building. It was as though a giant slime was trying to swallow the building, and after enveloping the building, the muddy water wriggled several times. And each time, the fire would grow weaker. In just some dozen seconds, the great fire was extinguished. Seeing the threat before them dealt with, a look of relief surfaced on the people gathered. But at the same time. ¡°Hey, you!¡± [Man 2] A man impatiently called out to Ryouma, who was still atop the boat. That was the man that told the people gathered here about the dire state of the town. With a desperate look, the man ran to the boat Ryouma was on, and started screaming. ¡°Just what is happening!?¡¡Aren¡¯t there fire all over the city!?¡¡You work with the guards, right!?¡¡If you know something, then tell us! I¡¯m grateful that you took out the fire, but don¡¯t you think the way you did things was a bit too rough? What if there were still people there¡ª Eek!¡± The man was starting to rattle on and on, but then he suddenly backed away. At the end of the man¡¯s gaze was Ryouma¡¯s unreadable, inhuman eyes. With the calamity already quelled, the surroundings had once again become dark. Because of that the only one who noticed those eyes was the prattling man, but his abrupt reaction made the others notice them as well. ¡°Boss, your eyes are scary. I know it¡¯s hard controlling your spell, but¡­¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Sorry, must¡¯ve seemed like I was glaring.¡± [Ryouma] Yurdum, who was with Ryouma on the boat, interjected from the side, prompting him to make a response not only for the man but for everyone?????? as well. ¡°There¡¯s no one inside the building. I confirmed it beforehand with my magic, so please be at ease. As for the current situation, the only thing I know right now is that ¡®fire have broken out all over the city¡¯. Believing that taking out the fire first takes priority above all else, I jumped into action as soon as I could. However, my security company is currently working with the guards and the adventurers guild to investigate the matter and address the fire.¡± With the threat right before them gone and those words, their anxiety lessened, but it was not enough for them to be at ease. But Ryouma wasn¡¯t done. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you to relax!¡¡In fact, please be aware that we are in a crisis, and act with safety first in mind!¡¡Moreover, if possible please help in evacuating others and in the efforts to extinguish the flames as well!¡¡The more help the better!¡¡Let¡¯s do our best to get out of this crisis together!¡± [Ryouma] With a voice that wouldn¡¯t be drowned out by all the commotion, Ryouma gave a deep bow. At that, the people that were confused finally started moving. Chapter 256.2 - The Start of a Big Commotion (2/2) ¡°But of course! I¡¯ll help out too!¡± [Resident 1] ¡°We can¡¯t just leave the others on their own!¡± [Resident 2] ¡°Thank you very much!¡¡The security company and the hospital right next to it are ready to receive evacuees and injured people. If you believe it to be necessary, please don¡¯t hesitate to make use of their services!¡± [Ryouma] As the people started hurriedly moving about, Ryouma turned to the man from earlier. ¡°Hey.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Y-You talking to me?¡± [Man 2] ¡°Sorry, but can I have you go to the office of the guards to inform them that the fire here has already been dealt with?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I-If it¡¯s just that, then sure.¡± [Man 2] ¡°Thank you very much!¡¡In that case, please get on.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Man 2] ¡°I¡¯ll be going to the next fire, so I can take you along until then. It¡¯s faster this way.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma didn¡¯t seem like he would take no for an answer, but no one reprimanded him because they were currently in an emergency. If anything they just urged the hesitating man with their eyes to ¡®hurry up and go¡¯. Perhaps because he couldn¡¯t stand that silent pressure, the man hurried to Ryouma¡¯s side and jumped up the boat. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± [Ryouma] The moment Ryouma said that, the muddy water that had enveloped the building fell apart and popped like a bubble, allowing the water to flow once again and lift the small boat to move. As the boat gradually gained speed, Yurdum called out to the man that had just gotten onto the boat. ¡°Sorry about that. The boss was a bit forceful there, wasn¡¯t he?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry too for being so rude earlier. I lost my head because of the situation.¡± [Man 2] ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re so understanding. As I¡¯ve said before, just controlling this spell is a huge burden on the boss.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°¡­Is it that taxing?¡± [Man 2] ¡°Well, yeah. He¡¯s using so much mana, and yet he needs to maintain precise control while maintaining this speed. He¡¯ll cause an accident if he doesn¡¯t focus, so he can¡¯t even really talk while using it. That¡¯s why I¡¯m riding here with him to help¡­ Whoops, can¡¯t be talking too much now, I¡¯ve got work to do.¡± [Yurdum] As he said that, Yurdum started working at the rear of the hull. ¡°¡­¡± [Yurdum] As the man looked at Yurdum and Ryouma alternatingly, he began to observe them. When he was sure that neither Yurdum nor Ryouma was paying attention to him, he reached out for the knife by his waist, and then stabbed Ryouma¡¯s back with it, but in that moment¡ª ¡°Gyaah!?¡± [Man 2] ¡ªThe Ryouma that should¡¯ve been busy with his spell suddenly turned around and struck downward with a wire slime, hitting him on the wrist. As the knife dropped from his hand, Yurdum caught his arms from behind and pushed his face into the floor. ¡°W-Why¡­¡± [Man 2] ¡°We were wary of you from the start. We figured there¡¯d be an agent somewhere.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryoum said that, he quickly wrapped the wire slime around the immobile man¡¯s neck and choked him out. ¡°I suppose¡­ praises are in order?¡¡You sure you didn¡¯t need to ask him anything, though?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°We don¡¯t have the time, and from the way he¡¯s been acting, he¡¯s probably just a disposable pawn. I doubt he has any useful information.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If he knew anything important, he would¡¯ve been on the run with a guide by now or he would have been dealt with¡­ Either way, he wouldn¡¯t have been there. Would have saved us a lot of trouble, though, if just catching him was enough to get the whole plan.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°His job was probably to make the people more anxious and make everything more chaotic. He quarreled with us, but our meeting appears to have been a coincidence¡­ Most likely, us getting in the way of his job would have put him on the bad side of his bosses, so to save himself, he had to achieve something, and the moment we showed him an opening, he jumped for it hook, line, and sinker.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Probably something like that. But still¡­ I¡¯m surprised you saw through him.¡¡This guy probably specializes in infiltration. His action just now aside, his behavior until now was exactly what one would expect from the situation.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°About that, it seems that I¡¯ve inadvertently picked up the ¡®Sense Malice¡¯ and ¡®Sense Hostility¡¯ skill today, oh wait, that¡¯s yesterday already. I think it must be when Serge-san was attacked during lunch? The guard called Yashma pointed it out to me afterwards, and when I checked my Status Board, I saw it was there. But I haven¡¯t checked it in a long while, so I might¡¯ve actually gotten it back when we first met.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, you were really tense back then, weren¡¯t you, Boss? You weren¡¯t aware of it, but you probably became sensitive to the malice and hostility in the city.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, my outburst that time was probably because I hadn¡¯t been exposed to malice and hostility recently. A lot of the people around me now are really gentle, after all. It¡¯s kind of like how a starving man can¡¯t eat a lot of food all of the sudden.¡± [Ryouma] When an embarrassing history of his was brought up, a wry smile appeared on Ryouma, but Yurdum saw it differently. ¡°But thanks to that you were able to stop this noon¡¯s attack, right?¡¡It worked out well in the end, didn¡¯t it?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That¡¯s true, but luck played a part in it too since the enemy¡¯s abilities just happened to be weak against the combination of ¡®grasping the mana body¡¯ ¨C that I¡¯ve been training at the hospital recently ¨C and my ¡®technique that uses slimes to detect enemies¡¯. [Ryouma] ¡°Learning Sense Malice and Sense Hostility intentionally is difficult, so people with such skills are often favored when it comes to escort jobs. There¡¯s no harm in learning them. Still, I¡¯m surprised to learn that the slimes¡¯ detection abilities are that great. I¡¯ve never heard of that before.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°It¡¯s difficult unless a person is highly compatible with them. And if you¡¯re not used to it, it¡¯ll make your head hurt, so it¡¯s likely not easy to use. I can still endure, but my interest in slimes likely plays a huge part in that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone more passionate than you when it comes to slimes, Boss. At the very least, I¡¯ve never seen one.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There actually are quite a few passionate people in that regard. I doubt you know about them, but the three employees in a branch store of our laundromat all used to be slime researchers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Well, I don¡¯t intend to lose out in passion, but more importantly, we¡¯re almost at the next location.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. Looks I¡¯ll have to work here too????.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Let¡¯s do everything we can.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that, he sped up the boat even more as he turned his eyes toward the dark sky. Chapter 257.1 - Movements Throughout Town (1/2) Chapter 257: Movements Throughout Town (1/2) Volume 3 Chapter 256: The Start of a Big Commotion (2/2) ¡°Of all the places, I can¡¯t believe the lumber yard is the source of the fire!¡¡What the heck is the manager doing!?¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°The fire is too strong!¡¡This place is done for!¡± [Townsman 2] ¡°Don¡¯t give up!¡¡At the very least, we need to keep the fire from spreading!¡± [Townsman 3] ¡°Damn it, I can¡¯t get good footing because of the snow.¡± [Townsman 4] Ryouma used a spell and ran through the town to extinguish the fires, but the number of fires throughout the city kept increasing. No matter how many nonstandard spells that took advantage of slime characteristics Ryouma might have, there was simply no way for him to deal with so many fires in such a wide area all by himself. Yet it was a place like this that a carriage was heading for. ¡°We¡¯ll help too!¡± [Asagi] ¡°Oh!¡¡You adventurers!?¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°Water!¡¡Is there anyone that can cast a water spell!?¡± [Townsman 2] ¡°Everyone!¡¡There is no need to worry!¡¡Raypin!¡± [Asagi] ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me. It¡¯s time for the wind mage squad¡¯s Plan B, de aru!¡± [Raypin] When the person beside the driver, Asagi, an A-Rank Adventurer spoke up, 8 mages including Raypin jumped down. They spread themselves around the burning building and ¨C in order ¨C began to chant. ¡°Hey!¡¡Did you just say ¡®wind mage¡¯!?¡¡Are you messing around!?¡¡If you use a wind spell now, the fire will spread¨D!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°Your argument makes sense, but I¡¯m going to have to ask you to just keep quiet and watch, de gozaru. They¡¯re not going to do anything bad.¡± [Asagi] When the man tried to approach Raypin, Asagi quickly moved to stop him, buying enough time for the mages to finish their work. ¡ºBe a wall that partitions the air.¡» ¡ºBe a shield that blocks the flames.¡» Two layers of barrier magic were deployed around the fire. These barriers cut off the circulation of the air, and severed the oxygen needed for fire to burn, stopping the billowing flames and smoke and the sparks flitting about from spreading the fire. ¡°As if I could just watch!¡¡This isn¡¯t the time to be playing around¡ª Huh?¡± [Townsman 1] The man Asagi stopped was about to raise an even bigger commotion, but his voice gradually grew weaker. Because the reason for him to act, the burning fire, was gradually dying out from right in front of him. That was apparent to all the people gathered, and they watched on, dumbfounded, as the fire gradually died. ¡°W-Why were you able to kill the fire so quickly? It was so big, and yet it¡¯s disappearing just like that.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand the details all that well myself either, but apparently, using the barrier magic in this way could bring about this effect.¡± [Asagi] Asagi directly told him that it was because of a spell they used. When people heard that, and word of it spread, the people cheered. ¡°Wow! You guys are amazing!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°Thank you!¡± [Townsman 2] ¡°The fire may have weakened, but it¡¯s not gone just yet!¡¡There are other places burning too!¡¡Save your thanks for later, de gozaru!¡± [Asagi] ¡°Exactly!¡¡So please leave this place to us, and you guys take care of the other areas!¡¡We¡¯ll go as soon as this fire has been completely settled, de aru!¡± [Raypin] ¡°Alright!¡¡Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°We¡¯ll go too!¡± [Townsman 2] ¡°We¡¯re counting on you, de aru!¡¡Also, this isn¡¯t much, but¡­ ¡®Heat Conduction¡¯!¡± [Raypin] After the people renewed their morale, Raypin cast a spell on them. Suddenly, the snow that had piled up under their feet melted, revealing the stone path beneath. ¡°This should make it a little easier for you to walk.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Woah!?¡¡A-Alright, let¡¯s go!¡± Like that, the people with renewed morale were able to run off in small groups. Now, only Raypin¡¯s group was left. ¡°¡­That last spell wasn¡¯t necessary, right?¡± ¡°So long as there are people lurking around, trying to incite fear and spread confusion, I believe it¡¯s best to give people something that might lift their spirits no matter how small, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°I can¡¯t deny that, but you have only so much mana.¡± [Asagi] ¡°No need to worry about that. Because somehow someway, Ryouma managed to get a lot of these, de aru.¡± [Raypin] Raypin opened his thick coat to reveal five test-tube-like containers fixed to the lining of his coat. ¡°Mana potions.¡± [Asagi] ¡°The kind that uses expensive Running Mash too. They¡¯re exceedingly effective, but so is the price. Yet he told me to use them without reserve should the need arise. Moreover, research might be my focus, but I am still an A-Rank adventurer. I know how to use my mana. That spell just now didn¡¯t generate heat. Rather, I merely directed the heat from the scene of the fire to the road through mana. In other words, I was merely taking advantage of the fire¡¯s heat, and I barely used any mana at all. If anything, it should have contributed to weakening the fire, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Is that from Ryouma too?¡± [Assagi] ¡°Exactly. In return for our cooperation, Ryouma has generously offered his ¡®scientific knowledge¡¯ regarding fires ¨C that thing which we refer to as logictruth or a fragment of the essence of magic. As a mage that deals with fire, I do have knowledge from my own from experience, but the different perspective offered by theory is a valuable thing indeed. And indeed even a hastily prepared barrier spell was able to do so much. Since he¡¯s willing to pay so generously, it¡¯s only right that I do everything within my power, de aru.¡± [Raypin] ¡°Looks like Ryouma is serious about protecting the city. At any rate, I¡¯m fine with anything you do as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with our main objective of dealing with the fire.¡± [Asagi] ¡°To that end, I¡¯ll be counting on you to guard us too, de aru.¡± [Raypin] While they were talking like that, a new carriage arrived. Chapter 257.2 - Movements Throughout Town (2/2) The person riding on the carriage was from the security company. ¡°Sorry to keeping you waiting. Security Team 7 will now be taking over the supervision of this area. Command requests that you head to the next location.¡± [Security Team 7 Member] At that, the person that got off the carriage took over the supervision of the area, while Asagi¡¯s group got on the carriage. After the coachman had confirmed that everyone had gotten on, he immediately drove away. A special unit known as the ¡®Magical Fire Brigade¡¯ was formed to deal with the fires all over Gimuru. This special unit consisted of mages learned in spells that dealt with fire. They were mostly being sent to the areas where the fires were strongest. As for the places they were not sent to¡­ ¡°Save me, *cough, *cough¡­ Ue.¡± [Husband] ¡°Hubbie!!¡¡Wait for me, I¡¯ll save you!¡± [Wife] ¡°Wifey, don¡¯t!¡¡You¡¯ll just burn if you enter!¡± [Husband] ¡°Let go!¡¡I can¡¯t just watch my husband die!¡± [Wife] ¡°Calm down!¡¡Hey, someone lend a hand!¡± [Townsman 5] ¡°NOOOOO!!¡± [Wife] Next to a dilapidated house on fire was another house on fire. Smoke and fire could be seen billowing from the windows of its second floor, and there was a man pleading for help from the attic. Outside was his wife. The sight of him suffering would have been enough to send her rushing into the flames, but there were people around to hold her back. The situation was that desperate, and the people even started thinking of giving up, but then they appeared. ¡°Is this the place!?¡± [???] ¡°W-Who are you people!?¡± [Townsman 6] When the townsmen were in a pinch, 10 men appeared on a large cart pulled by horses. They had helmets on and wore strange clothes dyed in flaming red. They even had a strange mask hanging on their shoulders. Those clothes were none other than the fire department¡¯s uniform that Ryouma did his best to recreate from memory. Due to being made by incorporating monster beast ingredients and magic tools, they are incredibly heat resistant. However, no one can deny that they looked out of place. Because of that the people all eyed them with suspicion. ¡°Y-You¡¯re from the Macho Squad.¡± [Wife] ¡°Yeah. We¡¯re from the security company. Please be at ease, we¡¯ll solve this problem. Is there anyone else that needs saving other than that man over there?¡± [Fireman Leader] ¡°I=It¡¯s just him!¡¡He¡¯s the only one that couldn¡¯t escape in time. We were trying to take out the fire next door, and we figured it would be more convenient to throw the water from above, so we all brought the water up, but then some weird bastard suddenly threw something, and the flames intensified.¡± [Townsman 5] ¡°Got it, it¡¯s fine now. Is everything ready!?¡± [Fireman Leader] ¡°We can start anytime!¡± [Fireman 1] As the leader of the fire brigade yelled that, the other members removed the horse from the cart and pushed the cart toward the man they needed to save. ¡°Alright!¡¡Extend the ladder???!¡± [Fireman Leader] At his behest, a giant ladder was extended from the back of the cart. The ladder was already plenty big and long, but when its folded part extended, it doubled in length, and the platform beneath and in front of the cart quickly reinforced it. The firemen moved the cart until the end of that ladder could reach the man clinging on for dear life. Then after securing some hooks, two members of the brigade immediately dashed up the ladder and moved the panicking man to the ladder to secure him. ¡°¡­They did it!¡¡They saved him!¡± [Townsman 5] ¡°Thank goodness, Ma¡¯am! Your husband is safe!¡¯ [Townsman 6] ¡°H-Hubbyyyy!!¡± [Wife] The husband borrowed the shoulder of a brigade member to gently go down the ladder. Upon seeing that, the people heaved sighs of relief and gave a big cheer for the fire brigade. But their job wasn¡¯t done yet. They didn¡¯t come here just to rescue people. ¡°Please take a step back!¡¡Don¡¯t push!¡± [Fireman 1] ¡°The fire hasn¡¯t been dealt with yet!¡¡Please cooperate with us for safety¡¯s sake!¡± [Fireman 2] ¡°Ma¡¯am, please come here!¡¡I¡¯ll bring your husband to the hospital!¡± [Fireman 3] Around half of the fire fighters had to raise their voice so as to not be drowned out by all the cheers. They asked that the people cooperate with them to ensure everyone¡¯s safety. ¡°Equipment check!¡± [Fireman Leader] ¡°Equipment check, good!¡± [Firemen] ¡°Masks check!¡± [Fire Leader] ¡°Masks check¡¢good!¡± [Firemen] ¡°Charge!¡± [Fire Leader] Before long, half of the fire men had charged into the building from the first floor. The people that had noticed that started to make a commotion, but there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. The team that had charged in was wearing protective gear, and they had also put on special masks right before jumping into the burning building. These special masks were equipped with a ¡®magic tool that produced air¡¯ to enable breathing even inside a burning structure, as well as a ¡®cooling magic tool¡¯ to protect from respiratory burns. Ryouma wasn¡¯t a specialist by any means, but he worked together with craftsmen that handled monster ingredients and magic tools to create these equipment. They also had to finish the designs in a short time, but despite that, they managed to produce equipment that could protect the human body in a fire, albeit for a short time. The firemen would have to deal with the fire during that time. As the firemen communicated with each other through hand gestures, they held up the tubes connected to the magic tools on their backs, and activated them. These magic tools were attached to tanks filled with ¡®water mixed with a fire extinguishing agent¡¯, and when they activated them, that water sprayed out. Yes, in other words, ¡®fire extinguishers¡¯. Potassium carbonate could easily be extracted from the ashes of plants and vegetation, and when mixed water, it could greatly enhance the cooling effect of water. In the face of a solution like that, the roaring flames all too easily waned. Of course, that alone wasn¡¯t enough to extinguish structural flames, but while the raid team were suppressing the fire inside, more firefighting teams have already gathered outside. As a water cart with a giant water tank instead of a giant ladder arrived, the rate the fire was extinguished dramatically increased both inside and outside of the dilapidated house. Seeing that, the people became even more at ease. ¡°Please clear the roads!¡¡We¡¯re transporting the injured!¡¡Clear the roads!¡± [Fireman 4] ¡°The wounded that can walk please come here!¡¡We¡¯re accepting evacuees too!¡± [Fireman 5] ¡°More carriages will come!¡¡There¡¯s no need to hurry!¡± [Fireman 6] But the fire brigade¡¯s work was far from over. Most of them haven¡¯t been in Gimuru for long and didn¡¯t have a deep relationship with the people here, yet despite that, the thought of being able to save even just one more person in front of them made them move. What were the people of Gimuru doing? Of course, they were not just standing around idly, watching their city go up in flames. ¡°Ora!!¡¡And that¡¯s the last I¡¯ll be seeing of you!¡± [Delinquent 1] ¡°Alright! We got rid of them!¡± [Delinquent 2] ¡°We¡¯re done here too!¡± [Delinquent 3] ¡°Are there fires elsewhere!?¡± [Delinquent 4] ¡°There¡¯s a fire here!¡¡And there¡¯s another fire there too!¡± [Townsman 7] ¡°What!?¡¡We¡¯re going now!¡¡Hey! If any of you bastards are free, come lend a hand!¡± [Delinquent 4] ¡°I swear if I ever find the person responsible for this, I¡¯ll smash him dead!¡± [Deliquent 5] ¡°Someone help!¡¡There¡¯s a grandpa that can¡¯t move here!¡± [Townsman 6] ¡°I¡¯ll go!¡± [Delinquent 7] The people of the city all did what they could to help in the efforts to extinguish the fire and evacuate their fellow man. ¡°The criminal is here!¡± [Delinquent 8] ¡°Tch!¡± [Criminal] An arsonist was in the middle of setting fire to a trash can in a narrow alley when he was spotted by a resident of Gimuru. He hurriedly tried to run away, but¡­ ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± [???] ¡°What¡ª GAH!?¡± When the path through the alley took a turn, a man suddenly appeared as though he had been waiting for him. Suddenly, the butt end of the man¡¯s spear found its way into his stomach, and then the handle swung down straight for his head. With two consecutive attacks landing cleanly on him, the arsonist could only collapse without even being able to resist. The men that have been extinguishing the flames caught up from behind. ¡°Jeff!¡¡You did it!¡± [Delinquent 8] ¡°More like, hurry up and deal with the fire, so we could hand this guy over to the security, but speak of the devil, our guy¡¯s here already.¡± [Delinquent 9] ¡°Excuse me, you¡¯re Jeff-dono, a B-Rank Adventurer, yes? Are you sure that this man is an arsonist?¡± [Guard] ¡°Yeah, this guy saw him, and this should be more than enough as evidence.¡± [Jeff] As Jeff searched the criminal¡¯s body with the butt-end of his spear, a magic tool and a vial that smelled of oil rolled over. ¡°I can see that he was definitely caught red-handed. You can leave this man to me. You can handle the fires yourselves, right?¡± [Security Personnel] ¡°It¡¯s no problem, right?¡± [Jeff] ¡°Just leave it to us! A small fire like that is nothing we can¡¯t handle!¡± [Deliquent 9] As the man said that, he joined the fight against the fires himself. Upon seeing that, the person from the guards took the arsonist away. Jeff looked up at the sky once, and then ran down a different road. The people of Gimuru fought against the fires that rose one after another, every one of them doing their best in their own ways. Chapter 258.1 - Inside a Room of the Security Company (1/2) ¡°A new fire has been confirmed in the north. It shall be identified as North #4. North #3 has been dealt with by the first team that arrived, and the succeeding team has also already arrived. The evacuation of the people has been delayed, however.¡± [Staff 1] ¡°East #5 has been extinguished.¡± [Staff 2] ¡°South #8 has also been extinguished.¡± [Staff 3] ¡°More fires have been breaking out in the north¡­ Send a clean-up crew and a team to observe the two areas that are now under control. In exchange, send the firefighters headed to East #5 and South #8 to the north. We can send someone from the security to the vacant wagons to lead the evacuation, but how many people will we need? Will two teams be enough?¡¡Jill?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Two should be enough, there¡¯s a follow-up team anyhow. As for the carriages, we¡¯ll send the available ones in turn. I¡¯m more concerned about the availability of shelters. What is the situation of the shelters?¡± [Jill] ¡°The shelters to the north and west are fine, they still have plenty of room. The eastern and southern shelters can still accept more evacuees, but they are slowly filling up.¡± [Staff 4] ¡°In that case, send the evacuees of the north to the northern shelter. Have a temporary evacuation shelter prepared too. The location is, as we¡¯ve planned, a vacant lot in the site of a former slum that Ryouma demolished.¡± [Jill] ¡°A small arsonist found in the west has been arrested. He has already been handed to the guards.¡± [Staff 5] Though the city hustled and bustle amidst the flames that threatened them, within the conference room of the security company was a quiet flurry of reports and instructions. At the center of the room was a large desk, atop which was a detailed map of the city big enough to fill the whole desk. A lot of people were gathered around it, and every report that came would have the small flags and pawns on it moved. Hyuzu, the person in charge of the security company, and Jill, the second-in-command, watched over their subordinates as they handed out instructions. The orders they gave were quickly jotted down by the staff member standing behind them, and delivered to the front of several small monster beast cages set up along the walls of the meeting room. The room was quiet but filled with tension. ¡°Please excuse our intrusion.¡± [Rurunez] And then the three maids, that have been sent here by the duke just like Hyuzu and Jill, entered the room. The three maids pushed small carts, and they handed out drinks to these people full of anxiety. ¡°Thank you, Rurunez. Hey, Jill, have a drink. We¡¯ll probably be here for a long time.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Yeah. It wouldn¡¯t be good to be too tense either.¡± [jill] Jill had some as well, but his expression remained clouded. Seeing that, Hyuzu temporarily left Rurunez in charge of the situation, while he quietly asked Jill what the matter was. ¡°Hey, Jill. Why the glum face? You¡¯ve been like that for awhile now. It¡¯s not a fun situation, I know, but you¡¯re handling it fine, better than normal, even.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­Yeah. Ryouma¡¯s proposed ¡°communication unit¡± of monster tamers that could use Shared Perception with familiars, and the construction of an ¡°information transmission network¡± built through that, and all the monitoring and liaison bases set up throughout the city allow us to quickly know what¡¯s happening on the ground, as well as to share information and cooperate with the guilds, guards, and the government office.¡± ¡°Ryouma mentioned something about a ¡®Telephone Operator¡¯ or something, right?¡¡I can¡¯t use Monster Taming, and I haven¡¯t a clue what the word means, but it¡¯s impressive that so much could be accomplished.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Telephones are¡­ a very old means of communication believed to have existed in ancient times. It¡¯s said that they could instantly bridge communication even between distant countries.. Supposedly, they were magic tools that utilized dimensional magic, but it¡¯s doubtful that they ever really existed. Ryouma must have been inspired by that. The hard part about his proposal was gathering enough monster tamers that could use Shared Perception. And we had to prepare enough people for the substitutes too, so they could work in shifts, but after getting past that hurdle, what awaited us was a fast information network that enable us to know the situation on the ground with little to no delay at all. However, in the end, we were only able to make this happen because of Ryouma¡¯s vast reserves of financial resources and the availability of monster tamers that were working as mailmen due to the heavy snowfall that hit recently¡­ It¡¯s frightening to think what would have happened if this day came without this information network.¡± [Jill] ¡°I don¡¯t want to think about that either. But if you know that you have something so reliable, why do you look like that? You¡¯re way too tense, man.¡± ¡°Really?¡¡¡­Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been feeling a bit¡­ unworthy lately.¡± [Jill] ¡°Unworthy?¡¡Ah, I see. You¡¯re worried about what Serge¡¯s guard said.¡± [Hyuzu] That was a conversation that took place after the attempted assassination on Serge. Ryouma¡¯s group had returned to that meeting room that they had used for their dinner party not too long ago, and Hyuzu and the other guards came too. They held a meeting to discuss their plans. They¡¯ve already prepared a lot of contingency plans for as much as they could predict, so the meeting briefly ended with the understanding that since the enemy has already directly attacked them, and their tactics were evidently different this time around, it was likely that they¡¯ve taken off the gloves and were willing to do anything to achieve their goals, not bothering to do things quietly anymore. After the meeting, there was also a conversation about ensuring their safety, such as Serge moving to his store, and the Saionji husband-and-wife needing to move up their schedule to leave town as soon as possible¡­ It was then that Jill suggested that Ryouma also wait somewhere safe, and he even approached Yashma, the deputy leader of the mercenary group, to act as his temporary bodyguard, but was immediately shot down. Chapter 258.2 - Inside a Room of the Security Company (2/2) Chapter 258: Inside a Room of the Security Company (2/2) The conversation that ensued went something like this. ¡°Can you tell me why? I¡¯m not under the impression that we can make anyone listen to us as long as we pay enough money, but we do intend to reward you handsomely. Is there no room for negotiation?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, I have no intention of changing my earlier reply. There are three reasons why. One, is because of the rules of the group. We have already undertaken the task of providing security for the Morgan Company and its president, Serge-dono. There are indeed mercenaries that take on multiple jobs at the same time or later if possible, but our group forbids it. To us mercenaries, trust is our life, and we do our best to fulfill the jobs that we receive first. Two, is because of our target¡¯s???? resolve. We are not picky about who we protect as long as we are asked and paid to do so, but there are still those who do not want to be protected. There are various reasons for this, but the most troublesome ones are those who are ¡°unaware that they are being protected. Even worse off are those who believe themselves to be skilled, while being half-baked. Now, I¡¯m not saying he is, but the proposal would not have been made with his consent. In fact, he himself is actively trying to deal with the problems he believes likely to arise. It is very difficult for us to protect someone intent on jumping into the very eye of the storm.¡± [Yashma] ¡°¡­¡± [Jill] ¡°And lastly, I have judged that he does not need the protection.¡± [Yashma] ¡°He does not need protection?¡± [Jill] ¡°He was as fast as us earlier, but even faster when it came to grasping the enemy¡¯s location. From the way he acted during the attack, the results of his Judgment, and that glimpse of his ability that I was able to observe¡­ I am of the opinion that he is more than ¡®capable¡¯ enough to protect himself. I said earlier that protecting a person with half-baked skills would prove troublesome, but if the person is capable enough, there is also no point in us going out of our way to guard him. Also¡­ This is just a conjecture on my part, but I take it you lack experience in group fights and don¡¯t do well in them?¡± [Yashma] Yashma asked that question to Ryouma, and Ryouma nodded, impressed that he was able to understand that much in such a short time. ¡°And that¡¯s that. Let alone protect him, poor coordination between us would likely just trip him up. I never thought I would feel this way about a child that may not even be half as old as I am, but if he wants to join the Wild Golden Falcons as a mercenary, then by the authority of the deputy leader, I would exempt him from the entrance examination, and welcome him with open arms. That¡¯s how capable I believe he is, and how little I believe that he needs to be protected. Of course, since you¡¯re someone close to him, I can sympathize with how you feel.¡± [Yashma] When Hyuzu pointed out that such a conversation had taken place, Jill sighed. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just that. Yurdum also told me that I¡¯m overprotective.¡± [Jill] ¡°Ah, he did, didn¡¯t he? And?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°¡­I¡¯ve always thought that it was fine for Ryouma to live as a normal child. I¡¯ve always thought that it was fine for him to rely on adults like us because he¡¯s still a child. In fact, I still do. But you know what, perhaps I might have actually been unconsciously demanding him to ¡®act like a normal child¡¯. It¡¯s not like Ryouma doesn¡¯t understand that we care.¡± [Jill] ¡°Oh, yeah, definitely. Ryouma was apologetic when he turned down our offer to protect him too.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°With his magic, he could extinguish fires at an efficacy we couldn¡¯t hope to match. If we look at the situation calmly, we have no choice but to use the people and the means available to us. Ryouma probably thinks so too. It¡¯s up to me whether I worry or not, but considering how I asked for someone to protect him without even thinking about how he feels, I can¡¯t help but feel that I should reflect a little. But now isn¡¯t really the time for that.¡± [Jill] ¡°So it was because your head was filled with that that you seemed overly tense.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°If that¡¯s how I looked to you, then that must be the case. I can¡¯t think of any other reason. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Jill] ¡°Do take care. I said it before too, but this will likely take awhile. If you¡¯re worn out along the way, that will be a problem. You and Ryouma can have a heart-to-heart talk after this is all over. That¡¯s much easier to understand than reading a textbook on childcare¨D¨DWhat are you making that face for?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Why do you know that? That I¡¯m reading a textbook on childcare?¡± [Jill] ¡°Huh?¡¡Jill, you¡¯re reading one too?¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°What?¡± [Jill] As a strange silence passed between the two, Rurunez interjected. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb your conversation, but Hyuzu was likely talking about the book I was reading. It¡¯s a matter still a long way away, but I¡¯ve been reading up for the sake of the future. Hyuzu peeked at the book, and mentioned it was hard to understand. Right?¡± [Rurunez] ¡°Yeah. From the way you look, though, I guess you¡¯ve been reading up too, huh.¡¡You went that far just to deal with Ryouma?¡± [Hyuzu] When he said that, Jill¡¯s face suffused with red. ¡°You know, Jill, maybe the term ¡®overprotective¡¯ really does fit you.¡± [Hyuzu] ¡°Pufu!¡± [Staff 1] ¡°!?¡± [Jill] While Jill had been rendered speechless by Hyuzu¡¯s remark, the sound of something gushing out resounded. Jill found himself turning, and there, he saw that one of the monster tamers beside the map looked like he was being choked. Moreover, there were some other people whose shoulders were shaking. Apparently, their entire conversation had been overheard. The room that was once tense was now filled with a warm atmosphere. ¡°*Cough!¡¡Ah, excuse me. But, yes, while too much tension is bad, being too relaxed is bad as well. I urge you all to keep yourselves balanced.¡± [Jill] When Jill said that, the monster tamers in the room collectively focused on their work as though they couldn¡¯t wait to eat the map. However, the atmosphere in the room remained relaxed. ¡°So in the end, should I consider it a good thing that I was able to get the communication staff to relax?¡± [Jill] Jill was still beet red as he muttered that, but no one answered him, and the quiet exchange of information continued as though nothing had happened. Chapter 259.1 - The Store’s Protection (1/2 Chapter 259: The Store¡¯s Protection (1/2) ¡û The Man Picked up by the Gods ¨C Volume 3 Chapter 258: Inside a Room of the Security Company (2/2) Approximately 3 hours after the beginning of the attack. While the people protecting the city and the people attacking it continued to play cat and mouse, Ryouma, who was running around the city in his small boat, noticed something and turned around, but immediately after, he looked back ahead and sped up. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°The slimes I placed by the laundromat and the Garbage Processing Plant reacted. It appears the enemies have come.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So it¡¯s finally gotten to this point, huh. You sure you don¡¯t need to go there?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°There are plenty of problems elsewhere too. It appears that the enemies that have been hiding have finally started to move.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma took out a vessel that looked like a test tube from his coat, and quickly drank the mana recovery medicine inside, supplying mana to the slimes that have assimilated with the muddy stream carrying the boat to further increase their speed. ¡°Fei-san and the others are there to watch the store, and we¡¯ve already taken precautions to protect the non-combatants. Delaying our response to others is precisely what the enemy wants. More importantly, are you ready to fight?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll just keep going like this and plunge right in!¡± [Ryouma] Right after Ryouma said that, the boat slid into the scene of the fire like a car slipping on frozen road, hitting a group of people, that looked like adventurers, attacking the people extinguishing the flames. ¡°Whoa! I know we¡¯re in an emergency and all, but couldn¡¯t you have let us down in a safer manner!?¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum complained as he landed on the ground, but he knew that there was no helping it. As soon as he landed, he immediately hit one of the assailants next to him. The chaos of the town showed no signs of calming down, and this battle too was nothing but the tip of the iceberg. Meanwhile, on the street facing the Bamboo Forest laundromat, the man in charge of the store¡¯s security, Ox, faced off against 20 adventurers, giving rise to a threatening air. ¡°Like we said, we came here to help with this store¡¯s security. That kid Ryouma asked us to.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°I haven¡¯t been informed of any such thing. Leave.¡± [Ox] ¡°As if anyone could contact you with the city like this. Confirm it with your superiors.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°There¡¯s nothing to confirm. The owner has completely entrusted the protection of the store to me. He also told me that there won¡¯t be reinforcements, and he won¡¯t be coming here either.¡± [Ox] ¡°Well, your orders could have changed¡ª¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Enough.¡± [Adventurer 2] As the man continued to argue that they should be let in, one of the adventurers drew his sword. ¡°H-Hey!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Shut up already. Either way, the plan would end up like this anyway. It would have saved us a lot of trouble if you¡¯d just opened the door obediently, but it¡¯s not a problem even if you don¡¯t. We¡¯ll just have to kill you.¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°R-Right¡­ We don¡¯t have time to be talking here¡­ It would be a problem if people came.¡± [Adventurer 1] When the man said that, the other men took out their weapons too. The light spilling out of the store reflected suspiciously. Ox quietly watched them as he spoke. ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me? Did I hear that right?¡± [Ox] ¡°Hah!¡¡I don¡¯t know which fighting arena you¡¯re an ex-champion of, but you can¡¯t even use those two swords you¡¯re so proud of with just one arm, can you?¡¡With so many of us surrounding you, this¡¯ll be a piece of cake!¡¡Get him!!¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Yeah!¡± [Adventurers] The men simultaneously surrounded Ox, and the first to attack was none other than the man that gave the order. He held his sword above his head, and slashed down at Ox¡¯s right shoulder, but it could not reach his flesh, and was instead smashed up as a high-pitched sound resounded. In the blink of an eye, Ox¡¯s sword had been drawn over his head in an underhand grip. ¡°Huh?¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°You need to train more.¡± [Ox] ¡°Long!?¡± [Adventurer 2] As he changed his grip on his sword to an overhand grip in the air, the snake-like sword swooped down for the man¡¯s right shoulder. He¡¯d struck him with the back of the sword, but when a lump of metal like a sword was combined with the power of gravity and Ox¡¯s strength, the resulting power could only be devastating. In the face of that power, the simple shoulder pad that the man wore offered no resistance, and his collarbone easily shattered, the impact reaching even his lungs. Cries of anguish rose from the man as he reflexively retreated, but he messed up, and fell to the ground, forcing him to crawl with his only functioning left arm. Ox spared just one glance at that man before parrying a spear thrusting at him from the side with his sword, and sliding toward the spearman to quickly break the hand holding the spear. A knife came at him from behind, but with a step forward, he switched positions, and then drew a huge circle to crush the enemy¡¯s arm from above, sending the pommel flying to hit the man squarely in his jaw, launching him straight into their carriage. In just some few seconds, three of their comrades have been dealt with, and the rest of them stood there petrified. ¡°What? Not coming?¡¡It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve lost my left hand, but I can still swing a sword with my right hand. You came knowing that, right?¡± [ox] ¡°Tch, get him together!¡¡If we attack at the same time, one sword is nothing!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°What a joke.¡± [Ox] As one of the men raised his voice, the remaining men tried to move, but the other sword that Ox had on him cut them down. The sword had leaped out of its sheath all by itself and swept out like a fan before the men, then it drew a big arc and settled where Ox¡¯s missing left hand would be. ¡°The sword is floating.¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Tch!¡¡It¡¯s a spell!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°But beastmen shouldn¡¯t have a lot of mana!¡¡He shouldn¡¯t be able to keep that up for long!¡± [Adventurer 4] ¡°Which just means that I¡¯ll have to settle this quickly.¡± [Ox] It was then that ¨C for the first time ¨C Ox initiated. Chapter 259.2 - The Store’s Protection (2/2) Chapter 259: The Store¡¯s Protection (2/2) The men had spread out to both sides to surround him, so Ox threw his left sword to the left center, while he himself rushed to one of the men to the right. The man managed to brush aside Ox¡¯s sword, but the left sword came back and struck him hard on the head. Ox had created this technique because of his unwillingness to part with the sword despite losing his hand. However, after meeting Ryouma and getting the Mana Regeneration Potion, he was able to overcome the weakness of his small mana pool, allowing him not only to last longer, but also to take his training to another level. ¡°S-Save me!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°You bastard!¡¡That was dangerous!¡± [Adventurer 3] ¡°Gyaaaa!¡± [Adventurer 4] The left sword was controlled through magic, so it had a much wider range compared to a normal sword. Through that, Ox could suppress the men surrounding him, while taking down those that were isolated. ¡°I¡¯m not just gonna stand here and wait for my death!¡± [Adventurer 5] One of the men knew that he wasn¡¯t Ox¡¯s match, so he gambled everything on one last attack, but his blade was blocked by Ox¡¯s right sword. At times, he would deflect the enemy¡¯s attack with his meticulous techniques; at times, he would rely on his strong arms to deflect them. The left sword attacked, while the right sword protected. The two swords that danced freely engulfed the enemy like a tornado. ¡°¡­¡± [Ox] Not only did the men fail to exchange blows with Ox, they could not even approach him. When more than half of their numbers have been rendered incapable of combat, the man furthest away from him began to gather his mana onto his hand. ¡°Fireba¡ª!?¡± [Adventurer 6] But his spell could not be completed. ¡°W-What is this needle? Uu¡­¡± [Adventurer 6] The pain that abruptly erupted from his shoulder stopped his invocation. When he examined it, he saw that a thin needle had penetrated him. In that short time, intense pain and numbness assaulted his arm. ¡°What¡¯s happening? What¡¯s with this smoke!?¡± [Adventurer 7] One of his friends noticed that there was something wrong with him and tried to call out, but something even stranger happened. A thick cloud of smoke had suddenly covered them from behind, and with the darkness of the night, their already limited sight became even more limited. There were fires springing up all over the city, so it wasn¡¯t strange for the stench of fire and the smoke to reach them. But because their attention were too focused on Ox, they failed to notice that this was the only place??????? covered in smoke. They did think that it was clearly artificial, but by the time they realized that something was up, it was already too late. ¡°Oh no¡ª¡± [Adventurer 8] ¡°Guah!¡± [Adventurer 9] ¡°Who is it!¡¡Come out and show yourself!¡± [Adventurer 10] The needles that shout of the smoke bore into the men¡¯s limbs one after another, rendering them incapacitated. They tried to figure out the enemy¡¯s location from the trajectory the needles followed, but¡­ ¡°Guha!¡± [Adeventure 8] ¡°Wha¡ª Uu¡­¡± [Adventurer 9] Dolce and Fel entered the fray. They were both security personnels like Ox. Dolce used his spear to hit a nearby man on the head before hiding back in the smoke, while Fei quietly took a man from behind and dragged him in restraints into the smoke. The rest of the men were understandably taken aback by the appearance of two new enemies, but that just allowed more poison needles to attack them. Moreover, Ox never stopped taking down one man after another. Now, only three men could still fight. ¡°Damn it!¡± [Adventurer 10] ¡°Ah, hey!¡¡Don¡¯t run away!¡± [Adventurer 11] ¡°They¡¯ll kill us!¡± [Adventurer 12] ¡°Shut up!¡¡We¡¯ll die either way, so we might as well run!¡± [Adventurer 10] Now that things have reached this point, they have already judged that there was no hope for victory. One of the men ran toward the wall of smoke. His comrades told him to stop, but¡ª ¡°Gyaaaa!!¡± [Adventurer 10] ¡ªa scream resounded as soon as he entered the smoke. ¡°Can¡¯t you¡­ let us off?¡± [Adventurer 11] ¡°Damn it, just what the hell are these people!?¡¡Why the hell are people like this watching over a tiny store!?¡¡We were able to avoid being enslaved, but now, this is what we get? This is a trap! We¡¯ve been had! We¡¯ve all been had!!¡± [Adventurer 12] Of the remaining two, one of gave up, while the other started to lose his mind. Neither no longer able to put up a resistance, they subdued before long. ¡°I checked around the store, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be any more enemies.¡± [Leelin] ¡°I see. Thank you, Leelin-dono. Your assistance was a big help. Of course, your assistance as well, Fei-dono, Dolce-dono.¡± [Ox] ¡°I doubt the results would have changed even if we hadn¡¯t joined.¡± [Dolce] ¡°Long-range attack¡¯s are a hassle. And I¡¯m not experienced in catching fleeing enemies either. Alone, I might not have lost, but the enemies that focused on fleeing might have been able to get away.¡± [Ox] ¡°There are no events in the fighting arenas that involve catching someone, after all. But we specialize in that moreso than combat. We have the slimes we borrowed from the boss too, so it was a piece of cake.¡± [Fei] Fei said that with a chuckle before turning his attention to the bamboo tube tied to his waist. In the next moment, the smoke that covered their surroundings entered the hole of the bamboo tube as though they were but threads spun by it. The smoke was in fact none other than the Smoke Slime that evolved from the Ash Slime. It usually looked like a pile or lump of ash just like the ash slime, but its particles were light enough to float in the air. Their abilities were similar to those of the ash slimes and the sand slimes, so they could scatter and gather at will. It was through that that Fei could create a smoke screen that could be manipulated at will. ¡°I can also get as much poison needles as I want, so they¡¯re very reassuring. Adjusting the amount of poison is a bit troubling, but that¡¯s a minor problem.¡± [Leilin] Leelin laughed as she showed off the bracelet on her right wrist. That was the Sting Slime that evolved from the poison slime. ¡°They¡¯re great for capturing people too. Who would¡¯ve thought I would one day form a contract with a slime?¡± [Dolce] On Dolce¡¯s shoulder was a Spider Slime that evolved from the sticky slime. It could spit out threads even more durable than those of the sticky slime¡¯s. Because of its threads, the people they¡¯ve caught couldn¡¯t move an inch. Dolce couldn¡¯t use any magic when he was first employed. It wasn¡¯t because his mana pool was small or because he lacked talent, but rather, he was born in the slums and didn¡¯t have a teacher, so the thought never even crossed his mind. But as he continued to work as security in Bamboo Forest, his finances and his time gradually opened up enough for him to do as he pleased. Dolce chose to use his free time to strengthen himself, and started training in magic in hopes of at least being able to use a basic strengthening spell. Moreover, there were a lot of people nearby that he could ask for advice, from Maria and Ryouma, who managed the store¡¯s slimes, to Fei and Leelin, who learned magic because of their last job. As a result, Dolce was able to learn basic magic, and at Ryouma¡¯s recommendations, formed a contract with a spider slime. Fei and Leelin both also learned the basics of Monster Taming, and with Dolce, they all succeeded at strengthening themselves. ¡°The assistant-manager and the others are in the ¡®special room¡¯ that the boss prepared, so we just have to focus on intercepting the enemies. They¡¯ve all been half-assed so far, though.¡± [Ox] ¡°¡­These guys may be adventurers, but they¡¯re probably on the lower end. They probably couldn¡¯t make enough money and had to borrow money from a shady lender.¡± [Dolce] ¡°The ones that tried to sneak into the dorm from the back were yelling about debts too.¡± [Leelin] When Dolce said that, Leelin mentioned the words she heard from an attacker. Dolce glanced at the unconscious bound attackers, then continued. ¡°When I was a kid, I heard from the adults in the slums that the shady lenders are sometimes connected to illegal slave traders¡­ Slave traders like those have no regard for the rights of slaves. The places they sell their slaves to aren¡¯t any good either. They are also very strict in their collections, and if they can¡¯t collect from you, they will relentlessly pursue your family and relatives, so it¡¯s hard to escape.¡± [Dolce] ¡°I see¡­ Though I do think it¡¯s their fault for borrowing money from someone like that in the first place¡­ I can¡¯t help but sympathize with them a little as someone who also became a slave because of my debts.¡± [Ox] After a short conversation, the four of them decided to take turns resting to prepare themselves for the next attack. Ox waited by himself in front of the store for the guards to come and pick up the men they caught. (I really lucked out to be sold off to a decent slave trader, huh. I¡¯m even making enough for myself¡­) As he reflected on his own good fortune, he renewed his vow to do his best to protect the store and its employees. With the way he was now, it would be difficult to get past him and damage the store or hurt the employees. Attacking from the back or attempting a surprise attack wouldn¡¯t go well either because of the two former assassins keeping watch. Dolce with his newfound strength and the slimes were there too. That¡¯s why, even without Ryouma, the Bamboo Forest Laundromat had more than enough protection. Chapter 260 - The Protection of the Garbage Processing Plant ¡°That should do for now, but be sure to get checked at a hospital later.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, thank you. You saved me¡­¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°Boss, we¡¯re done here too. Fortunately, no one was heavily injured.¡± [Yurdum] After Ryouma and Yurdum suppressed the adventurers attacking the townsmen, they lit up the place with light magic and then performed first aid on the people there. ¡°Thank you for your help. I didn¡¯t watch closely, but you were fairly skilled.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I did once aspire to become a knight, so a simple first aid is right up my alley.¡± [Yurdum] While they were talking like that, the neighs of horses reached them from a distance. ¡°Are they here?¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Looks like it. About three carriages, it seems.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma could see the light of three carriages approaching them from a distance. When the three carriages were close enough to be seen, the coachman at the lead called out. ¡°We¡¯re from the guards!¡¡Is everyone alright!?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°We¡¯re all alright somehow!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°Come quickly!¡± [Townsman 2] When the coachman called out, a look of relief surfaced on the face of the people. They guided the carriage, and when the carriage reached its destination, the people on it immediately mobilized to deal with the situation. ¡°We were informed that there were a group of rioters here. Would that pile of bodies happen to be those rioters?¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Yes!¡¡Those two dealt with them!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°I see. We¡¯ll be taking custody of them then. Those among you that need treatment, please get on the next carriages. You must be Ryouma-kun.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Yes, Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I have a message for you from the headquarters of the security company. ¡®Less and less fires are cropping up, but there are many injured. The hospital needs help.¡¯¡± [Guard 1] ¡°I¡¯ve received the message. I¡¯ll head to the hospital immediately. I¡¯ll leave everything here to you.¡± [Ryouma] Like that, Ryouma and Yurdum headed for the hospital connected to the headquarters of the security company. Meanwhile, a covered wagon and five men entered the Garbage Processing Plant. They took out jar after jar of oil from the wagon, and poured them over the gridded garbage input port on the floor and the unprocessed trash piled up beside that. ¡°That should be everything.¡± [Man 1] ¡°All that¡¯s left is to start the fire. Get away from the grid.¡± [Man 2] As one of the men said that, they all distanced themselves from the garbage input ports, and then cast a fire spell. As a small ball of fire appeared on the palm of the man¡¯s hand, the scattered piles of garbage and those that have already been inserted into the grid caught flame. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here¨D¨DHuh?¡± [Man 1] When the men saw that the flame had spread, they immediately fled, but the flames suddenly blew high up into the air, causing them to stop. ¡°Why is the fire so strong?¡± [Man 2] ¡°I-It shouldn¡¯t be this strong even with all that oil.¡± [Man 3] ¡°Maybe there was something that burned easily inside the holes.¡¡Or maybe the slime inside is burning. Some plant-type monsters store oil inside their bodies, right?¡± [Man 4] ¡°Okay, but either way, it doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ve done our job. So we need to get away from here quickly. People are sure to come, and it wouldn¡¯t be funny if we got caught up ourselves in the fire we started¨D¨D¡± [Man 5] One of the men was hurrying his friends to get away from this place, but he suddenly stopped midway. For just as he was about to get on the carriage, he suddenly saw from the corner of his eyes a ¡®transparent tentacle¡¯ squirming. It was thick like a log, and when it reached high enough to reach the ceiling, it bent its body like a snake would when raising its head, and in the next moment, scraped away at the burning garbage as though it was licking the fire, taking all of the burning garbage into it. ¡°¡ªGet away from the carriage!!¡± [Man 5] ¡°Uu!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°Guoh!?¡± [Man 2] The tentacle continued along its way to attack the men. The men narrowly managed to avoid a direct hit, but debris of various sizes spilling from the giant tentacles struck their bodies, while the weight of the giant tentacle crushed the hood and frame of the carriage, causing cracks to spread everywhere. ¡°Hihiiiiiinnn!?¡± [Horse 1 and Horse 2] ¡°Ah!¡¡Calm down!¡± [Man 3] The sound and impact from that caused the two horses connected to the carriage to panic. They didn¡¯t so much as flinch in the face of all that flame, but suddenly, they were in complete panic, causing the shafts of the damaged carriage to break, allowing them to run out through the door. One of the men tried to grab the reins of one of the horses. ¡°Huh¡­ A-AHHHH!¡± But a different tentacle suddenly wrapped itself around his legs, and slowly dragged him into the burning garbage input ports. ¡°Let go! Let go of me!¡¡Damn it!¡± [Man 3] The man took out his knife and desperately tried to cut the tentacle, but his knife just kept slipping. Not only could he not cut it, he couldn¡¯t even make a needle-sized hole. ¡°Why!?¡¡Why won¡¯t it cut!?¡± [Man 3] Before long, he was right at the garbage input port. His feet was the first to be scorched before the fire rapidly spread from his shoes to his clothes, and then his whole body. ¡°UWAaAaAah!¡¡It¡¯s hot!¡¡Save me!¡± [Man 3] The man squirmed as he cried out for help. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for you!¡¡Just go and die on your own!¡± [Man 4] But the remaining four abandoned him just like that. In the first place, they were just a group of men that happened to receive the same orders. They weren¡¯t friends, they had no bonds, they were just here to save themselves. ¡°How many of these giant slimes are there? They¡¯re coming out from the other holes too. We¡¯re completely surrounded!¡¡Isn¡¯t there any where we can get out!?¡± [Man 5] ¡°Here¡¯s no good either!¡¡If blades won¡¯t work, then how about burning the tentacles with fire!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°It won¡¯t work. It¡¯ll just burn the surface a little, and they¡¯ll recover immediately.¡± [Man 2] ¡°No matter how big it is, a slime will die once its nucleus is destroyed!¡¡Find the nucleus!¡± [Man 4] The four men looked around them in search of the nuclei of the slimes, but the only thing that reflected on their eyes were the remnants of the covered wagon and themselves. As well as the thick circle?????????? of tentacles squirming on top of each other. ¡°If the nucleus isn¡¯t anywhere around us, then doesn¡¯t that mean they¡¯re going to come from below!?¡± [Man 5] ¡°Uh, isn¡¯t this circle of tentacles getting bigger? It¡¯s basically just one giant wall now! Could it be? It¡¯s not big because there¡¯s a lot of them, but because this one slime is actually even bigger than this!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°This is ridiculous!¡¡Just how big is this thing!?¡± [Man 2] ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s big, but if it¡¯s just at this level, then¡­ ¡®Body Reinforcement¡¯ !¡¡UoOOOO!!!!¡± [Man 4] One of the men strengthened himself with Body Reinforcement magic, then ran off and jumped off the remnants of the carriage to try and get past the circle of tentacles. That jump was high enough that he would¡¯ve been easily able to jump across the walls dividing houses, but¡­ ¡°Pu!?¡± [Man 4] When he tried to jump over the tentacles, a new tentacle stretched out and hit him, but he didn¡¯t fall, and the tentacle began to absorb him instead. ¡°S-Stop it!¡¡Let me go!¡± [Man 4] ¡°They may be just some slimes, but they¡¯re still someone¡¯s familiar, huh¡­ Ku¡ª¡± [Man 5] As the dwarf among them came to the conclusion that jumping across was impossible, he suddenly crouched. ¡°Hey!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°What¡¯s the matter!?¡± [Man 2] ¡°My head¡­ Suddenly¡­¡± [Man 5 (Dwarf)] ¡°Tch!¡¡This isn¡¯t the time to be complaining about headaches!¡± [Man 1] ¡°A headache?¡¡Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Poison!?¡± [Man 2] ¡°I don¡¯t recall being attacked by¡­ Uuu¡­¡± [Dwarf Man] But before the man could finish saying that, he lost consciousness. ¡°Damn it!¡¡What is with this monster!¡¡I knew the place would stink, but no one ever said this thing would be here!¡± [Man 1] ¡°Don¡¯t give in to despair!¡± [Man 2] ¡°Shut up!¡± [Man 1] With no way out, frustration took the man, and he started throwing the remnants of the carriage that rolled onto his feet. Wheels, metal fittings, and the burning pieces of the hood¡¯s framework were thrown at the tentacles as he picked them up, but they were all either deflected or absorbed, his efforts to no avail. Any effect had was at most to identify himself as an enemy. ¡°When this job ends, I¡¯m going to rise up!¡¡To that end, I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s a slime or some guards, I¡¯ll kill anyone who gets in my way!¡¡I¡¯m not going to die at a place like this¡ª¡± [Man 1] But wail as the man might, a raging fire soon attacked him. In the blink of an eye, the man was covered in flames, and without even the chance to cry out in pain, he died. It was likely that the man himself didn¡¯t even realize what had happened. The only man left was the man who had tried to calm that man down and barely avoided the flames. He saw everything that had happened, but the lack of oxygen was starting to make his eyes hazy. ¡°Fire, no, a burning wind?????¡¡¡­To think that something like this would be here¡­ No wonder the security was so lax¡­ If it was just going to be like this, then it would have been much better to just run away to another country¡­ The odds of success¡­ would have been much¡­ higher¡­¡± [Man 2] As the last man standing voiced out his regrets, he too lost consciousness. With the processing plant quiet once again, the tentacles spread out and ate everything left. In that way, all of the dangerous elements were dealt with, and the tentacles returned where they belonged, leaving behind only a perfectly normal, orderly processing plant. The only difference was that slight smell of char that remained. Chapter 261.1 - The Battlefield Known as the Hospital (1/2) In that hour when the morning sun was about to rise amidst the dark sky, Ryouma rushed to the hospital only to find the whole place teeming with people. There was an unending line of carriages just outside the gate, and injured people came in one after another. The evacuated doctors had gathered near the entrance of the hospital lot and were determining the priority of the patients according to their condition. Ryouma spotted a familiar face among those doctors, so he called out to him. ¡°Hector-san! I came to help!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!¡¡Get yourself ready and go to the examining room through the break room!¡¡Dr. Mafral is there!¡± [Hector] ¡°Got it!¡¡Yurdum-san, please brief Hyuzu-san¡¯s group about that matter, and then please help wherever you can!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay!¡± [Yurdum] After saying that, Ryouma did as he was instructed and went to the changing room. He passed by a lot of injured people in the hospital along the way. Loud voices that could be mistaken for angry yells could be heard in the waiting room and in the hallway, and people waiting for treatment had to anxiously wait while enduring the pain. The medical staff and the volunteers ran here and there without rest. Ryouma ran to the changing room to help as soon as possible, ¡°Ugu!¡¡uU!¡¡GUU!¡± [Patient 1] ¡°Keep him down!¡± [Doctor 1] ¡°The bleeding won¡¯t stop!¡± [Doctor 2] ¡°Hurry up with the healing magic!¡± [Doctor 3] After changing into a clean set of clothes and donning a lab coat, Ryouma took three slimes and entered the ward where the most ill patients were being treated. With patients screaming in pain, doctors roaring orders, and bloody footprints left from the blood that dripped onto the floor, the scene before him could only be described as tragic. ¡°Ryouma-kun! We need your help!¡± [Dr. Mafral] When Dr. Mafral noticed Ryouma¡¯s arrival, he immediately called him over and had him enter the examining room. ¡°The next patient will come soon, so use your healing magic accordingly. I will instruct you where to cast it. There¡¯s a lot of people, so I¡¯m be counting on you, okay?¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Master! They¡¯ll treat you soon! So just hang on a bit longer! Stay with us, Master!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] A few second after Ryouma nodded, a bloodied man was brought into the examination room on a stretcher. The man was already unconscious before he was brought in. There was a deep cut from a blade on the upper part of his left arm, and there was an arrow buried deeply into his right thigh; the shaft had already been cut off to make him easier to move. The two of them immediately assessed the patient¡¯s condition and began the procedure. ¡°Wait!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] But before they could, a voice called out to them, asking them to wait. When they turned to the direction the patient had come from, the man that had accompanied the patient was clinging to the door of the examining room. His face was pale and there were tears in his eyes. If not for the staff outside that had caught him, he would have already entered the examining room. ¡°Let me through!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Only staff can enter this room!¡± [Staff 1] ¡°Why is there a child in there!?¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] The man ignored the staff and just yelled while pointing at Ryouma. ¡°Don¡¯t tell you me you plan to let a kid treat my master!?¡¡I know there are other patients too!¡¡But at least get a proper doctor???????? to look at him!¡¡Please, I¡¯m begging you!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Ryouma-kun, ignore him and start the treatment with the right leg. I¡¯ll handle him.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma took the necessary tools at Dr. Mafral¡¯s instruction, and the man struggled even more. ¡°Wait!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Please calm down. We will do our best to treat the patients. That applies to this patient as well.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Then why won¡¯t you look at my master!?¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Because we need to stop you from trying to get in the way of the patient¡¯s treatment.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°You¡¯d rather stop me than that kid!?¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Treatment of the right thigh complete. Beginning treatment of the left arm.¡± [Ryouma] Immediately after the man cried and pleaded with the Dr. Mafral, Ryouma¡¯s voice, reporting the completion of one treatment, resounded inside the examining room. ¡°Like hell the treatment is ov¡ª¡¡¡­Ah!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] It hadn¡¯t even been some dozen seconds before the treatment started, so the man was about to flare up at Ryouma, but then he saw the extracted arrow and the uninjured right leg of his master. Moreover, the wound on the left arm was quickly closing under Ryouma¡¯s hand. That was a speed that even an amateur like him could understand, not to mention the staff keeping him at bay. At that, the man heaved a breath of relief, and then lost all strength and collapsed. But a different staff member that had come running to help suppress him caught him and kept him from falling. ¡°Have you calmed down a little?¡± [Dr. Mafral] Dr. Mafral spoke to the man firmly but calmly. ¡°Ah, yes. That kid is¡­¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°He¡¯s someone I¡¯m teaching. Are you a craftsman?¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°I¡¯m an apprentice carpenter. Master is master, so¡­¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°He is also an apprentice, but he excels in healing magic and might be better than any other apprentice when it comes to physical trauma?????????. He¡¯s young, so I can understand why you would be anxious with him, but please rest assured. We will do our best to ensure that your master is brought to health.¡± [Dr. Mafral] Dr. Mafral said as he vouched for Ryouma¡¯s skills. In response, the man¡¯s teary eyes blinked several times, and then he gave a deep bow. ¡°I¡¯ll entrust everything to you!¡¡And please accept my apologies! I panicked when I saw the master all bloodied. I¡¯m really sorry!¡¡¡­Please take care of the master!¡± [Apprentice Craftsman] ¡°Treatment of the left arm complete.¡± [Ryouma] That apology came at the same time as Ryouma completed the treatment of the master craftsman¡¯s left arm. While casting a stamina recovery spell on the master craftsman, Ryouma checked the dosage of the Instant Blood-Formation Potion that had been prepared, and Dr. Mafral also went back to treating the patients. But even after the man was escorted away by the staff, the ward was as hectic as ever. Ryouma was unfazed by the apprentice¡¯s interference and took care of everything quickly and indifferently, while Dr. Mafral dealt with the obstruction firmly yet without ignoring to gently address the man¡¯s concerns. Amidst all the busyness inside the hospital, the patients, families, and staff that saw that little episode were all able to get some sense of security thanks to Ryouma and Dr. Mafral. Chapter 261.2 - The Battlefield Known as the Hospital (2/2) Chapter 261: The Battlefield Known as the Hospital (2/2) Ryouma and Dr. Mafral continued to treat the patients, and before long, they reached a point where they couldn¡¯t ven tell how many patients there were anymore.Though the influx of patients showed no signs of stopping just yet, the hospital had calmed down to some extent. ¡°Excuse me. Dr. Mafral, Dr.?? Ryouma. Please have your meal while there¡¯s not that many patients.¡± [Doctor 1] Right as they completed a procedure, one of the doctors told them that. ¡°It¡¯s that time already? Thank you for reminding us. Ryouma-kun, let¡¯s go.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll leave things to you for awhile.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma and Dr. Mafral thanked the doctor the entered the examining room and headed to the break room behind the examining room. The four medical residents from the duke¡¯s family were there too. ¡°Good work out there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re taking a break too?¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Yes¡­¡± [Hector] ¡°The doctors of the city have arranged for us to rest first.¡± [Clarissa] It was Hector who first responded to Ryouma¡¯s and Dr. Mafral¡¯s words, but his voice had a darker tinge to it than usual, and Clarissa had to add a few words to complete his answer. The remaining two just gave a small bow. The sports-oriented Tint was eating heartily, while Isabella was eating in a quiet and gracious manner, but both of them had disheveled hair damp with sweat, showing their fatigue. ¡°Good, everyone is here. It¡¯s break time, but let¡¯s go ahead and share the information that we have. We need to make arrangements especially for areas that might be short of hands or medical supplies.¡± [Dr. Mafral] Dr. Mafral said as he took a sandwich from the large plate. The four of them glanced at each other, and the first to speak was Isabella. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll start. Presently, there are still a lot patients awaiting treatment, but the rate of patients being admitted is on the decline. Moreover, the ratio of those with major injuries is on the smaller side, and most patients either have minor injuries or non-fatal injuries. We have not been able to treat the overwhelmingly large number of patients with minor injuries, but we have been able to treat those with serious injuries with the help of the hospitals and treatment centers that have been evacuated. As for areas that lack manpower or medical supplies, it¡¯s likely to be more of an issue for those handling the minor injuries. Clarissa.¡± [Isabella] ¡°Yes¡­ The medical personnel of the city have offered to cooperate with us, and the treatments themselves have been carried out without any problems. However, as expected, there is a long waiting time, and everyone is restless because of the commotions outside, so as a result, there are a fair number of people that cause a ruckus because they can¡¯t wait. We have no lack of medical supplies. The bandages and sheets stained with blood can easily be cleaned with the help of the cleaner slimes, and the treatment tools can be further sterilized by boiling, so replenishing our supplies neither takes much time nor effort.¡± [Clarissa] ¡°We have plenty of medicine¡­ In fact, we have so much that when we showed the pharmacists our storage, they said, ¡®Why do you have so much stocked up?¡¯¡¡We have a lot of medicinal herbs thanks to Ryouma¡¯s magic and weed slimes, and I¡¯ve also confirmed that the medicinal liquid from the medicine slime can be used, so after using those to come up with all sorts of medicine¡­ Our stock should be fine unless the unthinkable happens.¡± [Hector] ¡°I believe the shelters have more to worry about in regards to supplies. I¡¯ve heard that there are medical personnels that have taken refuge there and are performing medical treatment.¡± [Tint] As Isabella, Clarissa, Hector, and Tint each presented their information, Ryouma remembered some of the things he¡¯s seen or heard while he was fighting the fires. ¡°I have information to share as well. This isn¡¯t confirmed yet, but it¡¯s likely that this situation will be continuing for a long time. The security department should have been informed already, but several of the assailants interfering with the firefighting efforts received the instruction to ¨C in their own words ¨C ¡®Injure as many people as we could. We haven¡¯t been ordered to kill anyone, so we never had intentions of killing anyone.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] When Ryouma reported that, everyone else¡¯s eyes changed. ¡°The people that confessed as such were not limited to just one or two individuals. Of course, their words can¡¯t be taken at face value since these are the same people wreaking havoc in this city, and it¡¯s entirely possible they were merely pleading for themselves or have been instructed to say so.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In other words, you can¡¯t judge their confession to be a lie?¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Yes. If their confessions are true, then the people that gave the order could only be the people behind this whole mess. I doubt such people would care much for human life. As such, there must be a benefit to them in sparing people¡¯s lives. In my opinion, that advantage lies in exhausting our manpower and supplies by forcing us to treat all the injured.¡± [Ryouma] Perhaps because such a thing was unforgivable both as a human and as a doctor, the eyes of the five doctors became intense. It was especially noticeable for hot-blooded Tint, as his face turned red and it was evident that he was resentful of someone not there. ¡°It would be good if that turns out to just be mere delusion on my part, but it¡¯s been bothering me, so I mentioned it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anticipating possible events is an important part of medical care too. For example, it is only because we stockpiled plenty of supplies beforehand that we can use as much as we want without trouble now.¡± [Dr. Mafral] As Dr. Mafral pointed out that Ryouma¡¯s concern was not a waste, he continued. ¡°We need to confirm the supplies and injured people in the shelters throughout the city. We¡¯ll provide supplies to the shelters lacking, and we should approach the shelters again to see if they will be willing to accept patients with minor injuries. We¡¯re not doing this to trade supplies for their services, but it will likely be easier for the shelters to accept the supplies by doing so, and those with minor injuries can be treated sooner rather than if they were to insist on receiving treatment here.¡± [Dr. Mafral] What do you think?¡¡Dr. Mafral asked with his eyes, but there was no one who disagreed. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go ahead and contact them. I¡¯ll get back as soon as I can, but there¡¯s no need to wait for me. Please continue to do your best.¡± [Dr. Mafral] As Dr. Mafral took a slice of a sandwich with one hand, he said that and briskly left the break room. ¡°¡­I¡¯m grateful that he works quick, but¡­ Is it really okay for him not to be getting any rest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ryouma-kun. The doctor has several times more experience than any of us, and besides, it¡¯s necessary too. More importantly, I hear you¡¯ve been really working hard.¡± [Isabella] ¡°It¡¯s mostly thanks to these little ones. I can only tip my hat off to full-time medical professionals.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma stroked the heal slime on his shoulder and laughed. The reason Ryouma could participate in the treatment of patients with major injuries was mostly because of the existence of healing magic ¨C which from the perspective of Earth¡¯s common sense was a big enough cheat ¨C and because of the education he¡¯s received regarding trauma medicine under Dr. Mafral, albeit brief. Another major contributing factor was his application of ¡®Slime Vision¡¯, which he discovered by accident, allowing him to grasp the specific condition of the damaged parts. ¡°The slimes help too sure, but you should have more confidence in yourself, Ryouma-kun!¡± [Tint] ¡°The doctors of the city are surprised too, you know? They say you¡¯re so young and yet you¡¯re so good already.¡± [Isabella] ¡°At the very least, you¡¯re definitely better than me at making incisions and extracting foreign objects¡­ Hmm, any tips perhaps?¡± [Hector] ¡°Is your body alright?¡¡I hear the burden can be mitigated by focusing only on the patient and on the affected part, but it¡¯s not as though there¡¯s not any burden at all, right? ¡± [Clarissa] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m using everything I can use right now and doing whatever I can. As for incisions and foreign object extraction¡­ I¡¯ve always specialized in handling cutlery. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s okay to lump them all into the same category, but my skill in cutting might be due to the proficiency I gained with skinning and cutting caught prey in the forest. My body is fine. It¡¯s true that it¡¯s not as though there¡¯s no burden whatsoever, but I¡¯ve dealt with this much in the past. If I feel like it, I can even stay up for 2 or 3 nights. There¡¯s plenty of mana recovery medicines too. In the worst case, I could use stamina recovery spells to keep myself going.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, that¡¯s obviously going too far¡­ Come to think of it, Ryouma-kun, you were outside before being called to the hospital right?¡¡We met by the entrance too.¡± [Hector] ¡°Yes, I was helping with the firefighting efforts and with fighting off the assailants.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Since when?¡± [Hector] ¡°Since last night, right after the first bomb.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did you sleep before then?¡± [Hector] ¡°I had a nap.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma readily answered while snacking on his sandwich, and the four medical residents gradually realized that Ryouma wasn¡¯t joking, they all thought the same thing. ( This kid seems like the sort to collapse before you know it.) Though it couldn¡¯t be helped given the situation, they still mildly reminded Ryouma not to push himself too hard. At the same time, they quietly decided to work even harder. Though the uneasiness they felt just before played a role as well, since they were also studying under Dr. Mafral, it only made sense that Ryouma would be the ¡®youngest brother¡¯ of their study group. Since a boy like that was grinding his body into dust just to treat the patients, as older brothers and sisters, they couldn¡¯t afford to put on a disappointing display. Such older brothers and sisters reassured Ryouma, but before long, it was time for their brief moment of peace to end. ¡°Excuse me! The guards have a lot of people injured, and they¡¯re bringing them right now!¡¡Please get ready to receive them!¡± ¡ºUnderstood.¡»[Everyone] And so, their long struggle resumed once again. Isabel to Isabella. The name was changed in the RAWs. Chapter 262 - Going Home for Now Chapter 262: Going Home for Now It wasn¡¯t until the next that day that word reached him. ¡°Rest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. With all the arrests and raids, no new fires or attacks have been reported since last night. Presently, the residents are a bigger issue than the enemy.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I did hear about that a little. Apparently, there¡¯s been some riots.¡± [Ryouma] The maid, Lilian, had dropped by to give a report of the city¡¯s situation. ¡°They claim to be Vigilantes??? who¡¯ve taken up arms for their city and their families, but all they really do is beat those they recognize as ¡°enemies¡± with sheer numbers. Looters stealing food and money from houses and stores in the city have also started to appear too.¡± [Lilian] ¡°People injured by them have started appearing in the hospital too ¨C like those helping out with the evacuation and the firefighting efforts being mistaken to be with the attackers and being attacked. Riots are certainly within the realm of possibility, but what about the cause?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We can¡¯t give a definite answer until we finish interrogating the suspects. However, it is likely that some of the suspects, especially those who were willing to take the initiative to fight, have been subjected to ¡°suggestion magic¡±. There is also little doubt that there are people behind the scenes inciting and providing supplies.¡± [Lilian] ¡°So it really was caused by someone¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma sighed exhaustedly. ¡°They sure left us with a messy present¡­ Is it safe to presume that our main enemies have already left?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It seems safe to do so. Some of their forces are likely still lurking, so we need to remain alert, but the authorities would much rather have your cooperation with the clean up rather than with the new problems popping up. That includes clearing burnt-out houses and setting up temporary housing for people in evacuation centers. To that end, please be sure to get some proper rest now while you can.¡± [Lilian] So that¡¯s why she called him to this empty storage room, Ryouma realized. Lilian must¡¯ve taken that for reluctance, as her eyes were filled with resolve when she continued. ¡°I do believe they¡¯re relying on you too much, but Ryouma-sama, you and your slimes are just too big of a help to ignore. So please make sure to get a good rest so that you¡¯ll be able to use your power when needed. You haven¡¯t slept properly since the night three days back because of the firefighting efforts and the hospital, right?¡¡You¡¯ve also been continuously relying on mana recovery medicine. There might not have been any problems so far, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s good for your body. Ryouma-sama, whether it¡¯s in the battlefield or in the hospital, it is imperative that mana be recovered by resting.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll rest then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡± [Lilian] Not expecting Ryouma to agree just like that, Lilian found herself in an unexpected spot. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡You look like you¡¯re looking at something strange.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would agree just like that.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Just how much of a workaholic do you guys take me for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your abilities and character aside, you¡¯re not very trustworthy when it comes to ¡®resting¡¯.¡± [Lilian] ¡°The clean up will take awhile, so I do intend to rest properly when there¡¯s an opportunity to.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I better get your room ready before your mind changes.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Actually, I might as well go back to the abandoned mine. I would be able to rest best at my house, and we¡¯re not in a situation where we can afford to expend effort just to prepare a room for me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s to help you rest. That¡¯s not a waste by any means. The enemy should still have some forces left behind. I know you have your matter with Yurdum-sama, and that you¡¯re strong, but it¡¯s still dangerous to leave the town alone.¡± [Lilian] Lilian wouldn¡¯t agree to his idea, so Ryouma had to persuade her with a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Regulations to access the city have been tightened, and I can go home directly via Dimension Magic. Even if the remnant forces of the enemy do make it to the mine, there will be slimes waiting for them, and even before then, they¡¯re bound to show up on the surveillance network. I can also run to town with my Dimension Magic if they do manage to make it to my house.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s certainly difficult to catch a fleeing dimension mage, and I¡¯m sure your slimes and your surveillance network are plenty reliable, but¡­¡± [Lilian] ¡°There are also produce and medicinal herbs that I¡¯m raising there, so I¡¯d like to bring them. The city and the guild have plenty of stock, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to have even more, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s¡­ true. There aren¡¯t any problems yet, but future supplies are certainly a concern. Among the buildings that have incurred damage are storehouses and stores that deal with food, and the season doesn¡¯t make it easy to procure food.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Most of the produce I have back at home are potatoes and some variety of vegetables. I don¡¯t have an exact number, but there should be enough to fill a storehouse or two from the warehouse district.¡± [Ryouma] When Ryouma told her how much produce he had, Lilian was surprised and asked. ¡°Do you really have that much?¡± [Lilian] ¡°I laboriously farmed everyday as part of my magic training and agricultural studies, and the goblins helped out too. Some of the scavenger slimes evolved too, so that made things more efficient as well. I¡¯d love to go into more detail if not for the situation, but the important thing is that there¡¯s a lot of food back home, and with the right conditions, the yield could be further increased.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That much food is sure to be a huge help. But if you have that many, then won¡¯t you need help transporting them?¡± [Lilian] ¡°I have the slimes and the goblins for that, so it¡¯s fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­That¡¯s what you say, but the truth is that you just intend to work while no one¡¯s looking, right?¡± [Lilian] ¡°Of course not!¡¡I¡¯ll rest properly. If you want, I could even lie down on bed while using Shared Perception to command the goblins to transport everything. Their numbers have increased recently, and there¡¯s 32 of them right now, so they¡¯ll finish the job in a jiffy.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I feel as though using Shared Perception would tire you, but¡­ Alright, I understand.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you for your understanding. I¡¯ll inform Dr. Mafral of the situation, and if they don¡¯t need any more help, I¡¯ll go.¡± [Ryouma] It was a bit forceful, but it was in that way that Ryouma convinced Lilian. They left the storehouse to visit the examining room where Dr. Mafral was. ¡°¨D¨DAnd that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay. We¡¯re starting to have more leeway, and supporting those that have completed their work is an important job too, so just leave the work here to us, and you go where you¡¯re needed, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Dr. Mafral] ¡°Thank you. In that case, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± [Ryouma] Like that Ryouma was able to leave the hospital. ¡°Sorry to keeping you waiting. I got Dr. Mafral¡¯s permission, so I can go home now. I have to carry the produce and other stuff into my Dimension Home, so will it be fine if I came back tomorrow?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. That¡¯s fine. Please be sure to get plenty of rest. You collapsing would just be a hindrance to the clean up, and it would also only trouble the people dispatched by the duke. It would also make me personally worry.¡± [Lilian] ¡°When you put it that way I really do feel sorry¡­ I¡¯ll rest to the best of my abilities.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma and Lilian were talking outside of the examining room, so as to not get in the way of the doctors¡¯ work, and as soon as he said that¡­ ¡°Uwaah!?¡± [Patient] ¡°Please calm down!¡± [Staff 1] A commotion started behind him, so Ryouma turned around. A man was being carried on a stretcher. The man had most likely just completed treatment and was being brought out of an examining room. He was covered in bandages from head to toe, and in fact, there were fewer places not covered in bandage. He was basically a mummy. Despite that the man desperately tried to get out of the stretcher and head outside. Naturally, Ryouma couldn¡¯t just watch that happen, so he was about to stop the man when¡ª ¡°Sleep Mist!¡± [Isabella] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªThe door to the examining room opened, and Isabella chanted out a poison spell. In the next moment, a magically produced sleeping mist enveloped the man, and then he collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Before he could hit the ground, however, Isabella supported him and handed him to the staff responsible for him. ¡°Good grief¡­¡± [Isabella] ¡°That was well done.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, Ryouma-kun. You were outside, huh.¡± [Isabella] ¡°Who was that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently, someone who witnessed some children being kidnapped.¡± Isabella glanced around before telling that to Ryouma and Lillian in a hushed voice. ¡°Kidnapping?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That sounds disquieting.¡± [Lilian] Ryouma and Lilian¡¯s gazes sharpened, and Isabella too did not hide her displeasure. ¡°I don¡¯t know the details, but he was mumbling incoherently, calling out names, throughout his treatment, so he probably knew them. Walking should still be difficult for him, but his consciousness was restored by the healing spell, and he ended up like that. We¡¯ve contacted the guards, so I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll handle the problem, but¡­ Hopefully they¡¯re able to get those kids safely.¡± [Isabella] As soon as she said that, another patient was brought in. ¡°Well then, I still have a patient to see.¡± [Isabella] ¡°Sorry to keep you, and thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After seeing Isabella back into the examining room, Ryouma glanced at the man being transported on a stretcher. That didn¡¯t escape Lilian. ¡°Now then, I need to be heading home, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, you¡¯re planning on searching for those children, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Lilian] For just a moment, that unnatural smile on Ryouma froze. ¡°¡­How did you find out?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s what I meant when I said you can¡¯t be trusted to rest. A kidnapping incident is certainly alarming, but the guards are taking care of it already, and in the first place, it¡¯s doubtful that searching randomly would be of any help. Unless of course you know where the criminals are?¡± [Lilian] ¡°Well, I do have a hunch.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Is that true?¡¡Well, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re someone who would lie like that.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I was also gathering information about the city in my own way, so I know a few places that are suspicious or hard for people to come by. I have nothing of substance that could move the guards, though, so I was thinking of checking along the way. If I don¡¯t find anything, I¡¯ll obediently go back. I know full well that it¡¯s not my job to investigate crimes.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma wryly smiled apologetically yet resolutely. Lilian made a sour look, and after a few seconds of silence, heaved a deep sigh. ¡°At the very least, take a few people that can fight with you, and regardless of result, go on your way once you¡¯ve confirmed what you have in mind.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s certainly a good thing to be able to respond to a problem immediately, and when accompanied by competence, it is reassuring as well, but you should learn to take care of yourself better.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I¡¯m really sorry¡­ Oh, I know, once everything has been taken care of, how about we have a party to recognize everyone¡¯s efforts?¡± [Ryouma Just as abruptly as he¡¯d proposed that, he realized a problem. ¡°Ah, but that would actually be making more work for the maids, won¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯ll be New Years in three days, so it should be fine once things have calmed down to some extent. Hyuzu-san or someone will probably bring the idea up anyway once the situation calms down, and the guards do need to be thanked for their efforts.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Really?¡¡In that case, I¡¯ll look forward to it. Please tell everyone ¡®I¡¯ll see them tomorrow¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Very well. We¡¯ll await your return.¡± [Lilian] Unlike the forced smile from earlier, this time Ryouma smiled naturally and quietly as he briskly walked away. Lilian saw him off, and then she too returned to her post. Chapter 263.1 - Making a Stopover (1/2) ¡°What in the world were you thinking!?¡± [Man 1] In a certain part of the city of Gimuru was a room that had been built without anyone¡¯s knowing. Within that room resounded the angry voice of a man. ¡°What did you bring those brats here for!?¡¡What are you going to do if someone comes after us, haah!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped. There were guards and adventurers everywhere, and there were familiars watching from the skies too. They would¡¯ve caught us immediately if we just ran away.¡± [Man 2] ¡°That doesn¡¯t make what you¡¯ve done any better! You were spotted by some brats, and then some guy heard them, so you had to gang up on him, and in your panic, you ended up taking the brats with you! What was even the point of quietly stealing a carriage!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°Haah?¡¡So, what ¨C you¡¯re saying it would¡¯ve been better if we got caught instead? Is that it?¡± [Man 2] With no windows and little space, it was a room that made people feel trapped, and there was a grim air within too. Inside that room were two men glaring at each other. ¡°Enough already.¡± [Boss] ¡°But Boss¡­¡± [Man 1] / please keep reading on MYB0XN0VEL(d0t)C0M. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but think again ¨C why are we in a cellar like this?¡± [Boss] ¡°¡­To hide from the townspeople and the new people those guys dispatched.¡± [Man 1] ¡°That¡¯s right. Those people can¡¯t be trusted. If we just say yes to everything they ask, they¡¯ll just use us and then throw us away once we¡¯ve served our purpose. As for the townspeople. it needn¡¯t be said what our fate would be if we¡¯re caught by them. But either way, if either side gets us and we leak information, it¡¯s over for us. Am I wrong?¡± [Boss] ¡°¡­No.¡± [Man 1] ¡°So it¡¯s a waste of time for us to be arguing among ourselves right now. Endure it. And you, you need to understand that you¡¯ve made a mistake that can¡¯t be undone. There won¡¯t be a next time. Do I make myself clear?¡± [Boss] ¡°Usu¡­¡± [Man 2] The bearded man they referred to as boss stepped in to calm the two men. When their other comrades saw that, they were finally able to let out their tensed breath. The room they were in had no windows and was vertically oriented. It was so tight that it was curious if an adult could even stretch out their arms to the sides. Yet 13 men gathered in that tight space and two of them were even arguing. It was only natural that they would find such a thing to be suffocating. ¡°What will we do about those kids?¡¡I left them in the toilet for now, but¡­¡± [Man 2] ¡°We can¡¯t send them back, and even kids can sell for a decent coin. When things calm down, you talk to them since you brought them here. Don¡¯t let them get away, okay?¡¡If they try to run away or make a commotion, then just kill them. Though we¡¯ll be needing money to make our escape, not being found is much more important than some small change.¡± [Boss] ¡°Usu.¡± [Man 2] ¡°But more importantly are the pursuers¡­ How is the situation outside?¡± [Boss] ¡°The familiars are alert, but there¡¯s nothing unusual as of¨D¨D¡± [Man 3] A man responded to the boss, but his words suddenly cut off, causing all eyes to gather onto the man. ¡°What happened!?¡± [Boss] ¡°Ryouma Takebayashi is nearby. He¡¯s outside the fence.???.¡± [Man 3] ¡°What!?¡± [Man 4] ¡°Weren¡¯t you keeping watch!?¡± [Man 5] ¡°Don¡¯t panic! Hey, elaborate. How many pursuers?¡± [Boss] ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s any. He¡¯s probably just passing by.¡± [Man 3] ¡°Passing by?¡± [Boss] He looks like he¡¯s sweeping the gutter. He doesn¡¯t even have any weapons on him, just cleaning tools.¡± [Man 3] When the men heard that, they looked at each other and snickered. ¡°Don¡¯t scare us like that, man.¡± [Man 5] ¡°Seriously. It¡¯s not funny right now.¡± [Man 6] They even joked like that, but the boss had a stiff expression on him, and sweat could even be seen sliding down his face. ¡°Get your belongings, and the kids too.¡± [Boss] ¡°Boss?¡± [Man 7] ¡°Hurry!¡± [Boss] ¡°W-What is it all of the sudden?¡± [Man 8] ¡°Why in the world would he be cleaning the gutter at a time like this?????!?¡¡Damn it, the chills wont¡¯ stop. There¡¯s no doubt about it, we¡¯re in danger, we need to get out of here right now!¡± [Boss] ¡°And run where?¡± [Man 9] ¡°Anywhere is fine! Anywhere is much better than being here¨D¨D!?¡± [Boss] But as the boss was giving orders to flee, a change suddenly occurred inside the room. ¡°Woah!?¡± [Man 10] ¡°It stinks!¡± [Man 11] ¡°Geh, the toilet is overflowing¨D¨D¡± [Man 12] ¡°Move!¡± [Boss] The men were bewildered when the sewage at the end of the long narrow room began to overflow, but the boss paled and he ran to try and close the door, but the door just wouldn¡¯t budge. ¡°Damn it!¡¡Stop dazing around, you fools!¡¡We¡¯re under attack!¡± [Boss] The boss tried to get them to move, but¡ª ¡°Guwah!?¡± [Man 1] ¡°W-What is this!?¡± [Man 2] ¡°The ground is shaking!¡± [Man 3] ¡ªHis voice was drowned out by the sound of something being scraped and the screams of his comrades from the ground shaking. Then in the next moment, a large fissure ran through the walls, and sand began flooding in. ¡°GU!¡± [Man 4] The sudden sandstorm forced them to close their eyes, but it didn¡¯t take long before they could open them again, for the sensation of the sand left, and the refreshing air from outside took its place. ¡°B-Boss!¡± [Man 5] ¡°Yeah, I can see¡­ It¡¯s that magic, and it¡¯s as ridiculous as ever.¡± [Boss] When the thick sand storm cleared, what greeted them were the ruins of what was once their hideout. The walls, the buildings¡­ everything had been destroyed. All that was left were the men themselves. It was also then that the boy responsible for this mess, Ryouma, appeared. Behind him were many adults wielding weapons, and further behind were the boys that one of their comrades kidnapped. The men immediately drew their knives and prepared to fight it out. Chapter 263.2 - Making a Stopover (2/2) Chapter 263: Making a Stopover (2/2) One of the men didn¡¯t hesitate to run for Ryouma. Perhaps he wanted to attack him, or perhaps he wanted to take him hostage, but whatever it was that he had in mind wasn¡¯t happening. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡¡Acting carelessly will¨D¨D¡± [Boss] ¡°Guah!?¡± [Man 6] The boss tried to stop the man that tried to make a move, but before he could, a sphere about two times smaller than a baseball knocked the arm holding a knife, and then before the knife could reach the ground¡ª ¡°What!?¡± [Man 6] ¡ªHis temple, his jaw, and the back of his pivot leg¡¯s knee were all hit by the spheres. The man let out a brief scream, and then collapsed into the sewage by his feet. ¡°What a pointless death.¡± [Boss] ¡°He¡¯s not dead.¡± [Ryouma] / please keep reading on MYB0XN0VEL(d0t)C0M. Ryouma denied that the man had died. Beside him were the four mysterious spheres that had attacked the man. ¡®Pon-pon¡¯ sounds resounded as they bounced about near Ryouma. It was as though they were showing that they were there to protect him. These spheres were actually Rubber Slimes, a new slime variant that evolved from the Latex Slime, a slime variant used to produce rubber products, such as the anti-slip products. As the name suggested, the Rubber Slime was a slime whose body was made out of rubber. And just like rubber, it could change its physical properties by adding ingredients like sulfur or carbon to it. Ryouma used that to turn the rubber slimes into rubber bullets. By changing the hardness and elasticity of the slime, they could bounce off the ground and the walls at high speed like a speed ball, and while they might be made out of rubber, they still packed plenty of a punch when they hit. Especially, when they had mass. Ryouma was skilled in martial arts, and in his opinion, the bouncing rubber slimes were more than strong enough to incapacitate humans. If the force behind their power could be efficiently transmitted onto a vital point, then they could knock out a person in one hit even through armor. In fact, because their attacks weren¡¯t fatal, even if they were to accidentally hit a civilian, the damages they caused would be much less compared to spells and arrows. Odds were that any accident with them would end in minor injuries, making them perfect for making arrests in the city. But it wasn¡¯t necessary for Ryouma to explain that to them, and it didn¡¯t really matter to these kidnappers anyway. Ryouma maintained his composure as he warned the men. ¡°I¡¯ll say this just once. Drop your weapons and surrender obediently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hah¡­ You¡¯re too soft. Either way it¡¯s over for us if we get caught. Men, scatter!!¡± [Boss] With a yell from the boss, the men under him all ran. Ryouma and the adults were there in front, but there were no signs of people elsewhere. The boss of the criminals wasn¡¯t so optimistic as to believe that they hadn¡¯t been surrounded, but perhaps, some of them might be able to get away if they just scattered, so his men ran in hopes that they might be among those, but the boss himself just wielded his knife and clad himself in ki. Though he rejected Ryouma¡¯s offer, he had already given up on fleeing. Instead he resolved himself to stake his life in a confrontation with Ryouma, but¡ª ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªHis legs wouldn¡¯t move. It was not because of the sewage, no, there was a sensation there that was clearly different. So he looked down at his legs, and there he saw the sewage holding onto his legs with ¡®human hands¡¯. ¡°Tch!¡± [Boss] Without any hesitation, he ripped them off and ran for Ryouma. Just one stroke, if he could just graze him, then even if it¡¯s just for a moment, he might be able to buy himself some time. He knew that he had no chance of winning, but as a human being, he had to do this for the sake of his foolish pride ¨C he would bury the blade in his hands into the boy before him. It was the futile struggle of a fool, yet he strengthened himself as much as he could and plunged his way forward, ripping apart the hands that grabbed at him and brushing aside the hands that blocked his path. As human as they might look, a hand made of water was still water. Though they offered little resistance, they came back no matter how many times they were cut. Before long, his whole body had been grabbed, and his legs were caught in the mud. No matter how much power he put, there was no running away from that place anymore. ¡°Damn it!¡± [Man 1] ¡°Let go!¡± [Man 2] But it was not just him that was attacked by the hands of water. His subordinates resisted with all their strength, but it was already too late. The place they once called their hideout had already been turned into a marsh that continued to expand with the rising sewage. Countless hands reached out from the marsh, and with the stench of the sewage accompanying them, those hands looked no different from an evil spirit dragging them, the sinners, into hell. The road wasn¡¯t even 10 meters away to the man furthest away. Normally, that would¡¯ve been an inconsequential distance, but now, it looked no different from the opposite bank of a large river. ¡°Ku¡­¡± [Man 3] Their resistance in vain, the voices of the men died one after another. The entire marsh was their enemy, and there was no way out. Before long, they all sank into that marsh. ¡°¡­Monster¡­¡± [Boss] In the end, even the boss sank, leaving behind only Ryouma standing leisurely above that marsh with the countless hands subservient to him. ¡°They were pretty tough, huh¡­ Hmm, what are they doing?¡± [Ryouma] After suppressing the kidnappers, I called out to the people that gathered because of the signal I cast and turned around, but most of the people were standing a long way away. ¡°Yurdum-san, what do you think they¡¯re doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Taking refuge from your spells, boss. I know how precise your spells are, but they don¡¯t, and your spells are scary enough to worry getting caught up in them. Also, this marsh spell of yours isn¡¯t just terrifying, it stinks to high heaven too. Honestly, if I weren¡¯t your guard, I wouldn¡¯t be anywhere near here.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°Ah, I see. It might be because I was focused on ¡®catching¡¯ them, but I wasn¡¯t really trying to make things creepy¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All¡¯s well that ends well, no?¡¡More importantly, you did catch them, right?¡¡They¡¯re not dead or anything? I mean, they looked like they sank to me.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°I left them with air. I could cover their mouth and nose too if I wanted, but this time around, I just have them immobilized with water pressure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, we better get them into custody quickly. Hey, we¡¯re done here!¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san raised his voice, and the people behind came running. ¡°I¡¯ll gradually pull back the marsh, so please secure the kidnappers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°U-Understood. But man, this really stinks¡­¡± [Guard 1] ¡°Well, it is sewage and sludge. More importantly, how are the kids? Are they unharmed?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, they¡¯re fine. They were tied up, but they weren¡¯t hurt. We sent them to the hospital already.¡± [Guard 1] ¡°I see, that¡¯s good¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well then, if you¡¯ll excuse me.¡± [Guard 1] The guards dispatched here greeted me and ran off to do their job. I pulled the sewage and sludge little by little and brought them back to the drainage. ¡°Are you alright, Aniki?¡± [Delinquent 1] ¡°You¡¯re tottering a bit.¡± [Delinquent 2] ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just a little spent. It¡¯s no big deal. Anyway, thank you so much for your help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s nothing worth thanking us for.¡± [Delinquent 3] ¡°All we did was stand here, after all.¡± [Delinquent 4] The delinquent adventurers laughed. They too helped find the kidnappers. I had to rely on the two types of slimes that ate sewage and sludge, and the drainage channels throughout the town to check the places I had in mind, so I¡¯m glad to have gotten some familiar help. But as expected, it was a little exhausting. Fortunately, the information I had allowed me to narrow down the scope of the search, and we were able to find them. ¡°I¡¯m surprised they used a rental warehouse???? like this for their hideout. Moreover, from the looks of it, they remodeled the interior and built a hidden room between the walls.¡± [Delinquent 1] ¡°Yeah, it seems the enemy has been preparing for quite a while now. They remodeled it, so the people related to this rental warehouse might be cooperating with them too. Well, that¡¯s a job for the guards, so let¡¯s just leave that to them.¡± [Ryouma] While we were talking like that, the guards finished arresting all the kidnappers. As they packed them away into a carriage, I bid the leader of the guards here goodbye. ¡°I¡¯ll be on my way then. If the owner of this rental warehouse demands compensation or files charges, please just contact me or the security company. It may have been an emergency, but I do understand that I still overdid it.¡± [ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll let the upper brass know. Thank you so much for helping us catch these kidnappers.¡± [Guard Leader] The guard leader straightened his posture and gave me a bow. When the other guards noticed that, they gave even the youths and Yurdum-san a bow. After that I used Dimension Magic to go on my way, and after exiting the northern gate, I used Dimension Magic to go home. Chapter 264.1 - Self-Awareness and Change (1/2) ¡°I¡¯m counting on you then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºGobu!¡» After getting back home, Ryouma gathered the goblins and gave them some orders over his light meal, then he had a bath to wash off the sweat, and then went straight to bed to try and get some sleep, but unfortunately, he just couldn¡¯t get any. Even now he was continuing to extinguish fires, rescue people, provide treatment, search for kidnappers, run around the city, and use magic. His physical and mental exhaustion have piled up because of his Shared Perception with the slimes, yet he still couldn¡¯t get a wink of sleep. On the contrary, Ryoma¡¯s mind was filled with various thoughts that kept popping up and disappearing. At times he would doze off, but he¡¯d wake up just as soon as he did, and in the end¡­ ( I can¡¯t sleep. ) So Ryouma got out of bed, took out a cup and a small bag from the cabinet next to it, and then took a scoop out of the bag with the included spoon, pouring it into the cup along with the hot water he produced with a spell. ¡°Fu¡­ At times like this, this here is my best friend.¡± [Ryouma] / please keep reading on MYB0XN0VEL.C0M. That was none other than his family¡¯s medicinal recipe that he¡¯s loved to drink since his past life. As a blend of roasted dandelion root, Japanese mugwort, Maidenhair Tree Leaves, and several other wild herbs, it is one of the best drinks that could be made in this world. £¨I used to always¡ª No, I really shouldn¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s been happening more frequently recently, though, I know. £© Ever since the city became more chaotic, Ryouma¡¯s started to reminisce more and more about his past. Although it hadn¡¯t reached the point where he was thinking about it everyday, he couldn¡¯t help but think about his past life during times like this when he couldn¡¯t sleep. But then again, everyone had moments like this, so he was probably just tired. That¡¯s why he never really paid it much attention, but the circumstances today were different. ¡®If you¡¯re alone in those mines of yours three days before the end of the year, you might just be able to rid yourself of your doubts.¡¯ [Sereriputa] A god by the name of Sereriputa once told him that, so he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. ¡°Was he talking about this?¡± [Ryouma] One question would lead to another, and before long, more and more questions began to pop up. But if reminiscing was the ¡®doubt¡¯, then what kind of situation would rid him of it?¡¡In the first place, what exactly was he worrying about?¡¡What was the cause of it all?¡¡Were his worries the reason he kept thinking about the past?¡¡Or was he worrying because he kept thinking about the past? But with both mind and body exhausted, he failed to gather his thoughts. Ryouma sat on the bed and sipped in a daze. (In the first place, why would Sereriputa tell me that? The other gods were there too, but he went out of his way to make sure that I would be the only one to hear those words.) Given Sereriputa¡¯s free spirited personality, Ryouma thought that he wasn¡¯t someone easy to deal with, but at the same time, he believed that he wasn¡¯t the type to lie. ¡°¡­Fu fu.¡± [Ryouma] In the end, he couldn¡¯t find an answer, and he ended up smiling instead. (Well, I¡¯m beat! But you know what, I don¡¯t think it matters. I know I tend to reminisce, but all that stuff is in the past anyway, and I know without a doubt that I¡¯m happy with my life right now. I¡¯m not strapped for cash, I¡¯ve got a roof over my head, clothes to keep me warm, and plenty of food¡­ I make money off of my adventurer work and my enterprising endeavors. My livelihood couldn¡¯t be more stable, and on top of that, I get to sate my curious spirit with my slime research. I know a lot of people now too, and though of course not all of them are kind, many of them are. If this isn¡¯t happiness, then what is?) The Maidenhair Tree Leaves that he used for his drink were gathered by that adventurer boy called Berk. The cupboard that he got his cup from was also decorated by stones from that boy, Niki, whom he became friends with during his trip to Fatma Territory. The number of things in his room that were ¡®related to other people¡¯ were increasing. He had a lot of things too when he was holing himself in the Forest of Gana, but those were all things that Ryouma himself made. He was completely self-sufficient then, so he had to provide everything himself. ¡°I don¡¯t like how that sounds, though. It makes me sound so lonely. I had slimes to accompany me back then, so it¡¯s not like I was alone¡­ Though I suppose treating slimes as a replacement for people might actually make me appear even lonelier.¡± Not sleeping properly and staying up all night was most likely a habit he picked up living alone. Ryouma laughed at his own mumblings. It seemed he was more tense than usual. (I never once dreamed I¡¯d be living a life like this. It really is just like living inside a light novel, like living in a dream¡­ Oh, maybe this is what he meant.) Suddenly, it occurred to Ryouma that this this might be what Sereriputa meant by ¡®doubt¡¯. It wasn¡¯t about his unhappiness regarding his current circumstances, but his happiness?????????? instead. (In that case, I do understand. If this is really a dream, then I wouldn¡¯t want to go back to my old life even if I woke up.) Ryouma thought back to when he met Gayn¡¯s group for the first time. When they told him he¡¯d died, he didn¡¯t really care if he was dreaming or not. That was how little attachment he had to his past life, and it was also his decision to transmigrate then that led to his current life. (It was like being thrown out in the middle of the ocean and having to keep swimming because stopping meant drowning, a life with no hope or vision for the future. Though I was still somewhat better off since I made a living, my situation was unstable enough that I feared just one thing going wrong. That¡¯s why I thought I would end up just like those criminals in the TV or the internet. I don¡¯t advocate for them, no, but whenever I saw the comments, I felt like they were criticizing me, and that made me sad. I didn¡¯t want to die. But wouldn¡¯t it be better to just die anyway?¡¡Wouldn¡¯t the world be better off if I just died?¡¡Thoughts like those kept haunting me as I slaved away my body to protect my daily life.) Ryouma recalled the words of that young master of the slave trading company that he dined with. ¡®I feel that in order to protect your current life, you¡¯ve unconsciously been trying to become a ¡®good child¡¯ by listening to what the adults say¡­ Although you seem really happy now, you also seem constrained.¡¯ [Orest] ¡°Ha ha, he really hit the nail on the head, didn¡¯t he? ¡­I get it now. ¡­Everyone around me was kind, and life was going well, so I thought I could be reborn in the truest sense¡­ But in the end, I haven¡¯t really changed all that much inside.¡± Though Ryouma spoke as though he¡¯d been enlightened, the words he uttered rang pessimistic. Yet internally, he was also the calmest he¡¯s been, and the smile that surfaced on him was not that of self-derision. As he drank what remained of his cup, the various thoughts that erupted ceased, and Ryouma returned to bed¡ª ¡°So they came, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ªThe moment he was about to return to bed, the stone slimes around the abandoned mine informed him of an approaching group. ¡°I suppose these people are part of my ¡®doubts¡¯ too then? I get it now, but¡­ With this, everyone will probably worry again.¡± [Ryouma] As a troubled but happy smile surfaced on him in that dimly lit room, Ryouma reached out for the katana beside his bed. He wasn¡¯t in his best condition, no, but there was a fire in him that wasn¡¯t there before. Chapter 264.2 - Self-Awareness and Change (2/2) Chapter 264: Self-Awareness and Change (2/2) The clouds covered the sky, drawing a curtain upon the moon and the stars, while the snow blanketed the path to the mines. The mines, now an island in the night, was approached by malice from the forest. They numbered 30 and 2. The 30 that made up the majority were dressed in black, making it easier to blend into the dark of the night. They carried on their backs what looked like knapsacks as they proceeded vigilantly. As for the other two at the back, they were equipped in heavy armor and helmet, and could easily walk through the forest despite the two-handed great sword, called a Zweihander, on their backs. Needless to be said, theirs was a group that couldn¡¯t be more suspicious, and the moment they started for the forest, a carefree voice resounded. ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] ¡º£¡ £¡¡» [Suspicious Group] ¡°Hi, test, test. Can you hear me?¡¡This is Ryouma Takebayashi. I¡¯m speaking to you people that¡¯s approaching from the forest. You¡¯re here to kill me, right?¡¡Well, I won¡¯t be running, so hurry up and come. I¡¯m here.¡± [Ryouma] Immediately after, a part of the pitch black abandoned mine gradually lit up. / please keep reading on MYB0XN0VEL.C0M. That was none other than the open area once used for a subjugation mission, and the drop off point for the mined ores in the past. Presently, fire baskets arranged in a circle lit up the place, and at the center of that stood Ryouma. ¡°Activate it£¡¡± There were still some distance between them, but a light source and a target close enough to be seen appeared. One of the men narrowed his eyes and calmly gave out orders. The black-clothed men simultaneously reached out for the box on their backs, and quickly activated the magic tool. ¡°There¡¯s no point in hiding anymore¡­¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma called out, but his voice was cut midway. The mana wave released by the magic tool had negated the wind spell that allowed his voice to reach them. Because of that, silence returned to the forest, but in the next moment, one of the black-clothed men gave out an order. ¡°Hurry.¡± It was a brief order, but the black-clothed men obeyed nonetheless, and a part of them went ahead. If there were traps in the path ahead, they would use even their lives to remove them, all so they could send the people behind them to their target as fast as possible. They came here with that much resolve, but unfortunately, it would all be in vain. Because there were no traps and nothing that could be called ¡®an obstacle¡¯ met them. They reached Ryouma safe and sound. Moreover, Ryouma himself didn¡¯t run away. He just stood there at the center of the fire baskets. There, where the snow were melted and the grass were trimmed, he stood with his katana drawn. But that did little to calm the men, and in fact, they became even more vigilant. ¡°So you made it. You¡¯re not actually welcome here, and this¡¯ll probably fall on deaf ears, but I might as well ask. Do you have any intention of surrendering yourselves?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What a stupid question. Do you not understand your situation?¡± [Intruder 1] ¡°I know you¡¯re after my life. I was told to run if something happened, but¡­ It would be problematic if you ended up going to the city, so I¡¯ll be taking on all of you alone.¡± [Ryouma] Those words were no different from a declaration of war. Yet within that situation where a battle could break out anytime¡­ ¡°Fuha!¡¡What a clown!¡¡Huh, Anija!¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°Indeed, Otouto. Who would¡¯ve thought he would actually choose to take us head on.¡± [Armored Anija] ¡°Wait, this might be a trap.¡± [Intruder 2] The ones that laughed were the two men in armor. With a two-handed sword as big as they were,, they steadily walked forward. A black-clothed man nearby tried to stop them, but¡­ ¡°We¡¯re no amateurs ourselves, and dealing with the boy is our job.¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°You guys just watch the back.¡± [Armored Anija] At their behest, the black-clothed men backed off. ¡°Will only the two of you be fighting me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu¡­ Apparently, you¡¯ve been quite the hindrance, so they asked us to kill you if the trouble in the city were to let up even a little.¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°The guys at the back prepare the stage, while the ones in the front make sure no one, nothing, gets in the way.¡± [Armored Anija] ¡°That¡¯s a lot of effort for one kid. I take it that¡¯s the reason why we can¡¯t use magic too?¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°I laughed at first too, but reality says otherwise.¡± [Armored Anija] ¡°Looks like this is going to be more fun than I thought, Anija. Just the fact he¡¯s facing us head on shows he¡¯s got guts¡­ And it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯s bluffing either. Interesting.¡± [Armored Otouto] It was curious what Ryouma was thinking, but he let out a deep breath. ¡°It would¡¯ve saved me a lot of effort if you were the sort to just jump at me because I¡¯m a kid, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We did our homework and gathered what we could about you. Even you know that there¡¯s reason for people to be wary of you, right?¡± [Armored Anija] When the older of the two said that, Ryouma made a troubled face. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sure there is, but I overdid it in so many ways that I¡¯m not sure which exactly tripped your side. My magic is already sealed, so was it beating up those delinquent adventurers?¡¡But there¡¯s no way something of that level would¡ª Ah!¡¡Could it be? Did I mess up somewhere again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, but there¡¯s no way some cocky kids would have been enough to get our attention.¡± [Armored Anija] ¡°You took out the bandits in the Forest of gana, right?¡± [Armored Otouto] When the younger of the two said that, Ryouma realized it. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re with them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re not directly related. But it¡¯s fairly common for people like us that need to hide from prying eyes to go to mountains that normal people won¡¯t go to. To that end, there¡¯s a black market information broker we use that¡¯s connected to the Dark Guild. According to them, the bandits that approach the Forest of Gana have been disappearing recently.¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°And since you lived in the Forest of Gana, and you collected the reward for those missing bandits, it¡¯s only natural that you¡¯d be the culprit. Moreover, you¡¯re being exposed to such dense killing intent, and yet you¡¯re acting as though nothing is wrong. Just from that, there¡¯s no way you could be an amateur.¡± [Armored Anija] Though the three of them were talking normally, they have also been releasing an intimidating aura this whole time. So great was the pressure that they emanated that even the black-clothed figures, who¡¯ve committed all sorts of crimes and gone through so many scenes of carnage, were getting chills. If not for that, they would¡¯ve likely attacked Ryouma already. Although they were only tasked to clear the path, there was no reason for them not to attack when an opening showed iteslf. ¡°How strange. A child that hasn¡¯t even lived a quarter of our age is giving me the impression of a fierce warrior.¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°I¡¯ve cut down too many people to count, but it¡¯s the first time that a brat can stand before us with out swords drawn without crying. Before I kill you, tell me. Why are you facing us alone?¡¡Do you not fear us? Do you not fear death?¡± [Armored Anija] ¡°Hmm¡­ I know it¡¯s not the smartest choice, But before I knew it, I¡¯ve been meddling in a lot of unnecessary places. I¡¯ve failed a lot of times because of that and was even shunned, so I¡¯ve thought of stopping a lot of times, but there¡¯s just no helping it. As for death, there¡¯s no point in begging for my life in the face of beasts or nature, and I¡¯ve been near both when I lived in the forest. And besides, I¡¯ve already died once.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯ve died once?¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°What are you even saying?¡± [Armored Anija] Perhaps because they thought he was joking, or that he simply had no intention of answering seriously, the two brothers were displeased, but Ryouma added with a smile. ¡°Just take it as a figure of speech. It¡¯s hard to explain, but I once lived a life worse than death. Now, however, I¡¯m content. That¡¯s why, in a different sense than before, I wouldn¡¯t have any regrets even if I died now. And even if I did die, if I can go to where those gods are, then it might not be so bad.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of hesitation as he said that with a smile. ¡°But of course, the biggest reason is because I have no intention of dying here. I want to keep living in that city too, and I don¡¯t want to make the people that looked after me sad.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s impossible. We accepted a job, so we can¡¯t go back empty handed. If there were people you didn¡¯t want to become sad, then you should have run with all your strength.¡± [Armored Otouto] ¡°No, if he wanted to avoid casualties in the city and among his friends, then this was the best decision he could¡¯ve made.¡± [Armored Anija] Yet despite being called a dead man, Ryouma¡¯s smile remained. ¡°That¡¯s only if you win. You went out of your way to bring magic tools just to seal my magic, but unfortunately for you, I¡¯m actually better at the sword.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll just have to show us how good that sword of yours is. We¡¯re professional killers, but we¡¯re also known as, ¡®the Siblings of Strong Swords¡¯. [Armored Otouto] ¡°No one has ever fought us and lived.¡± [Armored Anija] The siblings entered the ring where the grass was trimmed, and in the next moment, they quickly accelerated and took Ryouma from his sides. Without any signal, a battle for their lives began. Tl Note: 1. Anija is just another form of aniki. 2. The Siblings of Strong Swords was written as „‚„‡ÐÖµÜ, and that first character means hard or strong or manly, so it could also be translated as Siblings of the Hard/Manly Sword or Hard/Manly Sword Siblings. Maybe Manly Sword Siblings sounds better? But I doubt a pair of hitmen would pick such a comical name. Chapter 265 - Ryouma’s True Specialty Chapter 265: Ryouma¡¯s True Specialty (Why¡­ Is he alive?) Sparks rose as swords clashed, the sound of their dance, resounding within the ring of grass, their lights blending with the fire basket¡¯s. When one of the black-clothed men saw the siblings move, he thought for sure that Ryouma was dead. The siblings had taken him from both sides, and Ryouma couldn¡¯t even react, but¡­ He lived. Not just that, he fought those two killers, and an intense exchange of swords began. The Siblings of the Strong Sword used a two-handed sword as big as an adult. When the weight of their sword was coupled with their skill, the siblings could produce an attack with power befitting their title, ¡®Strong Sword¡¯. In exchange, the stroke of their attacks was much bigger than those of lighter swords¡¯. But by covering their whole body in ki, the siblings could elevate their physical abilities and strengthen their equipment, allowing them to execute movement seemingly impossible for their gear. By matching the timing of their attacks, they could cover for each other¡¯s openings; hence, their sword was not the slow sort that could easily be dodged. And yet their sword could not reach Ryouma. Ryouma¡¯s movements were so minute that ¨C for a moment ¨C the black-clothed man thought that ¡®Ryouma couldn¡¯t even react¡¯, but in truth, he used the least amount of strength to evade the siblings¡¯ attacks, and parried only those that could not be avoided. He would weave in between the attacks and would even fight back. / please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.COM (There has to be a limit to how abnormal a person could be.) All the people gathered here knew about the information on Ryouma and the prediction of his strength based off of that. That prediction ¨C of course ¨C included the possibility that Ryouma might know martial arts, but they believed that his strength lay in that magic he used to clear the snow or demolish the buildings, and perhaps, the ¡®familiar magic¡¯ that he demonstrated using slimes. After all, he never hid his magic from anyone and used it all the time. Everyone also knew that he¡¯s tamed a lot of slimes, and while the slimes might be weak individually, they believed they could prove a hindrance in large numbers. Compared to that, there was little to no information about his martial arts. Other than suppressing a group of delinquent adventurers and some rumors, the threat his martial arts posed was nothing compared to his magic. Besides, given Ryouma¡¯s age, common sense dictated that it was impossible for his martial arts to be better than his magic. His magic was good enough to presume that countless hours must¡¯ve been spent to reach his level at his age. Such an impression would even be rare, and yet it was a common impression for the boy¡¯s magic, so just how many could possibly look at him and believe that his martial arts would be even better? In the end, was there even anyone ¨C anyone at all ¨C who could look at this 10 year-old boy and believe him to be equal a man that has trained for nearly 40 years? They had not been lax in their preparations. They brought magic tools to seal his magic, brought the skilled Siblings of the Strong Sword, and even prepared support. Were their opponent a normal child,??????????, this job would have long been over. ¡°Nu!¡± [Anija] ¡°Ku!¡± [Otouto] Not even half a minute had passed since their battle began. The older of the two siblings attacked, but he was the one that let out that groan. He jumped back first with his left hand on his face before his younger brother distanced himself from Ryouma too and followed him. ¡°Anija.¡± [Otouto] ¡°It just grazed the metal fittings.¡± [Anija] The older brother¡¯s face guard had tilted because the fittings on the right side broke, so he decided to just tear it off altogether. As the other fitting broke as well, the face of a man with scaled cheeks was revealed. ¡°Those scales¡­ You¡¯re a dragon newt?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unlike your acquaintance, I wasn¡¯t born in a village, though. Is that blade really a slime?¡± [Anija] ¡°You know about Asagi-san and my slime katana too, I see you¡¯ve done your homework.¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma was using a slime as his weapon as usual. But this time around, he wasn¡¯t using the Iron Slime but its evolution, Steel Slime. There weren¡¯t any changes to its abilities, but it was more resistant to bending and breaking, both properties that made it better suited for a blade. ¡°We gathered information about anyone that might get in the way. As for your katana, the most we could find out was that you¡¯re a ¡®Slime Fanatic¡¯ that would use slimes for anything.¡± [Otouto] ¡°You¡¯ve received our swords for this long and yet haven¡¯t been wounded even once. It appears we have no choice but to change our evaluation of you.¡± [Otouto] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] As the two siblings raised their swords, the area around their swords shimmered faintly. That was a phenomenon that occurred only when the amount and density of ki exceeded a certain level. The haze-like shimmer that covered the weapon foretold of the vast amounts of ki behind their technique. ¡°Behold, the secret technique of the Strong-Sword Style!¡± [Anija] ¡°Wyvern Drop!!¡± [Otouto] At the descent of the younger one¡¯s sword, a blade rose from his kiai, boring the ground as it slashed out with a thunderous roar. Ryouma quickly dodged to the side, but¡­ ¡°Wyvern Drop!!¡± [Anija] The older brother unleashed his attack; a blade without mercy, aiming precisely for that opening after a dodge. But¡­ ¡¸¡¸£¡£¡¡¹¡¹ [Otouto and Anija] They saw it. The sight of Ryouma raising his shimmering?????? katana, and then like a reflection, a blade shot out to meet that approaching blade to deny it its prey. But there would no time for rest, for the siblings were already on the move. Once again, their swords shimmered, and this time, both swords swung down simultaneously. ¡¸¡¸Secret Technique?¡°Wyvern Cross¡±£¡¡¹¡¹[Otouto and Anija] With symmetrical movements, they unleashed their blades, and a pair of crossing blades attacked Ryouma. But Ryouma too held his sword in the high stance and swung down. In the next moment, a blade bigger than before cut at the point of intersection of those two blades to cancel them out. ¡°¡­Impressive. Though I can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised that you can use martial arts.¡± [Anija] ¡°Did you copy?? our secret technique?¡± [Otouto] ¡°This might sound strange coming from your enemy, but¡­ Your technique was just so cleanly executed that it made it easy to understand. It made for a good model.¡± [Ryouma] When Ryouma nodded and even praised their technique, the older one¡¯s face grew even grimmer. The younger brother likely had a similar expression beneath his face guard. ¡°Well done hiding that much skill until now.¡± [Anija] ¡°I never intended to hide it, though, I¡¯m not that shrewd. It would be more apt to say that it atrophied instead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Atrophied?¡± [Anija] ¡°For better or worse, I had to do everything alone when I was in the forest, and there were no prying eyes then. So I could live freely without caring about anything. But the city exists in a society, and society has its rules. Rules in the form of law, rules implied, there are all sorts¡­ But regardless which rule it is, what place it is¡­ Violence as a solution is frowned upon and would lead one being ejected from society. That¡¯s why, though I might specialize in it, it is not a method I prefer. Of course, it¡¯s also because it¡¯s more efficient to work with slimes and magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I see where you¡¯re coming from, but¡­ It¡¯s stupid. You are also someone that can be counted among the strong. For what end should you be moved by the drivel of the weak and seek to understand their thoughts?¡± [Anija] ¡°Everything in this world is decided by power. The weak can make as much noise as they want, but we can just cut them down anytime. Don¡¯t you understand that?¡± [Otouto] But Ryouma did understand. ¡°It¡¯s not just violence¡­ There¡¯s authority, wealth, charisma, and the ability to negotiate as well. There are all sorts, but nothing can be gained without power. In a conflict, defeat means losing everything. It¡¯s sad, but that¡¯s reality. And I know that deep inside, the thought of being able to kill if I felt like it has supported me at times as well. If I hadn¡¯t met the duke¡¯s family at the Forest of Gana¡­ If the people I met in this city hadn¡¯t accepted me¡­ I know that at the very least, I wouldn¡¯t have cooperated with the defense of this city. Perhaps, I might even be standing on ¡®that side¡¯ as well. Truly, fortune is unpredictable. I just lucked out.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma uttered those words one after another, the pressure that emanated from him grew heavier. The siblings stepped forward in resopnse. ¡°I see. So having no eyewitness was actually better for you.¡± [Anija] ¡°You¡¯re strong, no, you¡¯re becoming stronger. That¡¯s why we have to kill you here.¡± [Otouto] The shimmer of their swords spread to their whole body. They would not just stake their lives in this battle, no, they would take Ryouma down even if they had to sacrifice themselves, and to that end, they empowered themselves without regard for their consumption. Indeed, they were seeing Ryouma in a new light, for this time, they were truly using everything they had. ¡¸¡¸Fight£¡£¡¡¹¡¹ As the light of the fire baskets reflected on their armor, the two siblings dropped the cheap tricks and fought with everything they had. Against such strong swords, receiving their attack could only result in one¡¯s weapon being cleaved along with one¡¯s flesh, so Ryouma fully devoted his ki to his katana, without covering?????? his body in ki despite the siblings¡¯ strengthened armor. He would contest them with the least movement and pure swordsmanship. Both sides wanted an instant kill, and their battle grew intense with every clash. As their spirits clashed and their shimmers blended, everything seemed to transform into a pillar that reached out for the heavens. Alas, their battle could not continue for long, and the end came without notice. ¡°GU!?¡± [Otouto] The guard of the katana received the descending sword to parry it, and then its pommel struck out to penetrate the younger one¡¯s armor. Of course, it wasn¡¯t enough to be fatal or to incapacitate him. But the pause it brought was enough to prove fatal. For the moment the siblings¡¯ delicate dance ended, a big opening revealed itself. The older one sent a sweeping attack from behind to reap Ryouma¡¯s head, but Ryouma received it and relaxed his arms as they switched places, and then with gravity and momentum carrying his katana, he covered the body of the sword with his own to change its course, and as the sword passed before Ryouma¡¯s chest, his katana rose to claim the older one¡¯s arms. Amidst fresh blood, the older one¡¯s sword fell. The younger one¡¯s sword came for Ryouma¡¯s neck, but it was a moment late, and the only end that awaited him was a reenactment of the previous scene. Blood poured out of the seams of his armor, and the arm swinging his strong sword limply fell. ¡°¡­Ha, ha ha¡­ So, we lost.¡± [Anija] ¡°Looks, like it¡­ Sorry, Anija.¡± [Otouto] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Otouto.¡± [Anija] With more than half of their arms cut, blood poured out and sapped what was left of their strength. They let out a groan as they fell, but even as they were knelt, their fierce gaze never left Ryouma. ¡°¡­Wonderfully done, a strike to the vitals.¡± [Anija] ¡°¡­I want to struggle, but my arms won¡¯t even budge. It¡¯s actually refreshing.¡± [Otouto] The shimmering pillar gradually waned; as their blood continued to pour out, the flame of their life flickered. They mustered what was left of that flickering flame to ask. ¡°What happened to the ones in black?¡± [Anija] ¡°They ran as soon as you lost. And I was thinking they would be attacking as well.¡± [Ryouma] Around that time, death throes resounded from the direction they ran. Ryouma kept his attention on the siblings as he confirmed the situation of those men. They tried to run, but they got caught in the thorny weeds growing beneath the snow and were promptly swallowed into the ground. ¡°They got caught in my familiars¡¯ trap just now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡­ see. No wonder¡­ We couldn¡¯t find¡­ any¡­¡± [Anija] ¡°So you¡­ used them to¡­ keep us from¡­ running¡­¡± [Otouto] With quivering voices, the siblings spoke in pauses. ¡¸¡¸Well done.¡¹¡¹ [Anija and Otouto] Before finally bidding him those two words and collapsed. Their heavy armor gave rise to a shrill sound that vanished into the mountains. The snow fell. As Ryouma nimbly swung his katana to rid it of the blood, silence returned to the abandoned mine¡¯s evening. Chapter 266.1 - Events After I (1/2) Chapter 266: Events After I (1/2) The day after the attack of the Siblings of the Strong Sword and the black-clothed men, I did as planed and stuffed my Dimension Home with goods, then went back to town, and reported the events last night while I handed over the goods. Understandably, the people dispatched by the duke, especially Lilian-san, who I reassured that it would be safe for me to go back, told me, ¡°You did something reckless again!¡± But I did get back safe, and the city did need to get back up its feet quickly, so in the end, they put the matter on hold. Fortunately, eliminating me was the last of the enemy¡¯s plan, and no more attacks or attempts to obstruct the city were done. There were still some vigilantes and villains left behind, but everyone¡¯s continued efforts and support eventually allowed, the city of Gimuru to become stable again. To that end, I took on various important jobs, and before I knew it, a week passed. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb your conversation, but¡­¡± [Lilian] ¡°What is it?¡± [Ryouma] At the area of the former slums was a place temporarily called the Food Production Base. I was helping out there with the production of extra food and the shipping when Lilian-appeared looking rather hurried. Just when I was wondering what was up, it turns out that Reinhart-san and the others were visiting from the imperial capital and were already at the security company. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too quick?¡¡I heard the New Year was supposed to be an important period for socializing to the nobles, but it¡¯s only been 4 days since the new year started.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They only attended the most important ceremonies and moved up the rest of their schedule. Right now they¡¯re being briefed by the government office and the guilds. They have other arrangements to deal with afterwards, but they would like to have a proper talk with you in the evening.¡± [Lilian] / please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.COM ¡°I understand. I don¡¯t have anything scheduled, so I¡¯ll wrap up my work today early. The time should be just about right by the time I finish working on these produce.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°Very well. One more thing, would you happen to know where Yurdum-sama is?¡± [Lilian] ¡°If you mean Yurdum-san, he¡¯s in the vegetable room at the third floor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The master and the madam have something they would like to discuss with him as well, so they would like for him to come to the security company.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Oh, I see, so that¡¯s what¡¯s up. Okay, I¡¯ll bring you to him. Sorry, I¡¯ll be right back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll be proceeding with the shipping.¡± [Guild Helper] After leaving everything to the helper from the guild, Lilian-san and I walked up the stairs with warning signs that read ¡®Beware Monsters¡¯ or ¡®No Entry¡¯. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a wonder every time I come here, but you really are farming inside a building.¡± [Lilian] It¡¯s like growing a plant in a pot.¡± [Ryouma] As we climbed up the stairs, Lilian-san was drawn to a windowless room in which soil was laid out and light was produced by the magic tools in the ceiling. In that room, where even the temperature was maintained, potatoes were grown, and the goblins harvested them. It was like a modern food production plant, but there was nothing high-tech about its appearance, as though someone just brought soil into an undressed concrete building and started farming. ¡°I understand it¡¯s like a greenhouse, but it still feels off¡­ I mean, I can¡¯t believe that the new kind of slime you mentioned recently would turn out to be these fields.¡± [Lilian] ¡°I was also surprised when the scavenger slimes turned into Composter Slimes and Fertile Soil Slimes. I thought nothing would surprise me anymore, but then they evolved in that.¡± [Ryouma] The Composter Slime resembles a lump of soil, and the fertilizer it produces has turned into something like a compost. It also emits high heat during production. The nature of its fertilizer has changed, and now, it reduces the chance of ¡°monsterification¡± when crops are over-fertilized. It¡¯s less efficient compared to scavenger slimes when accelerating growth through wood magic, but different fertilizers have always been applied depending on the objective. It is By studying agriculture and understanding how to best apply the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer and the composter slime¡¯s compost that the quality of the crops can be raised. As for the fertilizer soil slime, it too looks like a lump of soil. It¡¯s not that much different from the water slime and the mud slime in terms of ability, but as it name suggests, its body is rich in nutrients suitable for plant growth. Moreover, they feed off of the composter¡¯s fertilizer, and they love it when you mix a little bit of the scavenger slime¡¯s fertilizer too. Apparently, the combination of the two produces a mysterious synergy that increases growth efficiency. Having the weed slime propagate plants, like the white clover, that can restore the fertility of the soil makes them happy and produce a synergistic effect too. My lack of agricultural knowledge is a problem, but with these slimes that evolved into fields, I can better understand the state of the crops and have an easier time growing them. Interestingly enough, the fertile soil slime can also evolve to become a soil slime, and vice versa, from soil slime to fertile soil slime. I pursued the subject some more and discovered that mud slimes and sand slimes that preferred the earth-attribute could evolve into soil slimes too. Therefore, it can be concluded that slime evolution isn¡¯t a one-way process. I also discovered that different species can share an evolution, making it even more likely that the conditions for their evolution are affected by their preferred attribute. That would explain why they have so many evolutions. Now, I¡¯ve yet to prove that hypothesis, but I¡¯m already more or less convinced by it. If the evolution of slimes were to be represented in a correlation diagram of names and lines, the diagram would be so complicated it would look more like a mesh than a diagram. But if so, then wouldn¡¯t slime evolution really just be a change of state? In which case, would it even really be appropriate to call their evolution an ¡®evolution¡¯? ¡­Well, that¡¯s a topic for another time. More importantly¡­ ¡°There you are, Yurdum-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Boss. Lilian-san is with you too, I see.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°How are you?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This makes it the third harvest. It¡¯s mostly thanks to your slimes, but by now, we¡¯ve produced enough harvest to start a store. The goblins do their part, but it¡¯s really mostly because of that thing.¡± [Yurdum] Yurdum-san looked at the goblins gathering vegetables and wryly smiled. On the ground could be seen evenly spaced lines of giant parsnips called Passero and leafy vegetables that look like celery. Normally, they would have to dig them out every time they had to harvest them, but the field themselves were slimes, so the soil would just make way for them during harvest. Meaning, the farming goblins didn¡¯t have to dig at all. Because of that there was no chance of messing up and damaging the vegetables, and all they had to do was to pick up the vegetables that would come out, making their job much easier and faster than normal farm work. The crops were root vegetables too so there wasn¡¯t even the slightest chance of error. ¡°The way they farm¡­ It¡¯s like they¡¯re trying to pick a fight with actual farmers. It sure is convenient, though.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°That¡¯s hard to deny, but¡­ More importantly, and I know this is a bit abrupt, but Lilian-san needs you to come to the security company.¡± [Ryouma] When I informed him that the duke and his wife came back and that they wanted to talk, his face twitched. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go. But I¡¯d like to get myself ready first.¡± [Yurdum] ¡°We have clothes prepared at the security company, so you can just change there.¡± [Lilian] Yurdum followed Lilian-san with a meek expression and left the Food Production Base. But before they left¡ª ¡°Before we leave, please do remember to keep yourself from doing anything reckless, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Lilian] ¡°Yeah, just remember that the city storage isn¡¯t empty, so the crops being produced here are actually just insurance.¡± [Yurdum] ¡ªThey made sure to remind me not to do anything reckless. I know it¡¯s my fault, but it appears that my trustworthiness in regards to not being reckless has hit rock bottom. Chapter 266.2 - Events After I (2/2) Evening. As promised, I finished my work early, and returned to the security company, where I was then immediately granted an audience with the duke. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because their prior arrangements have already concluded or they just made time for me, but either way, it appears that I¡¯ll be meeting them again after a long time. There was that incident recently too, so I¡¯m a bit nervous, but I headed to the small meeting room nonetheless. Outside the room were guards keeping watch. Zeff-san and Camil-san stood on either side of the entrance, so I greeted them, then knocked on the door. I waited for a response before entering, and when I got in, I saw the duke and his wife with a tired but relieved expression. ¡°Long time no see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, it¡¯s good that you¡¯re safe.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Come, please take a seat.¡± [Elize] I¡¯m sure they must have a lot of things they wanted to say, so I accepted the madam¡¯s invitation and sat before the two, while Rurunez-san served us tea. ¡°Now then, Ryouma-kun. There is something we need to tell you first before anything else. For all the efforts you made in regards to this incident, thank you so much. Truly.¡± [Reinhart] As Reinhart-san said that, he and the madam bowed deeply to me. / please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.COM ¡°Please raise your head. I really don¡¯t know what to say other than that I just did what I wanted. That might have benefited the city and the people in the end, but I wasn¡¯t the only one that contributed.¡± [Ryouma] I really did feel that way. Of course, I won¡¯t go as far as to say that my actions were meaningless, but at the very least, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to accomplish so much just on my own. ¡°But because of this incident, your life is now in danger.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°That¡¯s through no fault of your own, though. And besides, you heard the report, right?¡± [Ryouma] A commotion ensued when I reported that I was attacked, so I ended up talking about my conversation with the Siblings of the Strong Sword, and about the things that I¡¯ve been thinking of for a while now. Of course, I made sure to pick my words and said everything as gently as possible. ¡°I¡¯m both glad and grateful that you¡¯re worried about me, and I trust and do believe you¡¯re all reliable. But¡­ As far as combat is concerned, I believe the only one I can rely on is ¡®myself¡¯. That¡¯s it was in the past, how it is today, and most likely, how it will be in the future.¡± [Ryouma] Saying this myself would come across as arrogance and give a bad impression, so I would never say it out loud, but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I have a gift. Not the sort that the gods gave me, but the martial arts I¡¯ve had with me growing up in my past life, a gift for combat. For as far as I can remember, I¡¯ve always been able to understand any movement after seeing it once. Nothing was too difficult to imitate as long as I could visualize it in my mind, and mastering things through repeated practice didn¡¯t take me long either. I¡¯ve seen delinquents and martial artists on TV, but honestly, I never once thought I couldn¡¯t win against them. The only person I truly thought I couldn¡¯t beat was my dad. Now that I think about it, the reason I hired Fei-san and Leelin-san was probably because I was confident they couldn¡¯t beat me, though I wasn¡¯t really aware of that. Otherwise, there was no way a person with normal sensibilities would have hired a former killer. ¡­Honestly, I would¡¯ve much preferred being gifted at studying or having the gift to get along with people easily¡­ But I suppose that¡¯s just me indulging myself. In any case, I can fight much better than children or most adults. All the more so when I work together with my spells and my slimes. And I¡¯m proud of that. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ No. Actually, I¡¯ve known ever since that you¡¯re not a child that needs to be protected. You seem to have prepared a lot of insurance, and you did manage to return safe, so I won¡¯t say anything about this incident. Elize, you too, alright?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Yes, and I¡¯m sure everyone¡¯s already said what I want to say anyway. And Ryouma-kun also understands our concern. Jill said so too, so I¡¯ll believe in that. But you really should be careful. If you feel it necessary, don¡¯t hesitate to call out to us, okay? It could be other people too, not just us.¡± [Elize] I thought the conversation would go nowhere, but they actually folded right away. But out of concern for me, the madam still made sure to remind me to rely on others when necessary. ¡°Elize, in the end, you still started giving him a sermon, didn¡¯t you?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. It just came out.¡± [Elize] ¡°It¡¯s a happy thing to have someone worry about me. I believe the one that should actually be apologizing here is me, but I really just can¡¯t give up in this regard.¡± [Ryouma] I truly am apologetic. Really. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. What do you want to do from here on?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Will you be leaving the city after all?¡¡I heard you left the management of your store to Serge¡¯s subordinate, but¡­¡± [Elize] The both of them had anxiety written all over their face, but I never thought of leaving this city and cutting ties. I was just planning on increasing my activities as an adventurer. I¡¯d originally intended for that to be my main job anyway, and I¡¯ve already set going to the Great Shurus Forest as my current goal. It¡¯s just that life in the city and the people was more fun than I expected, so it was getting harder and harder to leave. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to be reducing my jobs in the city. That way I can take on more adventurer jobs too. I¡¯m going to be away frequently, so I¡¯ll delegate my authority in the laundromat to Carm-san and leave everything to his decision. However, I will still continue to be involved as an owner or investor. I have no intention of closing the store or abandoning my current lifestyle. When I explained all of that to the two, their clouded countenance cleared and transformed to that of relief. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared plenty in regards to food, medicine, and supplies, so from now on, I¡¯ll be focusing on raising my rank so that I can finally set out for that trip to the Great Forest of Shurus that¡¯s been delayed so much. As for what comes after, I¡¯ve yet to decide, but as I¡¯ve mentioned, I have no intention of closing my store, and there¡¯s the matter with the Garbage Processing Plant too. When I¡¯m done, I¡¯ll go back to the abandoned mine and continue working as an adventure with this city as my base.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that. My greatest fear is that I might have forcefully taken you out of the forest and made you suffer.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. I¡¯ve said it many times by now, but life in the city is really fun. It¡¯s like a dream. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not in my nature to stay in that dream for too long. Its easier for me to distance myself a bit¡­ Well, I¡¯m really just being selfish.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are plenty of people that aren¡¯t compatible with cities or organizations, you know. People like that tend to be excluded or isolated, but¡­ I think that¡¯s part of what makes you you, Ryouma-kun. It makes me sad that you want to leave, but hearing that you plan to return puts my heart at ease. You should live your life the way you want to.¡± [Elize] As the madam said that, she reached out her hand for the black tea and the pastries. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you should have some too. They¡¯re baked sweets from a popular confectionery shop in the imperial capital.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll have some then.¡± [Ryouma] As I ate those sweets, a dense sweetness and aroma spread inside my mouth. It might¡¯ve been because of how delicious it was, or perhaps it was simply because of the smiles the duke and his wife had on them as they ate, but regardless, the atmosphere in the room lightened up and became warm, and in the end, we were just glad that we were all safe and sound. Chapter 267.1 - Events After II (1/2) We chatted pleasantly for awhile, and before long, we got into the swing and our conversation became really lively, but I had questions of my own that I wanted to ask. ¡°Actually, I have some questions I would like to ask. Would it be alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. You are a related party, after all, so it¡¯s only right that we involve you.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Now then, where should we begin?¡±[Elize] ¡°Well, for starters, this incident has been completely settled now, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, there won¡¯t be any more problems related to this incident. After all, the person responsible is no longer in this world. With evidence in my hands, I led the knights of the royal capital to raid his manor and then took his life with my own hands. You know about the man responsible for this whole mess, right?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s just speculation based off the things I¡¯ve heard from Yurdum-san, but if I¡¯m not mistaken, the ringleader should be the former Margrave Volcano and current head of a count family, as well as the son of the feudal lord of the territory where Reinbach-sama achieved the merit of being a ¡®Contractor of the Divine Beast¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-san nodded and explained. In summary, he spoke about the time when the previous head of the Jamil family, Reinbach-sama, succeeded in becoming the Contractor of the Divine Beast. Back then, the margrave led his armies to fend off the dragons attacking his territory and people, and while he did succeed once, the dragons kept attacking, and eventually, they could hold no longer, causing countless people to die, and the city to be scorched under the dragons¡¯ flames. Reinbach-sama would eventually settle the problem himself, but while Reinbach-sama would be remembered and honored as the biggest contributor for becoming the Contractor of the Divine Beast, the only thing that awaited the margrave was slander that marked him incompetent. / please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.C0M ¡°The struggle between the nobles is a cruel thing. The nobles of the military may have advocated for the margrave, but most of the royal court nobles, that knew nothing of war, and the nobles hostile toward the margrave irresponsibly remarked, ¡®He couldn¡¯t defend his territory even with all those soldiers, and yet Reinbach-dono solved everything alone¡¯. As a result, the already wounded margrave lost his military and his wealth, and it was around then that the person behind this recent incident was born. The margrave¡¯s family had to give up their territory because they didn¡¯t have the resources to fix it, but that¡¯s actually only for the time being. Alas, even that ended in tragedy.¡± [Elize] ¡°Their territory was meant to eventually be returned to them, and they would once again be able to call themselves a margrave¡¯s house. And supposedly, there were even talks of marriage with a marquis¡¯s daughter that they decided upon privately, but¡­ The margrave¡¯s son wasn¡¯t happy even with that.¡± [Reinhart] Apparently, when Reinhart-san entered their manor with the knights, only the head himself and an old servant was there. They had already disposed all of their valuables, and the head even drank poison and a magic potion that bolstered his physical abilities, then attacked Reinhart-san. In the end, the head used a magic tool to set fire to the manor in an attempt to drag everyone there with him. ¡°There were nobles that supported him too, but those nobles are neither strong enough nor courageous enough to be openly hostile, and some of them were linked with other crimes as well, so it¡¯s unlikely for any of them to try another plot. The Dark Guild¡¯s involvement and the missing valuables from the count¡¯s manor are certainly a cause for concern, but I don¡¯t think anything as big as this last incident will be possible for them anymore. Also, our people stayed behind in the royal capital to continue investigating with the knights, and there¡¯s also a lead in the assassin that targeted Serge.¡± [Reinhart] Oh, right, that happened too, didn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve completely forgotten already, but the assassin that targeted Serge-san is currently confined underground in a special room. We disarmed him after catching him, and though there was a bit of a trouble when the poison slime detected that he¡¯d ingested a slow-acting poison beforehand, the medical team was able to pump his stomach by having him take in the cleaner slime like one would an endoscope. Since the medical team made it in time to retrieve the poison, he should already be in the clear. He¡¯s exhausted, but there¡¯s no danger to his life. I don¡¯t know how much information we can get from him, but I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be subjected to a harsh interrogation. While I was thinking that, the madam continued with a serious expression. ¡°More importantly, isn¡¯t there something more important we need to be discussing right now?¡± [Elize] ¡°Like what?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Like how the other nobles will be sure to try and solicit you after this incident.¡± [Elize] Right, it¡¯s a bit late to be mentioning this, but everything I¡¯ve done because of this incident has caused my name to spread among the people in the city. And with how this incident is said to have garnered even the attention of the nobles, it¡¯s only a matter of time now before my name and deeds reach their ears¡­ In fact, they probably already know. ¡°This isn¡¯t a matter we can just leave alone, Whether it¡¯s as individuals or as nobles, so to avoid any problems, we wish to formally invite you to become a specialist of our Jamil family.¡± [Elize] ¡°Right, the in-house specialists. If I remember correctly, you previously offered me the position of a Rank 3 Specialist.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That was the case back then, but you took the initiative to help solve this incident and even the problems afterwards, so I believe a Rank 2 Specialist would be more fitting now. Especially since your research on slime fields that could produce and harvest crops with high efficiency, and your research on nutritional supplements using the algae from the alga slimes won¡¯t be limited to just this incident. The fruits of your research have the potential to save countless lives. That alone is more than enough reason to take you in as our specialist.¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is, so once again, we¡¯re formally extending the offer to appoint you as our house¡¯s specialist¡­ What do you think?¡± [Reinhart] This is a great offer for me, indeed, and it¡¯s definitely the best option if I want to avoid problems, but I couldn¡¯t give an immediate reply. Chapter 267.2 - Events After II (2/2) The madam made a gentle but serious expression as she asked. ¡°If you have any concerns or if there¡¯s anything you want, just feel free to mention it.¡± [Elize] ¡°First of all, I have zero complaints whatsoever about how you treat me. I¡¯m the problem. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already heard, but I¡¯m actually a really selfish person. Probably, much more than you think. If I were to be known as the ¡®duke¡¯s specialist¡¯ and cause a problem, it¡¯ll become a scandal for you, and I¡¯m scared of that.¡± [Ryouma] Now that I think about it, the reason I isolated myself in the forest and now live in an abandoned mine might be because of my unconscious worries toward the city and my relationship with people. Even back in Japan, where I was born and raised, I¡¯ve always felt that I was different. Yet now I¡¯m in a foreign country with different culture and customs that resides in a completely different world. Can I really blend in here perfectly? Moreover, common sense, rules, perspectives, and values all change with the changing of times. Though this world doesn¡¯t have an information network as developed as my previous world, there should still be changes across generations. Will I be able to keep up with that? If I were still young¡­ No, even when I was young, I was already out of sync with my surroundings. I hope never to say something as old-sounding as ¡®kids these days¡¯, but who can say for sure as I gradually grow older? In the past, I would have just think optimistic stuff like ¡®I¡¯ll do my best¡¯. I would fail a lot, but even then, I would just say I would do better next time and keep pushing myself. But despite my optimistic words, I never actually trusted myself. I realize that now and can say with conviction that it¡¯s impossible for me. I¡¯m carefree even when pessimistic. So I¡¯m sure my actions would invite disapproval from others. It¡¯s my fault, so I only have myself to blame, but if the duke¡¯s family were to suffer because of that, if I were to cause problem to those around me¡­ Well, I¡¯d hate that. But in society, it¡¯s not uncommon for an individual¡¯s scandal to hurt his affiliation. / please keep reading on MYB0XNOVEL.C0M A representative example would be those malicious pranks made by part time workers that regularly became talk of the internet in my past life. I don¡¯t want to repay the Jamil family¡¯s gratitude with evil. That¡¯s how I felt, so I chose my words carefully to tell them that. That was putting to waste their good will, but for some reason, the duke and the madam smiled. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m still saying this, but you really can stand on your own now even without us, can¡¯t you? So you were more adult than we ever thought.¡± [Elize] As the madam said that, her attitude changed. ¡°But this time, we won¡¯t give in. I told you that word of your deeds has already spread, right?¡¡If we can¡¯t even reward you properly for that, no one will ever want to become our retainer. The other nobles will speak ill of us as well, and our reputation will take a hit. So we have no choice but to get you to accept our offer even if you don¡¯t like it. You understand, right? After all, you know that your conduct affects the people around you.¡± [Elize] ¡°To add to that, you might have forgotten, but there is a requirement to maintain the position of a specialist. You need to report a certain amount of contributions or research progress every year. And while we do intend to look at the matter from a long-term perspective, your position will be revoked if you produce too little results. Of course, you can be stripped of your rank and expelled if you cause a scandal as well, though that will be up to my discretion. If there are more downsides than benefits, then as a noble, I will have no choice but to quickly cut our ties.¡± [Reinhart] Unrelenting and despotic, that was how one-sided Reinhart-san¡¯s words were, but while I¡¯m sure not everything they said was a lie, I know that they¡¯re saying all of that for my sake. They¡¯re doing this purely for their own benefits, so they¡¯ll cut me down if I cause a problem¡­ That¡¯s why, I don¡¯t need to worry about hurting them and should just accept their offer. They must hate having to be so forceful, and yet they¡¯re going so far just for me¡­ At this rate, I¡¯ll only be making things difficult. It¡¯s a favorable proposition for me anyway, so I might as well fold. ¡°Alright. I accept your offer to be the Jamil family¡¯s specialist.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, a soft expression appeared on the duke and the madam once again. ¡°Thank goodness. Now, we¡¯ll need you to sign a few documents. And what should we do about the field you specialize in?¡¡You seem to be doing a lot of things, so¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°In that case, please make ¡®slime research¡¯ my specialty.¡± [Ryouma] As the madam says, I¡¯ve dabbled in all sort of fields , but my focus is really in slime research. If I¡¯m to be named an expert in something, then it could only be in slimes. ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that.¡± [Elize] ¡°Is it a bad idea?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s never been a precedent, but it should be fine. Next is¡­ Oh, right, there was that topic regarding Baron Verdure¡¯s son too.¡± [Elize] Who? But then a certain face suddenly came to mind. ¡°Is this about Yurdum-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. You didn¡¯t know his family name?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I¡¯d heard he was a noble and that he came from a baron¡¯s house, but he said he wasn¡¯t qualified to name his house, so I intentionally avoided asking about it. Sorry to interrupt.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine, just ask whenever there¡¯s something bothering you. Going back to the topic, I mentioned that a Rank 2 Specialist would be given status, financial support, and, if necessary, place and manpower to conduct experiments, right?¡¡What do you think about hiring Yurdum Verdure?¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to hire someone, then someone I know like Yurdum-san would be best indeed, but doesn¡¯t he have another employer?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°About that¡­ Actually, we¡¯ll be taking care of him for awhile. His Majesty might trust him, but he was basically working as a spy, so as an apology for snooping around and keeping secrets, he¡¯s being lent to us. But of course, that¡¯s not the only reason.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhardt-san gently brought his cup of tea to his lips with a slightly tired expression. Apparently, there¡¯s been an exchange of some sort, but if they say it¡¯s fine, then it must be fine, and the king himself approved, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. In the first place, I was the one who chose to put Yurdum-san beside me despite knowing he was a spy. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯ll be working at our place for a while, but we can¡¯t just have someone we don¡¯t know besides us. Now, if we¡¯re going to just push him off to some place, I figured we might as well just have him work for you.¡± [Elize] ¡°Besides, it seems like he really wants to work with you. You treated him well, and he really did leave to train his martial arts, so if he could stay at your laundromat, then he¡¯ll be able to further hone his skills as well. Or so he says, anyway.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I see, that makes sense. In that case, I¡¯ll be glad to take him in. He has a good reputation at the store, and it¡¯ll be busy from here on, so he¡¯ll be a huge help.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Let¡¯s do that then. By the way, since he¡¯s being entrusted to us, he¡¯s not allowed to leak any information even if it¡¯s the king himself, so you don¡¯t have to worry in that regard.¡± [Elize] ¡°Once you become a specialist, your store will be treated like a ¡®workshop¡¯ or a ¡®laboratory¡¯, so be sure to use that to your advantage.¡± [Reinhart] Oh, that¡¯s something to be really grateful for. I¡¯ve always been under the protection of the duke¡¯s family, but by formally being employed as their specialist, my backing is now stronger than ever, and my trustworthiness is also much higher. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Likewise, after all, we¡¯ll be getting your knowledge in exchange. In fact, you should be demanding more from us.¡± [Reinhart] So they say, but I really can¡¯t think of anything. ¡°Well¡­ There¡¯s currently a shortage of lumber, especially firewood¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ve already requested for as much help as possible from the neighboring cities. Our families¡¯ dimension mages are also helping with the communication and transport, so supplies should arrive soon. But that¡¯s not for yourself, is it? That¡¯s for the city.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°But I can¡¯t think of anything other than that right now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be now. Just say it when you need something. You said so much about being selfish, but you¡¯re always thinking about others.¡± [Elize] This time it was their turn to look at me with astonishment, but really, there wasn¡¯t any contradiction between my actions and my selfishness. ¡°It¡¯s precisely because I¡¯m selfish that I¡¯m like this. In the same way that a real bad person won¡¯t look like a bad person from a glance, a selfish person won¡¯t appear selfish right away. After all, people would distance themselves from someone selfish, and that won¡¯t lead to any benefits in the long term. It¡¯s more efficient to act altruistic on the surface to get the most benefits.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say, and you¡¯re not wrong, but¡­¡± [Reinhart] ¡°In the end, you¡¯re just working for other¡¯s sake.¡± [Elize] The duke and the madam looked at me like two people watching over a child, then a few seconds later, we burst out laughing. That continued for awhile before we started ironing out more of the details, and before long, the night peacefully passed¡­ Chapter 268.1 - Events After III (1/4) The next day. ¡°Shall we?¡± [Reinhart] Last night I was officially appointed as the specialist of the Jamil House. Today, I will be accompanying Reinhart-san and the madam to inspect the city. As we got up the carriage and sat ourselves in its comfy seats, the servant outside gently closed the door, and the carriage departed. We chatted idly along the way, but both the duke and his wife were focused on watching the city through the windows. Though they weren¡¯t obvious about it and maintained an elegant posture while sitting, it was clear that they were examining the atmosphere and circumstance of the city from the corner of their vision. ¡°My¡­¡± [Elize] ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Reinhart] The madam let out a voice, and Reinhart-san immediately responded. But just as quickly, she shook her head. ¡°There was someone dressed like the security company¡¯s staff just around the corner, but the people around him seemed quite favorable toward him.¡± [Elize] ¡°He¡¯s probably someone who served in the fire brigade.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, you mean those people that extinguished the fires with those fire-resistant equipment of yours?. I see, no wonder.¡± [Elize] Please Keep reading 0n MYB0XN0VEL(.)C0M Those people were the talk of the town right now. People would approach them even when they were just walking around, and when they went out for drinks, the bar staff and the customers would buy them a drink. There were even people that offered them their daughters for marriage. They were the people that risked their lives to save the people by throwing themselves into the flames. They might have had magic-enhanced fire-resistant equipment on, but there was no denying that they still risked their lives. So it¡¯s no wonder that the people they rescued and the people of the city are so grateful. ¡­Honestly, when I drafted the original proposal for the fire brigade and the fire resistant equipment, I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually have to deal with a fire ourselves. I¡¯m just a beginner at firefighting, after all. I referred to the fire brigade in my previous life to come up with the equipment, while the know-hows, I learned from a former fire officer when I was forced to join a youth group in the community I lived in. He said something about being in the Ranger Unit or something, and he taught me some stuff, but that¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d actually be able to convince the employees of the security company ¨C many of which were laborers originally unrelated to the city ¨C to jump into the fire with such shallow knowledge and hastily made equipment, but surprisingly, they volunteered to do it themselves. As I talked about the effectiveness of the equipment and spoke about actual results and future goals, the Macho Squad spoke up, then other people started speaking up too. I was the one who came up with the equipment, but I actually ended up being the one to discourage them. Yet as trust in the equipment grew, and as more people volunteered, the craftsmen working on the equipment were enlivened, and before long, jumping into the fire became an actual option. Thanks to the activities of the fire brigade just recently, the craftsmen even started offering ideas to improve the equipment. I may have come up with the original idea due to my vague knowledge of Japan¡¯s fire brigade, but it was really the craftsmen of the city and the efforts of the firefighters that realized that idea. When I think about it that way, their current fame is simply the reward they¡¯re getting for the effort and passion they showed. Of course, the guards that have been protecting the city all this time were duly recognized too, and while people were cautious of adventurers for awhile, the honor of those that defended the city were protected as well. The Tamer Guild, the Merchant Guild, and the government office were also instrumental in dealing with the aftermath, so the people of the city were grateful to them as well. ¡°Hmm?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Did something catch your attention?¡± [Elize] ¡°No, I was just thinking how there¡¯s so many cat people here. I wonder if there¡¯s something going on?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Ah¡­ There¡¯s an inn nearby that the cat people like to frequent, so it might be because of that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? From the look you¡¯re making, you seem to be quite involved with that inn.¡± [Reinhart] I don¡¯t know what kind of face I was making, but Reinhart-san wasn¡¯t mistaken. ¡°It¡¯s under my management. We built an inn for workers with the bare minimum bedding and space. It¡¯s meant to just be a cheap place for sleep, but for some reason it became really popular with the feline beastmen.¡± [Ryouma] I referred to the Capsule Hotels ¨C that I used infrequently in my previous life ¨C for this particular inn. I¡¯m not referring to the stylish ones that started growing in popularity around the time of my passing, but the old-fashioned ones with minimal facilities. Though we did put a lot of effort into making the bedding fluffy by using the fluff of the fluff slimes and also provided soundproofing between the walls, the rooms were basically just bunk beds lined up in a small room. Honestly, they¡¯re just like small boxes, but apparently, the feline beastmen really liked how tight the rooms were. I once brought the cat-woman adventurer, Miya-san, and the tiger-woman, Mizelia-san, and the maid, Rurunez-san, to get their opinion, and they said, ¡°It¡¯s a tight fit, but it¡¯s really calming for some reason.¡± Apparently, my take on the capsule hotel was well loved by their feline sensibilities. As for the guests from other races, they just stayed there because it was cheap or because they had nowhere else to stay, so in a sense, they were actually the customers we¡¯d originally intended to target; however, as the feline beastmen kept increasing, before long, the inn had practically turned into a feline-exclusive inn. There was a capsule hotel like that nearby, so it stood to reason that there would be so many felines. ¡°I did get a brief report about the inn, but I didn¡¯t know that much about it.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s because I usually just leave the operation to my employees. At most, I might show my face from time to time, but unless there¡¯s a problem and someone contacts me, I¡¯m usually elsewhere for a different job.¡± [Ryouma] Perhaps, that¡¯s just the right level of involvement for me. After that, we continued chatting while looking out the window of the carriage to observe the town. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve already told them everything I could on the spot, but they mentioned wanting to investigate my concerns later, so we couldn¡¯t get any rest even while in the carriage. After spending some dozen minutes in the horse-drawn carriage watching the duke and his wife work, the place we arrived at was an area in the northern part of the city where a series of temporary housing units have been built. There was originally a large wholesaler here that dealt with lumber and a bunch of warehouses, but they were burned down by the fire. After a lot of back and forth between the government office and the manager, they decided to use the remaining lumber and the site to build a temporary housing area. However, it¡¯s still under construction. All the buildings in the area have already been demolished, but they still haven¡¯t finished clearing the rubble. In fact, most of the land was still covered in rubble. Clearing that would be my next job. As for Reinhart-san and the madam, they¡¯re here as members of the Jamil Ducal House to offer their sympathy. Chapter 268.2 - Events After III (2/4) There was a crowd of people outside the carriage¡¯s windows, as though they had gathered here just to welcome the duke. The crowd wasn¡¯t just made up of the people living in the temporary housing area but also of the city. ¡°I¡¯ll be going ahead to prepare.¡± [Ryouma] The duke and the madam would be standing before that crowd, so I told them that respectfully. They nodded back calmly in a manner befitting that of a noble, then gracefully exited through the open door. I wonder how the people felt when they saw the duke and his wife. Even as I pricked up my ears, I couldn¡¯t hear any cheers or jeers, just silence. But from what I could make out through the door, the crowd was entirely focused on them. As the security escorted the two nobles, I took the opportunity while the attention was on them to alight the carriage and head to my business. ¡°This way please!¡± [Government Representative] I met up with the person in charge of the place that was dispatched by the government office and inspected their progress. ¡°Where are the wagons?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are five wagons waiting along the road.¡± [Government Representative] ¡°¡®Hmm¡­ They¡¯ll only be transporting splinters of wood, but I don¡¯t think five will enough. We¡¯re planning on making building stones out of the rubble; can¡¯t we get more wagons?¡± [Ryouma] Please Keep reading 0n MYB0XN0VEL(.)C0M ¡°We could certainly request for more, but couldn¡¯t we just swap them as they finish loading? I heard you wanted to transport the lumber and the stones separately, but¡­¡± [Government Representative] ¡°The method I have in mind is different from the usual, but it¡¯s more efficient. Anyhow, I¡¯d like to have the wagons be able to line up along the rubble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I-I understand. It would be problematic if we got in the way of the traffic, and there are the traffic rules to consider as well¡­ It would take us until around the time the duke¡¯s speech ends, but we should make it in time.¡± [Government Representative] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± [Ryouma] We worked out the details after that, but the duke still wasn¡¯t back, so we examined the sequence of the operation too. ¡°H-Hey, you.¡± [???] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] A quiet voice called out to me from behind. I did notice there were some children, but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d call out to me. When I turned to the voice, I saw that there were five of them. Four of them were smaller than me, and the youngest appeared to be five years old, but just one of the boys looked to be at the age of a middle-school student. He might¡¯ve been tasked to watch over these kids. I feel like something like this happened before too, but¡­ From the angle the voice came from, it was probably the middle school kid that called out to me, but he kept glancing around him restlessly. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! Here!¡± [Kid 1] When I replied, the one that answered was the boy closest to me. He reached out his hands toward me, and on them could be found what looked to be a simple, faceless, snowman made out of two snowballs. ¡°Are you giving this to me?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! It¡¯s thanks for saving me!¡± [Kid 1] ¡°Save? Ah!?¡± [Ryouma] It was then that I realized it. This is that same kid that was kidnapped a few days ago. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve recovered since then.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°Yeah! Mom and the others were there when I woke up!¡± [Boy] ¡°This kid heard about you from his parents, and he said he wanted to thank you.¡± [Older kid] ¡°I see, thank you. In that case, I¡¯ll happily accept this¨D¨Dhuh?¡± [Ryouma] I reached out my hand to accept his present to me, but the snowman suddenly moved. I was sure of it. The boy hadn¡¯t moved the snowman; it moved on its own, or to be more precise, the snow ball on top avoided my hand. Could this be¡­ ¡°Ah, you can¡¯t do that!¡± [Boy] ¡°This one doesn¡¯t like being touched by hands.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll run away if you try to touch him directly!¡± When the children said that, I was sure of it, so I went ahead and used Monster Identify. ¡°So it¡¯s a slime!¡¡Moreover, not the ice variant, but the snow variant!¡¡That¡¯s my first time seeing one!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We found it while playing in the snow. They heard you liked slimes, so they insisted on giving this slime to you as a present.¡± [Older Kid] ¡°There¡¯s no need to look apologetic, I¡¯m really happy to receive the slime! Thank you so much!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°O-Oh¡­ You really do like slimes, huh¡­¡± [Older Kid] I thanked the older kid, who¡¯s really concerned about the surrounding people, and the kids, then I formed a contract with the Snow Slime. The snow slime is bad with heat just like the ice slimes, so I made a cold box using the rubble and my spells. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d happen into a new slime at this timing. It probably has a similar disposition as the ice slime, but I wonder what makes it different. What caused it to branch out? Surely, it¡¯s not just the humidity and the temperature. But while I was thinking that¡­ ¡°Oh?¡¡Friends?¡± [Elize] ¡°Looks like you¡¯re having fun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Oh, you¡¯re back already.¡± [Ryouma] Reinhart-san and Elize-san came back earlier than expected. The people of the city could be seen crowding behind them along with the security personnel. But the children that gave me the slime were all making a troubled face, and the oldest one among them had gone pale. ¡°*Cough, excuse me, Your Grace, I misspoke. Due to some circumstances, I ended up saving them recently, so they came here to express their gratitude. They¡¯re good children. They even gifted me a precious evolved slime. I¡¯ve yet to ascertain whether the slime could be used for anything, but it¡¯s a precious sample that will surely prove useful to my research.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fu fu, I see. To aid in Ryouma-kun¡¯s research is to aid our Jamil House, and by extension, our fief.¡± [Reinhart] Reinhart-san said with a smile. The boys too smiled, but only the oldest child bowed so many times he looked like that drinking bird toy. The duke wasn¡¯t mad, but it was better to dismiss them out of consideration for the kid¡¯s heart. Besides, now that they¡¯re here, we have work to do. ¡°Your Grace, shall we begin?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to hurry you, but¡­ If you¡¯re ready, then we can start. See to it that these kids are brought somewhere safe.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Understood! Now, children, this way please.¡± [Security] At Reinhart-san¡¯s behest, one of the security personnel courteously took the boy away. I turned to my left, and there on the road facing the rubble of the lumber store site were 10 carriages lined up. I asked the person in charge if we could begin removing the debris, and they said okay. Or to be more precise, they said they couldn¡¯t possibly make the duke wait, so we started the operation. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s start.¡± [Ryouma] Today¡¯s job is to remove the remaining rubble. I could clean everything in one go with slime magic, but I want to use a different method today. ¡°Dimension Home.¡± [Ryouma] It was that same dimension magic I¡¯ve long gotten used to, but this time, a giant, thick, transparent tentacle came out of it. Chapter 268.3 - Events After III (3/3) Chapter 268: Events After III (3/3) The crowd stirred when they saw how big it was, then the Emperor Scavenger Slime, the aggregation of 10,000 slimes, completely revealed itself. ¡°I-It¡¯s huge!¡± [Townsman 1] ¡°What a huge slime¡­¡± [Townsman 2] ¡°Mama! Look, a big slime!¡± [Child 1] ¡°Yeah. Who would¡¯ve thought there¡¯d be a slime like that too.¡± [Mother] ¡°Just where did he catch it?¡± [Townsman 3] ¡°Don¡¯t ask me. But it¡¯s that kid, so it wouldn¡¯t be odd for him to have a strange slime or two, right?¡± [Townsman 4] ¡°¡­Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡± [Townsman 3] ¡­I wonder why. Despite being surprised, they could still somehow come to terms with it. Please Keep reading 0n MYB0XN0VEL(.)C0M But anyway, I¡¯ve already accomplished half of my objectives for today. Even if the Emperor Scavenger Slime were made to fit within one¡¯s vision, it would still be a sphere with a radius of about 3 meters. A four-and-a-half-tatami room is about three meters on each side, so the length and width of the slime alone would be equivalent to about four rooms. Anyone living a normal life would never have the chance to see something like that, that¡¯s why I figured I could make an impact by showing it to them. In order to avoid future problems, I had to inform everyone that I¡¯ve already become the duke¡¯s specialist. But while there¡¯s no age requirement to be a specialist, there¡¯s still no denying the fact that I¡¯m just too young, so it wouldn¡¯t be strange for people to suspect the duke of favoritism. That¡¯s why I decided to show them one of my achievements in a way that they could ¡®easily understand¡¯ and lifted up my restriction on revealing the slime aggregation to the public. In a sense, you could call this my debut as a specialist, but of course, work is work, so I¡¯ll do it properly. Or rather, I have to do it properly since everyone is watching. ¡°I¡¯m starting now! I¡¯ll start with the lumber, so the wagon at the head, please get ready!¡± After saying that, I gave a command, and the emperor scavenger slime made itself even bigger and spread itself over the entire rubble-covered site. ¡°Slimes are known to be weak, but they can still lift or push light things up with their body. And as you can see, once they¡¯ve gotten this big, they can even lift heavy rubble or wood. Slimes do not possess any sensory organs, such as eyes or ears, but they are more than able to perceive external information and are able to distinguish between objects, so something like this¨C¡± The giant slime took rubble of all sizes into it, and in the blink of an eye, sorted them and spat them back out through its tentacles, piling up the stones used for walls and other structures near me, while the pieces of wood used for pillars and other structures were lined up on the back of a wagon. It was just like a heavy machine with a conveyor belt. This world has magic, but I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not normal to be able to remove rubble with this much efficiency. That¡¯s why the coachmen that thought their turn wouldn¡¯t come any time soon started to panic. I do feel a bit sorry for them, but I¡¯m going to speed up even more. I linked my senses with the emperor slime¡¯s, then while accurately grasping the position and state of the gathered rubble, I used earth magic. ¡°¡®Create Block¡¯.¡± [Ryouma] As the great number of rubble were transformed into blocks of a fixed size, the emperor slime took them into its body. ¡°We will be working with the building stones at the same time, so please be ready to accept them!¡± As the mountain of rubble was cleared, the next rubble was prepared right away and was turned into more building stones, quickly filling up the wagons with fragments of wood and building stones alike, while the former site of the lumber wholesaler vanished right before everyone¡¯s eyes. I¡¯m sure it must feel good watching all that, and in fact, the commotion of the crowd gradually turned into a cheer. One hour later. ¡°Fuu¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Ryouma-kun.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°You must be exhausted. Here, have a drink.¡± [Elize] ¡°Thank you. I wasn¡¯t that exhausted physically and didn¡¯t use much mana either, but as expected, it was nerve-wrecking. That really was quite a crowd, after all.¡± [Ryouma] According to the briefing I received before the operation, there were debris equivalent to two large buildings remaining, but the work took us about just thirty minutes. Unfortunately, there was a shortage of carriages for transport, so there was another 30-minute wait. It was really hard for me then because the crowd kept looking at me during the whole time. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s because I¡¯ve officially become the duke¡¯s specialist, but the way everyone looked at me was clearly different. They did not have a bad impression of me and were not hostile or antagonistic, but being stared at by them made me feel uneasy¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but it¡¯s only for today, so I hope you do your best.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°It¡¯s alright since I know it¡¯ll prevent later trouble.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You don¡¯t have to be that worked up. More importantly, make sure to eat properly and let¡¯s do our best in the afternoon too. The store we¡¯ll be going to next is under your administration too, right?¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes, but are you really going?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s almost lunchtime, so they would be having their meal outside today, but¡­ I thought for sure we¡¯d be eating at a luxury restaurant like the place Orest-san and I went to. Instead, they actually want to visit the affordable restaurant, A Working-Man¡¯s Friend, that I invested into. As the name suggests, it¡¯s an affordable restaurant that¡¯s light on the wallet but heavy for the stomach. The food isn¡¯t bad by any means, but it¡¯s not a store a noble, not to mention a duke, would go to. ¡°This is part of our inspection too. After all, it¡¯s important that we see for ourselves the kind of food that the populace normally eat.¡± [Elize] ¡°Besides, we¡¯ve also worked as adventurers for a time, so we used to frequent the town¡¯s taverns.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Come to think of it, I did hear something like that before.¡± [Ryouma] The people of the Jamil people sure are friendly despite being nobles. Maybe that¡¯s why they don¡¯t really feel like a noble despite being one. ¡°That¡¯s right. I told you before that our family has a tradition of sending our kin to travel by themselves when they¡¯re old enough, right?¡¡That¡¯s to make them understand the people¡¯s way of life. After all, history is littered with stories of people has staging an armed uprising because their leader couldn¡¯t understand them well enough.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Besides, what would the people think if we were to eat at a luxury restaurant while the town is struggling? They might be able to understand it in their head, but there are sure to be people who won¡¯t be able to accept it emotionally.¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Besides, nobles don¡¯t want to eat luxurious food all the time. Sometimes, we want to take our time enjoying the taste too. So, at times like these, we can just go to a normal store. By the way, what¡¯s that restaurant¡¯s best seller?¡± [Elize] ¡°Hmm¡­ Personally, I¡¯d recommend the Sprint Rabbit Meat and Potato Stew, the Potato Salad, the Goblin Grass and Eggs, and the Stir-Fry with Sausage and Tofu. What do you think?¡± [Ryouma] We place an emphasis on low prices, but you can¡¯t actually run a business just by lowering the price and ignoring profit. There are a lot of other restaurants too. If we sell the same food as them but just at a lower price, we¡¯ll only end up causing trouble for them, so we tried to differentiate ourselves by relying on uncommon ingredients to allow us to cut prices. Ah, but of course, the ingredients are still edible and legal. For example, Goblin Grass is a bitter-melon-like plant about the size of an okra. It tastes like bitter melon and has a strong bitter taste, so not a lot of people like to eat it despite being edible. It¡¯s called Goblin Grass maybe because of its nutritional value, or maybe because it¡¯s a simple food, or maybe just because goblins like to eat it. People also say that eating it revitalizes oneself, so it could be that too¡­ This isn¡¯t very child-friendly, but apparently, people use the term to refer to a goblin¡¯s ¡®thing¡¯. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve had plenty of that during my days as an adventurer, I¡¯ll be fine. The taste would depend on the dish, though.¡± [Elize] ¡°Personalty, I¡¯m more curious about the tofu. What is that?¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Tofu is processed soy food. You make it by grinding soybeans to get the juice, then adding a coagulant to make it harden. I learned how to make it back at Fatma.¡± [Ryouma] By learning to make tofu, not only can I use soybeans as is, I can now also make tofu, okara (bean curd), and soybean flour as well. They had soy sauce used for fish back there, so a Japanese transmigrator might have visited in the past. ¡°¡­I see your trip to Fatma was a fruitful one.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°Hmm? Yes, it was a good experience.¡± [Ryouma] I was wondering what was up since he suddenly changed the topic, but Reinhart-san was looking at me with a fatherly smile. ¡°Umm, did I say something strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°None at all. I just thought that it¡¯s best for you to be that way.¡± [Reinhart] ¡°I think so too.¡± [Elize] I had no idea what he was talking about, but apparently, the madam got it. ¡°Ryouma-kun, you might not realize it yourself, and perhaps it¡¯s not as much as when you¡¯re talking about your slimes, but whenever you talk about the things you¡¯ve seen or the knowledge you¡¯ve gained, you always look like you¡¯re having so much fun.¡± [Elize] ¡°Well, I certainly do enjoy trying out various things and experimenting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And that¡¯s okay. See as much of this world and learn as much as you want. In the end, I¡¯m sure that¡¯ll be to your benefit, and consequently, to ours as well.¡± [Elize] ¡°Yes¡­ Oh, we¡¯re here already.¡± [Ryouma] As the carriage gradually slowed down, merry voices could be heard from outside. Apparently, the restaurant was quite busy at lunch. When I peeked through the window, there was a line of customers waiting outside the restaurant. The crowded restaurant was full of smiling people. This town and its people have once been wounded gravely, yet despite that, the people continue to walk forward. Whether it was in the business districts or the temporary housing area, not one person could be found crying by the wayside. Everyone was fighting in their own way to get back their lives for the sake of tomorrow. It probably won¡¯t take long for this town to go back to how it once was. I¡¯m not a god, so I can¡¯t see the future, but that¡¯s how I feel. ¡­If living how I please ends up helping the town and everyone else, and if I can keep at that, then I¡¯m sure that nothing would make me happier. So, I sincerely hope, today and forevermore, that I would be able to keep walking with everyone in this life of mine. Chapter 269.1 - The End is the Beginning (1/2) Chapter 269: The End is the Beginning (1/2) After the duke and his wife visited the town, the reconstruction of the town started to gather speed. Supplies gradually started arriving at Gimuru, and by the time the month was at its end, the harsh winter finally stopped, and the snow that have been piled up on an almost daily basis melted, enlivening the traffic that had begun to stagnate, restoring the distribution of goods. By then, there was little need for me to help with the reconstruction, so I went ahead with the procedures to transfer ownership while accepting subjugation requests that I could complete near the town. As originally planned, I gave up the security company, so that the duke¡¯s family could take over its management. Almost half of the hired personnel would return to their hometown with their wages, while the remaining half would either be employed by the duke¡¯s family or be introduced to a new job. The hospital attached to the security company would also be entrusted to the duke, but its management would still be under us to provide a place of operation for the medical workers whose workplace was damaged. Since they will be interacting with Dr. Mafral and the four residents and will also be studying while they do their work, the hospital was well on its way to resembling a university hospital. As for the Bamboo Forest laundromat, I still hold the rights to it, but I¡¯ve given my old position of being a manager to Carm-san. The laundromat¡¯s management will be fully entrusted to him, so from now on, I¡¯m just the owner, though at the same time, I will also be the head of the newly established ¡®Sales Department¡¯. As the Sales Department Head, my job is to travel to different cities and find new locations for branch stores, as well as to come up with ways on how to increase our customers. ¡­Honestly, the job is really just me going around towns while doing my adventurer work, and then reporting to Carm-san when I get back about any places with potential or ideas I might have come up with. The change in my position is really just meant to give myself more freedom, so there¡¯s no actual change in how I do things. We¡¯ve dabbled in other businesses, such as the Garbage Processing Plant, a construction-related business, a restaurant, and even a hotel, so we hired people to manage those as well. There were a lot of managers that lost their stores because of the recent incident, so we were able to have our pick. As the saying goes, ¡®out of evil comes good¡­¡¯ It¡¯s not exactly appropriate to be quoting that, but I think all parties ended up benefiting from this arrangement. My trustworthiness has gone up since becoming a specialist of the duke, and a lot of people applied. In fact, the people that applied were not limited to just the managers. The employees from their stores applied too, and the monster tamers affiliated with the security company and the tamer guild applied as well. The interviews were a bigger hassle than the process, but thanks to all the applicants, we were able to find someone to take care of the stores that were barely just getting by; we were also able to increase the number of employees at the laundromat. Incidentally, we are also training new employees for the ¡°Accounting Department¡±, the ¡°Customer Service Department¡±, the ¡°Security Department¡±, and the ¡°Slime Management Department¡±. Many of the people we hired in this round of recruitment have experience in management and customer service, so some of them were skilled off the bat, and teaching them didn¡¯t pose any difficulties. Moreover, the people we put in charge of teaching the new hires were the people from the head office at Gimuru and the three former slime researchers that were hired as branch manager candidates. The Renauph branch store called at just the right time to inform us that the manager candidates have completed their training and could be entrusted with a store, so we had them come back to manage a branch while also entrusting them with some of the new employees. Under their supervision, the new employees would learn our stores¡¯ ways, and once Carm-san has judged them trustworthy, those that could be entrusted with a branch will appear as well. But of course, we won¡¯t be forcing anything on them. If they just want to make enough to rebuild their lost store, or to maintain their livelihood, or to go independent, well, that¡¯s up to them. As long as they don¡¯t intentionally damage the store, or hurt the employees, or steal the cleaner slimes, they can do whatever they want. As for the funding, I became the duke¡¯s specialist, so we¡¯ll be getting funds from my research budget, and there¡¯s also the compensation from the ownership transfer. Though the funds won¡¯t be given in one lump sum, it¡¯ll still be bigger than all our expenses so far, so there¡¯s plenty of money to go around. Of course, that doesn¡¯t mean we can be complacent, but at the very least, we won¡¯t have to worry about funding anytime soon. ¡­¡­After spending two months like that, it was time to start devoting myself to my adventurer work. By relying on long-distance teleportation that utilized the Rimel Birds and my familiars as landmarks, I could take on whatever quest I wanted. Some subjugation quests required multiple people to be accepted, so I had to form a temporary party for those. I just picked whoever was free, but even then, the most common party members were Fei-san and Yurdum-san since they were both my employees and possessed adventurer qualifications. Next most common would be the delinquent adventurers that I¡¯ve kept in touch with. Though for jobs near the town, I would sometimes party with Miya-san¡¯s group. Anyhow, I spent my days like that, just single-mindedly working on my rank, and after three months, at long last¡­ ¡°We have confirmed the completion of the quest. With this, you have passed the promotion exam and have become a C Rank adventurer. Congratulations, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Clerk] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] During one of my travels, I met the conditions for a promotion exam, so I took the exam, passed, and finally became a C Rank adventurer. Chapter 269.2 - The End is the Beginning (2/2) Unfortunately, my promotion caused some problems as well. ¡°Just to be sure, this promotion went through the proper process and is a fair decision made by the Adventurers Guild, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. You completed your quests, and while there were a lot of monster and bandit subjugation quests among those, you achieved greater results than required. You also completed the first examination recently, and by completing the second examination today, your promotion was determined to be justified. As for the recent incident, we deeply apologize¨D¨D¡± [Female Receptionist] ¡°I¡¯m not looking for an apology. After all, it¡¯s not hard to see why you¡¯d doubt me, but there¡¯s also no denying that I was irresponsibly labeled as dishonest and this guild even brought forward talks of holding me in custody or removing my adventurer qualifications. It would be problematic for me if you found fault with me after my promotion, so just know that if it comes to that, I will have no choice but to rely on the authority of the duke to protect myself. For both our sake, allow me to make it clear that right now I have no intention of suing anyone here.¡± [Ryouma] I ended up cutting off the words of the receptionist girl, who was currently bowing to me with a pale face, but when the other staff and adventurers saw what was happening, they became relieved. Thanks to that, the air that had been tense since coming here loosened up a little. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll go ahead and update your guild card. Please wait a moment.¡± [Female Receptionist] The receptionist in charge took my card and went inside. There wouldn¡¯t be anything to do for awhile, so I looked around me. ¡°!¡± [Adventurer 1] ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with the atmosphere? Did that brat cause trouble¨D¨D¡± [Adventurer 2] ¡°Don¡¯t run your mouth irresponsibly, stupid.¡± [Adventurer 3] Save for the people that didn¡¯t know what happened when I came to this branch for the first time, most of the people looked away when I glanced around me. If I were to sum up the circumstances that led to this situation¡­ I¡¯ve been working as hard as I could to get a promotion, but the number of quests I completed and the rate at which I completed them often led to the receptionist desk suspecting me of cheating. People would eavesdrop and become involved. Some would be a problem right there and then, while others would only became a problem later, but regardless, I would have to deal with them by force. This time around, I got into trouble with a slightly???? stubborn guild master and a nasty examiner that he supported. The rest of the story was more or less the same, but it ended up becoming a much bigger story this time because they used the first part of the promotion exam to try and humiliate me, saying, ¡®if you¡¯re so good, then prove it.¡¯ I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d end up in such a stereotypical situation this late into my new life in this world, but this has actually happened many times already since I started doing my best to rank up. As for exactly how many times¡­¡¡It should be yet to reach the two digits inside the guild??????. So, about 8 times, I reckon. It happens quite a lot recently, after all. Honestly, as much as it sucks, since I don¡¯t start the fights and don¡¯t need to solve the issue peacefully, it¡¯s actually exhilarating most of the time. Moreover, this stuff only happens when I¡¯m at a place where I¡¯m not known. It¡¯s not something that happens in Gimuru or in its vicinity. In fact, people have even started to call me ¡®Cleaner ¡® these days. I¡¯d heard that when someone becomes famous, people would sometimes start calling them by a second name based off their appearance or the things they do. In my case, I owe my second name to my frequent undertaking of cleaning quests because of my laundromat. However, the adventurers and guild officials that know about my combat abilities and achievements in subjugation quests mean something else when they call me by that name: ¡®a cleaner that rids the world of monsters and bandits¡¯. It¡¯s a bit embarrassing, but it¡¯s proof that they¡¯ve acknowledged my abilities. When I look at it that way, I could say that things are going well for me right now. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Female Receptionist] The female receptionist came back and gave me back my guild card¡­ I don¡¯t think they¡¯d give me a fake and risk being arrested for forgery, but I checked it just in case. Well, it at least looks alright from a cursory glance, but then again, if they really had a plot like that going on, it wouldn¡¯t make sense if I could see through it with a glance. ¡°Umm, is there something you¡¯re dissatisfied with?¡± [Female Receptionist] ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m just reflecting on how I¡¯m finally a C Rank adventurer. Thank you for your help. I¡¯ll be excusing myself now.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not keeping any grudges and I¡¯m not looking for an apology, but I don¡¯t trust them, so I had my guard up just in case. The receptionist was nervous because of that, but I just thanked her and left the guild. I used Dimension Magic to teleport to the city gate, then teleported again to a place I¡¯d sent my rimel birds to ahead of time. ¡°Oh? We¡¯re near the next city already? The rimel birds got pretty far, huh. They¡¯re fast as expected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºPirororororo¡» I was currently halfway up a tall rocky mountain. As I looked past the dreary mountain road beyond the steep cliff to gaze at the outer city walls, the rimel birds cried out in a high pitch tone as though to say, ¡®how¡¯s that?¡¯ Honestly, their mobility was really something. From what I¡¯ve heard, the next town is at the westernmost part of this country, making it a border city. Moreover, the path to it is an arduous road consisting of three mountains that greatly differed in elevation, causing travel time on land to take three days even when hurrying. The rimel birds could ignore the terrain by flying, so it¡¯s understandable that they would move faster, but it¡¯s only been a few hours since I sent them yet they already traveled enough distance to cover what would otherwise be a three day¡¯s trip. They¡¯re really a huge help for times when I¡¯m in a hurry, like when I¡¯m trying to raise my rank. If it¡¯s like this, then even if those people had sent people after me, I would have still shaken them off. Moreover, I¡¯m actually close enough now that I could take my time walking and still make it to the westernmost town, Teressa, before sunset. There were some trouble, but by finally succeeding in becoming a C Rank Adventurer, the Great Forest was now just a breath away. Alright! I¡¯m gonna give it my all! Chapter 270.1 - Reunion and Meeting (1/2) I spent several hours walking along the mountain road while taking in the bleak scenery. Just when I was starting to get tired of the rocky and dreary landscape, I arrived at the town of Teressa. I¡¯ll probably be staying the night here. The only question is whether to get lodging or sleep in the dimension home. The space inside my Dimension Home now has a house and a garden thanks to my slimes and my efforts expanding it daily. That¡¯s why it¡¯s actually better for me to stay there inside of some poor hotel. But then again, I am on a trip, so it might not be such a bad idea to stay at a local inn¡­ I¡¯ll try walking around for awhile. It wouldn¡¯t be too late to have a meal somewhere first before deciding, so I entered the town, but after walking around aimlessly for awhile, a carriage caught my attention. ¡°Hmm?¡¡Is that¡­¡± [Ryouma] The inn seemed expensive, and beside it was a parking lot just for carriages. There was a tall steel fence demarcating the lot from the road I was at, so I thought I might¡¯ve been mistaken, so I approached, but it turned out, I was right. On the side of the carriage was the crest of the Jamil House. Moreover, it was a different one from the one I rode recently. I think it¡¯s the same carriage as the one I got on when I first left the Forest of Gana. But why would it be here?¡¡If I recall correctly, Sebasu-san put it inside his Dimension Home. Does that mean that Sebasu-san is here?¡¡But then again, it is the house¡¯s carriage, so it could be someone else¡ª! ¡°Oh, so you noticed.¡± [???] I sensed someone approaching from behind, so I turned around only to find a bespectacled brown-skinned woman with shoulder-length silver hair fluttering in the wind. She stood there with a smile on her face. She was just 3 meters away from me, but I didn¡¯t notice her until now. ¡°You have a pretty good intuition, don¡¯t you?¡± [???] ¡°¡­And who would you be?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, wary, aren¡¯t we? I¡¯m sorry, it looks like I spooked you a bit. You were looking at that carriage so intently that I couldn¡¯t help but wonder what you were doing, then I got the urge to tease you a little.¡± [???] Well, I certainly don¡¯t feel any hostility from her¡­ ¡°Remilie-sama, so this is where you were.¡± [Man] A familiar male voice called out from behind. When I turned to it¡­ ¡°Lunch has been prepared¡ª Oh?¡¡Ryouma-sama?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Sebasu-san!¡±¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh?¡¡You know Sebasu-chan?¡± [Remilie] Sebasu-chan?¡¡He called out to her just now too, didn¡¯t he? ¡­Looks like this woman is an acquaintance of his as well. In that case, it¡¯s probably fine. ¡°Remilie-sama, this boy is a friend of ours, though I certainly didn¡¯t expect to reunite with him here.¡± [Sebas] ¡°Friend?¡¡And by ¡®our¡¯, I suppose he¡¯s not your friend alone. Reinbach¡¯s as well?¡¡Wow¡­¡± [Remilie] So, she really wasn¡¯t anyone harmful, but just who is she? ¡¡She appears young, probably somewhere in her twenties, perhaps even in her late teens. but she referred to both Sebasu-san and Reinbach-sama with a chan. Her background is unknown¡­ But now that I¡¯ve gotten a better look at her, I must say that she¡¯s quite the beauty. She¡¯s taller than me right now, but she might be on the smaller side of adult women.¡¡The robe she wore was opened in the front, so I could tell she had a good figure too. Despite her height, she had plenty to boast when it came to her chest, and she had a slender waist as well. She had a figure akin to those of the gravure idols back on Earth. She looks healthy, but her body doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s been trained for combat, so she probably doesn¡¯t fight with a weapon. However, she¡¯s light on her foot. ¡°Sorry to scare you earlier. I¡¯m Remilie Clemmis, a wizard.¡± ¡°My apologies as well for the delayed introduction. I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sure the two of you have a lot to ask, but how about we take this discussion elsewhere for now?¡± [Sebas] ¡°Right. Are you fine with that, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Sebasu-san is here, so I¡¯ll tag along for now. But why would Sebasu-san be at a place like this?¡¡Ah, but if Reinbach-sama is here, then maybe he¡¯s just tagging along. Sebasu-san led us to a room in the inn. Sebasu-san was about to knock on the door, but Remilie-san went ahead and opened it herself, pulling me into the room as she entered. ¡°Reinbach-chan, you have a guest.¡± [Remilie] ¡°W-Wait a sec, ah, it¡¯s been a while.¡± [Ryouma] I saw Reinbach-sama as soon as we entered the room. He looked as lively as ever, so despite my confusion, I greeted him. There was another man of the same generation with Reinbach-sama. They must¡¯ve been chatting while unwinding on the sofa. Their eyes twinkled at our sudden entry. ¡°Ryouma-kun?¡¡You¡¯ve grown since we parted at Gimuru. But how come you¡¯re here?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I just happened to pass by for my training. I happened to see your house¡¯s carriage and was surprised, then¡­¡± [Ryouma] I found myself turning to Remilie-san, and Reinbach-sama and the other man too turned to her, so she gave a brief explanation. ¡°I brought him here since Reinbach-chan seemed to know him.¡± [Remilie] But of course, that wouldn¡¯t actually be enough of an explanation, so after introducing ourselves, we explained the relationship between myself and Reinbach-sama, and they also explained why they were here. Apparently, Reinbach-sama was in the middle of a trip with his friend, and as expected, Sebasu-san was just accompanying them. ¡°By the way, I heard about what happened at the end of the year. I am truly sorry that you had to deal with my mess, but I¡¯m nonetheless grateful that you were able to take care of it. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for cooperating with my son and his wife.¡± [Reinbach] There was a deep sadness and pain when he mentioned his mess, but he was full of gratitude when he thanked me. I couldn¡¯t possibly understand just how much that matter weighed on him, but I¡¯m sure he must have worried about it a lot. He has already passed his position onto his son and retired, so the present head, Reinhart-san, had to be the one to deal with the matter. No matter the root cause or circumstances involved, if Reinbach-sama made a move, rumors would have surely spread among the noble of Reinhart-san¡¯s incompetency. I¡¯m sure that as a parent, Reinbach-sama wouldn¡¯t want for his son¡¯s reputation to decline, and it would also be terrible for the duke¡¯s family in the long run. That¡¯s why Reinbach-sama couldn¡¯t make an appearance himself. Though it appears that he¡¯s been helping as much as he could behind the scenes. Chapter 270.2 - Reunion and Meeting (2/2) Chapter 270: Reunion and Meeting (2/2) ¡°Likewise. It was only thanks to all the groundwork you laid out that the reconstruction of the city could proceed so smoothly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear that, but it wasn¡¯t just me. These two helped out too. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, so I knew they could be trusted, and they also have quite the reputation themselves, so they could act in my stead.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see¡­ Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Reinbach-chan is going to be helping me too as payment anyway.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s a knight¡¯s duty to help others. All the more so when it¡¯s a friend.¡± [Schieber] The ones that responded to me were Remilie-san and another man that went by the name of Schieber Gardak. Apparently, he¡¯s the ¡®former knight commander¡¯ that Reinbach-sama once jokingly recommended to be my store¡¯s guard, though I¡¯m not sure that was really just a joke. Schieber-san claims to have retired because of his age, but his physique still looked plenty strong to me. I¡¯m sure he must be skilled as well. But I can¡¯t feel any pressure from him. Though it would be problematic if I were to be intimidated in our first meeting, I¡¯ve always imagined knight commanders to carry a solemn air, so it¡¯s a bit of a letdown. As for Remilie-san, apparently, she used to be a wizard of the royal court, but what was really surprising was that she¡¯s likely to be the oldest one here, as she¡¯s actually a dark elf, a close relative to the elves that age little compared to their age. I¡¯m not sure about her age though since I didn¡¯t ask. Schieber-san almost slipped, but she glared at him with blood lust and mana, so I decided to just avoid the topic altogether. By the way, I started referring to them with a ¡®san¡¯. At first, I referred to them with a ¡®sama¡¯, but Remilie-san didn¡¯t like it, and Schieber-san said he wasn¡¯t a knight commander anymore, just a senile old fool. It wasn¡¯t exactly good manners, but since Remilie-san hated it, and Sebasu-san said it would be fine too, I decided to just call them with a ¡®san¡¯. ¡°By the way, why did you come to this town?¡¡From what I¡¯ve investigated, there¡¯s nothing really worth seeing here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­¡­ ¡°There¡¯s a labyrinth near here known as the Town of Departed Spirits. She has something she wants there, so we¡¯ll be helping her get it. That¡¯s her compensation.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Have you heard of the herb, Everlasting Darkness?¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s a herb often used as a tranquilizer or as sleep medication, but it¡¯s a difficult drug to handle because depending on the amount used, it can also be a poison that would make people hallucinate or suffer.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re well informed, I see, but the Everlasting Darkness isn¡¯t just a medicine.¡± [Remilie] As she said that, she held out a black staff. ¡°This staff was created at a dark elf village using wood that dipped in the broth of Everlasting Darkness and dried many times. Wood treated in that manner makes it much easier to use dark magic.¡± {Remilie] ¡°Wow¡­ Are you sure it¡¯s okay to be telling me that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind, and it¡¯s really nothing that amazing since it¡¯s just soaking the wood. Anyone with Everlasting Darkness would do it back at home.¡± [Remilie] I thought it was a secret technique or something, but it looks like that¡¯s not the case. ¡°This staff was given to me when I became an adult, and I have been maintaining it, but as expected, it¡¯s almost at its limit.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see, so you¡¯re looking for Everlasting Darkness to build a new staff.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly.¡± [Remilie] ¡°How about you, Ryouma-kun? Why are you here? I was sure you¡¯d be somewhere working near Gimuru.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Actually, I¡¯m also looking for the Everlasting Darkness from the Town of Departed Spirits.¡± [Ryouma] Though I mentioned earlier that it was mostly used as a tranquilizer, there were other ways to use it too. Personally, I wanted to use it to make a bug repellent. The Great Forest of Shurus that I¡¯m headed to is, as the name implies, full of trees. In other words, a hot and humid environment, where insects and monsters lurk at every corner. Traveling there would require an effective insect repellent, and one of the materials to that end is Everlasting Darkness herb. Moreover, the Town of Departed Spirits was also crawling with undead. The Great Forest might not particularly be full of undead, but the adventurers that die in it could turn into one and start wandering, so this trip is also meant to be training to help me deal with those. ¡°Hmm, to go to the village inside the Great Shurus Forest, huh¡­¡± {Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s true you¡¯ll need an insect repellent and a way to deal with the undead to go there.¡± [Remilie] When I explained that, the two understood and deeply nodded. ¡°Yes. I can use light magic, but I¡¯ve yet to experience fighting undead that have no form, so I was hoping to gather experience at the Town of Departed Spirits.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? You can use light magic?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes. But I¡¯ve only learned two spells: the beginner spell, Light Ball, and the anti-undead defensive spell, Holy Curtain.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s plenty brilliant considering your age, but just that would make it problematic if you were to happen into a horde of undead. At the very least, you should learn intermediate light magic too.¡± [Schieber] ¡°In that case, how about I teach you a little about intermediate light magic? Reinbach-chan seems to like you, and if you¡¯re talented enough to notice me even while under the effects of Hide, then you should be able to learn quickly too. Besides, we¡¯re heading to the same place and have the same objective, so We can go together?¡± [Remilie] Well, I¡¯m grateful, but¡­ Hide?¡¡That wasn¡¯t on the magic books I got before, but from the name, it¡¯s clearly a spell meant to conceal oneself. If she¡¯s saying she¡¯s used that, then¡­ ¡°Could it be that you used that when we met for the first time?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s an intermediate dark magic that makes it harder to sense your presence. It doesn¡¯t make you vanish, though, so it¡¯s not that convenient and isn¡¯t popular.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Remilie-sama is an expert at both dark and light magic and is said to be a brilliant mage even among the royal court magicians. It¡¯s not easy to meet a mage more skilled than her.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Her personality can be problematic, but her skill is the real deal.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°That¡¯s rude¡­ There¡¯s nothing wrong with my personality.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Well, maybe it¡¯s a good personality.¡± [Schieber] Reinbach-sama and Schieber-san looked at Remilie-san doubtfully, while Sebasu just remained beside Reinbach-sama, unconcerned. I¡¯d be glad if he could teach me about light magic, but is that really fine? ¡°You¡¯ve already met, so you¡¯ll suffer regardless if she teaches you or not, so Ryouma-kun, I suggest you just have her teach you.¡± [Schieber] What does that mean?¡¡It¡¯s a bit concerning, but it would be a waste to let this rare opportunity go. ¡°It would be my honor to have you instruct me in the ways of light magic. Please teach me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, it¡¯s decided then!¡¡It won¡¯t be for long, but we¡¯ll be master and disciple, so call me master.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Master? Very well¨D¨D¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can also just call me ¡®onee-chan¡¯.¡± [Remilie] When I was about to tell her that I understood, an unexpected proposal came. It was embarrassing, so I refused. ¡°I¡¯ll just stick to master.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Eh, it¡¯ll affect my motivation, though.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san said with evident displeasure. ¡°You were the one who asked him to call you master.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be exhausting dealing with Remilie, but you¡¯ll just have to ignore her antics or let them pass. Good luck.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-sama, Remilie-sama¡¯s skill is the real thing, so please be at ease.¡± [Sebasu] How should I put it¡­ Remilie-san strikes me as a really free person. Reinbach-sama suggested one more thing. ¡°Oh, right, Ryouma-kun. How about showing us how you fight?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Okay. Do you mean when we fight at the Town of Departed Spirits?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s that too, but how about sparring once with Schieber over here.¡± [Reinbach] With the former knight commander!?¡¡Schieber-san was surprised too, and he even asked Reinbach-sama what he was thinking even before I could ask myself, and apparently, Reinbach-sama wanted to see my abilities before I went to the Great Shurus Forest. I was also meeting Schieber-san for the first time, and he used to be the knight commander, so he should be able to objectively appraise my abilities. When Reinbach-sama explained it in that way, Schieber-san agreed to the spar, though it seems he was just surprised to hear him suggest that out of the blue and wasn¡¯t particularly planning on refusing it in the first place. Schieber-san also mentioned that he would be able to better gauge my abilities if I had no idea about his strength beforehand. Though it was certainly good to gather information and be prepared before a fight, that wasn¡¯t good enough to survive in situations where one couldn¡¯t prepare in advance, so we decided to just have the spar right away. As such, I went ahead with Sebasu-san to go outside the town to a place where we could spar. Unlike me, who just arrived, Schieber-san didn¡¯t have any weapons or armor on him, so he had to prepare first. The place we went to was an unremarkable rocky area. If it¡¯s here, then we won¡¯t have to worry about our surroundings. Sebasu-san teleported away to bring Schieber-san and the others over, so in the meantime, I started preparing¡­ My opponent is the former knight commander, so he¡¯s bound to be strong. This whole thing came abruptly, but I¡¯ll have to do my best so Reinbach-sama and the others won¡¯t worry. Chapter 271.1 - Trial of Strength (1/2) After Sebasu and Ryouma left the inn, Remilie asked. ¡°Reinbach-chan, how strong is that kid?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Honestly, I have no idea. I¡¯ve seen him train and use magic many times, but I¡¯ve never seen him fight in person. Though by the time we met, he¡¯s already killed bandits. I hear he¡¯s also killed the assassins sent by the Dark Guild in the last incident. He¡¯s definitely capable, but I don¡¯t know to what extent. That¡¯s why I want Schieber to test him.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see¡­ By the way, Remilie.¡± [Schieber] ¡°What is it?¡± [Remilie] ¡°About what you were talking about earlier regarding magic. Did he notice you on his own?¡¡You didn¡¯t let him?¡± [Remilie] A questionable smile appeared on Remilie. ¡°Concerned?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Of course, I am. You¡¯ve always messed around with the castle guards????OP by slipping past them.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I wasn¡¯t messing around. Those were unannounced security drills. Erias-chan gave the order too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s true, but it was a huge headache for the people in charge of the security. The Royal Court Mage Chief, the elite knights and guards, and me¡­ Because of you we always had to rack our heads. It¡¯s true that your efforts contributed to the strengthening of the security, but it makes me want to grumble every time I think back to those days.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Well, it¡¯s water under the bridge, so just forget it already. I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d be noticed either. I sneaked up behind him and was just about to hug him when he suddenly noticed me. With how wary he was afterwards, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call him paranoid. He was much more relaxed once he met Sebasu-chan and spoke with Reinbach-chan. Perhaps, deep down inside, he¡¯s distrustful of people.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Your eyes are as sharp as usual¡­ I didn¡¯t hear about the details, but it seems he didn¡¯t have a good childhood. When we first met, he was hidden in the depths of the forest away from human civilization. He had conduct and speech unbefitting his age, and he gave the impression that he was tired of life. He seems more cheerful now than before, though.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Hmm¡­ He must have had his share of troubles too. I shouldn¡¯t see him as a child then. As for the rest, I¡¯ll figure that out while fighting.¡± [Schieber] Schieber quickly went to his room and started preparing for the duel. His loadout included the halberd that he¡¯s been using since his days in service and a heavy armor set purchased after his retirement. The set was heavy and difficult to equip, but he was able to quickly put everything on, then he reached out for his halberd and confirmed the sensation in his hand, he muttered to himself. ¡°Or so I said, but¡­ I really hate how old this body has gotten.¡± [Schieber] He could swing his favorite spear as though it were an extension of his body, but as he aged, it gradually grew heavier and heavier. Before long, he couldn¡¯t swing it like before without the assistance of ki, and even his techniques gradually lost their brilliance. The people around him would frequently tell him that he wasn¡¯t old yet and that he could still do a respectable job, but there was no stopping the aging of his body. Even with the support of the expectations people held for him, his sense of duty, and his will, he knew that his body was fast approaching its limits. That¡¯s why he resolved himself to raise a suitable successor, then resigned from his position as knight commander. Afterwards, he continued to struggle as much as he could against his aging body and keep his skills polished, but aging was not something that could be fought with just will. Even last night, he had to throw up when he drank. Remilie listened to his grumblings from the side and spoke. ¡°That¡¯s just how time is. Whether it¡¯s you or me¡­ We just have to accept that. Though I do think your frame of mind will allow you to age more slowly. Let your guard down, and you¡¯ll deteriorate even faster.¡± [Remilie] As expected of the long-lived dark elf, Remilie had a rather philosophical view. Schieber might have remembered that she was a dark elf though because he wryly smiled. ¡°You, a dark elf whose age is difficult to tell even for a dark elf, is telling me that?¡¡Though I don¡¯t know your exact age, I¡¯m fairly sure you¡¯re almost twice my age, yet you haven¡¯t changed one bit since the day we met. You move the same too. Even if you tell me you¡¯re aging, I don¡¯t think I can agree. I asked you before what your secret was, and you just told me that you¡¯re young at heart. Sigh¡­ This isn¡¯t really the time to be talking about this. I need to focus on my spar.¡± [Schieber] After ridding himself of his depressing thoughts, they went back. Sebasu had already returned by then, so they could teleport right away. After passing through the gates, they teleported again and arrived at that rocky area. For some reason, a part of that place had been cleanly evened out. Ryouma approached while surrounded by many slimes. ¡°Thank you for this opportunity, Schieber-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll be in your care as well. By the way, what¡¯s with the slimes and this even ground?¡± [Schieber] ¡°The slimes are my familiars, while the ground, I made level with my magic to make it suitable for a spar. I thought it would be easier for the both of us if I made the place akin to a training ground.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m grateful for that, but will your mana be alright?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Yes, I relied on the earth slimes for it.¡± [Ryouma] Schieber nodded. ¡°I see. Will you be fine with the rules of the knight order ceremony for this spar?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Umm, can you explain how that goes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re fighting one on one, so magic up till the intermediate spell will be permitted. We can fight with either weapon or magic, and we will fight until a victor is decided or one of us is knocked out. I¡¯m not fond of dirty tricks, but those that don¡¯t know about those won¡¯t be useful in real combat. Intentionally trying to kill your opponent is forbidden, of course, but anything else goes. This would be dangerous without a good healer, but fortunately, Remilie is around.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I can use healing magic up till the advanced level. That means I can reconnect your limbs even if you lose them, so you can be at ease. Oh, I¡¯ll also be putting up a simple barrier, so you don¡¯t have to worry about hurting those around you.¡± [Remilie] Ryouma was surprised but came to terms nonetheless and asked a question. ¡°About the weapon¡­¡± [Ryouma] The weapon he held twisted once before reassuming the shape of a blade. ¡°I¡¯m using a transformed slime for my weapon, is that against the rules?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A slime for a weapon, huh¡­ The goal of this spar is to see your ability, so we¡¯ll consider it a foul if you make your slime attack. It¡¯s fine if you just use it as a weapon.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] After deciding on the rules like that, Ryouma and Schieber wielded their weapons and faced each other on the stage. Sebasu stood between them and served as the referee. ¡°Fight!¡± [Sebasu] Chapter 271.2 - Trial of Strength (2/2) Chapter 271: Trial of Strength (2/2) ¡°Fu!!¡± [Ryouma] The moment the signal was given, they moved simultaneously. Schieber unleashed a sharp thrust, while Ryouma closed the distance and dodged. Schieber wasn¡¯t about to let that happen, so he swung the butt end of his halberd, forcing Ryouma to distance himself and shoot fire arrows in return. Schieber seemed to have read through that, however, as he easily avoided them while shooting back with his wind blades. Magics and weapons clashed, but this was only the prelude, neither side willing to go all out just yet. Were the spectators someone else other than the trio watching them, no one would believe that to be the case. Traces of their magic could be seen on the ground on which they fought. Metal met metal, as did magic with magic, to produce a symphony of metal and explosions. With such a fierce exchange, no one but the most experienced could see this for what it was: a gauging of skills. Ryouma and Schieber could tell from the first thrust, but any common soldier or adventurer would have surely been struck with nary a response. It was amidst such a frenzied exchange that Schieber decided to make his move. With his halberd charged with mana, he swung straight down for Ryouma¡¯s shoulder. Ryouma stepped back to dodge, but he could sense the mana behind the attack, so he jumped to the right instead. In the next moment, a whirlwind rose from Schieber¡¯s halberd, heavily scarring the ground where Ryouma once stood. ¡°So you noticed that too.¡± [Schieber] ¡°The match would have been over if I failed to pick up on the mana in your weapon just now.¡± [Ryouma] Schieber¡¯s halberd was a magic weapon imbued with the beginner spell, Wind Cutter, and the intermediate spell, Tornado Cutter. The attack just now had been weakened just enough to not kill Ryouma, but it would have still incapacitated him had it hit. The ability to perceive mana, the wisdom to judge whether that was a spell or an enchantment, and then the execution of the dodge itself. If any one was lacking, if his judgment had erred, then Ryouma wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge in time. Yet Ryouma did dodge, and spectacularly too, such that he came out uninjured. Schieber praised Ryouma to himself and renewed his focus. But that was true for Ryouma as well, and this time, it was his turn to make a move. ¡°¡®Fire Arrow¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma cast a spell and slashed with his sword. It was the same thing he¡¯d been doing until now, but right before he slashed with his sword, he cast Earth Needle without chanting. ¡°!¡± [Schieber] Ryouma had cast a spell from right in front and moved to attack where Schieber was about to dodge, yet it turned out that both were distractions, and the stone needle that quietly shot out from his feet was his aim. Schieber managed to calmly dodge the arrow and the needle, but that created a small opening. With the distance between them closed instantly, Schieber had no choice but to block Ryouma¡¯s katana with the hilt of his ki-clad halberd. In an attempt to get out of this situation, Schieber immediately cast several Wind Cutters. After stopping Ryouma, he distanced himself and released blades of wind with his halberd. It was at this point that a question appeared within Schieber. (Strange¡­ This boy is able to block my spells, but he doesn¡¯t follow up afterwards. No, he does counterattack, but there¡¯s a strange delay. His swordsmanship is excellent, and he can even cast without chanting, but there¡¯s an odd ¡®clumsiness¡¯ to his technique. I thought he was just leaving himself open to bait me, but it¡¯s too blatant for that¡­ This boy might be¡­) As their exchange continued, Schieber prodded at an opening to sound Ryouma out. (I see. It probably hasn¡¯t been long since he learned magic. His swordsmanship is amazing, but his magic appears to be self-taught. That¡¯s plenty impressive given his age, but he¡¯s lacking experience!) From this point on, Ryouma was disadvantaged. It was commonsense in this world to fight magic with magic, but magic didn¡¯t exist in Earth, and the sword that Ryouma learned did not incorporate magic. Ryouma has been coming up with his own brand of magic, but it has only been four years since he came to this world. Moreover, he only knew utility spells during his time in the forest. It wasn¡¯t until he left that he started learning attack spells. It hasn¡¯t even been more than 6 months since he started pursuing combat magic seriously. Compared to him, Schieber has always been a resident of this world. He knew that magic and combat came hand-in-hand and trained as such for decades as a knight. Be it in magic training or combat experience, Schieber was miles ahead of Ryouma. It was only because Ryouma was so far ahead in ability compared to his opponents until now that his unrefined techniques did not become an impediment, but Schieber was skilled enough at martial arts to contest him and was also better at magic. That made it possible for him to see through his weakness and accurately take advantage of it. As Ryouma struggled, Schieber finally had room to breathe. But¡­ ¡°What!?¡± [Schieber] That situation did not last for long. A moment of disadvantage brought about by his inexperience in his own magic, so after their brief exchange, Ryouma decided. ¡®If using magic only weakens me, then I can just not use it.¡¯ ¡®I¡¯ll put everything into the sword I¡¯ve trained and challenge this man.¡¯ The moment Ryouma decided that, the way he fought transformed. With chi surging throughout his body, the speed and precision of his attacks advanced by a whole level. Schieber refused to lose and fought back, but he could no longer fight as leisurely as earlier. From there on, their battle became even fiercer. Schieber swung his halberd diagonally down to the right for Ryouma¡¯s head, while Ryouma took a diagonal half step to the right and drew a circular stroke to receive it. But he didn¡¯t stop and kept going by taking a huge step with his left leg to close the distance, then drew another stroke to try and reap Schieber¡¯s left leg. In response, Schieber twisted his body and retreated, then swung his halberd toward Ryouma¡¯s legs to keep him in check. Ryouma dodged and followed up with an attack of his own, so Schieber smashed down with his Tornado Cutter, hollowing the ground and giving rise to clouds of dust. Ryouma somehow narrowly escaped, but Schieber brushed aside the clouds of dust and started attacking again. Both warriors clashed with power and technique, and before long, all useless thoughts vanished, and Schieber was able to experience that long-forgotten fulfillment once again. The body he believed to have withered was surging with power again, and the techniques he believed to have gone were baring their fangs once again. The sensation was so pleasant that Schieber swung his halberd and cast his spells with a pure mind. Alas, no festival continued forever. Amidst the fierce fighting, both warriors distanced themselves and exchanged an intimidating glare. This was not a choreographed battle, but they thought the same thing nonetheless: the next exchange would be the last. ¡¸¡¸Ha!!¡¹¡¹[Ryouma and Schieber] With a powerful kiai amidst all the tension, the last exchange began. Ryouma wielded his katana with the tip pointed toward Schieber, then he concentrated all of his ki to his lower body before bolting out. The leg strength produced was so explosive that he seemed to instantly appear in front of Schieber. Contrast Ryouma¡¯s speed, Schieber filled his halberd with mana and invoked a second Tornado Cutter with a chantless cast. With both him and the weapon invoking the spell, the whirlwind of blades blew twice as fierce, and Schieber thrust out with all of his strength. The halberd¡¯s tip thrust out like a gale, but just when it seemed Ryouma had been caught, he dodged by a hair¡¯s breadth. Unfortunately, such a narrow margin couldn¡¯t possibly protect him from the winds of blades. His cheeks, shoulders, and left half of his body were littered in shallow wounds, while the blood dripping were all blown away. But Ryouma remained undaunted and took another step to prevent further damage, then he redirected the ki in his lower half to the rest of his body and thrust out with his own attack. That attack, that was akin to a ramming attack, took advantage of the opening right after an attack, but Schieber twisted himself as much as he could to get off with just a shallow wound on his left side. Carried by the momentum of his attack, Ryouma passed Schieber, but he used his ki-reinforced legs and waist to forcefully stop that momentum and turned around. With the katana he¡¯d thrust out now held high, he used the weight on his legs and waist to leap for Schieber. In turn, Schieber forcefully retrieved his halberd and prepared to receive that attack. In the next moment, two blades flashed beneath the light of the setting sun and blood sprayed out¨D¨D Chapter 272.1 - After the Fight (1/2) Chapter 272: After the Fight (1/2) ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± [Sebasu] The moment the scent of blood wafted into the air, Sebasu-san called the spar to an end. ¡°Looks like¡­ It¡¯s my defeat¡­¡± [Schieber] ¡°Ku¡­ Are you sure?¡¡Isn¡¯t¡­ this more like¡­ my defeat?¡¡Ow¡­¡± [Ryouma] I found myself frowning because of the pain of my wounds, but I still made sure to examine my situation. ¡°I thought I¡¯d just barely made it, but to think that you¡¯d actually be able to respond in that manner in a situation like that¡­¡± [Schieber] ¡°My equipment played a large part in my case¡­¡± [Ryouma] Our attacks were decided at almost the same time. Right in that moment when my katana cut Schieber-san¡¯s armor and wounded his left shoulder, his halberd thrust out between my arms and pierced through my right shoulder. Schieber-san managed to hurt my right hand through sheer persistence, so I pulled it back and thrust my katana at his neck with just my left, but the wind cutter he unleashed managed to slice through my stomach. ¡°If Ryouma-sama¡¯s katana had gone through, Schieber-sama¡¯s head would have undoubtedly been lopped off, but the wounds on Ryouma-sama¡¯s shoulder and stomach are more than enough to threaten his life without immediate treatment; therefore, I believe this match should be a draw. Please put down your weapons and let¡¯s have the both of you treated as soon as possible. Especially, you, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu calmly declared as such, so we put away our weapons. Schieber-san immediately collapsed from his knees and sat on the ground, while I tottered, most probably due to the tension leaving or the pain getting worse. I would¡¯ve collapsed too, but Sebasu-san caught me and helped me lie down on the ground. I could tell that the bleeding from my wounds was quickly dyeing my equipment in red. My right shoulder was in a terrible state as well, but the biggest problem was my stomach¡­ Based off the amount of blood coming out, it doesn¡¯t seem like a major artery was damaged, but it¡¯s a big wound no doubt. The bleeding needs to be stopped as soon as possible¡­ ¡°Remilie-sama!¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m on it!¡¡¡±Mega Heal¡¯!¡¡Good grief, what a match, you two¡­¡± [Remilie] ¡°One step wrong and one of you could have died. I was so nervous.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°My deepest apologies. As the referee, I¨D¨D¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, Sebasu. Even I couldn¡¯t have interfered when they were fighting like that.¡± [Reinbach] Sebasu-san was about to apologize, but Reinbach-sama interjected and Remilie-san agreed. ¡°¡®Mega Heal¡¯. Exactly, so don¡¯t feel responsible, Sebasu-chan. ¡®Mega Heal¡¯. I couldn¡¯t even keep up with that last exchange. Even the simple barrier I put up was broken. It turned out okay thanks to my healing magic, but the both of you still overdid it. I can¡¯t believe you actually got so into it that you couldn¡¯t hear us anymore.¡± [Remilie] Huh, I¡¯m surprised. She mentioned being able to connect our limbs even if we lost them, so I expected she¡¯d be good at healing magic, but she actually made the pain go away instantly. Even my arm and shoulder don¡¯t hurt anymore. It feels perfectly natural even. She didn¡¯t just stop the bleeding, she healed everything completely. It didn¡¯t even take her any time to examine my wounds before casting healing magic. I¡¯m not sure if I could pull that off even with my slimes at 100% and my senses completely focused. What unbelievable speed and precision. Moreover, she did all that while talking. While I was being shocked by Remilie-san¡¯s skills, Schieber-san joined in on the conversation. His wounds likely stopped aching because of Remilie-san¡¯s healing magic. ¡°Sorry¡­ I got too into it.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Ah, that goes for me too. My deepest apologies.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fortunately, no one died, and the bout ended with treatable wounds. You were much better than I expected too. I was planning on having you stay behind or take some security with you if I was still doubtful of your abilities, but¡­ Since you¡¯re able to make Schieber go all out and even fight him equally, then there¡¯s no need anymore.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Nah, this only turned out to be a draw because we were sparring. Were this a real battle, he would have been able to rely on his traps and slimes too. Besides, what I felt most lacking from him during the battle was experience. I believe it shouldn¡¯t have been long since he started using spells and ki.¡¡The way he moved his body and handled his sword was great, but that last exchange was a bit sloppy.¡± [Schieber] As expected, he saw right through me. ¡°You certainly possess a discerning eye, Schieber-san. When I use more ki than normal, my body ends up moving too much, and I can¡¯t handle it as well. As for my magic, I was actually starting to become confident about it since I¡¯ve been working as an adventurer wizard, at least, on the surface. The intensive training and live combat experience has made me much more familiar with magic, but it appears I still have a long way to go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It varies from person to person, but generally, it takes about 5 years of training for a person to go from sensing ki to covering his whole body with it. And then another 20 years to become an expert, and an entire lifetime to become a master. Ki mastery is a discipline that requires that much time, so I¡¯m sure that once you¡¯ve trained some more and gained more experience, I won¡¯t be able to fight you to a draw anymore.¡± [Schieber] A refreshed yet powerful smile surfaced on Schieber-san as he gently extended me his right hand. In response, I raised my body up and gave him a firm handshake to celebrate our hard fought battle. Then a voice muttered from beside me. ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s a relief.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s nothing. By the way, what did you mean by working as an adventurer wizard outwardly?¡¡I can more or less get what you mean, but it bothers me why you had to put it that way.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ah, about that¡­ I¡¯m confident in my combat abilities, especially, my close combat skills, but my age and my appearance makes it hard for people I¡¯m meeting for the first time to believe that. I¡¯m not good at negotiating or explaining, so it¡¯s much easier to just put forward my familiars and magic instead of my sword.¡± [Ryouma] I ended up in trouble at the last town too and was almost taken into custody. When I mentioned that, they asked me to elaborate, so I did. As far as I was concerned, it¡¯s water under the bridge, but the four adults looked grim. Chapter 272.2 - After the Fight (2/2) Chapter 272: After the Fight (2/2) ¡°Those with a certain degree of strength and experience can gauge a person¡¯s strength without needing to fight. Though, there are indeed a lot of people that can¡¯t do that much¡­ Even among the new recruits of the knights, particularly, those with half-baked skills, would often cause trouble.¡± [Schieber] ¡°The less they¡¯re able to gauge a person¡¯s strength and rely on appearance, the more they¡¯re likely to pick a fight. I remember that too. People like those won¡¯t pick a fight with people stronger than them, though, so they¡¯ll immediately run away if you just show them your strength in an obvious manner. And if you do give them a good beating, they¡¯ll never approach you again.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes. I have hobgoblins equipped in ostentatious armor inside my dimension magic. Whenever there¡¯s someone doubting me, I would take them out and that¡¯ll usually be the end of it. Most of the people picking a fight would usually leave. But sometimes there are people that just won¡¯t relent. For those cases, it¡¯s legitimate self-defense, so I¡¯d just defend myself and the problem will be solved easily¡­ Cases like that guild I mentioned are rare.¡± [Ryouma] In that sense, the match I had for my promotion exam was actually easy. ¡°So, from what I gather, the guild master wanted to make it out so that he was just ¡®trying to confirm your achievements and pass up your promotion under the excuse that your abilities were lacking¡¯.¡± [Schieber] ¡°We only have one side of the story, so it¡¯s hard to judge, but that guild master¡¯s response seems to be out of line. It¡¯s true that someone without the qualifications to take the exam can¡¯t take the promotion exam, so he certainly needs to confirm the examinee¡¯s qualification, but arrest or expulsion without proper investigation is unacceptable.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I told him to check my achievements with the other guilds, but he seemed to think I¡¯d run away if I were to be given time. He really caused me a lot of problems.¡± [Ryouma] If not for that, the first exam wouldn¡¯t have ended in such a tragedy¡­ ¡°Tragedy? Did something happen there too?¡± [Remilie] ¡°I used a dark magic spell to keep my opponent in check, but it was too effective, and the examiner ended up screaming hysterically. Sweat, tears, drool¡­ All sorts of fluids gushed out from every hole of his body as he writhed about and lost consciousness¡­ It was truly pandemonium.¡± [Ryouma] The examiner was so hysteric that for a moment I felt like I was watching a failed sanity check (TRPG) in real life. Well, the examiner collapsed in the end, so that served as proof of my abilities. But as a result, the mood in the training area was terrible. Even today, the people at the guild looked at me with terrified eyes. Though, I can understand how they feel since they had to witness that. ¡°To make things worse, they held that exam in the training area connected to the guild. They didn¡¯t even bother to clear the place of people, so a lot of people witnessed the whole thing¡­ It would have probably been better if I just beat him up¡­¡± [Ryouma] In a sense, what I did might have been worse than if I just killed the man. He did run his mouth off at me a little too, but whenever I think back to how sorry he looked, I can¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. ¡°Well, in any case, I managed to prove my abilities, so I was able to take the promotion exam and pass. I have no plans of employing the services of that guild again, so I doubt I¡¯ll ever meet that guild master again. They might send a letter of apology to the duke¡¯s family in the not-so-distant future, but I¡¯ve already spoken to Reinhart-san about that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, did you do something to get back at them?¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san happily asked with a mischievous smile, but I¡¯ll have to disappoint her. ¡°I just sold a large amount of ingredients and spoils from my hunts during my travels to the merchant guild.¡± [Ryouma] The sale of ingredients and spoils is an important source of income to adventurers. Most adventurers don¡¯t just get their spoils from their targets. They would also hunt other prey when they could and exchange the spoils from those for money. That increases their income, and sometimes when fortune favors them, there would be a job requesting for one of the spoils they have on hand, allowing them to gain more points. As someone hoping to rank up, that was something I did as well. That¡¯s why I had a lot of spoils accumulated, but because of the trouble that came up, I couldn¡¯t sell them at the adventurers guild anymore and decided to just sell them to the merchant guild. Of course, they told me stuff like¡­ ¡®why do you have so many spoils on you?¡¯ ¡®if you¡¯re an adventurer, then why didn¡¯t you just sell to the adventurers guild?¡¯ ¡°Naturally, I had to answer their questions. It was just a one-time thing, but I was dealing with merchants, and I didn¡¯t think I was at fault, so I didn¡¯t bother to hide anything. I also told them that they were free to confirm the matter.¡± [Ryouma] As a result, the merchant guild were understanding of my situation and even told me, ¡®if that¡¯s the case, then how about selling us the spoils you get from your second exam?¡¯ But unfortunately, I had no idea what the adventurers guild would do, so I couldn¡¯t promise anything. Instead, I just told them that I¡¯d drop by if the guild master were to apologize. ¡°So if you don¡¯t drop by again, the merchant guild will think that you couldn¡¯t reconcile with the adventurers guild.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t get that apology.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I didn¡¯t even see the face of the guild master. The receptionist lady just bowed her head for her superior in front of a huge crowd, so I told her that i wasn¡¯t looking for an apology.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But you didn¡¯t say anything about forgiving them, huh. In other words, you didn¡¯t let them apologize.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Remilie-san, when you put it so happily like that, you make it sound like I¡¯m scheming something. I meant it when I said I wasn¡¯t looking for an apology.¡± [Ryouma] The receptionist had been suspicious of me too, but that¡¯s understandable. Her relying on her superior since she couldn¡¯t make a decision on her own was also something I could understand. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t think that badly of her. She didn¡¯t really seem to feel guilty either, or maybe she just wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible, because when I rejected the apology and said that I didn¡¯t have any intentions of making any further demands, she didn¡¯t apologize any further. So in that sense, you could argue that I haven¡¯t really received my apology. Besides, if they wanted to apologize, then the guild master ought to come out and apologize himself. He doesn¡¯t have to apologize in front of a crowd or give me a dogeza, but he could at least talk to me in a separate room like they did when they found fault with me. But all they did was to have the receptionist bow to me at her desk. He just sent his subordinate and wouldn¡¯t even meet me. They can call it an apology all they want, but I didn¡¯t really feel it. It¡¯s not sincere, and I don¡¯t trust them. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t demand anything. ¡°If he intends to wrap up the matter with just that, then so be it. But of course, it¡¯s another story altogether whether the people around him will agree. Anyhow, whatever happen won¡¯t be my responsibility.¡± [Ryouma] Given how he was the sort of person to lose all his energy the moment he heard I was a specialist of the duke and immediately allowed me to take the exam, I¡¯m sure he would find it much more painful for his reputation to take a hit than for him to bow his head to me. When I added that, everyone other than Remilie-san wryly smiled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure the guild master¡¯s reputation will be affected.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I don¡¯t know what they¡¯ll be doing officially, but the merchant guild has always been quick-eared¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You might have just left, but it sure seems like you got back at them.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine? If that guild master really is correct, then it shouldn¡¯t bother him at all.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I wasn¡¯t particularly disadvantaged too. Though I might be unable to use my adventurers guild card until I get back to Gimuru. It would be troublesome if some weird information had been put in it like a false history of having cheated.¡± [Ryouma] I have my guild card from the merchant guild, so I can go in and out of town without any problem, but I can¡¯t use the guilds on the way back home. I¡¯ve finally become a C Rank adventurer, so I was hoping to get a C Rank job on the way back, but I¡¯ll have to put it off till later. ¡°In that case, how about dropping by Teressa¡¯s adventurers guild. They¡¯ll be able to check your card immediately.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea. It¡¯ll be easy to talk to them too if we were to vouch for his skills. Let¡¯s do it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°The guild in this town is not far from the gate, so we can drop by before going back to the inn.¡± [Schieber] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s return to town for now.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°T-Thank you very much!¡± [Ryouma] Suddenly, we were headed for the adventurers guild in Teressa. With everyone vouching for me, I¡¯m sure everything will go fine. Not only did they provide me with a place to stay after our reunion, they tested my skills, and even promised to teach me magic. They¡¯re so considerate that I have nothing but gratitude for them. Sometimes I get involved with problematic people, but there are kind people like them too. As I was reminded of that once again, Sebasu¡¯s dimension magic activated, and before I knew it, we were back right in front of the gate. Chapter 272.3 - Volume 3 Gossips: A Certain Guild Master’s Fall (1/3) Volume 3 Gossips: A Certain Guild Master¡¯s Fall (1/3) On the night of Ryouma and Reinbach¡¯s spar, at a certain town¡¯s adventurers guild was an old, unfriendly man and a man with sharp eyes sitting on a sofa facing a relatively young and nervous man. Amidst that heavy atmosphere, the nervous man was the first to speak. ¡°Now, what business might two guild masters have with me at an hour like this?¡± [Nervous Guild Master] ¡°My apologies for barging in so late into the night, but there¡¯s a matter we need confirmed urgently.¡± [Sharp-Eyed Guild Master] ¡°Feiled, come on, you know what we¡¯re talking about. We know it¡¯s late in the night, so let¡¯s get straight to the point already.¡± [Old Unfriendly Guild Master] ¡°A matter that would necessitate Henry-dono and Charles-dono making a personal visit? I¡¯m afraid I know of no such thing.¡± [Feiled] The nervous man was the guild master of the adventurers guild branch that Ryouma had a problem with. He became thoughtful for a moment, but he failed to come up with anything. His response brought out contrasting responses from his two guests. Henry of the merchant guild remained sharp-eyed but smiled a little, while Charles, who had to quickly fly here from the Teressa adventurers guild, didn¡¯t bother to hide his displeasure. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just that good at feigning ignorance or you really don¡¯t know what we¡¯re talking about.¡± [Henry] Support our Vipnovel(com) ¡°Feiled, we came here for a serious discussion, so enough talking as you¡¯re still half-asleep. A boy named Ryouma Takebayashi came here!¡± [Charles] ¡°Oh, that boy. He certainly did come here, but is something the matter with him?¡¡Did he perhaps cause a problem?¡± [Feiled] When he said that, the two guests made a face as though to say, ¡®I knew it.¡¯ Charles was so red he looked like he was about to blow his top. Evidently, there was a clear difference in their attitude. A few seconds later, Charles couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore and blew up. ¡°You fool!!¡± [Charles] Feiled cowered for a moment, but he immediately recovered himself and glared at Charles. ¡°Charles-dono, please, it would be unbecoming of you as a guild master if you were to allow yourself to be taken by your emotions and yell in that manner.¡± [Feiled] ¡°You have no right to tell me that!¡¡Before you start preaching about propriety, you should have made sure to do your job properly!!¡± [Charles] ¡°But I do, in fact, do my job properly. Everyday, even, so it doesn¡¯t make sense why you would imply otherwise.¡± [Feiled] ¡°You¨D¨D¡± [Charles] ¡°As I thought, you didn¡¯t apologize to him, did you?¡± [Henry] Charles was about to get even angrier upon seeing Feiled continued to play innocent, so Henry interjected. ¡°Apologize?¡¡All we¡¯ve done is deal with him appropriately. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯ve heard, but there were too many suspicious things about the information in his guild card. As a guild, it is part of our duty to interrogate him regarding those suspicious points, and it is likewise a part of his duty to comply.¡± [Feiled] ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t disagree. The spoils from the monsters and bandits he¡¯s turned to us also raised brows in my merchants guild. He was efficient beyond common sense, so it can¡¯t be helped if someone were to doubt him.¡± [Henry] ¡°I thank you for your understanding.¡± [Feiled] ¡°However, the explanation he gave was sound. From the degradation and scarring of the monster spoils he provided, his story seemed highly credible. Even our later investigations showed that he was clean. We sent someone to check his records, and there were plenty of information to support his claims. As suspicious as he might have been, you might have been too hasty in presuming him of foul doing. I believe there might have been a better way to handle things. Moreover, I would also like to hear from you how you dealt with him afterwards. Depending on your answer, this might not be a matter the merchant guild is willing to overlook.¡± [Henry] Feiled sighed as though fed up with this matter. ¡°In that case, you will do well to know that I dealt with him appropriately. The promotion exam was his objective, so I allowed him to take the exam and upon displaying abilities that exceeded the requirements of the promotion, allowed him to pass. The receptionist also informed me that she apologized to him for the hassle he had to go through.¡± [Feiled] ¡°Is that it?¡± [Henry] ¡°It¡¯s plenty. As I mentioned earlier, we simply fulfilled our duty. It is our duty to interrogate adventurers when necessary. Hence, there is no need to apologize. In fact, one should stand firm in this regard.¡± [Feiled] When Feiled insisted that he had only done his job, Henry¡¯s eyes quickly fell in temperature and chilled. ¡°I see. So as to prevent any misunderstanding between us, allow me to make it clear. I didn¡¯t come here because he asked me to. It¡¯s just that depending on the details, I was thinking of become your ally. After all, the merchant guild often relies on the adventurers guild to escort our merchants, procure various ingredients, and other services. Our guilds are deeply intertwined, so I¡¯d hoped for a healthy cooperation to maximize profit.¡± [Henry] ¡°Indeed. In that case¨D¨D¡± [Feiled] ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s troubling.¡± [Henry] Feiled puffed up his chest as though he¡¯d expected this turn of events, but the cold voice that came after made his eyes open wide. ¡°¨D¨DWhat is? I have done nothing but remain faithful to my duties.¡± [Feiled] ¡°I would like to reiterate that I consider the merchant guild and the adventurers guild to be in a symbiotic relationship and are, as such, indispensable to each other. However, in that regard, there is also the factor of ¡®trust¡¯. Instead of making a one-sided decision, we would like to see a thorough investigation and a proper apology for any mistakes that might have occurred. Otherwise, our trust in you and your guild will quickly decline.¡± [Henry] Feiled seemed astonished for a moment, but he suddenly snorted. ¡°In other words, you mean to say that I should yield to political authority? I didn¡¯t think I¡¯d hear anything of the sort that from another guild master.¡± [Feiled] ¡°Feiled-dono, whenever did I say that? I was only talking about your treatment regarding adventurers and our guild¡¯s trust in your guild. It¡¯s true that the duke is behind him, but that has nothing to do with this.¡± [Henry] It was as though Feiled didn¡¯t understand at all. That¡¯s why Henry was about to just give up when Charles suddenly spoke. ¡°Henry-dono is right. In the first place, it would be ridiculous to yield to the authority of the duke. Or so I would like to say, but didn¡¯t you yield? According to that boy, Ryouma, you only changed your mind and allowed him to take the exam because he mentioned the duke.¡± [Charles] ¡°It just so happened that he dropped the duke¡¯s name when I was about to test his strength. I didn¡¯t yield.¡± [Feiled] ¡°So shameless¡­ You know, that boy dropped by the guild this evening. He was accompanied by the previous duke, that famous knight commander, and even the Witch of Death¡¯s Shadow. Don¡¯t tell me you still don¡¯t understand.¡± [Charles] It was here that, for the first time, Feiled appeared baffled. ¡°You mean to say that the duke really was behind him? The duke moved for something on just that level?¡± [Feiled] ¡°They said they met by coincidence in town, but there¡¯s no telling how much of that is true. Regardless, there¡¯s no denying that the three of them were with him. They vouched for his abilities. That¡¯s why I quickly wrapped up our discussion and relied on the dimension mage employed for emergency purposes to get here quickly and talk to you.¡± [Charles] Charles also spoke about what happened after Ryouma received the guild card, as well as the fact that he dropped by the guild to have his guild card examined. ¡°It¡¯s good that you promoted him, but the boy was worried that you might have put some weird trick on his card or false information. He was also worried that you might have sent someone to pursue him, so he used dimension magic to quickly get away from here. You might not think much of what happened, but your actions cost this guild that much trust. Even if the duke and the others weren¡¯t involved, if you keep treating adventurers like this, the trust between the guild and the adventurers will eventually break.¡¡This is especially important because my guild is in the westernmost part of this country. If a problem I couldn¡¯t deal with were to come up, I would have no choice but to rely on you. This could be a matter of life and death, so I¡¯d appreciate it if you gave a proper explanation.¡± [Charles] ¡°¡­That is regrettable.¡± [Feiled] ¡°What?¡± [Charles] ¡°It almost sounds as though you¡¯re saying I was planning to entrap the boy or execute him without proper trial. As a guild master, I don¡¯t recall ever treating him as such or in a manner that would warrant such suspicion. The boy certainly likes to exaggerate, or perhaps, he¡¯s simply that much of a coward. Then again, adventurers are always like that. One small achievement, and they start acting like heroes, yet they¡¯re always so small-minded when the time finally comes.¡± [Feiled] Henry the guild master of the merchants guild was speechless, while Charles, who was so rowdy earlier, seemed enlightened. The silence was deafening, so much so that the tiny sound made by the lamp could be heard. Chapter 272.4 - Volume 3 Gossips: A Certain Guild Master’s Fall (2/2) Volume 3 Gossips: A Certain Guild Master¡¯s Fall (2/2) ¡°¡­Let me go! ¡­I want to speak with¡ª¡± [Intruder] ¡°¡­It sure is noisy. Good grief, even though we have guests right now. Excuse me. I¡¯ll be right back.¡± [Feiled] But before Feiled could get off the sofa, the source of the commotion approached. ¡°Is it here!?¡± [Intruder] ¡°W-What is the matter!?¡± [Staff 1] ¡°That bastard¡¯s done it now!¡± [Intruder] ¡°Wait, Brian-san! You can¡¯t go there!¡± [Staff 2] A man bulging with muscle entered the reception office with several staff in tow trying to hold him back. Support our Vipnovel(com) ¡°There are guests right now!¡¡Get out!¡± [Feiled] ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡¡You, what do you mean I¡¯m fired!?¡¡I want a proper explanation right now!¡± ¡°Someone¡¡escort this man out of here!¡± [Feiled] ¡°Sorry, but he¡¯s too strong!¡± [Staff 3] ¡°We can¡¯t stop him with just ourselves¡­¡± [Staff 4] ¡°I got a letter telling me I was dismissed because I treated the kid poorly, but I only did that because you told me to! How could you possibly fire me because of that! Take it back!¡± [Brian] The reason for Brian¡¯s impoliteness resounded loud and clear to the people gathered in the room. ¡°Could he be talking about?¡± [Henry] ¡°Hey, your name was Brian, right?¡¡Are you the examiner in charge of that kid, Ryouma¡¯s, exam?¡± [Charles] ¡°Huh?¡¡Yeah, that¡¯s right!¡¡What about it!?¡± [Brian] ¡°Well, we¡¯d like to hear more about it. As the guild master of Teressa, I, Charles, would like to request this man¡¯s testimony. Feiled, since you believe yourself to be innocent, you won¡¯t mind us hearing him out, right?¡± [Charles] ¡°Sigh¡­ I don¡¯t mind, but you should know that this won¡¯t change anything. Whether it was in my response toward Ryouma Takebayashi or my dismissal of Brian, everything was done according to regulations.¡± [Feiled] ¡°In that case, you should be dismissed too!¡± [Brian] ¡°¡­Brian, this is a place of discussion. As I¡¯ve told Charles-dono, please refrain from letting your emotions run wild. Everyone here including myself is a guild master. Our standing is different from yours, so do exercise modesty.¡± [Feiled] ¡°Ridiculous¨D¨D¡± [Brian] ¡°Enough!!¡± [Charles] Charles yelled again, and this time, the two stopped arguing. ¡°Feiled, shut up for a moment. Brian, look, I know he¡¯s annoying, but we can¡¯t have a conversation if you keep getting riled up, so just imagine he¡¯s not here and tell us what happened.¡± ¡°¡­Okay, I got it. This is the reason I came here.¡± [Brian] Brian calmed down and presented a sheet of paper that he¡¯d been holding tight. On it was written the notification of a pay cut, penalty, and the reason why. ¡°Your poor conduct as an examiner of the adventurers guild has offended an examinee and harmed the prestige of the guild; hence, the following penalties will be handed out¡­ Or so it says.¡± [Henry] ¡°Right. It¡¯s true I had a mocking attitude when dealing with the kid, but!¡¡That¡¯s only because I was told that he was relying on his noble backing and trying to get a promotion with fake achievements!¡± [Brian] Brian glared at Feiled. ¡°I won¡¯t deny that the kid annoyed me, but C Rank is when an adventurer is considered to be a proper adventurer and to be someone that possesses some skill. At that rank, you can take more jobs and harder ones too. Depending on the situation, you might even have to lead lower-ranked adventurers. What will happen if at such a time a guy that got promoted through unfair means became the leader?¡¡If the guy wants to court death by taking on a job he can¡¯t handle, that¡¯s on him, but like this, they¡¯ll even end up dragging other people with them. That¡¯s not something I can just sit back and watch whether it¡¯s as an adventurer or as an examiner. I figured I might as well nip the problem during the exam. I felt like I was even doing him a favor by crushing him. Of course, there¡¯s no denying that a lot of my emotions were mixed in too, but I told you what I was going to do before the exam and you didn¡¯t say anything! So you¡¯re at fault too!¡± [Brian] Brian became emotional again as he explained, but Feiled didn¡¯t cower and just heaved a deep sigh. ¡°It appears there¡¯s been a misunderstanding.¡± [Feiled] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Brian] ¡°All I said was that the boy¡¯s records were of suspect. I never said he¡¯d done anything wrong. In fact, it was precisely because there were such suspicions that I asked you to do a proper job as an examiner. In the first place, it was because of my lack of knowledge in combat that I asked you to serve as an examiner in my stead. It is our duty to give the exam properly and pass or fail the examinee accordingly; which is why, to that end, I left everything regarding the exam to you. Of course, I too hate cheaters, so I was understanding of your personal feelings. Unfortunately, such emotions were not something one should bring while performing one¡¯s duties. No matter who the examinee may be and regardless what circumstances he may have, the examiner must be given the exam according to regulations. I trusted you as an examiner, so I believed you would be able to handle the examinee properly despite your personal feelings. Unfortunately, you disappointed in that regard; hence, the penalties meted out. Do you understand now?¡± [Feiled] Feiled spoke fluently, but the friction in the air only grew worse. ¡°¡­Oh, I get it. You want to make it out so that I¡¯m the only one at fault.¡± [Brian] ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. After all, the guild did appoint you, so there is some blame there too. To prevent a second incident, we will have to review the content of the exam and educate the examiners on their attitude. Naturally, you too will be educated. The penalty this time was just a warning, but if you fail to comply with the regulations when holding the exam in the future, I¡¯m afraid we might not be able to renew your contract. That¡¯s why¨D¨D¡± [Feiled] ¡°Enough.¡± [Brian] ¡°¡ªHuh?¡± [Feiled] Brian reached the end of his patience and walked away. He acted completely different from that man that barged in. He was calm and little emotion could be seen from him. ¡°I didn¡¯t hate this job, but working under you is too much. I don¡¯t need a next time, I¡¯m quitting now. I¡¯m not qualified to be an examiner anyway, so I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t mind.¡± [Brian] ¡°I see, in that case, please do go through the proper procedures down stairs. Just be informed that leaving for personal reasons and failing to complete your contract reason will incur a penalty, and it will also be left on your record.¡± [Feiled] ¡°What? You threatening me?¡¡You gonna have me arrested like you told that kid?¡± [Brian] ¡°No, I am merely informing you of the guild¡¯s rules beforehand. It would be problematic if you said you didn¡¯t know or cried foul later.¡± [Feiled] ¡°I knew it, talking with you is impossible. You said a lot, but in the end, all you¡¯re saying is that you¡¯re not at fault. There¡¯s no substance at all.¡± [Brian] At that, Brian left the room. ¡°I¡¯m going back too.¡± [Charles] ¡°In that case, please excuse me as well.¡± [Henry] ¡°What¡¯s the matter with you two all of the sudden?¡± [Feiled] ¡°Brian said it. There¡¯s no point in talking with you. Ryouma probably felt the same. I¡¯ve always known you were a little hard headed, but I thought that was just because of your diligence, but to think that you were actually this sort of person¡­ You hate adventurers, right? Why be the guild master of an adventurers guild then?¡± [Charles] ¡°It¡¯s my job. Also, I don¡¯t hate adventurers. I am merely performing my duties according to the rules.¡± [Feiled] ¡°¡­There are all sorts of adventurers, from honest ones to hoodlums. Sadly, there are plenty that quarrel with guild members and make people feel bad. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve gone through a lot to get this far in your career. But I don¡¯t think a man that looks down on adventurers should be the guild master of an adventurers guild. I¡¯ll be contacting the main branch about this and will request that you be dismissed from position. So go wash your neck and wait.¡± [Charles] ¡°P-Please wait a moment!¡¡What is the meaning of that!?¡¡Did I say something wrong!?¡± [Feiled] Understandably, even Feiled couldn¡¯t help but panic upon hearing that. He had been carefree until now, but now, he was visibly agitated. ¡°Feiled-dono, as the leader of a merchant guild, I have no intention of rejecting the relationship between our guilds, however, I will have to rethink about our relationship in the future. If I may be so blunt, I cannot be at ease if the person we have to deal with is you.¡± [Henry] After saying that, Charles and Henry left without so much as turning back, leaving Feiled all alone as he folded his arms and heaved a deep sigh. ¡°Good grief, I swear¡­ They came out of nowhere and started prattling on about such rude things¡­ In the end, I suppose Charles-dono too was nothing more than an upstart adventurer. But to think that even Henry of the merchant guild would go that far¡­ Just what was the problem? All I did was do everything according to regulations! Oh, I know!¡¡There must have been a lie in the report of the receptionist! There must be something that I don¡¯t know! Yes, that makes sense!¡± [Feiled] Unable to even consider that he might have done wrong, Feiled called for the female receptionist that handled Ryouma¡¯s case. The price for that mistake would be paid much quicker than one might expect¡­ The next day. ¡°Why are there only three employees!?¡± [Feiled] On this day, only three employees came to work, but even these three employees looked so unhappy they seemed as though they too could leave at a moment¡¯s notice. ¡°Because of the strike. Everyone¡¯s saying that if you don¡¯t accept our protest and apologize and resign, they¡¯ll all just quit.¡± [Female Emplyee] ¡°What is that supposed to mean!?¡¡Everyone¡¯s been working fine until just yesterday. Now they¡¯re suddenly resigning!?¡± [Feiled] ¡°Like I said, It¡¯s your fault!¡¡You called Susan yesterday and forced her to confess to a scandal that never happened!¡¡Everyone finally had enough when they heard about it!¡¡I wouldn¡¯t have come today either if I weren¡¯t in charge of the reception desk!¡± [Female Employee] ¡°What?¡± [Feiled] ¡°Guild Master. We¡¯re fed up with you already. You never listen to us and just push whatever convenient interpretation of the rules you can come up with. You¡¯re the guild master and we¡¯re just staff, so we never said anything, but you actually made our job harder, and your instructions and explanations never made sense. That¡¯s why we¡¯ve been dissatisfied for so long. This last incident was just the last straw.¡± [Male Employee] ¡°If you had a problem, then you should have said something!¡¡I would have thought of something then!¡¡You can¡¯t just not say anything and not put any effort into improving! This will affect today¡¯s operation!¡± [Feiled] ¡°You have two choices before you, guild master. Either you close the guild, or you do everything by yourself. We only came here as a representative of the other employees. We didn¡¯t actually come here to work. If you want to fire us, then go ahead. We¡¯ve already made our resolve.¡± [Third Employee] ¡°By the way, the recent incident has already been spread through merchants, and Brian-san has also spoken about his resignation to other adventurers at the tavern. It¡¯s word of the town already, so don¡¯t even try to hide it. Even we can¡¯t do anything about it anymore.¡± [Female Employee] ¡°I hear there are a lot of adventurers planning to leave this town too. I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future, but I¡¯m sure it will be difficult. If you plan on clinging onto your seat as guild master, then you¡¯ll have to do your best.¡± [Female Employee] After saying what they had to say, the woman in charge of the reception and the man in charge of management left, leaving behind Feiled and another person. ¡°Submaster, you should know, but you can¡¯t become the guild master even if you drive me away. This will harm the guild, so you¡¯ll take some of the blame too.¡± [Feiled] ¡°As I¡¯ve said, I¡¯ve already resolved myself to be dismissed. Even if I become the guild master here, I¡¯ll just end up having to clean your mess. I would be better off working at another guild, doing menial jobs and slowly making my way up. In the first place, the only reason a person like you was able to become the guild master was because this is a small town in the borders¡­ You were demoted, weren¡¯t you?¡± [Submaster] ¡°That¡¯s rude. All guilds are equal. There is no superior or inferior. Though it appears you¡¯re not aware of that.¡± [Feiled] ¡°Spare me your nonsense. Unlike you, whose only redeeming point is your many years of service, I am actually competent enough to find employment elsewhere. I¡¯ll have work even after being fired from the adventurers guild, so I¡¯ll be fine. Now then, if you¡¯ll excuse me. Oh, right, should you decide to resign, please do contact me at my house. You can come in person, you can send a letter, anything is fine. We¡¯ll gather the staff that want to return and resume operation.¡± [Submaster] Feiled was finally all alone. Four days later, a messenger from the main branch came to dismiss him from his position. As for what happened to him after that, that¡¯s a story that probably won¡¯t be told. Chapter 273.1 - Equipment Update and Familiars I (1/3) After the adventurers guild finished inspecting my guild card, we walked through the now dark town and returned to our lodging, then we started doing our respective preparations for tomorrow¡¯s search. The noble rooms at the inn had a connecting room for servants, so I accompanied Reinbach-sama when he returned to his room. As he handed his coat to Sebasu-san, he sat himself on the sofa and spoke to me. ¡°A lot of things happen, but it¡¯s good that everything ended well.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. Thanks to that, we could quickly finish our errand at the guild, and now, I can use my guild card without worrying.¡± [Ryouma] The previous head of the duke¡¯s family, Reinbach-sama, the former knight commander, Schieber-san, and the former royal court magician, Remilie-san. Any one of those names would have been enough to get a VIP treatment, yet all three of them were with me. The treatment I got from the adventurers guild was night and day compared to what I experienced recently. It was a little uncomfortable, but thanks to them, I was able to get an immediate response regarding my guild card. There was nothing wrong with my guild card. It was properly promoted to a C Rank, and there were no strange tricks whatsoever. ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to ask for our help when it comes to matters like this. As I said before, we are indebted to you. That¡¯s not something that could be repaid with merely something of this level, and I would like to thank you too for something else.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You mean something else other than the incident at the end of the year?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Thank you for sparring with Schieber. He¡¯s been depressed for a long time already. I¡¯m sure his age has something to do with that, but those gloomy days when he¡¯d spend his whole day doing paperwork likely didn¡¯t suit him. It was still fine when he could fight in the front lines, but ever since his resignation, he would look weaker every time we met. But thanks to you he¡¯s regained some of his old vigor. I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d become an adventurer just because we stopped by the guild, though. I don¡¯t know if I should call him extreme or decisive.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I was surprised too.¡± [Ryouma] It was great that Schieber-san was lively again, but we were all shocked when he said he wanted to become an adventurer. It was so sudden that people suggested he go back to the knights instead, but Schieber-san just said, ¡°I resigned on my own despite everyone¡¯s protest. Going back now would be just too selfie. I properly handed over my duties to my successor, so even if I returned, I¡¯d just confuse everyone, especially, the knights. Besides, there¡¯s no denying that my heydays have passed, so I just want to use the strength I have left for everyone¡¯s sake.¡± [Reinbach] No one could change Schieber-san¡¯s mind, and he finished his registration to the adventurers guild while my card was being examined. He was given a temporary rank of A, but he was really unofficially Rank S. He would have preferred to start from Rank F, but given his history as knight commander and his ability and experience from that, the guild master could only get on his knees and apologize for being unable to give him a lower rank. In the first place, even the rowdy adventurers made way for him as soon as he entered, and the receptionist and the guild master were like, ¡®we are not worthy!¡¯ When he asked to register. It was just a glimpse, but I feel like I was able to see just how trusted and respected he was during his time as a knight commander. ¡°I¡¯m glad I was able to be of help. I also realized where I was lacking, so I¡¯m grateful too.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it benefited you too. But this is this and that is that. If something ever troubles you in the future, don¡¯t hestiate to contact us. Though we¡¯re not omnipotent, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll be able to do something. At the very least, we¡¯ll be able to give you counsel.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be sure to contact you then.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Reinbach-sama nodded with satisfaction, then he looked at my body. ¡°How¡¯s your condition?¡¡It wasn¡¯t a lot of blood, but you still lost some.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about. Remilie-san closed my wounds immediately, so I was just a little tired. A blood-forming medicine and a night of rest, and I¡¯ll feel right again, I¡¯m sure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have hot water prepared for you. You can go in first once it¡¯s ready. Feel free to rest in the room next door until then.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you very much.¡± [Ryouma] Reinbach-sama saw me off with a smile, and I decided to rest at the room I was given. We¡¯ll be heading to the Town of Departed Spirits tomorrow, so I need to make sure I¡¯m in my best condition. Chapter 273.2 - Equipment Update and Familiars I (2/3) Chapter 273: Equipment Update and Familiars I (2/3) Apparently, this canyon and the Town of Departed Spirits was often used by the new recruits of the knights for their training. Schieber-san has been frequenting this route since his days as a new recruit and continued to use it even when he started teaching, so he knew it like the back of his hand. ¡°There¡¯s a more open area just a little further up. It¡¯s a bit early for lunch, but the road will take a turn for the worse after that, so let¡¯s use that area for a break.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By the way, Ryouma, I see that your equipment today is different. They don¡¯t look like mass-produced stuff. Did you have them custom made?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. Actually, I have jobs other than my adventurer work, and fortunately, they¡¯ve been quite a blessing, so I¡¯ve requested for equipment that utilizes slime material to be developed.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve been getting craftsmen to make my slime equipment through Darson-san from the Tigger¡¯s Arms Store, but it¡¯s been further enhanced since spring. We¡¯ve been using sticky slime threads to make my stab-proof vest, but now, we¡¯re incorporating the fiber slime¡¯s threads, which is made from whatever the fiber slimes consumes, and the threads of the spider slime, which it uses to make its nest just like a spider. Another noteworthy change is the increase in the variety of slime threads that could be used as material, such as the wire slime that could transform its body to resemble a metal thread. My employment as the duke¡¯s specialist also contributed by making it so that the people cooperating with me were now considered ¡®research collaborators¡¯. The craftsman that made my armor even became completely exclusive along with their workshop. When I asked the craftsman why, he just said that it would be a good experience since he had a lot of young craftsmen with him, but the biggest reason was as expected money. It was more profitable to cater exclusively to me than to compete in the mass-produced market that had a lot of competitors. Money wasn¡¯t everything, of course, but it sure made everything smoother. ¡°This set I¡¯m wearing is one of the new products they developed. It¡¯s a kind of armor known as Cloth Armor. It prioritizes mobility and is flexible despite its durability. It¡¯s made with the spider slime thread as its base material.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s durable enough that it can be used as work clothes on its own, and it¡¯s flexible enough that it doesn¡¯t get in the way of the joints. I had an athletic jersey in mind when thinking of the comfortability of the armor, so it looks more or less the same too. On top of that, stab-proof cushioning, made by overlapping a cloth woven from sticky slime thread with cushioning, were placed in key areas to further heighten its defensive capabilities. In our experiments, blades and arrows without ki strengthening failed to penetrate even when shot from point blank. The armor also mitigated some of the impact. Although its characteristics as an armor haven¡¯t changed much, it¡¯s a complete upgrade compared to the previous model. ¡°I see. I thought it was because I broke your breastplate that you weren¡¯t wearing it.¡± [Schieber] ¡°If anything, it was a good opportunity for me to change armor. I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m just frugal, but I found it a waste to change my armor since I could still use the old model. By the way, I¡¯m not wearing it right now, but I have a vest-type and a jacket-type armor too.¡± [Ryouma] These could be equipped with metal plates or fiber-glass reinforced plastics, which could be made by using the fiber slime¡¯s fiberglass and mixing it with a hardening liquid sheet. We fed the fiber slime various materials, such as the fluff slime¡¯s fluff, and we found out that the fiber slime could melt down even metals and transform them in to threads. Though time and ingredients will be needed in order to produce the desired product, there is no doubt that this trait of the fiber slime will have a wide scope of application. ¡°In our tests, not even large C Rank monsters could penetrate, though of course, given time they¡¯ll eventually be able to damage.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s not bad for light armor.¡± [Remilie] It was then that Remilie-san showed interest. ¡°I can tell from the way you walk that it¡¯s easy to move in. Can I get one of those if I place an order?¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s not yet being sold to the public, but yes. You¡¯re friends with Reinbach-sama, and as a former royal court magician, you¡¯re plenty trustworthy. I can only give the perspective of a male client, so I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be a great help if you provide your impressions as well. I have some fabric and spares, so if you¡¯d like, you can examine them during our break. You can damage them and try out various things too if you¡¯d like.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I won¡¯t hold back. I¡¯m going to become an adventurer again too, so I was thinking of getting some new equipment anyway.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh?¡¡Remilie-san, you¡¯re going to be an adventurer again? You were an adventurer?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, a little, before I became a royal court magician. Schieber-chan says he¡¯s going to become an adventurer, so I figured I¡¯d accompany him for awhile. I don¡¯t have any plans anyway.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That sounds like it¡¯ll turn out to be something amazing.¡± [Ryouma] The former knight commander and the former royal court magician¡­ Either one of them is skilled enough to be of service to the country, yet they¡¯re going to work together. They might just become the strongest party in the entire nation. ¡°Hmm~ I don¡¯t know about that.¡¡My history as a royal court magician would probably get me an A Rank, but I¡¯m not really planning on taking it that seriously . At most, I¡¯m just going to kill some time. In the first place, I haven¡¯t been an adventurer in a long time, so I¡¯m going to need to recover my senses first¡­¡± [Remilie] ¡°Regardless, just having you around will be a huge help. Your personality aside, there¡¯s no denying your abilities.¡± [Schieber] ¡°He¡¯s the kind of person that says things like that, and I¡¯m worried about sending an old man out on his own, so I¡¯ll be doing things in moderation.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I acknowledge I¡¯m an old man, but¨D¨D¡± [Schieber] Before Schieber-san could finish what he was about to say, Remilie-san sent a glare full of killing intent his way. It wasn¡¯t meant for me, but with me standing in between them, it felt like I was the one being glared at. ¡°¨D¨D*Cough, excuse me. Ah, I can see it now. We¡¯ll rest there.¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san coughed and forcefully changed the topic, then made his way deeper into the canyon. Chapter 273.3 - Equipment Update and Familiars I (3/3) Chapter 273: Equipment Update and Familiars I (3/3) There was a wide open area up ahead where the cliffs have been cleanly hollowed out. It was as if a meteor had fallen here to form a crater. It was big enough that you could celebrate sports day here if you wanted. ¡°It¡¯s a lot bigger than I was expecting. It seems to have been maintained to some extent too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The knights use this place for training and for camp. This place isn¡¯t under anyone¡¯s administration, but it gets used several times a year, so it looks like it¡¯s being maintained. In the first place, Trelle Canyon used to be a giant magic testing ground, and even the Town of Departed Spirits that we¡¯re headed to was constructed to serve as a prison and an execution ground. So there are plenty of places here that have indeed been touched by humans.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I see¡­ By the way, can I take out my familiars too? I make it a habit to bring them out of my Dimension Home regularly, and I can also get them to prepare lunch while we discuss my armor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. I¡¯m sure even monsters don¡¯t appreciate being stuffed into a room all the time.¡± [Schieber] The other three agreed too, so I opened my Dimension Home and called out to my familiars. They¡¯ve eaten outside plenty of times already, so they should be able to get out quickly. The first to come out was the Emperor Scavenger Slime. ¡°Woah!?¡± [Schieber] ¡°W-What is that?¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s even bigger than the slime I saw before.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°As expected of you, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san knew about my slimes and the big slimes, so they weren¡¯t that surprised, but Schieber-san and Remilie-san were, so I gave a simple explanation about the emperor scavenger slime. ¡°I did see you take a lot of slimes with you before, but I can¡¯t believe how big the emperor slime is and how many they are. 10,000 slimes? That¡¯s just¡­¡± [Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing one in my life too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Big slimes can rarely be spotted in the wild, but I don¡¯t know about emperor slimes. Would it be possible if there were a lot of slimes?¡± [Remilie] Meanwhile, the goblins came out from behind the emperor scavenger slime in droves. With their neat clothes, equipment, and the weapons and luggage they had on them, it was obvious that they were not wild goblins. It was a sight I was all too familiar with, but the others didn¡¯t react like they did with the emperor slime. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, this is also unexpected in its own way.¡± [Remilie] I asked for an explanation, and Reinbach-sama was more than happy to provide it. ¡°The goblins are a class society. The leader of the horde rules over everything. He has priority over the food, and everyone else eats only whats left. So the lower a goblin is in the hierarchy the more emaciated he is, and the higher one is the stronger. That¡¯s why an experienced eye can tell from a goblin¡¯s physique how much food they have, what class the goblin is, as well as the strength of the goblin. Most of your goblins likely multiplied under you. With how well built their physiques are, they probably have plenty of food. The relatively thinner ones should be the survivors of a subjugation job.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s exactly as you¡¯ve surmised. They eat as much as a human would. That¡¯s a lot as far as the standards set by the Tamer Guild goes, and they get nutritional supplements too for the sake of their health and physique.¡± [Ryouma] Because of all the food, the goblins reproduced like rats, and stronger variants would more likely to appear too. Considering the threat, it would be safer to limit their food intake, but as their master and as compensation for the help they provided, I gave them plenty of food instead. I¡¯ve been researching nutrient supplements as well, so I¡¯m curious if it¡¯ll produce any changes. ¡°I see, nutrient supplements¡­ I don¡¯t know what that is, but that hobgoblin has a physique equaling a goblin knight¡¯s. Have they ever ignored your orders?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Oh they¡¯ve resisted many times.¡± [Ryouma] The first time was about a weak after they reproduced. The new goblins became adults in no time, formed a faction and became selfish. Their parents, the eight goblins that I first caught, were obedient, but the reproduction and growth rate of the goblins allowed them to outnumber and overpower them. ¡°It was looking like only the parent goblins could be suppressed, so I left an opening and killed them when they attacked. After that they started listening to me. The one at the top of their society is currently me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If my memory serves me right, you participated in the subjugation of a large goblin nest. Add to that how you could fight Schieber on equal footing, so indeed, there¡¯s indeed no way you would lose to some new born goblins. That¡¯s why you decided to make them submit by force.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if this¡¯ll prove that, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] The goblins that came out in droves seemed to be interested in the people with me, as they kept glancing at us. I told them not to lay a hand on the people with me no matter what, and¡­ ¡°Gobu!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°Gigi!¡± [Goblin 2] The goblins immediately and simultaneously understood my order, and after nodding to me and responding in their own way, they started preparing lunch. I don¡¯t understand a lick of what they¡¯re saying, but their conduct is easy enough to understand. ¡°As you can see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. You have them disciplined well.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. I¡¯m taking care since I¡¯ve already witnessed for myself how dangerous the speed of their reproduction from how they rebelled.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ Looks like there was no need for me to be worried.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your concern, Reinbach-sama.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m confident in my strength and I have prior experience too, so I¡¯m alright, but if any other beginner tried to pull the same stunt, they¡¯d likely either lose their life or allow the goblins to flee and hurt others. It¡¯s understandable why the guild would remind tamers not to feed the goblins too much. ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way, but you really aren¡¯t like a child, are you? It feels like I¡¯m talking to an adult.¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama seemed troubled yet his words remained gentle. I didn¡¯t know how to respond to that, so I just turned to the goblins that have started to prepare lunch. Chapter 274 - Equipment Update and Familiars II He might have noticed me turning to the goblins, as Schieber-san asked me. ¡°Ryouma, are the armor your hobgoblins wearing also part of your prototypes?¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san was looking at the hobgoblins that have positioned themselves around the goblins preparing the food. They are more combative than the other goblins, so they¡¯re in charge of escorting the other goblins during outdoor activities. Especially, since most of the goblins are non-combatants. Even now they¡¯re on the lookout for any threats, and they could be seen swinging their weapons from time to time. I used the armor of the Siblings of the Strong Sword as a reference for their armor. I used alchemy to make the parts, then put them together myself. I think it turned out pretty well, if I say so myself. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re prototypes too, but the craftsmen didn¡¯t make them. They¡¯re mostly meant to discourage any unwanted parties.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, so you were referring to them when you spoke about having deterrents. Well, with their physique, those thick armor, and how they¡¯re able to move easily despite the great sword on their back, they definitely look the part.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I used an alloy called, Duralumin. It¡¯s lighter than your usual iron and is easy to move in despite its strength. One drawback is that it rusts easily, so I applied a solution that combined the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid with charcoal to prevent rust. It also serves to reduce the luster of the armor and gives it a more profound feel. I¡¯ve given them the bare minimum combat training too, so they¡¯re fairly useful even during subjugation jobs. I can¡¯t be completely unbiased when I say this, but they¡¯re not just for show.¡± [Ryouma] The basic tactic I came up with was to position the smaller goblins for long range attacks, while the bigger hobgoblins would fight in melee. They would mow down the enemy with arrow and magic, and any force that managed to endure that and approach would be dealt with by the hobgoblins. The rimel birds could scout the enemy from the skies, while the slimes could quickly set traps and prepare a position, and I could move quickly without being seen thanks to my dimension magic. If we could even take the initiative on top of all of that, then our advantage in battle would put us way ahead of any foe. It¡¯s a simple tactic, but the more advantageous the situation is for me, the safer it will be as well. In fact, there have been plenty of bandits and monsters that were defeated just by the goblins¡¯ attacks. ¡°Looks like they¡¯re functioning as a ¡®unit¡¯ much better than I expected¡­ I suppose that would make you the general and the chief of staff then, huh, Ryouma.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I don¡¯t know about being chief of staff, but there is someone that might fit the bill. A genius chicken that goes by the name, Kohaku.¡± [Ryouma] Kohaku is the leader of the clever chickens that I purchased for their eggs. Actually, he¡¯s really more like the person in charge of their complaints. But anyway, the clever chickens are really selfish, perhaps because they were carefully raised as livestocks in a greenhouse, but Kohaku, the chicken in charge of them, is a small chicken less than a year old. I felt bad for him being so anxious all the time, so I made a chess board to help him relieve his stress. He learned the rules in the blink of an eye, and before I knew it, I couldn¡¯t beat him anymore. After that, Kohaku taught the rest of the clever chickens the game of chess, and the complaints from the ones that got hooked grew less. Eventually, they started solving disputes with chess, greatly reducing Kohaku¡¯s troubles. He was really happy, but it was an unexpected result that left me feeling complicated. ¡°I do hear him out from time to time though since it makes for a good reference.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so? I mean, have clever chickens always been that kind of monster?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Well, no one¡¯s ever tried to teach livestock chess before, but there¡¯s no doubting that they¡¯re smart, and it¡¯s said they could even understand humans, though I¡¯ve never heard anyone mention they had a taste for chess. Regardless, it appears that they did in fact learn chess, so I suppose it¡¯s possible depending on how one teaches them.¡± [Reinbach] Schieber-san turned to Reinbach-sama for his opinion, and he readily answered as such, adding that it could turn out to be a popular spectacle for the affluent. ¡°As an unusual sight, you mean?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s that too, but games that stimulate the brain are part of a noble¡¯s education. It¡¯s not unusual for nobles to hold tournaments, invite strong players, and even employ them for instruction. The wealthy and enthusiastic spend just that much money. If the clever chickens can learn chess and be raised to become chess players, a chess tournament between clever chickens could be a thing in the future. When that happens, specialized monster tamers would likely appear too.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Like horses, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, the only difference is that they¡¯re competing in chess instead of speed, so indeed, just like horses.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°The trends come and go, but there¡¯s always a market for these kind of competitions. Nobles love to jump at new things too. If done well, it could be really profitable.¡± [Remilie] Well, dogfights and cockfights were a thing back on Earth too. They¡¯re officially banned because of animal rights, but I guess in a sense, this isn¡¯t that much different from a cockfight. What a terrible image. Chicken chess. While I was thinking that, Sebasu-san asked me a question. ¡°Ryouma-sama, what are those metal carts that the goblins have been pulling for awhile now. The back looks like a pot.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Those are mobile cooking stoves meant for cooking large portions of food for many people. You can prepare a lot of food on those.¡± [Ryouma] When I was thinking about what equipment to prepare for my adventurer work, I remembered that the Japanese Self-Defense Force had a vehicle they used just for cooking, so I tried making a ¡®Field Cooker¡¯ myself. I didn¡¯t know much about it, though, so I ended up just building a rear-drawn cart with a chimney like those old baked potato cars. It¡¯s not too complicated too, with just some fire protection and a large gas stove installed. But because of that it¡¯s easy to fix, durable, and easy to use. It uses methane gas as fuel, which is contained in the stench that the scavenger slimes could emit. It¡¯s the main component of natural gas and could also be found to some extent in cow burps and human farts. A scavenger slime also can¡¯t produce that much of it on its own, but when there¡¯s 10,000 of them to create an emperor scavenger slime, the amount of methane they can release is overwhelming to say the least. Unfortunately, that means that the other unwanted parts of the stench is magnified too. ¡°There¡¯s also a device that¡¯s meant to remove those unwanted parts.¡± [Ryouma] This one is also a simple device, with a construct akin to that science experiment wherein one collects gas over water. The scavenger slime would expel its methane-filled stench through a tube, where most of the unwanted parts would be removed by passing through the odor-absorbing liquid. The methane gas with the minuscule remaining odorants would accumulate in a temporary storage area and be sent to the tube above via air pressure, where a filter slime is waiting. From there, all liquids and sprays are blocked, and only the methane gas with minuscule amount of odorants is sent to the stove. ¡°Well, that¡¯s more or less how it works.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you¡¯re using something similar to the ¡®earth dragon¡¯s breath¡¯?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Earth dragon? I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The term, Earth Dragon¡¯s Breath, has been used since ancient times to refer to the wind that gushes out of the earth. It burns fiercely when ignited and is harmful when inhaled. It¡¯s easy for them to cause damage in volcanic areas, leading to rumors of dragons sleeping beneath the ground to catch wind. ¡°In that case, please consider it as a kind of Earth Dragon¡¯s Breath. I mean, it is under a surface, and there are times when it erupts on a surface too. There¡¯s also no denying that it could be dangerous when handled incorrectly.¡± [Ryouma] The Field Cooker I made was made under the premise that it would be used outdoors or in a well ventilated area. The gas also wasn¡¯t completely removed of odor so that it¡¯s easy to know if it does leak. ¡°Almost everything is operated by the slimes, from the amount of liquid to use in deodorizing the gas and the rate of exchange to the speed of the gas being blown, so there¡¯s a lot of issues other than safety. It¡¯s still much easier and safer to use a fire magic tool, so this field cooker of mine is really just a hobby item.¡± [Ryouma] It wasn¡¯t just the design, handling gas was also a sensitive matter that could lead to accidents without expertise. I actually worked part-time in the gas industry and got my certifications, but that¡¯s a story from long ago. I don¡¯t know enough to teach other people. At least for now, the knowledge I have is just good enough for personal use. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve been researching all sort of stuff in the time we haven¡¯t met.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°By this point, I guess even that backpack of yours has a trick to it too, huh.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes. I used tubing made out of the same alloy as the hobgoblins¡¯ armor for its framework to reduce weight without sacrificing strength. There¡¯s also a belt around my waist that makes it easier for my body to support its weight. I can also drop it quickly by pressing on this part, which would disconnect the metal fixings, allowing me to make my escape or fight at a moment¡¯s notice. The rubber slime¡¯s rubber could also be found outside of the framework to serve as cushioning, so a little impact won¡¯t be a problem. It doesn¡¯t have that much room for storage, but the bottom part comes with a storage space with drawers for small things and fragile items. It provides easy access, so that¡¯s where I keep my first aid supplies and equipment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ Can I give that backpack a try?¡¡I¡¯d like to see your armor and any spares you have too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°But of course. I have a lot of prototypes with me, so please feel free to take your time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Show them to me too.¡± [Reinbach] Huh? Before I knew it, I¡¯d turned into a salesman. Like that, I talked about my new equipment and prototypes until lunch was ready. Chapter 275 - A Little Chat Over Lunch ¡°Hmm¡­ This taste, this fragrance¡­ It¡¯s just like it was made back in town. It¡¯s hard to believe that this is preserved food. Moreover, you can eat it after just boiling it in its bag. You couldn¡¯t ask for a better food for camping and marches. If I¡¯d known about this while I was in service, I would have surely introduced this to the knights and the army!¡± [Schieber] After the goblins finished preparing lunch, and my retort pouches were revealed to the group, we started eating, but Schieber-san in particular was really excited. ¡°Schieber-chan, I can understand how you feel, but you¡¯re way too excited.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Being able to eat normal food out in the wilds so quickly really is something.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°This freeze dry soup is spectacular as well. Pour a little hot water, and voila, soup is ready. A perfect dish for both the adventurers and the army.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ryouma, are you planning on selling this?¡¡I¡¯d like to procure a lot even at a high price.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like them, but I¡¯ve already handed the manufacturing methods to the current head of the Jamil family, Reinhart-sama. The Jamil family is fully in charge of it now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ I see¡­ With how useful this is, perhaps only a noble would be able to hold onto it.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Indeed. If not for your backing, some stupid noble might have even gone after you. It¡¯s a good decision. Oh, this is delicious too. Still, slimes are unexpectedly useful, aren¡¯t they?¡± [Remilie] As Remilie-san muttered, she suddenly became quiet and pondered something. She¡¯s still eating, so the taste shouldn¡¯t be a problem. ¡°Is something the matter?¡¡You suddenly became quiet.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ I was just thinking what a waste it was after hearing about your slimes. Just recently, an acquaintance of mine from the imperial capital mentioned that the slime laboratory at the Royal Institute of Monsters was closed.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh?¡¡Really!?¡± [Ryouma] The royal capital¡¯s monster research lab. If I recall correctly, that should be where my employee, Caulkin-san, used to work. ¡°You didn¡¯t hear from Reinhart?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°He didn¡¯t mention anything about the capital. I did hear from someone that used to work there that the slime department was being treated coldly, but I never heard anything about it being closed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Then I wonder if you¡¯re aware that in the last few years there has been an increase in the sightings and the damages incurred from monsters?¡± {Remilie] ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Records note many periods where monsters increased and great damage was caused, so the upper echelons of the kingdom are becoming increasingly vigilant. Information is important in battle, right? That¡¯s true even when dealing with monsters. Variants with traits differing from the original could spawn more frequently. Monster researchers and the Royal Institute of Monsters play a vital role in that regard. So with their workload likely to increase, the upper brass???????? of the lab decided to abandon the low priority jobs and focus their resources on the more important jobs.¡± [Remilie] Her words seemed to imply something, but I was more concerned about how the slime researchers were going to be handled. ¡°What happened to the slime researchers?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The Jamil family will be taking in all of the researchers that have been fired.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Really!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. The king himself sounded out our intentions before making the decision. I was also involved with some of the arrangements, but it was the master who said that the researchers would be entrusted with the slime research of the fief. I was sure they¡¯d be placed under you, Ryouma-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°The slime research¨D¨D¡± [Ryouma] There was one thing that came to mind. That was something that came up during a meeting we had after I became the Jamil family¡¯s specialist. Reinhart-san was interested in my food production plant and wanted to build a new village to investigate it further. There were two objectives behind the village. One was to build a testing area to see whether the slime farming method was completely possible for people other than me and to make an objective evaluation of it when utilized by others. The second was for the duke to purchase all of the crops produced and build a huge reserve of food for emergency. The scale is almost certain to expand, as there are already plans to build a plant to process the crops into retort pouch, freeze-dried, and other such preserved foods. That¡¯s why it was agreed from the beginning that the construction of the village and its management would be left to a third party and that I would not be directly involved. That wasn¡¯t a bad thing for me, as being able to move freely was a good thing, so I agreed, but it seems that Reinhart-san might have made that proposal because the king approached him. If it was a deal with the royal family, then there must have been things he couldn¡¯t talk about easily. ¡°The cost effectiveness remains a concern, but it¡¯s certainly reassuring to have a village dedicated to the production and stockpiling of this kind of preserved food for emergencies.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°If they needed to put someone in charge, they might have considered it easier to talk to a researcher that once worked at the capital.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°They also have to consider the status of the person. No matter what the reason is, a person that was once kicked out of the lab is a bit problematic. Perhaps they¡¯ll put someone like that in charge but monitor him for some time.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Though it¡¯s certainly sad for them to be treated so coldly, there¡¯s just no telling how people will behave nowadays. People about to lose their jobs, people at the end of their wits and hasty for achievements¡­ If you let people like those meet Ryouma, there¡¯s no guarantee they won¡¯t succumb to temptation.¡± [Schieber] As Schieber-san said that, he glanced at my preserved food, my field cooker, and my equipment. Those few words were more than enough to get me to convince me and the others. ¡°It would be a lie to say there¡¯s nothing to worry about, but making everything work well is the duke¡¯s job. The researchers have also been given a second chance, so the rest is up to Reinhart¡¯s and the researchers¡¯ efforts.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] One of the advantages of slime farming is that it is easy to secure farmland. Much like the base I built in Gimuru, if we could just get a warehouse or two, we could build a production facility of food supplies and preserved food even within the city. The duke could easily prepare trustworthy personnel too, and above all, this world has magic. We could start farming anywhere and it won¡¯t even take long to prepare a decent environment, so I hope they do their best. But enough of that. There¡¯s something I¡¯m more curious about. ¡°By the way, what kind of person is the king?¡± [Ryouma] As far as the king goes. All I know about him is his name, Erias De Riforu. But considering the incident with Yurdum-san, he probably already knows about me to some extent. I doubt he was unrelated with the last incident too. Since we¡¯re probably going to get involved with each other, it would be good if I could at least learn what kind of person he is. When I explained the situation, everyone but Remilie-san hesitated. ¡°If it¡¯s about Erias-chan, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to worry about.¡¡He¡¯s unprecedented as far as kings go, but he¡¯s definitely an understanding person.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes without a doubt. He might make harsh decisions as a king, but he¡¯s not a cold person. He knows about the unfair treatment of the slime research department and has been caught angrily remarking, ¡®what a stupid thing for grown adults to do.¡¯ He has also appraised the people working in the royal institute as ¡®the brains of the country¡¯, so the slime researchers are brilliant people too. Even the last incident was a desperate measure taken to clean house.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Besides, if the duke didn¡¯t hire the researchers and just moved them to another lab, there¡¯s no guarantee that the way other researchers treated them would change¡­ If the situation won¡¯t change even if they worked undercover, then we might as well just separate them altogether and prepare a new environment. That would be best not only for the researchers but also for the kingdom.¡± [Remilie] ¡°After all, if the research results in something beneficial for the kingdom, it would be shared with the kingdom through the duke. Though the nobles of the court do not look at him favorably, the king can make bold decisions when necessary.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°If the king knows about you through Verdure¡¯s son, then he¡¯s definitely considered you in his plans. However, you¡¯ve already become our specialist, so he won¡¯t ignore Reinhart and give you an unreasonable order. Disrespecting the rights of the nobility just because he¡¯s king will only end up damaging his and the royal family¡¯s credibility. He¡¯s not someone who can¡¯t see that that¡¯s a losing deal.¡± {Reinbach] Reinbach-sama said with a laugh. Everyone other Remilie-san chose their words carefully, but they all agreed that there wouldn¡¯t be any problems. If so, then it should be fine. ¡°I understand. In that case, if something happens I¡¯ll be sure to seek your counsel.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, you sure accepted everything so easily. Are you sure?¡± [Remilie] ¡°It would be a lie to say I¡¯m not concerned, but so long as he¡¯s not someone unreasonable, it should be fine. The incident at the end of the year will likely leak out, but I¡¯ve already entrusted everything to the duke¡¯s family. I trust them that much.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that with a smile, everyone else smiled too. Our peaceful time came to an end when a cry resounded from the distant sky. A high-pitched voice like a crow made the goblins alert, causing even the goblins that were eating to shudder. There were even some that took out their weapons. ¡°That should be a murder of Harris Crow. The fragrance of the food might have lured them.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s probably it. Oh, there¡¯s no need to take them seriously. There¡¯s a lot of them, but they¡¯re not strong individually. They¡¯re a cowardly sort. If you just scare them a little, they¡¯ll run away. Just like this.¡± [Schieber] While I was calming down the goblins, Schieber-san started casting magic. The moment he chanted ¡®Tornado¡¯, a strong gust of wind sprouted from his hands toward the sky, blowing away the over 20 Harris Crows. The wind didn¡¯t hurt them much, but the murder of crows scattered all the same, and they fled as fast as they could. ¡°It¡¯s a hassle if you really want to defeat them. This way is faster and saves mana too.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Thank you, Schieber-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll take care of something on this level as many times as needed. After all, you reminded me yesterday that I can still fight!¡¡Ha ha ha!¡± [Schieber] ¡­Schieber-san is a bit different today. ¡°Schieber, don¡¯t get in over your head and push yourself now. You might feel younger, but you¡¯re still old. I can¡¯t move the same as before, so I might not be able to save you if something happens.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I know. I¡¯m just saying that I¡¯m not so weak as to lose to a monster on that level.¡± [Schieber] ¡°What a jovial guy. You¡¯ve always been simple-minded¨D¨D¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yeah? Well, you¡¯ve always been too lively¨D¨D¡± Just when I was thinking he¡¯s gotten brighter or livelier, he suddenly started arguing with Reinbach-sama. However, the atmosphere between the two wasn¡¯t bad. Sebasu-san and Remilie-san just went back to their meal as though all was right with the world. Looks like they¡¯ve really known each other for a long time. It makes me a little jealous that they can have such a good relationship even at their age. Thank you for reading on novelhall.com Chapter 276 - My First Undead Chapter 276: My First Undead After lunch, we made our way through the canyon again, and just as Schieber-san mentioned, the trail gradually became worse, being full of rocky terrain or cliffs with an unchanging scenery. Moreover, the path was confusing enough that you could get lost Without a guide. We encountered more monsters beasts along the way too. Only small ones appeared, so it wasn¡¯t hard get them to leave, but regardless, we couldn¡¯t put our guard down. Even a moment of carelessness could be fatal even if the monsters were weak. Not to mention, poor footing could lead to a series of unfortunate events. ¡­That being said, it¡¯s exhausting to always be on your toes, so I kept myself only moderately alert, but before long, I smelled something rotten accompanied by a strange presence. ¡°This smell¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, there must an undead up ahead. Most likely, a zombie.¡± [Schieber] Indeed, just as Schieber predicted, 20 seconds later, a rotting human corpse slowly emerged from the end of the meandering, dead-end road. From what I know, the undead of this world prefer the night or places away from sunlight, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t function in the sun. They moved as fast as a normal adult would walk, so they weren¡¯t particularly threatening. Or at least, compared to other monster beasts, since you can get away just by running from them. They do look horrible and smell just as bad, though. ¡°Let¡¯s start by reviewing the nature of the undead, shall we?¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san ran up to the zombie and drew a stroke with his halberd diagonally across the zombie from its shoulder before split it in half from its torso to cleanly divide it into three parts. ¡°I didn¡¯t use magic and just attacked physically with my weapon. This approach is ineffective, as the zombie will regenerate right away and attack once again.¡± [Schieber] The body of the zombies that had been divided and fallen to the ground crawled back together and began to regenerate. ¡°Undead generally possess powerful regenerative abilities, so just physical attacks, particularly cutting weapons, will prove ineffective. Now, it¡¯s not impossible to beat them physically, and if you really have to, the fastest way would be to use a blunt weapon and thoroughly crush them. However, an approach like that may not work for some undead, so a magical attack is still the preferred way. It is the most effective and simplest way to deal with the undead.¡± [Schieber] The zombie from earlier had regenerated completely and was approaching us again. Schieber-san unleashed a Wind Cutter to split it in half from the waist, and just like earlier, it began to regenerate again, but it did so a slower rate this time. ¡°As you can see, if you defeat them with magic, they¡¯ll regenerate much slower. It¡¯s said that the reason for this is because the undead are only able to move because of dark-attribute mana, and attacking them with a spell, disperses that mana. Different elements and attacks produce different results, but the most effective of all is light magic. You mentioned that you could use light magic, right?¡¡When the zombie finishes regenerating, try hitting it with a light ball.¡± [Schieber] I did as I was told and shot a light ball at the regenerated zombie. ¡°Light Ball!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ahh, ahhhhh!¡± [Zombie] A ball of light appeared in my hand and shot out in a straight line for the zombie. The light landed on its chest and not only penetrated it but also destroyed the surrounding flesh and bone in a gruesome manner. The zombie screamed in pain, but its wounds showed no signs of regenerating like before. Before long, it stopped moving and collapsed. ¡°Remilie.¡± [Schieber] ¡°The speed and power of your Light Ball is more than sufficient. The foundations are all there, but if you don¡¯t get a good hit, you might not be able to finish it off completely, so as much as possible, you should aim for the chest or the head like you did just now. Otherwise, expect to need two or three shots.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Alright. By the way, I noticed that using Light Ball on the undead made the body disappear¡­ I¡¯ve been told that the undead come from people that have died, but normal corpses don¡¯t disappear with a Light Ball, do they?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Normal corpses won¡¯t disappear with light magic. It is believed that corpses undergo physical changes when they become undead, but no one knows for sure. Also, not all undead come from corpses, and they can spontaneously arise even without a corpse. There¡¯s a lot of things not known about them.¡± [Remilie] ¡°One theory has it that the body of the undead itself is made up of dark-attribute mana, but it¡¯s hard to say for sure since there are many different types of undead, like the ones that have been transformed or inhabited by an old legendary object.¡± [Schieber] While the questions surrounding undead were clarified one after another, another zombie came along. When I tried to use a spell on it magic again, Remilie-san stopped me. ¡°You used chantless casting during the spar yesterday, right? Can you show it to me again? Any element will do, just show me what you¡¯re used to.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Alright¡± [Ryouma] In that case, I¡¯ll use the wind. As soon as I thought that, I wrapped both of my hands in wind magic, and in the next instant, I unleashed a mass of compressed air from my two fists, crushing the head and sternum of the zombie. ¡°Air Hammer, huh. Moreover, two spells were cast almost simultaneously.¡± [Schieber] ¡°This too has sufficient power and speed. It doesn¡¯t lose out even when compared to the light ball earlier.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ryouma-kun has always been good at magic, but I see you¡¯ve gotten even better.¡± {Reinbach] Based on the feedback, it seems safe to assume that I didn¡¯t do badly, but Remilie-san appeared somewhat troubled. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your spells, but I¡¯m not sure how to approach teaching you¡­ I was thinking I would have to start with the basics, but you seem good enough there already. You learned all on your own, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes, you could tell?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I did use to be a royal court magician, you know. Magicians that have studied professionally be it in the academy, in the military, or by apprenticing under a master have all received systematic instruction right from the beginning, so they¡¯re ¨C for better or worse ¨C stale and nothing sticks out in the way they use their magic. You have the foundations down in that you use the right amount of mana and can convert the attributes properly, but you do pretty much whatever you want when it comes to how you visualize your spells, right?¡¡I have no complaints with how you performed your chantless cast, but your spell felt less like ¡®shoot the enemy¡¯ and more like ¡®crush the enemy with a fist of wind¡¯.¡± [Remilie] Wow. So a specialist can understand that much? Or am I just that easy to understand? I don¡¯t know which it is, but Remilie-san is right. It¡¯s only been recently that I¡¯ve become able to use chantless casting. The reason for it is actually the slime magic that I came up with at the end of the year. I didn¡¯t notice it at first, but while I was controlling the assimilated slimes by sending visualizations of a spell through the familiar contract, I wasn¡¯t actually chanting anything. When I realized that, I copied the feeling of slime magic and conceived visualizations that allowed me to use magic more naturally, and the result was a huge success. I¡¯ve been training to be able to use chantless casting for a long time now, but it was only after coming up with more natural visualizations that the success rate and power of my spells dramatically increased. It was also because of that that my chantless casting ended up mixing with my martial arts. Like for example, a spell like the Air Hammer that compresses air and attacks with it is cast with a fist thrust. The earth needle that I used in the spar yesterday was used with a low stance kick. ¡°Usually it takes years of repetitive training and real-life battles with the same magic to gradually get a feel for chantless casting, but you figured it out by combining your martial arts and your slime magic? It feels somewhat similar to the magic sword technique used by the knights. If you were a student, the curriculum would be more or less decided, so I¡¯d just have to take your proficiency into consideration, but¡­ You¡¯re not, so I¡¯m a bit at a loss.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Remilie-sama, I believe in Ryouma-sama¡¯s case, the most efficient way to proceed is to show him your spells and have him experiment on his own. Ryouma-sama has always been devising and using his own spells, so I¡¯m sure it would be fastest to just explain to him your spells and have him figure things out on his own.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°That¡¯s how he learned the intermediate dimension spells when Sebasu-san taught him dimension magic.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do just that. If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll think of something else.¡± [Remilie] By the time the adults were able to figure out how to teach me, the sound of something crawling the earth resounded and more zombies appeared. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s more?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Schieber-san, is something strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They might have reacted to the sound of battle earlier, but it¡¯s a bit much for three zombies to appear in such a short time this close to the main road.¡± [Schieber] ¡°The monsters have been increasing in number lately, so perhaps the undead around here have also been multiplying.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I say they¡¯re just perfect for Ryouma¡¯s training. Let me show you what an intermediate spell is like.¡± [Remilie] Reilly joined the conversation and suddenly pointed her wand at the zombies and cast a spell. ¡°Exorcism!¡± [Remilie] A ball of light the size of a basketball seemed to emerge from the tip of her wand and launched itself toward the zombie. However, the ball of light did not penetrate the zombie and instead bounced off and enveloped the zombie¡¯s body, annihilating it entirely. ¡°As you can see, this magic wraps the target in light magic. It can annihilate an undead on the level of a zombie, but it can also be used to capture fast moving targets or higher variant undead, so it¡¯s a good spell to learn. It costs about 1500 points of mana to use, so it¡¯s a waste to use it repeatedly against weak monsters like zombies and skeletons. Normally, you¡¯d use light ball instead and just use it in critical moments. Fire magic is also very effective against the undead, and sometimes it is more efficient to set bigger hordes on fire instead, but that depends on the situation. You¡¯ll just have to figure it out from experience.¡± [Remilie] It was in that way that I learned how to deal with the undead and was able to practice on the zombies and skeletons that appeared along the way. Thank you for reading on novelhall.com Chapter 277 - A Horde Beyond Expectations (1/2) Chapter 277: A Horde Beyond Expectations (1/2) We walked for about two hours while subjugating the undead that occasionally appeared. The path was so poorly maintained it was curious if it could even be considered one, but we traversed it nonetheless, then climbed up a rocky hill, and before long, made our way to the top. From there below could be seen the countless valleys formed by the rain over the years out of the rocky plateau. It was a beautiful sight that spoke tales of the vigor of the majesty of nature, so much so that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for it to become a tourist attraction, but¡­ ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s definitely a picture straight out of hell¡­¡± [Ryouma] The floor of the valley could be seen from all the way up top, and on the route we were about to traverse could be seen hordes of undead too many to count. They ruined whatever scenic views there were, and they affected our plans as well. Even the experienced adults frowned when they saw them. ¡°Now what?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯re just zombies and skeletons, but there sure are a lot of them. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if there were some higher variants there too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I think it would be faster to just go the long way around, but I¡¯d feel bad if we just left this mess be.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°They¡¯re not anywhere near the highway, but there¡¯s a chance they could affect the trade with the neighboring countries. It would be better if we took them down here now.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Indeed, our journey may not be not aimless, but it is not one that requires urgency. A slight delay should be of no concern.¡± [Sebasu] Since the undead were corpses that have undergone monsterification, in this country, their subjugation was considered to be a release of the souls that have been bound to this world, allowing them to return to the gods. We¡¯re not in any rush, so it seems everyone is planning on subjugating the undead. ¡°I also think subjugating them is a good idea. But their number remains a problem. From the ones I¡¯ve fought so far, my slimes could probably take them on, but¡­ Do you think they¡¯ll be fine eating undead? Spiritually speaking and health-wise.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The clergy and the pious perhaps won¡¯t be happy about that, but I think that¡¯s about it. In the first place, there aren¡¯t many people that would feed the undead to slimes. It should be fine as long as you can subjugate them. Besides, there¡¯s no reason for us to expose ourselves to needless danger just because dealing with them is a kind of memorial service. At the very least, I don¡¯t think so. As for your slime¡¯s well-being, well, I don¡¯t know anything about that.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I agree. We should prioritize our own well-being above all else, then the success of the subjugation, and then and only then the method.¡± [Schieber] Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san agreed as well. If they¡¯re not averse to the idea, then I guess we can just rely on my slimes. There¡¯s no way to predict how the slimes will react to an undead diet, so in that regard, we¡¯ll just have to experiment and observe. In any case, the leading role will likely fall to the scavenger slimes, who have a tongue for rotten meat, the acid slimes, who enjoy bones, and the light slimes, who can use light magic. The other slimes can play support. ¡°Ryouma-sama, before sending your slimes to deal with the undead, may I propose that we first cut down on their numbers? I too don¡¯t know what will happen when your slimes feast on the undead, but I do know that ¡®miasma¡¯ tends to appear when too many are gathered in the same place.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Harmful mana, huh. Indeed, it¡¯s a bit much to have them eat so many in one go even for an experiment.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, allow me. I¡¯ve been having it easy this whole time, so I¡¯ve got plenty of mana to spare. They¡¯ll burn if I bombard them with fire magic from up here. That should reduce their numbers to some extent.¡± [Reinbach] The hordes of undead at the bottom of the valley were zombies and skeletons, so they couldn¡¯t fly. Reinbach-sama¡¯s plan would make it unlikely for us to be surrounded. ¡°Oh, right. Reinbach-sama, I have a lot of oil and gunpowder in my Item Box. How about using that too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, then by all means, please. Oil and gunpowder should make it much easier for the fire to spread, wait¨D¨D¡± [Reinbach] Halfway through his speech, Reinbach-sama suddenly turned to me with his eyes opened wide. In fact, so did the other three. They looked at me with disbelief. ¡°¨D¨DDid you say gunpowder?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, I stumbled onto something similar while researching the liquids produced by my slimes. I experimented with it for awhile and intended to use it as a trap in the attacks at the end of the year.¡± [Ryouma] When we were attacked by assassins last time, I already considered that they might attack again, so I prepared some traps ahead of time. In the end, however, due to the fatigue, the lack of sleep, and the midnight tension, I confronted them directly instead. But really, the plan during the planning stages was to run away like a normal child????????. However, they¡¯d just give chase if I just ran away like that, so I prepared some traps that could do them serious damage and possibly incapacitate them. Among the traps I prepared were oil and the gunpowder I stumbled onto. ¡°I didn¡¯t use the traps in the end, but the ingredients remain. I did a little studying on my own and learned that the undead are weak to fire, so I brought them just in case.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­ I have no idea where to even begin.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Like a normal child, huh. But I don¡¯t think a normal child would use gunpowder to set a trap in response to an attack. How did you even know how to make something as inefficient as gunpowder?¡± [Remilie] ¡°My grandmother was an erudite, and she had all sorts of literature in her library.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that so? It¡¯s probably too late to be saying this since you can already make it, but do be careful handling it, okay?¡± [Remilie] ¡­Since stumbling onto gunpowder, I¡¯ve learned that it¡¯s not used much in this world due to the existence of magic tools and magic stones. Explosives made with magic stones were safer, stronger, and more cost-effective. Moreover, they were also used in cooking and heating, so they had a much wider range of application, making gunpowder a complete downgrade. So while it does exist, it¡¯s not well known, and those that do know about it don¡¯t think it¡¯s useful¡­ Thanks to that, however, laws surrounding gunpowder are surprisingly lax, and as long as you don¡¯t cause an accident that involves other people, no one will blame you for experimenting. Schieber-san was on the side of those policing the handling of dangerous materials, so I thought he would at least have a thing or two to say, but he completely let the matter slide. It¡¯s not something people would know about unless they were a specialist, and it¡¯s also not something that could be made, so that might play a part in why it¡¯s so looked down upon. In any case, I don¡¯t have the slightest idea of promoting the advantages of gunpowder over magic stones¡­ In fact, I¡¯d much rather just be rid of the little inventory I do have on me as soon as possible so that no one gets any funny ideas. Thank you for reading on https://www.novelhall.com Chapter 277.2 - Chapter 277: A Horde Beyond Expectations (2/2) Chapter 277: A Horde Beyond Expectations (2/2) Reinbach-sama pointed to a part of a valley crowded with undead, where a steep cliff could be found along with the rotten remains of a rope bridge that must have snapped and fallen a long time ago. Along the way, I found out that the bridge was once called the ¡®Bridge of Hope¡¯. ¡°The criminals sent to the prison down this road were all convicted felons sentenced to either life or execution. At the time, it was accepted to abuse the prisoners to allow the wardens to satisfy their urges, so torture was also the norm. But there were also rumors that human experimentation ¨C which was illegal ¨C was also being performed¡­¡± [Schieber] ¡°In other words, it¡¯s a famous spot for suicide. Though sometimes it wasn¡¯t the prisoners killing themselves but the jailers pushing them off for fun. A place like that is bound to make it easy for undead to rise and gather.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Is that what the hope in ¡®Bridge of Hope¡¯ refers to? Ironic¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Unfortunately, humanity isn¡¯t all pretty.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Agreed, and that¡¯s why the least we could do is to get rid of the undead that we can see.¡± [Schieber] When I nodded to Schieber-san, the ruins of the bridge was already before us. The area around the bridge must¡¯ve been well-maintained before, as it was clear of obstacles. We placed our belongings away from the cliff and started preparing. First, we secured the area around us, then I prepared a lifeline for our descent with earth magic, rope, and the wire slime. I don¡¯t know what the exact height of this cliff is, but it¡¯s at least as high as the fifth floor of a building, so precautions ought to be taken. After that I took out barrels filled with oil and quickly lined them up along the edge of the cliff, then the adults threw them down. It was surprising how the adults didn¡¯t push the barrels down and instead carried them then threw them down. The barrels were the same size as those large barrels filled with wine, so they weren¡¯t by any means small, and they were filled to the brim with oil, so they were certainly heavy. I know they used ki or magic to strengthen themselves, but it¡¯s still a queer sight to see a group of four adults so easily lift such heavy barrels and throw them down. ¡°Fu fu, I might not like fighting up close, but I can still do this much. Mages do need a weapon in case they¡¯re forced to fight up close.¡± [Remilie] ¡°True.¡± [Ryouma] I know she¡¯s healthy and all, but seeing her pick up those huge barrels with her slender arms, not to mention with one hand, gives me a weird feeling as though I were looking at something that¡¯s been photoshopped. I guess this is a part of my previous life that I¡¯ve yet to completely rid myself of¡­ ¡°Ryouma-sama, the royal court magicians may all be called as such, but they have many duties ranging from research to the nurturing of their juniors. Remilie-sama was mainly in charge of hunting down monsters and bandits, as well as researching magic. She was one of the best.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°So not just any royal court magician could have done her work.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Precisely.¡± [Sebasu] Just like with ki reinforcement, the more a mage uses strengthening magic, the more proficient they become, and the more efficient their mana consumption becomes. They could also opt to consume more mana to raise the efficacy of their magic. ¡°Vah¡­¡± [Undead 1] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Undead 2] Every time a barrel fell, the sound of it crashing accompanied by the screams of the undead would echo throughout the canyon. Perhaps they were trying to avoid the light of the day, but there were barely any gaps between the undead. That¡¯s why the barrels would always hit a few of them. ¡°Ryouma-kun, that¡¯s enough.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You sure? That¡¯s only about half of the oil I brought with me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The barrels are big and we¡¯ve already thrown about 30 of them. It¡¯s more than enough.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I can¡¯t believe that¡¯s just half of what you brought.¡± [Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s because you can make a lot of raw material for vegetable oil using slime and magic.¡± [Ryouma] We had plenty of oil already, so I took my slimes out from my Dimension Home. I got an Emperor Scavenger Slime and a Big Acid Slime, then for support, I also got out the metal slimes and iron slimes, as well as the spider slimes. About 50 slimes each. ¡°Looks like your slimes are ready. Let¡¯s begin.¡± [Reinbach] Upon seeing that my preparations were complete, Reinbach-sama shot a fireball at the barrels down the cliff. With nothing to obstruct them, they shot straight for their target and started a fire that quickly grew into a great flame that devoured the undead. The undead tried to flee, but the scope of the fire was too big, while the undead were slow and too many. They could barely move yet the winds blowing between the cliffs roused the fire to burn even stronger. A cloud of black smoke veiled the great fire, but the winds blew that veil open, revealing the countless corpse writhing in agony as they burned. It was hell indeed. ¡°¡­Reinbach-chan. That was just a Fireball, right?¡¡Didn¡¯t the fire spread too quickly?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes¡­ Despite the oil, the corpses should have taken a bit more time to catch fire considering the moisture.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I was planning to use that oil as a trap, so I used the sticky slime¡¯s sticky liquid as a thickener and mixed it with it. As a result, my oil can stick onto the skin and clothes much easier than normal. That¡¯s probably why the fire spread so quickly.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s also because of that that I couldn¡¯t use it for cooking or fuel or for other products, as well as the biggest reason why I ended up with too much oil. ¡°You even did that?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°By this point, it¡¯s already a weapon. An anti-personnel one. In that case, this will probably be much quicker than I¡¯d thought.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯m glad you like it.¡± [Ryouma] But at this rate, won¡¯t this actually be enough to wipe out all the undead below? Or so I asked, but¡­ ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s not possible. The undead are just too resilient.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Your oil may certainly be more effective than normal oil, but at most, it¡¯ll be able to take down 75% of them.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Still, there¡¯s so many of them that even just reducing their numbers by half is plenty. The remaining undead should be weakened by having to regenerate so many times in a short period of time, so this definitely wasn¡¯t a meaningless act.¡± [Reinbach] Despite that it would still take awhile before the fire dies down. Not that I¡¯m complaining, though. Since it definitely beats having to take that massive horde head on. ¡°I thought this too when I saw it from above earlier, but this sure is an amazing view.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Come to think of it, you were looking around inquisitively, weren¡¯t you? Is it your first time seeing a landscape like this?¡± [Remilie] ¡°I¡¯m used to mountains and forests already, but it¡¯s my first time seeing such a vast canyon. I wonder how many years it took to form? I can¡¯t even imagine.¡± {Ryouma] ¡°This canyon should be about 1,500 years old. Apparently, it was the ¡®Child of the Gods¡¯ then that changed the geography.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Really? ¡­Isn¡¯t that a fairy-tale?¡± [Ryouma] The ¡®Child of the Gods¡¯ is a term used to refer to the otherworlders that have transmigrated here. Among those otherworlders are people whose actions and existence continue to be spoken about even to this day. That was written in the book I got from Gayn when I came to this world for the first time. ¡°While I¡¯m sure there are plenty of embellishments and distortion of facts in the stories passed down, they¡¯re not fairy-tales.After all, it was none other than the king of this country that created this canyon after training his magic. His name has properly been recorded in the history books, and there¡¯s an anecdote about him there too. The Child of the Gods, Masaharu, was born with vast reserves of mana, and he wielded powerful magic. The magic he used in his training was so powerful that he gave rise to mountains, tore the ground, leveled the earth, and washed everything away with heavy rain and waves, resulting into this. He was born during a time of war, and records have it that it was because of his power that the country was able to push back the front lines.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see. That¡¯s my first time hearing it.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s hard to believe that the magic of an otherworlder was actually able to form a canyon like this. Just what kind of magic could realize such a thing? The scale is too big. I couldn¡¯t do it even if I used my slime magic. Well, I might be able to accomplish it it were in several moves. Certainly, not in a single move, though. And it would take me a considerably long time. He became a king, did he? ¡­Hmm?¡¡Wait, he¡¯s the king, and that would mean the royal family, so¡­ ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that King Masaharu is Elia¡¯s ancestor, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Precisely.¡± [Sebasu] I knew it! It¡¯s that¡¯s peerless otherworlder magician that Gayn mentioned!¡¡I don¡¯t know much about him, but I heard he poured all of his otherworlder privileges into magic. If so, then perhaps it¡¯s not impossible that he was able to change the terrain this much with magic. As I thought of the possibilities of a magic I¡¯ve never seen and my otherworlder senpai, the fire below gradually waned and our plan to subjugate the unexpected horde below moved on to the next phase. Chapter 278.1 - Chapter 278: Extermination Complete (1/2) Chapter 278: Extermination Complete (1/2) ¡°There¡¯s still a lot left, I see.¡± [Reinbach] I looked down the cliff, and indeed, just as Reinbach-sama said, though much of the undead have been slain, there were still hundreds of them left. There really were just too many of them. The remaining undead were moving even slower than before, and there were even some that stopped regenerating. However, the fire was quickly losing its momentum, and the gaps between the undead were now much bigger. With the fire unlikely to spread, I doubt we can expect anything more from the fire. ¡°It¡¯s much better than before. Let¡¯s take our time and take them down at our pace.¡± [Remilie] ¡°In that case, we¡¯ll proceed as planned, and me and my slimes will secure a foothold for us.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯re counting on you. We¡¯ll join you as you can secure a location.¡± [Schieber] I¡¯m going to wear the Filter Slime like a mask to deal with the smoke. Oxygen shouldn¡¯t be a problem since air can pass through it. I¡¯ll sprinkle some water on my landing spot just to be safe. ¡°Ryouma-sama, please leave the water to me. Waterfall.¡± [Sebasu] Upon a chant, enough water to fill an entire swimming pool appeared midair and poured on the fire below, giving rise to a steam that eventually also drowned in the water. ¡°Thank you very much!¡± [Ryouma] After thanking him, I gave the emperor scavenger slime its orders. In the next moment, it grew its body as big as it could, and as soon as its body stretched past the cliff, it suddenly shrunk itself and leaped into the air. The emperor slime trembled in the wind as it landed below. Looking just like a rubber ball recorded in slow motion, it mitigated the impact with its flexible body. I checked if it was okay, and it responded back with a simple ¡®okay¡¯. It jumped from a height no different from the fifth floor of a building, yet it didn¡¯t take any damage at all. ¡°I¡¯d heard about it before, but I see it really can jump from this high up and be fine.¡± [Remilie] ¡°The emperor slime¡¯s physical resistance is just that high. I attacked it myself to test it out, and my attacks didn¡¯t work at all.¡± [Ryouma] Magic works much better than physical attacks, but even magic isn¡¯t as effective because of its resistances and its mass. Honestly, I¡¯m not even sure if I could beat an emperor slime if I fought one. Depending on the situation and how the slime is used, it can be a really dangerous slime. ¡­But that¡¯s also why it¡¯s reassuring to have as an ally. ¡°Will you look at that, it¡¯s eating up the undead one after another.¡± [Schieber] ¡°They¡¯re not on its level at all.¡± [Reinbach] The undead nearby did respond and approached the emperor slime, but the emperor slime captured them with its tentacles, then crushed them with its overwhelming mass. They must have desperately resisted, but the difference in mass was just too overwhelming to overcome. ¡°¡­Seems everything¡¯s okay. I can have the emperor slime split up too, but I should get the other slimes down first.¡± [Ryouma] Once the emperor slime had assumed the shape of a large mattress, I sent the next group of slimes. The slimes jumped down one after another and safely landed on the emperor slime cushion. Then came my turn. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Be careful now.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] I untied my safety rope and jumped down the cliff just like my slimes. The resistance of the wind and its chill could be felt all over my body. There was even a rumbling sound, but I remained calm. Jumps of this sort have already been thoroughly tested during the experiments with the emperor slimes¡¯ physical resistance. There was no one other than me who could use the emperor slimes, or, more precisely, 10,000 slimes, so we couldn¡¯t put it into practice, but I trust them enough to have considered them as an option during the incident last year. I held my knees midair, and as I landed on the emperor slime on my tushy, the emperor slime¡¯s body gently wrapped itself around me, mitigating whatever impact could have been and allowing me to come out of that jump with no injuries whatsoever. ¡°Are you okay!?¡± [Remilie] ¡°I¡¯m okay!¡± [Ryouma] I had the emperor scavenger slime separate into its smaller form, and at the same time, I responded to the adults waving at me from the cliff. There were still a lot of undead left, so we couldn¡¯t talk for long¡­ Or that should have been the case, but the slimes around me started giving the undead the beating of their lives. A skeleton was about to approach when I landed but then one of my metal slimes jumped on it from the side, crushing its chest and causing the rest of its body to collapse. The other metal slimes and iron slimes also attacked. For a moment, I thought they just jumped, but it quickly came to light that they actually transformed midair into weapons. Some into spears, some into chakram, skewering and shredding the enemy. They made full use of their speed, transformation ability, and numbers to overwhelm the undead, after which, came the scavenger and acid slimes to feast on the ghastly parts still crawling on the ground. Apparently, they recognized the undead to be no different from their usual diet of animals and monster beasts, so they acted exactly the same as they would during meal time. At most, the slimes that devoured parts with some regenerative power left struggled a little during the digestion.¡¡The spider slimes and the sticky slimes provided support too with their threads and sticky liquid, tripping the undead or gluing them in place. The enemy may be numerous, but the situation was in our favor, and there were no opportunities for my or my slimes¡¯ light magic to make an appearance, so we just stood there and kept watch. I couldn¡¯t let my guard down, and I needed to observe the slimes too. Unfortunately, whether one fought or not, a battle with the undead remained grotesque. I felt a trace of mana behind me, and it turns out everyone else had gotten down with dimension magic. Chapter 278.2 - Chapter 278: Extermination Complete (2/2) Chapter 278: Extermination Complete (2/2) ¡°Looks like we¡¯ll be able to finish this quickly.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It seemed from above that there¡¯s fewer undead on the right of the opposing cliff. We¡¯ll take care of those first.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Okay, in that case, I¡¯ll keep the left at bay.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Schieber, don¡¯t you get overeager now and start swinging your halberd in vain.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I know. I¡¯ll take it easy and treat it like casual exercise.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Remilie-sama, could I trouble you for a favor?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m on it¡­ Coating of Light!¡± [Remilie] As I gathered all of my slimes to the left side, Schieber-san took out his favorite halberd, and Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san drew their swords from their waist. Reinbach-sama¡¯s sword drew my attention. It was white with no luster, as though carved from the bones of a creature, fashioned into the style of a bastard sword. Flames burst from it when drawn, and it transformed into a sword of flame. Sebasu¡¯s weapon was a thin bladed sword known as a rapier. Remilie-san appears to have cast a light magic of sort on it, and with the light radiating from it, it looked more like a sword of light. Or to be more precise, it was just like a lightsaber straight out of the sci-fi movies. I could tell even looking at them from the side that the two swords possessed considerable power. Not only could Reinbach-sama¡¯s sword easily cut through the zombies, it would also leave a trail of fire in its wake that would consume the zombies entirely, leaving no room for regeneration. Sebasu¡¯s weapon allowed him to thrust precisely at the enemies¡¯ vitals. But his thrusts would always leave a hole bigger than his blade. With the speed of his thrusts and his attacks often consisting of consecutive strikes, the enemies he came across would often be left looking as though their upper half had been blown away. Ahead of those two was Schieber-san, who went on a rampage all on his own. He too had his halberd clad in an element. In his case, it was the wind. Though it was not as eye-catching as fire or light, a gust of wind would accompany his every swing. With the range of his halberd and his wind, Schieber-san would cover a vast area to scatter the enemies, and the other two would clean up the survivors. ¡°I knew Schieber-san was strong, but Sebasu-san and Reinbach-sama are amazing too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Those two are as strong as proper knights, so that much is a given. Reinbach-chan¡¯s magic sword is also within the scope of foundational techniques, so technically speaking, you could do it too. If anything, your chantless casting is much harder to pull off.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I think they¡¯re similar, but you¡¯re saying mine is more difficult?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When you use chantless casting, you cover your arm in mana to protect it, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes. I realized during my experiments that my own spells could hurt me, so I would first erect a thin layer of mana on my arm before casting a spell on top.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That might be an answer you came up with due to your circumstances and due to being self-taught, but it¡¯s not something a beginner would do. The basics of magic sword are much simpler. You just have to cover a sword in magic. Crudely put, all you really need to do is to set the sword on fire.¡± [Remilie] But won¡¯t that damage the sword? Or so I felt like asking, but she seemed to have seen that question coming. ¡°People that use Magic Sword specifically choose a sword made out of material with strong resistance toward their element. That way the sword won¡¯t be as burdened, and they won¡¯t have to cover it in mana to protect it either. Above all, it makes the spell easier to use.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s a good spell for building foundations, I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. Sebasu-chan¡¯s sword follows the same principle. I just covered it in light mana. The only difference is that I did it for him.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see¡­ I tend to act alone, but if I could enchant other people¡¯s weapons, we would certainly be able to use a wider variety of tactics. Are there other similar spells?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ If you¡¯re talking about spells you can use on your allies, well, there¡¯s the neutral strengthening spell and barrier. But if you have the time and money, I suggest you just have magic tools, weapons, and armor made with enchantments. But of course, there¡¯s no harm in learning the spell.¡± [Remilie] That was certainly educational¡­ Uh oh, the undead at the slimes¡¯ area have started to congest. ¡°Excuse me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you need help?¡± [Remilie] ¡°No, I can handle this. There¡¯s just too many of the undead gathered in some places, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] I took out my slime katana and on its blade gathered and compressed ki, then with a single stroke sideways, unleashed a blade of ki that tore through the air and ripped apart the dozens of undead stuck in my sea of slimes. It might have been due to the sound of the skeletons¡¯ bones collapsing, but the sight of it reminded me of bowling. Anyhow, with the undead struck down, the slimes should be able to eat them much easier. There were other places that were stuck, so I unleashed blades of ki there too. After unblocking everything, the slimes should be able to take care of them on their own again. ¡°So you could use a technique like that too.¡± [Schieber] Apparently, they were already done cleaning out the right side, so Schieber-san¡¯s group came back. ¡°I learned it just recently.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You have a high degree of mastery over it already, though.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Three of my employees could use ki, so I got them to teach me.¡± [Ryouma] That includes Yurdum-san, whom I fought to confirm that he was a spy, Fei-san the assassin, and Ox-san the gladiator champion. After the match with Yurdum-san, I found out that there were various techniques surrounding ki. There was a technique where the fist was covered in ki and shot out, a technique that utilized a blade of ki to extend one¡¯s range, and a technique that increased power by imbuing one¡¯s weapon with more ki than usual. With that knowledge as a foundation, I recreated the technique of the Siblings of the Strong Sword and came up with the technique I used just now. ¡°You even incorporated the technique of the assassins sent to kill you? I see you¡¯re very greedy.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I have a personality that makes me want to know something once my interest has been piqued.¡± [Ryouma] Right, since the slimes seem to be doing okay, I should ask about the magic sword from earlier. I gave a brief explanation of my conversation with Remilie-san. ¡°No reinforcements were coming, so I was wondering what was up, and it turns out to be that.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I already enchanted Sebasu-chan¡¯s sword, and there wasn¡¯t a need for reinforcements anyway, so I figured I¡¯d just teach Ryouma-chan a thing or two. It¡¯s a wizard¡¯s principle never to waste mana, you see.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to blame you¡­ Ryouma-kun, if you¡¯re interested in the magic sword, I could teach you. And if you want to use a sword with fire attribute, I could provide you with a dragon¡¯s fang like this one.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°A dragon¡¯s fang!?¡¡I don¡¯t know exactly just how precious that is, but something that amazing is a bit¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Dragons regrow them every few years, so we get one every now and then. It¡¯s not that rare of a material in our house. It¡¯s certainly of the highest quality, but I owe you one anyway.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯m interested in the magic sword, but I¡¯m still just a beginner. Also, I can practice even with just a normal sword, so let¡¯s put off the fang for another time.¡± [Ryouma] Dragon materials are so something straight out of a fantasy. In a game, you would usually only find that somewhere near the last dungeon, so his offer was so abrupt for me that it troubled me. I glanced at my slime katana and felt a sense of relief wash over me¡­ As expected, slime equipment might be the most suitable for me. While thinking about that, the slimes¡¯ valiant efforts eventually left the undead unable to move properly. Some of them stood petrified, while some couldn¡¯t even stand up. Regardless, they remained where they were with no recourse other than to wait to be eaten. With that being the case, there was no reason for me or the adults to make a move. In fact, trying to help might just cause an accident, so we just stood by and watched over them. It¡¯s great that the undead are being wiped out, but I barely did anything. I mean I pretty much just talked. Regardless, it didn¡¯t take long before the slimes claimed victory and raised their tentacles in a wordless battle cry. Chapter 279.1 - Chapter 279: Competing With Remilie (1/2) Chapter 279: Competing With Remilie (1/2) ¡°We¡¯ll rest here today.¡± [Schieber] After wiping out the horde of undead, we made our way for the Town of Departed Spirits again. But the deeper we went, the more undead we came across. Considering the time we used to wipe out the big horde, we decided to make camp earlier than planned. The night was the hour of the undead, and even if not for that, it was dangerous to move in the dark. There was no reason to rush, so it was the right decision. Schieber-san was the one who suggested it, but no one disagreed. ¡°Remilie.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Leave it to me. Ryouma-chan, I¡¯ll show you a useful spell.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Okay! I¡¯ll do my best to watch!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Holy Space!¡± [Remilie] The mana she released was much greater than anything she¡¯d released until now. As a faint light spread from her, mana and light passed through our camp and settled in the outer perimeter of our defensive line, taking on a dome shape. The air inside the dome was much cleaner, perhaps due to Remilie-san¡¯s mana filling the dome. ¡°This is the light intermediate spell, Holy Space. With this spell, you can temporarily create a space that undead monsters can¡¯t enter. Zombies, skeletons, and even wraiths would disappear if they so much as touch it, so it¡¯s often used to make camp in places like this. There¡¯s a few things to keep in mind. First of all, the duration and area depends on the caster¡¯s skill. It can¡¯t erase powerful undead, and there have even been cases of them forcing their way through. In such cases, the holy space would be able to weaken the undead, but it will use up mana really quickly, and if you just leave it be, the holy space will be dispelled. So strong undead needs to be dealt with immediately. Also, you shouldn¡¯t rely on it too much. As much as possible, pick a safe place for your camp. For the meantime, try copying what I did. For your first time, it¡¯s good enough if you can make a space big enough for a single person to lie down.¡± [Remilie] As such, I gave the spell a try. I used light attribute mana, used the key points of barrier magic to decide the area-of-effect, visualized that space being filled with light attribute mana, then uttered the chant. ¡°Holy Space.¡± [Ryouma] The spell was invoked just like I imagined, but it was a lot harder to manage compared to barrier magic. If barrier magic were walls, and the mana you filled it with was water, then this spell is like cloth. A wall could keep water in place without letting it pass through, but with cloth, water seeps out. Without sufficient concentration during invocation, the mana filling the spell would quickly leak. In any case, it seems I somehow succeeded. ¡°Remilie-san, how did I do?¡± [Ryouma] When I asked that, Remilie-san appeared troubled. ¡°It¡¯s a bit rough around the edges, but you succeeded. Congratulations. You learned Holy Space. I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t struggle, but it doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m teaching at all. This is said to be the hardest spell among the intermediate light spells to manage too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I can use a bit of barrier magic, so I tried doing it while copying that feeling.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because barrier magic and light magic are similar in the sense that they both use spells and mana to cause a phenomenon. So when you use them for similar goals, the usage and effects can be similar. In the first place, magic was just categorized to make it easier to teach the next generation. They basically just said, ¡®barrier magic is like this¡¯ or ¡®light magic is like this,¡¯ so there¡¯s no real need to fuss about it. I think you¡¯re the sort that would be better off like that too.¡± [Remilie] Since coming to this world, I¡¯ve realized for myself just how flexible and convenient it is, so I¡¯ve always found the saying that ¡®all magic is the same when it comes to handling mana¡¯ to fit really well. ¡°In any case, you managed to learn Holy Space already, so let¡¯s start making camp.¡± [Remilie] ¡°After all, you can¡¯t quite call it rest even if the undead don¡¯t come if we leave ourselves exposed to the weather.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°But of course.¡± [Ryouma] In that case, we should start by preparing the tent¡­ Or at least that¡¯s what I was thinking when Schieber-san called out to me. ¡°Ryouma, I¡¯ll take care of the camping preparations, so can you build a wall with earth magic around us?¡¡We have Remilie¡¯s Holy Space, but it¡¯s still better to have a wall in case something unexpected happens.¡± [Schieber] ¡°The situation has been like this so far, after all¡­ Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll take care of it. How big would you like the walls?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Make them as wide as your arm span and as tall as the distance from an adult¡¯s waist to just below the chest. Bigger than that would create a big dead angle and make it hard to see to cast spells. Don¡¯t make it completely impenetrable too, just make it so that it can obstruct and restrict movement.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Very well. My helpful slimes are with me, so something like that won¡¯t take long.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯ll help out too once we¡¯re done preparing the camp, so you don¡¯t have to push yourself too hard.¡± [Schieber] But even though he said that, I don¡¯t think the job he gave me would be any difficult. I¡¯m sure I can finish it really quickly. To start, I opened my Dimension Home and brought out six types of slimes: the stone slime, the spider slime, the wire slime, the sting slime, the metal slime, and the iron slime. Then I took the now 10,000 stone slimes and brought them to one of the surrounding walls of rock, where I then broke a portion of it with Earth Magic, then made the rubble just small enough to pass for a pile of stones. ¡°I wonder if you guys can grow bigger by eating these.¡± When I said that, they crowded the pile of stones. You couldn¡¯t tell which was which when they weren¡¯t moving. I left them there for the meantime and returned to the campsite. Just as the name ¡®Stone Slime¡¯ implied, the stone slimes were slimes with the body of a stone. They reproduced by using the nutrients they¡¯ve gained to split just like the other slimes, but by instructing them not to, they could grow from a tiny pebble you could pick up with your fingers to a ¡®big stone¡¯ bigger than my palm. I¡¯m taking advantage of that trait to make them as big as possible. Afterwards, I¡¯ll tell them to stack themselves in the right locations and the stone wall will be complete. Stone walls have been used since ancient times in castles as well. My stone walls might not turn out to be as amazing, but they¡¯ll do more than well enough given our objectives. The slime stone walls alone would fortify our camp well enough, but there¡¯s another twist. With the size of the stone wall specified by Schieber-san as one block, I arranged them into two layers around the camp with a gap big enough for one or two people to pass. The inner and outer rings were offset, then when I was done determining the general position, I dug a hole in the gap using earth magic, then put up two sticks of metallic slimes. ¡°Please take care of it in order.¡± [Ryouma] The spider slimes, the wire slimes, and the sting slimes that have been waiting moved out simultaneously. The spider slimes climbed up the metallic slimes and built a nest with their threads, then with the support of the spider slimes, the wire slimes stretched their bodies and spiraled between the two rods. Finally, the sting slimes created poison needles and stuck them onto the two metallic slime sticks. Voila! Just like that, my very own barbed wire trap was complete! Unfortunately, the undead aren¡¯t alive, so the poison won¡¯t have much of an effect. Though if it touches the clothes or penetrates the flesh, it should still be able to obstruct them. More importantly, this barbed wire trap is really a combination of my slimes, so I¡¯ll be able to tell immediately how many undead there are when they make contact. Nothing could be better for defense. It was in this way that my slimes and I worked together, and when the construction of the defensive line was starting to progress¡­ 90% of the work was completed in just 30 minutes since the camp was just two tents and a bonfire. All that was left was to check the work and make sure that all the preparations were done correctly. Chapter 279.2 - Chapter 279: Competing With Remilie (2/2) Chapter 279: Competing With Remilie (2/2) ¡°Schieber-san, what do you think?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Better than I expected. Looks like you didn¡¯t need our help, after all.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I was watching for awhile, and I must say, a stone wall that can stack itself sure is convenient. I see they¡¯re easy to rebuild and fine tune too.¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san and Remilie-san were both watching me, so I asked them how I did, and they told me that it was good enough. Apparently, they finished preparing the tents and the bonfire first, as Sebasu-san could be seen behind Remilie-san with steaming cups on a tray, while Reinbach-sama could be seen tending to the bonfire. ¡°You did a good job. Please have some tea.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-kun, you can sit here.¡± [Reinbach] I took Reinbach-sama¡¯s offer and sat on one of the chairs in front of the fire. Schieber-san, Remilie-san, and Schieber-san also took their seats, and we all sat around the fire. I didn¡¯t notice it when I was moving, but the wind in the canyon is cold and strong. My body temperature would quickly drop staying still, so I warmed myself with the fire and the tea. ¡°Ah, rest at long last.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, you should rest as much as you can while we can.¡± [Reinbach] No one disagreed with that, so we quickly had our supper, chatted, and rested ourselves physically and mentally. Before long, the sun finally set, and¡­ ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have minded even if things didn¡¯t go as predicted, but¡­¡± [Reinbach] As the clock struck their hour, the undead revealed themselves from the darkness. Skeletons and zombies came of course, but there were wisps, undead that resembled human souls, and wraiths, flying half-translucent human-shaped undead, too. Their numbers continued to increase, but they didn¡¯t show any signs of trying to get past our defensive line perhaps due to the light attribute mana used in the Holy Space. But it would be risky to leave them alone, and it also wouldn¡¯t be any good for our mental health, so we decided to get rid of them. ¡°They came, so we¡¯ll have to deal with them. Let¡¯s do this quickly.¡± [Remilie] ¡°But of course.¡± [Ryouma] During our supper, it was decided that Remilie-san and I would wipe out the undead with our light magic. In exchange, lookout duty could be put off for later, and we would be able to get proper rest. If nothing else happens, this should be the last job for the day. I need to do my best. ¡°We might as well have a little competition while we¡¯re at it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°A hunting competition?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, we have to kill them anyway, we might as well enjoy ourselves. Whoever kills more wins, and the loser will have to do one favor for the winner.¡± [Remilie] ¡°As long as it¡¯s nothing too unreasonable¡­ Wait a second. Isn¡¯t a magic competition too unfavorable to me? Knowledge-wise and experience-wise?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, how about we compete with just our Light Balls?¡¡That way there won¡¯t be that much of a gap in skill. Let¡¯s also set a time limit. If we competed until one side ran out of mana, I¡¯d be at an disadvantage, while you¡¯d be at a disadvantage if we limited the number of shots since you have less experience.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Right, that should even things out a bit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are we both in agreement? In that case, let¡¯s go with these rules. Sebasu-chan and the others will serve as our referee and tell us how many undead we¡¯ve killed!¡± [Remilie] ¡°Very well.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll play along.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll be the one to count Ryouma¡¯s kills.¡± [Schieber] It was in this way that Remilie-san and I ended up competing. The undead were split into two groups via Holy Space, then we started our little competition. ¡°Ready?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anytime.¡± [Remilie] ¡°The time limit is 10 minutes. Begin!¡± [Sebasu] At Sebasu-san¡¯s signal, I aimed at the head of the skeletons before me. ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] Then I shot a Light Ball straight for the head, disintegrating it and piercing another one behind it. I could take down several undead at the same time by shooting at the places were the undead clumped up, but¡­ ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°!?¡¡W-What is that!?¡± [Ryouma] When I noticed the shadows stretching from behind me, I realized that there were an unusual number of light sources, so I turned around. And as it turns out, Remilie-san had summoned ten Light Balls with a single cast. Moreover, every one of them accurately shot through the heads of the undead. ¡°This is a technique known as Parallel Casting. It allows the caster to cast the same spell multiple times at the same time. ¡®Light Ball¡¯. It needs some training to use, but¡­ ¡®Light Ball¡¯.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san was kind enough to explain, but she didn¡¯t stop attacking even once and even showed me a triumphant smile as though she had this game in the bag. It was then that it dawned on me. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­ The reason you didn¡¯t want the number of shots restricted was for this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s too late even if you realize it now. ¡®Light Ball¡¯.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s so childish!¡± [Ryouma] In that case, I have no choice but to try Parallel Casting too! Remilie-san taught me how to do it too since she was so sure she¡¯d win, so¡­ ¡°Light Ball¡­ Tch.¡± [Ryouma] I gave it a try, but it was difficult. I managed to cast multiple Light Balls at the same time, but five at a time was the most I could do. More than that and I couldn¡¯t maintain them all the way to the shooting phase. Moreover, even if I did succeed in maintaining them, I would fail to move them individually, and in the end, the five Light Balls would shoot at one target. Not only was this pointless, it was a waste of mana. I could somehow manage with two Light Balls and shoot at two different targets, but then the aim would be off. One would kill, while the other would miss. It was like trying to draw two different things with my left and right. This doesn¡¯t seem like something I¡¯d be able to do right away. In that case, I have no choice but to go with my normal Light Ball and shoot faster and more accurately. But I can shoot at most 2 to 3 times in the time it takes her to shoot 10, so the gap in our score is just getting bigger and bigger. ¡­There¡¯s no point in asking for the impossible, but it sure would be great if I could take out multiple enemies at the same time¡­ Isn¡¯t there some way? But even as I pondered that to myself, I never stopped shooting the undead precisely one after another. It¡¯s safe since the undead aren¡¯t trying to get inside the Holy Space. I am paying some attention to them, but when it¡¯s like this, it feels like I¡¯m back at the arcade shooting zombies. Moreover, since the zombies aren¡¯t attacking, it feels like I¡¯m playing on easy mode. ¡­Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t played any games since coming to this world. I wonder how that series is doing by now.¡¡I was into it for awhile¡­ If I recall correctly, choosing the ammo was really important.¡¡I¡¯m not that privy to it since I sucked despite liking it, but there was the explosive ammo, the machine gun, the shotgun¡­ My thoughts strayed for a bit, but it was then that I realized it. Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if I just changed my visualization of Light Ball to that of bullets? I tried it out right away. I didn¡¯t know much about the exploding bullets, while the machine gun seemed like it would quickly drain me of my mana, so I went with the shotgun. The shotgun uses buckshot, and it scatters the spheres inside it. As such, I should visualize the Light Balls becoming small spheres and scattering. ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] I tried it out, and the Light Ball scattered as expected, but the damage was too weak. I failed to kill even a single undead, though I did succeed in hurting them. Apparently, I scattered the light balls too much, so the power suffered. In that case, I¡¯ll use ten times as much mana as usual. This time I succeeded in killing not just the zombie in front, but also the rest of the undead in a fan-shaped area that went as far as 4 meters. I even killed the wraith flying in the air. Looks like I don¡¯t need that much mana. The area is too big too, so there¡¯s a lot of waste. ¡°Huh? W-What the heck is that!?¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s Light Ball! I just changed the shooting method!¡± [Ryouma] Remilie-san is using Parallel Casting herself, so it shouldn¡¯t matter if I change the shooting method as long as the spell is still Light Ball. The referee, Sebasu-san, didn¡¯t say anything, and Remilie-san too didn¡¯t complain and just raised the pace. I have to focus. There¡¯s already plenty of mana, so this time I¡¯ll focus on narrowing down the area and lowering the mana to just five times¡­ If I recall correctly, there are several types of shotgun ammo, and they differed according to the size of the spheres inside. So just like I did with Holy Space, I equally distributed 50 parts of my mana into the scattering shots. ¡°Light Ball¡­ Tch.¡± [Ryouma] Not good. Controlling the mana isn¡¯t easy, and this time, The scatter shot of mana dispersed before they could hit. As a result, I could only take down the two undead in front of me. I focused on my mana control and tried to practice while increasing my score. ¡°10 seconds left¡­ 9, 8, 7, 6¡­¡± [Sebasu] Before I knew it, Sebasu-san was already giving the countdown. In an attempt to at least make it for the last shot, I differentiated the image from Light Ball and further solidified it. ¡°Lightshot.¡± [Ryouma] When I unleashed it, I succeeded at wiping away all the undead in a 3m area. The resulting power wasn¡¯t quite ten times, but considering how I succeeded at halving the mana usage, it¡¯s not a bad result at all. I¡¯ve done all I can, so I¡¯m plenty satisfied. ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san gave the signal for the match to end. I was curious what the result was, so I turned to him, only to see him making a glum face. What is this about? ¡°¡­Ryouma-sama, what did you say there in the end?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Hmm? It was just the usual Light¡ª¡± [Ryouma] Huh? Uh, by any chance, did I accidentally say Lightshot instead?¡¡I messed up at the very end? ¡°Unfortunately, since the name of the spell changed, it will have to be classified as a different spell. As such, the winner is Remilie-sama.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ryouma-chan, you sure tripped at a weird spot. But victory is victory!¡± [Remilie] When I saw the strange face Remilie-san was making, I couldn¡¯t help but have a bad feeling. Just what sort of favor is she planning to get from me? Chapter 280.1 - Chapter 280: Spending Time With Remilie-san I (1/2) Chapter 280: Spending Time With Remilie-san I (1/2) When the abrupt competition with Remilie-san concluded, we dealt with the remaining undead, then it was time for me to do Remilie-san a favor. As a result, I found myself inside a tent, sleeping on the same futon as her. I laid down on my left, while Remilie-san hugged me from behind like a body pillow. Because of the difference in our height, a pair of softness landed gently on the back of my head. ¡°Why are we in this situation?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because you broke the rules and lost, of course. You¡¯re a boy, so I thought you¡¯d be happier.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s true that you¡¯re young-looking and beautiful, but I don¡¯t know if I can afford to be happy about this.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m sure that most men would find this situation enviable, but while I might look like an elementary school student from the outside, deep inside, I¡¯m an over 40 year-old man. Moreover, the only contact I¡¯ve had with women were either with my mother or at my job. Being suddenly put in a situation like this is honestly troublesome. Also, while I don¡¯t really think it¡¯ll happen, the possibility of being accused of sexual harassment is still scary. ¡°You really don¡¯t budge, do you¡­ But if you¡¯re that stiff, then you probably can¡¯t sleep. Well, there¡¯s something I wanted to talk to you about anyway.¡± [Remilie] As she said that, Remilie-san started rubbing my head. ¡°What did you want to talk about? And what are you doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡I had a little brother a long time ago, and whenever he couldn¡¯t sleep, I would do this, and he would fall asleep right away.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, I see. So you had a little brother.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, back at my hometown. I left my village a long time ago though and haven¡¯t back since, so I don¡¯t exactly have the right to call myself a big sister¡­ It doesn¡¯t make for a fun topic, but hear me out for a bit. We¡¯ll make this a part of your lullaby, and I¡¯ll answer your questions too.¡± [Remilie] Then Remilie-san started talking. ¡°I live in the cities nowadays, but I was born at a village with only dark elves. It was a place that never changed. Ryouma-chan, have you ever met an old person who always talked about how things were in the old days?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Sure did.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Humans find it hard to accept new things as they age, but that¡¯s even truer for a village made up of long-lived people.Humans treat their young as adults by the age of 15 to 20 years old, but for us dark elves, the earliest is 50 years old. Until then, our young will live without change under the adults that have lived even longer. By the time our young have become adults, they are no longer as accepting of change, and they won¡¯t even question that. I hated that, so I left the village before I became an adult and became an adventurer.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That must¡¯ve been difficult.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It would be a lie to say otherwise, but there wasn¡¯t any of those clich¨¦ stories of a young girl leaving her village and being tricked. I was a young dark elf, after all. I was past 30 by the time I left my village, and I was strong enough to kill anyone who approached with ill intent.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leaving the village was actually harder. They chased after me and searched the mountains, so I hid myself in the bushes and the caves during the day and moved only during the night. I wanted to go to a city as far away as possible.¡± [Remilie] ¡­The adults were probably just desperately searching for a missing child, but to her, it must¡¯ve felt like they were out to get her. ¡°I did well as an adventurer. I would go to one city after another, see new sights, eat new food, it was really fun¡­ Until ¡®that time¡¯.¡± [Remilie] Suddenly, the tone of her voice changed. ¡°My life as an adventurer was going well, but really, it might have been going too well. I hunted monsters and bandits with my magic and made a name for myself, and before I knew it, people were envious of me.¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­So what did you do?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Nothing. I was just that good, so I just ignored them and lived my life. What can they do? Like I said, I killed anyone that approached with ill intent. I was really on edge back then?¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san¡¯s voice sounded happy yet grim. ¡°I lived alone however I pleased like that, and before long, those envious eyes transformed into eyes of fear, and I was given the name, Witch of Death¡¯s Shadow. The magic I specialize in is shadow magic, a combination of light and dark magic. It¡¯s good for assassinations and for fighting other people, so I often received jobs along those lines¡­ The roads taken by the Witch of Death¡¯s Shadow was ever littered with corpses. For the Witch of Death¡¯s Shadow took pleasure in the killing of life. Monsters and bandits were merely convenient targets, preys that could be killed without offending the law¡­ Or so the rumors went. I didn¡¯t really mind, though.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh¡­ Those were some terrible rumors, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was certainly underhanded, but back then or now, I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong. In fact, I really didn¡¯t do anything wrong. If anything I got rid of the dangerous elements, so people had no right to complain, really.¡¡Anyhow, I got more job thanks to that.¡± [Remilie] I don¡¯t know if I should praise her for having a strong mentality or not. ¡°My activities around this time started to get interesting. There¡¯s almost no one who wanted to work with me. Even my clients who kept up appearances obviously didn¡¯t want to be involved with me if they could help it. So despite working as an adventurer, I spent more and more time on my hobbies, and my work ethic suffered. Then the people that didn¡¯t like me finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and set traps to try and kill me. Thinking about it now makes me laugh.¡± [Remilie] The contents were heavy despite the tone of her voice. What¡¯s so funny about them trying to kill her? ¡°Oh, the laugh is meant for the traps. Obviously, them trying to kill me isn¡¯t funny.¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­Okay? I don¡¯t think I can relate to a funny trap either, though.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s better described as a situation rather than a trap?¡¡As I was saying, I took mostly subjugation jobs and did whatever I wanted. I¡¯ve hunted plenty of bandits and crushed plenty of Dark Guild members, resulting in the arrest of plenty of corrupt nobles. There were a lot of people that hated my guts. I¡¯ve worked as an assassin plenty of times, and I knew that the odds were against me normally. One day, I was called to the guild on short notice, and they pretty much forced a job on me. Given the urgency of the job, it wasn¡¯t unusual that the compensation would be so big. There was no helping it, so I tried going, and lo and behold, there was an ambush waiting for me. Interestingly, they were all stark naked.¡± [Remilie] Chapter 280.2 - Chapter 280: Spending Time With Remilie-san I (2/2) Chapter 280: Spending Time With Remilie-san I (2/2) ¡°¡­They were completely naked?¡± [Ryouma]I doubted my ears and found myself asking that. But apparently, I didn¡¯t hear wrong. ¡°As stupid as it sounds, there¡¯s a legit reason for that. The magic I specialize in is Shadow Magic and as the name suggests, a lot of its spells are invoked from shadows.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, I get it! It¡¯s because of the shadows formed under their clothes!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. If an attack spell can be cast from right below their armor, then they might as well not have it since all it will do is make more weak points for themselves. There are equipment and magic tools that can block Shadow Magic, but they¡¯re expensive, and they were relying on numbers. I¡¯m sure they couldn¡¯t afford anti-shadow equipment for everyone. If they equipped only some of them, that that would have become a source of conflict. Not that it would have made a big difference, though, since there are still plenty of places I could target like inside their mouth or their nostrils.¡± [Remilie] An attack from inside the mouth? Shadow Magic sure is scary. If you can cast magic directly into the body, then you can deal a ton of damage even with a small amount of mana. No wonder she says it¡¯s great for anti-personnel combat and assassinations. If she used Parallel Casting on top of that, well¡­ ¡°Anyway, I somehow survived, but boy was I exhausted. I knew I had to get away quickly, but I was just too tired and couldn¡¯t move, so for the first time in awhile, I found myself thinking. What am I doing? I knew a lot people hated me, but they were all criminals. They weren¡¯t people in a position to complain if someone put a bounty on their head¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s what I believed, but I suddenly wasn¡¯t sure anymore. After all, grown men and women alike were waiting for me naked with weapons drawn, yelling as though they were seeking vengeance for someone. So many people had gathered, ready to die, just so they could try and kill me. And I found myself wondering why they wanted to kill me that much. There were a lot of enemies after that too, so it became a major incident. We managed to find out the people pulling the strings behind, but the adventurers lost interest pursuing the matter, so I dropped the matter.¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] I thought she was a lighthearted and cheerful person, but it turns out, she¡¯s been living a life grander than anything I expected. It wouldn¡¯t be strange to suffer a mental breakdown with a situation like that. She says she could laugh at it now, but that¡¯s probably a dry laugh at most, or that kind of laugh one makes because they¡¯re just so tired of it all. At the very least, it shouldn¡¯t be a happy laugh. How am I supposed to react to this? I don¡¯t want to be rude, and a poor question might dig out parts she doesn¡¯t want touched. A person that¡¯s good at being considerate of those points might be fine, but I don¡¯t have the confidence. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t say anything. Remilie-san seemed to notice that and laughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I told you I¡¯ve never thought I was in the wrong regarding this matter, right?¡¡It¡¯s true I hesitated for a bit, but that¡¯s all. It happened around the time the country was trying to recruit me anyway, so at most, I just found it a convenient time to leave the adventurer life and become a royal court magician.¡± [Remilie] Remilie rubbed my head and continued. ¡°As a royal court magician, I was tasked with all sorts of jobs, from guarding the castle and the royal family to teaching the soldiers and the knights. There were some backlash and envy at the start, but it was a much more peaceful life compared to my time as an adventurer, and the salary was high too. I kept at it for awhile, and people started to respect me. If not for those rumors and that ambush, I¡¯m sure I wouldn¡¯t have become a royal court mage, and I wouldn¡¯t have been able to experience that life. The me that left the village would have hated the very thought. There were so many obligations, restrictions, and troublesome stuff, after all.¡± {Remilie} Looks like she¡¯s already come to terms with the past. In that case, there¡¯s nothing left for me to say. ¡°It¡¯s indeed admirable to chase after your dreams single-mindedly without being distracted, but only a handful of people can do that. Most people can¡¯t afford such a smooth path. They trip, they tumble, they stop, they hesitate, they worry, and sometimes, they get sidetracked. They might return to their original path or set out for a new dream altogether, but I think that¡¯s fine too. That¡¯s just how life is.¡± [Remilie] For some reason, she suddenly became quiet. ¡°Remilie-san?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sigh¡­ I sounded like an old woman, didn¡¯t I? In the first place, talking about my past is exactly what an old woman would do.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Umm¡­ You have much more experience than I do, so I¡¯m sure it will make for a great reference.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-chan, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re trying to cheer me up, but this is a sensitive matter. I know you¡¯re being considerate of me though, so I won¡¯t get mad.¡± [Remilie] Yeah, I did think it might have been a bad idea while I was saying it, but it looks like I just barely managed not to offend. If this were soccer, that just now would be a yellow card. The arms embracing me also became a little tighter. ¡°Anyway, I talked because I wanted to, so you don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see¡­ Can I ask why you decided to tell me your story?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Because of a little personal interest of mine. Remember about that trouble at the adventurers guild you talked about?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes, I talked about it after my match with Schieber-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When I heard about how you dealt with it, you reminded me of myself. I thought, ¡®so this is how I was like back then~¡¯ Oh, but unlike me, I do believe you care more about how others see you. That¡¯s why you¡¯re trying to do away with your reservations, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh¡­ Yes, you might be right¡­¡± [Ryouma] Now that she mentions it, that might be the case. I¡¯ve been doing as I pleased since the incident at the end of the year. Perhaps that¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want to lose that part of me. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you now, but there¡¯s no need to stop. It¡¯s something you came up with on your own and decided to do, and there¡¯s a lot of things whose results can¡¯t be predicted unless you see it through. However, there¡¯s no telling if that way of doing things will still suit you later. Should you find that it no longer fits you, don¡¯t force yourself to keep doing it. It¡¯s okay to go back to your old way of life of conforming to others, and you can also look for a new path. Just keep that in mind.¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­Okay. Thank you for advising me.¡± [Ryouma] She probably told me of her experience and conclusion out of consideration for when I find myself in a similar situation. She even used a forceful method to get me to listen. Now that I¡¯ve heard her out, I really have nothing but gratefulness to her. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to be sure to be able to think back to this time if I experience something similar. I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be differences, though, as I¡¯ll be experiencing a lot of things from here on.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Someone that stands out is bound to attract envy. That¡¯s true no matter the field as long as people live in a group. If you try to avoid that, you¡¯ll either have to worry a lot about building a good relationship with those around you, or thoroughly make yourself conform to those around you.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] Disconsolate, I sighed and relieved myself of my tension. ¡°But of course, that¡¯s not easy. Especially, when you¡¯re a child of god.¡± [Remilie] Those words came out of nowhere and left me stunned. Chapter 281.1 - Chapter 281: Spending Time With Remilie-san II (1/2) Chapter 281: Spending Time With Remilie-san II (1/2) ¡°Looks like I was right.¡± [Remilie] For a moment, Ryouma¡¯s tranquil heart rippled. And with how close they were, Remilie-san was sure to notice. Perhaps, that¡¯s why she had made him sleep with her in the first place, but regardless, it was unlikely for her to do all this just to ask a leading question. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not scheming anything. I was already sure of it, actually, and I just wanted to confirm with you. There was a time when I researched a lot about the Children of the Gods, you see.¡± [Remilie] After saying that, she began explaining what tipped her off. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until after your match with Schieber-san that I started suspecting it. But I was curious about you ever since you noticed me while I was using Hide. You were just too strong for a child. That¡¯s the first reason. You also used a lot of spells along the way, but you never showed any signs of mana exhaustion, so I¡¯m sure you must have a much bigger mana pool that normal people. That¡¯s the second reason. Then there¡¯s the preserved food you showed us. Most Children of the Gods possess great knowledge and many of them come up with all sorts of things, so that¡¯s the third reason. The fourth reason is because you mentioned gunpowder when we were clearing the undead below the cliff. I don¡¯t know why, but the Children of the Gods have a preference for guns and gunpowder. Moreover, one of the Children of the Gods used a small gun called shotgun. It was a weapon that spread small bullets in an area. You called the spell just now ¡®Lightshot¡¯, right? The way your Light Balls flew when you used the spell was similar too, so you must¡¯ve imagined a shotgun while using your spell. Moreover, your reaction when we were talking about King Masaharu was also strange. I can¡¯t express it all that well, but you seemed to be thinking about it as though it were about yourself.¡± [Remilie] Yep, she¡¯s got this. She knows about the principle behind the shotgun too, and she probably even more detailed information than that. With my heartbeat giving me away, I don¡¯t think I can worm my way out of this one¡­ In that case, I might as well come clean. The existence of the Children of the Gods is akin to a fairytale, but they really did exist. So if I continued working as an adventurer without being careful, I¡¯m sure people would suspect me at some point. That¡¯s what¡¯s happening right now. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. But was my reaction really that strange?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t think a normal person would immediately connect you to the Child of the Gods as soon as they see your abilities. I just happen to know a lot, so I could tell as soon as I started suspecting you. Also, I think Schieber-chan and the others have also noticed. They¡¯re just not saying anything. I researched about the Children of the Gods because of a rumor surrounding Elia-chan¡­ You know how she has a big mana pool? On top of that, she¡¯s also a descendant of King Masaharu, so rumors spread and people started asking, ¡®is she a Child of God?¡¯¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ah, yes¡­ I haven¡¯t heard that much about it, but I did hear that an incident occurred because of that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The rumors started long before that, but the incident made those rumors spread that much faster. As such, we couldn¡¯t ignore them anymore, and we had to investigate a lot of historical literature. The duke¡¯s family were involved in the research, and Schieber-san also participated, so they know as much as I do.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°By the way, the Jamil family has no intentions of using you whatsoever. The other families too, I¡¯m sure. It might differ depending on the person, but generally, none of them will treat you poorly if they know you¡¯re a Child of God.¡± [Remilie] Oh? I don¡¯t have any reason to doubt the duke¡¯s family, and I do trust them, but would the other nobles really be willing to acknowledge me?¡¡I was curious, so I asked about it. ¡°The Children of the Gods generally possess some kind of ability that¡¯s far beyond the norm. That¡¯s an irrefutable fact. So if anyone is able to employ them as a subordinate, they¡¯re bound to produce tremendous profit. But precisely because they possess great power, they could run away if offended, and in the worst case, become hostile. In fact, there have been cases of them bringing great disasters upon people. Great power is just power, after all, and it still depends on how it¡¯s used. As the name, Children of the Gods, implies, they are existences sent by the gods, and the church would not stay quiet should they be offended. And considering how their poor treatment could be the ruin of a country, any family that treats them poorly would have to be prepared for their house to be destroyed and even their own execution.¡± [Remilie] No matter how great a certain power is, if it can¡¯t be controlled, then there¡¯s no point. So they must¡¯ve thought that it was better to give the Children of the Gods better treatment than give them a reason to become hostile. It makes sense, but to be honest, I still have my doubts. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I find it hard to believe that an entire kingdom would give that much face to a single person.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I know honor is a thing among nations and the nobility, but it¡¯s true.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san gave an example. This was the story of a man that once appeared in the Kingdom of Riforu. He rode upon an iron horse that never tired, and with it, traveled the country at a terrifying speed. He also possessed an ability akin to Dimension Magic that allowed him to carry a great number of supplies and cargo. The king saw the power of that ability and the iron horse and commanded that they be used for the sake of the country. But the man desired freedom and stubbornly refused the king¡¯s commands. Even when the king threatened to take away his job and his freedom, the man stubbornly shook his head. When the king finally had enough, he sent his troops, only for them to be mowed down, and the pursuers left in the dust. The man was easily able to get away. After that the man became a bandit and repeatedly raided the manors and carriages of the nobles. The speed of the iron horse excelled not only in fleeing but also in attacking. The man was the very definition of a phantom. In time, the man gained more and more allies, and before long, the national army couldn¡¯t handle them anymore. With no one to stop him, his banditry only grew worse. It did not take long before he reached out for the other nations. Whenever he and his bandits fled, they would always mention that they came from the Riforu Kingdom. They would explain the circumstances behind their actions, claiming that their banditry was both for survival and a protest movement. Before long, public discontent turned to the king, and all sorts of accusations and conspiracy theories appeared both in and out of the country, worsening the relationship with the other countries, eventually, leading to the execution of the king and for the younger brother to take his throne. Chapter 281.2 - Chapter 281: Spending Time With Remilie-san II (2/2) Chapter 281: Spending Time With Remilie-san II (2/2) ¡°The other countries stopped hounding him after that, but some ill feelings remained. It would have been great if they managed to catch the Child of God too after the king was executed, but they never managed to, and the treasures stolen were never returned.¡± [Remilie] ¡°So it wasn¡¯t exactly resolved, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. This is just one example. There have been many cases of countries being shaken up in a similar way. That¡¯s why countries do their best not to antagonize the Children of the Gods. Even if they can¡¯t form a good relationship, they can still have a peaceful time together if they don¡¯t poke their nose into each other¡¯s business. Of course, there will always be fools, and there have also been cases where people didn¡¯t believe in the existence of the Children of the Gods and brought ruin onto themselves. There¡¯s plenty of precedents, so caution is important.¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­Okay, I think I¡¯ve more or less understood. But why are you talking to me about this?¡± [Ryouma] Remilie-san must¡¯ve spoken about her past for my sake. But there shouldn¡¯t be any reason for her to reveal the fact that she knew about me being a Child of God. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have said anything if you were the sort of person to lash out, but you seemed like the type to listen. So I figured it would be easier talking to you if I just told you.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Well, thank you for trusting me.¡± [Ryouma] If what she said about the treatment of the Children of the Gods was true, then she really is a considerate person. After all, she very well could have ruined her life if things had taken a poor turn. While I was thinking that, Remilie-san dropped another bomb. ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s convenient for me too. After all, I need to explain this much to you to tell you that Erias has also noticed that you¡¯re a Child of God.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] That was a name I heard just recently. I found myself turning around, but then I felt those soft things on my head and stopped. ¡°¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. Erias also participated in that research. In fact, he¡¯s the one who told us to do it in the first place. He¡¯s a member of the royal family and a descendant of a Child of God. There were also documents that only the royal family were allowed access to, so it¡¯s likely he has information we don¡¯t have.¡± [Remilie] His Majesty responded to the rumors that sparked the investigation and judged that Elialia was not a Child of God. ¡°Though she possesses mana far beyond normal people, she possessed no other special traits. Her large mana pool was likely due to her connection to King Masaharu, who too possessed vast reserves of mana. However, the evidence we had were also too weak to completely rule out the possibility. But since the king had already decided, we had to follow accordingly. It was safer for Elia-chan that way too. Erias-chan likely possesses information we don¡¯t have and has a way to determine whether someone is a Child of God or not.¡± [Remilie] I think that makes sense. At the very least, I don¡¯t have any reason to disagree with it. I mean I don¡¯t even know what kind of person the king is. What I¡¯m more interested in is whether he¡¯s actually realized that I¡¯m a Child or God. His spy, Yurdum-san, was with me until just recently. Reinhart-san has settled that matter, so he¡¯s no longer leaking information. However, the king must¡¯ve surely heard about the events at the end of the year. ¡°It¡¯s because of that that I wanted to tell you about this. You¡¯d be surprised if you were suddenly summoned to the castle, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­Yes, if you hadn¡¯t talked to me beforehand, I would have been really on guard. I might have been unjustly suspicious too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Should that time comes, just be calm and hear him out. Erias-chan shouldn¡¯t have any reason to be hostile to a Child of God, so he won¡¯t do anything bad.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I understand.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s probably no point thinking about it now. If the situation changes, I¡¯ll just have to contact Reinhart-san. That should be good enough. ¡°But in that case, it¡¯s probably better to just tell him that I¡¯m a Child of God.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Are you fine telling him?¡± [Remilie] If it¡¯s just about me being a Child of God (an otherworlder), then there shouldn¡¯t be any problems, but there were a lot of otherworlders in the past who suffered because of that. They were either betrayed by the people they trusted that information to, or labeled a liar and isolated because people didn¡¯t believe them. There were also cases where the information spread too far and wide that they lost their freedom and the people dear to them. So although it¡¯s not forbidden, it¡¯s not recommended. If I really want to tell someone about it, I¡¯d have to choose the person wisely. Or at least, that¡¯s what was written on the manual I got after my transmigration. I trust the duke¡¯s family, and they probably know about it already anyway, so I might as well tell them to make it easier to move in case of emergency. And¡­ ¡°¡­I mean I haven¡¯t known you for long and you found out about it, so I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much point in hiding it from the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s true. The most suspicious one right now is me.¡± [Remilie] ¡°You¡¯ve helped me out a lot, so I¡¯ll trust you. Just please don¡¯t tell others.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course.¡± [Remilie] She seems so aloof most of the time, but those words felt sincere. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve said everything I wanted to say, so let¡¯s go to sleep already. We have to get some sleep before our shift or tomorrow will be difficult. It¡¯s bad for the skin too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Right¡­ Goodnight.¡± [Ryouma] A lot of things happened today, so I was quite tired. There were a lot of things that surprised me, but I was able to relax in the end. It didn¡¯t take long before I found my way into that oh so comfortable slumber land. Chapter 282.1 - Chapter 282: The Problem of the Duke’s Family (1/2) Chapter 282: The Problem of the Duke¡¯s Family (1/2) The next day. I decided to reveal that I was a child of God while we were gathered together before breakfast. Turns out, they were expecting it, but they didn¡¯t expect me to tell them out of the blue like that. Everyone except Remilie-san stared at me with wide-open eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for keeping quiet about it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s nothing to apologize for, really. It would be a much bigger problem if you treated your status as a Child of God flippantly. Besides, we all have something we want to hide, though the reason and degree to which might differ. For one, we were all hiding the fact that we knew you were a Child of God.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s wonderful to have a person you can trust and reveal all of your secrets to, but there are steps that need to be taken before that can happen. So there¡¯s no need for you to be so concerned. Ryouma-sama, thank you for taking this opportunity to tell us.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Just hearing you say that makes me feel better already.¡± [Ryouma] Looks like there won¡¯t be any changes to my relationship with Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san. What¡¯s more concerning, however, is Schieber-san. I think I can trust him, but he¡¯s been keeping quiet and making a difficult face this whole time. ¡°Schieber, how about you say something too?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ah, sorry¡­ I don¡¯t want to dig up too much about it, but Ryouma, as a Child of God, do you have any intention of hurting this country or the royal family?¡± [Schieber] He was calm, but he exuded a pressure even stronger than one he exuded during our spar. I can tell he wouldn¡¯t tolerate a lie, but there¡¯s nothing to worry about. ¡°At the very least, there¡¯s nothing of the sort right now. All I want right now is to be able to maintain my current life, so there¡¯s no point picking a fight with the country or the royal family. I¡¯m not interested in peerage or authority either, so honestly, the royal family isn¡¯t really my concern.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Schieber-san finally relaxed. ¡°Sorry about that. I did think that would be the case, but it was on my mind.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Well, you were the knight commander, so it¡¯s understandable you¡¯d be concerned.¡± [Ryouma] After that Schieber-san promised to neither tell others nor report to the royal family. He was already retired, so he had no obligations to make such a report. ¡°But if His Majesty has already heard about you, then there¡¯s probably no point even if we don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m sure His Majesty will summon you at some point.¡± [Schieber] So that really was the case¡­ It¡¯s too late to be on guard now, but I wonder how he¡¯s able to distinguish the Children of the Gods. To clarify, I don¡¯t feel bad about it, I¡¯m just curious. ¡°A way to distinguish a Child of God¡­ At the very least, I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Same. If I knew a method like that, I would have used it already.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°But it did seem like His Majesty was certain that the young lady wasn¡¯t a Child of God. He just declared it out of the blue, so perhaps there might have been a reason why.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Was there nothing strange before the investigation ended?¡¡If there¡¯s a method, then perhaps he might have asked a different question or brought a strange device.¡± [Ryouma] But everyone shook their heads. ¡°If he did something so obvious, we would have noticed it. We were always with Elia-chan during those days. To monitor her and to observe her, especially, when the king was around.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Well, it¡¯s a different story if it was a small tool, though. He could have been hidden it in his pocket or his sleeves since we didn¡¯t really check His Majesty¡¯s body or personal belongings.¡± [Schieber] ¡°True, but that would mean he could have used it at any time. Besides, His Majesty made every effort he could when we first started. I don¡¯t think he was acting back then. Perhaps, he discovered something.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°At most, there¡¯s that time when he made the young lady cry.¡± [Remilie] He made Elia cry? ¡°Did he take her blood?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, nothing of the sort. His Majesty has always adored the young lady, and so did she him, so they would play together whenever they were together. That day he poked the young lady on the cheeks a little too hard, so she cried. She wasn¡¯t actually hurt, but the strength he used surprised her. It was a rare event, so I still remember it, but I don¡¯t think it had anything to do with distinguishing if she was a Child of God.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] I thought they might have missed some things related to otherworlders or Earth, but there¡¯s not enough information. There¡¯s no point even if we think about it now. ¡°Thank you for answering my questions.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re not pursuing it anymore? We might be able to realize something if we talk a bit more.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Our food will be ready in a short while, and I was just curious since it concerned me. It could have just been a political decision anyway. I just thought he might have had a method since Elia really isn¡¯t a Child of God, so¡ª¡ª¡± [Ryouma] But I couldn¡¯t finish what I was saying because Remilie-san and the rest of the adults suddenly looked at me with greater intensity than when I revealed that I was a Child of God. Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san in particular were strongly affected. ¡°Ryouma-kun, is that true?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] When I heard Reinbach-sama¡¯s serious voice, it dawned on me. The Children of the Gods were seen by the people of this country as ¡®bombs¡¯. They were profitable when handled well, but they could do tremendous damage otherwise. Of course, they could also be a dud. Reinbach-sama and the others did not know how to distinguish the Children of the Gods, so they weren¡¯t actually sure that Elia wasn¡¯t one. Somewhere deep inside Reinbach-sama must have been yearning for a clear answer to that. ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no doubt about it. It¡¯s true that King Masaharu¡¯s blood runs deep in her, but that¡¯s all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, I say this not in doubt of your words, but could we know if you have any proof to back your statements?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I have no documents of the sort, but perhaps this will suffice?¡± [Ryouma] I took out my Status Board from my Item Box and showed Sebasu-san two entries. ¡°Are these!?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡What is it?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°¡­Ryouma-sama possesses the title, ¡®Favored Child of the Gods¡¯, and even the skill, ¡®Oracle¡¯.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°My goodness, so Elia truly isn¡¯t a Child of God then?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Do you remember when we went to the church shortly after we met to produce my Status Board?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. Did you receive an oracle then?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I was told it was my good fortune to meet you and I learned a few things about your family as well. Also, generally, there¡¯s only one Child of God at a time. There were indeed times when there were multiple at the same time, but I should be the only one right now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama must be relieved. His expression was relaxed now and his eyes were even a little moist. Sebasu-san had also taken out a handkerchief and looked like he was about to cry. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind my asking, are you by any chance concerned that Elia could use King Masaharu¡¯s ¡®Calamity Magic¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re not wrong, but it¡¯s a bit of a long story¡­ Are you aware that King Masaharu was called a tyrant?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°A tyrant?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 282.2 - Chapter 282: The Problem of the Duke’s Family (2/2) Chapter 282: The Problem of the Duke¡¯s Family (2/2) ¡°Though it¡¯s a story from long ago, it¡¯s still a story that criticizes the royal family, so people can¡¯t openly talk about it. It can¡¯t be helped if you didn¡¯t know.¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama explained everything from the start. First of all, King Masaharu wasn¡¯t born to be a king. He was an orphan just like me. But the country was at war, and the situation was getting worse, so the country wanted to break the deadlock at all costs. It was then that Masaharu¡¯s extraordinary magical prowess caught the attention of the king. The king then took advantage of the confusion caused by the war and falsely identified him as his own bastard son and bound him to the war. To make an orphan a prince was not something one would normally think of, but the king wasn¡¯t actually planning on making him the next king. However, due to all sorts of reasons, from their allies betraying them, to dying in battle while encouraging their soldiers, to being assassinated¡­ All of King Masaharu¡¯s sons died. The king himself even died suddenly after winning the war and pacifying the country and was never able to produce any new heir. As a result, Masaharu was the only royal member left to take the throne. ¡°There must have been a lot of people against it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, for sure. Records say that some even called for his assassination. But he was someone with tremendous success against the enemy and was well known among the people as a hero, so in the end, his succession was approved for the sake of stability. It was better for them to just give him the throne than take it from him by force.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Actually, the nobles wanted to make him a puppet. King Masaharu may have been a powerful man, but he was timid in nature. And it¡¯s said that before he became king, he couldn¡¯t disobey his superiors and would always listen to their instructions.¡± [Remilie] But when he became king, there was no one left to stand above him, and from then on became selfish. He would monopolize the spells, treasure, and war resources looted, and he would also arbitrarily enact laws. When people objected or complained, he would show off his magical powers to silence them. Indeed, it wasn¡¯t far-fetched to call him a tyrant. ¡°The nobles that wanted to make him into their puppet could do nothing but follow him while looking for a middle ground. Alas, he was the hero of the nation, a powerful magus who by himself was able to overturn the war with his great magic. Regardless, we don¡¯t want Elia to become anything like him. King Masaharu¡¯s Calamity Magic might have been the most threatening thing about him, but what¡¯s really frightening is for Elia to become isolated and become distrustful of those around her. We don¡¯t want to see her become a person who can only threaten others to make them obey her.¡± [Reinbach] There was an anguished look on Reinbach-sama¡¯s face that I¡¯ve never seen before. I¡¯ve never had kids, so I can¡¯t say I know how a grandfather would feel about his grandchild, but¡­ ¡°Please rest assured. There¡¯s almost no chance that Elia will be able to use Calamity Magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Elia likely won¡¯t be able to use Calamity Magic. Calamity Magic doesn¡¯t actually require a special kind of talent or lineage, it¡¯s a normal branch of magic. You guys can use it too. If aptitude is the question, well, everyone has it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So Calamity Magic isn¡¯t a special kind of magic? But every one of the spells recorded, even the fact that the king made this canyon, all surpassed human understanding.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°That¡¯s likely because of the difference in mana pool. King Masaharu possessed vast reserves of mana even among the Children of the Gods. Even if I could use the same spells as him, I still wouldn¡¯t be able to come close to replicating his feats, and that¡¯s despite me being a Child of God. I can¡¯t use magic as well as King Masaharu, and I don¡¯t think Elia could either given how her mana pool is about the same size as mine. But of course, we still have better chances than normal mages.¡± [Ryouma] As I explained the situation while avoiding vague statements as much as possible, Reinbach-sama finally couldn¡¯t hold on, and he held down his eyes with the handkerchief he received from Sebasu-san and looked down. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please excuse me for a while.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you.¡± [Sebasu] Reinbach-sama¡¯s voice shook as he excused himself and entered the tent with Sebasu-san. I was left with Remilie-san and Schieber-san, and for awhile, there was silence between us, then Schieber-san spoke. ¡°Thank you. Even I felt as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. I¡¯m sure Reinhart and Sebasu are even more delighted.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I¡¯m indebted to Reinbach-sama¡¯s family, so that goes for me too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even then¡­ That¡¯s information we couldn¡¯t get no matter how hard we tried. Besides, you could have chosen to keep quiet about your Oracle skill or about the Calamity Magic.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to go that far too. Revealing that you¡¯re a Child of God was already plenty.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ But I had information that I got by coincidence, and I knew that the people I was indebted to were suffering. If I chose to keep quiet despite that, I don¡¯t think I could have endured it.¡± [Ryouma] Even if doing so allowed me a peaceful life, I¡¯m sure I would have regretted it. It would also make it harder for me to face them afterwards and likely made me fall into a spiral of self-hate. Something along the lines of ¡®Why didn¡¯t I realize it sooner? I¡¯m always like this, only able to focus on myself, never able to notice others! That¡¯s why I¡¯m no good!¡¯ No, if I still had my broken mentality from my previous life, I¡¯m sure I would have fallen into that spiral of self-hate. I¡¯m actually a lot more optimistic now, and I have the duke and his family to thank for that. That¡¯s why I want to repay them if even a little. While I was thinking that, the other two also realized that and understood. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing for me, so as long as you have no regrets, then nothing could be better.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Still, be sure to carefully choose the things you reveal and the people you talk to. Of course, we¡¯ll help too if something happens.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I pray nothing bad happens, but if something does happen, I¡¯ll be sure to rely on you.¡± [Ryouma] When Reinbach-sama and Sebasu-san returned, they thanked me again and promised that they would work with me in the future. ¡­I don¡¯t know what the future holds, but right now, there are people like them helping me. So as long as I treasure these relationships, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll all work out. Chapter 283.1 - Chapter 283: A Moment of Rest (1/2) Chapter 283: A Moment of Rest (1/2) Though we set off a little later because of all the bomb shells dropped this morning, we continued on our way to the Town of Departed Spirits nonetheless. We happened into a lot of undead just like yesterday, but our trip was a lot smoother this time around. After all, we were riding on the emperor scavenger slime. ¡°Never thought I¡¯d be riding a slime one day, but it¡¯s surprisingly decent once you get used to it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It doesn¡¯t sway as much as you¡¯d think too. In fact, it¡¯s just like sliding on a flat board.¡± [Ryouma] Emperors crawled just like other slimes, but each ¡®step¡¯ was bigger compared to the other slimes because of their great size, making them perfect for bad roads. Schieber-san mentioned that we were going about as fast as we would on horseback, but considering how that would normally be impossible since we were in a canyon with no roads, it was more than fast enough. Moreover, if we were walking, we would lose time every time we had to fight the undead, but by riding on the Emperor Scavenger Slime, any undead we came across just became food for it. Even when there were a lot of enemies, we could reduce their numbers from afar with our spells, allowing us to proceed without ever stopping. ¡°Even if we hit something and one of us fell, the slime would just catch us, so it¡¯s really safe.¡± [Ryouma] There was just one problem. The undead the emperor slime ate were being digested right under our tushies. The undead couldn¡¯t get away on their own, so we just used a waterproof cloth in place of a picnic blanket, then coated it with light attribute mana to cover the undead, make sure the blanket wouldn¡¯t be accidentally swallowed, and for safety¡¯s sake. Regardless, with how convenient it was to travel and how much energy we were saving, there was no denying that riding on the Emperor Scavenger slime was a great idea, but of course, no one could deny that the undead being digested underneath us were on the back of our mind. That¡¯s probably why everyone else stopped talking too. But after awhile, Reinbach-sama spoke. ¡°Ryouma-kun, about what we were talking about this morning, I believe we should keep it to just my son and his wife.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I told you because I trusted you, and I trust the duke and his wife as well, so I have no qualms whatsoever about telling them, but what about Elia?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Actually, when the possibility that she might be a Child of God came up, we pondered on how to raise her. In the end, we decided to prioritize teaching her things that were important to people rather than nobles. We poured into her as much love as we could and protected her innocence. Of course, we needed her to learn how to protect herself as well from other people¡¯s malice, both mentally and physically, but we figured we could just protect her while she was still a child, praying that she would be able to trust others even once her power awakened.¡± [Reinbach] Now that he mentions it¡­ And I know I¡¯m being prejudiced, but when I think of nobles, I can¡¯t help but imagine someone conniving. Even their spawns, I would imagine to be two-faced and calculative, but Elia was nothing of the sort. She was honest and acted just like a normal girl. I see now that that¡¯s because of how they painstakingly raised her. It was the fruit of their efforts. ¡°She turned out to be a wonderful child, but unfortunately, she¡¯s terrible at hiding her thoughts. Without her intending to, complacency could show in her conduct, or her emotions might reveal themselves through her actions. There are many noble children attending the academy, and the quick-witted among them would be able tell plenty just from that. I believe it¡¯s best to minimize any chance of word spreading.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love to tell her right away, but he¡¯s holding himself back for my sake. Truly, I have nothing but gratitude for this man. ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. If not for you, I would have worried about it my whole life. When I look at it that way, you¡¯ve helped me plenty. I feel like I¡¯ve been saved, really. I¡¯ll be able to bring good news to Alia as well.¡± [Reinbach] Alia?¡¡That¡¯s a name I haven¡¯t heard before. From the name and the flow of conversation, I understand it must be a relative, but¡­ ¡°Alia-chan is Reinbach¡¯s wife.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s Elia¡¯s grandmother.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alia-sama had a weak body, and she worried about the young lady and her future all the way until just before she passed. When the time comes, I too will have good news to bring her.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re happy, but please do live a long life.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. What an ill-omened topic. I¡¯m glad that you have less regrets now, but aren¡¯t you letting your guard down a little too much?¡± [Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s such a beautiful day, why worry? Let¡¯s just take it easy.¡± [Remilie] It¡¯s a beautiful day indeed. A clear blue sky with no clouds, and a refreshing wind to accompany us as we made our way to the Town of Departed Spirits leisurely. ¡°Besides, we won¡¯t be able to say anything of the sort once we get to the Town of Departed Spirits. We need to recharge our spirits while we can! So let¡¯s talk about something fun. Ryouma-chan, do you have anything on your mind?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Even if you tell me that out of the blue¡­¡± [Ryouma] People without a diverse range of topics to talk about can be problematic. She¡¯ll probably end up talking about magic again, so¡­ ¡°How about places you¡¯d recommended for travel?¡¡I¡¯d love to see the world, and I¡¯d like to prepare in case word gets out that I¡¯m a Child of God. It would be reassuring to be able to prepare a place I could hide in temporarily should the need arise.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 283.2 - Chapter 283: A Moment of Rest (2/2) Chapter 283: A Moment of Rest (2/2) ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re just optimistic or wary, but if it were me, I¡¯d choose the cities near the Adra River Basin. There¡¯s a lot of water transportation there because of the big river, and it¡¯s a busy place, so it¡¯s good for sightseeing. It¡¯s easy to blend in with the crowd too. If necessary, you could travel by land, and you could also travel by water.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ryouma-sama, you¡¯ve already lived in a forest, and you can use Dimension Magic too, so I think Count Barams¡¯ territory to the south would make for a splendid choice. There¡¯s a lot of forests around, making it easy to hide yourself, and there are a lot of specialty products from high-class furniture to handiworks, making it a reasonably busy place.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°In my opinion, from my experience as a knight, I believe it¡¯s already too late to run if you start running only when you need to. Once wanted posters have been put up, your name and your face will spread throughout the entire country. And even if they don¡¯t, they¡¯ll easily catch your trail as long as you spend some time in human settlements. Since you can rely on the Jamil family, you might as well rely on them as much as you can. If the situation has turned so bad that you can¡¯t do that, then either flee to a neighboring country, or hide somewhere dangerous that people can¡¯t easily enter.¡± [Schieber] I see¡­ In that case, I might as well build a hideout in the Great Forest when I go there. There was a village where I¡¯m headed to anyway, so I should at least be able to build a house for myself. I might as well visit my house in the Forest of Gana and do some maintenance. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll live a good life where you go. In my opinion, you¡¯re better off making yourself influential enough so that it won¡¯t be a problem even if they do spot you. Practically speaking, you should raise your adventurer rank.¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama also recommended that I raise my rank not long after we met. Since it was right after the status board was made, and we also talked about my mana, he must have given that advice after considering that I might be a Child of God. It¡¯s a bit late to notice that, though. ¡°A Rankers are rare even for nobles, but since it¡¯s you we¡¯re talking about, I¡¯m sure you can go ahead and aim for S Rank. If you can get that rank, then even nobles won¡¯t be able to lay a hand on you carelessly.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I was just recently promoted to C Rank, though. Any idea how I could get there?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There are two ways to become S Rank. One is the normal way which is by piling up many achievements over the years. The other way is to simply rise to the top through sheer brute force.¡± [Reinbach] To summarize¡­ The S rank was somewhat of an honorary position and was given to individuals or parties that have achieved many years of achievement as A Rank adventurers. They are people who have been judged to have made significant contribution to the guild or the country. Gimuru¡¯s guild master, Wogan-san, apparently became an S Rank through this method. But occasionally there are people who don¡¯t fit within the normal framework of the world. The leading example of that are otherworlders like me, or in other words, the Children of the Gods. The S Rank was made to give such people standing in society, as well as to collar them. Certainly, it came with its own troubles, but it was without a doubt effective in terms of social status and as a deterrence. ¡°By the way, when a knight like myself changes occupation to adventurer, our history is considered experience and is calculated when assigning our rank. That¡¯s why I became A Rank as soon as I registered.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I¡¯ll also have my history working as a royal court magician added on top of my previous record once I return to adventurer work, so I¡¯ll either be an S Rank or an A Rank not far off from S Rank. How about forming a party of S Rankers with the three of us?¡± [Remilie] That sounds fun! But I think it¡¯s a bit too early. But Remilie-san just laughed. ¡°There¡¯s a trick to rank up really fast.¡± [Remilie] ¡°A trick? You mean like bribery?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No. I mean a way to efficiently gather contribution points to become an S Rank. Schieber-san and I told you about how our history was taken into account when deciding our ranks, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°¡­Oh, I get it. So I just need to have something similar to your history as a knight or a royal court magician that they could add to my record.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly! So what I say is that you ought to become a gladiator. Gladiators are spectacles in their own right, and they need strength more than anything else to grow. In other words, as long as you¡¯re strong enough, you¡¯ll be able to rise up the ranks even faster than as an adventurer. If you can get the qualification of a high-ranking gladiator, your ability to fight other people will essentially be certified.¡± [Remilie] It kind of feels like getting a certification in order to advance in your career, but its easy to understand. ¡°In the end, it¡¯s a method that only works if you have the ability, and you¡¯ll stand out too. But so long as you can handle that, you should be able to get quite far. It¡¯s a legal and relatively safe way of gaining experience, not to mention educational. Your name will also spread when you become a gladiator, so people will be less likely to look down on you because of your youth.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ There¡¯s a former gladiator at my store too, so I¡¯ll try asking him.¡± [Ryouma] I should be able to get some detailed information if I ask the former champion, Ox-san. Regardless, there¡¯s no need to rush. I could just think about it after visiting the arena. Right, I¡¯ll take Ox-san with me too. I¡¯ll have an easier time understanding with someone around to explain things, and he can appear in the arena too if he wants. If he can make money on the arena with his skills, he¡¯ll be able to break free from his slave status quicker, so it¡¯ll be profitable for both of us. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out after my trip back home.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good.¡± [Remilie] It was in this way that we idly talked and exchanged information while leisurely making our way on slimeback. We were delayed yesterday, but at this rate, we should be able to make up for that and make it before sunset. Chapter 284.1 - Chapter 284: Destination and New Slime (1/2) Chapter 284: Destination and New Slime (1/2) ¡°As expected, the situation isn¡¯t good.¡± [Schieber] Before the sun set, when the sky was turning faintly red, we arrived at our destination, the Town of Departed Spirits, but¡­ The sight that greeted us made the adults, who had a wealth of experience subjugating monsters, make a difficult face. The Town of Departed Spirits was the ruins of a huge prison built right at the center of a land excavated in the shape of a mortar. Around it were eight watchtowers arranged in a regular octagonal shape to prevent prisoners from escaping. We¡¯re right at the entrance of a long road built between cliffs that leads to the actual entrance of the prison, and with the gates closed, there was no way for us to see what was inside. However, a portion of the gate has broken and undead have poured out enough to fill half of the road. It was a similar condition to that time yesterday when we spread oil and lit them up to wipe them out. Also, despite the great weather and the breeze of the winds, it¡¯s unusually suffocating. I don¡¯t feel particularly bad, but there¡¯s a sense of discomfort that I just can¡¯t get rid of. ¡°There¡¯s miasma pouring¡­ Are you alright?¡± [Remilie] ¡°It won¡¯t be a hindrance in combat or general movements.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good then. If it becomes too much to handle, don¡¯t hesitate to say so. Miasma is a kind of mana, so it¡¯s unpleasant even if you¡¯re unaware of it. This amount of miasma will just make you feel unpleasant at most, but that unpleasant feeling will continue as long as there¡¯s miasma nearby. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t push yourself too hard. Also, if the miasma looks like a black haze, be careful. It¡¯s proof that the miasma is thick enough to be visible, and if you¡¯re exposed to that stuff, it could kill you. Miasma Pools must be avoided as much as possible. And if there are undead clad in miasma, we need to get rid of them as quickly as possible. Be sure to follow these rules thoroughly.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ll pay attention to my condition, but what should we do from here on? ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think this is the time to be concerned about the Everlasting Darkness (Herb). Let¡¯s focus on getting rid of as much undead as we can.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Yeah, even I don¡¯t want to prioritize it when the situation is like this.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Same.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Should I head to Teressa to make a report?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I think it would be faster if I just called a dragon and burned them all. It will take awhile for word to get to the lord of the territory, and then even more time for the army to be dispatched.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Before we report anything or start burning things, I think it would be better if we gathered some more information first. How about going to nearest watchtower first before making any decisions?¡± [Schieber] ¡­Looks like they¡¯re more leisurely than I thought. This group of adults is just too reassuring. The way to the nearest watchtower required us to go down the stretch of road before us, then climb up a narrow connecting staircase; however, that meant having to deal with the horde of undead before us. ¡°Are we going to create a defensive line again?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, we can just do that after reaching the watchtower. Remilie, can I entrust it to you?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Okay. In exchange, please take care of the ones above. Also, Ryouma-chan, I¡¯m going to use a big move to clear that horde, so can I ask you to block the bottom of the stairs with your slimes afterwards?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I doubt she¡¯d make any irresponsible claims at a time like this, so she probably really has a way to deal with the undead. But what kind of spell does she have in mind? I must get a good look. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s start before they notice us. ¡ºLaser¡»¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san jumped out alone toward the center of the road, then performed a chant. In the next moment, a ray of light shot out from the end of her staff. It was just like the laser pointers from my previous life. Depending on the power, they could burn the skin or cause blindness, but they definitely weren¡¯t strong enough to deal with a horde of undead. Yet every undead that light touched vanished. It wasn¡¯t until a moment later that I realized that the light was penetrating the undead and annihilating them. Then Remilie-san moved her staff from the right to left while that ray of light was shooting. In just a few seconds, Remilie-san had taken out all of the undead crowding a part of the road. ¡°¡­Huh? That easily?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This spell is highly penetrative, so without any cover, this is what happens. But it consumes a lot of mana, so I can¡¯t cast it consecutively. Please secure the stairs as quickly as you can.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, right!¡± [Ryouma] I quickly moved and commanded my Emperor Scavenger Slime to secure the stairs. I told it to split itself, transforming it into a great ooze of slimes, then I instructed them to deal with any enemy that dared approach. Upon securing the bottom of the staircase, we cautiously climbed up the stone staircase. Apparently, there were also undead in the watchtowers, so zombies and skeletons appeared even in the narrow path up, but that just made it easy to kill them with my buckshot. ¡°Lightshot.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it¡¯s that spell you came up with while we were competing.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It works quite well in tight places, so maybe it¡¯ll be effective indoors too?¡± [Schieber] ¡°It was effective during your competition with Remilie.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. I was taken aback at first, but now, I think it was good that we competed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Maybe I should give it a try too.¡± [Remilie] As she said that, Remilie-san started copying me and provided support fire. The first shot did not scatter that much, but when she asked me for tips on how to use it and I taught her, she was more or less able to master it perfectly after three shots, so we were able to proceed along our way even faster. ¡°I know I asked you to teach me, but I think it¡¯s better if you don¡¯t teach this spell to others so easily.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ah, yes. It certainly makes it easier to identify me as a Child of God because of the shotgun.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not it. You can just say you were inspired by an old tale if the shotgun angle comes up. The problem is that this spell is just too convenient, so a lot of people might appear, asking you to teach them.¡± [Remilie] I was immediately able to use it, but apparently, while my Lightshot could kill a lot of undead at a small cost to mana, it required a certain amount of skill and experience, such as ¡®a high degree of understanding in mana control¡¯ or ¡®wit¡¯ to maximize its efficiency. ¡°All spells are affected by a person¡¯s combat experience and training, but light magic is much harder than normal¡­ If you teach people and they fail to learn the spell, it¡¯s still fine if they just acknowledge their lack of ability and leave, but there are a lot of people who can¡¯t do that, that¡¯s why it¡¯s problematic.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san was an expert at magic, so a lot of people have asked her to teach them magic plenty of times. When they couldn¡¯t learn, some of them would blame it on her inability as a teacher, or unjustly suspect her of withholding knowledge, believing that she didn¡¯t actually want to teach them anything. Even if one wishes to teach another person out of the goodness of their heart, there¡¯s a chance it¡¯ll only lead to trouble, so it¡¯s best to choose what to teach and who to teach. Also, unless I want to become a teacher, it¡¯s best that I only teach things on the basic level¡­ Or at least, that¡¯s the advice she gave me. Sebasu-san, who was listening from the side, agreed. Apparently, he too had a similar experience with dimension magic. I¡¯ll keep their words in mind. Chapter 284.2 - Chapter 284: Destination and New Slime (2/2) Chapter 284: Destination and New Slime (2/2) ¡°¡ºLightshot¡» ¡­With this, we¡¯ve more or less dealt with the undead around here.¡± [Ryouma] We were able to safely arrive at the watchtower. Beside the cylindrically shaped tower was a shed likely used as a break room by the guards. It was plain as one would expect from something that was merely attached to the tower. Despite being an old building within the ruins of a large prison, however, it still maintained its shape. Around it was just the bare ground, and there weren¡¯t even any handrails to prevent falling. It seems like it would be dangerous in the dark, so maybe there were handrails before, but they deteriorated with the passage of time. However, the lack of unnecessary objects did make it easier to take over the watchtower. After securing the place, we looked at the Town of Departed Spirits. I was understandably anxious to go up the tower, but fortunately, the tower was somewhere higher than the prison, so I could already more or less see what was going on inside the prison without going up. Past the gates was likely a world meant only to accommodate criminals. Rectangular and unadorned massive stone buildings could be seen neatly arranged, and at the center stood a tower that looked like a larger version of the watchtowers. The structures of the Town of Departed Spirits understandably felt abandoned since they were, but it felt like that even as a whole. There were moss and cracks here and there, and some buildings have collapsed too. I couldn¡¯t see inside the buildings or behind them, but I didn¡¯t see any of those Miasma Pools they told me about. ¡°Hmm¡­ From the looks of it, only weak undead have spawned in great numbers. The miasma has spread wide, but it¡¯s thin.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Though it should be dealt with as soon as possible, the situation isn¡¯t pressing by any means.¡± [Schieber] ¡°That¡¯s a silver lining, I suppose.¡± [Remilie] The way I saw it, it looked just like something akin to the final scene in a zombie movie, but it looks like the situation is still okay. I wonder what kind of situation they¡¯ll consider bad? It was when I could afford to think of nonsense like that that¡­ ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma, what¡¯s the matter?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Did something happen?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Some of the slimes protecting the bottom are¡­ Oh, but they aren¡¯t feeling any sense of danger or anxiety, so the situation seems alright.¡± [Ryouma] For a moment, I thought the slimes might have eaten too much undead, but this is probably an evolution. I gave a few words to everyone before going down to check, and as expected, there were about 10 scavenger slimes showing signs of evolution. I had the other slimes surround them to protect them while they were releasing and absorbing mana. They¡¯re probably defenseless during the process. That¡¯s why they usually evolve in places where I could protect them or somewhere away from people¡¯s eyes. ¡­I wonder what would happen if I touched them during evolution. I seem to recall hearing that if you touch an insect during molting, it could cause deformities and other negative effects¡­ But I don¡¯t remember it all that well¡­ I wonder what would happen in the case of slimes. It¡¯s got me curious, but I¡¯d feel bad for them if something weird happened. Besides, it¡¯s the first time a slime is evolving from eating undead, so I might as well just quietly watch over them. I turned my attention away from my pondering to focus observing them, and I noticed that they were spewing more mana during evolution than usual. It might also just be because there were several of them evolving at the same time¡­ ¡°Huh, so this is how slimes evolve.¡± [???] ¡°!¡¡Oh, you scared me. Remilie-san, Schieber-san, you came.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Reinbach-chan and the others said you might let your guard down from being too engrossed observing your slimes, so we followed after you. You really are quite engrossed, aren¡¯t you?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t notice at all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not good to let your guard down, but don¡¯t worry about it so much. She did go out of her way to use Hide after all.¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san pointed out with dismay. Apparently, she used that presence-erasing spell again. When I turned to her, she smiled at me like a mischievous child. After that we watched over the slimes until they finished evolving. It was Schieber-san and Remilie-san¡¯s first time watching a slime evolve too, so they watched with interest. ¡°¡­Looks like they¡¯re done.¡± [Ryouma] All the scavenger slimes that evolved from eating undead had a darkish earth color to them. They were also much bigger than the other slimes, being about 60cm in diameter, making them just right for sitting. Not that I plan on sitting on them or anything. I used Monster Identify on them and found out that they were a type of slime called ¡®Gureibu?¡¯ Slime. Glaive? ¡­Isn¡¯t that a weapon like the naginata?¡¡But why?¡¡When I checked their skills, I realized my mistake. Name: Grave Slime Skills: Attract Ghosts Lv1; Absorb Ghosts Lv3; Enshrine Remains Lv3 Disease Resist Lv7; Poison Resist Lv7; Miasma Resist Lv8; Lead Belly Lv6; Clean Lv2; Deodorize Lv7; Physical Attack Resist Lv2; Jump Lv3; Digest Lv7; Absorb Lv3; Split Lv2; Taijutsu Lv2 Attract Ghosts, Absorb Ghosts, Enshrine Remains, and Miasma Resist. I realized that ¡®gureibu¡¯ could also be read as grave in English, so the name finally made sense. Skill-wise, their Clean has gotten weaker, and the Deodorizing Liquid is also gone. In exchange were the three new skills. The fact that they didn¡¯t lose the skill they learned while training with me must be because they got it from training. When I checked what attributes of mana they liked, I found out that they liked earth, darkness, and dimension¡­ Dimension!? ¡°What a surprise.¡± [Ryouma] To think there would be a slime that would like dimension attribute mana. No matter how much I gave a slime dimension mana, it never evolved. I was starting to think that it was impossible, but then the possibility for a slime that could use dimension magic appeared. I should experiment with the new skills too. Let¡¯s start with the Attract Ghosts. From the name, it¡¯s probably a skill that attracts undead, so I asked the scavenger slimes, who were still eating the undead, to make way. ¡­The results were just as expected. The Grave Slimes released a bluish-white light that looked like a human¡¯s soul, then the undead that have been randomly attacking whatever was nearby suddenly walked straight for the Grave Slimes. Then with Absorb Ghosts, they all took the undead inside them. Moreover, most of the undead were swallowed without any resistance. They would still resist when the scavenger slimes ate them, but this time there wasn¡¯t any of that at all. Is this the power of Grave Slimes?¡¡After awhile, it even looked as if the undead were taking the initiative to be eaten. Last was the Enshrine Remains skill. Apparently, the Grave Slimes can store undead-type monsters inside them without digesting them and let them out whenever. If it¡¯s limited?? to the undead, then I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very useful, but if the ¡®remains¡¯ of animals are included too, then they might prove useful for the transport of spoils. ¡°This is worth researching!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-chan, are you finishing soon?¡¡We don¡¯t know much about slimes, so we¡¯d like to ask a few things.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Ah, yes. Right. Let¡¯s go back up. That should make it easier to talk too.¡± [Ryouma] Like that, we went back up again, but¡­ The whole time we were climbing the stairs, they were looking at me like I was a kid who would run off again the moment they took their eyes off me¡­ Their eyes did seem full of warmth, though. Chapter 285.1 - Chapter 285: Carrot and Stick (1/2) Chapter 285: Carrot and Stick (1/2) When we got back to the watchtower, Reinbach-sama was already ready to make camp. ¡°Oh, you came back. What kind of slime did it evolve into this time?¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama noticed us while putting up the tent and said that. Apparently, he knew me well enough to understand my behavioral patterns. Of course, I was more than happy to explain about the Grave Slime and the results of Monster Identify and my experiment. ¡°Grave Slime¡­ Never heard of it before. It¡¯s probably a new variant. Its abilities are interesting.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°The ability to attract undead and prey on them, huh. They evolved at a good time.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°They¡¯ve been eating a ton since coming here, so that might be why.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We were watching the experiments too, so there¡¯s no doubting their abilities. Personally, I¡¯m more interested in the Miasma Resist. I wonder if they can deal with them too if you make them eat it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°If we can determine the amount of miasma that the grave slime can tolerate, we might just be able to deal with the miasma along with the undead. But I¡¯ll have to investigate various things first before we can attempt it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If it does work out, the Grave Slime will be really valuable.¡± [Remilie] Undead and miasma can appear anywhere at anytime as long as it¡¯s in an environment where living beings can die. Moreover, the more deaths there are and the more horrific they are, the higher the probability of undead and miasma spawning. Of course, there are ways to prevent undeath, such as by burying bodies. And there are ways to deal with them to if they do spawn, so it¡¯s rare for them to spawn where people live. Even if they do, it¡¯s usually dealt with immediately, but of course, nothing with humans is absolute. The prison ruins are one such example where the authorities failed prevent it or respond in time. Apparently, there aren¡¯t a lot of places that¡¯s this bad, but there¡¯s a lot of places that¡¯s prone to undead and miasma, and the Grave Slime would play a critical role in such places. ¡°As for me, I¡¯m curious about the Enshrine Remains skill. If it works even on non-undead targets, having at least one grave slime around would be a boon for the army. During monster hunt jobs, we¡¯re allowed to gather the spoils and sell them for ourselves on top of our wages, but when there¡¯s no room left, we have no choice but to just dispose of them. We would make a lot more money if we could just carry more spoils, and that would naturally increase morale. And then there¡¯s also of course¡­ When people die in action.¡± [Schieber] ¡°¡­Of course.¡± [Ryouma] When one¡¯s friends die, it¡¯s only human to want to bring as many of them home as possible. ¡°As a monster tamer, though, I think it could be interesting when combined with an undead contract.¡± [Reinbach] They gave their own impressions of the grave slime¡¯s abilities and showed me angles I hadn¡¯t thought of, but Reinbach-sama¡¯s take surprised me. ¡°You can form a contract with the undead?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, they¡¯re monster beasts too. Tamers don¡¯t really like to use them too much, though. Those that tame human corpses tend to be avoided. Sometimes they can¡¯t stay at inns, and sometimes they can¡¯t even enter cities. And even if you do consider them, they¡¯re mostly useful for their regenerative ability. When you factor in their weakness during daytime and the hit to your reputation, they¡¯re really more disadvantageous than anything.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I see. That¡¯s definitely a problem, but¡­ Are there even any people that form contracts with them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve tried it once to check my aptitude as a tamer, but of course, I¡¯ve never thought of actually using it. Tamers that tame them are either researchers, who have to because of their research, or tamers, whose only aptitude are the undead. Huh, turns out the second most unfortunate researcher after the slime researchers are the undead researchers. I wonder what would happen if they found out about the Grave Slime. Maybe it¡¯s possible to have the undead stored inside the grave slime except for when researching them? I don¡¯t know. Regardless, that¡¯s something I ought to check later. ¡°Looks like the Grave Slime have more uses than I thought. The slimes will split after eating enough, so considering what we¡¯ll be doing later, maybe I should take this opportunity to increase their numbers.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, right, we were talking about that before we digressed. But yeah, feel free to increase their numbers.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Either way, we need to reduce the number of undead here anyway.¡± [Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s going to be dark soon, though, so let¡¯s leave the extermination for tomorrow. For now, let¡¯s focus on tightening the security of our camp.¡± [Sebasu] Now that he mentions it, the distant sky was already turning red. With the Town of Departed Spirits so close, the number of undead in the night should be much more numerous compared to last night. Anyway, I¡¯ll be working on our defenses again tonight. We made our camp in the open area in front of the watch tower, so I set up the slime stone wall and the barbed wires from yesterday there, then blocked the only staircase leading to the watchtower with the Emperor Scavenger Slime. With the grave slimes positioned right behind too, none of the non-flying monsters should be a threat anymore. Even if a huge horde came pouring in, the Emperor Scavenger Slime could just let them pour into the Grave Slimes to be eaten or throw them down the stairs. I do wonder if the Grave Slimes could suck in the flying undead too.¡¡I know they¡¯re effective against the zombies and skeletons, but I haven¡¯t tested them on the wraiths or wisps yet. If the Grave Slimes can attack flying targets too, they¡¯ll be able to serve as our anti-air defense, but the wraiths don¡¯t have a physical body, and the wisps are basically just balls of flames, so¡­ Well, I guess that¡¯s just something we¡¯ll have to try and find out. ¡­As the sun set, the number of undead increased. And among them, what stood out in particular were the wraiths and wisps, who passed through the roof of the prison buildings and floated into the sky. From a distance, they looked just like fireflies. It was actually kind of beautiful. ¡°The radiance of life¡­ Can they be called that too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, what a poetic expression.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Ah, Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t mind that he heard me, but it¡¯s a bit embarrassing to be described as poetic. ¡°Those wraiths will approach us as the night grows deeper. I¡¯ve finished warming up our supper, so please come over.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] As I followed Sebasu into the Holy Space, I could feel a distinct difference in the air between the outside and the inside. I could breathe easier, and the miasma was evidently being exorcised by the holy attribute. ¡°Remilie-san, this is really effective.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s easier to feel the difference when you come in from outside, right? I put more effort than yesterday, so let¡¯s not worry about the undead and enjoy our supper.¡± [Remilie] As she said that, she took the lead to pick her Retort Pack from the pot, but as soon as she ripped it open, something unusual happened. Some of the undead flying above the Town of Departed Spirits near us suddenly flew over as though they were being drawn to us. I checked my Grave Slimes just in case, but they weren¡¯t using Attract Ghosts. Before long, the flying undead were above us. They couldn¡¯t approach us because of the Holy Space, but they didn¡¯t attack the slimes outside either and just drifted about around us. It was as if they were observing us. ¡°Ryouma, don¡¯t worry about them so much. It happens a lot.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Really?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The undead have a tendency to reflect their thoughts and feelings when they were alive. The prisoners here were executed through starvation, so many of the undead here remain hungry and thirsty even in death. No matter what kind of food, as long as it¡¯s something that can be eaten, most of them will approach.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I see¡­ It feels unpleasant¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s normal to feel that way. There¡¯s not a lot of people that can eat peacefully with a starving audience regardless of their guilt. Those that can have questionable character.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°A lot of new recruits lose their appetites too during training. The feeling will just get worse the longer you take, so just hurry up and eat.¡± [Schieber] Convinced, I dug in, and inevitably, supper ended early and with less conversation than usual. But¡­ ¡°There¡¯s no food left, but they¡¯re still not leaving.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Perhaps they think that we have more food somewhere.¡± [Sebasu] ¡­The undead refused to disperse even after finishing our supper. They just wandered around the area as though they wanted something from us. Chapter 285.2 - Chapter 285: Carrot and Stick (2/2) Chapter 285: Carrot and Stick (2/2) They¡¯re not hurting us, but they¡¯re definitely killing the mood. It¡¯s become much easier to notice them after securing our safety to some extent. In that regard, last night¡¯s game had served as a good distraction. ¡°Will they leave if we give them some food?¡± [Ryouma] When they talked about ghosts suffering from hunger and thirst because of the sins they¡¯ve committed when they were alive, the first thing that came to my mind was the ¡®hungry ghost¡¯ from Buddhism. I¡¯m not well informed about the subject, but I believe during the Obon, there are places where people perform a ceremony for the dead in which they offer food to them to accumulate virtue. I wonder if there are any customs or events similar to that in this world. I asked them about that, but¡­ ¡°When we pray for the souls of the dead, we do sometimes offer flowers and sake, but we don¡¯t really do anything for the undead¡­ They¡¯re dangerous, so the question is usually whether to flee or fight them.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Feeding the undead won¡¯t relieve them of their hunger too. Every year there would be recruits that would try to feed them, but the zombies would just keep dropping the food, or in the skeletons¡¯ case, the food would just fall through the gaps between their bones. The wraiths and wisps don¡¯t have a physical body, so they can¡¯t do anything with them. Not only would given them food not relieve their hunger, it would just make them look all the more pitiful.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I see¡­¡± [Ryouma] Schieber-san must have seen such a sight many times. Perhaps, he¡¯s even fed them himself. His words were filled with that much conviction. But just when I was starting to think that it might be better to just send them off their way, one of the wraiths got my attention. Like the other wraiths, it was vaguely human in shape and possessed no distinguishable face. But while the other wraiths were wandering around, this wraith alone was standing near the Holy Space, staring at us. ¡°What¡¯s that wraith doing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t know. But that¡¯s not rare, the undead just really tend to be incomprehensible.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Higher variants do retain a small portion of their memories, but even then, they have next to no reason.¡± [Remilie] ¡°If you¡¯re curious, why don¡¯t you try forming a contract with it and find out if you have an aptitude with the undead?¡¡Maybe you¡¯ll figure out something.¡± [Reinbach] That¡¯s true. After all, I could understand even the emotion of the slimes, and they don¡¯t talk either. That should be true for the undead too. I¡¯m also curious if I can form a contract should an undead slime ever appears. Like that, I tried forming a contract with the wraith that was standing upright, Bur when I approached the boundary of the Holy Space and used the spell to form a contract¡­ A ¡®Buchi!!¡¯ sound resounded. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Schieber] ¡°I think I failed. When I tame the slimes, a mana connection between us would easily form, but the connection between me and the undead was forcefully torn off.¡± [Ryouma] It was a sense of rejection akin to having a handshake offer slapped down. ¡°That¡¯s definitely a fail. You might have poor compatibility with wraiths or the undead type itself, but most people would usually just feel a resistance or struggle to form the connection. I don¡¯t know if the reaction you got was because your affinity for wraiths is particularly bad, or you just have no affinity with the undead¡­¡± [Reinbach] Well, there was only one way to find out, so I got the Grave and Emperor Slimes to climb up the stairs, then I tried forming a contract with the zombies and the skeletons too, but the result was the same. Apparently, my affinity with the undead was the worst. I was rejected no matter which monster I tried to form a contract with. But there was one thing I did find out. The quality? of the rejection seemed different each time. I don¡¯t know how exactly they¡¯re different, but¡­ It¡¯s kind of sad. Subjugating them might be the best salvation I can offer them, but¡­ ¡°Umm, can I try feeding them after all?¡¡The undead will probably gather as a result, but if I can¡¯t get any results, I¡¯ll take responsibility and subjugate them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Go ahead.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Just do what you want.¡± [Remilie] Having gotten permission, I used Earth Magic to create a large bowl from the ground, then brought out some firewood and ingredients from my Item Box. As the undead immediately reacted, I put the firewood in the bowl and lit them up. ¡°You¡¯re going to go out of your way to cook for them?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I¡¯m just going to throw the ingredients into the fire.¡± [Ryouma] Of the various annual ceremonies in Japan, the more popular ones include Okuribi or Mukaebi, while the less popular ones include Otakiage or Gomagyou, but regardless, there¡¯s no small number of ceremonies that utilize fire. In Hindu temple worship services, priests would sometimes throw offerings of flowers or food into the fire burning in front of the idol. In Japan, incense is offered because of the belief that the fragrance is food for Buddha. I have no specialized knowledge or proper tools or incense, so I just did it raw. It¡¯s not even customary for people here to do this, but it would be great if it works. While explaining my actions to the four people behind me, I threw a piece of meat into the fire and prayed. ¡°¡­Did it fail?¡± [Ryouma] Smoke billowed from the burning meat, and when a few wraiths were exposed to them, they suddenly started violently flying around. It was difficult to describe their conduct as peaceful. If anything, they seemed angry. This isn¡¯t a custom of theirs, so maybe they just thought I was wasting food. In that case, let¡¯s try adding in dried potatoes with dark mana. Dark magic affects the psyche, so just like that time when I struck fear into the examiner, I prayed a prayer. In this case, to relieve them of their hunger and for them to be able to pass on without problem. As the smoke rose¡­ ¡°¡­Did it work?¡± The angry wraiths gradually calmed down, and before long, they were proactively passing through the smoke. ¡°Looks like you succeeded. Was it because you set the food on fire and exposed them to the smoke?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Just burning won¡¯t do. You have to think of it as a kind of dark magic.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Meaning?¡± [Reinbach] Huh? This is a spell?¡¡I just came up with everything on the fly, though. ¡°As with all magic, it is the concept that matters most. For example, I have a shadow spell called Shadow Needle, which is similar to Earth Needle, but it¡¯s not normal for shadows to form a needle and pierce a human body, is it?¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s true. That would be terrifying if it were.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, why can I create needles out of shadows?¡¡That¡¯s because I, a mage, took a concept and then manifested it through the power of mana.¡± [Remilie] According to Remilie-san, the more a person understands the theory, the more efficient one can utilize mana, and the more effective the spells will be. Conversely, that also means that if efficiency is thrown out the window and sufficient mana is provided, a spell could be invoked with just concept alone. ¡°In this case, Ryouma-chan used the concept of his ¡®burial method¡¯, then combined fire and dark attribute mana to create a unique dark spell that offers food for the undead. Undead Ritual Magic like this, like turning corpses into undead, or transforming one¡¯s own body into an undead while retaining their own will¡­ These are things that fools usually do and mess up, but it¡¯s not unheard of for there to be somewhat successful cases, so it¡¯s not really all that surprising. I mean, to begin with, you often fiddle with your magic on the spur, don¡¯t you? A bit late to be surprised now.¡± [Remilie] Well, that¡¯s true. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve fed them enough.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, right. Thanks.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯d only used one piece of meat and potato, so they burned up quickly. I added more ingredients with dark magic and prayed, and then the fire burned stronger, giving rise to more smoke. I continued that for awhile, and then one of the countless wraiths stopped before me. ¡°Is this¡­¡± [Ryouma] I wondered if it was that wraith from earlier, but I had no way to ask it. It had an inscrutable expression on it as usual. But for a moment, it seemed to be at peace, and then it disappeared from right before my eyes, as though it dissolved right into the smoke. (May their next life be a happy one.) I wonder if it¡¯s because I¡¯ve died once that I think like that. But regardless, as the undead disappeared one after another. I saw them off and prayed for their souls, resolving myself to wipe out the undead that couldn¡¯t pass on tomorrow. Chapter 286.1 - Chapter 286: The Attack Begins (1/2) Chapter 286: The Attack Begins (1/2) The next day. The attack on the Town of Departed Spirits began with an explosion that shook me to my core. The Everlasting Darkness (Herb) was at the central tower, but there were two obstacles to that. The large gate that yet remained, and the horde of undead crammed tightly behind. So the first step to getting the herb was to destroy the gate. I was trying to get rid of all the gunpowder I had on me anyway, so we used all the gunpowder I had on me freely, but¡­ ¡°I know there¡¯s no point holding onto them, but as expected, that might have been a bit too much gunpowder.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can¡¯t see anything with all the dust, but¡­ The gate¡¯s definitely gone.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Not just the gate. Even the undead beyond were blown away. So there¡¯s no problem in that regard, but¡­¡± [Remilie] ¡°It might have been a good idea to stand a bit further away.¡± [Reinbach] While looking out from a corner before the path leading to the gate, small stones fell on the barrier I¡¯d erected. The gunpowder was originally prepared to kill the enemies in the mine with the explosion or bury them alive, so I should have expected this sort of result. Anyhow, if we tarry for too long, the opened area will fill up with undead again, so we have to get ready right away. ¡°Secure the entrance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºGobu!¡» I¡¯d let out the goblins in advance and kept them on standby. At my behest, they rushed out all at once. Leading the way were the hobgoblins in armor equipped with metal slime maces and tower shields made of hardening liquid sheet, followed by the hobgoblins with spears and the hobgoblins carrying grave slimes, then the goblins with ranged weapons. Their movements were noisy and were by no means well coordinated, but they still succeeded in taking position in front of the destroyed gate before the undead could gather again. The shield hobgoblins formed a line, then as the grave-slime hobgoblins entered from their gaps, they advanced again. Today¡¯s operation has three phases. The first phase was all about my familiars. The bomb might have swept everything in front of the gate, but there were still plenty of undead left in the depths of the town. If we challenged the undead to a straight-up battle by ourselves, we¡¯re bound to lose due to the numerical difference, so we decided to fluff up our numbers with my familiars. But of course even with that, our number only amounted to a hundred at most. Though the exact number of enemies was unknown, considering how big the Town of Departed Spirits was, there should be at least 10,000 undead here, so our numerical disadvantage hadn¡¯t really changed. ¡°Coating of Light!¡± [Ryouma] I enchanted the weapons of my goblins with light-attribute mana. I still can¡¯t use Parallel Casting like Remilie-san, but since the goblins were equipped with my metal slimes, I could just send mana to all of them through the Familiar Contract. This enchantment should do wonders to improve our undead-slaying abilities. It should also synergies well with their numbers. Once I get the hang of it, I should be able to use Strengthening Magic on all of my goblins too. The grave slimes will be eating a lot of the undead, so the goblins are really just cleaners to sweep up the undead that manage to get past them. With the support from the back, and if they focus solely on that, the goblins should be able to fight the undead even by themselves. Should the situation turn for the worse, the adults and I can come in to deal with the situation¡­ But even then, that¡¯s only something that could happen in the first few hours. The more undead are eaten, the more grave slimes I¡¯ll have, and the more effective my little group of ghost busters will be. Today¡¯s strategy is basically to increase my grave slimes while invading the Town of Departed Spirits and expanding my own territory. Just like one of those games where you keep expanding your territory to win. ¡°Holy Space. I¡¯m done preparing a rest area. This is going to be a protracted battle, so be sure to withdraw as soon as you feel tired.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Thank you very much. I¡¯ll be careful.¡± [Ryouma] While we were talking like that, the undead that appeared from the depths of the Town of Departed Spirits started toward us step by step. The sun has already risen, so they were moving at a snail¡¯s pace. Regardless, the sight of that seemingly endless horde accompanied by the sound of their groans and footsteps gave birth to an eerie pressure that weighed down on us. ¡°Gogo¡­¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°Guu¡­¡± [Goblin 2] The goblins could similarly feel that pressure, and I could feel their anxiety through the contract as they stood before that great horde. At this rate, their restlessness might cause us to lose a battle we should otherwise win. ¡­I need to encourage them by defeating the undead in a showy manner. Fortunately, there were wraiths flying in the sky ahead of the undead. They were highly mobile because they were flying in the air and could move around without clumping unlike the undead on the ground. ¡°Ranged Platoon, attention!¡± [Ryouma] But while they¡¯re highly mobile, the lack of obstruction in the air also meant that they were defenseless. Moreover with Attract Ghosts taking effect, they were all flying in a straight line for the grave slimes, making for easy targets. At my behest, the goblins at the back simultaneously raised their slingshots and aimed toward the sky. These slingshots were nothing like those toys children played with in the past. These were bigger ones based off the slingshots used in foreign countries for hunting. There¡¯s a metal frame to hold and support the arms, so the accuracy is higher, and they can handle a stronger pull from the rubber as well. Of course, the rubber is actually a rubber slime. ¡°Pull more¡­ Shoot!¡± [Ryouma] At my behest, the goblins released simultaneously, unleashing stones with great force toward the sky. And the shade of wraiths, who could see nothing but the grave slimes, were soon covered in holes and were obliterated. The bullets were pebbles about the size of BB bullets made from the rock cliffs in the area. These were of course enchanted in light-attribute mana, so they possessed plenty of offensive power against the undead. When fighting the undead, it is not the size and weight of the weapon that matters most but the presence of mana. Any weapon enchanted by mana can prove powerful against the undead. ¡°Gogo!?¡± [Goblins] ¡°As long as the weapons are enchanted with light-attribute mana, the undead can be dealt with easily! So don¡¯t break formation and just calmly deal with the horde!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°G-Goh!!¡± [Goblins] ¡°Take the enemies down starting with those in range!¡¡We have plenty of bullets!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Goh!¡± [Goblins] By showing them the undead being easily defeated, then explaining with words, the originally simple-minded goblins were immediately enlivened. Their timidity from earlier was gone, and their eyes even showed signs of excitement. Seeing the goblins raise their voice with enthusiasm, Schieber-san, who was standing beside me, said in satisfaction. ¡°Looks like you successfully raised their morale.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Yes, they¡¯ve seen the results of their weapons for themselves, so the front line shouldn¡¯t collapse easily anymore. By the way, until we enter the town the wraiths won¡¯t be able to just enter the road and attack us from the side, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, the wraiths can pass through the walls we build but not naturally formed terrain, rock cliffs, and surfaces. Wraiths don¡¯t have their own body, so they¡¯re more susceptible to the influence of the surrounding mana than the undead that have their own body. The natural mana in naturally formed structures would crush them. Apparently, that¡¯s also the reason why they¡¯re less likely to appear in the day compared to zombies and skeletons. There¡¯s a lot of miasma nearby, and we caused such a huge commotion with that explosion, so they¡¯re out right now, but¡­ That also means to say that unless you go to that extent, wraiths won¡¯t go outside during the day. In fact, there¡¯s even a story of someone luring one outdoors who then kept it from coming back in again, only for it to spontaneously disappear after a few hours in the sunlight. They¡¯re that weak to mana.¡± [Schieber] ¡°That much, huh.¡± [Ryouma] In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be possible to defeat them by gathering and using sunlight against them, like with a magnifying glass?¡¡The spell Remilie-san used before seemed to focus powerful light too. Kind of like that video I watched in my previous life of some guy using sunlight to cook food without fuel. ¡­Perhaps, using the same concepts would make it possible to defeat the undead without magic. At the very least, it should be possible to burn the skin of the zombies. Chapter 286.2 - Chapter 286: The Attack Begins (2/2) Chapter 286: The Attack Begins (2/2) ¡°Oh? Ryouma-chan, look.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san pointed with her cane, and I followed with my gaze. There, could be seen the undead approaching on land slowing down. Apparently, some of the zombies and skeletons were falling unnaturally, causing congestion or other undead to fall too. But the cause was hard to pinpoint because those that fell were quickly trampled by those behind. However¡­ ¡°Did they trip on the bullets shot earlier?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like it. Those still had some mana left even after shooting through the wraiths, right? It won¡¯t really be a problem for our operation and might even help us out, but just how much mana did you put into those things?¡± [Remilie] ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± [Ryouma] There were three steps to making it. First, I used Earth Magic to extract a stone of a certain size from the rock cliffs in the area. Then I had a stone slime eat the stone before having it cut off a portion of its body to define the shape and size of the bullet. Finally, I had a light slime bring the bullet into its body to coat it in light-attribute mana. ¡°So it wasn¡¯t me who enchanted the bullets but the light slimes. Though I did create an example for them to copy ¨C an explosive bullet made from Light Shot. Quantified, it should be about 10 points of mana.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If they¡¯re using the same amount of mana, then it should be a difference in skill. Even the same spell would produce different results depending on the skill of the caster. That should be true even when enchanting¡­ Are slimes that good at magic?¡± [Remilie] ¡°I think they¡¯re good at manipulating mana. It¡¯s just my own opinion, but I believe they don¡¯t waste anything when they¡¯re using magic.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Intriguing. I¡¯d love to observe them in action once the situation has calmed down. A-Also, did you really make the bullets like that?¡¡Won¡¯t the slime¡¯s bodies run out?¡± [Remilie] ¡°That would be the case if it were a normal slime. It¡¯s true that a slime¡¯s body disappears upon death, but it¡¯s not strange for higher variants to expel liquid or produce substance. I believe that slime bodies are made out of mana, and this mana disperses upon death, leading to the disappearance of their bodies. For example, in the case of water magic, you can use a spell to produce water, right?¡¡Similarly, in the process of evolving to a higher variant, their mana body undergoes a change that strengthens the physical aspect of their body. Or at least, that¡¯s my theory.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Slimes are outside my field, but if it¡¯s the relationship between spells and mana, then that¡¯s certainly not impossible¡­ In the case of the stone slimes, perhaps they¡¯re able to compensate for the cut part by absorbing the mana in the stone and healing themselves with that.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Right. They hate it too if you repeatedly cut a portion of their body without letting them eat, and if you do it forcefully, they¡¯ll grow weaker. I¡¯ve confirmed that for myself.¡± [Ryouma] I still haven¡¯t learned what¡¯s happening inside the body of slimes. So strictly speaking, I might be wrong, but I believe I¡¯m on the right track. ¡°Following the same concept, I had the iron slimes eat iron ores and was able to gather iron from them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-sama, could that method be used to manufacture iron?¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san asked with surprise, but there were currently a lot of obstacles to that. ¡°It¡¯s certainly possible, but I don¡¯t believe it¡¯s practical.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°How come?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I didn¡¯t mention it while talking about shaping the stones, but the slimes use the feed they¡¯re given as fuel, so the output is actually less than the input, making for poor efficiency. As for how much of the input is lost, that¡¯s still a subject for research, so I don¡¯t have a clear answer, but based off the few times I¡¯ve tried it, the extracted iron is at least 30% less than the iron in the ores. In worse cases, there¡¯s a 50% loss.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s not a problem for worthless stones, but that much loss would certainly have a huge effect in commercialized iron manufacturing. ¡°If the burden on slimes isn¡¯t taken into consideration, it might be possible to improve the efficiency of the output. And further research might also find a way to improve the efficiency, so the idea isn¡¯t completely out of the question. Also, iron varies in hardness and tenacity depending on its composition, so there are still a lot of questions surrounding the iron produced by this method, such as: What application suits it best? Is it better for manufacturing or processing? What is the amount produced? And so on and so forth; hence, it¡¯s a long way away from being practical.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I understand.¡± [Sebasu] And personally, I think it¡¯s fine not suppressing the amount they consume. In the case of the distillation process, the loss in production volume due to the evaporation of water and alcohol during aging is referred to as ¡®the Angel¡¯s Share¡¯. In that case, the loss in this method can also be referred to as ¡®the Slime¡¯s Share¡¯. It¡¯s indeed a loss when trying to maximize gains, but I¡¯m more than willing to tolerate it when I think of it as the slime¡¯s share. There is already an existing technology to manufacture iron, and I just can¡¯t find the enthusiasm to suppress that feeling and pursue profit. It¡¯s certainly interesting in regards to slime research, but it¡¯s fairly low on my priorities. Honestly, I have so many things I want to research about slimes that I can¡¯t research everything. I¡¯ve had more hands since raising the goblins, but there are only so many commands I can give by myself¡­ ¡°They¡¯re coming! Shields!¡± [Ryouma] Then the undead horde finally got close enough, and the grave slimes devoured them one after another. They didn¡¯t even queue properly. They were so desperate to be devoured that they would push and shove each other before jumping straight for the grave slimes. In the process, a stray undead got pushed out and started toward us. ¡°Goaah!!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°Gigi!¡± [Goblin 2] The hobgoblins at the frontmost line raised their tower shields and pushed it back. It was a scene reminiscent of old ladies crowding during a bargain sale, or no¡­ Perhaps, a conductor pushing people into the train during rush hour would be a better description. Regardless, the undead was quickly dealt with by the spears of the hobgoblins. The situation was so safe that I had the leisure to think about something as idle as that. Of course, there¡¯s a chance that a higher undead variant is among that horde, so we still have to keep our guard up, but for the most part, this battle will just be us waiting patiently for it to finish. ¡°Will there even be a chance for us to make an appearance?¡¡The goblins¡¯ weapons are a lot stronger than I thought.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Ryouma-sama is focusing all of his attention on support with his vast reserves of mana. That¡¯s a problem for any enemy, not just the undead.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°That¡¯s true¡­ Ryouma-chan might be the type to fight up close personally, but there¡¯s no doubt that this is a good experience for him. It¡¯s important to be flexible and adapt to the situation, so there¡¯s no harm in experiencing a battle like this too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°He¡¯ll have to work together with other adventurers, after all. The proficiency of the goblins leave a lot to be desired, however. They¡¯re not that bad, but they should be able to do more complex movements after being trained more as a platoon. Especially, those shields. They need to stop using their arms and start using their whole body.¡± [Schieber] The adults were quick to adapt and have already switched to spectator mode. While they watched over us, I and my familiars fought the undead until noon. Chapter 287.1 - Chapter 287: Secure a Base and Lunch Break (1/2) Chapter 287: Secure a Base and Lunch Break (1/2) Noon. Dealing with the undead gathered by the terrain and the explosions took a good amount of time, but it was a success nonetheless, and we entered the Town of Departed Spirits just as planned. With the undead near the gate cleaned up during the battle in the morning, the Town of Departed Spirits was quiet and gloomy. It was truly a ghost town. But this was only temporary, and once night fell, undead would come pouring in from the depths of the city again, which brings us to the second stage of our plan, ¡®securing a base¡¯. The city is arranged with the tower at the center in a circular fashion of many layers. There are rectangular-shaped housing units built side by side on each level of the mortar-shaped lot, but because they were rebuilt or restored in some places, parts of them appeared distorted, making them look like worm-eaten Baumkuchen. Connecting the various parts of the city were narrow streets that were circular like the buildings, and a long central staircase that led from the gate to the tower. The circular camp seem to have also served as a wall to prevent the inmates from escaping. A difficult ordeal when combined with the height of the steps. One impossible for the likes of zombies and skeletons. The grave slimes increased in number because of the battle this morning, so we used those to block the path to the central staircase. We checked the buildings closest to the stairs and secured them with Holy Space if there were no enemies inside. Otherwise, we dealt with the remaining enemies first. Fortunately, the housing facilities were simple in structure, so we were able to quickly check and seal them, then after going through about five buildings, the goblins contacted me. ¡°Looks like the experiment is almost ready.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s make this building the last. It¡¯s a good time for lunch anyway.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s a good number too. Three buildings on each side for a total of six. Let¡¯s finish this quickly.¡± [Schieber] ¡°I¡¯m ready whenever.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Let¡¯s do it then. ¡®Flash Grenade.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] We hid behind a building, then I threw a ball of light the size of a baseball into a small hole where a small window might have been, then I focused my Mana Perception, and in the next moment¡­ ¡°Gyah!¡± [Undead 1] ¡°Hiii?¡± [Undead 2] At almost the exact same time a short screeching sound was heard from the building, a strong light poured out. I had visualized that spell with the concept of a flash grenade in hopes of clearing the undead hiding in the building in one go, but some of the wraiths were quick to flee, and they passed through the walls to get away. ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] Unfortunately for them, Remilie-san had anticipated that and was already waiting for them. She quickly and accurately shot them down, while Schieber-san and Reinbach-sama entered the building and made sure that there were no undead left. Finally, we used Holy Space to make sure that no undead would occupy the building again. ¡°Good job.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You too, Ryouma-chan.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Be sure to keep the experimentation in moderation after lunch, though. The real operation will begin once the sun sets, so you should get some rest in preparation for that.¡± [Schieber] We defeated a ton of undead in the morning, but that was nothing more than preparation for evening. The real thing doesn¡¯t really start until night falls since that¡¯s when the undead are the liveliest. It¡¯s a bit of an aggressive strategy though since we¡¯ll be using the spell I came up with just yesterday inside the Town of Departed Spirits to forcefully send the undead on their way. I will be performing the spell once we¡¯ve reached a certain level of security, and if it¡¯s too dangerous, then we¡¯ll retreat to yesterday¡¯s base, but regardless, the operation is bound to last late into the night. Just as Schieber-san suggests, it might be better to get some rest. While I was thinking that, I returned to the building closest to the entrance of the town. Sebasu-san had prepared a table and some chairs. He was in the middle of making lunch. It was inside the building, so he must have made sufficient preparations so we could have a proper meal. ¡°Welcome back. I¡¯m in the middle of preparing our lunch, so please wait a moment.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you for your efforts, Sebasu-san. How did your side go?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The goblins worked hard. They seemed used to it too, so I believe there won¡¯t be any problems with your experiment. I¡¯m not sure what they were talking about, but they seemed to be having more fun than when they were fighting, and they zealously tended to the farm too.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Most of my goblins are like that.¡± [Ryouma] Even as their number increases, my goblins remain ever faithful to eating, drinking ,and making merry. I¡¯m not unhappy about that since I would have to dispose of them if they were to ever become a threat, but¡­ It¡¯s a mystery. Well, putting that aside, if Sebasu-san is going to make lunch, I¡¯ll go ahead and work on my experiment. ¡°i¡¯ll be going now, but I won¡¯t take long.¡± [Ryouma] All the buildings in this area had one entrance in the front and in the back. Connecting the two entrances was a hallway that ran through the center, then on the side could be found the prison cells, which were not partitioned by any wall or divider. Apparently, thick iron bars were once used as partitions, but these bars were removed when the prison and execution site was closed, so the interior of the buildings were now just a ¡°large room¡± with traces that suggest they were once prisons. With that being the case, I decided to build a farm inside. It was a trivial matter with the power of slimes. ¡°Gigi!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°Gobubu!¡± [Goblin 2] As I approached the field, the goblins that had been tending to the farm came to me to report. I couldn¡¯t understand their words either, but I could understand their intent. Because of that I was able to learn that they completed everything I asked them to do. To the left side could be seen a row of large planters I made with earth magic. They were filled with Soil Slime and from those grew potatoes. To the right could be seen the building¡¯s flooring broken with earth magic to forcefully create tillable land. The earth there has been mixed with fertilizer and was also growing potatoes. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s give it a try. Please get me some water.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gobu!¡± [Goblins] Starting with the left, I used water magic to stimulate the growth of the crops. No problems occurred here and the potatoes grew smoothly. The resulting buds, leaves, and fully grown potatoes were without any abnormality. In comparison, the potatoes to the right side barely grew at all. The Accelerate Growth skill did have some effect, and some buds and leaves did sprout, but they wilted before they could become edible. I could use more mana to force them to become big, but the roots and stems ended up skinny, and the color of the leaves was poor. Moreover, the resulting potatoes were small and shriveled. It wasn¡¯t something you¡¯d think of eating. I used Identify on it, and¡­ ¡®Miasma-Spoiled Potato¡¯ A potato grown in a land that has been corroded by miasma for a long time. It was forcefully made to grow through the employ of wood magic, but its growth was undermined by the soil¡¯s miasma. Due to the accumulation of miasma, consumption of this potato will lead to illness, and in the worst case, death. Inedible. ¡°I see. This won¡¯t do then.¡± ¡°Gii¡­¡± I¡¯ll dispose of this later. As for the other potatoes¡­ Well, these ones grew just fine, so they can be eaten without problem. Based off the results of the experiment, the reason for the differing results should be the soil. The miasma in the air has been cleansed via Holy Space, while the water was produced by Sebasu-san¡¯s magic, so these potatoes have pretty much been cultivated in what you would call a ¡®clean room¡¯. The only thing different between the two sets of potatoes is the soil. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll dispose of these potatoes later. Thank you for your work. I¡¯ll take over and do the rest, so switch places with the others and go have your lunch.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gogo!¡± [Goblin 1] ¡°Gobubbu!¡± [Goblin 2] The goblins were ever faithful to their desires, and as I watched them leave, it was about time for me to return, but then I realized that everyone was looking at me. Chapter 287.2 - C.287.2 - : Secure a Base and Lunch Break (2/2) C.287.2 ¨C : Secure a Base and Lunch Break (2/2) Chapter 287: Secure a Base and Lunch Break (2/2) If you any error ( broken links,etc¡­.). Please keep reading on our NEWNOVEL.ORGThank you readers! ¡°Looks like you succeeded.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s only one success, but if we fix the environment here, even a land like this should be able to produce food through Slime Farming. I¡¯ll produce food for later too and continue observing. There¡¯s a chance that the miasma might seep into the soil given enough time, but the planters have already been coated with light-attribute mana, so that shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Regardless, I¡¯m sure even normal people can reproduce my results. I don¡¯t know if enough profit can be made to make it worth the effort, but I¡¯ll be making a report to Reinhart-san later about this, so I¡¯ll ask him then to check.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Many villages have fallen because they couldn¡¯t do work due to the miasma, so if your results can really be reproduced with enough training, I¡¯m sure it will be a great help to many people and villages. The Grave Slime and that spell of yours should also make the subjugation of undead that much safer. It makes me look forward to the future.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Especially since the problem with that spell is that it requires the continuous burning of food. If food could be produced on site, the burden of procuring and transporting food will dramatically decrease, and the efficiency becomes that much higher.¡± [Sebasu] Reinbach-sama, the previous duke, and Sebasu-san, who assists him, seemed to have something in mind and were really happy. ¡°Is there anything you would like, Ryouma-kun?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Reinbach-sama, you¡¯re always so quick to talk about rewards.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You would be rewarded as a specialist even if you provided only the information pertaining to the Grave Slime since it can be an effective way of dealing with the undead.¡± [Reinbach] Even if you tell me that¡­ There¡¯s nothing I particularly want right now¡­ I mean, I¡¯ve already received too many things. For example, the money I gave out during the incident at the end of the year has been promised back to me in installments. And on top of that, I received social standing through the job of Specialist and was even given tax exemption on a portion of my income. My income is also snowballing to the point that it¡¯s actually terrifying. And they¡¯re asking me if there¡¯s anything else I¡­ Oh, right! ¡°How about a new lab? It would be great for researching the grave slime, and it would be really convenient if I could use a land like this freely. I was wondering what to do about the feed too once I got back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Their numbers have already gone past 1,000 just this morning, right? I was really surprised when I saw that.¡± [Remilie] As someone who was used to the reproduction of slimes, however, I was more surprised that they ate enough undead to increase their numbers by that much and still have only consumed a fraction of all the undead. In any case, since there¡¯s so many of them, I¡¯m going to need just that much to feed them all. Due to the nature of slimes, they won¡¯t die even if they can¡¯t have their favorite food. They¡¯ll eat whatever is available and evolve into another variant. That¡¯s not a bad thing per se, but it¡¯s not conducive to observing a single species for a long time, so it would be best to have a location I could regularly procure undead from. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a problem if they were fine with normal animal meat, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s another story if they need undead, huh. There are several places in the Jamil Duchy that have been corroded by miasma, so you can use those for your lab. We don¡¯t know what to do with them either, so if anything, you¡¯d be helping us out if you were to take them off our hands. However, something like that won¡¯t suffice as compensation¡­ You might not mind but others will.¡± [Reinbach] Google search free????????????????????????????????. ????????£í ¡°It will look like a troublesome territory was pushed onto you.¡± [Remilie] ¡°How about you stop thinking about it and just accept coin? There¡¯s nothing wrong with having lots of coin, right?¡± [Schieber] My business has grown thanks to the large amount of money from the duke¡¯s family. And by being appointed as a specialist, the laundromat also turned into a semi-official company. Moreover, I am also receiving support from the duke through my research funds. In other words, tax is being used to fund me, so it¡¯s more important than ever to clarify the flow of money. ¡°That¡¯s why we hired a tax collector and a legal officer from the duke¡¯s family to work for us.¡± [Ryouma] Even in my previous life, there has never been a shortage of government subsidy abuse, as well as the bashing and criticisms on the media and internet. In the past, such matters didn¡¯t really have anything to do with me and were just things that I read on the screen, but now, there was a chance that those same criticisms might fall on me. I¡¯ve been told that an annual review by the Merchant Guild was sufficient for the average business owner, and I¡¯ve been told that it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me either, but I wanted to be sure. That¡¯s why I went out of my way to get the duke to refer me to an expert as part of my reward. ¡°So that former tax official told you to use more money?¡± [Schieber] ¡°We could produce vegetables and grains through Slime Farming, and we¡¯ve also started to produce alcohol and processed food from our produce, so we were completely self-sufficient when it came to our meals. Most of our living necessities were also self-produced, so we barely used any money other than for the store¡¯s management.¡± [Ryouma] The business expense and tax exemption privileges wouldn¡¯t be a problem for last year, but I was told to be more conscientious from this year onwards. I was thinking that tax levied would go to the duke¡¯s family anyway and become the duke¡¯s family¡¯s profits or be used for the benefit of the duchy, but¡­ ¡°Reinhart-san saw through me and instructed the people he sent to stop me if I tried to pay more tax than I needed to and to make sure that I used the money for my own sake. Steyer-san, the former tax official, himself told me so. I was also told that it wouldn¡¯t be good to donate too much to the church and was restricted in that regard.¡± [Ryouma] It might have been obvious since he¡¯s a former tax official, but he was really devoted to his duties, and he completely crushed my shallow wit. He said that a tax collector¡¯s job was to collect the amount of tax as prescribed. He was also presently an employee of the store and not of the duke. That¡¯s why he says it¡¯s his job to maximize the profits of the store and pay only the right amount of tax. I didn¡¯t have a lot of leeway in my finances in my previous life, so I couldn¡¯t spend money to support anyone, but if I had a lot of money, I don¡¯t think I would have regretted or hesitated to splurge. But he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand that even if I tried to passionately explain it to him. ¡°In the end, he just told me, ¡®I¡¯ve seen owners trying to get away from paying taxes and owners wanting to bribe the duke, but it¡¯s my first time seeing someone who just wants to pay more tax.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true¡­¡± [Schieber] ¡°I understand that I¡¯m in an enviable position, but I have little to no experience having lots of money, so I really don¡¯t know how I¡¯m supposed to use it. In the end, I¡¯ll either just use the money to start a new project or repeat what I did at the end of the year.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Despite not knowing how to use money, you seem to be managing your assets quite well.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Starting a new project, using money for the sake of the future¡­ Those are all correct ways of using money.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It¡¯s working out somehow thanks to the advice of my excellent managers and the cooperation of my subordinates.¡± [Ryouma] I have a lot of people supporting me now. I¡¯ve entered a ton of industries. It would have been unthinkable in previous life. If not for all those people helping me, the only idea I have to use my money is to save. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Sebasu] Looks like Sebasu-san finished making lunch while we were talking. We still have a lot of things left to do, so I better make sure to fill myself up. Share this: Chapter 288.1 - Chapter 288: The Town at Night (1/2) Chapter 288: The Town at Night (1/2) Evening. It was still bright outside, but the edge of the sky was gradually turning dark. And looking into the depths of the city, some quick-tempered undead have already begun to appear. It should be about time. We finished preparing after eating anyway, and I¡¯m also in perfect condition after getting some rest and using some potions. ¡°As we¡¯ve discussed, leave the defense to the slimes and us.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Ryouma-chan, you just focus on that spell of yours, okay? Oh, and don¡¯t get stressed out now.¡± [Remilie] Schieber-san and Remilie-san encouraged me, and we started the operation. Looking down at the base we built in the Town of Departed Spirits from the sky, the central staircase and the road in front of the houses resembled the kanji for king: Íõ. That¡¯s the path that the zombies and skeletons would be taking. So to start off with, we sealed off the eight points with my grave slimes. Thanks to their spike in numbers earlier this morning, I currently have 1.745 grave slimes. I had them combine to create 17 big slimes. They will be placed in pairs in each point, leaving behind one big grave slime to accompany me. I¡¯ll use that grave slime to supplement any position that needs help. Tonight¡¯s defense will be mostly done through the grave slimes and the Holy Space. Should the operation fail or something unforeseen occur, we will be immediately retreating to the base last night, so the goblins have been put on break to minimize our numbers. ¡­We¡¯re really relying too much on the grave slimes to deal with the undead. If not for the magic experiment or the offerings, perhaps it would have been better to just let the grave slimes reproduce and graze freely. ¡°And then there¡¯s this.¡± [Ryouma] At the center of the base, right in the middle of the stairs was a pedestal made out of stone. Well, okay, it wasn¡¯t actually anything that amazing, but we¡¯ve prepared a large table and prepared some food on it. It¡¯s meant to be a replacement for the shelves used in the Bon Festival where the offerings would be placed. In addition to the potatoes and dried meat used last night, I will also be frying them with salt and pepper to make a German potato style dish. There¡¯s also a simple ham and vegetable sandwich, a retort soup, and a salad. For drinks, there¡¯s water and goblin-made white sake. Finally, we also prepared some deserts and fruits. They¡¯re dying to eat, so I¡¯m sure they could eat anything, but I want to prepare something nice for them, as that might be related to sating their desires. This spell is built around my understanding and the concepts of a religious ceremony from another world, so not even Remilie-san, a former royal court magician, could advise me. There¡¯s no other choice but to make an attempt, see the result, then make improvements. That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to be adopting the concepts of ¡®Agile Development Style¡¯, wherein components are constructed individually then put together. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡± [Ryouma] I started a fire just like last night in front of the Bon Festival Shelf, but this time, I¡¯m using large sake cups kind of like the ones used by sumo wrestlers when they win a championship. There were five of them all in all, and I lined them all up. I imagined the food on top of the Bon Festival Shelf as those plastic food models in restaurants, while the ceremony itself I imagined as just cooking. As I imbued mana into the food, I prayed for the undead¡¯s hunger to be sated and for them to be able to rest with satisfaction. Just like yesterday, I started with the potato and the dried meat. ¡°They came quick.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Understood. I¡¯ll make haste then.¡± [Ryouma] As smoke began to rise from the cups, I pulled out another trick from my hat. Earlier, when I¡¯d taken out the Bon Festival Shelf, I¡¯d also taken out some bamboo pipes. I called out to the smoke slimes inside. ¡°Can you carry the smoke?¡± [Ryouma] Smoke rose from the opening of the bamboo pipes. As the name suggested, Smoke Slimes were slimes whose bodies were formed out of smoke or airborne particulates. In battle, this trait of theirs could be used to create a smoke screen that could be manipulated at will. This time around, however, they¡¯re going to be helping the smoke from the food reach more undead. If the food earlier were plastic food models, then these smoke slimes were the waiters. One thing to take note of is that the smoke slimes are smoke, so a powerful wind could blow them away. Now they¡¯re not going to die, and I could retrieve them later, but I still told them to be careful. If the wind were strong enough to affect them, I was planning on using one of the buildings we secured, but fortunately, the wind tonight was gentle. Not a cloud on the sky above, and the intensifying flames and smoke billowing to the sky was nothing short of beautiful as they painted a mystical sight. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get this show going.¡± [Ryouma] After the smoke slimes merged with the smoke rising from the cups, they started moving, and the billowing smoke split and flowed to the eight blocked paths, softly passing above the grave slimes as they enveloped the approaching undead. ¡°Uaah!?¡± [Undead 1] ¡°AHH¡­¡± [Undead 2] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, there¡¯s no need to panic. There¡¯s plenty of food to go.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s said that a food offered is worth a hundred times in the world of the dead. That¡¯s why there¡¯s no need for a lot of offerings, and it¡¯s enough to make an offering according to how one feels. What¡¯s important is to continue making the offering. As the undead realized that, the momentum of their approach dropped. There was a ¡®desperation¡¯ in the way they approached the Bon Festival Shelf, but that has already calmed down. Now, there were even those among them who were standing still and enjoying the smoke. ¡­It¡¯s still just potatoes and meat, but it¡¯s already more effective than last night. Moreover, I can tell that my intentions are getting through them a lot smoother too. ¡°I can¡¯t believe there¡¯s this much of a difference just by establishing the procedure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it¡¯s also because it¡¯s your second time. Magic is manipulated with will, so your mentality has a huge effect on it. After all, you¡¯re a lot more confident when you¡¯ve experience success once, right? That¡¯s why the effects of any spell will improve gradually the more you use them. But if you want to raise efficiency, there¡¯s no substitute for studying and deepening your understanding of magic. Anyway, go ahead and send as many of these guys on their way as you can.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] Remilie-san had been beside the table just in case, and when I finished talking with her, I focused on my magic again. I added a small amount of black pepper into the offering cups that were cooking potatoes and dried meat. The finely crushed pepper was quickly consumed by the fire, and for a moment, its aroma strongly appealed to my nose. The undead reacted too. While more and more undead were halting in their tracks, all of the undead now appeared restless. But it wasn¡¯t the kind of restlessness you¡¯d see when they were in combat. Instead, they seemed happy. The number of undead approaching from the distance appear to have increased too. They were clearly a lot more interested now than when it was just potatoes and meat. With that being the case, I went ahead and added the ingredients of a sandwich, which included wheat, ham, and some vegetables. The undead were elated. The smoke slime received the smoke with their entire body and stopped the horde of zombies and skeletons in their tracks. There were wraiths in the smoke too, but they only floated about gently, not a hint of their usual intensity. ¡°Ryouma-sama, more undead are pouring in from the depths. The wraiths in the air appear to be fine, but the traffic on the ground is now congested.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Understood.¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 288.2 - Chapter 288: The Town at Night (2/2) Chapter 288: The Town at Night (2/2) I instructed the smoke slimes to bring the smoke to the buildings outside the base along the central stairway. It might have been akin to pouring water on a hot stone, but I should be able to alleviate the traffic to some extent if the undead could be directed there. If some undead could be sated during that time, some other undead could come in and take their place. Anyway, up next were the ingredients of the soup. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t actually give the water as an offering, so I can only offer the vegetables, but¡­ Curry without added water was a thing in my past life, so I hope they understand what food I¡¯m trying to send them with the water content from the vegetables. After that I added the fruits and the desert in a new cup. The fruits were dried fruits that Sebasu and the others brought for camping. When placed over fire, they released a fresh citrus aroma and a rich sweet flavor all at once. ¡°Ohh¡­¡± [Undead 1] ¡°Ahh¡­¡± [Undead 2] Looks like the fruits are a hit among the undead. I had an inkling back when I added the pepper, but it looks like the undead prefer the food with a stronger smell. The reactions also varied depending the individual. Is that because I created the spell around the concept of aroma? Or is it because of the preferences of the person when they were still alive? Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know anything about them when they were alive, so it might be hard to investigate that. Finally, I poured the sake into the last cup. Sake won¡¯t burn up either like the soup. Though it¡¯s possible just by extracting the alcohol using alchemy, but all the other flavors would be lost in the process. That¡¯s why I¡¯m using sake lees instead¨D¨D ¡ºUoOOOOOOO!!!!¡» [All Undead] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] When the Sake Lees was heated by the flames, in that very moment that the aroma of alcohol spread, the undead all suddenly cried out. Until now, they had been moaning here and there, but now, they were practically screaming. It was so drastic a change that we all braced ourselves, but¡­ ¡°Hmm. Apparently, that was meant to be a cheer.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°That surprised me, but from the way they¡¯re acting, I don¡¯t think they can even see us.¡± [Schieber] There were some undead that were moving quickly, but they weren¡¯t acting violently and were instead trying to get as much of the aroma as they could. More and more undead have been passing on since the aroma of alcohol spread. Just as the existence of the term ¡®Liquor of Purification¡¯ implies, liquor has long been used in Shinto rituals. Legends say that the liquor offered to the gods possess spiritual power and could exorcise evil. That¡¯s why I was hoping the sake would prove effective, but I sure didn¡¯t think it would be this effective. ¡°There¡¯s still more to come, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The spell seems to be working plenty well already. Is there something special about your liquor?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°There¡¯s nothing special about it. This white sake is something that I learned how to make when I visited the Fatma Territory. I¡¯ve tried to make it taste better, but other than that, I haven¡¯t done anything special.¡± [Ryouma] If there¡¯s anything special about it, then¡­ It would be its compatibility with the ¡®concept¡¯ of my magic. Kotsubuyarikusa grows abundantly near water, and the white sake of Fatma Territory is made by exposing it to water, adding certain herbs native to the territory, then leaving the concoction in a cool, dark place to ferment. It is so simple to make that every house used to make it, but there are still a few more things that could be done to improve the taste. First of all, the Kotsubuyarikusa has a peculiar tangy taste, so it must be ground into small pieces once and then soaked in water to extract the starch in the seeds before use. Second, adding the herbs as is to stimulate fermentation would leave behind a smell, so only the stem part of the stalk should be used, then the outer skin should be removed, leaving behind only the core part. Even then, the smell of herbs cannot be completely removed, so from the second batch onward, some of the finished liquor should be added in place of the herbs to encourage fermentation. By following these three points, it is possible to progressively reduce the stench of herbs in the liquor with each run, gradually producing a sake with the aroma and sweetness of a pure sake, something akin to the sake for sale and not the homemade ones¡­ In fact, I believe this process is actually close to the process of making Japanese Sake. Japanese Sake is made from polished rice and sweet potatoes. To brew, Koji Mold is added to some of the ingredients to create Koji, then the ingredients are mixed with water to cultivate yeast. That is then added to the ingredients, and the fermented product is called Moromi or Doburoku. When the Doburoku is placed into a bag and strained, the resulting product becomes Nigorizake. Isn¡¯t that similar to the shirozake of Fatma Territory? As far as the methods to improve the taste of Japanese sake goes, the rice used undergoes a process called ¡°polishing,¡± in which the rice bran and other impurities on the outside are removed and the starchy center is taken out. It¡¯s just an idea I came up with as a layman, so a pro might have more to say. In fact, I¡¯m still very much lax when it comes to temperature control and other factors, and the trial products are also still not stable. But there is no denying that by using the sake production method as a reference, I¡¯ve succeeded in improving the taste. Japanese Sake is also used in Shinto rituals such as Omiki and Otoso. And my sake is similar to it. That¡¯s why it¡¯s possible that my sake could make the spell even more effective. ..Then there¡¯s also the Akumochizake, which is made by adding the ash of the Ash Slime, and the Seishu, which is made by using the filter abilities of the Filter Slime. I¡¯ll offer the new sake I come up with to the gods and see if there are any effects¡­ I¡¯ll ask them for their opinion too. They might be willing to talk if I bring the best liquor I could bring. ¡­But still. ¡°If their response varies so much depending on what I burn, then I should put more attention on what food to bring next time. A food that burns easily, smells strong, and is easy to transport like preserved food would be really convenient, and it would make it possible to prepare some beforehand too.¡± [Ryouma] It sort of reminds me of Incense Sticks. Although it comes in many different forms, and there are all sorts of ways to make it, Incense Sticks have been widely used throughout the world and have permeated deeply into the lives and cultures of all sorts of people. I never really thought about it back then, but now I see how convenient they are. Though I would think about random things from time to time, I continued to burn food for the undead and prayed for them. Before long, the sun set, the surroundings became dark, and even more undead gathered. Whether I looked up to the sky or down the stairs, everywhere outside the base was crawling with undead. ¡°It¡¯s strange to see so many undead gathered not attacking.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Isn¡¯t it because it¡¯s more profitable for them to enjoy the effect of the spell rather than attack us? If they could get better tasting food anyway, there¡¯s no reason for them to work hard just to get worse food, right?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Humans would be able to think of other profits, but most of the undead have already lost their mind.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°If they could understand that this is a memorial service and not a spell meant to harm them, then perhaps it would also become unlikely for them to become wary of us.¡± [Sebasu] The four adults surrounded me from every direction to serve as my guards, but even they could feel how gentle the air was. But though they talked casually among themselves, they never once let down their guard. Still, their composed demeanor spoke a great deal about their wealth of experience. The topic of their conversation also sounds like a good avenue to explore to improve this spell. While I was thinking that, I added more food into the cups, and then¡­ ¡ºHiiiiii!!!¡» The gentle air was suddenly torn apart by a screeching voice. Chapter 289.1 - Chapter 289: Big Commotion (1/2) Chapter 289: Big Commotion (1/2) The shrill voice came from the area around the central tower. Although it was a bit far, and it was getting dark, I could immediately tell where the voice came from because the undead fled from the source, creating an open area. Unlike most of the undead that were dressed in rags, this small group of elites was equipped with old but decent equipment. There were about a dozen of them, definitely less than twenty, and with their iron rods and whips, they drove the undead away. ¡°Those must be the prison guards then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. A mere shadow of their former selves.¡± [Schieber] Though there were only a few of them, their position and disposition while alive seemed to have influenced them. They were aggressive toward the prisoners, and they tormented them. Though the undead prisoners showed some intent to resist, their circumstances while alive also seemed to have affected them, and they just fled despite their numbers. The numbers where overwhelmingly in their favor, yet they were being one-sidedly driven away. The difference in equipment and the circumstances while they were alive played a part in that, but¡­ ¡°The prison guards seem to move much better compared to the other undead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I believe those are Ghouls and Skeleton Warriors.¡± [Remilie] Those are higher variants of zombies and skeletons respectively. Ghouls have improved mobility as their bodies are closer to human corpses than zombies, and skeleton warriors are also more dangerous as their bodies move more like humans, not to mention that they also used weapons. Moreover, unlike the other undead, there was something dark wrapped around their body. They were still a long way away, yet the bad feeling that they gave off was even stronger than the other undead. That dark thing was probably miasma dense enough to be visible to the naked eye. And as though to confirm that, Remilie-san¡¯s face was grim. ¡°Are they that much of a problem?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Less a problem, more a hassle¡­ Miasma is like poison, so it¡¯s dangerous to approach, and light magic also isn¡¯t as effective since miasma and light cancel out each other. Their combat abilities aren¡¯t that much different from your usual evolution. They¡¯re a bit more violent sure, but they were worse than humans before, and after evolution, they¡¯re just on the level of your average human, so it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± [Remilie] ¡°We were expecting for these to be around anyway, so nothing has changed. Let¡¯s take them down right away.¡± [Schieber] Since those prison guards showed up, the other undead have been restless, and the atmosphere has become unfit for a meal. I doubt we¡¯ll be able to expect the same efficacy from my as long as they¡¯re around, so just as Schieber-san said, we ought to do away with them as soon as possible. Or so I was thinking, but then a question came to mind. Can¡¯t my spell affect those guards too? ¡°Let me try this first.¡± [Ryouma] I added more ingredients into the cups, while the fire burned brightly as it received more fuel, and I sent my thoughts and prayers to the undead through the smoke. I could tell that the smoke slimes didn¡¯t want to get too close either, so I didn¡¯t force them and just got them to get as close as they could. As the smoke gathered into a single direction, it passed through the prisoners and flowed down the stairs like a river flowing, and before long, the feet of the undead could no longer be seen. When the smoke reached the prison guards, they reacted, but¡­ ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to have any effect on them. I might have just pissed them off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡­That shrill voice from earlier resounded again, and they even pointed their weapons at us. They ignored the prisoners they¡¯ve been obsessing over until just awhile ago and tried to wade through the crowd, but there was just too much traffic. The prisoners also seemed to be resisting to some extent, so it will take them awhile before they could reach us. ¡°Looks like your spell doesn¡¯t work on all undead.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Seems like it¡­ As for why, it might be because of ¡®the difference of the cause of death¡¯ or ¡®the difference in aggression¡¯. This spell is a memorial service of sort, so it doesn¡¯t match up with the image of forcing it onto someone. The other party has to accept it on their own or it won¡¯t work¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So it¡¯s not effective on undead trapped in their desire to torment and hurt others, huh.¡± [Sebasu] Well, at the very least, it doesn¡¯t work on them as it does on the undead prisoners. It¡¯s a failure, sure, but it¡¯s still good data. But you know, what if I changed the goal of the spell? It¡¯s normal to change how you fight according to your opponent. I came up with the spell to soothe the souls of the starving and thirsty undead, so it should also be possible to come up with a spell that works for the sort of undead that the prison guards were. ¡°If appealing to their hunger and thirst as is done during memorial services won¡¯t work, then¡­ What if I try to rid them of the miasma covering them?¡± [Ryouma] The smoke contains ingredients that have sterilizing and antiseptic properties. It¡¯s because of those properties that smoked food last longer. Many fumigants are also used for disinfection and insecticidal purposes. Smoke could also get in through the lungs or seep in through the eyes. And just as soap is said to have been born through the ashes of burnt meat, ash too has disinfectant properties and can remove filth. Burning and heating are also methods of disinfection and sterilization, and it goes without saying that when fire burns, light is produced. So this time, I¡¯m going to keep in mind the insecticidal, fungicidal, and disinfectant properties of fire and smoke, and I won¡¯t be visualizing a ¡®memorial service¡¯ but an ¡®exorcism rite¡¯. My prayer is for them to be freed from the miasma and for the undead to be weakened. As I added the Sake Lees, which got a good reaction from the prisoners, into the cup, I offered a prayer to exorcise and purify the undead. A shrill voice resounded again, but this time, it sounded like a scream. ¡°¡­It worked. Well, I won¡¯t be surprised anymore.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I thought you might be able to pull it off when you started muttering to yourself¡­ But to think you¡¯d come up with a spell to erase miasma next¡­¡± [Remilie] ¡°I visualized the smoke driving away the bugs and the ashes cleaning the filth. What exactly happened?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, for the meantime, the miasma is growing thinner. If you keep this up, they won¡¯t be a problem even if they get close. Their movements have also gotten duller, probably because the smoke got into their eyes. It¡¯s not just the prison guards too. The surrounding undead have also been affected.¡± [Remilie] The spell uses the smoke as a medium, so it has a wide area of effect, but because of that, it doesn¡¯t discriminate between undead. I¡¯m sorry you all got caught up in this, but please bear with it for a moment. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s made fighting the undead that much easier. If it¡¯s like this, then even I¡¯ll be enough. I¡¯ll intercept them before they can reach our base, so Ryouma, you just keep that up.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll move the smoke away from that area so as to not get in your way.¡± [Ryouma] Schieber-san nodded and stepped forward. The prison guards had gotten close enough, so the battle immediately began. Chapter 289.2 - Chapter 289: Big Commotion (2/2) Chapter 289: Big Commotion (2/2) ¡°DaMn yOu!!!¡± [Prison Guard Ghoul] ¡°Hmph!¡± [Schieber] A ghoul lifted up its club and approached, but a swing from Schieber-san¡¯s halberd easily deflected it. ¡°Gurururu!!¡± [Prison Guard 1] ¡°Kihi!!¡± [Prison Guard 2] ¡°K-Kill¡­¡± [Prison Guard 3] ¡°Come. I shall be your opponent.¡± [Schieber] The prison guard ghoul was thrown back into its comrades, causing the small group of elites to halt in their tracks, while Schieber-san called out to them. The mana emanating from his body was a lot stronger than ever. ¡°Ka¨D¨D¡± [Skeleton Warrior] A skeleton warrior stepped out from the group, but its head was promptly obliterated as Schieber-san¡¯s axe crushed its skull along with its helm. Then Schieber-san raised up the butt end of his halberd to send the body flying away before sweeping with the blade. With every swing of his halberd, undead bodies flew; with his violent winds, they were transformed into dust. As undying as the undead might have been, when so thoroughly carved upon and crushed, even their undeath could not save them. The fight might appear rough, but that wasn¡¯t actually the case. Schieber-san was skillfully and meticulously handling his halberd to give rise to those violent winds. Moreover, those winds didn¡¯t affect us or the undead behind, only the prison guards that were hostile. ¡°He¡¯s really going at it. Hopefully he doesn¡¯t use up all his strength midway through.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I can hear you! I haven¡¯t gotten so rusty as to miscalculate my own strength, you know!¡± [Schieber] Schieber-san¡¯s movements showed no signs of stopping. He wasn¡¯t in any danger at all, and before long, the prison guards were reduced to just one. ¡°Rebels, must¡­¡± [Prison Guard 4] ¡°You¡¯re the last. Rest in peace now.¡± [Schieber] ¡°¨D¨D¡± The last undead raised up its weapon, but it seemed to have been frozen from fear and was promptly cut down while mumbling something. The undead prisoners all started making a racket. It was just like when the villain was defeated in an action movie and the audience started cheering and praising, or like when you see someone you don¡¯t like suffer, and you laugh and say, ¡®serves him right!¡¯ That was the sort of gesture that spread among the undead. ¡°Thank you for your hard work. Would you like some water?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s fine. We didn¡¯t have to fight as much as we were expecting, so I have plenty of strength and mana to spare. More importantly, continue with the memorial service¡­ It would be great if you could send those guards to the gods too.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] I changed the image I had in my mind from ¡®purification¡¯ to a ¡®memorial service¡¯ and made the fire stronger. With that, the undead that fled from the prison guards returned to bathe in the smoke. ¡­Perhaps, they were excited that the guards were gone, or perhaps they were feeling a sense of liberation,but regardless, though they showed no signs of causing trouble, their movements were a lot more intense than before.It might be strange to say this about the undead, but they seemed full of life. ¡°¡­It¡¯s almost like they¡¯re dancing.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Look, that skeleton, and that zombie too. Notice how some of the wraiths are throwing themselves into the smoke and some aren¡¯t? Their movements aren¡¯t uniform, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re just wobbling.¡± [Remilie] ¡°There are some sitting or lying down too. It¡¯s just like a festival.¡± [Reinbach] Some sat or laid down to bathe in the smoke close to the ground, some simply appeared to eat or drink, and then some seemed to be merely drunk or asleep. Then there were those that moved about restlessly, as well as excited ones that danced about within the horde. Indeed, now that they mention it, it certainly appears to resemble a festival. I¡¯d intended for this spell to be a ceremony to send the dead off, but it was really just a spell I came up with. It¡¯s not a proper religious ceremony and isn¡¯t anything noble or prestigious. Rather than a solemn ceremony, really it¡¯s a lot closer to a festival at some tavern. ¡°In that case, it might be better if we had some music.¡± [Ryouma] I took out my guitar from my Item Box and made sure that it was in good condition. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of music they¡¯d like, so I just casually played a piece I learned recently. ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that the song from the Semroid Troupe?¡± ¡°Yes, I got acquainted with them when they visited Gimuru for the Founding Festival, and they taught me a thing or two.¡± [Ryouma] A song played during one festival should do just fine in another. And just as I couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to the festival music upon hearing it, the music livened up the place, and as it spread, even the undead far away were drawn. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s safe to pull back the defensive line of the grave slime?¡± [Ryouma] They told me it wasn¡¯t a problem and to ¡®go all the way¡¯, so I instructed the grave slimes to split up. I left only about 10% to continue blocking the road, while the rest I ordered to spread out along each road and use the Attract Ghosts skill. ¡°Seeing them lined up so orderly makes for quite the beautiful sight.¡± [Reinbach] The pale glow of grave slimes adorned the central staircase like guiding lights. It would be a bit sad to refer to them as mere lights, but similar lines should have formed in all the other roads too, and all of those together should serve as a convenient landmark that would guide the undead coming from afar. As I played my guitar with mana, I called out to all the undead with thoughts such as, ¡®come here, it¡¯s fun¡¯ and ¡®we have delicious food and drinks,¡¯ and before long, I too started to have fun. Concepts from another world, Slime Farming, the liquor from Fatma Territory, the song from Semroid Troupe¡­ Everything that I¡¯ve experienced until now meshed together to give birth to a new spell. It was still rough around the edges, but it was gradually taking shape. I found that interesting and fun, but if it could also make someone else happy, then all the more so. While such a sense of satisfaction filled me, the undead passed on one after another, and before long, the stars and the moon filled the sky as twilight welcomed the gentle night. Chapter 290.1 - Chapter 290: Breaking In (1/2) Chapter 290: Breaking In (1/2) The next day. It was almost noon when I woke up in our base in the Town of Departed Spirits. We continued the ceremony until late into the night, so I woke up much later than usual. Sebasu was in charge of keeping watch, so I greeted him first before having the food left over in the Bon Festival Shelf for breakfast. It would be a waste just to throw the food away, and besides, eating the offering is part of the ceremony too, as it holds the meaning of ¡®eating with the deceased¡¯ or ¡®sharing food¡¯. While I was leisurely enjoying my meal, Remilie-san and Schieber-san returned. ¡°Welcome back.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re awake, I see. We checked the area for a bit, and your spell yesterday appears to have been quite effective. We would have had to spend another day subjugating undead depending on how much their numbers have decreased, but from what we¡¯ve seen, we can go straight to the central tower without problem.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Oh? I did think it was rather quiet. So the undead around the tower have passed on too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The miasma in town has gotten a lot thinner too, so the number of undead here has definitely fallen dramatically. Even the remaining undead aren¡¯t wandering around. They¡¯ve basically turned into ¡®just corpses¡¯ and would at most just look at you. But even if they¡¯re just corpses, they¡¯re still littered on the ground, so we might still have to deal with them, but at least they¡¯re not a threat anymore.¡± [Remilie] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll have my goblins and grave slimes take care of the remaining undead.¡± [Ryouma] Now that I think about it, does feeding them to the grave slime count as burial? Or is it more like when close relatives eat the cremated remains? Or maybe it¡¯s more like Bird Burial wherein the corpse is fed to carnivorous birds. Though I suppose in this case it would be more apt to refer to it as Slime Burial. In any case, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s much better than just leaving them out to dry. ¡°Thank you for the food.¡± [Ryouma] As I listened to them talk about the town, I finished eating, and when the sun was high up in the sky, we started our plan. Just as we¡¯ve discussed beforehand, the goblins and the grave slimes took care of the undead, while we headed for the central tower. Nothing attacked us along the way, and we were able to get to the tower without any problems. ¡°There¡¯s still some of that unpleasant feeling from the miasma lingering here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s right at the center of the town, and it¡¯s also where the execution site is located. Not to mention, the smoke last night couldn¡¯t get into the tower too, right?¡± [Reinbach] As such, it was decided that we would be purifying the miasma first before making our assault. I went through the usual preparations, then I started the purification. ¡°That spell sure is convenient.¡± [Schieber] ¡°What would you normally do when you have to remove miasma?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We¡¯d burn it if we could since that¡¯s the quickest method, but if that¡¯s not enough, then we¡¯d have to call in a specialist.¡± [Schieber] ¡°¡®Exorcists¡¯ and ¡®Shamans¡¯ refer to mages that specialize in subjugating undead and counteracting miasma. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience in their field, so you can expect them to do a good job. I know a thing or two myself, but it¡¯s nothing compared to them.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san specializes in fighting with her Shadow Magic, so it¡¯s probably out of her expertise. I can purify miasma too, but I¡¯m mostly just groping about. ¡°It¡¯s probably a good idea to learn more about miasma for the sake of my grave slime research.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re interested in that field, then I could introduce you to a Shaman that¡¯s on good terms with the Jamil family. Remilie, what do you think?¡± [Schieber] ¡°You¡¯ll be able to do more things if you know more, and it¡¯s safer too, but we need to careful when picking the teacher, or Ryouma-chan might be too much for them to handle.¡± [Remilie] ¡°After all, Ryouma-sama can already use a spell that rivals a specialist. There¡¯s no guarantee that the teacher won¡¯t be tempted by that, so we¡¯ll need to make sure that it¡¯s someone that can be trusted too. After all, mages are quite passionate about magic.¡± [Sebasu] There should be many people that want to be employed by the duke. To be chosen from out of all the candidates requires a lot skill, so I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be difficult to find one that¡¯s not passionate about their field. I¡¯m sure there are people similar to Magic Otakus too. We chatted while the smoke entered the tower, and before long, shadows appeared at the smoky entrance. The miasma clad undead were easily dealt with by the reliable adults. ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] But then trouble happened. ¡°I¡¯ve done it now.¡± [Remilie] When I glanced at her, I could see her looking at her staff with a sad expression. ¡°Is something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I did think it wouldn¡¯t last for much longer, but looks like it¡¯s finally reached its limits.¡± [Remilie] When she said that, I looked at her staff and noticed a large crack running along its sides. ¡°You did say that you needed the Everlasting Darkness (Herb) to make a new staff¡­ Will you be alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It won¡¯t affect me that much in combat. I can use magic plenty fine without a staff. It wasn¡¯t something amazing in the first place.¡± [Remilie] It was something she received from her parents on her coming-of-age, so she must have treasured it simply because of the memories¡ª ¡°Ryouma, can this be burned too?¡± [Remilie] ¡ªOr so I was thinking when she suddenly suggested to burn it. ¡°Umm¡­ Isn¡¯t that a memento of sort?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s right. I got it when I first became a royal court mage. Back then a lot happened, and I was down and weak¡­ So I found myself sending a letter back home on a whim. I¡¯d selfishly run away from home, so I wasn¡¯t actually expecting an answer, but when my parents, who never even tried to leave the village, actually came, I was really happy. But it¡¯s already broken, so there¡¯s no point even if I regret it, you know?¡¡Just because the staff is gone doesn¡¯t mean the memories are too. Even something I¡¯d carefully used in the village I¡¯d use as firewood once it¡¯s no longer usable.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You can¡¯t become a perfect adult right away just because someone told you that you¡¯re an adult now, right?¡¡At that time, you might be an adult in terms of age, but it will still take some time for you to actually grow up. This staff is a gift from my parents to support me until I¡¯m able to become a fully independent adult. It¡¯s not something that a proper adult should be using.¡± [Remilie] Judging from the slightly embarrassed expression on her, I guess that staff must have been something akin to the training wheels in a children¡¯s bicycle. The reason it was able to last until now seems to be because she didn¡¯t use it regularly. Court mages could get the funds for their supplies or order-made staves from the nation, so she must have used that instead for work. Otherwise, this staff would have long reached its limit. ¡°If it can help, then feel free to use it for fuel. But of course, if it¡¯s inconvenient for your ceremony, then there¡¯s no need to go out of your way to use it.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I don¡¯t think it will be a problem.¡± [Ryouma] We¡¯re not making offerings this time around, and even during Obon, ¡®Ogara¡¯, a dried hemp stalk with the skin peeled off, is burned. The image I need for the spell is just the ceremonial bonfire too, so that part won¡¯t be a problem either. When I told Remilie-san that, she suddenly closed her eyes as though she was trying to remember something, then when she opened them next, she broke her staff and threw it into the fire. Under the heat of the fire, the staff crackled and popped, and as the fire quickly spread, it quickly ashened from the sides and gave rise to a great deal of smoke. ¡°Let¡¯s proceed after this finishes burning. The miasma inside has gotten a lot thinner, so Mana Perception should be more effective now too.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] We stopped talking after that and enjoyed a moment of silence. Chapter 290.2 - Chapter 290: Breaking In (2/2) Chapter 290: Breaking In (2/2) With the purification of the miasma complete, I put a light slime on top of my head, then we entered the tower with the Emperor Scavenger Slime at the lead. This tower looks just like a donut when looked at from above and is divided into four sections. From outside in, there¡¯s the dormitory of the prison guards and the executioners, the waiting area while they¡¯re on duty, the prison for the prisoners on death row, and the execution ground itself. The passages have also been made complicated to prevent prisoners from escaping. The place was no longer in use and was quite dark, but the light slime on my head provided enough light for all of us, so we could move without problem. The undead within the tower weren¡¯t a problem either. With the entrance passage narrow, the emperor¡¯s giant body could easily cover the entire passage, so any undead with a physical body had no way of escape. And the prison guards would approach, only to be pushed back as though they were swallowed by a wave. The wraiths appeared to have been hiding within the walls to get away from the smoke, and they could be seen passing through the walls from time to time, but a Lightshot made short work of them. So long as I focused my Mana Perception, I could tell whenever the wraiths were trying to approach from the walls, so dealing with them proved to be no problem too. ¡°I thought we had our work cut out for us when I first saw the town, but now that we¡¯ve gotten down to it, it¡¯s not difficult at all.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°I did agree to use the slimes for help, but¡­ When it¡¯s this easy, it¡¯s no fun at all.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Sebasu-san, water please.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Leave it to me. ¡®Water¡¯¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san conjured a huge amount of water, and the emperor slime happily drank. After some dozen seconds, the slime¡¯s body shook as it told me that it was enough. ¡°Thank you very much, it¡¯s okay now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Please feel free to ask me for help anytime.¡± [Sebasu] We continued to walk after that too. I don¡¯t know how it¡¯s like for other towers, but this tower is quite big. But I suppose that¡¯s a given considering there¡¯s the execution ground and the living quarters for all the prisoners and the staff, as well as other necessary facilities. ¡°The Everlasting Darkness (Herb) is in the basement, right?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s an herb that can be found in dark places without light like a cave. The Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst meets the condition for them to grow.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That sure takes me back¡­ In the past, I would accompany the new recruits in their training and would see it every year. Those stairs make for just the right tool to train your legs.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Is there a staircase there that¡¯s long enough that it could train your legs?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm? Did we not tell you?¡± [Schieber] ¡°Well, I¡¯ve heard about how the prisoners here are executed by starving them, but nothing about the structure inside¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. In that case, let¡¯s talk about it now. It¡¯s a story that will make you feel sick to your stomach, though.¡± [Schieber] After opening with that, Schieber-san started talking. In the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst, there exists only a long spiral staircase and a series of shackles. Everyday, a prisoner on death row would be brought in to be shackled at the first step. The following day, the guards will check if he¡¯s still alive, then they will bring him down a step. As this process repeats itself over and over again, the prisoner will gradually move further and further away from the surface. Moreover, whenever they confirm that a prisoner is still alive, they will give him hard bread and water. When I heard that, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder, wasn¡¯t this the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst? Why would they give him food?¡¡Wasn¡¯t this a place where prisoners were executed by depriving them of food and water?¡¡But apparently, they weren¡¯t giving him that out of the goodness of their hearts. Of course, neither the bread nor the water were poisoned. They could be eaten normally. But the rations were provided only once a day. And just enough for about two-thirds of the prisoners. Moreover, the guards would place them in front of those at the highest step. So there weren¡¯t enough food, and the prisoners down below couldn¡¯t eat unless they got their portion from the other prisoners above them via a bucket relay. Given such circumstances, it wasn¡¯t too hard to imagine what would happen. Obviously, the prisoners at the top would monopolize the food. Even if the rations were being handed out only once a day, they¡¯ll be fine as long as they don¡¯t share. It¡¯s a trivial matter to secure three meals if there¡¯s enough food for two-thirds of the prisoners. If you count one¡¯s own meal plus two more, then that¡¯s three meals in total. But of course, there are those who will try to get more portions than just that. However, the people down below won¡¯t allow that. Those at the top might be able to secure their meals easily at the start, but the amount that they can secure for themselves will diminish by the day. Before long, they too will begin to suffer and will desperately try to find a way to get food. In other words, they will fight for it. The chains that shackled them indeed prevented them from standing up and fighting with each other, but it¡¯s been designed so that they could still reach the prisoner next to them, so it was possible to make their neighbors drop the food from their hands, further stimulating conflict among them the prisoners; however, it wasn¡¯t possible for them to fight to the point of death. As they descended further down the stairs, eventually the food will no longer be able to reach them, and their body will weaken from hunger and thirst. Unable to quibble physically with the other prisoners, the most they can do now is to insult those that could still eat. ¡­But even then, such prisoners were still among the healthier ones. Those even hungrier would lose their sanity, and some would even dare encroach the taboo of cannibalism. They would wring out the last of their strength to try and eat the meat yet within reach. It¡¯s a difficult thing to eat another person due to the length of the chains, but they could still inflict a fatal wound on another person that would lead to their death if they were to desperately attack. They were chained day and night with no toilet privileges, after all. So they could only allow their excrements to drop on the spot. With their bodies starved and abused, it was only natural that their immune system would dramatically weaken. Whether it was from up above, or down below, or right from the center, the voices of the inmates would fill the execution ground. From the moment a prisoner sets foot in the execution ground, insults, agonizing cries, resentment, and even madness would reverberate throughout the whole prison atrium to fill them with dread until the day they breathed their last. That was the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst. ¡°It¡¯s kind of tragic. I know it¡¯s normal to be punished according to the crimes they¡¯ve committed, and I know it¡¯s necessary, but¡­ No wonder they became undead.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Good. Make sure you don¡¯t forget that feeling. Humans are creatures that are capable of unbelievably cruel and vicious things when they believe they are right. At the time, all the atrocities committed at the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst were believed to be just. They were punishing sinners, so there was nothing to be ashamed of, and if anything they ought to be praised. It was for the same reason that the vigilantism of the prison guards was tacitly approved. It is said that those who stood up in protest received criticism from those around them and were themselves executed. The knights use this place to train themselves not only to hone their physique and skills but also to teach the next generation about the actions of those that took justice too far, and that justice isn¡¯t something that is absolute and unchanging. It is imperative for knights to possess a sense of justice, but it would not do for them to lose themselves in their justice. By then, justice will cease to be justice and distort into mere violence.¡± [Schieber] Indeed, there are many such examples in my previous world, such as the popular ¡®Witch Hunts¡¯. Depending on the era, the executions were not only punishment for the guilty, but also a form of entertainment for the masses. As the saying goes, one man¡¯s sorrow is another man¡¯s honey. It appears that no matter the age or the world, it is human nature to delight in the suffering of others under the pretense of justice. Knights, who hold great power in both substance and authority, and even those who aren¡¯t ought to remember that, lest they find themselves astray of the human way. ¡°Anyway, our conversation appears to have wrapped up at a good point.¡± [Schieber] From the sound of that, we must be approaching the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst. Turning left on the T-shaped hall, the path that greeted us was much wider than before. There were probably guards lined up on either side here in the past. But presently, all that¡¯s there was a heavy, deteriorated double door along with two similarly deteriorated armor standing on both sides. ¡°Well, it¡¯s this kind of place, after all, so this kind of development is pretty much a given.¡± [Ryouma] As a creaking sound resounded from the two armor, they raised their spears and pointed them at us. Chapter 291.1 - Chapter 291: Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst (1/2) Chapter 291: Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst (1/2) ¡°Shadow Bind!¡± [Remilie] Something akin to black ropes shot out from right under the feet of the two armor and took away their spear, then like a pair of puppets whose strings have been cut, they collapsed. ¡°Capture complete.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That was fast.¡± [Ryouma] The spears bound by ropes of shadows weren¡¯t being held by anyone or anything yet they were going wild as though they were. I could tell through my Mana Perception that the spears were emanating more mana than the armor themselves, so they must be the main body of the monsters. I¡¯ve heard of an undead monster that floated on their own and attacked other creatures known as Roaming Weapon, so that must be what these are. Apparently, weapons that have been stored in places abundant with mana, or those that have slain many people or monsters have a tendency to become a Roaming Weapon. ¡°Those prison guards were armed, and now there are these armor. Just where are all these coming from?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Zombies and skeletons regenerate when they¡¯re harmed, right?¡¡Similarly, these higher undead can produce their own equipment. They are considered a part of them.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You could take it as them trying to look like they did when they were alive.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] The Roaming Weapons continued to rampage while we talked. But after Remilie-san shot a Light Ball at them, they stopped moving, and when she undid their shackles, they fell to the floor lifeless. Although the monsters were in the shape of a weapon, Light Magic remained effective all the same. But more importantly¡­ ¡°Was that Shadow Magic just now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Shadow Bind. As you can see, it¡¯s a spell that conjures a rope made out of shadows. It¡¯s hard to use, but it¡¯s convenient because you can freely manipulate it to some extent. You could use it to shackle your enemies, use it to fix an object into place, and it can also be used as a safety rope in times of emergency.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Oh, I¡¯d love to learn it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I figured you¡¯d say that. I¡¯ll tell you more about it after we get the Everlasting Darkness (Herb). Oh, and take a look at this.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san cast another spell on the spears lying on the ground. ¡°Dispel.¡± [Remilie] A faint light enveloped the motionless spears, and after awhile, it vanished into them. ¡°Roaming Weapons become just weapons after they¡¯ve been defeated, but occasionally, dark mana would linger and harm their bearer mentally and physically in the form of a curse. You use dispel to undo the curse. If you use this spell and properly do away with the curse, the weapon will be safe to use, and you can use it for yourself or sell it back at town. By the way, curses can also be cast with Dark Magic, so it¡¯s a good idea to learn some countermeasures. I¡¯ll teach it to you later along with Shadow Magic.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Thank you. I¡¯ll look forward to it.¡± [Ryouma] The Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst was just up ahead, so I was hoping to get that herb already, but¡­ Apparently, it wasn¡¯t going to be that simple. I could pick up a lot of mana coming from beyond the door. ¡°There¡¯s an enemy up ahead, huh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s expected. It¡¯s the place easiest for undead to spawn from, after all. Ryouma and I will take the front, while the remaining three of you will provide cover from behind. And Ryouma, leave behind an emperor slime here to keep us from getting flanked.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Definitely the most important part.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll leave the close combat to you two then.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I have no complaints with that formation.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I agree too. I¡¯ll have the slimes split out a king, and then I¡¯ll leave the rest to protect our back.¡± [Ryouma] After that, we braced ourselves and carefully opened the door. ¡¸¡¸¡¸Kahhhh!!!¡¹¡¹¡¹ [Ghouls] The three ghouls from in front reacted to our presence immediately and attacked with a scream, so I calmly cut them down with my light enchanted katana and advanced into the execution grounds while unleashing a barrage of Lightshots. Inside was exactly as I¡¯ve been told. There was a spiral staircase that extended downward in a counterclockwise fashion. Each step was wide in order to accommodate the shackling of the death row prisoners. Overall, they were about 7 meters wide and 3 meters long each. As we made our way down, I noticed that there were also larger landings that appeared in regular intervals. With plenty of room for our footing, fighting here shouldn¡¯t be a problem. If there¡¯s anything to pay attention to, it would be the empty center of the spiral staircase. I¡¯m sure there had been railings in the past, but right now, there¡¯s basically nothing keeping us from falling. I should stay close to the walls as much as possible so I don¡¯t get pushed out of the stairs. ¡°More are coming!¡± [Remilie] I commanded the King Scavenger to take on the undead coming from below, but three shadows jumped past it. ¡°Lightshot!¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san immediately shot one down, while the remaining two ghouls were taken care of by Schieber-san and me. Meanwhile, ghouls continued to climb up from below. Apparently, most of the undead here were of the higher variant. One of those rushing at us tried to cut me down with its claws. But while they¡¯re indeed fast compared to zombies¡­ ¡°They¡¯re still too slow.¡± [Ryouma] Before its claws could even descend, I mowed down its body, then I lopped off its head, causing it to fall behind, motionless, unable to even regenerate. A sword enchanted with light-attribute mana was effective even against the stronger variants of the undead, so as long as I took care not to be surrounded or fall off, fighting them wasn¡¯t a problem. ¡°Let¡¯s keep this up and take them out at the next landing. Get your slimes to take care of the bodies by our feet, will you, Ryouma? It will be hard to fight if they start to pile up.¡± [Schieber] I did as Schieber-san instructed and defeated the undead one after another as we made our way for the landing. Meanwhile, Reinbach-sama, Sebasu-san, and Remilie-san supported us from behind by whittling down the enemy with their spells. And to make sure that none of the ghouls approached them, I made sure to keep a steady outpour of my light magic and always kept moving. This is the most dangerous battle we¡¯ve fought since coming to this Town of Departed Spirits. Yet despite that, I¡¯m not worked up at all. My whole body feels good as though all the tension has been relieved from it. It was just like when I was fighting Schieber-san. ¡­But it¡¯s still not enough. Just like that time, there¡¯s still a slight awkwardness to my movements and my magic. ¡°Ryouma! Don¡¯t use your magic and sword at the same time! Use them alternately!¡± [Schieber] ¡°!¡¡Understood!¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 291.2 - Chapter 291: Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst (2/2) Chapter 291: Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst (2/2) I pierced through the forehead of a ghoul, then two more came at me from both of my sides. The one to the left was closer, so I dodged it, then I slashed it and kick it to open some distance between us. The one to the right reached me next, so I cut off its arms, then cut it to buy some time. ¡°If I were to follow Schieber-san¡¯s advice¡­¡± [Ryouma] I stepped right between the two ghouls, then I turned to face the one to the left. With this, we were a straight line. There was a ghoul in front of me and one behind me. I wielded my katana on my shoulder and shot the ghoul behind me by casting Lightshot from the tip of my blade, then I cut down the ghoul in front of me, severing it in half as i tore through it from its crown. It was a combination attack consisting of a spell followed by a physical attack to another enemy. This time the combination went smoothly. ¡°Well done! Cover for the openings of your weapon with your magic, and in the same way, cover for the openings of your magic with your weapon! That¡¯s one way for a magic sword to fight!¡± [Schieber] ¡°Yes!¡± [Ryouma] I continued to fight so as to not forget that feeling just now. My dazzling blade mowed down the enemies close by, while those that were further away were shot down by my spells. As I continued to repeat the loop of sword and magic, the awkwardness in my movements slowly but surely disappeared. With the ghouls as my opponents, the fighting style that combined martial arts and magic was slowly polished, and then Schieber-san advised me again, so I immediately put it into action. Since when was it that I was able to fight like this last?¡¡It felt like only some dozen minutes passed, and before I knew it, we were already at the bottom of the execution grounds, not a single undead left in sight. ¡°¡­Is it over?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, it¡¯s over. That was some good concentration you showed there. If it¡¯s just skill we¡¯re talking about, then you¡¯re already good enough for me to write you a recommendation letter for the knight order.¡± [Schieber] I¡¯m grateful for his praise, but had there been more enemies, I might have been able to improve some more. Well, I¡¯ll give myself passing marks, I suppose. The combination of magic and sword goes quite deep. I guess I¡¯ll be keeping at it for awhile then¡­ ¡°Oh, there¡¯s a lot.¡± [Remilie] At the bottom of the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst was a ground covered in moss upon which grew clusters of lusterless black grass. Those were none other than the Everlasting Darkness (Herb) Remilie-san and I were looking for. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more than expected.¡± [Remilie] ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people who¡¯d go all the way down here just to get some, after all. And with how many undead there were too, most likely, no one¡¯s been here for awhile.¡± [Schieber] ¡°How¡¯s the quality, though? Could the miasma have had some effect on them?¡± [Reinbach] I examined one nearby and was able to tell that it was almost at the highest possible quality. ¡°They¡¯re pretty good. They¡¯ll do plenty for my own purposes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°They¡¯ll do fine for mine too. The Everlasting Darkness (Herb) is highly resistant to miasma, and it also has a weak ability to repel miasma. However, I¡¯d prefer to get one that hasn¡¯t been stepped on by the undead.¡± [Remilie] ¡°There¡¯s so many. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find one if we search.¡± [Sebasu] Sebasu-san took the lead to search for an Everlasting Darkness (Herb) that has not been trampled. We too followed suit, but then I suddenly felt something strange. It was a feeling that was both out of place and yet somewhat nostalgic¡­ ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­ It might have just been my imagination.¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t know how to put that strange feeling into words, and I also wasn¡¯t sure if I really felt it. ¡°If you say so. But if you¡¯re feeling anything strange, be sure to say it.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯m not particularly feeling strange, so I¡¯m sure it must have just been my imagination. As such, I continued along my way to look for those herbs. And before long, the mysterious sensation was gone, and I filled my fifth pouch with Everlasting Darkness (Herb). It was then that I could suddenly feel that strange sensation a lot clearer than before. ¡°Um, guys.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Did something happen? You appear to have had something on your mind since awhile ago.¡± [Reinbach] Everyone responded to my mutterings, and Reinbach-sama asked that question. ¡°I can¡¯t give a clear answer, but¡­ Don¡¯t you feel anything?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s a rather vague question¡­ I don¡¯t feel anything strange in particular.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I don¡¯t see any undead either.¡± [Sebasu] No one else could feel anything, but they trusted me and searched the last floor of the execution ground nonetheless. Of course, I also helped. As a result¡­ ¡°It¡¯s around here. This is where that strange sensation is coming from.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Here?¡± [Remilie] It was a place some ways away from the spiral staircase. Just another normal empty ground somewhat closer to the edge. Nothing in particular stood out. But there was no doubt about it, it was definitely coming from here. I didn¡¯t know why either, but it felt disgusting. As such¡­ ¡°Do you mind if I dig around a little?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s not a problem legally.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°This place is well built, so a little shouldn¡¯t be a problem. Do be careful, though.¡± [Remilie] I commanded my steel slime, which I was currently using as my katana, to turn into a big shovel, then I covered it in mana and enchanted it with the Earth Magic, Break Rock. After that I started digging¡­ As I did, the feeling gradually became stronger. Seriously, what is going on?¡¡It doesn¡¯t feel particularly bad, but it doesn¡¯t feel good either. It¡¯s not the presence of a living creature either. As the mysterious sensation continued to grow stronger, I dug and dug. As I found my whole body descending into the hole, and the hole was about 4 meters deep, a voice called to me from above. ¡°Ryouma-kun, are you alright?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°You¡¯ve dug quite a bit. Found anything?¡± [Remilie-san] Reinbach-sama and Remilie-san said. ¡°I¡¯m getting closer. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s just right¡ª!?¡¡I felt something!¡± [Ryouma] As soon as I said that, I looked at the end of my shovel and saw¡­ ¡°A magic stone?¡± [Ryouma] Chapter 292.1 - Chapter 292: We Found a Treasure? (1/2) Chapter 292: We Found a Treasure? (1/2) I could see a scratch on the magic stone. That was most likely made by my shovel just now. I better take care not to scratch it any further. While thinking that to myself, I tried to dig the stone out. It was about one finger tall and two fingers wide, and judging by its color, it was a magic stone of the dark element. Just to be sure, however, I double checked it with Identify, and true enough, it was a dark magic stone. However, it turned out there was more than just one magic stone. In the process of digging one out, more magic stones appeared. It might have been because I¡¯d enchanted my shovel with Break Rock that the earth broke, and I was easily able to spot them. There were some bigger than the magic stone I got first too. ¡­Was it the abundance of mana coming from these stones that I felt?¡¡¡­For the meantime, I decided to inform the others. ¡°Guys! I found a bunch of magic stones! Dark magic stones!¡± [Ryouma] At my call, everyone else came to take a peek inside the hole which I¡¯ve dug. When I noticed that, I casually threw the magic stone to them, and Sebasu-san took it and used Identify on it. He spoke in admiration. ¡°This is indeed a 1st Grade dark magic stone.¡± [Sebasu] The other three gave their take too. 1st Grade. My Identify couldn¡¯t figure out that much. It must be of high quality, but just how high is it?¡¡I was curious, so I tried asking him about it, and apparently magic stones were categorized into Type-1, Type-2, and Type-3, then there were six grades within each type that defined the quality of the magic stone. Type-1 included light, electricity, and wood. Type-2 included darkness, poison, and ice. Type-3 included fire, water, wind, earth, and neutral. These ¡®types¡¯ were divided according to the rarity of the magic stones with Type-1 being the rarest and most expensive and Type-3 being the most common and most affordable. As for the dimension element, no one has ever seen a magic stone of its element, so it¡¯s not categorized under any of the types. The price of magic stones for the same element double every time they go up a grade. The type-3 magic stones would be priced as such. 1st Grade: 32,000 suits up 2nd Grade: 16,000 suits up 3rd Grade: 8,000 suits up 4th Grade: 4,000 suits up 5th Grade: 2,000 suits up 6th Grade: Less than 2,000 suits 5th Grade is the minimum grade of magic stone that can be used for making a staff, while 6th Grade are often used by commoners to operate affordable magic tools. They¡¯re like batteries. 6th Grade are sometimes sold with the magic stone fragments produced in the process of making wands using magic stones of 5th grade or greater, which are often referred to as ¡®Magic Stone Scraps¡¯. The higher the grade, the more mana the magic stone contains; hence, the more uses. That¡¯s why the price is like that. Type-2 is rarer so the price difference is about three times. But just because a magic stone is Type-2 doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it¡¯s more expensive than Type-3. 1st Grade: 96,000 suits up 2nd Grade: 48,000 suits up 3rd Grade: 24,000 suits up 4th Grade: 12,000 suits up 5th Grade: 6,000 suits up 6th Grade: Less than 6,000 suits. Even a Type-3 magic stone can be more expensive than a Type-2 if the quality is high enough. But in this case¡­ ¡°Umm, so that magic stone is of the dark element, so that makes it Type-2 and its quality is of the 1st Grade. Since both element and grade are top notch, it must be really expensive then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. It¡¯s hard to obtain high-quality magic stones, so when something good is sold, all sorts of people, from mages to artisans, will come to try and make the purchase. A magic stone with this level of quality is quite rare, and the price I told you about is actually just the lowest price. If sold to the right place, it could go for two to three times that value.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°I was actually looking for a dark magic stone too since I need to make a new staff, so if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d love to purchase it from you.¡± [Remilie] That price was the lowest possible price!? That¡¯s 100,000 suits rounded up for just one of those, you know! That¡¯s a lot of money! And yet Remilie-san wants to purchase it just like that!? ¡°Umm¡­ Sebasu-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°There¡¯s actually still a ton of magic stones further inside this hole¡­¡± [Ryouma] It would be an understatement to say that he was shocked to find that there were still more of similar quality, so for the meantime, it was decided that I would continue digging out the stones. I took out my earth slimes and dark slimes from my Dimension Home and got them to help. At first, I intended to just get the earth slimes¡¯ help, but the dark slimes wanted to go out too. Apparently, they wanted to absorb the mana here. I let them feed off my mana from time to time too, but apparently, that¡¯s more like a snack to them, and for a proper meal, they¡¯d much prefer to feed from nature. Looks like this place makes for a good feeding ground for them. The earth slimes dug out a hole with their earth magic, while my dark slime gathered the stones, and I transported them. The four adults outside our hole took the bag and used Identify on the stones. After mining about 22 dark magic stones of various sizes, that feeling I¡¯d almost forgotten about returned. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] Drawn by that sensation, I cast an earth spell to dig in that direction, and before long, I saw it. ¡°¡­It¡¯s so big¡­¡± [Ryouma] It was like a black pillar, being about 60cm tall, and it was surrounded by magic stones of varying sizes. It was more beautiful than any stone until now, and it emanated powerful mana. ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] I found myself reaching out for it, but the moment I tried to do so, an indescribably powerful chill enveloped my body. I jumped back so fast that I might have actually been faster than my heart rate rising. Sweat poured out of my body in buckets. What was that just now?¡¡Is that stone dangerous? ¡°Ryouma-chan?¡¡Did something happen? ¡ªYou¡¯re sweating like crazy! What happened!?¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san shone light on my face from above with light magic. ¡°I saw a really big magic stone just now, but I got a bad feeling when I approached it¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma-chan, get out for a bit.¡± [Remilie] The tone behind her voice suggested that she wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer. I left the hole with my slimes as she instructed, but I did so with painful reluctance. I just couldn¡¯t get my mind away from that big black pillar of a magic stone. However, by thinking about that chill earlier, I managed to stop hesitating and was able to successfully crawl out of the hole. Chapter 292.2 - Chapter 292: We Found a Treasure? (2/2) Chapter 292: We Found a Treasure? (2/2) ¡°Dispel.¡± [Remilie] What greeted me as soon as I got out was Remilie-san¡¯s magic. Light born from magic permeated my body and gave rise to a strange feeling. It was exhilarating, as though I¡¯d been freed from something. My head started working better too. Or rather, I think it¡¯s been sluggish until now. ¡°Was I cursed?¡± [Ryouma] From how she used Dispel, and from how I¡¯m feeling so refreshed, I must have been cursed. ¡°From time to time, accidents of that sort can occur in places where you can get dark magic stones. The dark element tends to focus on mental attacks or indirect attacks, so that might be why the mana contained within the stones can influence people. I haven¡¯t mined my own stones in awhile, so I¡¯d completely forgotten.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I was careless too. Thank you for saving me. If it had just been me, it would have probably been too late before I noticed that I was cursed.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no need to thank me. We¡¯re working together, after all. Later, I¡¯ll teach you how to deal with curses too, but for now, rest. I¡¯ll get rid of the curse on that magic stone too.¡± [Remilie] As she said that, she rubbed my head and chanted, ¡®Anti-Curse¡¯, then she entered the hole. ¡°Have some water.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] Sebasu-san handed me a cup of water and a towel, and I wiped my sweat and drank some water. Light spilled out from the hole, and some dozen seconds later, Remilie-san came back. ¡°Remilie, how was it?¡± [Reinbach] Reinbach-sama, who had stayed alert of our surroundings this whole time, asked that, and Remilie-san made a troubled face. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to put it, but anyway, that thing is really amazing. It¡¯s a magic jewel.¡± [Remilie] If I recall correctly, the ruby in the necklace Elia entrusted with me is also a magic jewel. It¡¯s supposed to be super luxurious. While I was thinking that, Remilie-san spoke. ¡°I know you¡¯re tired, but can you get that magic jewel?¡± [Remilie] So I went back into the hole, but she made sure to cast some anti-curse on me before I went. ¡­Now that I look at it again, that thing I thought was a bunch of magic stones was actually a large cluster of black quartz. I¡¯ve once seen a crystal cluster at the waiting room of a business partner in my past life, but nothing this big. There¡¯s no reason I couldn¡¯t have realized that, though. As expected, the curse had affected my judgment. Still, it sure is pretty. I wonder if it would be fashionable to display something like this in my house.¡¡¡­Yeah, I think I might want this thing. Despite no longer feeling that chill from earlier, I can¡¯t find it in myself to want to touch it. So I used Create Block and covered the whole cluster with earth magic. Since it had grown as big as the magic jewel that it enclosed, I got the earth slimes to widen the path, then I used ki to get the whole thing out. ¡°T-This is¡­¡± [Sebasu] ¡°It¡¯s impressive, but I¡¯m not sure how to handle it¡­¡± [Reinbach] ¡°If not for the curse, it would definitely be on the level of a national treasure.¡± [Schieber] After extracting the whole thing out, everyone but Remilie-san and I were speechless. They were barely able to squeeze out their impressions. As expected, this magic jewel was an anomaly, be it in terms of rarity, quality, or size. Even these people, who have long gotten used to luxury, couldn¡¯t tell how much it would go for if sold. As for me, the amount of money being discussed was already too much for me to wrap my head around. It sounds like a lot of trouble if we tried to sell it, so I think I¡¯ll just keep it at home. ¡°Ryouma-chan, if you don¡¯t mind, can you entrust this magic jewel with me?¡± [Remilie] ¡°This thing?¡± [Ryouma] When Remilie-san said that out of nowhere, the first thing that came to mind was to reject her, but then it hit me. Why was I trying to reject her?¡¡I would stand out in a bad way if I sold it anyway, and Remilie-san didn¡¯t say she wanted it for free¡­ I¡¯m not so attached to it that I¡¯d reject her request without even hearing her out, but¡­ It seems I might have wanted it a lot more than I thought. Well, it¡¯s a fairly valuable object, so I guess it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°Dispel.¡± [Remilie] When the contradicting emotions within me reflected on my face, Remilie-san used Dispel on me again, and my head cleared again¡­ The adults made a glum face. ¡°I guess the curse wasn¡¯t undone, after all.¡± {Remilie] ¡°It¡¯s not that I was afflicted with a curse again when I extracted this thing but that you couldn¡¯t lift the curse?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You were already under the protection of my Anti-Curse, and the response I got when I used Dispel on the magic jewel was strange. It¡¯s hard to put into words, but¡­ It felt less like I was able to dispel it and more like the curse allowed itself to be dispelled¡­ I thought I managed to dispel it, but I couldn¡¯t actually be sure. It feels bad, honestly. By the way, it¡¯s also common for the person afflicted with the curse to show an obsession with the cursed object.¡± [Remilie] So her question earlier was her way of probing me. ¡°It¡¯s understandable to want that magic jewel, so I was originally planning on making my decision only after asking a few more questions, but you seem to have noticed that you were acting weird yourself, so it was easy to see that you were still cursed.¡± [Remilie] ¡°In that case, I suppose we¡¯ll have to get a shaman, or an exorcist, or perhaps someone high up in the church to examine him then.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Yes. Unfortunately, this is about as much as I can do. Dispel and Anti-Curse are all I can use when it comes to curses, after all. The former is ¨C as the name suggests ¨C meant for dispelling, while the latter is meant for defending. Fortunately, the curse that¡¯s affecting you doesn¡¯t appear to be the type that immediately causes the deterioration of your health, but¡­ Are you feeling strange anywhere, Ryouma-chan?¡± [Remilie] I pondered on it, but after her explanation about the curse¡¯s obsessive effect, my interest in the magic jewel has mostly dissipated. I was confused earlier, but thanks to her Dispel, that¡¯s been done away with. As of now, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything else strange about me. Am I really still afflicted with the curse? I¡¯m normal enough to wonder that. ¡°In that case, there¡¯s no reason to panic. Curses are less effective when the target has more mana. For the meantime, let¡¯s get out of here.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Yes. Even if we tried, we wouldn¡¯t be able to come up with anything if we racked our heads somewhere as gloomy as this place.¡± [Schieber] ¡°Let¡¯s go back then¡­ Though I must say¡­ Walking all the way back those stairs would be a pain.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Let¡¯s go back with my dimension magic then. The undead have already been dealt with anyway, so it should be safe by now.¡± [Sebasu] Like that, we left the tower, and our quest to search for the herb of Everlasting Darkness at the Town of Departed Spirits came to an end. Though there was an unexpected hiccup at the end, I was without any obvious symptoms, so in the end, I¡¯d say that the trip was both successful and fruitful. Chapter 293.1 - Chapter 293: Studying Curses, Then Departure (1/3) Chapter 293: Studying Curses, Then Departure (1/3) It was dark outside when we left the tower. It wasn¡¯t late by any means, but there were thick clouds draped over the sky. From the humidity in the air and the scent, it seemed as though it could rain at any time. In any case, we went back to the building we stayed at last night and talked about our future course. As a result, we decided to stay another night and return to the city in the morning. We came to that decision after considering the weather, the time, and the seeming lack of urgency of my curse. There were no symptoms anyway, and apparently, we¡¯d spent more time at the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst than we¡¯d thought. We¡¯ve fought so much, and there was a way to get back quickly anyway once the rain stops, so we decided to just take our time and get some much needed rest. I had some time to myself again, but there wasn¡¯t anything in particular that I wanted to do. It was still too early to start preparing supper too, so we just chatted about idly, while Sebasu made tea, and before anyone knew it, we were having a fancy session of tea time. Soon, the rain started to fall, and it gradually became stronger. ¡­It¡¯s raining harder than I expected. It¡¯s a good thing I sent my goblins and slimes back into my Dimension Home. ¡°Ryouma-kun, how are you feeling?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°¡­I¡¯m okay, but I feel like my mana is recovering faster than usual. I¡¯m pretty sure I used quite a bit back at the tower, and yet I feel as though I¡¯ve already recovered about 90% of my mana pool.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That might be due to the abundance of mana in this land. In the first place, mana recovery is something that occurs by taking in the mana that exists in nature ¨C by breathing or by eating. That¡¯s why you can get more mana from the same breath in places rich in mana. That might not be the case if there were still miasma here, but after being cleansed, the rate of mana recovery in this land is sure to increase. Places rich in mana do have some risk to them, as both powerful monsters and undead are more likely to spawn in them, but there are still plenty of mages that use such places for training or research.¡± [Remilie] Being able to recover mana faster certainly would allow one to practice more spells. It might not be a bad idea to make a base geared toward magic training for myself. I¡¯m planning to go to the Great Shurus Forest anyway, so I might as well take that opportunity to see if the idea is possible. ¡°I see, well in any case, if it¡¯s just because of the land, then I¡¯m probably really fine, after all. Because that¡¯s the only thing I can feel that¡¯s different about me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I was once injured during a mission, so I had a curse placed on me to numb my sense of pain. Curses are usually malicious, but depending on the situation, you might be able to use them to your advantage. Maybe the curse you got is something like that.¡± [Schieber] ¡°It¡¯s possible, though I¡¯ve never heard of a curse that increases your mana recovery rate.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Curses are malicious by nature, so if it¡¯s a curse that increases your mana recovery rate, then maybe that¡¯s supposed to harm you somehow. In which case, the only thing that comes to mind is Mana Intoxication, so¡­ Yeah. Maybe it¡¯s trying to get you drunk.¡± [Remilie] If so, then I better use a lot of mana in one go to test that hypothesis. ¡°You better not. The possibility is there, sure, but there¡¯s nothing to prove it, and there¡¯s no reason to go out of your way to do something that might worsen your situation. If you¡¯re fine, then the safest approach is to not use your mana and just maintain your current situation. Also, get a lot of rest.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Indeed. For the meantime, let¡¯s just keep an eye on Ryouma until we can get him a specialist. We¡¯ll take on the guard duty too.¡± [Reinbach] They¡¯re saying that out of consideration for me, so I might as well oblige, but it was then that I realized what the downside of the curse was. ¡°Ryouma-sama? Is something the matter?¡± [Sebasu] ¡°Umm¡­ Since I¡¯m supposed to avoid using mana, I take it that means I¡¯m not allow to train or experiment?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to refrain for now?¡± [Schieber] ¡°I see you¡¯re as zealous as ever.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°!¡¡So that really was the case¡­¡± [Ryouma] I finally got some time on my hands and was somewhere the mana recovery rate was faster and yet I¡¯m not allowed to use magic!? What an insidious curse! ¡°So that¡¯s how it is. Indeed, that might be hard for someone like you who enjoys magic training so much.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°So much so in fact that he suggested that the young lady try playing with magic when she asked for advice.¡± [Sebasu] ¡°You¡¯ve tinkered so much with magic these past few days too. Being so zealous with one¡¯s studies has its problems too, I see.¡± [Schieber] There was a hint of dismay in the gentle smiles worn by the men. It¡¯s true that I¡¯ve done all sort of things, but that is that, and this is this. Because of this little trip of ours, there are all sorts of things that I want to study and a lot of things that I want to try out. When I told them that, Remilie-san started laughing. ¡°If you¡¯re that curious, then you might as well try it. I¡¯m sure using a little bit of mana is fine. And I¡¯m sure constraining you too much is just as bad, but be sure not to train to the point of exhaustion. Stress can stimulate curses, and it¡¯s not good for the body either.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Really? That¡¯s great then!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, but just to be safe, do it only while I¡¯m watching until we can get a specialist to check up on you. As Reinbach-chan says, you have a tendency to lose yourself in your passions.¡± [Remilie] ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± [Ryouma] When she puts it that way, I can¡¯t exactly complain. ¡°It¡¯s good to have something you can be passionate about. Both for the body and the mind. Oh, right. I promised to teach you a spell to resist curses, didn¡¯t I? I¡¯ll teach you after we finish tea.¡± [Remilie] ¡°!¡¡Really? That¡¯s great. This last incident made me realize just how important it was to learn how to deal with curses.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll teach you the light spell, Dispel, and the dark spell, Anti-Curse.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Thank you so much.¡± [Ryouma] We continued to chat over tea after that, then when teatime was over, we started our training at a corner of the building. ¡°First of all, just what is a curse? Let¡¯s have you experience the answer to that yourself. ¡ºIllness ¡»¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san picked up a nearby stone and chanted a spell, then a dark and mysterious mana enveloped the area around the stone. ¡°Try carrying this. Just drop it if it hurts.¡± [Remilie] I did as she told me to, and my body began to get hot. The heat left as soon as I let go of the stone. Chapter 293.2 - Chapter 293: Studying Curses, Then Departure (2/3) Chapter 293: Studying Curses, Then Departure (2/3) ¡°There are many kinds of curses. The curse I placed on that stone is the curse of illness. Those under this curse, or those who possess an object with this curse will feel like they¡¯re sick. The symptoms and their severity depend on the visualization and proficiency of the caster.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I see. It¡¯s certainly easier to understand experiencing it for myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s your first time, so I made sure to pick a weaker curse. We¡¯ll use that to practice Dispel.¡± [Remilie] Practicing Dispel involved covering the target with light-attribute mana and thoroughly permeating it to neutralize the dark-attribute mana that made up the curse. The dark mana in the curse was similar to miasma, transforming from natural and internal mana, so it was crucial to pay attention to that. By doing so, I was successfully able to remove the effect from the mana of the curse. From now on, even if I happen to pick up a cursed dark magic stone, as long as I¡¯m good enough, I¡¯ll be able to handle the influence from the mana stored within. Dispel turned out to be a slightly more difficult spell than the ones I¡¯ve learned so far, however, and it took me a total of about 9 attempts before I got it right. Moreover, I only just barely succeeded while thinking back to the sensation when Remilie-san used Dispel on me at the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst. My Dispel isn¡¯t that good just yet, so I¡¯ll have to practice when I have time. ¡°Just so you know, your spell taking shape by the 9th attempt is plenty fast. The effect will improve with more practice. You don¡¯t strike me as the kind of kid to laze around without a teacher, so¡­ Let¡¯s go ahead and move on to Anti-Curse.¡± [Remilie] This time it was a spell that enveloped the body in a thin layer of dark mana to protect from curses. By relying on Chantless Casting, I was able to get the spell to take shape on the first try, and by the third try, I¡¯d gotten used to it. Personally, I found it a lot easier than Dispel. It suddenly became easier, so unsure I was doing it correctly, I got Remilie-san to test it out. ¡°Yep, you¡¯ve learned it alright. I know it¡¯s possible to become familiar with a spell through Chantless Casting, but I think you¡¯re also better suited toward dark magic than light magic. Even with Chantless Casting, I don¡¯t think you would have learned it in one go otherwise¡­ Anyway, you look like you still have strength to spare, so how about giving casting curses a go too?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Sure.¡± [Ryouma] To solve a problem, one must know the problem. Just being on the receiving end earlier proved plenty valuable, so being on the giving end should deepen my understanding. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s start with that Illness spell I showed you earlier. Though it¡¯s best to avoid using curses, you can cause all sorts of symptoms with them, and if utilized well, they can aid you in catching bandits or combat. First, you need to decide what kind of symptoms you want to induce. Then you need to visualize how those symptoms feel. In case of Illness, you usually refer to the common symptoms when a person is sick, like fever or lethargy. Until now, it¡¯s no different from your usual spells, but now comes the crucial part, which is also different from how the other dark spells work. When you transform your internal mana into dark mana, you have to fill it with negative emotions.¡± [Remilie] ¡°Negative emotions? That¡¯s the same thing that causes the creation of the undead, right? Do curses operate on the same principle?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. That¡¯s why when a person passes away, sometimes their belongings, their home, and even the people they hate can become cursed. If the right conditions are met, even a person that has never received formal training as a mage can cast it. In a sense, curses are one of the simplest kind of spells. They go way back ¨C to a time when even the elemental magic that we use today didn¡¯t exist. They were already there when human history was just beginning. The ¡®most ancient of magic conceived by humanity¡¯, something that was bound to exist given the knowledge and emotions of man.¡± [Remilie] ¡°The most ancient of magic, huh. Such history is certainly fascinating.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you¡¯re interested, try picking up a book on it. There is an overview of most of magic¡¯s history in a book called, Introduction to the History of Magic, that the Magic Guild publishes annually. There are also books that focus on specific eras. But you¡¯re broaching specialist territory if you go down that route, and the Magic Guild is rather unsociable, so there are a lot of books that aren¡¯t available to the public. However, you should be able to purchase them if you go through the duke¡¯s family.¡± [Remilie] That¡¯s a good idea. If they ask me what I want as a reward for the grave slimes, I should ask for books related to magic. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s get back on topic. The only thing that really stands out of casting a basic curse is the conversion of mana. Once you have the symptoms and the mana conversion down, the curse will envelop your target or permeate it like Dispel. Either way, you should use a visualization that¡¯s convenient for you¡­ Oh, but before you try it. there are a few points that you should be wary of.¡± [Remilie] Remilie-san had been smiling until now, but suddenly, her expression tensed. As expected, there¡¯s a risk somewhere. But then again, that¡¯s true for all spells, tools, and technology. Use them wrong, and you¡¯re bound to expose yourself to danger. In any case, I focused my attention so as to no miss anything she said. ¡°First of all, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn curses very quickly. As long as it¡¯s not for malicious purposes, you¡¯re free to practice your curses, use them in combat, and even research them. There are some spells banned by the law, so you can¡¯t use or research those, but everything else is fair game. There¡¯s no wasted effort in studying, after all. However!¡¡Be sure not to become over zealous when studying curses. Curses rely on negative feelings, so practitioners are susceptible to being consumed by those same feelings.¡± [Remilie] Indeed. Even if it¡¯s just training, having to continuously remember angry or unhappy things would exhaust anyone. That¡¯s bound to be depressing and discouraging. ¡°Of course, pushing yourself is bad, but even if you don¡¯t think you¡¯re pushing yourself hard, make sure to rest and focus on cheering yourself up. There are plenty of adult curse practitioners, AKA shamans, who become consumed by their negative feelings and become mentally disturbed. Were you a normal child, I would have kept our lessons to just Anti-Curse, but you¡¯re not. That¡¯s not just because you¡¯re a Child of the Gods, but also because I think you¡¯re mature enough that you can be taught them.¡± [Remilie] True. Curses certainly aren¡¯t something you¡¯d want to teach a child. Remilie-san brought up incidents caused by shamans, spoke about the points to be wary of when using curses, and advised me how to keep myself from straying off the right path. It was only after all of that that we finally got to the real thing. ¡°¡­This counts as a success, right?¡± [Ryouma] A sinister aura could be felt emanating from the practice stone. Not only did I not want to hold it, I didn¡¯t want to touch it, and in fact, I didn¡¯t even want to approach it. Uh, I think it might be a good idea to dispel it ASAP. It¡¯s not as bad as that Magic Jewel, but it doesn¡¯t feel good. ¡°Oh, you succeeded alright, but what kind of illness did you imagine? It might not be capable of causing instant death, but I think this one is more of an immediate threat than the curse that¡¯s affecting you right now.¡± [Remilie] Chapter 294.1 - Chapter 294: The True Identity of the Curse (1/2) Chapter 294: The True Identity of the Curse (1/2) ¡°That was really fast¡­¡± [Ryouma] Though we would rest from time to time too, we spent about half the day flying. The dragon landed us some ways away from the northern side of Gimuru City. It was only when I saw the city gates that it really dawned on me that we were back, showing just how amazingly quick the dragon was. It took me half a month to get to Teressa on foot, yet it didn¡¯t even take us a day to get back. Even taking into consideration how I took on quests so I could rank up while traveling, it still wasn¡¯t a distance I could have covered on my own this quickly. I¡¯ve flown plenty of times in my past life, and it¡¯s quite a surprise to find that there exists a creature that could rival the size and speed of airplanes. No wonder monster beasts are used for the transport of people and goods. In fact, I think flying on dragonback might actually be more comfortable and reassuring than flying on a plane. Not to mention that that magnificent dragon that inspires such awe is currently rubbing its head on Reinbach-sama¡¯s head as though it couldn¡¯t bear to part. I haven¡¯t forgotten that it¡¯s dangerous, but seeing it like this, it¡¯s kind of adorable. ¡°Thank you for your hep. Make sure you get a lot of rest now.¡± [Reinbach] A moment after Reinbach-sama said that, the dragon disappeared on the spot as though it was an illusion of sort. Is that summoning magic? I¡¯ve never heard or seen someone being able to use Monster Taming to summon a familiar. I have seen the madam summon a large wolf in the past, but apparently, summoning magic doesn¡¯t quite allow for the same degree of communication as monster taming does. From how the dragon and Reinbach-sama were acting during the flight and just now, it doesn¡¯t seem like they¡¯re able to understand to that same depth indeed. Perhaps, they¡¯re communicating through another method kind of like how I managed to come up with my Slime Magic. But if so, then how? ¡°Now then, shall we head to the city?¡± [Schieber] ¡°The carriage is ready.¡± [Sebasu] Oh, right. The sun is still up. We could have flown much further up, but we intentionally got off here because we needed to check my curse as fast as possible. If I dawdle around here, there won¡¯t have been any point then. We all entered the carriage that Sebasu-san prepared, then the carriage took off. We should be able to make it to the gates within 10 minutes. ¡°Reinbach-sama, thank you for giving me a ride. If not for you, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to make it back this quickly.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve been in your debt a lot lately, so really, there¡¯s no need to be reserved, Ryouma-kun. More importantly, are you really certain that the Gimuru church is your best option?¡± [Reinbach] ¡°Yes, I could most likely confirm it best there.¡± [Ryouma] There were a lot of things that I had to deal with upon getting back, but first up on my list was of course my curse. Because I need to know if I¡¯m still cursed, and if I am, I need to have it dispelled quickly. They¡¯d suggested a list of people that could be trusted from shamans to exorcists and clergymen, and normally, we would have had to go with one of those, but I suggested a fourth option. ¡°I still can¡¯t believe that you could actually receive an oracle from the gods. Certainly wasn¡¯t expecting to hear that one from you.¡± [Reinbach] ¡°It can be done because he¡¯s a Child of the Gods, but as I¡¯ve said many times, be sure not to let this matter spread, okay? Most especially not to the upper brass of the church, if they find out, it¡¯s bound to become a problem.¡± [Remilie] ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want any of that of course, so I¡¯ll be sure to be careful.¡± [Ryouma] Before long, our carriage made it to the northern gate, and the highest ranking guard present received us. We could see the city from the dragon, so it was only natural that the guards of the northern gate would have also noticed us. But of course, with the family crest on the carriage, Sebasu-san, Reinbach-sama, and even me ¨C as I was already a known face here ¨C the gate check concluded with just a few words. It was curious if there were even any point to him showing up. I felt sorry for him, but that¡¯s just how his job goes, it can¡¯t be helped. We¡¯re headed for the church, so I better make myself as presentable as I can. I cleaned myself with the cleaner slime, then I put away my armor and weapons. There weren¡¯t any rules against bringing weapons, but I¡¯d rather not. ¡°Ryouma-chan, can you lend me that slime?¡± [Remilie] ¡°Sure thing!¡± [Ryouma] And so, we made it to the church. The nun, Bell-san, stood in front of the gate. She was surprised to see the carriage of the duke¡¯s family, and she respectfully bowed to Reinbach-sama and the others. She immediately let us in to the chapel. And as for our excuse, we reasoned that since we managed to safely complete our journey, we wanted to offer our thanks to the gods. Well, it¡¯s not a lie. There were other guests inside the chapel, so we quietly entered the room so as to not bother them. As I sat myself on one of the chairs at the corner, that familiar light enveloped me, and I found my consciousness entering the divine realm. ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] When the light ceased, I was back in that unchanging white space. Gayn, Kufo, and Rurutia were there. There have been other gods recently too, so it was unusual to see only the three of them around. But what was really unusual was that they themselves seemed strange today for some reason. Usually, they would greet me with a gentle smile, but right now, they were looking at me with suspicion and confusion. Above all, there was a heavy and gloomy atmosphere in the space. It might have been because of something I did, but they weren¡¯t saying anything. In fact, it felt like they couldn¡¯t speak even if they wanted to. I didn¡¯t really understand what was going on, so I just steeled myself and spoke. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°To be more precise, something is in the middle of happening.¡± [Kufo] ¡°Ryouma-kun, did you do anything weird? You¡¯re giving off a really strange aura right now.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°Oh, that might actually be related to what I came here for.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s hear you out first.¡± [Gayn] With Gayn¡¯s encouragement, I started talking, and I explained the events that transpired at the Town of Departed Spirits, and as evidence, took out the curious rock lump that contained the magic gem from my Item Box. The moment I did, the expression on them transformed from pondering to grim. ¡°Hand it over now.¡± [Gayn] Gayn said in a heavy and authoritative voice I¡¯d never heard from him before. Though surprised, I obediently handed it over all the same, and the lump of rock began to float on its own and approach Gayn¡¯s hand, then Gayn distanced himself from me and surrounded it with Kufo and Rurutia. ¡°Sorry, but excuse us for a bit.¡± [Rurutia] Rurutia said in a gentle tone. Apparently, they didn¡¯t have the leisure to entertain me right now, so I didn¡¯t ask anything and just kept quiet so as to not get in their way. That was all I could do anyhow. ¡­From how they¡¯re reacting, I guess it really was something bad. Welp, now I¡¯m worried. Chapter 294.2 - Chapter 294: The True Identity of the Curse (2/2) Chapter 294: The True Identity of the Curse (2/2) I watched them for awhile, and before long, the rock covering the magic gem crumbled, revealing the magic gem underneath. But their grim countenance showed no signs of abating, if anything, it only grew worse. Already, they were glaring at it as though they were facing an enemy. They held their hands over the magic gem, and three lights began to envelop it, until eventually, the magic gem turned into a giant ball of light. By this point, the atmosphere about them had softened a lot, as though they had just gotten past some great ordeal. True enough, they spoke among themselves, then Kufo and Rurutia took the ball of light and vanished from the place. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Gayn] Gayn was the only one left now, and he turned to me with a troubled face unlike the grim face he wore earlier. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot of questions you want to ask, and there are things I have to explain, but first of all¡­ Thank you. You did well bringing that thing to us.¡± [Gayn] ¡°If I was of help, nothing could be better. But since you¡¯re going that far, then I take it that really wasn¡¯t just a normal cursed magic gem then?¡± [Ryouma] From their reaction and Gayn¡¯s words just now, it must have been something really problematic, so much so that they actually thanked me just for listening to them. It¡¯s a bit late now, but I can¡¯t help but sweat a bit at the thought that I was carrying something so dangerous with me this whole time. ¡°Yes, it is as you¡¯ve surmised. If I were to describe that thing in one word, it would be, god.¡± [Gayn] ¡­I couldn¡¯t even react to that and just froze speechless. ¡°Sorry, I might have misheard, but¡­¡¡Did you just say ¡®god¡¯?¡± ¡°Yes. And for the record, I¡¯m not referring to paper or hair [1]. I mean god, such as myself.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I hadn¡¯t misheard then¡­ But why would a god turn into a magic gem? Moreover, to be buried in a place like that?¡± [Ryouma] I found myself asking. ¡°It will take some time to explain, but¡­¡± [Gayn] To wrap up Gayn¡¯s explanation, the magic gem I brought to them contained the Demon King that once attacked this world. Gods and Demon Kings were the same kind of being. Demon Kings just referred to gods that broke the rule of the gods and attacked another god¡¯s world or tried to steal a god¡¯s world. They were sometimes also referred to as Evil God. Apparently, it¡¯s not much different from how humans distinguished wrongdoers among themselves with the term: criminal. Now regarding the demon king in question¡­ It was apparently a god that ruled over a distant world with a civilization far more advanced than this world. But its world¡¯s technology overdeveloped, and the people of that world used that technology to wage wars on each other, causing irreversible damage upon the world. Worlds and gods were pairs, and when a god lost the world they managed, they would need a new world or be unable to maintain their existence and vanish. Normally, a god would make a new world by sacrificing a portion of their power, but it was an act tantamount to losing most of their powers. In other words, it was a desperate measure for only when there was no other option. They could still get their power back as the world developed, however, so most gods would just bite the bullet and create a new world. However, very rarely, just like in the case with the demon king, some gods would avoid that method and instead try to steal another god¡¯s world. ¡°Alright, I understand the gist of it, but didn¡¯t you say that the demon king came to this world in the past and no longer existed?¡¡I¡¯m pretty sure you said something like that when I first came to this world.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, there is no demon king anymore. That thing you brought us was just a souvenir left in poor taste. He probably took a portion of his power and will and sealed them away from us before we defeated him. It probably just happened to fall there. Hence, it would be more apt to refer to it as the ¡®fragment¡¯ or ¡®remnant¡¯ of a demon king. If it gathered enough power to revive the demon king, it would of course no longer be able to hide itself, and we would be sure to notice its existence, but¡­ If not for you finding it, and it was allowed to continue gathering mana, it would have likely caused a powerful monster beast to appear some tens of thousands of years later, affecting the environment of this world and harming the balance of mana, so¡­ You really helped us.¡± [Gayn] I can¡¯t exactly relate to a time period of tens of thousands of years, but I can at least understand that it would¡¯ve been bad if I just left it there. ¡°There were people with me when I dug out the magic gem. Will they be fine?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes, there¡¯s no need to worry. I already checked, and the stones they have on them are just magic stones. The mana gathered by the Fragment of the Demon King just happened to solidify, so those stones are fine too. The problem is you.¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡­So something really did happen to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It might have been just a fragment, but in the end, it still contains the power of a demon king, and indeed, you were cursed when you found it, including the other four¡¯s portion as well.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I don¡¯t feel any different, though.¡± [Ryouma] I did get chills when I found the magic gem, and my thoughts did get a little messy, but now, there¡¯s nothing. Maybe the curse was properly dispelled, after all?¡¡Or at least, I feel so normal that I find myself thinking that. ¡°So how do you cure this curse, erm¡­ Divine punishment? I mean, it is technically from a god, so¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fret not. It might be a bit troublesome, but the power of another god can remove it. It was originally something we should have taken care of, so it¡¯s only right that I answer to my responsibilities and undo your curse. But first, why don¡¯t you have a drink and calm down?¡± [Gayn] As Gayn said that, a low table upon which was served tea appeared out of nowhere. I gratefully accepted. I was a bit worried at first, but it seems that Gayn and the others are willing to cooperate. If so, then this problem is as good as solved. ¡°You¡¯re as quick to understand as ever, huh.¡± [Gayn] ¡°I don¡¯t really think there¡¯s anything a human could do against the power of a god, and honestly, it just doesn¡¯t really feel like I¡¯m cursed. It might be different were there some obvious symptoms.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that how it is? Still, you sure are unlucky. Exceptionally so, really. I¡¯d already bolstered your luck to some extent with my divine protection, and yet¡­¡± [Gayn] ¡°Actually, I think I¡¯ve been quite lucky since coming to this world, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Normal humans don¡¯t stumble into hidden Demon King Fragments, I¡¯ll have you know. They also don¡¯t get cursed. Honestly, you couldn¡¯t be unluckier.¡± [Gayn] Gayn firmly shot down my argument, but I just found myself laughing. ¡°Well, I suppose, I¡¯ll be in your care then.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°But of course. For your part, all you need to do is relax.¡± [Gayn] After finishing my cup of tea, Gayn tended to me. I laid down on his examination table, then just as he said, I relaxed, and fog gradually enveloped my thoughts, my consciousness drifting further and further away. [1] ¨C The Japanese word for hair is kami, which is also the word used for paper or god. Chapter 295.1 - Chapter 295: Treatment Plan (1/2) Chapter 295: Treatment Plan (1/2) ¡°You¡¯re awake, I see.¡± [???] Someone is here, but¡­ I don¡¯t recognize her. A little girl? ¡¡I feel like I¡¯ve seen her, yet at the same time, I feel like I haven¡¯t¡­ ¡°More like you woke him up. Though it seems he¡¯s not fully awake just yet.¡± [Gayn] Gayn¡­ Oh, right. I was receiving treatment. How much time has passed? ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± [Gayn] ¡°Yeah¡­ Is it over¡­?¡± [Ryouma] I was still in a daze, but my condition wasn¡¯t by any means bad. I tried getting up and saw that Kufo and Rurutia were here too. Tekun and Fernoberia-sama also came a moment later. ¡°Why¡¯s Tekun here too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Gayn called me to make sure your treatment goes smoothly.¡± [Tekun] ¡°The longer the time you can stay here, the more thorough the treatment, after all.¡± [Fernoberia] Oh, right! My time here was limited! ¡°I see. Thank you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it. Here, have a drink.¡± [Tekun] As Tekun said that, he filled a cup with liquor and handed it to me. There¡¯s always liquor when I meet him. ¡°Drink? Right now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, drink up.¡± [Tekun] I took a mouthful as he told me to, and a heat unlike that of alcohol filled my body. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Medicinal liquor. It has a calming effect on the mind and is also a stimulant. It¡¯s just the perfect medicine for you right now, don¡¯t you think?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Ah, I¡¯m awake now.¡± [Ryouma] He called it medicinal liquor, so it¡¯s still liquor, but I hardly feel anything from the alcohol. Rather than get me drunk, it gives me a refreshed feeling like that of mint, rousing my sleepy mind. It was at this point that I finally noticed it. ¡°Oh, right. Just now, I think I saw a goddess I don¡¯t know¨D¨D¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± [???] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] Before I knew it, there was a goddess in the form of a young girl with golden hair and emerald eyes standing behind me. She was dressed in gothloli-like fashion, and her expression was hard to read. Not to be rude or anything, but she kind of gives me a similar impression as that of Bisque Doll. I wonder if she¡¯s Manoairoa-sama or Meltreze-sama? ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ve heard of you, Takebayashi Ryouma, the current otherworlder.¡± [Meltrize] ¡°¡ªYes.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I am the Goddess of Death and Sleep, Meltrize. It¡¯s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± [Meltrize] ¡°The pleasure is mine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Now then, shall we move on to the explanation?¡± [Meltrize] ¡°Wait a moment. The two of you are meeting for the first time.¡± [Tekun] ¡°You can¡¯t just move the conversation ahead like that without greeting each other properly.¡± [Kufo] ¡°I¡¯ve already heard about him. He can¡¯t stay here for long, so we should prioritize the more important topic.¡± [Meltrize] Meltrize-sama wanted to get into the main topic right away, but Tekun and Kufo stopped her. However, while they spoke at first, they soon fell quiet. They were probably still conversing among themselves, only in a way unique to gods. I couldn¡¯t hear their voices, but from the way Meltrize-sama was behaving, I could more or less tell what kind of personality she has. I had a similar subordinate in my past life who was often thought to be lacking manners because he was always too blunt and curt. I try to mindful of that myself, but I can¡¯t help but sometimes display similar traits. ¡­Whenever I pulled that off with my scary face, my superiors would think I was being impertinent, while my subordinates would cower. Maybe she¡¯s the same. ¡°I don¡¯t care about it as much as you. To be more precise, there is no one I need to care about. But you¡¯re not wrong.¡± [Meltrize] I didn¡¯t say it out loud, but she still heard. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. You haven¡¯t soured my mood. If anything, I think it¡¯s good that you¡¯re quick on the uptake. You can just refer to me as Meltrize. There¡¯s no need to be formal too.¡± [Meltrize] ¡°I¡¯m just glad I didn¡¯t offend you.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°More importantly, let¡¯s move on to the main topic already.¡± [Meltrize] ¡°In that case, let me begin by talking about the curse that¡¯s been cast on Ryouma-kun. The curse has yet to be dispelled.¡± [Gayn] Gayn said with a face that looked as though he¡¯d eaten something bitter. But the situation did not seem dangerous by any means, so I just quietly waited for him to continue. ¡°It¡¯s troublesome, but the fragment of the demon king that was hidden in the magic stone managed to flee into your soul through the curse¡­ Think of it as a parasite. The will contained is so sparse that it might as well not exist. It had merely acted on instinct to avoid being destroyed. We could remove the curse and the fragment right now, but doing so forcefully would put needless burden on your soul. So I didn¡¯t remove everything, but I did do something to suppress the remaining curse. If we apply the same treatment several times regularly, we should be able to safely remove the curse and the fragment. It¡¯s laborious, I know, but you¡¯ll have to drop by regularly. The time could shorten or extend depending on the situation, but¡­ Let¡¯s set your treatment to a once a month for the year, so a total of 12 treatments for now.¡± [Gayn] ¡°So it¡¯s like regularly going to the hospital for treatment then? That¡¯s no problem, and if anything, I¡¯d say it¡¯s more laborious for you. Anyhow, I¡¯ll be in your care.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯ll have any effect on your body for now, but just in case, there¡¯s a few things you should keep in mind until the curse is completely dispelled.¡± [Gayn] The treatment of illnesses, their symptoms, and the medicines prescribed could restrict one¡¯s daily life, so it¡¯s important to follow the doctor¡¯s instructions, but that was only a given. ¡°The curse cast on you is ¨C for convenience¡¯s sake ¨C let us call it the ¡®Curse of Isolation¡¯. It worsens your relationship with other people.¡± [Gayn] ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. This curse stimulates your malice, and things normally found bearable will be unbearable. It is a curse that incites. As a result, your relationship with others will worsen, and you will be isolated from those around you.¡± [Gayn] ¡°¡­Hmm?¡¡Just to confirm, I¡¯ve already been afflicted with that curse, right?¡¡But I went back with Reinbach-sama and the others, and we even got to the church together, yet I didn¡¯t exhibit any such behavior. The dragon did look like it had a bone to pick with me, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve already developed a bond among yourselves. I¡¯ve said it many times before, and I shall say it again, the source of the curse is a ¡®fragment¡¯ of the demon king. Its power has greatly diminished compared to the original. Had it possessed its original strength, it would have been able to unconditionally make you hated by everyone else other than yourself. But of course, were it that strong, there would have been no reason for it to afflict a lone person with such a curse in the first place.¡± [Gayn] Chapter 295.2 - Chapter 295: Treatment Plan (2/2) Chapter 295: Treatment Plan (2/2) ¡°Then can you specify who exactly the curse affects?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Even taking into account the treatment I provided¡ª¡± [Gayn] To summarize the specifics into four points: 1. Only humans are affected. In other words, monster beasts are unaffected, and it won¡¯t affect my familiars either. Reinbach-sama¡¯s dragon just didn¡¯t know who I was, so it looked menacingly at me. It could have also felt the mana of the curse and grew wary of me, but in any case, it wasn¡¯t the curse itself that caused its attitude. 2. Others will come to hold ill will toward me. The main effect of the curse is the increase of negative feelings, so if the person doesn¡¯t hold negative feelings in the first place, it won¡¯t have an effect. It¡¯s the same concept as how zero will always be zero regardless what number it¡¯s multiplied by. 3. The target must not favor me more than they hate me. The curse is less effective the more favorable and trusted I am by someone. That¡¯s why the curse had no effect on Reinbach-sama and the others. 4. I need to come into contact with the person or recognize them. The core of the curse is inside me, so I need to speak to someone, see them, or touch them for the curse to affect them. So communication through indirect methods like through letters or messages won¡¯t allow the curse to take effect. ¡­After hearing all of that, I realized. ¡°This curse actually isn¡¯t that big of a deal, is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Really? I thought it would be problematic for you, actually.¡± [Gayn] It¡¯s true that the curse worsening my interpersonal relationships is worrying. But it can¡¯t worsen my relationship with people that I already get along with, so if I just isolate myself and not meet people, then the curse is pretty much useless. I might have regained my youth, but in my past life, I was a nearly 40 year-old otaku that¡¯s both single and childless. Fortunately, I did have a job, but I had a lot on my resume that would make people look down on me. In fact, people were distrustful of me a lot, and whatever credibility I had could easily be blown away. I have people I can leave the management of the store to, and I¡¯ve also already handed over the authority to accomplish that. It¡¯s about time I headed to the Great Shurus Forest anyway, and it should be fine as long as I keep in touch via letters. My savings are good too, and I should be able to live well even for a year. There¡¯s no need to wear myself out working, body and soul, like I did in my past life. And even if I didn¡¯t have money, I¡¯m confident I¡¯d still be able to live. It really is a weight off my mind not to have to worry about money. That might be why I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that serious of a problem. ¡°There are a lot of things I want to study about and run experiments on, so if I just turn my attention to that, then a year should go by in the blink of an eye.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, the gods all nodded. Meltrize-sama alone just observed me¡­ She was completely void of expression, so maybe she¡¯s just not interested. ¡°You did stay cooped up all alone in a forest for three years with nothing.¡± [Kufo] ¡°That certainly makes him seem a lot more reliable in that regard, but¡­ Well, if you¡¯re not going to worry about it, then I suppose nothing could be better.¡± [Tekun] ¡°It¡¯s a curse left behind by a god more superior to us, though. Moreover, a curse cast after expending all of his remaining strength.¡± [Rurutia] ¡°It was discovered before it could do anything and then it was even brought to us. There¡¯s no way to put it other than that that demon king has no luck.¡± [Fernoberia] The gods said, and I reckon Gayn must have thought along the same lines. As the atmosphere grew softer, the conversation continued. ¡°If you¡¯re going to isolate yourself, then I suggest you spend half the year when you can still be leisurely to prepare for the remaining half. What we¡¯re doing is basically gradually pulling out the fragment from your soul, and while it¡¯s necessary, the further along the treatment we progress, the easier it will be for the curse to surface, and the effects will also be stronger.¡± [Gayn] ¡°So, inversely, that means that the curse right now is at its weakest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Exactly. You only need to cut off communication with others in the last few months. If you really need to appear before others, you can use a spell to weaken the curse. I was planning on telling you that if you looked worried, but you¡¯re not worried at all.¡± [Gayn] We wrapped up the topic of curses there. Gayn turned to Fernoberia-sama, and they instantly changed places. Fernoberia-sama quietly spoke. ¡°I have something to give you, or rather, return to you.¡± [Fernoberia] Just when I was wondering what it was, the magic gem I found floated in mid air. ¡°That thing?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes.¡± [Fernoberia] ¡°What am I to do with the Fragment of the Demon King?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the power of the demon king inside has already been dealt with. It¡¯s just a magic gem right now. You found it, so it¡¯s only right that you keep it. It¡¯s up to you to decide what to do with it. However, I would recommend you not sell it, as it¡¯s bound to cause a commotion. Instead, consider using it to make a staff. In that regard, it is decent material. You can also see it as compensation for all the trouble.¡± [Fernoberia] In that case, I suppose there¡¯s no harm in taking it, so I obediently accepted it and stored it into my Item Box. Then Tekun wrapped his arm around my shoulders. ¡°Come to think of it, Ryouma, you don¡¯t have a staff, do you?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Nope. I was starting to think of getting one, though.¡± [Ryouma] I know how to make a traditional staff now after meeting Remilie-san, so given time I do intend to make one. ¡°Then it¡¯s perfect! You should use that magic gem. As for the body of the staff, didn¡¯t you get an elder treant¡¯s mutated branch?¡± [Tekun] ¡°Now that you mention it, there is indeed something like that. It¡¯s just been collecting dust in my Item Box this whole time, though.¡± [Ryouma] When I said that, Tekun made an obviously unsatisfied face. ¡°What a waste! Materials are meaningful only when they¡¯re used. You know a bit about woodworking, right?¡¡You should use this opportunity to craft something for yourself then. On top of the knowhow, you also need to know how to pick the right material, detect mana, and various other things, but¡­ Right. Since you have to drop by regularly anyway, how about I teach you?¡± [Tekun] ¡°You¡¯d go so far?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s just the basics. The knowledge and techniques for this sort of stuff accumulate through the passing down of knowledge to the younger generation by the older. Watching over that, and from time to time, giving them a push on the back is the task of I, the God of Artisans and Technology. I don¡¯t do much woodwork myself nowadays, but I used to do it quite a bit in the past. So don¡¯t hold back.¡± [Tekun] Tekun said with a laugh while drinking as though nothing could be more normal. I¡¯m sure he really does think that way, but I sure am lucky to have the God of Artisans himself willing to teach me. Nah, you probably can¡¯t describe this as just luck anymore. Anyhow, since he¡¯s offering it, I¡¯ll gratefully accept. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take you up on your offer and ask for your help once I get back from the Great forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah¡­¡± [Tekun] ¡°Huh?¡± [Ryouma] Tekun suddenly stopped laughing. Then as though he remembered something, he turned to the other gods. The other goods too other than Meltrize-sama looked awkward. Did I say something weird? ¡°¡­What a waste of time.¡± [Meltrize] While the other goods looked like they were worrying over what to say, Meltrize said that and appeared before me. Then she said¡ª ¡°Takebayashi Ryouma. I request your cooperation.¡± [Meltrize] An exceedingly simple yet undetailed statement. Chapter 296.1 - Chapter 296: The Request of the Gods (1/2) chapter 296: the request of the gods (1/2) ¡°in other words¡­¡± [kufo] after meltrize-sama¡¯s overly curt words, i asked the gods to explain some more, and it turns out there was a problematic monster at the great forest, right at the center of it, in the very ruins of cormi village, where i¡¯m headed. apparently, the mana of the great forest caused it to grow rapidly not long after it was born, and it came to acquire power that the gods couldn¡¯t ignore. left alone, there was a high chance that that monster beast could affect the balance of the world, so they wanted me to do something about it. normally, there were two solutions in such a scenario. one was to eliminate the creature by calling upon the divine beast that the gods had put in charge to manage and protect the land, and the other was to use their power and directly exterminate the monster. unfortunately, the first option wouldn¡¯t be possible because the monster was in a land without a divnie beast because fernoberia-sama had been looking for a method to manage holy lands without relying on divine beasts. the shurus great forest was considered a holy land since it was one of the pillars of the world that filled it with mana. fernoberia-sama¡¯s experiment had been progressing smoothly, so even among the many scared lands, the great forest was one of the lands that produced the most. using the second method would wipe out the land, and that would be a waste. the power of the gods was apparently too strong, and no matter how much they weakened it, the resulting damage on the surroundings would still end up too great. that power referred to as divine punishment or the judgment of the gods once wiped out a nation in one hit and sank a continent. evidently, it wasn¡¯t a power that could be used lightly, and the gods too did not want to rely on it as much as possible, but regardless, the problem at hand needed to be dealt with. ¡°and since i was headed to the great forest anyway, you figured you might as well get my help?¡± [ryouma] well, i¡¯m going to the great forest anyway, and this is clearly not a matter that should be left alone, so it should be fine for me to accept the task. it¡¯s not really any different from your usual adventurer work anyway, and as far as clients go, what could be more trustworthy than the gods themselves? besides, i do owe them a lot. if they didn¡¯t allow me to be reborn into this world, i couldn¡¯t possibly have this happy life that i have now. even if it was something they did only because it was to their benefit, i¡¯m grateful all the same. if i can be of help to them even a little, then there¡¯s no reason for me to balk at an opportunity to repay the kindness they¡¯ve shown me. that¡¯s why i didn¡¯t hesitate in the slightest to tell them that i agreed. the gods were elated, but at the same time, they seemed worried. ¡°you guys have been worrying a lot for awhile now. is there something even more problematic than the fragment of the demon king?¡± [ryouma] ¡°well, we have our circumstances too, but¡­ we can¡¯t help but feel complicated about pushing our problems onto you, or more precisely, a human. our opinion on this matter is a bit split.¡± [kufo] ¡°we couldn¡¯t make a decision before hearing your take on it, so we decided to broach the topic when you came next. we were afraid, though, that if we asked it would come out more as an order rather than a request and you wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse.¡± [rurutia] i get that they have their circumstances and their individual perspectives, but really, i don¡¯t mind¡­ ¡°to be honest, all i¡¯m concerned about is whether it¡¯s a monster i could defeat or not. i knew it would be dangerous the moment i decided to go to the great forest, so i actually think i¡¯m blessed to be warned about the existence of such a monster beforehand; however, i can¡¯t help but be concerned if i can even defeat it since it is something that even gods such as yourselves consider to be a problem.¡± [ryouma] ¡°¡­i¡¯m against pushing the job onto you, but i do acknowledge that you would most likely win against it. indeed, if we were to entrust this job to someone, then no one could be better for the job than you.¡± [rurutia] ¡°exactly. your compatibility with that monster beast in a fight is really good. we¡¯re not asking you because you¡¯re the only person we could turn to. we¡¯re asking you because we believe that you are likely to win against it after comparing your abilities with that monster¡¯s. if we were to request the assistance of your country¡¯s army or knights, they could send thousands or even tens of thousands, and there¡¯s an almost 100% chance that they would be wiped out.¡± [meltrize] a monster beast against whom thousands and even tens of thousands of soldiers are useless? just what kind of monster beast is that supposed to be? ¡­i¡¯ll need more information about its abilities. ¡°the most problematic ability of the monster is its ability to bind souls. souls that have been bound cannot return to the cycle of reincarnation, and a portion of those souls will become undead. it¡¯s an ability akin to that of necromancy.¡± [meltrize] ¡°it¡¯s less a technique and more an instinct, however¡­ there¡¯s more. that monster beast can draw from the abundant mana generated by the great forest and use it for himself. of course, the portion it can absorb and use is only a small portion of the forest¡¯s production capacity, but it¡¯s still more than enough to provide an almost inexhaustible supply of mana.¡± [kufo] i see, so in other words, the enemy is a necromancer with nearly infinite mana, so if it can bind a lot of souls, it can produce undead en masse. it¡¯ll just remake the undead even if you kill them, so there¡¯s no point. if the knight order and the army were to attack and some of them were to die, then that would only increase the number of enemies to fight¡­ it¡¯s kind of like a zombie flick, i guess. a normal army would probably find itself crushed, but i have my grave slimes. Chapter 296.2 - Chapter 296: The Request of the Gods (2/2) chapter 296: the request of the gods (2/2) ¡°exactly. if you just defeat the undead without undoing the shackles on their soul, they¡¯ll just be turned into undead again, but if you can isolate them without defeating them, then you can stop the monster from reanimating them. and if you manage to defeat the monster beast while those souls have been put away, you can undo the shackles on them.¡± [kufo] ¡°and once the monster has been dealt with, i can just slowly deal with the undead¡­ indeed, when you put it that way, i might be highly compatible with this monster.¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s not just your grave slimes too. the great shurus forest is a nest to powerful monster beasts. if a group of people as numerous as an entire army were to move together, they¡¯ll happen into a monster beast right away and end up in a fight. for a place like that, moving as a small but elite group is much more convenient. in fact, it¡¯s pretty much impossible for an army to march through it. they¡¯ll likely be wiped out before they could even make it to their destination. well, that¡¯s by intention, though, by fernoberia.¡± [tekun] ¡°you¡¯re making me sound bad. i just wanted to create a dangerous and inhospitable environment so that humans and invasive monster beasts won¡¯t be able to desecrate that holy land. it¡¯s a way to protect the holy land without relying on a divine beast.¡± [fernoberia] ¡°that¡¯s the same thing.¡± [tekun] fernoberia, who seemed bothered by the slight difference in nuance, and tekun, who didn¡¯t care at all, stared at each other, but kufo ignored them and just spoke. ¡°anyway, that¡¯s how it is, so we concluded that we would be much more likely to succeed if we were to send you rather than the army. also, there have been many cases when a person who has received a divine revelation would go al ¡®it¡¯s the will of god!¡¯ and start doing reckless things.¡± [kufo] ¡°the tendency for the situation to take that turn increases when a lot of people are involved, and humans that would use ¡®the gods¡¯ as a pretense to do whatever they want would also begin popping out¡­ before you know it, people that refuse to help or can¡¯t help are being treated as sinners, and the people supposed to help us are conquering other nations. we don¡¯t want any of the sort to happen, but if we send a divine revelation, stuff like that are bound to happen, so it¡¯s a lot safer to ask someone like you, ryouma-kun, who¡¯ll carry out our task without going over the top.¡± [rurutia] ¡°in the first place, we never asked humans to worship us. of course, we don¡¯t want them to mock us or treat us portly, and it¡¯s also a bit too late to change our image, so we do maintain an attitude befitting that of gods when sending out a divine revelation.¡± [gayn] so even gods have their constraints, huh¡­ ¡°anyway, i¡¯ll accept your request.¡± [ryouma] ¡°are you sure?¡± [meltrize] ¡°?¡± [ryouma] meltrize-sama asked with the same expressionless face, but somehow it felt like she was asking if i wasn¡¯t going to reject them. i¡¯m pretty sure it would be more convenient for them for me to accept though. ¡°it¡¯s certainly convenient for us, but it¡¯s more dangerous for you. you could also choose to abandon your plans of going to the great forest, and we wouldn¡¯t blame you for doing so.¡± [meltrize] is she worried about me? ¡°i¡¯m not accepting the job because i¡¯m scared of rejecting a request from the gods. i¡¯m sure you¡¯d accept it if i said no, but i have no intentions of rejecting your request. i¡¯m deeply indebted to you for allowing me to transmigrate to this world, so i would be glad to be of help if even a little.¡± [ryouma] ¡°¡­thank you¡± [meltrize] ¡°!!¡± [ryouma] as soon as she said that, darkness poured out of her body and covered everything from my neck below. it didn¡¯t feel bad, but it covered me so suddenly that i couldn¡¯t help but become alert. it was then that kufo came to my side and called out. ¡°don¡¯t worry, ryouma-kun! she¡¯s just giving you her divine protection! it won¡¯t harm you!¡± [kufo] ¡°o-oh, a divine protection¡­¡± [ryouma] i¡¯ve never received a divine protection in this way, though¡­ or rather, i¡¯ve always just suddenly noticed that i¡¯d received one, so i¡¯ve never actually known how i got them. ¡°i¡¯m grateful, but why all of the sudden?¡± [ryouma] ¡°humans give an advance payment when making a request. as the goddess of sleep and death, my divine protection will offer some resistance to dark magic, curses, and miasma. it will also aid you in suppressing the curse of the demon king and will be of no consequence when fighting against the monster beast. consider it an advance. you¡¯ll receive another payment should you succeed.¡± [meltrize] well, i¡¯m really grateful. not only did she make it easier for me to do my job, she even helped suppress my curse. i actually don¡¯t mind for this to be my full payment. isn¡¯t she being a bit too generous, though, giving a divine protection in exchange for one job? ¡°it¡¯s not that strong. it can at most offer you some peace of mind. don¡¯t let your guard down just because you have it.¡± [meltrize] ¡°humans might be grateful for our divine protections, but they¡¯re no big deal to us, so don¡¯t be reserved and just accept them. i¡¯ll provide the next payment should you succeed. after all, the holy land where the problem is occurring is under my supervision. i¡¯ll hear out any requests you might have.¡± [fernoberia] ¡°requests, huh¡­ well, there¡¯s nothing on mind right now, so i¡¯ll just leave it to you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°there¡¯s no need to answer immediately, but alright. i¡¯ll pick a payment on my own discretion then. anyway, does this conclude the important talk?¡± [fernoberia] ¡°i suppose. however, we still have time left, so let¡¯s talk some more about the curse and about that monster beast.¡± [gayn] the gods and i spoke until i ran out of time and it was time for me to leave the divine realm¡­ when the light finally enveloped me, the atmosphere about the gods was a lot gentler than when i came. if accepting their request put them that much at ease, then i¡¯m glad i accepted it. Chapter 297.1 - Chapter 297: To Tomorrow (1/3) chapter 297: to tomorrow (1/3) as i was roused awake, i looked beside me and noticed that reinbach-sama and the others were praying. they turned to me. i¡¯d told them beforehand that i would be receiving a divine revelation here, so my looking at them must have been enough to tip them off that i was done. we took care not to act unnatural and left only after they¡¯d finished their prayers, then we briskly got back on the carriage and headed for my laundromat. i told them about the curse along the way. however, i omitted the part about the demon king since i didn¡¯t want to make them worry for no reason. ¡°how wonderful! to think that the gods themselves would undo your curse.¡± [sebasu] ¡°i¡¯d find it hard to believe if i didn¡¯t know beforehand that you¡¯re a child of the gods. is it because you¡¯re a child of the gods? or are the children of the gods precisely called as such because they are loved by the gods to that extent?¡± [schieber] ¡°either way, it¡¯s reassuring to know that your curse can be dispelled. though it will still take some time, it sounds like it¡¯ll be taken care of in the end.¡± [remilie] ¡°yes. there¡¯s no need to worry.¡± [ryouma] for the meantime, i¡¯ll head to the store and give a brief explanation to carm-san. i¡¯ll be dropping by on short notice, and it¡¯ll be best for me not to meet anyone i¡¯m not familiar with, so i¡¯ll be going home as soon as i finish explaining my situation to him. even if you cover up something that stinks, there¡¯ll still be some lingering stench. in the same way, there¡¯s still a faint residue of my previous state before gayn and the others treated me. ¡°if that¡¯s what the gods said, then that¡¯s what you should do. but can you really say you¡¯ll be fine entering the store? it¡¯s a lot livelier than before, and there are a lot of new employees too, right?¡± [reinbach] ¡°well, that¡¯s true¡­ the staff who have been working since the opening of the first store should be fine, but there are quite a few new employees who joined this year.¡± [ryouma] we used to hire part-timers to help us get through the busy periods, but recently, we¡¯ve been focusing on developing talents for the long term, and that has led to an increase in staff. ever since i¡¯ve delegated my role to carm-san, i haven¡¯t had to show my face at the store much. of course, we¡¯ve taken care to do background checks and conducted interviews when hiring, so the new staff were certainly trustworthy, but my relationship with them was definitely weaker compared to the staff that have been with us since i first started the business. ¡°there are the customers too.¡± [sebasu] ¡°now that i think about it, this is also the busiest time of the day. if a line has formed outside, then i¡¯ll probably be seen by a lot of people when i get off.¡± [ryouma] ¡°we got on the carriage hastily since this wasn¡¯t a topic we could broach while in church, but¡­ perhaps it would be better if we changed our plan of going to the store?¡± [schieber] ¡°no, i need to tell them that i¡¯m safe, and if i¡¯m going to explain about the curse, then i need to show myself in good health to reassure them¡­ how about i use hide?¡± [ryouma] ¡°your curse activates when other people notice you, right?¡¡but that¡¯s a spell that hides your presence, so people can still see you, and it¡¯s not very effective in the first place.¡± [remilie] ¡°¡­there¡¯s no need to think about it so hard, is there? i mean there¡¯s no real need to use a spell if you just need to sneak in. you could also consider another approach ¨C not giving a negative impression to those around you.¡± [schieber] like that we all discussed how i could get into the laundromat safely, and before long, we made it to the lot of my store. ¡°h-hey, look. that carriage.¡± [onlooker 1] ¡°that crest¡­ that¡¯s the duke¡¯s! why would the duke come to a store like this?¡± [onlooker 2] ¡°oh?¡¡are you new around here?¡¡this store is famous for catering to the duke. apparently, the shop manager is close with his grace.¡± [onlooker 3] as expected, the shop was crowded, and the long line extended all the way to the empty lot in front. the surprised voices of the customers waiting in line could be heard from outside. ¡°alright, i¡¯m going.¡± [schieber] ¡°please take care of it.¡± [ryouma] ¡°excuse me! could you let us through please?¡± [schieber] schieber-san moved, and the very moment the carriage moved, i heard a familiar male voice from outside. ¡°mu?¡± [yurdum] ¡°!?¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh! just when i was thinking i¡¯d seen a familiar face, aren¡¯t you verdure¡¯s son?¡± [schieber] ¡°yes, my lord! former knight candidate, yurdum verdure, at your service!¡± [yurdum] huh, turns out they knew each other. schieber-san, the former knight commander, and yurdum-san, who once aspired to become a knight. given their backgrounds, i suppose it¡¯s not so surprising that they know each other. yurdum-san is also showing signs of his past training, what with him standing upright with his right fist against his chest, but his expression is somewhat stiff and tense. perhaps he feels awkward because he abandoned the path of becoming a knight. ¡°lord gardak, i¡ª¡± [yurdum] ¡°enough. i am no longer the knight commander, and you have also chosen a different path from knighthood, so stand tall with pride and just carry out your duties well. please lead the way.¡± [schieber] ¡°¡ªmy apologies! in that case, right this way please.¡± [yurdum] schieber-san seems to have perceived his mental state too, and he spoke in concern for him. yurdum-san looked at me. ¡°shall i carry your luggage for you?¡± [yurdum] ¡°oh, this?¡± [schieber] ¡°yurdum-san, can you hear me?¡¡it¡¯s me, ryouma.¡± [ryouma] ¡°boss?¡± [yurdum] when i called out to him, yurdum-san, who had been tense this whole time, became wide-eyed, but he couldn¡¯t be faulted for that. though it might have been to suppress the curse, anyone would be shocked to see an acquaintance leave, human, and come back, a box. moreover, it was someone with high standing, the former knight commander, himself who was carrying said box. considering how yurdum-san once aspired to become a knight, the shock he felt must have been even greater. Chapter 297.2 - Chapter 297: To Tomorrow (2/3) chapter 297: to tomorrow (2/3) ¡°i got a bit of a curse problem during my trip, but don¡¯t worry, i¡¯m fine. i¡¯d just like to avoid showing myself in front of others, so bring us to the reception¡­ no, bring everyone to the basement. there are a lot of people, so i think we¡¯ll be able to talk best there.¡± [ryouma] ¡°understood.¡± [yurdum] i¡¯m sure he had a lot of questions in mind, but he nonetheless led us to that special room in the basement. moreover, he¡¯d apparently contacted the receptionist before coming out to greet us, so carm-san was able to join us along the way. as such, i was able to explain my situation to the both of them. ¡°¡­i understand. so as long as you take care today, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems regarding your curse, right?¡± [carm] ¡°due to the nature of the magic i cast, yes.¡± [remilie] i told carm-san and the others that remilie-san was the one dealing with my curse. though i do trust them, telling them straight up that it was the gods themselves dispelling my curse would require me to explain that i was a child of the gods. putting aside whether they¡¯d believe me or not, it would be best for there to be as few people as possible that know that i¡¯m a child of the gods. the adults agreed with me on that too, so that¡¯s the excuse we came up with. i¡¯m grateful to remilie-san too for coordinating with me on this. ¡°i see that it¡¯s not an easy curse to dispel, but regardless, i¡¯m glad that it won¡¯t interfere with your work or life. it¡¯s a bit late, but i¡¯m glad your safe. welcome back, boss.¡± [carm] carm-san was quite worried about me and asked remilie-san all sorts of question, but with that, he seemed to have finally become relieved, as his grim expression finally loosened. ¡°yep. i¡¯m back. i messed up a bit at the end, but i successfully became a c rank adventurer. it was a fruitful journey no doubt. i¡¯m considering going into it in more detail later. how about tomorrow?¡± [ryouma] ¡°there are a few things i¡¯d like to check too, so there¡¯s no need to hurry. please focus on taking care of yourself first, boss. to be honest, i¡¯d prefer that you delay your trip to the great forest, but¡­ i¡¯m sure you won¡¯t.¡± [carm] as expected, he knows how i do things now. ¡°it¡¯s been decided a long time ago, and i¡¯ve already delayed it plenty of times. i don¡¯t have to worry about the store since i know you and the rest of the team will be here to take care of it.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i won¡¯t stop you, but when are you planning to leave?¡± [carm] ¡°right¡­ to make sure that i¡¯m fully prepared, i¡¯ll rest my body for a bit, then i¡¯m going to prepare the food and equipment i need. i have to concoct an insect repellent out of the everlasting darkness too, and there are people that i have to meet, so¡­ one week, at the latest, two weeks.¡± [ryouma] ¡°very well. i¡¯ll prepare according to that schedule.¡± [carm] ¡°thanks. i¡¯m counting on you.¡± [ryouma] with that, the report on my well-being concluded. i went back into my box, and we headed for the northern gate. along the way, the conversation turned to my store again. ¡°i¡¯d heard about it, but your store really is doing a lot better than before, huh.¡± [reinbach] ¡°the last time you saw my store was when it just opened, after all. we have a lot more achievements now compared to back then.¡± [ryouma] it was already bustling back then even though the shop had just opened, but we didn¡¯t have any regular customers, and a lot of the customers just dropped by out of curiosity. but now, some of those customers have already become regulars, spreading good word about our store. ¡°i¡¯m really grateful to them.¡± [ryouma] ¡°the atmosphere in the store is good too. the manager seemed young, but there¡¯s no denying that he¡¯s brilliant.¡± [remilie] ¡°indeed. carm-san was personally introduced by the president of the morgan company. when it comes to business knowledge, experience, and management skills, there¡¯s no doubt that he¡¯s my superior, and i feel confident entrusting the shop to him. of course, the other employees have also been a great help.¡± [ryouma] ¡°verdure¡¯s son was also brilliant. he¡¯s sure to prove useful once he¡¯s accustomed himself.¡± [schieber] come to think of it, schieber-san seems to have known about yurdum-san already. i never had the chance to ask him about it, but¡­ ¡°me and verdure?¡± [schieber] ¡°did you know him because he was taking the knight¡¯s course back at the academy?¡± [ryouma] ¡°the students of the knight course are almost guaranteed to enter the training facilities of the knight¡¯s order after graduation. so we conduct inspections and interviews in anticipation of future recruits. i¡¯ve seen him a couple times during such occasions, though it¡¯s actually rare for me to remember the faces of the candidate before they officially join the order, as many of them drop out during the selection process. and there¡¯s really just too many. as for why i remember him, one reason is because i knew his father.¡± [schieber] yurdum-san¡¯s father. i¡¯d heard he worked as the imperial court gardener, so they might have had a lot of opportunity to talk, but¡­ ¡°i remember now. that kid is the son of the court gardener, right? the one that manged the gardens where his majesty used to hide in when playing hooky?¡± [remilie] ¡°hooky?¡± [ryouma] ¡°that¡¯s right. that child has calmed down considerably now, but back in the day, he was quite mischievous and exceptionally skilled at hiding. he would escape from teachers and knights, hiding in the garden or sneaking into the town, and every time, the castle would be turned upside down from the commotion.¡± ¡°ehh?¡± [ryouma] is that really okay for someone that¡¯s royalty?¡¡or maybe the king is actually really amazing? i mean he¡¯d apparently shaken knights off of his tail. then again maybe the knights are just bad at hide and seek? i mean, he might just be really good at it, and the knights normal, no? ¡°¡­now i hate to intrude while your reminiscing, but remilie, the one at fault for that was you. of course, i have my responsibility too. but had you not taught his majesty hide, it would have never gotten that bad.¡± [schieber] ah, remilie-san taught him. it¡¯s all making sense now. ¡°i didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be that good at it either. all i did was fulfill my role as his teacher. hide could prove useful in certain situations, and it was also one of the spells that wouldn¡¯t have a negative influence on his mind and body, so really, i was just doing my job properly. don¡¯t complain.¡± [remilie] ¡°i know, but i want to complain¡­ anyway, that was the impetus that led to verdure and i meeting. of course, there was also him not entering the knight¡¯s order. as i¡¯ve previously said, those that graduate from the knight¡¯s course enter the knight¡¯s order. while there are cases where people withdraw due to illness or injury, it¡¯s rare for someone to decline the opportunity unless they have such circumstances.¡± [schieber] ¡°after all, it guarantees their future, so i guess most people would balk at the thought of abandoning it, huh.¡± [ryouma] ¡°exactly. that boy can go wherever he wants, but i would¡¯ve wanted him in the order¡­¡± [schieber] oh? looks like schieber-san thinks highly of yurdum-san. Chapter 297.3 - Chapter 297: To Tomorrow (3/3) chapter 297: to tomorrow (3/3) ¡°yurdum-san said that he didn¡¯t have a good reputation, though?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes, he was known for being a womanizer, a frivolous young man that didn¡¯t take his education seriously. his classmates disapproved of him often. but his teacher at the time, a junior of mine who retired due to an injury, praised him as someone who ¡®paid attention to those around him.¡¯¡± [schieber] according to schieber-san, the knight¡¯s course may have been full of brilliant noble children, but at the end of the day, they were all still children. they underwent rigorous training every day, always striving for good grades, and if their grades fell below a certain level, they would be expelled. with all the pressure on them from others¡¯ expectations and the weight of their family¡¯s hopes, it was all too easy for them to tunnel-vision, and many of them ended up lacking emotional flexibility. ¡°humans need to rest from time to time. too much is bad, of course, but in his case, rather than the women, it was usually the overly serious peers that he frequently invited to have fun. however, not many of them accepted his invitations. they were just too preoccupied with their training and tasks, so instead they harshly criticized him. those that were struggling probably couldn¡¯t even consider that he might have been genuinely concerned for them. of course, having the leisure to enjoy oneself was by no means evidence of being unserious with one¡¯s studies, yet it seems they couldn¡¯t understand that.¡± [schieber] ¡°people that are tunnel-visioning won¡¯t rest even if you tell them to~¡± [remilie] not sure if she¡¯d intended to, but remilie-san said that without a care, and those words found their way stabbing straight into my heart like a cluster of needles. ¡°so that¡¯s his story, huh.¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes. he¡¯s certainly had his share of affairs with women, but¡­ i¡¯ve never heard of him having any insincere relationships or causing any problems of the sort. in the first place, the knight¡¯s course was a place to train the mind and body of children so that they might be able to endure the training of the knight order. in other words, it¡¯s a place to build foundation. it¡¯s just one step toward becoming a knight, and the students were merely knight candidates. hence, the focus was on their basic abilities and loyalty toward the country rather than fostering a noble spirit. many believe that graduating from the knight¡¯s course guaranteed a secure future, and in fact, many students and parents shared that belief, but the truth was that even after graduating, they need to spend at least two years in the order as knight trainees, where they would spend their days undergoing rigorous training to correct any issue that might have arisen during their time at the academy. should they fail to endure that, they will fail to become squires and drop out. moreover, to become a proper knight, they still need to accumulate sufficient practical experience as squire and be recommended by several knights, including their direct superior. from what i¡¯ve heard, many of the knights didn¡¯t actually take their training at the academy seriously and just enjoyed themselves instead, saying that it¡¯s better that way.¡± [schieber] ¡°good will can backfire too. actions that stem from kindness won¡¯t necessarily be understood¡­ human relationships are quite complicated, aren¡¯t they?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes¡­ in the end, he found a new path and went on a journey. though it was partly because of his friction with those around him, it was also because of his broad perspective that he didn¡¯t obsess about becoming a knight. in any case, it¡¯s good to see that he¡¯s doing well.¡± [schieber] ¡°in that regard, there¡¯s no need to worry at all. he¡¯s working at my place, so he gets plenty of food and rest. he also trains everyday with me or the other security personnel.¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh? in that case, i better test his skills the next time we meet. maybe i should train him when i have the time? i¡¯m moving here anyway, so i¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be plenty of opportunities.¡± [schieber] huh? moving? to gimuru? ¡°oh? did we not tell you?¡¡schieber and i were thinking of moving here from the imperial capital.¡± [remilie] ¡°first i¡¯ve heard of it.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i think it¡¯s because we made up our mind while you were sleeping. remember how you were sound asleep on the night after we got the everlasting darkness?¡± [reinbach] oh, i see, it was because they took over night duty that time, while i had a good rest that i¡¯m in the dark about it. ¡°remilie and i are both retired already, and we¡¯re too popular in the capital to walk in peace. we¡¯ve decided to work as adventurers from here on too, so we figured it would be best to move somewhere else.¡± [schieber] ¡°we¡¯re bound to cause a commotion wherever we go, but there are less people here than the capital, so it should be much better here. besides, i¡¯m concerned how your curse will turn out too. it¡¯ll be easier to match our stories if i¡¯m around, right?¡± [remilie] that¡¯s true. having someone with the title of former royal court mage like remilie-san adds just that much more credibility to our story. ¡°i¡¯m grateful, but are you sure?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s fine. don¡¯t hold back. besides, it¡¯s just one year until your curse is dispelled. that¡¯s no more than an instant to a dark elf¡¯s lifespan. above all, i am technically your master in magic. helping my disciple is the least i should do.¡± [remilie] ¡°¡­thank you so much!¡± [ryouma] that was all i could say as i bowed my head. isn¡¯t there something i could do to thank them? ¡°our interest just happened to coincide, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± [schieber] ¡°the gods will be the ones to dispel your curse too, so there¡¯s no need for you to go out of your way to thank me. besides, as someone who traveled with and as your senior, i do feel some responsibility for allowing you to get cursed, so you really don¡¯t have to thank me¡­ but come to think of it, ryouma-chan, you still refuse to call me master even though we agreed to it already, huh.¡± [remilie] ¡°oh, i¡¯d forgotten.¡± [ryouma] ¡°you could also call me ¡®onee-chan¡¯, you know? come on! give it a try!¡± [remilie] ah, this might be it¡­ the thought of calling her onee-chan gets really embarrassing when she puts it like that. it¡¯s embarrassing no matter how many times she asks. however, i was just talking about thanking her a moment ago, though, so it¡¯s a bit hard to refuse¡­ ¡°can we at least make it ¡®nee-san¡¯?¡± [ryouma] ¡°hmm~, you are at that age already, i suppose it won¡¯t do to force you, huh. alright.¡± [remilie] it was in that way that i started calling remilie-san remilie-nee-san, but immediately after¡­ ¡°wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just call her master?¡± [reinbach] ¡°ah, he¡¯s been had.¡± [schieber] reinbach-sama and schieber-san¡¯s mutterings made me realize that i¡¯d lost in the negotiations, but alas, the bell has been rung, there was no turning back. and the entire time until we got to the north gate, remilie-nee-san messed around with me while looking at me with eyes akin to that of a child that had found a new toy. Chapter 298.1 - Chapter 298: Preparations and Interactions Before Departure (1/2) chapter 298: preparations and interactions before departure (1/2) the next day. now i don¡¯t hate camping, but you know, there¡¯s just no beating the comfort of your own home. after getting a good night¡¯s rest, it¡¯s time for me to thoroughly prepare for my trip to the great forest. of courses, there are bases in the great forest that other adventurers have built for the purpose of gathering resources, but that¡¯s no reason to neglect my own preparations. so, first thing¡¯s first, i¡¯ll have to drop by the digger arms shop to get my armor repaired. it was damaged during the spar with schieber-san, so i better get on that. ¡°excuse me.¡± [ryouma] there was no one tending to the counter when i got there, so i called out, and the shopkeeper, darson-san, emerged after a short wait. ¡°looks like you got back in one piece.¡± [darson] ¡°yes, fortunately.¡± [ryouma] ¡°how did the prototypes do? were there any problems?¡± [darson] ¡°they were great. i¡¯m here to ask you to repair my armor.¡± [ryouma] ¡°repair? did something happen?¡± [darson] darson-san asked when he heard me mention repairs. ¡°i sparred with someone i met along the way.¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh, a spar.¡± [darson] ¡°yes. this last trip showed me just how inexperienced i still am.¡± [ryouma] ¡°as usual, you don¡¯t talk like a child at all. alright, let me see that armor of yours.¡± [darson] i opened my item box and took out my armor, then darson-son examined it curiously. ¡°oh? your opponent was pretty good, huh. your opponent used a spear of some sort, or maybe something similar. i see he used magic too. most likely the wind.¡± [darson] ¡°you can tell that much?¡± [ryouma] ¡°once you¡¯ve been in this business for as long as i have, you¡¯ll more or less be able to figure out stuff like this. still, he got you good¡­ there aren¡¯t many people who can pierce through the hide of a hard lizard this cleanly. the abdominal part has been cut open too. did you fight someone famous?¡± [darson] ¡°yes. schieber gardak¡ª¡± [ryouma] before i could even clarify that that was the former knight commander, darson-san turned to me with a jolt. ¡°the former knight-commander!?¡¡what are you doing fighting with a bigwig like that!?¡± [darson] ¡°we happened to be going to the same place, so it just ended up like that.¡± [ryouma] ¡°ha¡­ well, no wonder then. you fought the former knight commander, after all. come to think of it, i heard that the previous head of the ducal family and the knight commander dropped by your store. is that true?¡± [darson] ¡°yes. we happened to meet at my destination, so they gave me a ride back on the dragon. they went to the duke¡¯s home yesterday, but they definitely dropped by my store as well.¡± [ryouma] now seems to be a good time, so i better explain to him the events that happened during that last trip. ¡°haa~, what a strange series of events, but i see that you¡¯re working as an adventurer properly. getting cursed sucks, but i¡¯ve been plenty reckless myself back in the day, so i can¡¯t really scold you, now can i?¡± [darson] ¡°i agree that i got lucky this time around. once things have calmed down a bit, i¡¯m gonna go practice dealing with curses.¡± [ryouma] ¡°that¡¯s probably for the best. be sure to talk to me if anything happens, though. i don¡¯t know anything about lifting curses, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be affecting me right now, so i¡¯ll lend you an ear if you need it.¡± [darson] ¡°thank you very much. in fact, there is one thing. i¡¯d like for you to continue facilitating the communication with the craftsmen involved in the development of new equipment. i¡¯ll be leaving town more frequently, and there¡¯s the nature of my curse too, so if you could do that, it would be a huge help.¡± [ryouma] ¡°in that case, just leave it to me.¡± [darson] ¡°i¡¯ll leave it in your hands then. oh, by the way, the former knight commander and royal court magician that i mentioned earlier will be dropping by here, so please give them the prototypes. as for the expense¨D¨D¡± [ryouma] ¡°wait just one second.¡± [darson] darson was shocked, and he looked at me with bloodshot eyes. ¡°d-did you just say that lord gardak is coming? here? to my store?¡± [darson] ¡°as i mentioned in my story earlier, we were moving together, and i happened to tell them about those equipment. i¡¯d hoped to get their assistance for testing and promotional purposes in case a proper product is released, but i guess it was a bad idea, after all?¡± [ryouma] ¡°of course¡­ not!¡¡how could it possibly be a bad idea!?¡± [darson] woah, he¡¯s really pushing for it. well, it¡¯s good that there¡¯s no problem, but¡­ why is he so intense? ¡°darson-san, by any chance, are you a fan of schieber-san¡¯s?¡± [ryouma] ¡°of course¡­ i am! in fact, almost all the men of my generation are admirers of lord gardak. back in our youth, lord gardak wasn¡¯t the knight commander yet, but he was already traveling all over the country, establishing all sorts of tales of valor. i even met him once when he was still active and i¡¯d just become s rank, but i was a nervous wreck, and there was the ceremony too, so i wasn¡¯t able to talk to him properly.¡± [darson] oh my, looks like this is quite the serious fan we¡¯ve got here. well, it¡¯s good that there aren¡¯t any problems. ¡°i guess we should¡¯ve dropped by yesterday then.¡± [ryouma] ¡°nah, if he came out of nowhere, it would have just been a repeat of the past. i appreciate the heads-up.¡± [darson] ¡°i see. in that case, good luck.¡± [ryouma] ¡°¡­yeah. it would add prestige to my store too if the knight commander were to become our patron. so i¡¯m gonna give it my all to make sure lord gardak is fully satisfied!¡± [darson] darson-san pounded his chest and made a hearty smile, then as though he remembered something, he suddenly said. ¡°oh, right. the armor craftsmen have a request. it¡¯s about the fabric used for the blade-resistant inner vest and cloth armor. they want to go beyond researching just the slime threads and research the weaving techniques too.¡± [darson] ¡°so they don¡¯t want to just study the material, huh. i like their spirit. i¡¯m willing to invest, but i¡¯m not going to open my wallet without a proper plan.¡± [ryouma] ¡°they haven¡¯t reached that stage just yet, but they want to research a weaving method from the north known as ¡®stris weaving¡¯. if possible, they¡¯d like to get some craftsmen that know about it.¡± [darson] according to darson-san, the textile produced by that weaving technique is thick, soft, and durable so as to be able to withstand the harsh winters of the north. its rich colors once made it highly valued by the northern nobles, and it was used to tailor flags and military uniforms. however, that particular weaving technique was complicated and took much time and effort to produce textile. compounded by the lack of successors, very few craftsmen are able to use that technique today. ¡°so, in other words, it¡¯s one step away from becoming lost technology. that¡¯s a point for concern then, as the northern nobles might want to monopolize the craftsmen learned in it. there could be unforeseen consequences if we try to recruit them recklessly. i¡¯ll check with the duke first, so let¡¯s put that on hold for now.¡± [ryouma] ¡°alright, i¡¯ll tell them that. it will take a long time anyway even if they were willing to share their knowledge. our craftsmen don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be able to produce results right away either. they just want it for reference at least. it¡¯s a craftsman¡¯s nature to be curious about other methods.¡± [darson] ¡°that¡¯s true. i also become curious whenever there¡¯s knowledge pertaining to slimes and magic, so i can relate.¡± [ryouma] ¡°wait a sec, we were in the middle of talking about your equipment, weren¡¯t we? let¡¯s get back to that. what should i do with this?¡¡i can repair it, but honestly, you¡¯re better off just replacing it. it¡¯ll be cheaper too. if there¡¯s nothing wrong with the prototype, then we can take that approach too. in which case, you can just leave the disposal to me.¡± [darson] ¡°please repair it. it might have only been a year, but i¡¯ve used it for quite a while and have grown attached to it some. even if i decide not to use it, i at least want it to look nice.¡± [ryouma] ¡°let¡¯s do that then.¡± [darson] ¡°how much will that be?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯ll cost you 4 small gold coins.¡± [darson] ¡°i¡¯ll leave it to you then.¡± [ryouma] i paid with a pouch of gold from my item box. ¡°thank you for your business. you can come back three days later to get it.¡± [darson] ¡°alright. thank you again.¡± [ryouma] now then, onto the next store. Chapter 298.2 - Chapter 298: Preparations and Interactions Before Departure (2/2) chapter 298: preparations and interactions before departure (2/2) the store was packed as usual, and some customers could even be seen giving up and going home. i greeted the customers and went around to the back of the store. carm-san was already there waiting for me. ¡°did you wait long?¡± [ryouma] ¡°no, you¡¯re right on time. i was considering going out to greet you because of your curse.¡± [carm] ¡°i see, sorry to worry you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°shall we go?¡± [carm] i went to the office with carm-san, and he briefed me on the things that had transpired in my absence. no big problems came up in his report, and even the smaller ones have mostly been dealt with already. he can really be trusted. if there¡¯s anything to be concerned about, it would be the work ethic of the new hires. it wasn¡¯t anything serious, though. at most they were just a bit too inattentive. it would be bad to allow them to develop a habit, but i believe it¡¯s just a matter of time. it¡¯s normal anyway since they¡¯re just starting out. ¡°the store has only opened for about a year, but it¡¯s flourishing thanks to your achievements during new year. everyone can also see that you have the duke¡¯s backing now. above all, our employees are treated well and our reputation is good, so people have a tendency to believe that they can achieve a stable life by getting hired at our store.¡± [carm] ¡°this would have been unthinkable back when we first started.¡± [ryouma] i still remember the day when i tried to hire employees from the merchant¡¯s guild, and the people that gathered for the interview left at once. at the time, my store didn¡¯t have a reputation, and the boss was also a child ¨C that is: me ¨C so it couldn¡¯t be helped. but nowadays, people want to be employed at our store so badly that they would walk up to the reception desk and pitch themselves. to be honest, i didn¡¯t think that our situation would improve so abruptly. ¡°everything is still within our expectations, so there aren¡¯t any problems. we¡¯ve also already taken measures to deal with it, so let¡¯s just watch for now.¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes. if you indirectly tell them to be more attentive, those willing to improve will immediately reflect and change. if they¡¯re willing to learn, then we should also be willing to teach. i have plenty of experience in that regard from the morgan company, so just leave it to me. the bigger problem would be if there are people that don¡¯t want to improve. in such cases, we¡¯ll have to conduct interviews and hand out warnings, and if there still aren¡¯t any improvements, then we¡¯ll have no choice but to let go of them.¡± [carm] ¡°it¡¯s unfortunate, but it can¡¯t be helped. it¡¯s one thing to be lacking, but it wouldn¡¯t be profitable for us to keep people that have no intention of bettering themselves. after all, they will affect not only the quality of their own work but also their peers¡¯.¡± [ryouma] i¡¯ve seen plenty of those people back in my previous life ¨C people that can¡¯t do anything by themselves and always rely on others. whether it¡¯s as a student at a part-time job or an adult at a full-time job, they¡¯re everywhere and come in all ages and genders. when people like that increase in number, the productivity drops, and they infect the atmosphere with their attitude. as the saying goes, ¡®one bad apple spoils the whole barrel¡­¡¯ that¡¯s not a nice thing to say to anyone, but it¡¯s the truth. so in order to prevent a vicious cycle from starting, we have no choice but to pick out any rotten apple. ¡°yes. i believe that talking to them and warning them beforehand is already plenty lenient.¡± [carm] ¡°i¡¯m not being particularly lenient, actually, but¡­¡± [ryouma] the laws of this country favor employers, so the ¡®immediate termination¡¯ that a japanese might imagine from stories from the states could easily be done. in japan, the laws greatly favored the employees, and there were some drawbacks as a result of the excessively strict regulations. i¡¯ve seen bosses in my previous life use ¡®termination¡¯ as a threat to control their subordinates, so while i don¡¯t want to be strict, it¡¯s scary to be too lenient too. by the way, americans don¡¯t do ¡®immediate terminations¡¯ as frequently as japanese people think. they have employment termination laws there too, so unjust termination has a high change of resulting in legal action. so while they can technically dismiss employees on the spot, they don¡¯t and negotiate instead, sometimes even leading to a premium severance pay. ¡°anyhow, interviews and warnings are important. above all, it¡¯s important to make it clear what ¡®standard¡¯ we¡¯re looking for from our employees. vague standards make for poor teaching, which make it harder for the employees to learn, and in turn lead to misunderstandings and meaningless arguments.¡± [ryouma] as important as explaining the standards demanded are, however, there¡¯s no avoiding the risk of the dismissed employee making a ruckus and trying to throw mud at our reputation in an attempt to get back at us. in such cases, it¡¯s crucial to appeal to the legitimacy of the termination by communicating the exact reasons for it, while also providing evidence of warnings previously issued and demands for improvements. prolonged disputes could worsen our reputation and also drain the employees of their strength, possibly leading to another employee being dismissed and a vicious cycle starting, then before anyone knows it, we have a toxic workplace. yeah, i¡¯m not having any of that. if the atmosphere in the store ends up that bad, i¡¯ll just help the employees find a job elsewhere or give them a premium severance pay, then i¡¯ll close the store. ¡°please don¡¯t make a face like that. i understand what you¡¯re trying to achieve with your policies, and besides, you¡¯ve already left the management of the store with me.¡± [carm] ¡°was it so obvious?¡± [ryouma] ¡°the light left your eyes. in any case, we can just proceed as we¡¯ve planned, right?¡± [carm] ¡°yes. i¡¯m counting on you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°okay. next, there¡¯s a request from some of the employees¡­ they want to use the materials you provided in regards to management policies to use as teaching material for the new employees.¡± [carm] ¡°are you talking about ¡®that¡¯?¡± [ryouma] i had written some documents when i delegated my position to carm-san, but it was also meant for future branch managers. it included a guideline for store operations, as well as a short course on harassment to prevent toxic workplaces from forming. to be honest, i had no idea how effective such a thing could be, but i did make it seriously in hopes that it would at least have some impact. however, it would also be problematic if the future managers were to be overly concerned with harassment and end up excessively considerate, and it¡¯s not like my thoughts were absolute or anything. i know that people will interpret things different according to the common sense and custom of this country and the area where the branch is, so i would have been plenty happy if they just kept those guidelines in mind. ¡­moreover, if i recall correctly, there were people that requested a copy before, only to end up crying from how unbearable it was to read. carm-san also complained before when he skimmed through it once. who would¡¯ve thought that there would actually be people who would want such a thing? have they lost their minds? ¡°it¡¯s true that the stuff you wrote is depressing, but its contents, especially the first half, resonated with me and the other employees. i found it educational, and i learned what sort of interactions to be wary of. the problem is that the examples grow more and more severe to the point that i can¡¯t help but doubt the sanity of the superiors mentioned. for example, there was that ¡®things to take note of in case you¡¯re hit by a wine bottle.¡¯ why is the document presuming that someone is going to be hit by a wine bottle? and why are there descriptions so vivid it felt like it was written out of a grudge? in that regard, the document being easy to read and understand actually works against it.¡± [carm] come to think of it, i did end up burning it several times with magic while thinking of examples¡­ did i accidentally curse it?¡¡i might not have intended to, but i was certainly full of grudge while writing it, and considering i¡¯d burned it up several times while writing, i must have been leaking mana too. could it be that that document is actually really dangerous? ¡°carm-san, where is the original copy?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it concerns the management of the store, so it¡¯s being treated as confidential document and is being kept in the locked cabinet over there.¡± [carm] upon saying that, carm-san opened the cabinet and brought over a bundle of documents as thick as a comprehensive law book. hmm¡­ i can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s cursed. i¡¯m not sensing anything from it akin to that stone that remilie-san and i used for practice. ¡°it¡¯s probably fine. i read both the original and the copies, and both were equally depressing. those who read only the copies felt similar too.¡± [carm] ¡°hopefully, you¡¯re right¡­ who are those people you¡¯re referring to?¡± [ryouma] ¡°all the employees when the store first opened. they were all able to understand why you treated your employees so well.¡± [carm] i couldn¡¯t meet his gaze, but i could tell that he felt sorry for me. i didn¡¯t know what to say, so i just cast dispel on the document and forcefully changed the topic, agreeing to grant their request and giving carm-san the discretion to decide how much of the original to include in their teaching material. he¡¯s handling the store well, so i¡¯m sure he¡¯ll know how to handle this matter too. Chapter 299.1 - Chapter 299: Growth of the Young Employees (1/2) chapter 299: growth of the young employees (1/2) after the meeting with carm-san, i took a peek into the break room and saw maria-san, fina-san, and leelin-san from behind. ¡°good job out there.¡± [ryouma] ¡°ah, boss. it¡¯s been awhile~¡± [maria] ¡°welcome back. we heard from carm-san.¡± [fina] ¡°i¡¯d heard that you were safe, but it¡¯s good to see so in person.¡± [leelin] ¡°sorry to have worried you. but as you can see, i¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± [ryouma] i wonder if everyone else is doing well too. work might be going well, but there¡¯s more to life than that. there¡¯s that document carm-san and i spoke about earlier as well. but of course, even without all that, i was gone for about a month, so i¡¯d love to talk to them a little at least. ¡°we¡¯re doing just fine, boss~ we read those guidelines of yours, though~¡­¡± [maria] ¡°that was the only time when i was sad recently. i¡¯m sure the others are the same.¡± [fina] ¡°my dad and i have been doing well too.¡± [leelin] ¡°ahh, that¡¯s good to hear.¡± {ryouma] though i had no intentions whatsoever of placing a curse on those guidelines, the possibility was there, so i was worried for a moment, but it¡¯s good to see that they¡¯re all alright. then i noticed that there were writing tools lined up in front of them. ¡°were you studying? sorry to have disturbed you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°don¡¯t worry, boss. it¡¯s all good~¡± [maria] ¡°we¡¯re not really studying, anyway. it¡¯s more like we¡¯re checking something. oh, by the way, the book you requested from steyer-sama is ready. he was hoping you¡¯d be able to get it when you came back.¡± [fina] ¡°sanchez-sama mentioned that the adventurer volume was complete~ but the daily life volume will be taking some more time~¡± [maria] ¡°thank you for delivering me his message. i thought it would take him longer, but it seems he was able to finish it rather quickly.¡± [ryouma] ¡°his grandchildren appear to be having a hard time. they say he¡¯s strict.¡± [leelin] ¡°they keep saying that if he¡¯s just going to work them this hard, then it would have been better if he just didn¡¯t retire~¡± [maria] well, those two certainly make for a pair of lively grandpas. mr. muller steyer, a former tax official, and mr. garcia sanchez, a former legal officer. they are tax and legal experts, respectively, introduced to me by the duke¡¯s family. they are currently serving as advisors to my business and my affiliates. but of course, they too have their own inclinations, so i¡¯m giving them other work as well. for example, just as we were talking about earlier, they¡¯re helping fina-san and mari-san study, and they¡¯re also writing a book. it¡¯s one of those ¡®essential tips¡¯ books that could be commonly found in japan. there are books in this world pertaining to the law and taxation, but they mostly target professionals or students aspiring to become experts in those fields. such materials require literacy, and they also require prior knowledge surrounding the topic, so it was unlikely for laymen to be able to understand them. i was thinking they would have their hands full just advising me and my affiliates, but they¡¯d brought their families with them, and apparently, their grandchildren were supposed to enter the same industry, so they¡¯re using the jobs i give them as teaching material, and their grandkids help out too. in practice, that means that i essentially have an entire office working for me, but i¡¯m really only paying for the service of the two grandpas. honestly, it¡¯s an incredible deal and a huge help. it might be hard for the grandkids, but it¡¯s not my place to tell them how to teach their own blood. it¡¯s outside of my expertise too. besides, their work at the duke¡¯s family is supposed to be even more demanding, so if anything, i just hope the kids will do their best. ¡°the grandkids helped us too~¡± [maria] ¡°we knew nothing at all. who would¡¯ve thought that we¡¯d get the opportunity to study like this? we could have never imagined it when we left to make money.¡± [fina] ¡°law and tax are difficult even among the many specialties. but there¡¯s no harm to learning. such knowledge should prove most reassuring when the time comes.¡± [leelin] ¡°what do you mean when the time comes? it¡¯s already relevant!¡± [fina] fina-san reached out toward the paper lined up on the table. she was almost always calm, so it was rare to see her like this. life at their village has turned for the better since forming a contract with the saionji company, but until just recently, their village struggled because they couldn¡¯t sell their crops. it¡¯s probably because of that that she¡¯s so enthusiastic. and as though to show her resolve, the papers on the table were full of small characters from one edge to another. ¡°yesterday, we studied about the taxes levied on farming villages, and i learned that the taxes paid to the duke would be used to reimburse any expense made to protect property or human life in the case of a monster or bandit threat.¡± [fina] ¡°huh, so that¡¯s a thing.¡± [ryouma] didn¡¯t know about that. it¡¯s kind of like disaster relief funds, i guess. fina-san spoke with a frustrated tone. ¡°the village headsman is my father and yet i didn¡¯t know about that at all. we¡¯ve called adventurers many times whenever a monster showed up, but we never availed that law and would always just get all the villagers to chip in.¡± [fina] ¡°it¡¯s doubtful that they knew about it and didn¡¯t use it, so most likely, your dad and the rest of the villagers didn¡¯t know either.¡± [leelin] ¡°you have to pay first, so maybe i just don¡¯t remember them being reimbursed, or maybe they just didn¡¯t want to talk about money in front of children. i don¡¯t really mind if so, but¡­ yeah, they probably didn¡¯t know.¡± [fina] according to what she¡¯s heard from steyer-sama, even most village headsmen aren¡¯t privy to laws and taxes, so it¡¯s not unheard of for a village headman to be unaware of such benefits. i can¡¯t help but wonder, ¡®is that really okay?¡¯¡¡but as it turns out, the only requirement for the job was to know what actions were considered crimes. taking advantage of benefits, such as the one mentioned by fina-san, was up to the villagers¡¯ and the headsman¡¯s discretion. it wouldn¡¯t be a crime if he were to intentionally not apply for it, much less be ignorant of it, and tax officials also don¡¯t go out of their way to investigate such cases. ¡°some people could know about the benefit but be unable to complete the process, so there are also people that just decide to give up.¡± [fina] ¡°what a pity. if they knew, their lives would be so much easier too.¡± [leelin] ¡°you got that right, leelin-san~. as sanchez-sama puts it, ¡®the law is ever changing. those ignorant of it, those who do not seek to inform themselves, those who break it, those who refuse change, those who miss out on benefits that they should otherwise have¡­ there are just too many¡¯~¡± [maria] Chapter 299.2 - Chapter 299: Growth of the Young Employees (2/2) chapter 299: growth of the young employees (2/2) ¡°being unable to keep up with the changes is certainly problematic. and as complicated as taxes and laws are, it¡¯s indeed necessary for people to get an understanding of them. of course, that¡¯s by no means easy.¡± [ryouma] ¡°indeed~ that¡¯s why we¡¯re doing our best to study.~ then we¡¯ll teach our parents through our letters~¡± [maria] ¡°of course, we¡¯ll do our best at the store too! it¡¯s only thanks to everyone helping us that we can have this opportunity, after all. if not for everyone making adjustments in terms of schedule and work load for us, we wouldn¡¯t be able to study as well without pushing ourselves, so we need to repay the store at least that much.¡± [fina] ¡°i¡¯ll look forward to that.¡± [ryouma] to be honest, i never thought they¡¯d turn out like this when i hired them, but¡­ if they¡¯ve grown to the point where they¡¯re no longer just making money but also developing themselves, then nothing could be better. as the owner, i¡¯m also satisfied. ¡°speaking of growth, leelin-san, you¡¯re talking a lot more fluent now, huh.¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes. i¡¯ve gotten used to the language here. the people of the store ¨C especially, jane ¨C are always talking to me, and there are the customers too, so i¡¯m getting plenty of practice. it seems dad is going to take some more time, though.¡± [leelin] that might be because of his age. some people say that humans can do anything they set their minds to, or that it¡¯s never too late to start something, and i¡¯d agree, but there¡¯s no denying that one¡¯s rate of learning deteriorates with age. i know that by experience. ¡°ah, speaking of growth, dolce has been making a lot of progress himself. he¡¯s been sparring with the security personnel and has gotten a lot stronger than before. dad and ox-san were both surprised. recently, he¡¯s been talking with yurdum. i guess having another guy his age did him a lot of good.¡± [leelin] ¡°dolce-san is a hardworker too, after all. he would occasionally ask questions about writing, and recently, he¡¯s been reading some fairly difficult text. i see him reading books during breaktime a lot.¡± [fina] ¡°he said he didn¡¯t know what to do with his money, so he¡¯s using it to buy books~¡± [maria] ¡°is dolce-san that amazing now?¡± [ryouma] he¡¯s from the slums, so he was completely illiterate when he came here. i knew he¡¯s been studying in his free time, but i didn¡¯t know that he¡¯s accomplished so much already. with how strong he¡¯s gotten, i guess it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to describe him as being accomplished in both the literary and the martial arts. and speak of the devil¡­ ¡°¡­did you call me?¡± [dolce] ¡°ah, dolce-san. we were just talking about you.¡± [ryouma] the person himself appeared, so we had to explain what we were talking about. that must have embarrassed him because his face turned a little red, and he shook his head. ¡°i still have a long way to go. i can¡¯t beat those two when it comes to studying, and i¡¯m also the weakest in the security department. fei-san and ox-san have to hold back too; otherwise, i won¡¯t be able to spar with them at all.¡± [dolce] ¡°i don¡¯t think it¡¯s good to compare yourself to them. dad and ox-san aren¡¯t just your normal security guy. to be perfectly honest, they¡¯re way too strong to be working as security.¡± [leelin] ¡°ah, i thought so too. the only places i¡¯ve ever been is my village and this city, so at first i thought that was just how it was, but the other stores weren¡¯t like that at all.¡± [fina] ¡°the only stores that regularly hire security personnel are those in dangerous areas or luxury stores. most normal stores just have their employees or manager deal with problematic customers. i think anyone with a larger build or is accustomed to some roughhousing would be fit for the job. at a normal store, you¡¯d probably be fit for managerial level in security.¡¡or at least, you¡¯re good enough to be.¡± [leelin] ¡°really? i don¡¯t know much about other stores, but¡­ if that¡¯s true, then that¡¯s great.¡± [dolce] in the first place, i hired him through a referral by jeff-san when the store was harassed by some thugs shortly after opening. he was already strong enough then, yet he¡¯d gotten even stronger. he should have more confidence in himself. ¡­if he¡¯s working this hard, maybe he¡¯s hoping for a raise or a promotion?¡¡a worker that does their best but fails to see change is bound to be discouraged. carm-san and i have already spoken about the salaries and treatment of the workers, so he should be receiving ample pay. regardless, i was curious now, so i asked him about it, and as it turns out, he was receiving more than enough pay. in fact, even if we paid him more, he wouldn¡¯t know how to use it. i can somewhat understand. i¡¯m earning much more than him, but we¡¯re facing similar problems in that regard¡­ oh, i see. this must be how the duke and everyone else felt seeing me. ¡°is there anything else you want then?¡± [ryouma] ¡°if i had to say, then¡­ a vacation?¡¡traveling sounds nice.¡± [dolce] ¡°oh, good idea!¡¡where do you want to go?¡± [ryouma] ¡°i¡¯ve been in this city since the day i was born. that¡¯s true for most of the people from the slums. i never thought it would even be possible for me to travel unless i took a job related to adventuring, transporting, or something else along those lines. but after hearing about everyone¡¯s hometowns, and after starting to read books, i can¡¯t help but be curious. ah, but of course, i¡¯m just curious about it right now, and i don¡¯t actually have any concrete plans. i don¡¯t know where to go. i don¡¯t even know what i¡¯ll do once i travel, and in fact, i asked for a vacation, but i actually don¡¯t know the first thing about that.¡± [dolce] ¡°i understand. in that case, let¡¯s put this conversation for later. instead, how about traveling with me?¡± [ryouma] the plan is to expand the business once i get back from the great forest. of course, we would need to hire enough personnel first, but regardless, because of that we¡¯ll have to scout out the locations for the new branches in the neighboring towns. i can take him along then with my dimension magic. whether it ends up being a day trip or an overnight stay, there won¡¯t be much time for sightseeing, and we¡¯ll be missing out on the charm of traveling slowly on carriage too, but¡­ oh, come to think of it, i guess another possibility is to send him to one of the new stores as security. if it¡¯s normal for there to be no opportunity to travel unless it¡¯s related to work, then let¡¯s just make it related to work. ¡°is that possible? i mean, is it really alright?¡± [dolce] ¡°i¡¯d have to discuss it with carm-san, but it should be possible. you¡¯re working here anyway, and we will need to send people over once we open a new branch, so if it¡¯s just adding you to the list of people to be dispatched, it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult. you¡¯ve been working here since the store opened, so you know how i do things. and i also trust you personally and professionally, so sending you to a new store would put me at ease. it should be a huge help to the people who¡¯ll be tending to the new store too¡­ though we¡¯ll be training them properly here, they¡¯re bound to ask some simple questions while they familiarize themselves with their new workplace. i¡¯m sure it would make their lives that much easier to have someone they can ask then.¡± [ryouma] ¡°indeed~¡± [maria] ¡°we had a lot of questions at first too.¡± [fina] when i started the store with everyone, we too had to figure things out step by step. as someone who¡¯s been with us since that period, i¡¯m sure his experience will provide a wealth of knowledge to those new employees. ¡°we could make it a temporary assignment with a set time limit. maybe just the first month, or maybe half a year. but of course, that¡¯s only if you¡¯re willing. do consider it. by the way, the current candidate for the next branch is in gaunago, where the duke¡¯s mansion is located. the duke¡¯s family asked us to build a branch there, so it¡¯s at the top of our priorities.¡± [ryouma] ¡°okay. i¡¯ll think about it.¡± [dolce] i should inform carm-san. in any case, being able to speak with them like this, makes me feel as though we¡¯re all progressing together, and that makes me happy. even if the way we¡¯re involved with each other changes, i hope we¡¯ll always be able to share a moment like this occasionally. Chapter 300.1 - Chapter 300: Guests (1/2) chapter 300: guests (1/2) 2 weeks later. after meeting with all of the related parties and the employees, time passed in the blink of an eye, and at long last, i was ready. at anytime i could depart for the great forest without worry. but before that, i decided to go back to the place where it all began ¨C to my house in the forest of gana. it was along the way, so i figured i might as well drop by. i¡¯m about to reach one of my bigger milestones, so i wanted to go back to my roots. and besides¡­ ¡°dust has piled up, but that¡¯s about it. cleaner slime.¡± [ryouma] i brought out some cleaner slimes and got them to clean the place thoroughly, while i headed further in. ¡°it¡¯s only been about a year, but everything already feels so nostalgic¡­¡± [ryouma] i found myself in the room that contained only the idols of the gods. it was once used for meditation and training. but now i¡¯m setting up tables and chairs to welcome guests in it¡­ i¡¯d prepared these beforehand, so it won¡¯t take long. there¡¯s still time before my appointment, so i might as well use that time to increase the idols in the room. ¡°i¡¯d made these when i¡¯d just met gayn and the others, but now, our relationship goes much deeper, and i¡¯ve met other gods as well.¡± [ryouma] while thinking about such things, i dug out a space from the wall and used the soil from that to create the new idols. tekun, fernoberia, kirillel, willieris, grimp, sereriputa, meltrize¡­ and the ones that i made before, gayn, kufo, rurutia. that¡¯s 10 idols all in all. there¡¯s still manoairoa-sama left, but i¡¯ve yet to meet him. i¡¯ve seen his idol before, but it was in his human form and obviously only meant to be a representation with little details to it. i wonder what kind of god he is. it might be a good idea to ask about him when i next go to the divine realm. i cleaned up after finishing my work, but i still had time to spare, so i decided to prepare tea and snacks too. before long, my guests finally arrived. the stone slimes outside contacted me, so i went to greet the guests. when i saw the ducal couple, sebasu-san, and the usual four guards, i was relieved. however, there was a man and a woman accompanying them that i didn¡¯t know of. the man seemed to be in his early thirties.¡¡he was dressed in an outfit one would associate with mages, but his hair and skin, especially, his beard, was well maintained, giving off the impression of a gentleman. the woman was also well dressed, a beauty who conducted herself with composure. but there was a trace of fatigue on her expression that she couldn¡¯t conceal completely, so the air about her felt somewhat tense. lastly, there was a person dressed in maid clothes, but she didn¡¯t feel like a maid at all. if anything, she gave off an impression closer to that of city guards. ¡°i¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°ryouma-kun, there¡¯s no need to be so formal. these two won¡¯t mind.¡± [reinhart] ¡°thank you very much. in that case, please come in.¡± [ryouma] i¡¯ve already prepared the room, and while it¡¯s relatively safe in this area, we¡¯re still in a forest. there¡¯s no reason for us to go out of our way to talk while standing outside. as soon as we entered, the four guards immediately made themselves comfortable, then i took the remaining five and brought them into the room i¡¯ve prepared. ¡°oh, my.¡± [elize] the moment we got inside, the madam let out a small voice of exclamation. the other four were similarly surprised. reinhart-san and sebasu-san were relatively calm, but the woman i¡¯m meeting for the first time just stood there quietly and observed the idols that i made. the man was quiet too, but he didn¡¯t make any efforts to conceal his surprise. ¡°i¡¯m surprised to see so many idols in one room.¡± [reinhart] ¡°i¡¯d just increased the number other than the three gods, but¡­ wait a moment, didn¡¯t i show them to you before?¡± [ryouma] ¡°i don¡¯t think i¡¯ve been here before. we¡¯d just met the last time i came, and there was no way i would explore another person¡¯s house on my own.¡± [reinhart] oh, right. it didn¡¯t need to be cleaned, so i just told them back then to rest up first. it¡¯s only been a year, everything already feels so nostalgic. in any case, i offered them to sit. there were enough seats for everyone. the ducal couple took the seat of honor, of course, but the unfamiliar man sat beside them while sebasu-san and the woman stood at a corner of the room and kept quiet. ¡°i have a lot of things i¡¯d like to say, but let¡¯s prioritize your checkup. rosenberg-dono.¡± [reinhart] at reinhart-san¡¯s behest, the man called rosenberg-dono spoke with composure ¨C the sort that stemmed from years of experience ¨C and he began to introduce himself. i¡¯d heard about him beforehand, but regardless, he¡¯s the shaman under the employ of the duke and has come here to give me a medical examination. i thanked him for that, and he smiled at me and started examining me. he started with a medical interview. it was barely different from what you¡¯d expect from visiting the doctor. at most, he grabbed my hand not to feel my pulse but my mana. he has already been informed that my curse affects the favor ability of people toward me. he called out to the woman that was keeping quiet. ¡°lady eleonora, what is your honest impression of him?¡± [rosenberg] ¡°my impression? well, if i may be so blunt, i feel somewhat uncomfortable, but if you asked me why exactly, i wouldn¡¯t be able to answer.¡± [eleonora] ¡°try to describe your displeasure. is it because of him as an individual? perhaps, it is a sort of instinctive dislike? anything is fine, but do attempt to describe this displeasure that you feel.¡± [rosenberg] ¡°if i had to say, then it¡¯s definitely instinctive. kind of like when you meet someone nice, but you can¡¯t help but dislike them because they have bad breath or body odor.¡± [eleonora] ¡­i have body odor?¡¡no, i get what she¡¯s trying to say, but when she puts it that way, i can¡¯t help but be concerned. especially, since i¡¯m at that age when you start worrying about smelling old. ¡°don¡¯t worry, you don¡¯t smell bad.¡± [elize] ¡°thank you.¡± [ryouma] lady eleonora nodded too, so i was able to relax. ¡°¡­i see. clemis-sama was right, it seems. let¡¯s continue.¡± [rosenberg] the next check-up involved several spells. i could feel his mana probing inside of me like search magic. i was told that i could ask questions, so i went ahead and asked. ¡°it¡¯s a spell that utilizes the mana used for curses to react to other curses. of course, it¡¯s been modified so as to not harm the patient. the severity of the curse and its symptoms can be analyzed through the reaction of the curse. an accurate diagnosis, however, will require experience, but it¡¯s not much different from search magic.¡± [rosenberg] oh, so i was right. after the spells, came the medicine. he took out a flask filled with transparent liquid from his bag, then he poured a small amount of that into another test tube. he asked me to add a drop of my blood into that, so i pricked my finger and did as he asked. red spread throughout the transparent test tube, and in the blink of an eye, the entire solution began to darken until it was completely black. upon seeing that, his countenance turned grim. ¡°this appears to be a bigger problem than what i¡¯ve been told.¡± [rosenberg] Chapter 300.2 - Chapter 300: Guests (2/2) chapter 300: guests (2/2) ¡°can you not dispel it?¡± [reinhart] ¡°this might sound like i¡¯m making excuses, but¡­ this test was meant to ascertain the degree to which the curse has penetrated the patient. the darker the color, the harder the curse is to break. with the solution this dark, the difficulty of undoing this curse is at the highest possible, a grade ¡®7¡¯. at that, even someone from the main family is sure to struggle.¡± [rosenberg] ¡°i see¡­ your skills are for certain, so it¡¯s unfortunate, but it can¡¯t be helped.¡± [reinhart] ¡°thank you for your understanding. also, while undoing the curse might be impossible, it¡¯s still possible to weaken its effects. so long as he observes a few points, he should be able to live normally. the curse should also weaken in time, so depending on the situation, dispelling it might not be completely off the table just yet. so, there¡¯s no need to be so pessimistic.¡± [rosenberg] after that, he said that he was going to write a medical report and left the room with lady eleonora. he went to the room where the other guards were making themselves comfortable. i¡¯d already informed them that they could use the other rooms if they needed to, so i¡¯m sure the guards will take care of him. ¡°fuu¡­¡± [ryouma] ¡°good job. as expected, that made you tense. sorry about that, and for dropping by so suddenly as well.¡± [elize] ¡°your curse was part of it, but i wanted to meet you before you went to the great forest. i might just be bothering you, though.¡± [reinhart] ¡°nothing of the sort. though it would be a lie to say that i wasn¡¯t nervous, i was definitely worried about the effects of the curse on someone i¡¯m meeting for the first time. i don¡¯t think it¡¯s wrong to take the opportunity to test it out now. having a real shaman give me a check-up is good too.¡± [ryouma] the gods themselves will be dispelling my curse, but it was too risky to use that as an explanation, so we¡¯re using remilie-san as a cover. after all, she is a former royal court mage, so it holds some weight when i say that she¡¯s the one dealing with my curse. however, she¡¯s not a specialist when it comes to curses. a more complete excuse would require that a proper shaman examine me and provide a medical report. the gods might be suppressing the curse, but it¡¯s still a curse woven by a demon king that influences my relationship with other people. there¡¯s no harm in taking precautions. it was good timing on the duke¡¯s part, and i was glad to be able to meet them anyway. ¡°besides, you took the time to come despite your busy schedule. there¡¯s no way i could ask you to apologize after putting so much effort for this meeting.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i¡¯m glad you see it that way.¡± [elize] the madam smiled gently at me, then a few seconds later, reinhart-san took out a thin box from his chest. the lid of the box, which resembled a business card case, opened and mana spread out to envelop us in a dome-like shape. they gave a signal to sebasu-san, who stood outside of the dome, and he gave them a bow before promptly excusing himself from the room. that small box must be a magic tool meant to block sound then. in other words, they¡¯re about to bring up what they really came here for. ¡°i have quite a few things i¡¯d like to talk about, but first¡­ i heard from dad. apparently, you¡¯re a child of god. we did consider the possibility, so we¡¯re not that surprised, but i¡¯d like to hear it from you straight. is that true?¡± [reinhart] ¡°yes.¡± [ryouma] as proof, i showed them my status board. when they saw the title, ¡®favored child of the gods¡¯, the duke and his wife looked at each and nodded, then they thanked me for telling them. after that, the conversation proceeded like it did when i¡¯d confided with the adults back in the town of departed spirits. but they¡¯ve already prepared themselves after speaking with reinbach-sama and the others, so unlike back then, they were not overcome with emotions or relieved. there were no tears. they just calmly thanked me. ¡°we keep finding ourselves indebted to you, ryouma-kun.¡± [elize] ¡°i¡¯m always receiving help from everyone too, so it goes both ways. you also accepted me as a child of god.¡± [ryouma] ¡°you might have been anxious about that, but to us, everything just finally started making sense.¡± [reinhart] ¡°reinbach-sama said something similar ¨C that he¡¯s more or less expected this for awhile now. i ended up lying quite a bit to keep a lid on this matter. and there are things i haven¡¯t talked about yet.¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s good that you¡¯re so honest, but honesty isn¡¯t always praiseworthy. especially, among nobles where people are always tricking each other. everyone is working for the sake of their own profit, so they won¡¯t hesitate to take advantage of any openings to sabotage someone. just recently too, there¡­¡± [reinhart] ¡°hey.¡± [elize] reinhart-san¡¯s countenance turned grim while he was talking, but the madam called out to him. he let out a sigh and awkwardly laughed, but the face he wore was something i¡¯d seen many times in my past life. he hasn¡¯t shown it until now, but he must be tired. ¡°excuse me. that was shameful of me.¡± [reinhart] ¡°not at all. i also didn¡¯t notice it until now. you must¡¯ve really been working hard. i don¡¯t mind, so please speak to your heart¡¯s content.¡± [ryouma] ¡°¡­is that fine? well, in any case, our everyday life is full of trickeries. so you might have hid some things from us and even lied to keep those secrets safe, but you didn¡¯t do that in order to hurt us or make a profit, did you?¡¡something like that isn¡¯t worth mentioning, and it isn¡¯t something we would be offended by.¡± [reinhart] ¡°right. if i might add, does your lie even count as a lie? i¡¯m sure the matter concerning your family was decided by the gods to help you integrate with our society.¡± [elize] ¡°yes, it¡¯s the setting that they came up with.¡± [ryouma] ¡°setting, huh. coming from a child of god such as yourself, i can understand. what i¡¯m more concerned about is that it was the ¡®gods who prepared it¡¯. because, at the very least, denying something that the gods themselves decided on isn¡¯t something i could do.¡± [elize] ¡°¡­that might be one way to look at it from a religious perspective.¡± [ryouma] i wasn¡¯t familiar with religion in my previous life, but i can at least understand how absurd it is to deny a god.¡¡ it appears that the madam has also come to terms with the setting the gods prepared for me. ¡°from what i¡¯ve heard, you are able to receive oracles from the gods quite frequently. if so, you must be a lot closer to them and see them differently from us. by the way, while i agree with elize, i don¡¯t think there are many people who would take it the same way. especially, people related to the church.¡± [reinhart] ¡°some of them might even see it as you disavowing the gods, so you should probably just stick with the story that the gods prepared for you. that should cause the least problems for you.¡± [elize] ¡°i¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡± [ryouma] i¡¯d expected them to be accepting, but i see that i still tensed up. as a result, my shoulders naturally relaxed when they took everything a lot better than expected. ¡°i can understand not wanting to lie, so if you ever feel distressed or need someone to talk to, you can always come to us.¡± [reinhart] ¡°we know your secret already, so you should be able to talk without reserve if it¡¯s us, right?¡¡we¡¯ll lend you an ear then. after all, we want to help you too, ryouma-kun. so don¡¯t hesitate and rely on us too.¡± [elize] ¡°¡­thank you very much. i¡¯ll be relying on you then.¡± [ryouma] i¡¯d heard a little about that, actually, when i went to the divine realm just recently. the problems they mentioned were apparently something that indeed plagued my predecessors. some of them chose to reveal the secret to their family and friends, only to meet tragedy, while others kept their secret with them until the very end, only to still meet a tragic fate¡­ so while there¡¯s only a few of them right now, it¡¯s still reassuring to have some people share my secret and be so understanding. Chapter 301.1 - Chapter 301: Send-Off (1/3) chapter 301: send-off (1/3) ¡°there¡¯s your secret of being a child of god too, so we were thinking of dispatching another person to work for you.¡± [reinhart] ¡°you mean other than yurdum-san?¡± [ryouma] i don¡¯t mind, but aren¡¯t they already supporting me as their specialist with him? and if they want to protect my secret so much, then having less people who know my secret would be for the best. or at least, that¡¯s what i was thinking, but as it turns out, there was actually no need to tell my new helper that i was a child of the gods. ¡°they¡¯ll be your aide just like him, but they¡¯ll mostly be working as your secretary. their job will be to facilitate communication between you and other parties. they will serve as a mediator to help you negotiate. yurdum-san does a decent job on his own, but i believe it¡¯s better for you to have someone that specializes in communication and negotiations. you have gotten quite popular, after all, since the events at the end of last year. i¡¯m sure there are many nobles hoping to meet you while you continue to pile up achievements.¡± [reinhart] ¡°i¡¯ve already been employed by your family, though?¡± [ryouma] ¡°they won¡¯t try to solicit you, but they¡¯ll definitely tell you to ¡®rely¡¯ on them should you need help. normally, even that would have to pass through your backing, but there are plenty of people who try to sidestep that¡­ nobles like that are sure to be a handful. specialists that have stores or workshops tend to be contacted more too since it¡¯s easier to find them. you wouldn¡¯t want to have to deal with those people when they drop by and demand that you appear, now, would you?¡± [reinhart] that certainly sounds like something i¡¯d much rather be spared. ¡°even as a noble, i myself can¡¯t welcome such behaver. carm-kun mentioned it as well, i believe, that he might be a successful merchant, but in the end, he¡¯s just a normal commoner. it¡¯s easier for the conversation to progress when nobles talk among themselves, and it¡¯s a good attitude to adopt to avoid trouble as well.¡± [reinhart] as the saying goes, every man knows his business best. anyway, i get it. since he¡¯s going out of his way to offer his own person, then i might as well accept. i only worry that i might not get along well with that person. ¡°could that person you¡¯re referring to be the maid from earlier?¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh? how astute of you.¡± [reinhart] ¡°i thought you just brought some people i didn¡¯t know to check my curse, but after what you said just now, i doubt you¡¯d bring an extra person with you for no reason.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i certainly have reasons of my own to check up on your curse, but regardless, if you don¡¯t mind, i would like to introduce the two of you to each other. she is eleonora lansor [1]. i¡¯m sure you recognize that name.¡± [reinhart] if i¡¯m remembering right, i believe it was baron lansor who owned the gold mines that supplied the funds of the enemy we fought at the end of lat year. true enough, she was apparently the eldest daughter. ¡°are you sure about this? though i doubt you¡¯d introduce anyone problematic to me.¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s natural that you¡¯d be suspicious. allow me to explain.¡± [elize] it was the madam who explained the situation. to summarize, apparently, her family, the baron house of lansor, was under the administration of other noble houses, and the revenue from their gold mine was continuously being exploited. the current head of the family, her father, and her older brother did what they could to ensure an ethical management of the gold mines despite their pressing circumstances, leading them to lose favor to the four houses administrating them. in order to quell her family¡¯s rebelliousness, she was forced to marry into the house of baron rufred, one of the four houses that managed them. but of course, that was nothing but the official story, and in truth, she was treated like a hostage. it is said that on the very first day, she was banished to an outbuilding of the mansion, while her husband, the baron¡¯s heir, indulged in a life of debauchery with his mistress. married women of the nobility often oversaw the management of the mansion, but she was not allowed to involve herself with such matters and was instead burdened with menial tasks and chores. but because of the incident last year, it came to light that the house of baron rufred had been engaged in various other crimes including tax evasion, and their family came into ruin. the situation escalated to the point where the entire family faced execution, but fortunately or unfortunately, she managed to avoid that fate because of her cruel treatment, which led her to be recognized as ¡®legally married¡¯ but not in substance. she narrowly managed to escape with her life only because it was determined that she had not been involved in the criminal activities of the baron. ¡°she went back home, but they had issues there too, and in the end, she was entrusted to the jamil family. now, the house of lansor has come completely under us.¡± [elize] ¡°¡­a story full of twists and turns.¡± [ryouma] i didn¡¯t know if that was the right thing to say, but i didn¡¯t know what else to say. ¡°she came to us with that sort of circumstance, so i do sympathize with her, but you can¡¯t bring personal feelings when evaluating a person¡¯s abilities and personality.¡± [elize] ¡°her situation is complicated, so she likely won¡¯t betray us. though, of course, from her perspective, all that changed was the person holding her leash. however, if it¡¯s your place, then maybe¡­¡± [reinhart] ¡°she did have a tense air about her, so maybe it would be best to change her environment.¡± [ryouma] it would probably do her a lot of good to rest and recover, but she strikes me as the serious and stern type, so not doing anything might actually be worse for her¡­ she sounds skilled, so maybe i can get yurdum-san to look after her first. ¡°i have nothing but gratitude to be able to welcome a person who would ¨C on my behalf ¨C willingly mediate between me and other nobles, so if that¡¯s all, then i would love to work with her. she won¡¯t be able to officially start until after i return from the great forest, however. will that be fine?¡± [ryouma] ¡°but of course. we¡¯ll also have to discuss how to communicate in case an emergency were to occur, but anyhow, please be sure to contact us as soon as you return to gimuru.¡± [reinhart] ¡°alright.¡± [ryouma] after making it clear that i agreed, reinhart-san let out a breath, and he finally took a mouthful of the tea that he has left sitting this whole time. he had been so focused on our conversation that he completely forgot about it. it must have gone cold already, but he was so thirsty that he finished it in just a few sips. Chapter 301.2 - Chapter 301: Send-Off (2/3) chapter 301: send-off (2/3) ¡°would you like another cup?¡± [ryouma] ¡°please.¡± [reinhart] i poured him another cup. reinhart-san took a deep breath to immerse himself in its aroma, then he let out a breath of relief. i¡¯m sure he must¡¯ve worked a lot to protect me. and for that, i¡¯m grateful. isn¡¯t there something i could do for him? i decided to ask him instead of just wondering by myself, and after thinking awhile, he said. ¡°this might be a bit different from what you had in mind, but i¡¯d heard from my dad about how you purified the miasma with your grave slimes. is it true that you asked for land covered in miasma as a reward? so that you could use it for your experiments?¡± [reinhart] ¡°yes, but i¡¯d be glad as long as i could have a place i can use for experiments and for feeding. in fact, i don¡¯t really need to own it. if you could just lend me a place or give me permission to use it, that will be enough. i mean i haven¡¯t even really thought about the management and rights afterwards, so¡­¡± [ryouma] ¡°the thing is¡­ your experiment alone would be a huge help to us. miasma and undead countermeasures cost money, and no one can afford to skimp out on them. so as long as the person can be trusted, i¡¯m sure most nobles would happily give you permission to use their land if it means someone else will deal with the miasma and the undead.¡± [reinhart] as i¡¯ve learned while we were in the town of departed spirits, even if miasma couldn¡¯t be fully removed, there was a lot of demand just to thin it or even maintain the status quo. ¡°from what i¡¯ve heard, it sounds like you could already make a living by removing miasma.¡± [elize] ¡°that¡¯s true. currently, i¡¯m only interested in experimenting with my magic and my slimes, as well as seeing how far i can go, but i think i¡¯ll put more effort into clearing out miasma once i get back from the great forest.¡± [ryouma] according to the gods, miasma is harmful to all the living creatures of this world. they harm not only the land and the animals living on it, but even the very world itself. apparently, they¡¯re something akin to the white blood cells in the human body. they are necessary for the continued existence of the world, but it¡¯s problematic for there to be too many. miasma was on the rise, so they said that it would be a great help if i could help purify it. ¡°wouldn¡¯t that mean¡­¡± [elize] ¡°¡­that you¡¯ve received a divine mandate?¡± [reinhart] the madam was the first to speak, but she quickly became speechless, and reinhart-san had to finish her words for her with a tense face. i better make it clear that they¡¯re making a huge misunderstanding. ¡°the gods do sometimes suggest to do certain things, but they don¡¯t actually give me orders. the gods prefer to refrain from telling people what to do. your grace, and the madam, and everyone else has helped me out so much. and in a similar vein, i am also grateful to the gods. so if something i¡¯ve found interesting could allow me to repay that gratitude even a little, then nothing could be better. i won¡¯t have any goals left once i come back from the great forest, so i was thinking it would be good to set the purification of miasma as my goal for the time being. in other words¡­ this goal of mine is really just something i¡¯m doing for my own satisfaction. that¡¯s all.¡± [ryouma] now that i think about it, i might have decided to go to the great forest just because i didn¡¯t have a clear goal after parting with everyone and deciding to become independent. at the time, i happened to think about my hometown, so i decided to set that as my goal. it was really just a whim. but now, it¡¯s a goal that i¡¯ve set for myself. i suppose it can be considered as a rite of passage of sort as someone who was born to this world and now lives in it. or maybe it¡¯s the japanese in me that just holds too tightly to the concept of obligations. ¡°you know, it¡¯s really bad for the heart when you just casually drop matters pertaining to the gods¡­ but, okay, i can kind of understand.¡± [elize] ¡°if you¡¯re going to be dealing with miasma, then you should get the supervision of an expert. let¡¯s bring rosenberg-dono into the fray. i¡¯ll look for some potential sites too, but do you have any specific conditions in mind?¡¡if not, then there are a few abandoned villages that could be rebuilt as long as they¡¯re purified. personally, i would prefer those.¡± [reinhart] i¡¯ve recently been able to use long-distance teleportation with my own familiars as a reference point. a place without a lot of people would be ideal. abandoned villages are sure to be void of people since they are, well, abandoned. but why specifically an abandoned village? i asked that, and apparently, reinhart-san was currently planning to construct new villages and roads. come to think of it, there was that talk about building villages for my slime farming experiment, wasn¡¯t there? ¡°that¡¯s not all. i believe i¡¯ve already spoken with you about how the monsters have been increasing in numbers these past few years. in fact, at the new year¡¯s ceremony, his majesty, the king, broached that very topic. he told us nobles, in his own words: ¡®be ever vigilant, so that you might be able to protect your own people, no matter when or where the problems arise.¡¯ that¡¯s why more and more nobles are making their preparations. suddenly expanding one¡¯s military and stocking up supplies would make the people uneasy, and there are also a lot of nobles that unreasonably believe they are safe, so while i don¡¯t think anything will happen right away, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for something to happen. hence, my biggest motivator for building villages is actually to minimize the effect from that.¡± [reinhart] if a lord wishes to expand his army, then naturally, the resources needed to support his army will increase. whether it¡¯s the duke, or some other lord, if they were to try and procure those resources all in one go, the burden is sure to fall onto the people. and the shortage of supplies will inevitably lead to hoarding, reselling, and price inflation, resulting in a vicious cycle. this is less a prediction and more a guaranteed sequence of events. at the same time, it finally dawned on me. ¡°you mentioned something about constructing villages for my slime farming experiment earlier this year.¡± [ryouma] ¡°yes, i was hearing about your slime farming for the first time, so i didn¡¯t have a concrete plan back then, but it was definitely a moment of enlightenment for me. i¡¯ve been wanting to maximize our territory¡¯s production for awhile now, you see, but it was a matter directly linked to a lot of lives, what with food and medicine shortages, and the accompanying price hikes. we¡¯re constructing roads too because, well¡­ there¡¯s no point to having a lot of goods but failing to deliver them in time, is there? this matter goes beyond preparing for the monsters. this is something that will stimulate the economy, and if we can produce a lot of food through slime farming, then we¡¯ll be able to support the other fiefs too.¡± [reinhart] Chapter 301.3 - Chapter 301: Send-Off (3/3) chapter 301: send-off (3/3) ¡°by the way, most decent nobles won¡¯t accept help for free. it concerns their honor and reputation, after all. any debt made could be brought up in the future and cause them problems, so they would much rather provide some form of compensation. it doesn¡¯t have to be money, it could be some sort of condition as well. what matters is that they¡¯re able to settle the bill right there and then. so while it might be referred to as support officially, in practice, it¡¯s really a sale.¡± [elize] their territory could prosper if production increased. but even if it didn¡¯t increase to that extent, they could still profit off of it by supporting other territories. either way, it¡¯s a necessary step to prepare for the future. anyhow, i was mostly worried that they might need the miasma purified by a certain date, but it looks like they¡¯re in no particular hurry. they just want to pick out some candidate sites, and should i succeed in the purification, they¡¯ll decide then whether or not to build a village there¡­ but can you really build a village just like that? ¡°it¡¯s a bit different for a city, but for a small village, the process is relatively simple. you just need the right specialists, the initial investment, and the prospect of future revenue. if you can get all those, then you¡¯ll be able to hire mages to prepare the land.¡± [reinhart] ¡°the construction of a new farming village is a huge chance to certain people. for example, many farmer sons other than the first born don¡¯t inherit houses or fields from their parents. but if they were to participate in the construction of a new village, they might struggle at first, but in the future, they¡¯ll be able to get a house and a small parcel of fields to call their own.¡± [elize] there¡¯s no guarantee of success, but the odds are still much better than adventurer work. as for me, i¡¯d be glad as long as i could be of service to the duke and his family. if my slimes could help them, then i¡¯ll be happy both personally and professionally. while thinking that, the madam stiffened. ¡°what¡¯s the matter, elize?¡± [reinhart] ¡°weren¡¯t we having this discussion because we wanted to thank ryouma-kun? why did it become about our profit again?¡± [elize] ¡°¡­it just turned out like that¡­ again.¡± [reinhart] as they said that, they chuckled awkwardly. given the conversation we had just a moment ago and the similar experience i had recently, i could somewhat understand how they¡¯re feeling, but i don¡¯t think they have to mind it so much. the duke and his family sheltering me is already a huge help. even in my past life, authority was a convenient thing. yet that¡¯s made even truer in this world and in this country where the nobles have such great influence over everything. the security they provide just by sheltering me is something you can¡¯t buy with just money. ¡°you¡¯ve also recommended eleonora-san, so i¡¯m already receiving a ton of help from you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i understand how you feel. but from our perspective, just when we thought we¡¯d finally repaid our debt, we suddenly found ourselves even more indebted.¡± [elize] ¡°i appreciate how genuinely kind you are, but it¡¯s a bit unsettling. it would be unthinkable when negotiating with one of those black-hearted nobles.¡± [reinhart] ¡°i¡¯m glad that you trust me so much then.¡± [ryouma] when i sincerely said that, the madam and the duke laughed as though they¡¯ve finally relaxed, then they drank their tea. ¡°it¡¯s just that i don¡¯t think our current relationship is bad, so i don¡¯t want to destroy it by relying on your kindness too much.¡± [elize] ¡°i feel the same way.¡± [ryouma] ¡°fu fu. in that case, let¡¯s put off this matter for another time. forcing the matter to show our gratitude would be putting the horse before the cart, after all.¡± [elize] no one here disagreed with the madam¡¯s opinion. i too hope that we¡¯ll be able to maintain such a good relationship. i also promised to talk to them if anything were to come up. ¡°well then, i suppose that¡¯s about it for the secret part of our conversation?¡± [reinhart] ¡°hyuzu and the others also want to talk to you before you leave for the great forest, so it wouldn¡¯t do for us to monopolize you. of course, that¡¯s only if you don¡¯t mind.¡± [elize] ¡°but of course. i also want to speak with them. as for me being a child of the gods, i don¡¯t really know how to talk to them about that. if i took the time to explain it in detail, there¡¯s a chance that the conversation won¡¯t end in a day.¡± [ryouma] it would be much simpler if i just told them that i transmigrated, but for that, they would have to know about earth, japan, and what kind of person i was in my previous life¡­ now that i¡¯m opening up, it turns out that there¡¯s actually so much i want to talk about that it¡¯s actually problematic. ¡°i guess i¡¯ll have to come up with a better summary for when i eventually talk to elia.¡± [ryouma] ¡°alright. at that time, i¡¯ll be sure to give you plenty of time to talk to her.¡± [elize] like that the secret part of our conversation ended peacefully. reinhart-san closed the lid of the magic tool, and the spell blocking the sound was dispelled. he spoke loudly to announce that we were done, and everyone waiting in the other room came. i spoke with them after that. rosenberg-dono gave me a medical certificate, then we discussed about the purification of miasma for when i come back from the great forest. he was a bit surprised at that, but he happily promised to cooperate. he was a lot more agreeable to the idea than i¡¯d expected. turns out there weren¡¯t many shamans and exorcists despite the high demand, leading to a persistent shortage of manpower. i spoke to lady eleonora again, and as expected, she had been forcing herself. a defensive spell to deal with the curse had already been erect, so she no longer felt uncomfortable with me, but she looked unhealthy. when the matter about her working as my secretary was brought up, however, she immediately asked me for work. there are times when it¡¯s hard for someone to endure ¡®not doing anything¡¯, so i gave a few simple tasks, but i would honestly much prefer if she just rested. the four guards were the same as ever. they were worried when they heard that i¡¯d been cursed, but they were quickly relieved upon seen me so lively. we spoke about the great forest, my future plans, and their current situation, and just like that the time happily passed. ¡°you take care now.¡± [hyuzu] ¡°be sure to contact us as soon as you come back, alright?¡± [camil] they left before the sun set. our parting words were short, but their encouragement and wishes for my safety were properly conveyed. i was sending them off, but at the same time, they were sending me off as well. it was a strange feeling. ¡­with this, everything was ready. and at last, i could go to the great forest without worry. when everything is done, i¡¯ll come back home here. Chapter 302.1 - Chapter 302: The Search in the Great Forest Begins (1/2) chapter 302: the search in the great forest begins (1/2) ¡°so this is the great forest of shurus.¡± [ryouma] after meeting up with reinhart-san and the others at the forest of gana, i journeyed southeast. it has been ten days since then, and at along last, i¡¯ve arrived at the entrance of the great forest. i¡¯d gathered as much information as i could, but seeing the great forest for myself was another thing altogether. it was like seeing a whole new world. i stood there right by the border of the forest. trees surrounded me from all around, and every one of them was thick enough that i would need 10 of myself with arms stretched out to form a circle around one. i approached a tree and looked at it from up close, and really, it was more like a wall than a tree. it was probably about 40 meters tall. that was plenty impressive on its own, but what was surprising was that it was actually but a young tree. going deeper into the forest would reveal trees more ancient and bigger, their height reaching up to a hundred-and-fifty meters, while the diameter of their trunks could reach 40 meters. by then, it was doubtful if i could even see the top of these trees. at the very least, i thought my sense of distance had gone crazy from when i first saw the great forest from a distance. the vines and leaves wound around the trees were unmistakably tropical. there was an abundance of moisture and heat on my skin, and i could feel the air clinging onto me with dampness. but when i looked behind me, what greeted me was a picturesque landscape of grasslands and mountains. there were no colossal trees, no tropical vegetation, and the air was that much less humid too. everything was so different just a few meters away ¨C the climate, the flora, the smells, even the sounds of insect chirping. every conceivable thing i could perceive with the five senses had completely changed. that rapid change in climate accompanied by the dense wall of trees truly made it seem as though there was a whole new world inside the great forest. ¡­fernoberia-sama had described it as something akin to an experiment, so i guess it¡¯s something like a greenhouse or a miniature garden. ¡°anyway, i should be going.¡± [ryouma] i can¡¯t be standing around forever. i stepped into the jungle while being mindful of my surroundings. other adventurers pass through this area, so there was still a road here. however, it was basically just a narrow animal trail with large leaves and hanging vines dangling from both sides, so i need to be careful¡­ the trees here are gigantic, so the space between their trunks are much wider than you¡¯d expect. doesn¡¯t seem like i¡¯ll have any problem swinging weapons here. at least, not when compared to being inside caves, ruins, and buildings. ¡°! ¡ºdetection ¡»¡± [ryouma] not even five minutes after i started to walk, a quiet sound like that of something rustling through the grass reached my ears. i immediately used a wave of mana to scan my surroundings, and i learned that numerous creatures were swiftly moving through the grass in an attempt to surround me. there were 10 of them all in all. ¡°well, that was fast.¡± [ryouma] ¡°gyah!!¡± [???] from out of the left thicket leaped out a claw, but i dodged it, and as we passed each other, i struck it down with a single blow. the stench of fresh blood spread throughout the surrounding area, and a shadow somewhat smaller than a horse fell to the ground. it was none other than the monster beast that looked like a carnivorous dinosaur, raptor. ¡°gyah!¡± [raptor 2] ¡°gyaah!!¡± [raptor 3] i might have cut down one of them, but the next ones came right away. the raptors were relatively small for a monster beast, but they were clever. the first one killed its own aura in hopes of taking me by surprise, but as soon as it failed, the rest of the pack knew that the jig was up, and they immediately changed their approach to take advantage of their numbers. powerful jaws and claws came at me one after another. it was a simple approach, but it was problematic how effective it was. ¡°gururururu¡­¡± [raptor 4] ¡°gyah!¡¡gyah!¡± [raptor 5] ¡°gii!¡± [raptor 6] it was one man against a pack of hungry dinosaurs. their green flesh blended well with the surroundings, making it difficult to spot them, but there was no reason to force an attack from my end. i could just calmly deal with the ones attacking. and indeed, attacks came at me from every direction, but i just dodged or parried or lopped off their head as my blade returned along its course. before anyone knew it, raptor corpses had begun to pile up. that appeared to have made them realize that they were in danger, and they immediately turned around and scattered away like baby spiders. ¡°it took five raptors before they retreated.¡± [ryouma] is that fast or slow?¡¡well, in any case, they seem to retreat after being beaten hard enough, but at this rate, i¡¯ll run out of stamina. raptors aren¡¯t the only monsters here. i need to be careful¡­ anyway, i better collect my spoils. ¡°dimension home.¡± [ryouma] while remaining vigilant of my surroundings, i used dimension home to summon grave slimes and get them to collect the corpses. it¡¯s considered good etiquette among adventurers and hunters to bury or burn the unnecessary parts of their prey. after all, leaving corpses unattended would become a source of illness or attract other dangerous creatures. though from what i¡¯ve learned beforehand, it appears that that¡¯s not really a thing here in the great forest, and you can just leave the corpses you find on their own. the place is crawling with predators already, so there was no attracting them in the first place, and even if you don¡¯t leave corpses behind, the place was bound to be littered with them from all the fighting between monsters. if people had to waste their time dealing with every corpse they found or made, they¡¯d be out of time and stamina before they knew it. it was risky too, but¡­ i just can¡¯t bear to leave my kills behind. Chapter 302.2 - Chapter 302: The Search in the Great Forest Begins (2/2) chapter 302: the search in the great forest begins (2/2) ¡°¡­again?¡± [ryouma] perhaps drawn by the scent of blood, another pack came, but it was twice as big and numbered 20 raptors strong. understandably, i couldn¡¯t accomodate so many so soon. ¡°¡ºfear ¡»¡± [ryouma] ¡°shaaa!?¡± [raptors] ¡°oh, it worked. that¡¯s good.¡± [ryouma] that¡¯s the spell i used on the examiner from the adventurers guild that made him faint and pee himself. apparently, it was effective on monsters too, as the pack pursuing me fled all at once. if it works, then i might as well just rely on it to get rid of any monster that finds me. ¡°oh, but¡­ they were the sort of monsters to group up together, weren¡¯t they? in that case, i should¡¯ve formed a contract with them.¡± [ryouma] if i¡¯d done that, then i might have been able to make my way on raptor-back. then again, they¡¯re fast because they¡¯re light for their size and not very strong, so i doubt a raptor could move quickly while carrying me. i also haven¡¯t undergone training to be able to ride an unsaddled mount. the scale of a reptile seems slippier too. the advantage might not actually be able to outweigh the disadvantages. ¡°oh, thank you for collecting them. you guys really are convenient.¡± [ryouma] i studied the grave slimes while i was preparing for this trip, and i found out that not only could the enshrine remains store the corpses of living creatures, it also had the effect of delaying decomposition. the goblins are already waiting inside the dimension home, so they can work together with the slimes to handle everything from the dressing to the storing. it¡¯s a lot of work for one person to do, so it¡¯s really a load off my back to have their help. ¡°i¡¯ll be counting on you in the future too, okay?¡± [ryouma] after thanking the grave slimes, i sent them back to the dimension home and went along my way. suddenly, it started pouring as though someone had flipped over a bucket. ¡°whoa! it was so abrupt that it completely took me by surprise. the environment might actually be a bigger problem here than the combat.¡± [ryouma] the trelle canyon was plenty problematic, but this place was on a different level, what with its tropical heat, humidity, and these squalls that came so abruptly. i¡¯d already erected a barrier to deal with the rain beforehand, so i didn¡¯t get wet, but visibility was poor, and i couldn¡¯t hear well from all the rain either. in other words, right now there¡¯s no telling when an enemy might approach¨D¨D ¡°yeah, this is quite a bit more dangerous than my initial impression.¡± [ryouma] ¡°shaa!?¡± [raptor] true enough, the raptors approached once again. it was under the cover of the rain this time, but i nonetheless sent them back as usual with dark magic. i¡¯m not just relying on my five senses but my mana perception and my slimes too, so i was able to deal with them. i bet i¡¯d be on pins and needles now were i still reliant on just my eyes and ears. good thing schieber-san and the others taught me a lot when we were at the town of departed spirits. in that short time where i felt gratitude for the adults, the rain stopped. the ground was all muddy from the rain, so it was hard to walk, and it took a lot of effort just to lift my feet. however, the situation still wasn¡¯t that bad because i¡¯d taken precautions against the rain and erected a barrier beforehand. if not for that, my clothes would be heavy by now, and the wetness of my clothes would take away my warmth too. the grass around me were also inhabited by poisonous insects and leeches, so the use of insect repellent was recommended, but with how fierce that rain was just now, any insect repellent would have just been washed away if not for my barrier. injuries, exhaustion, heatstroke, low body temperature¡­ this truly is a harsh environment befitting its reputation. ¡°still¡­ it¡¯s amazing how they were able to change the environment to this extent.¡± [ryouma] these trees, which are large enough to fill your sight without having to face them, resemble the trees in earth known as giant sequoias. they¡¯re known here as heat emitting trees, however. true to the name, these trees emit heat, oxygen, and carbon dioxide as part of their photosynthesis and growth. they are the culprit behind the creation of this environment. just one tree can¡¯t produce that much heat, but when so many are clustered together, this is the result you get. before long, that humid and sauna-like heat will attack again, transforming into an updraft to produce cumulonimbus clouds, leading to yet another squall. it¡¯s an endless cycle. moreover, under certain conditions, these trees can grow beyond their habitat just like an invasive species of sort. ¡°¡ºfear ¡»¡± [ryouma] ¡°gyahh!¡± [raptor] ¡°they just keep on coming. no wonder the usual recommendation is to come as a small group. this would be tough for a normal person.¡± [ryouma] the monster beasts at the great shurus forest are aggressive, so they will readily attack even if the group is big, so a bigger group is more at risk of being spotted by the monsters and attacked. of course, that¡¯s plenty dangerous, but¡­ to the people operating here in the great forest, there are two more risks. one is that the monsters of the great forest might come out of the forest, and the other is that the forest itself might expand and encroach into the surrounding areas. it¡¯s harsh, but anyone who dies here only has their lack of skills to blame. and that would be the case if it¡¯s a problem that relates only to the adventurer that willfully entered this dangerous place. however, if an adventurer fails to defeat a monster beast and ends up leading them outside, there¡¯s a chance that other people might get caught up with his mess. the monster beasts of this forest prefer the weather here, so they normally won¡¯t go outside, but it¡¯s another story if there¡¯s a prey that they¡¯re chasing. what¡¯s more is that these monster beasts have feces that contain the seeds of the heat emitting trees, so if a large number of monster beasts were to leave the great forest, there¡¯s a good chance that the forest will expand. it is with the cooperation of both monster beasts and vegetation that this place has been kept free of human influence this whole time; which is why, the great shurus forest is also known as the forest of retribution. the adventurer guild¡¯s requirement of a c-rank or higher to enter is a reflection of their concern ¨C and by extension, the country¡¯s ¨C that the forest might expand. but that is just as fernoberia-sama planned. the fact that there¡¯s no end to the humans that insist on entering might be a testament to humanity¡¯s curiosity or greed¡­ that includes me, of course. ¡°¡ºhide ¡»¡± [ryouma] i wonder if this will work. using the spell i learned directly from remilie-san, i concealed my presence and pushed forward without slowing down. my first destination is the base that adventurers independently established for their operations in the forest. they have several bases, but the number decreases the deeper you go. the distance between each also increases. my final destination, cormi village, is actually way past the last base, but as the saying goes, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first. the first base is supposed to be a few hours away if there are monster beasts in the way, but i say we go there all at once. i¡¯ll take this opportunity to warm up too. step by step i traversed the roads into a world full of danger and the unknown. i could tell that much with my body and skills, but what i felt was not fear but anticipation. not only was i not tense, my steps were incredibly light. tl note: the site had an issue recently and had to be fixed. for some reason, the old theme no longer works, so we¡¯ve taken to using this new theme. the previous and next buttons don¡¯t work correctly, and the dark mode is absent for now, but that¡¯ll hopefully be fixed eventually. for now, the site is serviceable. Chapter 303.1 - Chapter 303: Customs in the Great Forest I (1/2) chapter 303: customs in the great forest i (1/2) a few hours after entering the great forest¡­ there had been no mishaps along my way, so i was able to make a lot of progress, and in fact, i could already see the base of the adventurers from a distance. the area around the base had been cleared of the dense and overgrown grass. in fact, even the giant trees have been cut down, so it stood out amidst the sea of tress for being so open. the base was also surrounded by thick walls seemingly cemented ¨C perhaps constructed with the help of magic ¨C and while i couldn¡¯t see inside, the size of the base was more than worthy of admiration. as a result, however, the entrance seemed small in comparison. it was about as big as those double doors you¡¯d expect from the larger stores. adventurers could be seen working around the city to maintain the environment nearby. ¡°i better get ready¡­¡± [ryouma] the curse i¡¯m afflicted with isn¡¯t really that big of a deal, but i¡¯m all alone right now, so it would be best for me to avoid needless trouble. as such, i applied my countermeasures before meeting anyone. first, i dispelled my hide skill, which i used to hide my presence from the monsters, then i deployed holy space all around me. that was it. simple but effective. normally, you¡¯d use the light magic, dispel, to undo a curse, but the curse i¡¯m afflicted with is too powerful for humans to dispel. the curse also influences others in an area of influence with me as the point of origin like an aura, so rather than trying to dispel it, it¡¯s actually more effective to cut off the area of influence or weaken it. ¡°!?¡¡oh, it¡¯s just a kid¡­ wait. a kid?¡± [adventurer 1] ¡°hey, look.¡± [adventurer 2] ¡°why¡¯s a kid at a place like this¡­¡± [adventurer 3] ¡°he walked alone? all the way here?¡± [adventurer 4] ¡°maybe he¡¯s an elf or dwarf, and he¡¯s just short or looks young?¡± [adventurer 5] ¡°even if that were the case, coming alone to a place like this is a bit¡­¡± [adventurer 1] ¡°he¡¯s not secretly a new type of monster beast, is he?¡± [adventurer 2] i canceled hide, so of course they¡¯d notice me, but what¡¯s with this reception? are my countermeasures working properly? they¡¯re really on guard. well, they are just looking at me from a distance and making a commotion all by themselves, though. it¡¯s not like they¡¯re being particularly hostile, but it still feels bad. i better not do anything that will set them off and just hurry up and get past the gate already. or at least, that¡¯s what i was thinking, so i sped up my gait, but then a pack of raptors suddenly appeared from behind. ¡°raptors!¡± [adventurer 1] ¡°another pack¡¯s coming! be careful!¡± [adventurer 2] ¡°damn it! how many times does this make it already!?¡± [adventurer 3] ¡°what the hell is happening to the great forest!?¡± [adventurer 4] ¡°enough talk! shoot them!¡± [adventurer 5] the adventurers panicked and immediately got ready to meet the approaching pack, but¡­ they seemed anxious. i better just get rid of the raptors all at once with dark magic. so i turned around and glared at the raptors. ¡°gijaa!?¡± [all raptors] good. it¡¯s effective. it¡¯s become routine after using it so many times along the way that i even managed to cast it easily chantless. the raptors turned around and ran away at roughly the same time. a few even tumbled in the process, but they nonetheless turned around properly and chased after their fleeing kin. ¡°¡­they ran?¡± [adventurer 1] ¡°did that kid do that?¡± [adventurer 2] ¡°well, i can¡¯t think of any other explanation. anyway, the monsters are gone, so let¡¯s go back to work.¡± [leader] one of the adventurers was calmer than the others. maybe he¡¯s their leader or something? either way, he told the others to go back to work. i was thinking it would be better to say hi at least, but since they didn¡¯t look like they wanted to be bothered, and i didn¡¯t want to either anyway, i decided to just pass by them and head for the gate. a few steps later, the gate opened to welcome me. ¡°new face, huh. hurry up and enter.¡± [soldier] as the gate opened from inside, a rustic soldier emerged. he was the one who opened it, and he opened only half of the gate. he was probably still wary of the monster beasts, as he opened the gate to be just big enough to let one person pass. i quickly passed through the gate, and he too quickly closed it. countless gazes poured onto me. past the gate was apparently a huge room. they must¡¯ve used the heat-emitting tress, for seemingly expensive tables made out of one large plank each were lined up, and on them could be found liquor and food. from how they were dressed, many of the people gathered around the tables were adventurers. they must¡¯ve been enjoying the drinks and food just earlier, but now, they were quietly evaluating me. regardless, the place felt less like a fortress and more like a tavern. ¡°go to the table by that corner first. first timers need to provide proof of their identity and go through the process. it¡¯s a hassle, i know, but it¡¯s policy.¡± [soldier] ¡°i understand.¡± [ryouma] as the saying goes, when in rome, do as the romans do, so i did as instructed and went straight to the table. a man was there dressed in the same armor as the soldier that opened the door for me. when he noticed me, he used one hand to beckon me¡­ his other hand was occupied with a mug. with how flushed his face was, the mug was obviously filled with liquor. ¡°have a seat.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°excuse me.¡± [ryouma] ¡°alright, let¡¯s get you sorted out. don¡¯t worry. it¡¯s not much, just a few questions is all. you¡¯ll be cleared after our little chat. oh, and don¡¯t worry about my beer mug. i¡¯m off-duty.¡± [soldier 2] he must¡¯ve noticed me looking at his mug, as he promptly offered an explanation with a faint smile. why is he working if he¡¯s off-duty, though. is that okay? Chapter 303.2 - Chapter 303: Customs in the Great Forest I (2/2) chapter 303: customs in the great forest i (2/2) ¡°sorry to bother you when you¡¯re on the break.¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh, it¡¯s nothing to apologize for. this tavern is the entrance to the city, a place specifically meant to gather those able to fight, so regardless if it¡¯s for work or play, guards and adventurers alike can usually be found here. that¡¯s why ¨C and i know this doesn¡¯t sound good ¨C but¡­ these procedures that are basically just for show are usually handled by whoever is available. in the first place, it¡¯s rare for us to get a new face. by the way, do you want to eat? it won¡¯t be my treat, but you can eat meat and even drink liquor here as long as you have the money. purchasing weapons and armor, or paying for their repair is also possible.¡± [soldier 2] based off the working conditions here and the attitude of this guard, he seems to be telling the truth. despite being right within the dangerous great forest, none of the people here appear troubled. in fact, they were eating even better than your typical restaurant or tavern in the city. ¡°unexpected?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°yes. i thought for sure you¡¯d be struggling with the transport of goods, and that that would have affected the food here too.¡± [ryouma] ¡°that would be the case as you go deeper into the forest, but this base here is a trading hub. it¡¯s the closest base outside, so the merchant guild and the dragoon guild regularly send people here to trade for the materials from the forest, so you won¡¯t have any problems finding something to eat or drink. of course, it¡¯s a bit expensive because of the transport costs, but¡­ that¡¯s not a problem to you, is it?¡± [soldier 2] the man grinned at me then gulped down his drink. he doesn¡¯t act like a guard at all, not in the way he drinks or the way he conducts himself. ¡°if you don¡¯t mind my asking, how did you come up with that evaluation?¡± [ryouma] ¡°well, there¡¯s all sorts of hints, from the air about you to the way you conduct yourself, but one giveaway is how clean your clothes are.¡± [soldier 2] this base might have been the closest outside, but it was still a several-hour walk. a walk that had to be done under the rain and the intermittent attacks of the monster beasts. that¡¯s why most adventurers would arrive dirty even with sufficient preparation. ¡°you got some mud and blood on you, but other than that, you¡¯re not even wet. that could only mean that you either have the strength to deal with the monsters here, or you have a method to avoid fighting them. however, even if you did avoid the battles, you didn¡¯t run, and you most certainly did not hide in the thickets. am i right?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°yes. it is exactly as you say.¡± [ryouma] ¡°stuff like this comes to you naturally once you¡¯ve been here for a long time.¡± [soldier 2] as he said that, he turned to the side, and as i followed his gaze, i saw several adventurers raise their mugs while laughing. they seemed to be welcoming me, so i bowed in response. ¡°it¡¯s common sense for anyone searching the forest to end up covered in mud and blood. no matter how much you prepare beforehand, problems are bound to pop up. that¡¯s a truth that everyone here learns sooner or later. that¡¯s why someone like you who arrives clean attracts so much attention. it¡¯s also a sign that you¡¯re someone we can expect much from. people like you are welcomed with open arms. as for those that are not like you¡­ well, since you came just now, you saw those guys outside, right?¡¡they¡¯re new faces just like you, but they¡¯re no good. now, they¡¯re not bad since they did manage to come this far, but they¡¯re not cut out for the forest.¡± [soldier 2] apparently, they¡¯d just barely managed to reach this place, and now, they can¡¯t go back on their own, so they¡¯ve been trying to hitch a ride with the traders. unfortunately, those guys also came here for work. they only had so much space for accommodation, and every bit of it was money, so there was no way they could take them with them for free. that¡¯s why, in order to cough up the payment for that, those guys had no choice but to work under a veteran of the great forest, cutting grass and trees. ¡°people like that aren¡¯t unusual for newcomers, and work like that is necessary for the maintenance of this place, but honestly, the pay sucks. it might pay enough to support a commoner¡¯s family of four outside, but with the living expenses here, that amount of money is just change. if you have the skills and can move freely outside, then personally, i recommend gathering plants instead. there are a lot of precious herbs growing just nearby. even the ones considered common here can be a valuable research material to botanists outside, so even those can sell for a good price. also, though it won¡¯t make you much money, you can easily gather the seeds of those heat-emitting trees too, perhaps as a souvenir or something. a little walk and you¡¯re bound to find some of their seeds or fruits on the ground, and if you hunt monsters, then you could find them from their stomach too.¡± [soldier 2] it might have been because of the influence of the liquor, but the guard spoke a lot, and he even told me about things i didn¡¯t ask him about¡­ but is it really a good idea to be gathering those seeds? ¡°hmm?¡¡what¡¯s the matter?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°i¡¯d heard that the heat emitting trees tend to be invasive, so i was wondering if gathering their seeds would really be a good idea.¡± [ryouma] i had heard that it wasn¡¯t prohibited to take their seeds out. but to be more precise, i couldn¡¯t find any specific warnings against the act. i¡¯d paid a decent sum to the adventurers guild for the information, so it should be accurate. also, i¡¯m not that particular about it, but in my previous life, there was something called ¡®the invasive species act¡¯, so¡­ ¡°ah, you misunderstand. the heat-emitting trees are only invasive here in this forest and in the surrounding areas. it can¡¯t grow unless the climate is hot and the soil is abundant with mana. it¡¯s exceedingly rare for it to grow outside of the great forest. even if they did manage to sprout, they can¡¯t grow big, and they¡¯re not like treants that will smack you when you get too close either. in other words, they¡¯re just trees.¡¡they might be a bit hard, but if you really wanted to, you could still cut them down. it¡¯s also rare for monsters in other territories to attack as frequently as raptors do.¡± [soldier 2] indeed, even ordinary plants need to meet specific temperatures and conditions to grow. perhaps, upon considering the characteristics of the heat-emitting trees, the environment here, and the monsters here as well, the authorities came to the conclusion that the trees would be manageable if planted outside. ¡°anyhow, that¡¯s what the bigwigs of the country and the guilds decided. for the past 10 years, we¡¯ve been containing the expansion of the forest by just regularly harvesting the saplings. there¡¯s no need to forcefully reclaim the great forest when we can just focus on maintaining the status quo, you know. besides, not only do the authorities not regulate these seeds, nobles would even send merchants to buy them up.¡± [soldier 2] some were plant enthusiasts, while others just wanted something rare, but regardless, there would occasionally be such nobles who would cough up big sums just to grow these trees. well, the heat-emitting trees are unique to the great forest, so i guess that¡¯s not that unusual. what¡¯s unfortunate is that for most of these nobles, they either gave up midway due to how unprofitable of an endeavor it was, or ended up losing big because they couldn¡¯t cut their losses and ended up just pouring more and more money into it. most of their expenses appeared to be due to the magic medicine used to stimulate the growth of the seeds, but if it were me, i¡¯d probably be able to grow them even outside. we have a ton of scavenger slime fertilizer because of the garbage processing plant. they are usually used for food production or fed to the slimes to be processed, but there¡¯s just too many, and the excess is stored in the abandoned mines. the situation is far from becoming a problem just yet, but¡­ if these trees are in such demand, and it¡¯s not illegal, then i might as well try my hand at growing them. of course, i¡¯ll have to take care not to let them multiply too much. ¡°anyway, that¡¯s how it is, so don¡¯t worry about the complicated stuff and just make as much money as you can since you¡¯re capable and all. more importantly, we should be wrapping this up. show me your guild card and tell me why you came here.¡± [soldier 2] the man suddenly said as though he¡¯d just remembered that we were in the middle of an interview, then he picked up a small notepad that had been casually tossed onto the table. it was curious how useful the content written on that notepad of his was. it was also doubtful that it was being supervised properly, but in any case, it¡¯s no skin off my back, so i decided to just answer honestly. ¡°here¡¯s my guild card. i¡¯m here to visit cormi village.¡± [ryouma] ¡°ryouma takebayashi¡­ destination¡­ cormi village¡­? where is that? it¡¯s probably a village that¡¯s been swallowed up by the forest already, but i don¡¯t remember it.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°to be more precise, it¡¯s located at¨D¨D¡± [ryouma] ¡°did you say cormi village just now? what a nostalgic name.¡± [???] just as i was about to explain to the guard, a voice suddenly called out from behind. when i turned around, there was an old man standing there with three mugs in each hand. tl note: i¡¯ve removed the old previous-next buttons for now and have installed a pair of arrows in their place. those should be properly contained to the respective series of the novels, so you shouldn¡¯t be getting a different series when pressing the next arrow button anymore. also, the other chapter that wasn¡¯t showing up on the toc for tmpg reboot should be showing now. Chapter 304.1 - Chapter 304: Customs in the Great Forest II (1/2) chapter 304: customs in the great forest ii (1/2) ¡°stem-jii-san, do you know about it?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°yeah, it¡¯s a story from so long ago i don¡¯t even remember when i last heard of it¡­ give me a sec.¡± [stem] the elderly man, which the soldier referred to as ¡®stem-jii-san¡¯, said that as he moved to a nearby table. for a moment, the thick leather of a beast¡¯s hide on his clothes looked like armor, but after a closer look, it was actually an apron. when he handed a mug to one of the adventurers, it became evident that he was working here as a waiter. ¡°he worked as an adventurer here in the great forest in his youth, and even after retiring, he¡¯s still here running a tavern. you couldn¡¯t ask for a more knowledgeable guy when it comes to the great forest than him.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°really, all that means is that i¡¯ve been here for a long time.¡± [stem] stem-san put down the mug, then he picked up a small chair without a backrest from nearby. with his other hand, he took out a smoking pipe from the front pocket of his apron, then he sat himself between me and the guard and lit the pipe before speaking. ¡°you wanted to know about cormi village, right?¡± [stem] ¡°yeah, i¡¯ve never heard of it before.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°that¡¯s not a surprise. i¡¯m not that particular about it myself, but cormi village was swallowed by the great forest about 40 years ago.¡± [stem] ¡°40 years ago? you mean it¡¯s even deeper than the front lines!?¡± [soldier 2] the soldier found himself raising his voice, and because of the words ¡®front line¡¯, all eyes gathered on us. that¡¯s probably referring to the deepest base in the forest. if cormi village is even further that, then it looks like i¡¯m headed for the part that¡¯s completely devoid of humans. a place considered dangerous even from the residents of this great forest. it¡¯s no wonder that so many eyes gathered on me. ¡°that¡¯s definitely the place. i was born in the village after that. there was a time when i lived at cormi village too, so i know where it is.¡± [stem] ¡°you¡¯ve lived at cormi village?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it was about 50 years ago¡­ the king then decided to colonize the forest right after he ascended the throne. soldiers were sent in droves and wreaked havoc in the forest, so my hometown, which was the closest to the forest, was quickly exposed to the forest¡¯s wrath. i evacuated before the place got completely overrun. what business could you have at a place like that?¡± [stem] ¡°i¡¯m going there to visit a grave and receive my inheritance.¡± [ryouma] he asked me for my reason, so i gave him the usual. when i did, though, the soldier opened his eyes wide in surprise. ¡°wait, you¡¯re from that village? but didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re coming here for the first time?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°it¡¯s my first time using a base in the forest, but it¡¯s not my first time in the great forest.¡± [ryouma] ¡°well, there¡¯s no way anyone could have interpreted your words in that direction. can anyone even survive out there?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°i wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s impossible.¡± [stem] it¡¯s no surprise that he¡¯s so doubtful, really. personally, i¡¯m more surprised that stem-san beat me to the punch. ¡°i¡¯m surprised there¡¯s still a survivor, but it used to be a trading hub like this base here. it took nearly 10 years before cormi village was swallowed by the forest too. it started out as a regular farming village, but they surrounded it with sturdy walls, dug deep and wide moats, and made preparations for defense long before it was devoured. a lord¡¯s mansion was built, and the royal and national forces were stationed there too. eventually, the village was abandoned, but there seemed to have been a plan to expand the village into a fortress city to colonize the forest and serve as a defense for the nation.¡± [stem] ¡°so, in other words¡­ there¡¯s more than enough land there for people to live in?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°well, the infrastructure is there at least, and the construction and fortification of facilities likely continued until the village was abandoned. moreover, in the decades after it was devoured by the forest, primarily around 40 to 30 years ago, it wasn¡¯t actually all that rare for people to travel in and out of the village. there was trade in forest materials and reparations from the kingdom they referred to as ¡®financial support.¡¯ there were also funds to develop an industry or something.¡± [stem] ¡°perhaps, you¡¯re referring to pepper? i wasn¡¯t related to it, but it was cultivated at the village.¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh, yes, that must be it. the climate changed when the village was engulfed by the forest, allowing for the cultivation of spices. because of that the village thrived. when money came, people gathered, and a robust defense system was established. in a sense, you could say that safety could be bought. well, at least up until 30 years ago.¡± [stem] ¡°did something happen 30 years ago?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°quit dawdlin¡¯¡± [adventurer} that came from one of the adventurers sitting at the nearby tables. i¡¯d noticed it earlier, but apparently, many of them had started using our conversation as entertainment for their drinking. ¡°¡­the country¡¯s plan to develop the forest failed. that meant casualties. not only did they fail to make progress, the vain struggle they put up caused the forest to one-sidedly expand instead. the pockets of us adventurers might have been lined up, but the country suffered grave losses.¡± [stem] ¡°ah~ when that happens the army and the noble soldiers will leave.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°exactly. adventurers, merchants, and the old villagers that have been there since stayed behind. many claimed that the absence of the military and the aristocrats actually made them feel at ease since they couldn¡¯t be pushed around anymore, and not having to pay a commission meant more money too¡­ there really were a lot of people with no sense of crisis.¡± [stem] that might be what they refer to as ¡®normalcy bias.¡¯ the national army withdrew, but they could just hire adventurers with money to replace the soldiers. no one cared even if the support funds paid by the country disappeared. they irrationally believed that they could prosper since they¡¯ve done so until now, but reality proved otherwise. stem-jii-san sighed along with his smoke, and everyone that was listening made an astonished face. ¡°i¡¯m sure you can tell already, but cormi village deteriorated rapidly. i still remember seeing those that stayed in the village trading goods with those from the new base, but the frequency and the number of people just kept decreasing. the last one i saw was 20 years ago. toward the end, they couldn¡¯t even complete the trade anymore, and they sounded more like extortionists. neither i nor the others could be bothered to help¡ª ah, sorry. i don¡¯t consider you, who managed to come here on your own, the same as those people, but regardless, i¡¯m sure you don¡¯t appreciate hearing people talk ill of your hometown.¡± {stem] ¡°i don¡¯t really mind. the village might have been my hometown, but i was mostly treated as an outsider by the villagers, so i have neither attachment nor any plans to stand up for them. after my grandparents, who picked me up and raised me, passed away, it was clear that i¡¯d only be treated as a villager when they needed something, and it felt like i was being exploited, so i took the risk and ran away from the village.¡± [ryouma] i mean, in the first place, i¡¯m not a villager, but of course, i¡¯m not about to tell them that. looks like as the village approached its demise, the people that remained really did treat my grandparents just as poorly as gayn and the others explained. i doubt there¡¯d be anyone still around that¡¯s acquainted with them though¡­ hmm? i wonder why, but for some reason, stem-san¡¯s gaze intensified as smoke leaked from his half-opened mouth. ¡°jii-san, is something the matter?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°oh, it¡¯s nothing special, but¡­ did you say grandparents just now? you¡¯re not referring to those two by any chance, are you?¡± [stem] ¡°eh!? could it be that you know my grandparents too!?¡± [ryouma] Chapter 304.2 - Chapter 304: Customs in the Great Forest II (2/2) chapter 304: customs in the great forest ii (2/2) i was so surprised that i unintentionally blurted that out. stem-san became thoughtful for a moment before answering. ¡°i don¡¯t know if the people we¡¯re thinking of are the same, but those two were definitely there. an old couple of a dwarf and a human that would show up from time to time in one of the bases in the great forest. they never did give a name, and right after meeting them, some kind of spell would be at work, and i would be unable to remember their voice or face clearly, so i don¡¯t even know much about their identity, really.¡± [stem] ¡°that¡¯s definitely them. my grandfather is a dwarf, while my grandmother is a human. they have some circumstances of their own. in fact, they¡¯ve never really spoken much to me about their past.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i see, well¡­ having a story ain¡¯t so strange around these parts. they were quite bold for someone in hiding, though, and the woman had a gentle demeanor, so i doubt they were bad people. no one, including me, tried to dig into their background. they were really scary when you messed with them wrong or just pissed them off. those two would often come from the forest depths as though they were just out on a walk or something, exchange a staggering amount of materials and supplies, then disappear back into the depths. when you¡¯re that strong, you¡¯re bound to be famous, but¡­ i see¡­ so they died, huh.¡± [stem] stem-san spoke as though he were reminiscing. he said those last words casually, then he got back up. ¡°can you drink?¡± [stem] ¡°yes.¡± [ryouma] ¡°i see, in that case, wait for a bit.¡± [stem] as he said that, he walked to the counter. ¡°from the way the conversation is going, i¡¯m guessing he¡¯s going to treat me to some liquor?¡± [ryouma] ¡°probably. i guess he means to treat you to a drink in place of a burial.¡± [soldier 2] according to the soldier, it wasn¡¯t rare for people here to die. it was normal for the person you were talking to yesterday to disappear the following day. and dying outside the base meant becoming food for some beasts, so it was hard to recover the body. as such, people who have gotten used to the great forest have already grown indifferent to death. just like stem-san. however that didn¡¯t mean that they didn¡¯t have any concept of burial. for such people, instead of a burial, they would instead drink while thinking of the person that has departed. though usually they would just drink a cup in remembrance of the deceased, then the next cups would be drank while thinking of their next hunt or their future plans. that might seem cold, but here in the great forest, over thinking the death of one¡¯s comrade could result in one¡¯s own death, so the people here adapted that sort of mindset. while we were talking like that, stem-san came back with 6 mugs. ¡°here.¡± [stem] ¡°oh! you¡¯re treating me too?¡± [soldier 2] ¡°i wouldn¡¯t mind if you paid.¡± [stem] ¡°what are you saying? it¡¯s considered good manners to gratefully accept when someone is treating.¡± [soldier 2] stem-san placed the mugs on the table quite heartily, so the contents swayed about. however, nothing spilled. i¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s beer or not, but the frothy foam at the top could serve as a lid. ¡°you have a drink too. cheers.¡± [stem] ¡°thank you.¡± [ryouma] the medicine slime in my bag didn¡¯t react, so i know for sure that the mug didn¡¯t contain anything medicinal or poisonous. i gratefully took one of the mugs, prayed for the souls of my grandparents, then clinked my mug with the other two¡¯s for a toast. as i took in the pleasant sound produced by the thick wood, i poured the contents down my throat, and a unique aroma wafted through my nostrils. it had a sweet fragrance with a hint of a unique and spicy aroma. it was complex and hard to describe, but it tasted great. there was a lot of foam at the top, so i thought it would be more carbonated, but that wasn¡¯t the case at all. it wasn¡¯t lukewarm by any means, but it wasn¡¯t cold either. as a result, i could drink it all up without pause. it didn¡¯t even take me 10 seconds to finish my drink. ¡°you drink pretty well, i see.¡± [stem] ¡°thank you very much. this liquor is easy to drink and is quite delicious.¡± [ryouma] ¡°this is a flavor unique to liquor stored in barrels made out of wood from heat emitting trees. they¡¯re a bit stronger, but there are also distilled spirits that have been aged for some years. they¡¯re strong and expensive, but your gramps used to gulp them down like they were water.¡± [stem] stem-san reminisced about the old times as he finished the remaining half of his drink, then he reached out for his second. ¡°i might be poking my nose where it doesn¡¯t belong, but make sure you retreat when you have too. don¡¯t be overcome by feelings. abandon your comrades if you have to. people who can¡¯t do that die right away. of course, it¡¯s your problem whether you die or not, but i don¡¯t like it, so if you realize you can¡¯t make it to the village, just come back. as long as you¡¯re alive, you can try again. also, you should unload your money and materials here before going.¡± [stem] after warning me like that, he finished his second serving, then as though he¡¯s said everything, he stood up, retrieved his mugs, then went back to work. ¡°huh, so he can say stuff like that too. you see some strange things once in a while.¡± [soldier 2] ¡°really?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yeah, as i¡¯ve told you, he¡¯s probably the one who¡¯s been here the longest. i¡¯m sure he wasn¡¯t lying when he said he doesn¡¯t like seeing people die, but i¡¯m also sure he¡¯s used to it. i don¡¯t know if it¡¯s just a whim of his, or because your grandpa and grandma helped him out or something, but it¡¯s rare to hear him give advice like that. he¡¯s a really unsociable guy, after all, though he¡¯s dependable when it comes to work¡­ well, he won¡¯t talk about it himself, though, so i wouldn¡¯t bother asking. now then, he¡¯s gone back as well, so i guess we can conclude our little interview here.¡± [soldier 2] as the soldier said that, he reached out for his second serving, and we continued to casually chat by ourselves. in the end, i decided to spend the night in this base. i was originally planning to just keep going until i made it to the next city, but i¡¯d ended up drinking because of the flow of the conversation. the liquor wasn¡¯t strong enough to get me tipsy after just 2 drinks, but just to be safe. fortunately, this base wasn¡¯t as desolate as i¡¯d heard, and the preventive measures on my curse seem to be working well too. like that, my first day in the great forest ended rather peacefully for how dangerous this place was supposed to be. the next day. i looked around the place yesterday and found that this base was actually a donut-shaped tunnel-like structure. the interior was subdivided into various shops and facilities necessary for daily life and for exploring the forest. there were very few windows to prevent the intrusion of magical beasts, so they had to rely on magical devices for the lighting. as for the air, it was circulated through ventilation ports. it felt kind of like the shops in a subway station, so it was actually kind of nostalgic. i don¡¯t know if the other bases are built similarly, but once i¡¯m done with my errands, it might not be a bad idea to come here regularly. while i was thinking that, i arrived at the exit in the exact opposite direction that i¡¯d arrived in. this place was also a tavern, and a good number of adventurers could be seen eating and drinking. all eyes gathered on me as soon as i entered. no one came up to talk to me, but it was probably rare to see a child walking around here in the great forest. it¡¯s also a small community, so rumor got around quickly. everyone here likely already knew that i¡¯m from the forest depths, and that i¡¯m planning to go to the front lines. i could see them speaking among themselves quietly, but they didn¡¯t seem to be filled with hostility or ill-will, instead, it seemed as though they were trying to asses me. i heard some of them starting a bet too. either way, there weren¡¯t any problems. the people here are probably just business-minded in general. they risk their and their comrades¡¯ lives in hopes of making it big, so they don¡¯t allow themselves to be swayed by emotion and just focus on abilities instead. should they acknowledge your skills, they¡¯ll accept you readily, but if they don¡¯t, then they won¡¯t even bother themselves with you. considering what kind of place this is, it¡¯s no wonder that they¡¯d develop such a strict set of values. after realizing that, although suspicious eyes would fall on me from time to time, i don¡¯t worry about it anymore. in the first place, people who doubt my abilities won¡¯t involve themselves with me to avoid getting caught up in my mess ¡­had i come to this place before meeting with the duke¡¯s family, i would have probably settled down here. that¡¯s just how relaxing this place is to me. ¡°oh? going already?¡± [ashton] ¡°ashton-san, good morning.¡± [ryouma] the soldier from yesterday was there by the exit. apparently, he was the gatekeeper here today. ¡°alright, i¡¯ll open it now.¡± [ashton] as the seemingly heavy latch was released, the door opened. just like yesterday, the door was opened only as much as necessary. ¡°be careful out there. let¡¯s go for a drink again when you come back.¡± [ashton] ¡°yes, i¡¯m going!¡± [ryouma] upon saying that, he laughed and closed the door. i heard the latch closing, then i continued along my journey and went deeper into the great forest. Chapter 305.1 - Chapter 305: Halfway Point (1/2) chapter 305: halfway point (1/2) after leaving the first base, four days passed in the blink of an eye, and i reached the front lines. travel has been smooth. i avoided monster encounters as much as possible and just focused on making my way into the depths of the great forest. my goals haven¡¯t changed, and neither has the scenery around me, still being a jungle everywhere. if i had to give one thing that did change in the scenery, it would be the heat emitting trees, which have been gradually getting thicker, resulting in bigger gaps between each tree. however, it¡¯s not really something you¡¯d notice unless you focused on it, so it¡¯s margin of error at best. other than that, there have been two significant changes. one, there are more monsters appearing now; more varied, and more powerful too. even the raptors, which i encountered on my very first day, have gotten bigger, and by yesterday, it¡¯s become common to encounter them in packs of 50. fortunately, i wasn¡¯t dumb enough to face them head-on. the other notable change is the bases. camping out in the wilds has gotten much more dangerous, so the distance between each base has gotten that much shorter, anywhere from taking a few hours on foot to a day. the bases were so close to each other that i passed through six bases in these four days, but only the first base felt livable. i could have stayed in the other bases too, of course, but only until the third base. the bases after that suffered from supply shortage and were noticeably deteriorated. above all, the residents were tense. in other words, the bases after the third were all lawless. in fact, the front-line base i¡¯m in right now is in such a terrible state, it can¡¯t even be called a village. the dwellings were at best makeshift huts or poorly made tents. defense primarily relied on the residents with someone erecting a barrier and another standing guard. there were wooden fences and barricades, but i doubt they¡¯d prove effective. ¡­ according to the guard, ashton-san, there are hardly any adventurers who make the front-line base their base of operations. while some people might venture deeper into the forest, they still usually operated in the vicinity of the first base. so the only ones that lived primarily in the despondently harsh and life-threatening front lines were either the exceptionally strong or the hardcore hermits. alternatively, they might have some circumstance keeping them from living elsewhere. ¡­as for why i¡¯m thinking that to myself right now, well¡ª ¡°c rank?¡¡hah! none of that stuff matters here!¡± [thug 1] ¡°this isn¡¯t a place for brats like you!¡± [thug 2] ¡°you brought some food with you, right? hurry up and bring it out.¡± [thug 3] ¡°this is our base. who gave you permission to enter?¡± [thug 1] ¡°it¡¯s too dangerous to proceed alone. i won¡¯t say anything bad, so be nice and come up with these uncles of yours¡ª¡± [old man] ¡ªthat¡¯s because i¡¯m currently in the midst of being harassed. at first, it was just three rough-looking men, clearly not respectable individuals. they blocked my way and started making baseless accusations. then upon hearing the commotion, an old man intervened to mediate and began a one-sided sermon. meanwhile, more and more people gathered until it eventually ended up like this. dealing with these sort of people directly is pointless. it¡¯s just a waste of energy, so it¡¯s better to just ignore them until they get it out of their system. in my previous life, i was often looked down upon rather than envied, but the answer to both is the same, so it¡¯s a minor difference. ¡°wow, you sure see strange things now and then.¡± [spectator 1] ¡°i don¡¯t know how things ended up like this, but it¡¯s over for that kid.¡± [spectator 2] ¡°of all things, he just had to be targeted by those three and that old man.¡± [spectator 3] ¡°wanna bet what happens to that kid? one raptor dried meat that he¡¯ll be killed by those three.¡± [spectator 1] ¡°in that case, i¡¯ll bet two that he¡¯ll be domesticated by that old man. he might just be a brat, but he should have some skills too. just killing him would be a waste.¡± [spectator 2] ¡°in that case, i¡¯ll go for the long shot. four dried raptor meat that the brat will run.¡± [spectator 3] ¡°hah! that¡¯s impossible!¡± [spectator 1] given the place, there were less than 30 people here all in all. most of them didn¡¯t say anything. i thought they were just observing from a distance, but from the laughter, it looks like they¡¯ve actually started to gamble. their stares and insults were filled with envy, dissatisfaction, hostility, and malice. it was palpable on the skin. for a moment, i wondered if it was because of the curse cast upon me, but it¡¯s probably not. the people here are probably just unpleasant people regardless. in hindsight, maybe it would have been better to have just taken a detour and moved ahead? but even a place like this served as a valuable landmark for navigating within the forest. there are no end to the stories of hikers who casually deviated from the normal route, thinking that a small difference wouldn¡¯t be a problem, only for them to meet with tragedy. and that¡¯s in the relatively safe mountains of japan. that¡¯s why i¡¯ve periodically left some stone slimes along the way to ensure that i¡¯ll be able to find my way back, as well as to help in case of emergency. in the worst case, i could just find my way back using dimensional magic. anyway, i figured there was no point in deliberately increasing the risk of getting lost, so i tried going through the official route, but as you can see. ¡°hey!¡± [thug 1] ¡°brat! you listening!?¡± [thug 2] ¡°i¡¯ll kill you if you look down on us!¡± [thug 3] ¡°you have to listen to your elders properly, you know. it appears that you¡¯re in need of disciplining.¡± [old man] while i patiently conserved my energy, they eventually ran out of patience and reached out for their weapons with a slimy smile. as their feet pressed into the muddy ground, a squelching sound echoed. in that moment¡ª ¡°don¡¯t just stand there, yapping! get out of the way!¡± ¡ªa loud voice resounded, drowning out all of the surrounding sounds. Chapter 305.2 - Chapter 305: Halfway Point (2/2) chapter 305: halfway point (2/2) while keeping an eye on the four in front of me, i turned my gaze toward the source. there stood an extraordinary man. with bright red hair that seemed to have been painted on, and a towering stature of over 2 meters in height, it was a giant of a man. that alone made him stand out, but what was even more unusual was his attire, being clad in nothing more than ordinary fabric clothing that offered no semblance of defense. we were technically still in base, but safety wasn¡¯t guaranteed here. the conditions were only marginally better than outside, so the individuals bothering me and those merely observing all had some form of armor on them. he alone was the exception. the only thing on him that indicated he was an adventurer was the enormous metal hammer he carried. just who could he be? ¡°g-glen.¡± [thug 1] ¡°tch, an annoying one showed up.¡± [thug 2] ¡°acting like he¡¯s all that just because he¡¯s s rank¡­ what do you want?¡± [thug 3] ¡°huh? glen the s rank?¡± [ryouma] could this person possibly be the adventurer that schieber-san was talking about? the one who achieved an s-rank solely through sheer physical strength? with how calm he is, it seems likely that he¡¯s powerful. however, his attire is filthy and tattered, and his hair and beard are both unkempt and uncared for. even the way he walked seemed more like that of a random middle-aged man¡­ i understand it¡¯s disrespectful of me to think so, but he appears more like a vagabond than an adventurer. could he be someone else with the same name? ¡°you¡¯re in the way, so get lost.¡± [glen] ¡°we¡¯re busy right now because this brat entered our territory without permission. you won¡¯t stand for that either, right?¡± [thug 1] ¡°hah? i don¡¯t give a damn. what he does with his life or whatever is his problem. as long as he doesn¡¯t get in my way, i don¡¯t care. besides, i came here all on my own too. you telling me you have a problem with me too? hah?¡¡you wanna fight?¡± [glen] ¡°tsk, i got it already.¡± [thug 1] thanks to the man called glen speaking up, the onlookers quickly scattered, as did the people bothering me silently parted to clear the way, so i took the opportunity to offer a brief word of thanks before making my exit. ¡°thank you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°hah? i wasn¡¯t trying to help you. they were just in my way when i¡¯m trying to go hunt. in the first place, it¡¯s not like you needed any.¡± [glen] he said with disinterest. then while muttering to himself how troublesome this whole thing was, he stretched himself, then in the next moment, moved at a ferocious speed. ¡°woah!?¡± [thug 1] ¡°peh!¡¡damn it!¡± [thug 2] ¡°he did it again!¡¡how many does this make it!?¡± [thug 3] glen-san sprinted away, and like a truck crashing into a puddle, mud was sent flying everywhere, showering me and the people around me in mud. from how they were reacting, however, this seemed to be a regular occurrence. there were quite a few things i was curious about, but leaving this place as soon as possible took priority, so taking advantage of the mud shower, i used dark magic and successfully escaped from the base. given how it¡¯s unlikely for there to be any decent bases left up ahead, i¡¯m going to just avoid the bases and minimize any contact with the adventurers here. this part of the forest is already unfit for human habitation. the only creatures left here are dangerous creatures. whether they look human or not is irrelevant. fundamentally, all the creatures here are the same. or at least, it would be better if i saw it that way. after that i continued to make my way through the forest for the next few hours. for some, walking relentlessly through an unchanging landscape might not be a pleasant task, but i¡¯m personally fond of quiet monotonous work like this as the day wore on and dusk approached, i decided to make preparations for camping before it got too dark. however, while i might refer to it as ¡°camping preparations,¡± i already had everything set up in advance within my dimensional home. not only did i have a bed ready, i even had a vegetable and poultry farm, so what i¡¯m about to do now is just to ensure my safety. ¡°this should be a good spot¡­ first, cutter tornado!¡± [ryouma] the entrance i chose for tonight¡¯s resting place is located slightly off the animal trail, near the base of a large tree, then i used wind blades to swiftly cut and blow away the vegetation in front of the tree. this spell is weaker than schieber-san¡¯s magic, but it does a good job as a grass cutter. ¡°next up is, ¡®dimension home¡¯. it¡¯s your turn, huge rock slime!¡± [ryouma] what i summoned with my dimension magic was none other than the emperor version of the stone slime. it¡¯s identical to the emperor slime in terms of abilities, but apparently, when stone slime get bigger, they go from big to big stone, then rock, then huge rock. it¡¯s probably just because it makes more sense to call them as such rather than calling them an emperor stone. or at least, i can¡¯t think of any other reason why they¡¯d be called differently. also, huge rock is so big that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for it to become a specialty product in some tourist mountain. ¡°just 20 seconds passed, but my makeshift house is already complete!¡± [ryouma] i positioned the huge rock slime accordingly, then i had it transform to create a space within its body. just like that, a sturdy one-room space surrounded by robust rocks in every direction was complete! it could also keep a watchful eye out on the surroundings, and should the situation call for it, it could create a completely enclosed space by sealing the entrance completely, so there¡¯s nothing to worry about at all about monsters attacking. should the need to flee arise, an entrance could also be created anywhere, making the slime ideal for camping and night watch duties! ¡°dimension home is certainly a convenient spell, but entering and exiting it can be dangerous.¡± [ryouma] it¡¯s incredibly useful, sure, but it¡¯s hard to grasp the situation outside without actually leaving it. if you¡¯re not careful, you might just find yourself smack dab in the middle of a monster beast horde. ¡°but if the entrance is covered by a slime, then there¡¯s naturally nothing to worry about anymore!¡¡¡­not that there¡¯s anyone here to hear me.¡± [ryouma] i became thoughtful. ¡°traveling by myself isn¡¯t particularly difficult, but i find myself speaking to myself a lot. that never bothered me when i was back in the forest, but¡­¡± [ryouma] enduring the temperature fluctuations of the forest for four days straight might have taken a bigger toll on me than i thought. it feels like the time has flown past by me, but i should already be past the halfway point to my destination. in that case, let¡¯s not push myself too much and retire for the day early today. Chapter 306.1 - Chapter 306: Monsters of the Great Forest (1/2) chapter 306: monsters of the great forest (1/2) i¡¯m starting a little later than usual today. i was able to get a lot of rest last night, so my health should be fine. i doubt those people from the front line base will go this deep into the forest. the path has completely disappeared by this point, and there are plenty of natural barricades here too from overgrown grass and vines. i¡¯ll have no choice but to cut through the jungle to continue. that¡¯s going to slow down my pace a lot and cost me more effort, but the monsters won¡¯t be considerate. ¡°gege!¡± [???] ¡°!¡± [ryouma] i grew alert as an unfamiliar sound approached from the distance. my mana perception picked up on a lone monster beast fast approaching, behind which was a large pack of raptors. ¡°geh, don¡¯t tell me¨D¨D¡± [ryouma] ¡°gegegegege!!!¡± [raptors] the moment i figured out what monster it was at the lead, a monster resembling an ostrich leaped out from the jungle, swiftly avoiding me without attacking. the raptors giving chase turned their attention to me. ¡°¡®paralyze mist¡¯ ¡®spark ball¡¯¡± [ryouma] taking the initiative, i cast a mix of poison and lightning spells. one was a spell that unleashed a poison mist that paralyzed instantly and the other was a spell that unleashed electric orbs. both were spells that covered a wide area and could act as a wall of sort to stop the approaching pack, but they weren¡¯t very effective. from what my mana perception picked up, the raptors that inhaled the paralysis-inducing mist certainly became sluggish, but it wasn¡¯t enough for them to stop. regardless, those raptors still couldn¡¯t dodge the succeeding electric attack. but that¡¯s just 30% of the pack. spark ball might be effective against humans, but it¡¯s not strong enough against monsters. still, 30% was a significant number. the raptors behind weren¡¯t as eager as the ones in front. they came to a halt after my first attack, then about half of the horde started to flee. only 20% remained. this won¡¯t be a problem as long as i play my cards properly. and so, i dealt with the enemy calmly while taking care to minimize the pain i afflicted. when everything was over, all that was left were the corpses and the scent of blood. ¡°fuu¡­ just counting the ones here, that¡¯s about 50. i wonder how many of them there were all in all. also, that was a take ostrich, wasn¡¯t it?¡± [ryouma] the take ostrich lives around these dangerous parts despite not having any combat ability. it relies mostly on its robust legs to survive, spreading the pheromones it releases everywhere. unfortunately, while its pheromones are meant to arouse, it also has the side effect of provoking other monsters. which is why it¡¯s known as ¡®the weakest yet worst monster in the jungle.¡¯ the reason for that is clear when you see it running through the trees while being chased by a massive pack of raptors. anyone that loses their nerve before that is sure to have a bad time. ¡°it¡¯s a waste, but i¡¯ll have to go ahead without taking any of the spoils this time.¡± [ryouma] the take ostrich likes to go back after awhile to scavenge the corpses, and it would be a huge problem if it provoked another horde of raptors in the process. after walking until just it was just past noon, a huge rock came to view. not a slime, by the way. ¡°there should be a lake southeast of that rock¡­¡± [ryouma] the directions to the village had been written in gayn¡¯s letter, so i double-checked it along the way. before long, the only vegetations left were the heat emitting trees, and my field of vision opened up. this is probably the lake that gayn and the others mentioned. ¡°more like a marsh though, no?¡± [ryouma] there were puddles and water plants here and there, but it¡¯s more like a damp marsh than a lake. of course, that didn¡¯t change the fact that it was hard to walk. it¡¯s not that deep just yet, but it¡¯s enough to reach up to my ankles. one step wrong and i can say goodbye to my footing. i¡¯ll be stuck too. there¡¯s no need to force my way here. let¡¯s use that. i called out the mud slimes from my dimension home and brought out that small boat i used for removing snow last year. i also got some tools that might be useful here. ¡°ready! let¡¯s go!¡± [ryouma] manipulating the mud with slime magic, i moved across the muddy swamp by relying on the turbid stream created by the mud slimes. the mud was heavier than water, so it wasn¡¯t as fast as what the water slimes could produce, but it was still fast enough. ¡°i guess the water one is more like a speedboat while this mud variant is more like a regular boat, not that i¡¯m an expert at boat speed or anything, mind you.¡± [ryouma] in any case, this is way faster than any walking i might have done on the marsh. i¡¯ve got plenty of mana recovery medicine with me too, so i might as well push all the way to the opposite bank. alas, it soon became clear that i won¡¯t be able to get there easily. ¡°this trip really isn¡¯t straightforward, is it!¡± [ryouma] something large was approaching me from in front, so i turned the helm to the left, and in the next moment, a jaw densely packed with teeth as big as human limbs shot out, followed by a head and a torso resembling a rock. it was a colossal 4-meter-long alligator, a c-rank galmos alligator. with its robust jaws, even a person in armor would be easily torn apart if caught. ¡°but my preparations are impeccable!¡± [ryouma] ¡°guafu!?¡± [galmos alligator] the alligator moved swiftly for me with its giant body, but i dodged it by teleporting the boat away. at the same time, i left behind some special sticky bombs. ¡°¡­!?¡± [galmos alligator] the giant alligator chewed on the sticky bombs a few times before pausing, unable to move its mouth, then it started thrashing about in the mud. alligators might have a powerful bite, but they¡¯re not so strong when opening their mouth. i was worried that the sticky bombs might not be as effective if swallowed or diluted by the saliva, but fortunately, it¡¯s working well. seizing the opportunity while it was paused in its confusion, i teleported right at the head of the galmos alligator and thrust a blade into its skull. its jaws were certainly a threat, but it wasn¡¯t a problem once you¡¯ve squeezed it into a pattern. i got my spoils for the hunt, and in the end, i was able to exit the marsh in four hours total. it seemed like a good stopping point, so i decided to end the day there. Chapter 306.2 - Chapter 306: Monsters of the Great Forest (2/2) chapter 306: monsters of the great forest (2/2) i thought i¡¯d gotten past the marsh already, but after an hour of walking, another marsh greeted me. what i¡¯d thought to be land turned out to be a mudflat. it kind of feels like going upstream the amazon river in south america, not that i have, mind you. either way, exploring the jungle meant either moving or fighting monsters, so i just silently continued along my way, and after another two hours of boating, it seems i finally got through the wetlands. ¡°!?¡± [ryouma] upon disembarking, i tried to put away the boat, but something felt off, and i leaped backwards. as the leaves rustled, something fell from the top of a tree. ¡°that¡¯s my luck for you.¡± [ryouma] mud splashed as that thing fell, and a body akin to a log could be seen wriggling on the boat. it was a giant green snake monster that looked like big enough to swallow several people whole. there were many snakes in the great forest, but the only monster i knew at this size was the a-rank ¡°immortal snake.¡± however, the habitat of the immortal snake should still be far. about a week¡¯s walk toward the central area in fact, but of course, now that it was here, that didn¡¯t matter anymore. ¡°let¡¯s just blame it on my bad luck.¡± [ryouma] the immortal snake seemed to react to my muttering, and it abandoned the boat and went straight for me. lifting its head, it shot out like a bullet. it was even faster than the galmos alligator, but i can handle this attack just fine. ¡°ku.¡± [ryouma] the only problem is its defensive strength and regenerative ability. i dodged and slashed at its body with my sword, but i failed to penetrate is as deep as i¡¯d like. its skin was just too tough. the immortal snake didn¡¯t seem particularly bothered by my attempt too, and now it was trying to coil around me and constrict me, so i used my ki-reinforced legs to jump out, then upon landing, delivered a powerful sword strike. this time, the blade sank deeper than before. i should have inflicted a reasonably deep wound, but it just retaliated with its tail. moreover, in the brief moment it took to evade and create some distance, the wound began healing rapidly. it¡¯s not impossible to fight it, but it¡¯s proving to be a handful. ¡°¡®tornado cutter¡¯¡± [ryouma] i cleared the surrounding grass to secure the battlefield, then to make sure i didn¡¯t get lost, i marked a nearby tree. ¡°shaa!!¡± [immortal snake] with a hiss, the creature began to move again. its attack method remained the same as before, lunging towards me. i¡¯ve already seen that attack once, so i skillfully dodged it and slashed out with a sword imbued with ice magic. ¡°kishaaaaa!?¡± [immortal snake] the efficacy of that chilling attack became evident quickly. the wound i¡¯d inflicted was shallower this time, but the immortal snake was clearly cautious and angry. looks like i¡¯ve been promoted from a prey to an enemy. ¡°shaaaa!¡± [immortal snake] i seem to have touched a nerve, as its attacks became relentless. it lunged and bit at me with more ferocity than before, incorporating coiling attacks while taking advantage of the surrounding trees to move unpredictably. the terrain here clearly favored the snake. while dodging its attacks, i continued to slash at the immortal snake with a sword imbued with the cold, but no matter how persistently i fought, i failed to land a fatal blow. at best, i was able to slow down its regeneration. it seemed futile to just keep slashing at its body, so¡­ ¡°ha!¡± [ryouma] ¡°shi!?¡± [immortal snake] i aimed for that moment when it transitioned from biting to coiling. i raised the sword overhead then swung it down with all my might at the approaching snake¡¯s head. i felt a slight resistance in my hands, but by using my ki, i forcefully completed the swing and successfully lopped off the head of the snake. however, even with that, the immortal snake did not breathe its last. ¡°shaa!?¡¡shaaaa!!!¡± [immortal snake] ¡°oh!?¡± [ryouma] surprisingly, the severed head was still alive and kicking. the detached body thrashed around wildly like worm on concrete. i had planned to crush the head immediately, but i had to distance myself to avoid being caught up in the erratic movements of its body. ¡°¡­what¡¯s wrong with its body?¡± [ryouma] upon closer inspection, the freshly severed head begun regenerating its body from the cut surface. i wouldn¡¯t have been so surprised if it just didn¡¯t die right away, but this much regenerative prowess is enough to make me suspect it to actually be a planarian? monsters can vary significantly in strength according to rank, and i¡¯ve heard that the difference is particularly pronounced for those ranks c and above. yet, whether it¡¯s the immortal snake or reinbach-sama¡¯s ignis dragon, these a-rank monsters are all proving to be terrifying creatures. meanwhile, the head regenerated its body to approximately the same size as the original. fortunately, the regeneration was centered around the head, and no new head grew on its original body. at this rate, this battle will never end. ¡°¡ºexchange ¡»¡±[ryouma] unable to make much headway with the sword, i reluctantly sheathed it and called forth a silver-colored short spear through dimension magic. it shone in silver and was about 1.4 meters long. it was none other than the special iron slime spear i had kept on standby in my dimension home. it was my trump card, a lethal spear specifically designed for the creatures of this world. ¡°i¡¯m sorry, but i can¡¯t play with you for long.¡± [ryouma] instinctively sensing danger, the immortal snake came to a halt. it spoke no words, but its level of alertness and hostility was clearly the highest so far. however, it refused to turn around. instead, it lifted its head several times and swayed from side to side before finally unleashing its final attack. ¡°¡ª!¡± [ryouma] it shot out like an arrow, but i dodged it then thrust out with my spear as it passed by. i let go of the spear. the immortal snake seemed uncertain about how to react to me losing my weapon. it glanced in my direction for a moment, but then it collapsed to the ground and began convulsing. that proved my trump card was effective, but my caution remained. it wasn¡¯t until i was sure that it was dead that i retrieved my spear. ¡°good job.¡± [ryouma] i spoke to the spear, and it broke form and reverted to that familiar iron slime. blood poured out of the wound that the spear had opened, then the bloody slime appeared. i¡¯d loaded the hollow core of the spear with the bloody slime, and upon thrusting the spear into the enemy, the bloody slime would treat itself to an eat-all-you-can buffet. what a nasty way to use these slimes if i say so myself. as long as they have blood coursing through their veins, there¡¯s probably no living creature in this world that can¡¯t be killed by this technique. but as powerful as it is, it¡¯s crucial to handle it with care due to the danger. moreover, relying on it too much might dull my skills. ¡°i¡¯ll use this spear only when the time calls for it.¡± [ryouma] i¡¯m still lacking in a straight up battle against a-ranks. i thought i¡¯d improved my combat magic in preparation for the jungle, but it seems i need more training. reflecting briefly, i loaded the bloody slime back into the iron slime spear. just as i was about to collect the corpse of the immortal snake before more monsters arrived, i sensed something approaching from the depths of the jungle. i readied myself for another battle, but¡­ ¡°! you¡¯re¡­¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh? aren¡¯t you that guy from before?¡± [???] what appeared from the jungle was not a monster but a familiar giant of a man. Chapter 307 - Chapter 307: Surprise chapter 307: surprise a giant man emerged from the depths of the forest with a hammer in hand. if the stories from the front line base were to be believed, then he should be glen, an s-rank adventurer. a formidable individual who has earned the moniker, rampaging dragon. a man who accumulated a long history of success and achievements just by relying on his sheer strength. i only know as much as i heard from the adults during our adventure at the town of departed spirits. but schieber-san said this back then, ¡®i was once called the strongest knight in history, but that man is most likely the strongest in the present.¡¯ apparently, schieber-san was glen-san¡¯s opponent for glen-san¡¯s match before the promotion, and he lost. he said that it was then that he felt his age affecting him and was one of the reasons why he started to consider retirement. if you ask me, you can¡¯t really compare them so simply since the way one fight¡¯s is bound to be different with a different weapon, though there¡¯s still no doubting that he¡¯s definitely stronger than the schieber-san i faced recently. i¡¯m meeting an s ranker like that for the second time. what should i do? ¡°did you hunt that snake?¡± [glen] the first thing he did was to look at the corpse by my legs. ¡°it attacked me. were you chasing after it?¡± [ryouma] ¡°no, it¡¯s just that this thing normally refuses to die. i¡¯ve fought it plenty of times myself, and it¡¯s always such a hassle. if you want to kill it, you¡¯d have to turn it into minced meat, and the meat and the hide will be a mess, so you can¡¯t even sell it for much. so i was just thinking how impressive it was that you were able to kill it so cleanly.¡± [glen] he seemed to mean that just that. he even walked around the corpse and observed it from different directions. ¡°alright, anyway, you mind if i hit you?¡± [glen] ¡°you think i wouldn¡¯t?¡± [ryouma] i found myself snapping back when he brought up that ridiculous proposal as though it were common sense. i¡¯m genuinely curious how he thought it was a good idea to ask something like that. i might have offended him somehow, or maybe my curse is at work here. so, i quickly used the chant of restraining and explained the curse to him. ¡°curses don¡¯t have anything to do with this. besides, i don¡¯t hate you. if anything, i¡¯d say i like you.¡± [glen] ¡°really?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yep. so let me hit you.¡± [glen] ¡°¡­you hit people you like?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s fun to fight strong people, right?¡± [glen] ¡°don¡¯t tell me that as if it¡¯s perfectly natural.¡± [ryouma] i can understand his words, but i can¡¯t understand his perspective. regardless, he just smiled at me without a care in the world. there was no malice or hostility in it either. it was a good smile that sincerely said he found me interesting. i see, this guy must be one of those people, the so-called battle fanatic. i¡¯ve gotten along with people from various walks of life, but it¡¯s my first time seeing a battle fanatic in the flesh. i¡¯m surprised to know that they even exist. ¡°why do i have to happen into a person as troublesome as this, and above all, in a place with no one around.¡± [ryouma] ¡°hey, you said that out loud.¡± [glen] oops, excuse me. ¡°you didn¡¯t look so interested a few days ago, though.¡± [ryouma] ¡°what¡¯s the point of someone who¡¯s just wandering aimlessly at an area like that?¡± [glen] i see. so by his standards, the people from that base were all small-fries with no worth. that included me too, at least, until today that is. after all, i was able to make it this far, and i was even able to slay an immortal snake. ¡°so you renewed your opinion of this small fry?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it¡¯s good that you understand. let¡¯s do this!¡± [glen] ¡°i didn¡¯t say i¡¯d fight you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°what¡¯s wrong with you, man. is your head screwed on right? tsk, just one time. just one time is fine, right?¡± [glen] can¡¯t he pick a topic with a bit more common sense? ¡°you don¡¯t mind if i fight back, right?¡± [ryouma] while i do wonder if there¡¯s a need to engage in such a one-sided encounter, dealing with the situation directly also seems like a hassle. i might as well fight him a little to satisfy him and get him to go home. if he attacks me seriously, then i¡¯ll treat him like any monster or human. being an s rank changes nothing. there¡¯s a part of me that¡¯s not satisfied with that, but let¡¯s just get this over with. that¡¯s what i had in mind when i said that, but apparently, what i said resonated with him more than i thought. ¡°but of course! i didn¡¯t tell you to stand there, do nothing, and get hit. how¡¯s that any fun?¡± [glen] ¡°there¡¯s no other way, huh.¡± [ryouma] exasperated, i threw away the spear i had in hand. ¡°you¡¯re not going to use it?¡± [glen] ¡°what use is a spear in a brawl?¡± [ryouma] ¡°i wouldn¡¯t have minded if you¡¯d used it, but this is even better!¡± [glen] he happily threw away the hammer in his hands and swung his big arms and shoulders, then he picked up a small twig by his feet. ¡°let¡¯s make the start signal simple. i¡¯ll throw this thing up, and when it falls, we¡¯ll fight, okay?¡± [glen] ¡°okay.¡± [ryouma] ¡°let¡¯s go!¡± [glen] glen only casually threw the twig straight up, but it soared into the sky and reached the dense branches of a towering tree that must have been at least 40 meters tall before falling. as soon as it touched the ground, a fist descended from right in front of me. ¡°!?¡± [ryouma] my body moved on its own. he came straight at me with his right. he might have used ki to reinforce his body, but that was all. there were no other tricks. despite that, that single blow felt unusually heavy. i tried to deflect it with my right, but it quickly became apparent that i didn¡¯t have enough strength. my left made it in time to help, but even then i failed to completely deflect his attack, and it was only by pivoting my entire body that i narrowly succeeded at parrying it. a cold sweat slid down my cheek as i sent a powerful kick toward his stomach which he left exposed when he pulled his fist back. ¡°!¡± [ryouma] i didn¡¯t hold back and sent that kick with all of my strength, but i could tell from the sensation that my kick had no effect. his skin seemed to deflect my leg all on its own. somehow, i managed to get away by jumping off of his stomach, but there was no denying the numbness that lingered on my limbs. i was shocked, but that wasn¡¯t all. ¡°is that really the strength of a human body?¡± [ryouma] the punch just now was swung too wide. it was your typical haymaker, and while he seemed experienced with combat, the vulnerability he left was too big. he felt less like a martial artist and more like a brawler that¡¯s good at fighting. that attack earlier probably relied purely on ki body reinforcement to achieve that speed and power. yet even with just that, it felt like he could crush me. so an s rank adventurer is this strong, huh. i was surprised, but above all, i was impressed. ¡°dah! damn it! i messed up!¡± [glen] ¨D¨Dwhen i was about to attack him, glen cried out. is he going to go on a rampage? ¡°it would have been a lot more fun if i said two or three, but i just had to say one! arrgh! but it¡¯s my fault, so that¡¯s that. we¡¯re done here.¡± [glen] so he¡¯s not going on a rampage then. also, from the way he¡¯s talking, he doesn¡¯t seem to have a bad impression of me. looks like he¡¯s the kind of person who doesn¡¯t listen to others but protects his principles and promises. he¡¯s a troublesome person no doubt, but he¡¯s not as bad as the people from the front line base. i can¡¯t help but wonder why he wants to fight me so badly that he¡¯s making such a frustrated face. ¡°you want to fight me that much?¡± [ryouma] ¡°huh? duh. most people i fight get done in with one blow. they can¡¯t dodge, they just fly. some guys can endure the hit, but it¡¯s rare for anyone to be able to fight after. there are even less people who can fight back. so of course i have to fight if i find someone so rare, right?¡± [glen] ¡°ahh¡­¡± [ryouma] the disappointment and boredom in his voice was palpable. he was too strong. his strength was too abnormal compared to normal people and even those who made a living through fighting. that¡¯s why most people lose after just one blow. perhaps that¡¯s why he asked if it was okay to hit me. because a ¡®brawl¡¯ was too rare of a thing for him. ¡°there are your eyes too. most people become docile after getting hit by me even if they endure it. they give up immediately when they realize they can¡¯t win. of course, people like that were always weak. remember those guys when we first met? those annoying ones?¡± [glen] ¡°yeah, at the front line base.¡± [ryouma] ¡°they haven¡¯t picked a fight with me since i knocked them down. they might talk big and say stuff like how s rank doesn¡¯t matter, but they¡¯re all talk, and they¡¯ll just run with their tail between their legs if a fight were to break out. they won¡¯t seriously try to fight me.¡± [glen] those guys weren¡¯t weak, though. they were on the stronger side when compared to the thugs of the towns outside the forest. yet they¡¯re just putty in front of him. i think that¡¯s what he¡¯s trying to say is that once they¡¯ve recognized someone to be stronger than them, they won¡¯t try to defy them anymore. ¡°but you braced yourself when i yelled. those guys¡¯ legs turned into jelly, but you were planning on fighting back. you were calm. so, i¡¯m thinking, that if we were to fight, you¡¯d still have something on your sleeve. am i right?¡± ¡­that¡¯s a surprise. despite appearing carefree and sometimes even reckless, he can actually be so insightful. as expected of an s rank. it¡¯s true that he¡¯s strong, but i think there¡¯s a strategy that can work against him. i can get the slime¡¯s spear of blood sucking back with dimension magic at any time. i haven¡¯t retrieved the mud slime that i used for transport too, so i can use slime magic to manipulate the mud. and even if i couldn¡¯t beat him, i could still create an opening to flee via dimension magic. ¡°you¡¯re very interesting, aren¡¯t you? not only do you look like you can fight me, you look like you can kill me too given an opening. ah! if only we could¡¯ve fought longer!¡± [glen] he scratched his head that was covered in grit and grim and yelled at the sky obscured by branches. in the next moment, his eyes snapped back to me like a prawn jumping. his eyes were sparkling. i have a bad feeling about this. ¡°by the way, what was your name again?¡± [glen] ¡°¡­ryouma takebayashi.¡± [ryouma] ¡°then, ryouma! i¡¯ve decided! i¡¯m going to tag along with you!¡± [glen] ¡°hah!?¡± [ryouma] i was right! i didn¡¯t even have time to run away! now what!? Chapter 308 - Chapter 308: Glen the S Ranker chapter 308: glen the s ranker ¡°wa ha ha ha! if it¡¯s like this, then we¡¯ll get there before we know it!¡± [glen] he didn¡¯t even know where we were headed, yet the s rank adventurer, glen, just laughed loudly as he boldly took the lead. since we ended up traveling together, i figured i might as well use him to clear the way, but the way he¡¯d wreck everything apart with a swing of his hands, tearing vines and weeds alike, to pave the path was just like watching a bulldozer at work. i used the soil slime¡¯s slime magic to expose the roots and make it easier to remove them, but he¡¯s great strength was still something else to behold. ¡°are you sure it¡¯s okay for you to be following me around? i¡¯m not gonna bother to tell you not to come anymore, but don¡¯t you have a job to do or errand to run?¡± [ryouma] ¡°i¡¯m just hunting monsters, so anywhere is fine. i was just walking around randomly too before i happened into you, so if you¡¯re headed deeper into the forest, then nothing could be better. monsters are sure to show up along the way, and some of those should fetch a high price. besides, i rarely takes jobs from the guild. i go where i want when i want and fight whoever i want. it¡¯s gross being ordered around, and it¡¯s a hassle once they start tacking on a bunch of conditions. i can make plenty just by hunting monsters and selling them to the guild. you can also borrow money just on account of being s rank, so it¡¯s convenient. people rarely even ask me to pay.¡± [glen] ¡°are you borrowing money everyday?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yeah, it piled up a bit more than usual, so the lender came to me and begged me to pay up. i¡¯ve been in a bad mood lately and have been walking around town aimlessly. who knows how much i¡¯ve spent on liquor and women?¡± [glen] he¡¯s out here to pay his debts, but it seems he doesn¡¯t actually know how much he owes. moreover, the reason he¡¯s in debt is because he¡¯s been playing around¡­ it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to describe him as trash. he¡¯s just so extreme be it in personality or in strength. i thought i¡¯ve been quite selfish lately, but meeting this guy has made me realize that i¡¯m still mature despite acting as i please. ¡°i don¡¯t know how much i owe the guy, but it doesn¡¯t matter as long as i pay him, right? it¡¯s precisely because i pay up, that he bothers to lend me money.¡± [glen] ¡°that¡¯s true, but if you don¡¯t know how much you borrowed, won¡¯t he try to pull one up on you?¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh, that¡¯s fine. if i find that someone¡¯s been up to no good with me, i¡¯ll just send him flying with a punch, then no one will try to trick me again!¡± [glen] what a brutish solution. if he weren¡¯t an s rank he¡¯d be charged for assault and imprisoned. actually, it¡¯s a crime regardless, but whether they can arrest him or not is another question. ¡°well, either way, anyone picking a fight with you would be no different from suicide.¡± [ryouma] ¡°you think? there are a lot of people who do just that, though.¡± [glen] ¡°really?¡± [ryouma] ¡°some do it because they think they¡¯ll become famous after beating me. most of them are trash. just one hit and they¡¯ll leave you alone. they¡¯re still decent though since they pick an honest fight. the ones i can¡¯t stand are the ones who try to use me. people who try to line up their pockets using me. those guys are dime a dozen. they start buzzing around once you get to s rank. wait, something¡¯s coming.¡± [glen] 10 seconds later, i sensed a horde of monster beasts approaching. just how far can his senses reach? more information soon came up. ¡°oh? looks like, we¡¯ve got a big one. ryouma! let¡¯s take down the small ones quickly!¡± [glen] ¡°okay!¡± [ryouma] as soon as i said that, the pack of raptors appeared, and they came at us from the front, from the right, from the left, even taking the long way around to leap at us from the grass behind. due to how glen-san and i were positioned, i inevitably took the back, while he took the front. ¡°ora! you¡¯re in the way!¡± [glen] glen-san nimbly swung his giant hammer and swept against the pack of raptors. ¡°gyaa!¡± [raptor 1] ¡°your mouth stinks!¡± [glen] one of the raptors managed to get away and bit glen-san on the arm, but he didn¡¯t even look like he felt anything, and he just swatted it away as though it were some annoying bug, sending it flying into the air before crashing violently into the trunk of a heat emitting tree. ¡­seeing him fight like this, i feel like i¡¯m able to understand why he¡¯s so strong. first of all, just as i suspected in our spar, he¡¯s definitely using ki to reinforce his body. he might still have an ace up his sleeves, but that¡¯s his main trick, and he¡¯s really good at it. most of the ki users that i¡¯ve seen until now leak ki from their bodies. that¡¯s true for me too. especially before an attack. the ki would leak out so much that you can see it like steam rising. but glen-san doesn¡¯t have any of that. his speed and power suggests that he¡¯s reinforcing his body, but there¡¯s not even the slightest ki leaking out of him. in other words, he¡¯s using his ki with 100% efficiency.¡¡without wasting even the slightest ki, he uses everything for the purpose of strengthening his body. the same holds true for his defense. those fangs and claws would normally leave a fatal wound, but he doesn¡¯t even bother to block or dodge against them. he doesn¡¯t need to. no wonder he doesn¡¯t bother to wear armor. there¡¯s no point if it¡¯s just going to be more fragile than your body, after all. ¡°ryouma! the big one is here! i¡¯ll leave the small ones to you!¡¡i¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to take care of them just fine since you¡¯re leisurely enough to watch me while fighting!¡± [glen] he didn¡¯t even wait for me to respond before literally running ahead. he covered meters with a single jump, then repeatedly bounced off the trunks of the heat emitting trees to effectively fly in a zigzag pattern. his destination was none other than the leader of this pack. the so-called small raptors attacking us were much bigger and stronger than the ones near the entrance, but that particular raptor was big enough that its headed jutted out of the plants that should have normally obstructed it. it was in a league of its own in terms of size. but¡­ ¡°goahh¡­¡± [titan raptor] not even a dozen seconds later, its death throes could be heard from the distance. apparently, the battle ended in an instant, and with their leader gone, the remaining raptors too scattered away. i rendezvoused with glen-san later, and the corpse of the titan raptor, whose head has been crushed, could be seen beside him. with its giant stature and thick scales that covered its body, it looked just like the t-rex that i saw from a movie before. ¡°i¡¯ve heard of this monster before, but seeing it in person is something else. it really is quite big, isn¡¯t it?¡± [ryouma] ¡°it was easy, though. it¡¯s stronger than the smaller ones sure, but it moves slowly because it¡¯s so big. it¡¯s not hard to kill like that snake of yours earlier either, so it¡¯s just perfect for making money.¡± [glen] he stored his spoils inside a small waist pouch under his clothes. it¡¯s probably been enchanted with dimension magic, but it looks especially small because of how big he is, and it also makes for a strange sight seeing something so big enter something so small. ¡°have you figured out why i¡¯m so strong yet?¡± [glen] it was such a random question, but he was basically telling me that he¡¯s been watching me, so i just gave my honest thoughts, and he laughed with satisfaction. ¡°picking up where we left earlier, another bunch that¡¯s dime a dozen are people asking me to teach them the secret of becoming stronger. i ask what them why i need to teach them, and they¡¯re just like, a little is fine, right?¡¡all the while looking like they¡¯re not asking for much. those guys are pests.¡± [glen] ¡°well, it¡¯s certainly annoying.¡± [ryouma] ¡°in the first place, i don¡¯t know how it feels to use ki. my body has just been like this since the day i was born.¡± [glen] ¡°¡­so you¡¯re doing it subconsciously?¡± [ryouma] ¡°yep. apparently, it¡¯s a fairly rare constitution. i don¡¯t know much about it either, but basically, ki is something like stamina or life, right?¡¡all humans possess it, but the ability to freely manipulate it is called kikou.¡± [glen] so, in other words, he¡¯s not using his ki when he needs it, he is using his ki all the time. even while we¡¯re talking like this, his ki is continuing to circulate throughout his body. in fact, his ki not only protects him during combat but even outside of it. for example, the poisonous insects and leeches. i have to rely on equipment and special-made insect repellents, but in his case, they can¡¯t even penetrate his skin. even if they do succeed in penetrating his skin, they aren¡¯t able to hurt him, and even if they are able to, it heals right away. ¡°so your body reinforcement is able to enhance not only your strength but also your internal organs and even your healing capabilities.¡± [ryouma] his constitution has brought him nothing but advantages so far, but apparently, it wasn¡¯t all good. as he¡¯s mentioned earlier, ki is the energy that brings about a person¡¯s stamina and life. if you expend it, you¡¯ll get tired, and if you waste it, it¡¯ll affect your life. consuming your mana completely will leave your body in a poor state, but exhausting ki comes with even direr consequences. of course, most people, including me, would collapse before that happened, but in glen-san¡¯s case, his constitution makes it so that he can¡¯t control his ki. so it just keeps on flowing even when he collapses. it¡¯s particularly burdensome on the body during childhood, and the enhancement can lead to a vicious cycle of a weakened constitution. in fact, because of his rare constitution and the lack of established methods for dealing with it, his parents, who were neither wealthy nor nobles, could only resort to the method of ¡®providing as much food as possible¡¯ to compensate for his energy consumption, incurring disapproval in their village. ¡°pops and mom said that everyone had been cooperative, but all i remember was everyone looking at me as though i were an eyesore. when the harvest was bad, they would tell me, ¡®we don¡¯t have any food to spare for some brat that will die at some point anyway! so just hurry up and die and give us your portion!¡¯ because of that i would leave the village to hunt monster beasts for food, and when i became strong enough to keep myself fed, some other annoying guys started showing up. ¡®give us your meat! don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve forgotten the gratitude of us raising you up!?¡¯ they would tell me. for the record, i wasn¡¯t eating at the village for free.¡¡mom paid up properly, while my dad was the village¡¯s smith, so he compensated for the food by working almost for free. mom said that his products would sell for five times if sold at the city too. also, i didn¡¯t hate those guys. my parents understood the situation and paid up, so i didn¡¯t have any complaints, and even if i did, i wouldn¡¯t say anything. but since they¡¯ve exploited my parents so much, there¡¯s no way i would feel indebted to them. it was just a trade by that point, after all. don¡¯t you think it¡¯s too much not to help someone then ask for help when you¡¯re in trouble?¡± [glen] ¡°people like that do appear from time to time. there are also people who, when things get tough, push the burden onto others and only take the good parts for themselves, seeking personal gain.¡± [ryouma] ¡°right? it¡¯s annoying when they mob you. it feels like they¡¯re picking a fight with you even if they don¡¯t mean to.¡± [glen] it was a rather heavy topic, but the person himself doesn¡¯t seem to mind it all that much. to him, it¡¯s already the past, and he¡¯s just mentioning it as an example. ¡°well, humans are all the same. the world is full of selfish people, so there¡¯s no need for me to hold back. it¡¯s fun to just do what you want when you want to, and it¡¯s easier that way too, right?¡± [glen] what to do? to be honest, i understand how he feels. when i found human society to be too problematic, i isolated myself in the forest. i might not have been as straightforward about it as him, but i can¡¯t deny it. of course, it¡¯s not as if i plan to do so anyway. ¡°i agree it¡¯s fun.¡± [ryouma] ¡°oh? looks like we get along better than i thought. i thought you¡¯d be more stiff.¡± [glen] ¡°i think most people would seem stiff compared to you.¡± [ryouma] ¡°da ha ha! you said it! i¡¯ve certainly never seen anyone more easygoing than me!¡± [glen] that was rather rude on my part, but he didn¡¯t mind it at all. he randomly changes the topic, but he¡¯s not the sort to two face. if he¡¯s laughing then he means it. his loud voice continued to echo within the great forest as we proceeded along our way. i ended up picking up a traveling companion, but it might not be so bad to explore the forest in this lively manner. Chapter 309 - Chapter 309: Camping with Glen Chapter 309: Camping with Glen As Glen-san and I traveled through the Great Forest for Cormi Village, we soon reached a wide muddy river. ¡°Do we need to cross this?¡± ¡°No, we¡¯ll be traveling along the river against the stream.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This way then?¡± [Glen] I told him where to go, and Glen-san went ahead. I followed along from behind. ¡°Gotta hand it to you, though. We¡¯re going pretty fast. It¡¯s my first time going this deep into the forest.¡± [Glen] ¡°Do you drop by the Great Forest frequently?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Not frequent enough to be described as frequently, but it¡¯s easy to find profitable monsters around these parts.¡± [Glen] ¡°It¡¯s not common to find a place where C-rank, not to mention, where even B and A are abundant. When I think about it that way, I am reminded once again just how hellish this place is.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hah! Says the guy walking around that hellish place as though nothing could be more natural!¡± [Glen] ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that objectively, after coming here myself, it¡¯s not a place a decent person would come to.¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s not fit for human habitation. No wonder everyone was so shocked when I spoke about my hometown and mentioned coming here. While Glen-san and I spoke, thick branches and roots resembling logs attacked us from above and below. I dodged with my Dimension Magic and swiftly cut through the towering tree in front of me with my sword. The blade of ki released from my blade ran along the trunk and severed the bulge at the upper part. At the same time, an impact resounded from the neighboring tree, and the wriggling branches and roots came to a sudden halt. ¡°Ah~ I messed up.¡± [Glen] When Glen-san dropped down, I heard him mutter that to himself. Did something happen? It didn¡¯t look like he struggled at all, though. ¡°Are you alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m not hurt. I used too much strength.¡± [Glen] Glen-san lifted his enormous hammer. The sound he¡¯d made earlier was just like that of a cannon, so he must¡¯ve used a considerable amount of strength, and indeed, the metallic handle on his hammer could be seen bent and broken from the middle. ¡°It¡¯s splendidly broken, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I purchased the sturdiest weapons from the weapons shop in the royal capital, but they¡¯re still so fragile.¡± [Glen] His body reinforcement is automatic, so he struggles when using his ki externally. And apparently, it¡¯s not unusual for his weapons to break when utilized with his ki-reinforced might. The way he so casually tossed his weapon into his pouch spoke volumes of how common it was for him to break his own weapon. ¡°Do you have any spares?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This was the spare. Don¡¯t worry. If I don¡¯t have any weapons, I¡¯ll just use my fists.¡± [Glen] Apparently, he¡¯d already broken a weapon earlier. He¡¯s talking about it so casually, as though it was just a question of eating cake when there was no bread left, but after traveling with him this whole time, I know he¡¯ll be just fine. ¡°Anyway, we beat the enemy at the same time, huh.¡± [Glen] ¡°I wasn¡¯t competing with you. What will we do about the spoils?¡¡At this size, they aren¡¯t just treants but elder treants.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Either way, they¡¯re too big. And there¡¯s two of them too. We¡¯ve hunted a ton of monsters along the way. There¡¯s no way I can store them away.¡± [Glen] ¡°It¡¯d be impossible to store them away completely with my dimension magic too.¡± [Ryouma] When the twin treants have been defeated, all that was left was a pair of giant heat emitting trees. Retrieving something like that as spoils is by no means easy. I can just store them away later if I get the chance to, so for now, let¡¯s just leave them here¡­ Wait a moment. ¡°I think we should rest here for the day.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°? ¡¡Oh, right. There are monsters that know about these two¡¯s territory and are intentionally avoiding this place.¡± [Glen] ¡°The roots are firmly anchored into the ground, and with how big they are, they probably won¡¯t topple over. There¡¯s also a river nearby, so there shouldn¡¯t be any issue with securing water.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay. I don¡¯t know the way to wherever you¡¯re going, so I¡¯ll leave the decision to you.¡± [Glen] Glen-san took out a sturdy-looking fabric from the pouch by his waist, draped it like a cloak, then laid down on the elevated roots of the treant. ¡°¡­Are you planning to sleep like that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Glen] What a crude way of camping. If an ordinary person did that, he¡¯d end up attacked by insects and leeches right away. Well, that¡¯s just how Glen-san is though. Pretty much everything in the forest he deals with in that wild and unrestrained manner. For instance, when it started raining earlier, he didn¡¯t even bother to cover himself and just allowed himself to get soaked. When the rain stopped, he shook his body to get rid of the moisture. I almost asked him if he was a dog. I asked him if he was cold, and he just said that he¡¯d get through it with grit and food. Really, he¡¯s not someone that can be measured with common sense. At the very least, his way of camping isn¡¯t something I could ever conceive of. He¡¯s still alive, though. I guess it works for him, but I couldn¡¯t help be concerned, and I summoned a Huge Rock Slime to prepare a simple shelter. Leaving my companions exposed to the elements just doesn¡¯t sit right with me. ¡°Didn¡¯t know you could make a room using a slime¡­ I¡¯ve seen some people use earth magic to create windbreaks a few times, but this is a first.¡± [Glen] Glen-san curiously looked around my shelter. It was an attitude similar to the one he had with the Immortal Snake earlier¡­ Since he likes it so much, I might as well tune it up a bit more. I can¡¯t make too many changes, as the interior is managed by the slime, so I¡¯ll just have to make it as livable as I can. I summoned a Filter Slime and inserted it into the air hole. With a simple adjustment on the size of the huge rock slime, the Filter Slime could serve as a simple insect screen and air purifier. Should a monster approach, the Huge Rock Slime could just close the hole. Moreover¨D¨D ¡°What¡¯s with that ice? Is it edible?¡± well, they certainly do look like shaved ice, but¡­ ¡°These are slimes too.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯d prepared a bucket filled with ice, but they weren¡¯t really ice. They were the Ice Slime that evolved during last year¡¯s cold spell (chilled air), and the ¡°Snow Slimes¡± that the kids I rescued from the kidnappers gave me as thanks. ¡°These two variants hate heat and prefer the cold, but they¡¯re not exactly the same.¡± [Ryouma] Firstly, the Ice Slime has high refrigeration capabilities to maintain its body and is relatively heat-resistant. It prefers the attributes of ice and water. While its icy body can cool the surroundings, it¡¯s mostly indirect, affecting the objects or air that it comes into contact with, and the cooling range is limited. Essentially, it¡¯s a block of ice that¡¯s hard to melt. On the other hand, the Snow Slime has weaker refrigeration capabilities and is more susceptible to heat. However, it has a body made of snow instead of ice and it also prefers the wind attribute on top of ice and water. Therefore, it can manipulate the surrounding air to some extent, and, most importantly, it has a broader cooling range. ¡°So, in other words?¡± [Glen] ¡°It would be easier to understand if you experience it firsthand. For now, please come inside.¡± [Ryouma] Once Glen-san was fully inside, I instructed the Huge Rock Slime to close the entrance. That made it dark, so I lit up the place with Light. When I asked the Snow Slime to eat, a light snowfall fell on its body. ¡°Oh?¡± [Glen] ¡°Do you understand now?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. It¡¯s cool¡­ No, the wind isn¡¯t cold, but it¡¯s not humid like outside.¡± [Glen] ¡°I asked the Snow Slime to dehumidify the room for us.¡± [Ryouma] One of the hazards in the Great Forest¡¯s environment is the hot and humid climate. Humidity refers to the moisture present in the atmosphere, which can condense into rain or freeze into snow. By having the Snow Slime gather moisture from the surrounding air to create snow to consume, it is able to effectively dehumidify the room. ¡°The Snow Slime¡¯s main objective is just to gather moisture, however, and pushing it too hard can weaken it, so I narrowed the area it needed to cover by putting it in front of that hole, and at the same time, protect it with the Ice Slime¡¯s high refrigeration capabilities, while also employing barrier magic to prevent the cold from escaping.¡± [Ryouma] But while the barrier enveloping the bucket prevents the cold from escaping, it allows air to flow. As a result, clouds formed at the upper part of the barrier, and light snow fell. If it weren¡¯t a bucket but a glass sphere, it might have resembled those snow globes that could be found in souvenir shops. ¡°Wonderful! It¡¯s so comfy! It¡¯s just like being outside the Great Forest!¡± [Glen] ¡°High humidity alone is enough to make a place uncomfortable, after all. Also, if you want to leave, just just touch the wall, and the slime will let you through.¡± [Ryouma] With the living conditions settled, the next step was to prepare the bed, then food. I have the pre-made retort meals, so there¡¯s no need for any complicated cooking preparations. However, the shelter is too cramped with how big Glen-san is, so the cooking needs to be done outside. I gave the grass a light trim using wind magic, and leveled the ground with earth magic to prepare the campsite, then I started a campfire and placed a pot over it. While the retort meals were being warmed up, the Cleaner Slimes cleaned me up. ¡°Wow, this is amazing! I never thought I could get a meal like this out here!¡± [Glen] ¡°At least finish swallowing before talking. There¡¯s plenty for seconds if you want.¡± [Ryouma] Glen-san¡¯s eyes changed color as soon as he opened the first packet. After the first bite, he started devouring it eagerly. In an environment like this, even home cooking level is a luxury. Apparently, that holds true even for S-Rank adventurers. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad it suits your taste. I was wondering what to do if you pulled out a high-grade steak or something from your pouch¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s not possible. It would get cold and spoil. For a day or so, I might bring something from town, but when hunkering down for a while, it¡¯s usually just jerky and bread. Speaking of which, this is a preserved meal, right? Where did you buy it?¡± [Glen] ¡°I was only able to acquire it through connections with a certain noble, so it¡¯s not available for general sale.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? Was it okay to show me something like that?¡± [Glen] ¡°Hiding it and cooking bad preserved food will just negatively affect my concentration and actions later, or at least, that¡¯s what I was told, so it should be fine.¡± [Ryouma] The Duke¡¯s family is worried about me too, but even from a practical standpoint, they seem to prioritize my life over the value of the retort meals. Moreover, when I inquired a bit recently, they mentioned that due to the abnormal weather last year and the increase in monster population, they¡¯ve decided to put forward the introduction of retort meals. They are starting trial operations with support from the nearby grocers, and it has been decided that Schieber-san and Remilie-san will also be able to use them. ¡°I can eat without worry then.¡± [Glen] From the way he was talking with his mouth full, I doubt he was ever concerned in the first place, though. Meanwhile, Glen-san casually took out an elaborate glass bottle from his pouch and unsealed it. He did that so naturally that my reaction was momentarily delayed, and by the time I realized it, he was already downing a large gulp. ¡­I¡¯m not going to make any comments since I know how he operates already. He won¡¯t die anyway, so if he ends up passed out drunk, I¡¯ll just leave him behind. ¡°Puha!¡¡As expected, good food goes well with good booze!¡± [Glen] An amber-colored liquor could be seen flowing inside the elaborate glass. The way he drank suggested it was a luxurious, strong, and delicious drink, but then he reached for his pouch. ¡°¡­What are you looking for?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Your food is delicious, but I need more meat¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure I still have some jerky.¡± [Glen] I¡¯d already taken his constitution in consideration and prepared a 10-serving portion of stew in retort packs, but if he wants more meat, then I suppose we¡¯ll just have to consider the immortal snake meat. We¡¯ll be in the Great Forest for a while, so it¡¯s better to eat it before it goes bad. After making up my mind, I asked the Grave Slime to retrieve the immortal snake I¡¯d stored away. There were two options: the severed part or the fully regenerated one from the head. For today, I¡¯ll use the severed part. Dressing the snake took a lot of effort because of how big it was. The scent even attracted other monsters and attacked us, but Glen-san drove them away. He¡¯s whimsical, but he¡¯s definitely a reliable ally. ¡­Anyway, the meat looked delicious. As soon as it touched the heated griddle, the fat melted, and a delicious aroma filled the air. I just grilled it without any seasoning, but it smelled so good already. It smelled just like yakitori with sauce. ¡°Is it done yet?¡± [Glen] Glen-san was drawn by the scent and came back. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I¡¯m supposed to cook it for, but I reckon it should be fine as long as it looks cooked enough, right?¡± [Ryouma] I took a bite of the nicely seared meat. The meat was easily chewable, it was so tender that juices overflowed and melted in the mouth. Despite the significant amount of oil that came out during the cooking process, the juice of the meat was rich in flavor. But it wasn¡¯t overly fatty and instead had a refreshing and easy-to-eat flavor! ¡°Delicious.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can tell just by looking at your face! Gimme some!¡± [Glen] ¡°Yeah! Let¡¯s grill some more too!¡± [Ryouma] I added more meat. The meat itself was delicious and was void of any unpleasant odor, so a little salt and pepper should be sufficient for seasoning. If it¡¯s this good, I think I can eat it forever. ¡°This goes so well with liquor! It¡¯s such a waste that I¡¯ve been crushing these snakes this whole time.¡± [Glen] ¡°You did mention something like that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Bladed weapons would break quickly. And even when I did managed to defeat one, they¡¯d be nothing but a dumpling of meat and mud, so I¡¯ve never been able to eat them.¡± [Glen] Even as we spoke like that among ourselves, our hands never stopped, and whenever a bottle of liquor was emptied, another one would appear from Glen-san¡¯s pouch to replace it. ¡°We¡¯re almost out of liquor. Ryouma, do you have any with you?¡± [Glen] ¡°If homemade is fine with you, sure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously!? You¡¯ve got everything, don¡¯t you? How much do you have?¡± [Glen] ¡°More than you could possibly drink.¡± [Ryouma] While briefly explaining how enamored my goblins were with drinking that they kept making liquor in my Dimension Home, I passed over a bottle of homemade shochu that has been distilled and stored in a one-liter bottle. Upon receiving it, Glen-san, downed the whole bottle in one go without hesitation. ¡°Tastes decent, the strength is just right too. It¡¯s easy to drink, and it kind of permeates throughout the whole body, making you feel refreshed. I don¡¯t really understand it, but it¡¯s good. How much does this cost?¡± [Glen] Despite what he was saying, the expression he wore said that he loved it. The sensation of permeating through the body might be due to the nutrients present in the shochu. Shochu is made in a way similar to Japanese sake, and when freshly made, it has a taste similar to sweet sake, with abundant nutrients like amino acids. There are stories about selling chilled sweet sake in Edo during the summer, so I think it¡¯s suitable for refreshing oneself even in the Great Forest. However, I don¡¯t know what the appropriate price would be if I were to sell it. When I mention that it¡¯s made for personal consumption and not for sale, Glen-san took out five bottles of the liquor from before from his pouch. ¡°Well then, how about exchanging it for these? I haven¡¯t paid much attention to the price, but I bought them from an expensive liquor store in the city. I told them, ¡®give me something expensive and good,¡¯ so, both the taste and the price should be decent. Consider it as payment for the preserved food too.¡± [Glen] ¡°I can provide you with 50 bottles right now, but I can double that by tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright! The deal is settled then!¡± [Glen] I took out all the remaining shochu I had from the Item Box and handed it over to Glen-san. Neither of us were aware of the exact value of each other¡¯s items, but there was no need to overthink it. As long as both parties were satisfied with the trade, it was a simple transaction. ¡°Ah, if you want to buy more in the future, I suggest getting the real thing from Fatma Territory. The ones crafted by real artisans do have a special touch to them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Fatma Territory, huh. I feel like I¡¯ve heard of that place before, but I¡¯ve never been there. Maybe I¡¯ll check it out next time.¡± [Glen] After that, Glen-san spoke about his adventures as an S Rank adventurer while eating and drinking. To be honest, it wasn¡¯t very useful to me, and there were many things that were forgiven or overlooked just because it was him, but it was still an interesting story. It was just the two of us in the Great Forest. He was a really selfish guy, but that actually made it easier for me, as I didn¡¯t have to be overly considerate of him either. And when monsters attacked, they¡¯d be sent running back the way they came from right away. Like that, our happy and noisy barbecue party continued until late into the night. Chapter 310 - Chapter 310: Arrival Chapter 310: Arrival The next day. ¡°Ora!!¡± [Glen] I¡¯ve been walking through the jungle since this morning, and the pace is faster than yesterday. The reason is solely because Glen is in great shape. I was a bit worried since he drank quite a bit last night, but he¡¯s actually even more energetic today. ¡®As expected, nothing beats a delicious meal with a ton of liquor and a good night¡¯s rest!¡¯ I nodded in agreement when he said that this morning. There were magical tools to help with preparing food, but he must¡¯ve had to deal with restrictions when it came to eating and drinking in the forest. He needed a large amount of food due to his constitution, after all, so it must have been a limiting factor that made it difficult for him to exert his full strength. Yesterday, I let him eat and drink as much as he wanted, and I let him sleep in a decent room too, so that¡¯s probably why he can now unleash his true power. I¡¯m surprised to learn that he wasn¡¯t even in perfect condition yesterday, though, but I suppose it makes sense. ¡°Wait.¡± [Glen] But then, Glen-san suddenly stopped. It was unusual behavior from the guy who usually just charges in head first whenever he spots an enemy. There were two reasons behind his achievement of reaching S-rank. One was of course his constitution, while the other was a skill called Intuition. ¡®Intuition¡¯ is by no means an uncommon skill, and in fact, even non-adventurers can have it. However, in his case, due to his rash personality, he has honed it through life-or-death situations that would¡¯ve normally spelled death for an ordinary person. As a result, he is able to understand most situations with high precision. ¡°It feels troublesome further ahead.¡± [Glen] ¡°Troublesome? So, it¡¯s not a powerful monster beast up ahead?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, it just feels annoying.¡± [Glen] Does that mean there¡¯s a lot of weak monsters?¡¡But if it¡¯s the Raptors, there should have been a lot of movement already, and if there¡¯s a nest, Glen would have also charged in already. If so, then it must be something else. ¡°Can we avoid the problem if we take the long way around?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Probably.¡± [Glen] ¡°In that case, what¡¯s up ahead is probably a swarm of Gluttony Flies.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What is that?¡± [Glen] ¡°Simply put, they¡¯re giant carnivorous flies. Oh, but they¡¯re not too big, at most being 5cm but with sharp fangs. They swarm any animal they come across regardless if they¡¯re dead or alive, tear through their flesh, then go back to their nest. They¡¯ll repeat it as many times as necessary until the target is turned into bones.¡± [Ryouma] They¡¯re kind of like flying piranhas. Each wound left might not be that big, but that only makes it so that there¡¯s a higher chance of being eaten alive. They also have a habit of leaving leftovers in their nests to feed their offspring, so the meat rots, and there¡¯s a risk of bacterial infection upon being bitten by them. Even if one manages to escape, there¡¯s a high chance of exhaustion due to bleeding, which simultaneously also adds the risk of attracting other monsters. All of that makes them potentially more frightening than piranhas. Since they won¡¯t attack unless you enter their territory, the safest approach is to just avoid them. Fortunately, we noticed them with plenty of time this time. With enough preparations, getting past them shouldn¡¯t be too difficult. I¡¯ll cast another barrier magic inside the rain protection barrier, this time a lightning-based one targeting living beings. And just in case, I¡¯ll place a Stone Slime here too. Preparation complete. ¡°That was quick. You sure that¡¯s enough?¡± [Glen ¡°Gluttony Flies are certainly dangerous, but their body remains that of an insect, so they¡¯re not very durable.¡± [Ryouma] That¡¯s why their strategy is also hit-and-run. They swiftly approach at high speed and tear apart the flesh then retreat. So the countermeasure involves taking advantage of this behavior. We use our bodies as bait, leading them into the lightning barrier to make them self-destruct. It¡¯s like the old electric insect killers that used to be commonly placed in convenience stores. ¡°Even if it fails, we can just teleport away. And I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine even if you¡¯re bit.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it does just feel troublesome, not dangerous.¡± [Glen] ¡°Also, ¡®Hoteru Rafflesia,¡¯ which has a symbiotic relationship with Gluttony Flies, sells for a high price.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Seriously!? Then I guess we really have to go.¡± [Glen] The scent of money made Glen-san push even faster than before he stopped, and soon an unpleasant buzzing sound became audible. Small insects gathered in swarms, emerging like clouds¡­ However, as they touched the barrier, they crackled and burst, dying one after another. ¡°Ryouma! Where¡¯s that other monster!?¡± [Glen] ¡°Look for a red flower!¡¡That¡¯s Hoteru Rafflesia!¡¡They make up the nest of the Gluttony Flies, so they should be in the direction they came from!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Found it!¡± [Glen] Just one of them is annoying, but when they gather in countless numbers, the fluttering becomes really noisy. I had to raise my voice just to talk to Glen-san. He found it right away. ¡°Got it!¡± [Glen] He leaped away, and a vine tried to strangle him, but he pulled on it instead, then tore the Hoteru Rafflesia away from the tree. ¡°This sells?¡± [Glen] ¡°Just the flower petals, so just cut that part off and let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] The monsters desperately resisted, but Glen-san just ignored them and brought it before me. It was already on the verge of death, but vines akin to wriggling tentacles extended from the giant flower of Hoteru Rafflesia. At the center was a large hole where Gluttony Fly larvae could be found, AKA a cluster of maggots. It was not a pleasant sight. Swiftly cutting away the petals with my sword, I released the Hoteru Rafflesia. After that, we quickly moved away from the Gluttony Fly territory, then took a short break and got a full body cleansing from my cleaner slime. ¡°This feels good.¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that you appreciate slimes now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Well, it¡¯s comfy, after all. It¡¯s not that I dislike baths, but I don¡¯t feel like taking the time to get in.¡± [Glen] ¡°Yeah, you certainly don¡¯t strike me as the kind of guy who¡¯d spend a long time bathing.¡± [Ryouma] I figured it would be favored by those who prefer a quick, no-fuss shower like crows. If I had the luxury of keeping a Cleaner Slime as a pet in my previous life, I would have used it a lot myself. While it¡¯s nice to soak in the bath leisurely, it¡¯s a different story when it comes to having the time and energy for it¡­ ¡°So, how much does this flower sell for?¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ve only read about it, but supposedly, it¡¯s enough to buy you a house on its own.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°This flower?¡¡Nobles sure are weird. They pay for the weirdest things.¡± [Glen] ¡°It¡¯s a monster living this deep into the Great Forest. There¡¯s the threat of the Gluttony Fly too, so it¡¯s not something that¡¯s easy to acquire. No amount of money will do them good if no one goes to pick it up for them. They probably think it¡¯s still affordable if they only have to spend money to get it.¡± [Ryouma] The red dye obtained from the petals of the Hoteru Rafflesia is called ¡®Noble Blood.¡¯ The name is derived from its beautiful red color that resembles fresh blood. There are also interpretations that liken the ecology of Hoteru Rafflesia to aristocrats who levy taxes on commoners to indulge in luxury. While discussing such stories, we resumed our journey. Then, once again, there seemed to be a strange presence in the direction we were heading. ¡°This sensation somewhat resembles a human¡¯s.¡± [Glen] ¡°There¡¯s a person out here?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s not a group of people, just one guy. Actually, I¡¯m not entirely sure it¡¯s a person.¡± [Glen] ¡­Well, we did manage to make it all the way out here ourselves, so it¡¯s not that strange for there to be someone else here. ¡°Undead?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I doubt it. The air would be thicker and more oppressive were it undead. Don¡¯t you have any ideas what it might be?¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of a monster that resembles a human other than the undead.¡± [Ryouma] We¡¯re getting quite close to Cormi Village, so there¡¯s a possibility of undead coming our way¡­ For now, considering it¡¯s an unidentified presence, we¡¯ll increase caution and proceed. Soon, near the base of the Heat Emitting Tree, we spotted a male adventurer wearing a battered armor. He was covered in wounds and was lying on the ground, blood flowed from various parts of his body. He seemed dead as he wasn¡¯t moving in the slightest, but then the man let out a groan. ¡°Uu¡­¡± [Man] ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] I unleash light magic without even asking anything. Glen-san said he¡¯s not undead, but this was the Great Forest, so that amount of bleeding should have long attracted monsters. Even if he were human, he wasn¡¯t in any condition to answer my questions, so this was the fastest way to confirm. The light ball hit the man directly, but there was no change in him. There was no reaction on his part, so is he really human? What even are the odds of happening into someone like this this far out in the Great Forest? ¡°What now?¡¡He¡¯s kind of suspicious.¡± [Glen] ¡°I can use healing magic, so I¡¯ll give it a shot. Are you alright?¡¡Can you hear me?¡± [Ryouma] I approached the man with caution. I tried calling out to him, but he just groaned. He didn¡¯t attack me either, so before long, I reached the side of his body. I borrowed the power of the slimes to examine his body, but other than being covered in wounds, there wasn¡¯t anything unusual about his body. ¡°¡®High Heal¡¯¡±¡± [Ryouma] I cast healing magic on the limbs that were in an especially bad state, and for the first time, I realized something was off. The bleeding wouldn¡¯t stop. ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I was distracted, the man¡¯s body collapsed. All the bones in his body seem to have disappeared, making him soft. He twisted and squirmed like a worm as he attempted to lean onto me with a posture that, for a human, would be like puffing out their chest. ¡°Hmph!¡± [Ryouma] Reflexively, I pushed him away with the Fist of Wind, and the creature crashed into the Heat Emitting Tree behind. It collapsed like a soft rubber doll. Without any hesitation, I drew my sword, enveloped it in flames, and slashed at it. However, the ¡°creature¡± showed no sign of concern and immediately tried to flee. It didn¡¯t regenerate like the undead snake from yesterday, but the sight of a person¡¯s upper body detaching itself from the lower body and crawling away with only the strength of its arms was a scene straight out of a horror movie. Then the ¡°creature¡± completely lost its human form and transformed into a small take ostrich. ¡°Ah!?¡± [Ryouma] It tried to flee at the speed of a real take ostrich, but I wasn¡¯t about to let it escape. ¡°¡®Barricade¡¯!¡¡¡¯Bind Ivy¡¯!!¡± [Ryouma] I conjured a wall of trees to keep the unknown creature from escaping, then I successfully captured it by manipulating the surrounding vines. These two wood-element spells aren¡¯t easy to use in places with few trees, as they require either plants or vegetation, but they¡¯re in their natural habitat here in the Great Forest. ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere!¡± [Ryouma] Despite being entwined by vines, the creature tried to break its body again to escape, but before it could, I made it my familiar. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, it stopped.¡± [Glen] When the contract was completed, the creature stopped moving. As a connection formed between us, I knew that the contract was a success. ¡°Just what is this thing?¡± [Glen] ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s a kind of slime.¡± [Ryouma] I used Monster Identify on it, and its true identity came to light. Mimic Slime Skill Name Level Mimic 10 Mimic Memory 2 High-Speed Movement 8 Lure Carnivores 2 Enlarge 7 Shrink 7 Consume Prey 3 Digest 4 Absorb 4 ¡°Mimic Lv10¡­ when it transformed from the upper part of the human body into a Take Ostrich, for just a moment, it became a slime again, so that¡¯s when I realized its true identity.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So there¡¯s a slime like this too, huh. Its movement aside, it looked just like a human.¡± [Glen] ¡°It was completely human inside too at the start. I couldn¡¯t discern any differences even though I was examining it. It even attempted to escape by transforming into a take ostrich, so that it could take advantage of its high-speed movement skill. Does that mean in a mimicked state, it can reproduce the abilities of the mimicked target?¡¡It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if the Lure Carnivores skill belonged to the Take Ostrich.¡± [Ryouma] I instructed the Mimic Slime, which had returned to its slime form, to mimic a Take Ostrich. When I had it run around a bit, its speed was indeed comparable to that of a real Take Ostrich. ¡°That¡¯s amazing. It looks like it would have a ton of uses.¡± [Glen] ¡°The monsters in this forest sure are weird.¡± [Ryouma] The Mimicry Target Memory skill, alongside Mimicry, is likely a skill that memorizes the targets for mimicry. This assumption comes from the fact that when I checked what else the Mimic Slime could mimic, it could only mimic two types: the Take Ostrich and the Raptor. It seems the appearance of the man from earlier was a one-time thing, and it can no longer mimic that form. Perhaps there are certain conditions that need to be met for it to freely mimic. I was surprised to see that it possessed both the Enlarge and Shrink skills even though it¡¯s just one slime, but I believe that¡¯s so that it can adjust its size according to what it¡¯s mimicking. The size of the Mimic Slime in its original form is about the size of a basketball, after all. Even if it mimics at this size, it would only become a hand-sized monster, and I don¡¯t think it would be able to deceive its threats. There¡¯s the Consume Prey skill too. ¡°Hey, are we not continuing?¡± [Glen] ¡°Ah, sorry. I got curious about this slime¡¯s ecology.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Researchers sure are hard to understand.¡± [Glen] ¡°Huh? Oh, did I mention I was researching slimes?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No, but people like you like to push jobs onto me. You summoned a ton of slimes yesterday too, so it was obvious.¡± [Glen] So that¡¯s how it is. He¡¯s an S-rank, so there¡¯s bound to be jobs from the country, and among those could also be jobs to procure a research specimen. Knowing him, he probably wouldn¡¯t accept those jobs, though. Anyhow, the matter has been dealt with, so let¡¯s just put aside the matter of the Mimic Slime for later. We continued along our way again, and four hours later, it¡¯s become evident that all the vegetation other than the Heat Emitting Trees have been trampled over. ¡°It¡¯s a lot easier to move here.¡± [Glen] ¡°There¡¯s a lake not far.¡± [Ryouma] At the checkpoint lake could be found many large monsters that mainly active near the waters. One such species was the ¡®Cannonball Rhino¡¯, which boasted an average body length of around 5 meters and tended to form crashes. When such massive creatures move, it¡¯s no surprise that things would be trampled in the wake of their path. ¡°So large monsters like to frequent this place. What¡¯s the rank of those cannonball guys?¡± [Glen] ¡°Individually, they¡¯re B. The skin and fur covering their body are far more resilient than armor, and they¡¯re also resistant to magic. Despite their large size, they have fast legs, and when they reach adulthood, they can even use neutral magic.¡± [Ryouma] A robust and heavy body, strengthened with powerful magic. When the entire crash gathers into a single unit, the force of their charge reaches terrifying levels, and a direct hit would prove fatal. According to past records, stray individuals that wandered out of the forest have even broken through city gates and outer walls with their charges, earning them the nickname ¡®Wall Breaker. ¡°The Cannonball Rhinos here are gentle compared to the other monsters, so let¡¯s do our best to avoid them even if there are other monsters present.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Okay, but if they find us, it¡¯s not our fault anymore.¡± [Glen] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] This guy really doesn¡¯t strike me as the kind of guy to avoid his enemies. I can¡¯t even imagine him hiding himself, so let¡¯s just pray that those rhinos don¡¯t spot us. While talking among ourselves, the lake eventually came to view. ¡°¡­There¡¯s nothing around. That¡¯s good.¡± [Ryouma] We should get a move on while there aren¡¯t any monsters around. ¡°We¡¯ll go east along the lake from here and find ourselves a narrow stream. If we follow it straight, we should get to the village in an hour.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Looks like we¡¯re making it today then.¡± [Glen] I confirmed the direction with the compass, then headed east. Monsters attacked us along the way, but there was nothing to panic about. Occasionally, the ¡®Blade Rat,¡¯ a winged assassin of the jungle with membranes as sharp as blades, would attempt surprise attacks on us. At first glance, it might seem small, cute, and potentially marketable as a pet in the city, but it¡¯s without a doubt an assassin of the forest that would ruthlessly target the neck while gliding. Just like the Gluttony Fly, it¡¯s not something that ought to be underestimated just because it¡¯s small. ¡°Hey, looks like there¡¯s an undead this time. A lot of them too.¡± [Glen] Even I can tell that the presence of living creatures was gradually diminishing. You could also say that the forest was teeming with life until now. There¡¯s no doubt about it. Cormi Village is near. ¡°They¡¯re here.¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the undead with my light magic. Glen-san, you make a path for us.¡± [Ryouma] As we noisily pushed through the grass, one zombie reacted and turned towards us. This time it was obvious that it wasn¡¯t a living person, what with its wide open abdomen and its throat that has been torn apart by something. ¡°Light Ball.¡± [Ryouma] There was no need to wait for it to approach. I shot a Light Ball at it and cleanly blew its head off. That should take care of it. ¡°Shura!¡± [Undead 1] ¡°Hyuu¡­ Hyuu¡­¡± [Undead 2] ¡°Garururuu¡­¡± [Undead 3] ¡°Lightshot!¡± [Ryouma] Our path along the stream turned into a series of battles with the undead. There were a lot of Beast Zombies too, monster corpses that have turned undead. It felt as though all the monsters we¡¯ve fought until now have turned into undead and were fighting us again. I feel like there was a game like this before, but it doesn¡¯t make me happy one bit! ¡°It stinks! I really don¡¯t want to hit zombies with my bare hands, but why are there so many of them?¡± [Glen] ¡°No doubt because of Cormi Village.¡± [Ryouma] I shot my Lightshot consecutively, sending flying the undead around me one after another, while Glen-san cut open a path. ¡°I can see the gate!¡± [Ryouma] 4 years after transmigrating, 6 days after entering the Great Forest, I finally arrived at my hometown. Chapter 311 - Chapter 311: Inheritance Chapter 311: Inheritance Before us stood a solemn gate that once represented prosperity. Connected to the gate were the remnants of a wall. Much of it was covered by vines or eroded by the roots of the Heat-Emitting Trees, but there was still a trace of the grandeur that the village once held. ¡­However, we didn¡¯t have the time to be leisurely sightseeing. As we approached the village, the atmosphere became oppressive, just like the atmosphere back at the Execution Ground of Hunger and Thirst. I could distinctly feel it seeping out from inside the gate. ¡°Don¡¯t go in through the gate! Take a right turn instead and follow the outer walls! We need to secure a place we can use as a base first!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Got it!¡± [Glen] Glen-san changed directions and cut open a path for us. ¡°It should be around here! Look for a crevice! We¡¯ll be able to enter through that!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°A crevice? Well, I can¡¯t find any! Let¡¯s just break through!¡± [Glen] By the time he said that, he was already punching the wall covered in vegetation. A thunderous sound resounded with every strike of his fists, attracting the undead, and scattering stones and plants in the process. No doubt he was digging through the wall at a considerable speed. ¡± ¡®Flash Bomb¡¯ ¡­He truly is a reliable ally.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°And for the finishing blow!¡± [Glen] As I detonated light magic to buy us time, a large hole opened on the wall with a particularly loud noise. Apparently, he used a flying kick at the end and ended up entering the village along with his attack. I followed him inside to find that there were undead in the village too, but what caught my attention was a particular house. The village was understandably overgrown with plants, having been left unattended for so long, but the area surrounding the house wasn¡¯t as overgrown. There were some weeds, but the house itself barely deteriorated, so it stood out like a sore thumb. ¡°¡®Holy Space¡¯ ¡®Dimension Home¡¯¡± [Ryouma] Upon reaching our destination, I secured us a safe space with Remilie-san¡¯s Holy Space, then mobilized the Light Slime and the Grave Slime. Slimes are cumbersome to use in combat while moving because they move so slow, so it¡¯s only in situations where we¡¯re not moving that they can demonstrate their full potential. In such situations, it¡¯s no longer a battle but a mere task for them. I lured the undead with the Grave Slime¡¯s Attract Ghosts, while the Light Slime and I shot down the troublemakers. If non-undead monsters were to attack, Glen-san and I could deal with them while protecting the slimes. There were no major issues with our strategy, but it did feel like there were more troublemakers that refused to be obediently devoured by the grave slime this time. Is this also because of that monster beast the gods asked me to hunt? It¡¯s a bit concerning, but well, it should be fine. More importantly, I have a lot of things to do. ¡°Let¡¯s rest here once we¡¯ve secured the area.¡± [Ryouma] I merged the slimes then got them to act as the gatekeepers before stepping into my grandparents¡¯ house. The interior was in disarray as expected, and the furnishings were simple too. It didn¡¯t resemble anything that might be the residence of someone as distinguished as the Sage or the Martial God. The exterior was reasonably large, but it was otherwise a simple building with a square shape and five chimneys. The walls were made of stone, and the roof and windows appeared to be made with the wood of the heat-emitting tree. Overall it was as if a large rock had been hollowed out, so it was probably made with my grandparents¡¯ earth magic. ¡­It might seem rundown at first glance, but despite its aged appearance, its walls were plenty sturdy. It¡¯s been left unattended for so long, yet it gave one the impression of security. The ceiling and floor have decayed beyond repair, though, but that couldn¡¯t be helped. As I thought that, a loud creaking sound resounded behind me. ¡°Phew, that was close¡­ Almost stepped through. But man, this place is in a terrible state. It looks as if it¡¯s been ransacked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably the case. The people here were just like the ones stationed at the frontlines, after all.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, those guys.¡± [Glen] ¡°The people living here were strong, so they didn¡¯t dare mess with them, but when they were gone, they didn¡¯t care anymore.¡± [Ryouma] The built-in cupboard on the wall was unusually close to the ceiling, and the lock had also been broken. The surrounding marks suggested that it had been repeatedly struck with a poorly sharpened axe or something similar. Given the location and the kind of damage, the monsters were clearly not the culprit. ¡°If it was guys like those, then yeah, they would have definitely robbed the place given an opportunity. By the way, have you been here before?¡± [Glen] ¡°I haven¡¯t mentioned it, have I? I used to live here when the village was still full of people. This was our house.¡± [Ryouma] It all finally made sense for him after I told him that, while I found it surprising that he actually followed me all the way out here without an explanation. Well, I guess it didn¡¯t really matter to him. And I appreciate that he¡¯s not asking a lot of questions. ¡°Looks like they took everything that wasn¡¯t broken.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s totally empty. Even the undead wouldn¡¯t find a place to hide here¡ªah.¡± [Glen] Looks like there was finally a section of the floor that was too broken to support Glen-san¡¯s weight. He wasn¡¯t injured, but his left leg was buried all the way to his knee. ¡°Tch, this won¡¯t do. I¡¯ll go outside. The floor is like this, and it¡¯d be hard to fight in here anyway. I¡¯ll borrow some of your slimes to clean up the monsters outside.¡± [Glen] ¡°Got it. If you can throw them somewhere convenient, I¡¯ll tell them to clean up.¡± [Ryouma] After parting ways with Glen-san, I checked for undead and took measures to protect against attacks. Finally, I arrived at the last room, the most crucial place in the house. Inside the alchemy room could be found broken medicine shelves and desks. There were also three stoves of different sizes lined up. This was most likely where my grandmother, the Sage, concocted medicine. Of the five chimneys visible from the outside, three were connected to the stoves in this room. The remaining two were linked to the kitchen and the forge that my grandfather used. ¡°This is the place.¡± [Ryouma] The largest of the three stoves looked large enough to comfortably contain an adult. I reached inside and scraped out the accumulated ash and leftover embers. It took some time due to the depth, but eventually, I reached the bottom of the opened stove and found a circular line with two grooves beside. This was the hidden entrance to my grandparents¡¯ legacy. Entering the stove, I inserted my hands into the grooves, hooked my fingertips, and pulled upward. With a grinding sound, a stone cylinder emerged from the bottom. Once it was lifted to around thigh level, the cylinder came out completely, revealing a gaping underground passage. Setting the cylinder outside, I cast a light ball into the dark passage. It looked to be about 3 meters deep, the surroundings seemingly made of the same stone as the walls. There were occasional indentations, providing footholds. As a precaution, I used wind magic to ventilate the passage before entering. ¡­Shining a light on the passage with light magic revealed a short tunnel that led to a large and spacious room. Despite being left unattended for a long time, it showed no signs of weathering or accumulation of spider webs or dust. Gayn and the others have informed me that there were no traps, but evidently, some form of magic was at play. Perhaps the fact that the vegetation hadn¡¯t eroded around this house was also due to this hidden basement, preventing the roots from spreading too deeply. ¡°It¡¯s like a storage room.¡± [Ryouma] The room was filled with tightly packed bookshelves, barrels filled with weapons, and unidentified boxes and bags. In addition, right in front of them, between the multitude of items and me, was a stone table. Atop it lay something that resembled a thin book. Evidently, it had been placed there on purpose to be noticed. Upon closer inspection, it wasn¡¯t a book but a notebook made up of several bundled sheets of paper. The author was none other than my grandfather, Teagle, who was known as the Martial God. He appears to have written down whatever came to mind. It was so poorly written you couldn¡¯t even call it legible as flattery. However, it quickly became apparent that the content was a sort of will addressed to the person who discovered this place. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a read then, shall we?¡± [Ryouma] ¡­The narrative briefly detailed the events leading to my grandparents¡¯ arrival in the village. To summarize, my grandparents were known as the Martial God and the Sage, earning the respect and admiration of the people. It wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine the constant invitations and attempts at recruitment from nobles and merchants alike, and there were also those among them who resorted to unfair means. The text continued with more complaints rather than examples, so I¡¯ll just skip those parts. It appears that, like myself in the past, they grew weary of living in human society and decided to hide somewhere others couldn¡¯t easily enter even if they knew where they were. The destination could have been anywhere, but after considering various options and traveling around, they eventually arrived at this village. Just like the front-line base, they found solace in a village struggling with difficulties, where status and fame held no meaning. By providing their strength for the defense of the village and securing a source of income, they were able to ensure their freedom within the village. ¡°What better place could there be for Melia to conduct her research in peace.¡± [Ryouma] The first half of the content ended there, and the second half spoke about my inheritance. ¡°My wife passed away, and I know I¡¯m not long for the world. The things in this room no longer matter to me, but I can¡¯t stand the thought of that greedy village chief getting his hands on our belongings and my wife¡¯s research. I can¡¯t dispose of them either, so I¡¯ll hide them here.¡± [Ryouma] After that were instructions that read: ¡®I bequeath everything in this room to the first person who finds them,¡¯ as well as an inventory of the things here. Ideally, he hoped that someone not from the village but a complete stranger would be the one to find the things here. He also requested for the research results of his wife to be taken somewhere they could be utilized. There were also notes regarding specific items. ¡°¡­Thank you for the inheritance, Teagle-san, Melia-san. I will take over the research on medicines, so may the both of you rest in peace.¡± [Ryouma] With a silent prayer for the departed, as well as to show my gratitude, I collected all of my inheritance into the Dimension Home. I¡¯ll check them later when i can afford to be more leisurely. Chapter 312 - Chapter 312: We’ll Hunt Tomorrow Chapter 312: We¡¯ll Hunt Tomorrow ¡°Glen-san¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± [Glen] ¡°Whoa.¡± [Ryouma] After retrieving my inheritance and stepping outside, I found that Glen-san had built a mountain of undead in front of the Grave Slimes. ¡°These guys just keep coming no matter how many I crush. Let me borrow that cleaning critter of yours from yesterday.¡± [Glen] Well, he was certainly in no condition for a conversation given how he was covered in blood from head to toe. His fists were particularly nasty. Let¡¯s clean him up first. ¡°Thanks, that hits the spot.¡± [Glen] ¡°It was quite gruesome¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Indeed. But why are there so many undead in a place like this?¡± [Glen] It was probably because of that monster. ¡°There¡¯s a monster living at the mansion at the center of the village. It¡¯s been there for a long time already, and it has the ability to create undead. Dealing with it is one of the reasons I came to this village.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, a battle of vengeance for the villagers?¡± [Glen] ¡°No, we weren¡¯t that close. I just came to collect the inheritance, and while I¡¯m at it, clean up a bit. I want to gather the plants around here and take them back too, and if possible, tidy up the house to use as a base in the future.¡± [Ryouma ¡°So, in other words, we¡¯ll have to keep beating up zombies¡­¡± [Glen] Glen made a disgusted face as he no doubt recalled his earlier state. ¡°I found something earlier.¡± [Ryouma] I took out a weapon from my Item Box. It was a hammer, one size larger and with a dull black glow compared to the one Glen had. There was a ¡°dignity¡± to it that reminded me of my late father¡¯s sword. In fact, all the weapons in the underground had a certain dignity to them, but this hammer was exceptional. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t usually use heavy weapons like this. Also, Glen beating up the undead like that was definitely a hygiene issue. ¡°How about using this to replace your old hammer?¡± [Ryouma] Even if it turns out to be a shoddy item, it should be much better than punching the undead barehanded. He just tagged along, but if he helps me defeat the undead, I¡¯m willing to lend it to him. When I suggested that, Glen-san seemed to sense something. He grasped the handle of the hammer with a serious expression and lifted it up. ¡­ His movements were slightly slower than before, but he swung the hammer many times. Sometimes with both hands, sometimes with one hand, sometimes in a light swing, sometimes in a heavy swing. He swung it many times as though to confirm its feel. Finally, he turned towards a nearby heat-emitting tree, and in the next moment. The wall-like trunk burst, leaving behind a large crater. ¡°Is it Glen-san¡¯s power that¡¯s amazing, or is it the heat-emitting tree that refuses to fall that¡¯s incredible? Or rather¡­¡± I thought the hammer might break again, but then I saw Glen beyond the dimness and the dust scattered by his attack smiling. ¡°The hammer actually withstood that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey! This is amazing! Where did you get this?¡± [Glen] ¡°I told you, it¡¯s from my house. It was among my grandparents¡¯ inheritance.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°You have grandparents who own something like this in their inheritance¡­ This is adamantite, right?¡± [Glen] ¡°You know?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When it comes to crafting heavy impact weapons, adamantite is one of the best materials. Even I know that much. My weapon also uses it.¡± [Glen] Glen took a broken hammer from his pouch and showed it to me. Indeed, it was made from a similar metal. A little different in color, though. ¡°The difference in color is due to differences in purity. The guy at the weapon shop who ordered this hammer told me that adamantite is extremely hard and has strong resilience, making it difficult to process as it is. So, they mix it with iron and other metals to make it easier to process. My hammer, made by the shop¡¯s exclusive craftsman, is supposedly crafted from the highest purity adamantite. He proudly claimed there¡¯s no weapon made with higher purity adamantite! I don¡¯t think they were lying, but¡­ probably, or rather, this one is definitely of higher purity, right?¡± [Glen] I wouldn¡¯t know for sure, but if all the talk about purity is true, it would mean that the inheritance hammer uses higher purity adamantite than those sold in shops. At the same time, it would be higher purity than the highest purity commonly found in adamantite. ¡­This might be more troublesome than I thought. ¡°Do you want it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? If you¡¯re asking if I want it, then yeah, I do. But isn¡¯t this your grandparents¡¯ inheritance?¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you if you keep the source a secret. As I mentioned earlier, I won¡¯t use it. I could force myself to use it, but it would just be a waste in my hands. So, if there¡¯s someone who needs and can use it properly, it would be much better for them to have it instead. In that regard, you¡¯re more than capable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I¡¯m sure people might start pestering you for a good weapon if they found out, so I understand wanting to keep its source a secret. I¡¯m not one to hold back either if it¡¯s something favorable to me, so if you¡¯re giving it away, I¡¯ll take it without hesitation, but this hush money seems a bit too high¡­ Oh, I know!¡± Glen-san took out another broken hammer from his pouch. It was probably the other hammer that broke. ¡°How about taking these two in exchange too?¡± [Glen] Glen¡¯s hammer was a custom-made top-quality item from a high-end weapon shop in the royal capital. The material was the commonly found highest purity adamantite. However, it couldn¡¯t withstand his full power, so a magic tool protecting the weapon was incorporated into the handle to enhance its strength. Since adamantite has a property that doesn¡¯t allow magic to pass through, it¡¯s difficult to enchant it as a magical weapon even with an alloy. And that¡¯s even while using high-end fantasy metals like mythril. It might be broken as a weapon, but it¡¯s still a lump of precious metals. Moreover¡­ ¡°The price of the material isn¡¯t all it has going for it. If you sell it to nobles as ¡®a weapon used and worn out by an S-rank like me,¡¯ the price will skyrocket. It seems like weapon shops make quite a profit from that as they always tell me, ¡®Bring a broken one, and we¡¯ll prepare the next hammer for free, and even pay you.¡¯ So if you want, I¡¯ll even sign it for you.¡± [Glen] I guess premiums exist in this world too. This guy¡¯s actions are all over the place, but he seems to be an amazing person, and if he¡¯s famous, he likely has fans. ¡°Also, well¡­ I can¡¯t think of anything right now, but if you ever find yourself in a bind, I¡¯ll help you once for free.¡± [Glen] ¡°You mean I can ask you to take on a job?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. I generally don¡¯t take on jobs that I¡¯m not interested in, even if the client is a noble. I might consider it if the reward is good, but if I can get this hammer, I¡¯ll prioritize any job you give me. Of course, that¡¯s on top of dealing with the undead here. You helped me out a lot with that room of yours, so I¡¯m not about to be stingy with helping you. Oh, but count me out if it¡¯s a job that requires using my brain.¡± [Glen] I don¡¯t have any jobs in mind right now, but being able to ask him to take on a job, moreover with priority, doesn¡¯t seem like a bad deal. A favor from an S-rank adventurer is sure to be useful. ¡°Okay, I agree. I¡¯ll transfer the ownership of the hammer under those conditions. I don¡¯t have any requests for now, but please keep the confidentiality in mind.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°No problem. I am an S-rank, you know. There are a couple of things I¡¯ve been told not to talk about. Oh, but what if someone asks about it? People who have too much time on their hands might try to find out where I got this unfamiliar weapon. At the very least, the familiar weapon shop would be prepared for the next hammer assuming I¡¯d break it, and they might come to sell it to me. If I have a different hammer, they¡¯ll definitely be curious. I don¡¯t plan on talking, but I¡¯m not good at lying either.¡± [Glen] ¡°If asked, just say you found it in the Great Forest.¡± [Ryouma] The Great Forest has a history of people venturing in search of wealth and fame. It wouldn¡¯t be strange for their equipment to be scattered around, and since it was found in the abandoned house of a destroyed village, it¡¯s not entirely a lie. ¡°Got it, I¡¯ll say that if anyone asks.¡± [Glen] ¡°Thank you. Now that that¡¯s settled, shall we have supper? We¡¯ll do the subjugation job tomorrow.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good! Do we still have meat left from yesterday?¡± [Glen] ¡°A snake of that size? There¡¯s plenty.¡± [Ryouma] And so, dinner preparation. The soup was in a retort pack, so it was enough to just prepare the pot and heat it. After that I took out two barrels that I prepared after yesterday¡¯s supper, as well as a large pot made with alchemy. ¡°Oh, fried food!¡± [Glen] He noticed right away what I was making as I poured plenty of oil into the large pot. That¡¯s right, today¡¯s main dish is fried Immortal Snake. The contents of the barrel are a trial marinade sauce with various seasonings and sake lees from white sake. The snake meat has been marinated in it for a day in a cool, dark place. Once the oil has warmed up enough to produce a little foam when a chopstick was inserted, I added the meat coated with batter. In the oil, which crackled softly, the slightly reddened meat swam. I waited for the right timing before lifting it and adding the next batch of meat. After letting it rest for a bit, I double-fried the fried pieces in another pot. ¡°Is it done yet?¡± [Glen] Ignoring Glen-san, who was impatiently staring at the pot, I cut some lemon to complement the fried chicken. The debate over whether to squeeze lemon on fried chicken or not is unending, but personally, I¡¯m fine with either, or rather, I like both. Moreover, the more diverse the seasoning options, the more enjoyable the meal. ¡­So, let¡¯s add another touch. On a small plate, I poured the sauce I prepared last night. It¡¯s a tartar sauce made by adding vinegar and chopped onions to Clever Chicken eggs and seasoning it. When combined with the fried chicken, the result was a Chicken Nanban-style dish. After plating the crispy fried chicken, preparing lemon and tartar sauce on the side, the dish was complete. I grabbed one for a taste, and Glen-san¡¯s thick hand too impatiently reached out. ¡°Hot!¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s hot, as I literally just fried it, but the rich umami burst in my mouth nonetheless along with all that delicious oil. With the crispy coating and the firm meat, as well as the texture, the result was no doubt a delicious meal! ¡°This is great¡­ Is this the same meat as yesterday? That was delicious in its own simple way, while this one, I don¡¯t really get, but it¡¯s tasty.¡± [Glen] ¡°Yesterday, I just grilled the cut meat as it was. It was surprising how delicious it was, but today, I used various seasonings in the marinade, and I made some efforts to make the meat tender.¡± [Ryouma] However, even with all that, the taste of the Immortal Snake didn¡¯t lose to the seasonings. It was mysterious how it left such a strong impression despite being so mild. Also, I¡¯m craving rice like crazy. ¡°Hot Water!¡± [Ryouma] Creating hot water with magic, I poured it onto a new pack of preserved food. Inside was rice that has been cooked once and freeze-dried. Although there was a difference between natural drying and using machinery in the manufacturing process, it was still commonly used as portable food or emergency rations. You can eat warm rice anywhere with just hot water, so it¡¯s convenient for regular use. Glen-san was staring, so I prepared some more, and in the meantime, I continue to fry more fried chicken. Glen-san¡¯s hands never stopped. He even brought out yesterday¡¯s white sake and started to drink. ¡°Glen-san, the soup is easy to make, so feel free to make as many as you¡¯d like yourself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I can handle that much. More importantly, can you add more fried chicken? And you got any more of this sauce?¡± [Glen] Glen-san replied without stopping his hands or mouth. The fried chicken I cooked vanished as soon as they were served, and it seemed as though Glen-san would never get full. However, as the cook, it made me happy to see him enjoy the food so much. I wonder if the owners of eateries that host binge-eating challenges or those featured on competitive eating talent shows feel this way?¡­ Watching him, I¡¯m starting to feel like having a drink too. ¡°Since we¡¯re having fried chicken, rice, and liquor, then¡­¡± [Ryouma] First, I prepared alcohol extracted from the cheap failures of the goblins¡¯ mass-produced sake using alchemy. I made this for disinfection, but I didn¡¯t add any extra substances since there was no need to avoid liquor taxes like I would have needed to in my past life, so it¡¯s safe to drink. I used ¡°Freeze¡± to chill the glass with magic, then ¡°Sparkling Water¡±. By combining water and wind attributes, I was able to generate carbonated water. Then I added a small amount of extracted alcohol, squeezed the lemon cut for garnish, lightly mixed it, and voila, the ¡°Lemon Sour¡± was complete. Taking a sip, it might be due to the alcohol extracted through alchemy, but it lacked the strong aroma of whiskey or shochu, and it was a bit tasteless. To be honest, the expression ¡°cheap taste¡± came to mind. But this was fine too. I took a bite out of the freshly fried chicken, then I chewed and swallowed. After which, I poured the Lemon Sour down my throat, washing away the remaining oil and allowing the scent of lemon and a hint of alcohol to escape through my nose before I naturally reached for the next piece of fried chicken. ¡°Phew~¡± [Ryouma] This reminds me of my university days at the cheap izakayas when the money was tight. Despite my age, things haven¡¯t changed much, have they? If anything it¡¯s just gotten more luxurious with the sake. After adding the rice, the endless loop of fried chicken, Lemon Sour, rice, fried chicken, Lemon Sour, rice began. It¡¯s not good for the body, but it¡¯s cheap and delicious. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that delicious combination?¡± [Glen] ¡°Yeah, I figured you¡¯d ask.¡± [Ryouma] I gave him some of the Lemon Sour and rice to go along with the fried chicken, and in no time at all, Glen-san was hooked. His hands and mouth started moving in full gear again. And when the frying speed couldn¡¯t keep up anymore, or maybe it was just out of boredom, he looked at the bottle of extracted alcohol and said. ¡°I never liked sake that just burns your throat, but drinking it like this isn¡¯t bad.¡± [Glen] ¡°You don¡¯t drink cocktails or mixed drinks?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t care that much for it, but many dwarves can¡¯t stand mixing anything with alcohol! My old man was like that, so I never got into it. I prefer strong liquor, and there hasn¡¯t been a mixed drink that I thought was good.¡± [Glen] ¡°Tastes do vary from person to person¡­ Oh? From what you just said, Glen-san, are you a dwarf?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? Ah, yeah, dwarves vary in height, but probably due to my constitution, I¡¯ve gotten bigger than the average human. I¡¯ve eaten a lot, so that¡¯s probably why I¡¯ve grown this big. Hardly anyone could tell on first glance that I¡¯m a dwarf.¡± [Glen] ¡°Ah¡­ but now that you mention it, your body size is large, and the proportions of your arms, torso, and various parts of your body certainly seem dwarf-like.¡± [Ryouma] Appropriateness aside, if you were to take a photo of a dwarf and enlarged it using a computer, you¡¯d get Glen-san. ¡°Anyway, enough of that! I¡¯ll have the fried chicken, rice, and this alcohol. Feel free to take materials from my spoils for it.¡± [Glen] ¡°Alright. Fried chicken and Lemon Sour coming right up!¡± [Ryouma] Yesterday was a barbecue party, while today was more like an izakaya (Japanese pub). It was quite nostalgic as it reminded me of my part-time job at one. Chapter 313 - Chapter 313: Preparations Chapter 313: Preparations The next day. I took my time eating breakfast, then I lit a fire to try and perform a memorial service for the undead. It was around that time that Glen-san came back with a horde of undead chasing after him. ¡°Welcome back. How was it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I circled the village along the wall as you said. The mansion at the center was indeed the nest. The closer you get, the more undead. I thought there were already a lot, but the number of undead there is on a whole another level.¡± [Glen] ¡°There¡¯s that many?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep, there¡¯s countless of them. There were humanoid undead hunting outside too.¡± Apparently, Glen saw zombies and skeletons setting traps, hunting, and even bringing back prey. The hunted prey was gathered in the square in front of the mansion at the center of the village to be dismantled, distributed, and eaten. The remains of the last dismantled prey were to be carried into the mansion¡¯s gate and immediately turned into undead. Given the abilities of the monster, I¡¯d expected it might turn out like the Town of Departed Spirits. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of ghost towns plenty of times, but it¡¯s a first for me to actually visit one. The area around the mansion is the very picture of an undead city. The humanoid undead also feel more alive than the other undead I¡¯ve seen before.¡± [Glen] ¡°I can confirm that on my end as well. I tried using magic to attract and purify the undead, but the zombies and skeletons seemed to sense my intention and moved away.¡± [Ryouma] Remilia-san had mentioned that some undead retain fragments of their memories from their past lives. Given that the monster not only creates undead but also binds the souls of the deceased, it¡¯s likely that many of them retain strong memories from their previous lives. They weren¡¯t able to retain their humanity though. ¡°We need to do something about the monster causing this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, but that thing is pretty dangerous. Even I can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± [Glen] I was hoping for Glen-san not to get involved, but I¡¯m surprised to see he¡¯s going out of his way to beg off. He seemed to sense that and retorted with a somewhat exasperated expression. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯d punch anyone just because they look strong?¡± [Glen] ¡°You do.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°W-Well, okay, if the other person is stronger than me, sure, I¡¯ll go pick a fight with them, but first, I make sure that I can actually punch the guy. ¡®Strong¡¯ can mean a lot of things. Traps, running away, people who completely avoid fighting, I don¡¯t get along with those. How do I even punch them? I bet the ones over there are like that too.¡± [Glen] That monster specializes in creating undead, dark magic, and illusions. Even if you have a magic tool to resist its mental attacks, its illusions are so powerful that it could just get past it anyway. The difference in equipment won¡¯t matter much, and trying to fight it with a bigger party would only risk friendly fire due to the illusions. That¡¯s why the gods said that they needed someone like me who was resistant to mental attacks. Glen might not have thought that far ahead, but he was probably able to sense the threat the monster posed. ¡°I wasn¡¯t born strong, you know. There were many times when I lost to humans too, and there were times when I had to avoid dangerous individuals. I don¡¯t plan on stopping you if you¡¯re going, but just know that I won¡¯t be able to help you if things get dangerous.¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m not planning on dying, and I won¡¯t ask you to accompany me to die together.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So you do know it¡¯s suicidal. What are you going to do then?¡± [Glen] ¡°For now, let¡¯s whittle out as much of the undead as possible. Not just the ones outside but also those inside by luring them out. It would be better not to have anyone interfering during the main battle, after all. The monster residing there can¡¯t come out of the mansion, so odds are it¡¯ll send the undead to defend itself if anyone attacks from the outside. ¡°In that case, just crush the ones that come out one by one.¡± [Glen] ¡°That¡¯s not a bad plan, but I think it¡¯s inefficient to rely only on that, so I¡¯ll be relying on the Grave Slimes too.¡± [Ryouma] This is how the plan goes. First, we¡¯ll prepare a massive pitfall with Grave Slimes to trap a large number of undead, then we¡¯ll act as decoys and lure the undead. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here to prepare the pitfall. So, you run around to gather the undead. If any try to escape, use that hammer to knock them into the pitfall. Just take care not to enter the manor.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Simple enough. Speaking of traps, yesterday, I saw those flowers blooming on the opposite side from here. You know, that valuable dye thing¡­ What was it called again?¡± [Glen] ¡°Hoteru Raflesia?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s the one. There were so many of them that they filled a part of the outer wall. I was able to get away without any problem, but the flies attacked like a horde of undead. Think we can use them to our advantage?¡± [Glen] I¡¯ve never actually seen Gluttony Flies attacking undead, but when you think about it, zombies are just slow-moving masses of rotting flesh. With how many of them there are, it might not be a bad idea to consider Hoteru Raflesia. The monster is supposed to be able to revive the undead even after they¡¯re defeated, but with how many of them there are, it might not be possible for the Grave Slimes to store them all at once, so trimming them before the traps might be necessary. ¡°Let¡¯s do both then. I¡¯ll start preparing Grave Slimes and the traps, so you go lure the undead to the territory of Gluttony Flies.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright! In that case, give me that barrier from yesterday. I hate it when they hit my face.¡± [Glen] I did as he requested and cast a Barrier of Lightning on him, then Glen-san bolted off. ¡°Whether it goes well or not, I¡¯ll be back by noon! Be sure to have lunch ready by then!¡± [Glen] ¡­Demanding lunch, huh. Well, he is fuel expensive, and he¡¯s doing his best, so why not. I was originally planning on doing this alone too, so any help I can get it something to be grateful about. ¡°Anyway, I better do my best over here.¡± [Ryouma] First, I need to choose a location for the trap. It¡¯s a pitfall, and we¡¯re going to be bringing the undead ourselves, so there¡¯s no need to be too picky about the location. Still, it would be better to be closer to the source. ¡°Cutter Tornado!¡± [Ryouma] I got the Grave Slimes to combine and enlarge before leading them out of the safe zone to the center of the village. I¡¯ve already grown accustomed to the humanoid undead, but the beast variants, especially the smaller ones, are difficult to see when hidden by the undergrowth. So, I used wind magic to cut and blow away the weeds. It¡¯s technically an attack spell, but it feels like it¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve actually used it in an attack. Until now, I¡¯ve only really used it for mowing down lawns. I mean, even now I¡¯m still technically using it to get rid of the weed. Well, it¡¯s a convenient spell, so whatever. ¡°But enough of that. Is that the place?¡± [Ryouma] Beyond the small tornado that cut through the bushes was a distant, old, and massive mansion. In front were remnants of buildings that might have been village houses and the remains of defensive fences. However, the mansion stood out head and shoulders above them. Additionally, there were many collapsed parts in the buildings in front, which proved helpful in observing the mansion. The mansion, or rather, the structure, was probably originally meant to be a base in the Great Forest, as it had towers for surveillance in every direction, connected by sturdy-looking walls. With how few and small its windows were, it resembled an old fortress or prison rather than a mansion. However, a metal fence just like those of foreign mansions could be seen around it, secured with bricks and decorated too. Above all, inside the fence could be seen the well-maintained grounds of the mansion that created a strong sense of incongruity with the crumbling buildings around. Upon closer inspection, even the weeds seemed to have been cleanly pulled out. After a while, zombies could be seen coming out of the mansion to clean. ¡°So, the undead servants are still managing the mansion even now¡­¡± [Ryouma] Since it appears that the undead here have indeed retained a significant amount of memories from their past lives, I decided to retrace my steps for a moment. The location I¡¯d chosen for the trap was somewhere between the mansion and my grandparents¡¯ house. Once the location was decided, all that was left was to start the work. So, I got the Soil Slime, Spider Slime, Emperor Scavenger Slime, Huge Rock Slime, and the collective entity of Weed Slimes called ¡°Huge Bush Slime.¡± Roles and tasks were divided as follows: ¨C Huge Bush Slime: Clearing weeds before digging the pit and providing camouflage after completion. ¨C Soil + Me: Using slime magic to dig the pit while removing weeds, tree roots, stones, etc. ¨C Huge Rock: Eating the extracted stones, cleaning up, and reinforcing the pit with the separated body. ¨C Emperor Scavenger: Assisting other slimes + guarding during work. ¨C Spider Slime: Assisting in camouflage after completion. Once the work began, the giant slimes worked like heavy machinery. For example, the Huge Bush Slime, by spreading its body to the limit, was able to cover an area of about 20 meters square. Given its huge Emperor-class body being turned into a level surface, it wasn¡¯t surprising that it would be able to cover that much area. What¡¯s more was that it could even move while in that state. While not particularly fast, watching the large slimes mow down the weeds over such a wide area was very satisfying to watch. It was just like watching a large agricultural machine clear grass. Slime magic with my Soil Slime also made short work of digging a pit, removing weeds, tree roots, and stones. With Huge Rock eating the stones and reinforcing the pit with its separated body, walls and pillars could be created without the need for concrete. Soon, a square pit with a side length of 15 meters and a height of about 4 meters was completed in less than an hour. ¡°¡­I know I was the one who made it, but this is basically an underground cellar, isn¡¯t it?¡± [Ryouma] The power of the large slimes was incredible. Rinehart-san had mentioned wanting to build roads and villages. If these slimes were to be used, the construction time could be significantly reduced. Shortening it too much could be problematic though, but if they ask for help, I might consider it. ¡°Now for the finishing touches. First, the camouflage, then the Grave Slimes need to be installed, and finally, let¡¯s have the Huge Rock serve as a pillar at the center with its face jutting out above ground.¡± [Ryouma] With the Spider Slimes supporting the nest they built with the edges and the central pillar, the Weed Slime covering the hole, the Emperor Scavenger Slime providing fertilizer, my wood magic assisting in completing the camouflage, and the Soil Slime lightly covering it with itself, even I couldn¡¯t distinguish it anymore from the rest of the ground despite having created it myself. ¡°It¡¯s well done, but I ought to be careful lest I fall into it myself. Yeah, just to be safe, I¡¯ll create a separate safe zone.¡± [Ryouma] I got the slimes to stretch threads between the heat-emitting trees, and by using the roots of trees extracted during digging, we were able to create a scaffold. Spider silk is said to have five times the strength of steel, and Spider Slime¡¯s silk also has considerable strength. By reinforcing the scaffold with the roots of trees, adding a roof, and further reinforcing it with the vines provided by the Weed Slime, we were able to build ourselves an impromptu tree house. ¡°The threads contracted a bit perhaps due to the humidity, but it should still be plenty strong.¡± [Ryouma] Undead of a certain size and weight will naturally fall in on their own, while the smaller ones can be dropped by the Huge Bush Slime. All that¡¯s left now is to bring the undead here. Oh, right, perhaps that one might also be useful here. ¡°Come, Mimic Slime!¡± [Ryouma] Excited, I summoned the Mimic Slime from the Dimension Home on a whim. The body emerging from the white hole was considerably larger than when we made the contract. It seemed that feeding it various things last night, along with finding out its food, had been beneficial. ¡°I did cut it in half, so I¡¯m glad it returned to normal.¡± [Ryouma] By the way, Mimic Slime is an omnivore and can eat both meat and vegetables, but it prefers meat. Throughout this journey, I¡¯ve been feeding it mainly Raptor meat that I¡¯ve hunted extensively. It doesn¡¯t seem to have a particular preference for the type of meat, whether it¡¯s from a crocodile or a small animal. However, it refuses to eat rotten meat and excludes undead-type monsters like Beast Zombies. This is probably related to the Mimic Slime¡¯s shapeshifting ability. Upon investigation, the Mimic Slime¡¯s transformation seems to be an ability to ¡°mimic the appearance of the eaten target.¡± By eating a part of the opponent¡¯s body (not limited to meat), it can transform into an identical appearance by reproducing bones and internal organs. It gives the impression of transforming its own body using the genetic information of the target, more like a clone than a simple shapeshift, but I lack the specialties in that regard, so I can¡¯t say for sure. It¡¯s unfortunate. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no use wishing for something I don¡¯t have. More importantly, I want you to transform into a Take Ostrich.¡± [Ryouma] With communication seemingly not a problem, the Mimic Slime was able to transform into a monster resembling an ostrich. I don¡¯t know if the condition to be able to transform lies in the amount ingested, and I also don¡¯t know how long it can maintain the transformation, but I do know that once it memorizes the appearance of a target, it can change into it without eating again. ¡°Can you give me a ride on your back?¡± [Ryouma] The Mimic Slime, now transformed into a Take Ostrich, folded its knees to make it easier for me to ride. I hopped on it. Its back was warm, and the texture felt just like actual feathers. If you didn¡¯t know in advance, you wouldn¡¯t think it was a slime. ¡°Try walking slowly first.¡± [Ryouma] It started to walk slowly, one step, two steps, then three steps¡­ It seemed like it could move while I was on its back. We¡¯re inside the Treehouse, though, so it¡¯s a bit cramped. It might not be able to run, though, because I¡¯m not that familiar with riding myself. There were no stirrups or saddle like you would find on a horse too, but maybe it will do just fine if it¡¯s just walking. ¡°Welp, no other way but to find out.¡± [Ryouma] I teleported us outside, and the Take-Ostritch-transformed-Mimic-Slime started running with me on its back. I just wanted to perform a simple test, a quick trip to my grandparents¡¯ house and then back, but¡­ ¡°Whoaaa!?¡± [Ryouma] It¡¯s too fast! Though I might have just been a child, I was surprised to see the Mimic Slime rocket as soon as I signaled it to start. I think we just went back the way we came over a dozen times faster, but I couldn¡¯t tell for sure. The scenery passing by from side to side was just like what I would see when sharing vision with the Rimel Bird. Yes, just like the view from the Shinkansen. The difference was that my body was moving at that speed too. Although the feathers were soft, and the vibration wasn¡¯t as bad as I thought, the force of the gravity bearing down on me made it feel more like a roller coaster. Without any safety measures, if I were to fall, wouldn¡¯t I die? By this point, it was more like I was holding on for dear life than riding it. We rocketed through the dense jungle with me full of anxiety. The distance from the trap to my grandparents¡¯ house would normally take about 10 minutes on foot, yet despite it taking much less time than normal, it actually felt longer. The Mimic Slime is certainly an excellent means of transportation. However, at the same time, I decided not to ride it while gathering the undead. It was just too dangerous. Chapter 314 - Chapter 314: The Jungle Inside the Mansion Chapter 314: The Jungle Inside the Mansion Noon. ¡°So, that¡¯s how things ended up like this?¡± [Glen] Glen came back for lunch and found himself watching as the Mimic Slime rushed through the grass with a horde of undead chasing after it. ¡°I¡¯d only be a hindrance if I rode it. The Mimic Slime originally lived in this forest too, so it¡¯s better for it to just run on its own while in the Takeostrich form. The undead prefer that too anyway. The humanoid undead get to act like they¡¯re hunting, while the beast zombies like the Raptors chased after it because of its skill. ¡°Well, I¡¯m grateful since I can get a proper lunch thanks to it.¡± [Glen] ¡°Both the traps and the gathering of the undead ended up being automated by the slimes.¡± [Ryouma] With more time to spare, I was able to put a bit more effort into preparing lunch. I figured that something like yesterday¡¯s fried snake with lots of seasoning would be good, so I went with the ¡°Tatsutaage Sandwich,¡± using freshly made soft bread, adding plenty of garlic and fresh leafy vegetables with fries on the side. Having fried food for two days in a row might be unpleasant, though, so I also prepared egg sandwiches and potato salad sandwiches, but Glen-san didn¡¯t mind at all. As usual, he enjoyed his meal, and he quickly emptied his plates. As we finished eating¡­ ¡°Oh.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± [Glen] ¡°The Mimic Slime is being chased by a living Raptor. It seems to have accidentally lured it while attracting the undead. It¡¯s running towards us now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sounds good, let¡¯s go have some fun to relieve the tension then.¡± [Glen] In an instant, the plan was set, and we prepared to intercept. ¡°I see it now.¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed it too. Let¡¯s separate the undead and the living with ¡®Holy Flame Carpet.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] As the Mimic Slime rushed past us, the spell was cast. Flames, mixed with light attribute magic, spread thinly and widely, forming a red and golden carpet. The excited group of enemies, that were attracted by the pheromones of the Takeostrich, rushed through the flames without retreat. I¡¯d focused on covering enough area, so the fire wasn¡¯t too intense. The living raptors didn¡¯t suffer much damage, but the zombified Raptors mixed among them suffered lethal damage to the legs due to the light attribute magic, and they stumbled and fell, before finally being engulfed in flames to burn out without a trace. As a result, only the living Raptors emerged from the fire. After that, it was just a matter of defeating them normally. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!¡± [Glen] The raptors charging straight at us in an excited state might have been dangerous for an ordinary person, but for Glen-san, they were easy pickings. He swung his adamantite hammer, and the Raptors rushing towards him were blown away altogether. I took care of those that managed to slip past the flames with my magic and sword. In less than a minute, all the raptors were dealt with. ¡°And done. Hey, you sure it¡¯s fine leaving the fire as is?¡± [Glen] ¡°It should be fine. This area is quite humid, and the rapid spread was due to my magic, so it shouldn¡¯t spread any further. Even if it does, the heavy rain we get every day should put it out eventually.¡± [Ryouma] I was originally supposed to come here alone, so naturally I¡¯d already considered the use of wide-range magic. Any damage left behind should be minor at worst. ¡°Still, the nearby undead were cleared a lot faster than I expected.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Huh? Now that you mention it¡­ When I came here, the village had been full of undead, but there¡¯s a lot less of them now. Oh, so that¡¯s why the living Raptors approached.¡± [Glen] ¡°I¡¯d instructed the Mimic Slime to ¡®run close to the village¡¯s outer wall,¡¯ so that¡¯s probably the reason. I thought it would take at least a day to clear the surrounding undead, but at this rate, we might be able to deal with the central mansion sooner.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°All the better if we can conclude things here quicker.¡± [Glen] Like that, we decided to attack the central mansion in the afternoon. When we finally headed for the mansion, only small crowds of undead bothered us along the way. ¡°I guess we weren¡¯t able to clear them all out completely, after all.¡± [Glen] ¡°Yes, but the Beast Zombies seem to be gone, and the humanoids left all appear to be former village residents. They were probably all non-combatants who didn¡¯t go out to hunt.¡± [Ryouma]] I pointed to one of the many collapsed buildings around the mansion. There, a skeleton could be seen diligently swinging his hammer, so it was probably a blacksmith¡¯s residence or workshop. In another building, was a zombie using what seemed to be a broken weaving machine. It continued to move as though it were weaving even though the machine didn¡¯t work anymore. They were likely continuing the daily activities they had when they were still alive. ¡°They¡¯re non-combatants by nature, so they don¡¯t attack, but they do recognize us and the slimes as enemies, as they ran for the mansion as soon as we approached.¡± [Ryouma] Rather than the undead, the condition of the road was a bigger problem. The former villagers seem to have done some maintenance, but it was a meaningless endeavor. At most, they succeeded in building obstacles with sandbags and metal fences. Moreover, some undead got caught in those and failed to catch up with the rest of the undead, so I got the Grave Slimes to store them away as we advanced. ¡°You know, the way they move kind of give me the impression that they see us as a pair of kidnappers invading a village.¡± [Glen] ¡°I was thinking the same thing actually. In fact, it probably is just like that for them. Assuming they haven¡¯t realized they¡¯re dead, then the way they see it, a pair of strangers came to the village, so they ran away, but the strangers gave chase, and those that were caught were devoured by slimes to end up in a prison-like place.¡± [Ryouma] Saying it out loud like that kind of makes me feel guilty, but whether it¡¯s monster subjugation or hunting, it¡¯s not really all that different. Besides, this is also for their memorial. Before long, we reached the front gate of the mansion. It was surrounded by metal fences to prevent intruders and monsters, as well as a double door. ¡°Hit anywhere as hard as you can.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Just leave it to me!¡± [Glen] Glen already raised his hammer high, then with a clang, the ear-piercing metallic sound echoed throughout the area. ¡°Damn, it¡¯s one of those, huh.¡± [Glen] Amidst the metallic sounds, Glen¡¯s grumbling voice reached my ears. Despite receiving a blow that could create a crater on the massive heat-dissipating tree trunk, the gate only slightly warped before returning to its undamaged state. ¡°Waoooo!¡± [Undead] ¡°Finally, a reaction.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I swung intending to break through, though.¡± [Glen] Countless voices of the undead rise from within the mansion, while the sound of intense banging echoed from every window. It was as if the entire mansion was screaming and trembling. After some dozen seconds, armed undead poured out in droves from inside the mansion. Most of them were clearly in the form of corpses, such as zombies or skeletons, with only rudimentary equipment like spears or bows. However, among them were also higher-ranking Ghouls or even beings that, from their appearance, were indistinguishable from humans. ¡°How dare you scoundrels attack the villagers and impolitely pound on the gate!¡± [Noble Undead] ¡°What did you say, you jerk!?¡± [Glen] ¡°I figured this might be the case, but I¡¯m still surprised to see an undead talk so well.¡± [Ryouma] A noble-looking undead in armor raised his voice. I¡¯ve seen undead muttering back at the labyrinth, but this is my first time seeing an undead speak so clearly. Moreover, it¡¯s remarkably lifelike. But then again, if their souls are truly still lingering in this world, then I suppose it¡¯s only natural. Though there¡¯s no changing the fact that they¡¯re still just undead. ¡°I am Baron Alus Destria! I have been entrusted with the royal command of the Forest Exploration Expedition! And this is the most crucial base! Do you understand that attacking this base is an act of rebellion against His Majesty the King?¡± [Alus Destria] ¡°How dare you invade my village! I¡¯ll make you regret it!¡± [Undead 1] ¡°How could you do such things!? Your savage attacks bring sorrow to the gods!¡± [Undead 2] The other undead could speak just like people, but there was no continuity. There were subtle strange behaviors too. But it didn¡¯t feel like the monster was making them say those things either. Rather, it felt more like they were simply reveling in their own world. Either way, they¡¯re definitely undead. ¡°They just keep running their mouths, don¡¯t they? What¡¯s the plan?¡± [Glen] ¡°Same as before. We¡¯ll keep attacking until the big one comes out. ¡®Holy Flame Carpet.¡¯¡± [Ryouma] I didn¡¯t deign to talk with the undead and just returned their words with fire. Baron Destria protected himself with a shield, while the surrounding undead suffered even though they weren¡¯t hit directly. It seemed that the spell wasn¡¯t as effective on the more human-looking undead. Meanwhile, arrows and magic shot out from the mansion¡¯s windows, so I hid behind the Emperor Scavenger. ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t ignore me!¡± [Glen] While running along the fence, Glen tried to provoke the enemies even more by hitting on the fence. They tried to stab Glen with their spears through the gaps in the fence, but they struggled to keep up with his movements and ended up getting hit back instead. ¡°Flash Bomb.¡± [Rrouma] ¡°Oraoraoraoraa! Stop hiding and fight me like a man! What¡¯s the matter? You scared!?¡± [Glen] Wait a moment. I¡¯m also attacking sneakily while hiding behind my slimes. Oh, well. I won¡¯t do anything reckless until necessary and just stick to safety first and the original plan. After continuing to attack the mansion for a while, the gate eventually opened as we planned. ¡°Finally!¡± [Glen] Undead poured out from inside the gate, but once outside, they were ours. Glen continued to swing his hammer, mowing down enemy after enemy, while the Emperor Scavenger crushed the enemies with its massive body, and the Grave Slimes captured the temporarily immobilized undead. About 10 minutes later. ¡°Hey, Ryouma, looks like your monster is inviting us.¡± [Glen] Glen said as he approached and knocked out some undead. Just as he said, the mansion¡¯s gate had swung wide open, but no more undead came out. It was a chance for us to enter, but it was being so obvious about it, it felt suspicious. ¡°Well, I was planning to go in anyway, so I¡¯ll be off. If everything goes smoothly, I should be able to come out before the sun sets. If I don¡¯t come out by tomorrow noon at the latest, consider it a failure.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It does seem like the real problem inside the mansion needs to be dealt with. In that case, just leave the outside to me.¡± [Glen] Well, that was the plan, so I left the outside to Glenn and the slimes, while I passed through the open gate, walking through the mansion¡¯s entrance, to step into the entrance hall, whereupon the door that had been open suddenly closed, and the latch clicked. It was straight out of a horror movie. I briefly glanced at the door before turning around. ¡°Huh¡­ Is this some kind of illusion?¡± [Ryouma] That genuinely surprised me. I had stepped into the mansion, which despite its age, should be a robust and simple building. The grand staircase connecting the first floor to the upper floors and the corridors extending to the left and right should have also been visible in the open entrance. However, not a trace of those things remained. What met my eyes was instead a murky sky, a well-paved asphalt road lined with towering buildings, people in suits with exhausted expressions could be seen bustling about , and signs and billboards written in Japanese were everywhere. It felt both nostalgic and heartwarming, yet at the same time, it was a sight I never wanted to see again. Yes, that was none other than the cityscape of Japan, the world that I, Ryouma Takebayashi, once lived in. Chapter 315 - Chapter 315: Third-Rate Play Chapter 315: Third-Rate Play ¡°This should be the station nearest to the company.¡± [Ryouma] I knew I was in an illusion, but the door that closed just now definitely belonged to a station I was very familiar with. Moreover, the sound of people quarreling over the phone, of the smell air dyed in fumes¡­ Everything was indistinguishable from reality. ¡°Anyhow, I can¡¯t be dawdling here forever¡ª¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Supervisor!¡± [???] ¡°!?¡± [Ryouma] The moment I gathered my wits about me, a familiar voice came from my right, and I found myself turning to it with my sword, but the sword was already gone, and in its place was a well-worn business bag. Moreover, the hand holding it also belonged to the former body of ¡°Takebayashi Ryoma.¡± ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. Umm, what are you doing?¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Tabuchi-kun?¡± [Ryouma] Before me was a slightly chubby man in a suit, and he looked curiously at me with that familiar voice. ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but since we¡¯ve met up already, let¡¯s go.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°¡­Where to?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Where else? For the farewell party, of course!¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Farewell party?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s go. We can talk while walking.¡± [Tabuchi] For a moment, I wondered what he was talking about, but it didn¡¯t seem as though he was planning to attack me, so I decided to just follow for now. ¡°Ah, by the way¡­ It¡¯s been a while since I walked outside during the day for reasons other than work. It feels somewhat strange.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°¡­Really? Well, I suppose.¡± [Ryouma] I might have felt that way too when I first reincarnated. ¡°Supervisor, since going ahead of us and quitting yourself, have you gotten used to your new life? It was really tough for us after you left.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Tough?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, because our company went under.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°It did?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We finished cleaning up today, so with everything settled, we decided to have a celebration with everyone. You were invited too, so we figured we¡¯d go all out. Right. It¡¯s a bit early, but congratulations on your reemployment!¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Reemployment¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me over the phone? You¡¯re working at a laundromat now, right? It¡¯s a completely different industry, but there¡¯s no overtime, and your coworkers are nothing like your old coworkers. The section chief can¡¯t bother you anymore too.¡± [Tabuchi] Well, that¡¯s true. The people at the laundromat are certainly better than some section chief. ¡°By the way, did you know that the section chief was hospitalized?¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Umm, no.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It was a huge commotion after you left. All the work you left got dumped on the supervisor. At first, he screamed at us to pick up the pace, but it eventually became apparent that he had to deal with it himself, but not long after he started working, he collapsed. He was a lot more irritable too leading up to the collapse, but he couldn¡¯t take it out on us, as that would only make the work take longer, so he started venting on the people who got in through connections. They still didn¡¯t work much and complained a lot, and since they¡¯ve never been the target of the section chief¡¯s unreasonable demands thanks to their connections, they took the job lightly. When the section chief lost it and took it out on them, they threw in the towel right away and left.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°¡­That does make me a bit sorry.¡± [Ryouma] I found myself saying that as I realized that everyone else had to take over the work I left behind, but Tabuchi shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel sorry. Both the section chief and the people who got in through connections paid the price for throwing all that unreasonable work onto you and pretending not to know. It¡¯s a problem to let one person handle such a ridiculous amount of work. Well, everyone else at the company was like that too. Everyone wanted to apologize to the supervisor. It was a black company where unpaid overtime was normalized, but it was only thanks to you that the work could somehow be completed.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°Did they tell you that?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Well, everyone knew from the start anyway that you relied on your absurd stamina to support not just your workload but also ours. Everyone was grateful for that. It¡¯s not like they realized it only after you left. It¡¯s just that everyone got used to it, and without realizing it, they started relying on you for everything, thinking, ¡®If it¡¯s the supervisor, it¡¯ll be fine.¡¯ That¡¯s why everyone wanted to apologize to you and decided to invite you to today¡¯s celebration.¡± [Tabuchi] ¡°I see¡­ I guess this counts as being acknowledged?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Of course, everyone acknowledges you, Supervisor. If not for you, we wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue working at a company like that for so long. Without your support, we probably would have broken mentally or physically or even both and quit a long time ago.¡± [Tabuchi] Before we knew it, we arrived at our destination. A narrow road led to a familiar storefront. The location wasn¡¯t very good, but I used it frequently because it stayed open late and the food was delicious. I couldn¡¯t go home often, so I frequented it a lot. The door creaked open as Tabuchi entered, and I followed him in, pushing aside the doorway curtains. ¡°Welcome! You have a reservation, yes? Please come right in.¡± [Waitress] The part-timer girl knew us and led us to the back room. This girl has been working here for at least eight years. That¡¯s a long time to be working the same part-time job. ¡°Supervisor, over here.¡± [Tabuchi] At Tabuchi¡¯s behest, we entered the tatami room. When the sliding door opened, I saw our former colleagues already starting the party. ¡°Oh! They¡¯re here!¡± [Coworker 1] ¡°Tabuchi-san and the supervisor! Thank you for your hard work!¡± [Coworker 2] ¡°We¡¯ve already started without you, though~!¡± [Coworker 3] ¡°You¡¯re drunk already? Well, we did get let go from work, so I understand the feeling, but¡­¡± [Coworker 4] ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water!¡± [Coworker 5] ¡°Come on, you two, don¡¯t just stand there, come over here.¡± [Baba] ¡°Baba-san?¡± [Ryouma] A voice called to us from the corner of the tatami room, and it belonged to none other than Baba-san, who was almost at the age of retirement. ¡°¡­Long time no see.¡± [Baba] ¡°Long time no see indeed..¡± [Ryouma] There was an awkward silence between us. When we moved to a corner of the room, Baba-san opened his mouth as if he had made up his mind. ¡°It feels strange, doesn¡¯t it? We used to see each other every day at work, and there were countless drinking parties then too. Maybe it¡¯s because it¡¯s been a long time.¡± [Baba] ¡°That might be it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Have you been well?¡± [Baba] ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been doing well. That¡¯s my one saving grace, after all, and now I¡¯m blessed with good people around me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± [Baba] Baba-san used to work actively in the sales department but seemed to have been transferred to due to some conflict with the higher-ups. He became my subordinate due to the timing of my joining the company and his transfer, as well as the difference in work experience, but he¡¯s much older than me. He was diligent, good at his job, and I trusted him in work, but we weren¡¯t particularly close beyond that. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to apologize to you, Takebayashi-kun.¡± [Baba] ¡°About work? I heard from Tabuchi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That too, but not just that. It¡¯s about the time when I became your subordinate. I probably wasn¡¯t very pleasant back then. I must have made you feel uncomfortable a lot.¡± [Baba] ¡°Well¡­¡± [Ryouma] The relationship of a younger boss and his older subordinate was still unusual within the company when he and I first met. He must have faced a lot of prejudice and ridicule early on. Taking that into consideration, I carefully chose my words. ¡°To be honest, I was bewildered to suddenly have an older subordinate, and I struggled with how to handle it. It would be a lie to say that there were no unpleasant moments.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­¡± [Baba] ¡°But as time passed, those feelings disappeared. Your work was at the level of a novice at first, but by following instructions properly, you learned what needed to be done. I also learned a lot about responsibility and the proper attitude a working adult should have from you. It might be a strange comparison to make, but any trouble you caused me was really nothing compared to the boss or those kids that got in through their connections.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see. Well, I suppose you¡¯d be able to forgive most things when you compare it to them.¡± [Baba] After that, he might have said ¡®thank you¡¯, but I couldn¡¯t be sure, as the center of the room suddenly became lively. ¡°Supervisor! We have a surprise special guest joining us!¡± [Coworker 1] ¡°Special guest?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°After your retirement, we received a call from someone who couldn¡¯t reach you, someone who wanted to meet you because it had been a long time.¡± [Coworker 2] ¡°I see.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be surprised!¡± [Coworker 3] Who could it be? I watched as Tabuchi rushed for the entrance of the room and slid open the sliding doors. He paused for a moment to look back at us before finally revealing the surprise. ¡°!!¡± [Ryouma] When I saw the two figures there, I was finally unsettled. Even though I knew it was an illusion, I couldn¡¯t look away, and I felt my body stiffening. ¡°¡­Mom? Dad?¡± [Ryouma] The words escaped my mouth, and my mother smiled, while my father awkwardly averted his gaze. Only my mother walked gently toward us. ¡°Ryouma, it¡¯s been a while. You never come home, you don¡¯t contact us at all. If you changed your contact information, well, you should have let us know. We had to contact your company just to reach you, you know? I¡¯m so sorry to have troubled you all.¡± [Mother] My mother bowed to Tabuchi and the others. As I stare in amazement, she turned her gaze back to me. ¡°Good grief, we finally get to meet, but you¡¯re just sitting there, not saying a word. In that regard, you¡¯re just like your dad. Darling, you come here too.¡± [Mother] ¡°Ah.¡± [Ryouma] My father slowly approached at my mother¡¯s behest. He was an unsociable man who was only interested in making swords. Evidently, he only came here after much hesitation. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve caused you a lot of trouble.¡± [Father] ¡°Your father wants to apologize for everything so far. There were various issues in the past, and it¡¯s understandable if you want to avoid us, but I would love it if we could live together again.¡± [Mother] Her words resonated in my mind. I felt a strong pull on my heart, and all other sounds faded away as her hands gently reached for mine. ¡°So, let¡¯s live together again, the three of us¡ª¡± [Mother] But before she could finish her sentence, I swung down with my sword and cut through her straight down from the head. Chapter 316 - Chapter 316: By Hook or by Crook Chapter 316: By Hook or by Crook Though the woman¡¯s face remained in shock even as I split it in two and mana drifted from it, it quickly transformed into that of an unfamiliar woman¡¯s, while I swung back with the sword to cut down the man posturing as my father and then my former colleagues. Only Tabuchi-kun managed to evade the sword with his ghostly movements and retreat to the entrance. ¡°Why?¡± [???] He called out to me, but unlike the voice that was familiar until just awhile ago, what called out to me was that of a hoarse voice of an old man. He also no longer looked at me as a junior looking at his senior and was instead glaring sharply at me. In the illusion just now, I¡¯ve been released from our company, and I was able to reconcile with my old peers, even being recognized by them. My parents were there too. Evidently, it was meant to pacify me. Were this during the time when I¡¯d just gotten to this world, it might have worked, but it¡¯s too late now. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the illusion work?¡± [???] ¡°It did. Everything was exactly as it was in my memory. I was really surprised.¡± [Ryouma] However, despite the effectiveness, it just felt unpleasant. It was my first time seeing my late mother used without consent, and it was not a pleasant feeling. ¡°!?¡± [???] He must have sensed my anger, as the something before me that looked like Tabuchi-kun twisted its expression before disappearing, then the world changed, and I found myself in a dark long corridor made of stones that smelled of the damp air of the forest. It seemed as though I¡¯ve been brought back to reality, but¡­ ¡°It looks like it hasn¡¯t completely disappeared.¡± [Ryouma] I still looked like Takebayashi Ryouma, and my weapon was again a business bag, but as long as I know the position and length of my own weapon, I can wield it just fine. ¡­This mansion was originally built for the first-generation village chief of Corni village, who was related to the feudal lord. It served not only as a private residence but also as a document storage room and a meeting place. It was later temporarily lent as a base for the development of the forest, and facilities such as barracks and warehouses were built around it. However, due to the worsening situation, the base had to be made smaller, and eventually, the facilities centered around the house were integrated, resulting in its current form. The former village chief¡¯s residence still existed as a separate building at the center of the mansion. It is also the base of the monster I¡¯m to hunt. ¡°I thought I¡¯d be able to get in if I just remained quiet, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] Well, there¡¯s no point regretting. From I know, the enemy will be very close as soon as I cross the corridor. In fact, when I tried to advance, the scenery changed again. This time it was the office. My former workplace. What¡¯s the point of showing me this? ¡°Takebayashi!!¡± [Section Chief] ¡°¡­The section chief?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s with that attitude!?¡± [Section Chief] The section chief appeared before me, but neither of us were even the slightest bit nostalgic about his appearance. My current attitude might be considered bad in my past life, while he was still the same person that would boil over like a kettle in an instant. The greasy shine of his bald head, his shaking belly upon yelling¡­ The monster did a good job recreating him. ¡°What are you looking at!? You worthless trash! Stop slacking and get to work already!¡± [Section Chief] He yelled and slammed a bundle of documents on my desk. There was enough to require overtime, but that was normal in our office. ¡°Quit slackin¡¯ and sit down already!¡± [Section Chief] He reached out to force me to sit down, so I punched him in the stomach, and he collapsed, sounding like some flattened frog. ¡°How could you punch?¡± [???] That same voice from before called out again, and the section chief disappeared, while the scenery changed again. This time it was in the hallway of the company, in front of the tea room. Inside the open door, there were two young female employees. ¡°Ugh, I¡¯m tired. Seriously, that middle-aged Takebayashi is such a pain.¡± [Female Worker 1] ¡°I know right! He criticizes our nails and makeup when he doesn¡¯t know anything about that sort of stuff. He¡¯s even worse than the section chief, since at least that guy just keeps quiet.¡± [Female Worker 2] ¡°True, true~ It takes time to put on makeup, and it could smudge, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem to put it on at work, right?¡± [Female Worker 1] Oh, I remember this. It¡¯s not that doing makeup is bad, but I told them it would be better to have a business-appropriate look during work hours. Moreover, doing your makeup 30 minutes after the start of the job, then not returning for two hours is actually spending too much time. Not to mention, repeating the same thing 30 minutes later and again until the end of the day. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this count as workplace harassment? Can we fire him if we complain?¡± [Female Worker 2] ¡°Yeah, that might be possible.¡± [Female Worker 1] ¡°Nope.¡± [Ryouma] I stepped forward and cut their heads off. ¡°How can you cut?¡± [???] ¡°How can you¡­¡± [???] The fallen heads asked that like a pair of speakers, then everything disappeared. I¡¯m the one who should be asking questions here. They don¡¯t attack, they don¡¯t ensnare¡­ The Tabuchi-kun and my mother from earlier still made sense actually, since at least they were trying to trap me, but these two just now just pissed me off. What is with this harassment? Why show me such things? Though not knowing that makes it creepy too, I guess. ¡°Hey! Do this too! Be sure to have it finished by tomorrow morning!¡± [Section Chief] ¡°Ugh, that person is being scolded by the section chief again. How old is that guy anyway? He¡¯s almost 40 already, isn¡¯t he? Yet he¡¯s still so incompetent. What a waste of life. It¡¯s because all he can do is follow orders that he gets treated like that.¡± [Officemate 1] ¡°Does he enjoy that kind of life? I don¡¯t get it.¡± [Officemate 2] ¡°We should teach him to be more like us and be more successful. We¡¯ll be inheriting our parents¡¯ companies in the future too, so it¡¯s only fitting that we be able to turn a useless employee into a competent one.¡± [Officemate 1] ¡°Nah, it¡¯s not worth it. In the first place, he¡¯s too old, so I doubt he¡¯d be willing to listen. Though just because someone¡¯s young, doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯ll listen to what you say either. If we¡¯re going to waste our time teaching and working, we might as well just pick someone who could produce a decent profit right from the start.¡± [Officemate 2] Unpleasant memories poured into my brain like a dam breaking, resonating with the floor, ceiling, and walls, as the undead grew like mushrooms from all over the place. The surrounding scenery changed again. ¡°Sensei! I don¡¯t want to be in the same group as Takebayashi-kun!¡± [Student 1] ¡°You¡¯re such a nuisance. You make everyone unhappy whenever you¡¯re around.¡± {Student 2] ¡°Takebayashi-san, why are you the only one who¡¯s healthy when there are so many people getting sick and leaving? Are you not working properly? Are you just making others work while you slack off? That¡¯s not good, not good at all. So, from this month onwards, you¡¯ll have to work three times as hard as before.¡± [Boss] ¡°Excuse me, we received a report from the neighbors. Could you accompany us to the station?¡± [Police] ¡°Hey, do you think you¡¯re a human being who can talk to others as equals? Don¡¯t get ahead of yourself.¡± [Friend] ¡°Does your life even have any worth?¡± [Friend 2] ¡°Takebayashi-kun, people need to experience setbacks. When you¡¯re young, people say you should struggle even if you have to pay for it, right? Setbacks make people mentally and physically stronger. That¡¯s why as your homeroom teacher, no matter how hard you work or how good your grades are on tests, I will never approve of you. It¡¯s out of love for you that I crush your young spirit with a heavy heart, turning you away even if you put in three times the effort. Naturally, you understand, right?¡± [Teacher] One memory after another attacked me as a storm of abusive language assaulted me. It was to the point where the conversations didn¡¯t even connect. Of course, I could still understand the words, but trying to comprehend the unreasonable demands was just too exhausting. ¡°Annoying.¡± [Ryouma] That was all I said in response as I cut off all the humanoid figures approaching me. One, two, three, four¡­ There was no need to recognize their faces. Without giving them a chance to speak, I simply eliminated all my enemies as soon as they appeared. I felt the mana and swung my sword in response to the enemy¡¯s movements, and gradually, the surrounding noise grew distant. The martial arts that were useless in my past life was now helping me. Back then, people just used it to mock me and ask if I was still in my middle-school-sickness phase, but to be honest, I didn¡¯t really like it. I continued training until death, perhaps because I wanted to immerse myself in the act of moving my body. After all, I could forget all my problems as long as I focused on my training. It was a form of escapism. ¡°¡­¡± But even as I stop my thoughts, my body doesn¡¯t slow down in the slightest. Soon, the weariness from the illusions ceased, and my movements grew sharper. ¡°How!?¡± [???] ¡°How can you move!?¡± [???] ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to do anything!?¡± [???] I could hear all sorts of screams, from the hoarse to the childlike to the feminine¡ªall of them were unmistakably the cries of that monster. At last, I understood. It wasn¡¯t showing me these things to harass or provoke me. Everything until now was a reproduction of all the unpleasant things from my memories. At first, it might have altered them to suit my desires, but everything nonetheless came from my memories. In other words, the monster was likely reading my thoughts and memories to create its illusions. If so, then I probably did feel that way in my past life. After all, I really was powerless back then in the sense that I never retaliated no matter how angry I got. The only exception would be when I thought my life was at stake, but otherwise, I never raised my hand against anyone. I didn¡¯t think I could have offered any meaningful retort even when someone hurled vulgar abuse at me, so I was essentially in a punching bag state. If the supervisor dumped work on me, I quietly worked on it, and if a woman gossiped about me in the break room, I would discreetly turn away. It seemed like the others believed I wouldn¡¯t retaliate even if they freely spewed insults. So, the monster must¡¯ve read my memories and thought that I would similarly be unable to do anything if he brought up those memories. Did I get that right? ¡°G-Guu¡­¡± [Monster] ¡°Looks like I¡¯m right.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡ª!!¡± [Monster] ¡°Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] When I was sure that I¡¯d gotten it right, the scenery changed again. This time, it was the dojo where I spent my childhood. My father appeared in his martial arts uniform and wielded a wooden sword. He appeared at the center and silently swung down with his word. It was a strike aimed at the top of my head, just like when I cut down that something resembling my mother. I immediately deflected it and took a step, only to find a hilt right against my throat, so I took half a step back to open up my body, and as our arms passed each other, found our blades on each others throats, only for it to be swatted away at the last moment. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± [Ryouma] The movements were exactly those of my father, as they existed in my memories. In other words, it meant that he was using the same techniques, the same forms as me. ¡°Is that all?¡± [Father] Amidst the swordplay, I could hear my father¡¯s disappointed mutter, just like those days, and my father grew in size. No, I¡¯d merely returned to my form when I was a child. I was dressed in a gi and had a wooden sword in hand. My father wore a face as though he was teaching me out of duty. He seemed fed up. Considering how this was recreated from my memories, perhaps he did have such an expression on him back then. ¡°An overly accurate reenactment.¡± [Ryouma] I softly received the sword thrust towards my heart, deftly unwound it in a circular motion to break it apart, and then slid the blade smoothly towards his neck. The sensation of the blade passing through flesh and neck bones without resistance, yet decisively, lingered as my father¡¯s figure disappeared. Being overwhelmed at the dojo was merely a story from my childhood. If the power dynamics of that time were faithfully recreated, I would have been defeated without even realizing the state of the hallucination. I¡¯ve been training and fighting for more than 20 years after my father passed, so what I felt was really just discomfort. He couldn¡¯t possibly pose a threat. ¡°Alright, you¡¯ve pestered me enough. Show your face!¡± [Ryouma] With all my strength, I swung down my sword at the dojo wall, and the scenery returned to reality. In front of me was the door leading to the main building. I could catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the door through the deep sword scars engraved on its surface, but of course, it was unnecessary. The door opened with a rough sound to reveal a spacious hall. In the back could be found an emaciated old man resembling a skeleton, while a mix of familiar and unfamiliar faces, a multitude of undead, stood ready to serve and confront. Chapter 317 - Chapter 317: The Recollections of a Certain Monster Chapter 317: The Recollections of a Certain Monster That was a monster born from mana. He didn¡¯t have anything that might resemble a parent, so he was less a creature and more a phenomenon. Similarly, it would be more apt to say that he occurred rather than that he was born. The beast himself did not have any awareness that he was born. He just realized that he was there. The monster that lay at the heart of the manor of ruins at the depths of the Great Forest did not have any particular goal. In the first place, he did not even know what he needed or what he ought to do, neither did he understand who he himself was. But there were things that he did understand. After all, he has been here since the village was established. Although he did not have a clear sense of self at the start, he lived in the manor while relying on his faint memories that would occasionally surface into his head. With his body made from mana, he did not need to eat or sleep. He could live on even without doing anything. He captured the wandering souls of the villagers and allowed them to relive their old lives with fake bodies. When creatures got lost into the manor, he would welcome them as new residents. He has noticed Ryouma since he entered the village with the other man. The undead inside the village made a commotion, but the monster wasn¡¯t particularly wary of him. If anything, he was excited at the prospect of a new resident. ¡ºIs he going to enter?¡» [Monster] He became even more excited when he saw Glen running around the following day. It was rare for humans to venture this deep into the Great Forest. Only a handful of adventurers and rogues who pushed their luck managed to get lost this far. And with all the undead, it was rare even for non-humans to enter the village. ¡ºHow long has it been since the last human entered?¡¡I wonder what kind of person he is.¡» [Monster] He¡¯s been watching Ryouma and Glen from the window since they started gathering undead. He knew that humans actively hunted undead, but it was the first time he had seen individuals like them deliberately attracting such a large group. At least from the human common sense he remembered, their actions were extremely dangerous. However, he also understood that they were capable people. This understanding turned to caution when the two approached the mansion. He hurriedly shut the gate and called out as many residents as possible to reinforce the defenses. However, they were utterly powerless against them. What puzzled him even more was his inability to retrieve the souls of the residents. ¡ºThey¡¯re not coming back.¡» [Monster] It wasn¡¯t rare for residents to be killed. The Great Forest was dangerous and encounters with monsters often resulted in casualties. However, even if their makeshift bodies were destroyed, they could be regenerated as long as their souls were retrieved and reincorporated. That¡¯s why residents could engage in life and hunting within this Great Forest. No, it was the Monster Beast himself that made them do that. Yet, why weren¡¯t the souls returning? Puzzled, the monster eventually decided to open the door. He could lure the two inside and turn them into residents. By peering into their memories and showing illusions, he might be able to learn why the residents weren¡¯t returning. ¡º!? ¡» [Monster] But he miscalculated. Ryouma¡¯s memories were ¡°more difficult to decipher¡± than any creature he had met before. Furthermore, the fragmented memories contained nothing but unseen cities and human activities. For the monster, who knew only the Cormi Village of the past and the Great Forest, that alone was plenty shocking, but then he even saw the gods give Ryouma a job. ¡º¡­¡­ ¡» [Monster] This monster, which had been observing the activities of the residents by giving them bodies for their souls to inhabit, knew about the gods. He had never met them or exchanged words with them, but he understood them to be absolute beings. Yet now a boy has appeared with a job from the gods to dispose of him. It was at this point that he realized that Ryouma was his enemy and decided to assimilate him completely. ¡ºWhy? ¡­Why!?¡»[Monster] But all of his plans ended in failure, and now, he had to face Ryouma with only a few residents remaining. The illusions he had shown not only failed to turn Ryouma into a new resident but also angered him. Ryouma ruthlessly and indiscriminately cut down anything that resembled a familiar human figure regardless of his relationship with them, charging straight through to at last appear before him. ¡°You sure showed me a ton of nasty stuff.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºGuu¡­ Remove the intruder!¡» [Monster] From the deepest part of the hall called out the frail voice of an old man and issued commands. At once, residents who had been lying in wait in the hall rushed at Ryouma, but he deftly dodged the attacks and swiftly defeated them with his sword imbued with light magic. What was his goal? How would he move next? The monster tried to read his thoughts, but it was to no avail. £¨It¡¯s too fast!£©[Monster] That was partly because Ryouma¡¯s mind was indeed hard to read, but it was also because most of his movements were now reflex. By immersing himself purely in battle, all excess thoughts have been removed, and even when the monster could read his mind, neither the monster nor the undead could respond in time. Fortunately, unlike the residents outside, the souls of the residents slain by Ryouma returned to him, allowing him to bring them back. So the monster could summon them again. The monster couldn¡¯t leave the manor no matter what, so there was no way for him to retreat. As he braced himself for a decisive fight, he summoned the residents and plastered on them the face of Ryouma¡¯s acquaintances, hoping that he¡¯d slow that even if just a little. ¡°You just don¡¯t know when to give up, do you?¡± [Ryouma] The monster desperately fought. There were differences in the power that the souls could manifest due to the difference in station in their previous life. For example, knights and peasants, but the monster could not afford to be picky. The monster summoned whatever he could, but his confusion showed no signs of abating. (Why?¡¡Why?¡¡Why?) [Monster] The monster was just too lacking in experience. Though the monster might know a thing or two about how the people here used to live, in the end, that was not something that the monster personally experienced. It¡¯s only been a few years since he¡¯d taken this form and integrated human souls too. Because of his overwhelmingly powerful abilities, he has never faced anyone immune to his abilities before. He also hasn¡¯t had anyone to instruct him in the way of tactics. That¡¯s why this situation was completely unexpected. £¨What should I do?) [Monster] They were evenly matched. If the person before him was human, then he should eventually run out of stamina or mana. Meanwhile, his residents could just keep resurrecting, so a drawn out fight should eventually end in his favor, but something was amiss. A vague but intense sense of unease washed over the monster. It wasn¡¯t just because a human came specifically to kill him. ¡ºAh¡­¡» [Monster] Then one of the residents started moving slower. It was already dead and was absorbed in an illusion, yet despite knowing neither tire nor fear, the dead resident shook. That was not because it was trying to resist the monster¡¯s response, no. It was instinctual. ¡°A-Ahh¡­¡± [Undead] They diligently tried to stop Ryouma, but the monster could feel every one of them starting to shake. Their movements dulled, and gradually, the residents started to be pushed back. At the same time, the shaking of the residents too grew more intense, and some among them, even became unable to move. £¨I know this. I mean, I don¡¯t know, but I understand. This is bad¡ª) [Monster] The residents were created based on the souls integrated, so their memories and personalities were infinitely close to their lives before they died. That was also why their ¡¯emotions¡¯ could manifest more than ordinary undead. The monster used illusions to make them move, but now, a fear that transcended their illusions has sprouted within them. Through them, the monster too came to know fear. As the battle lines drew closer to him, so did that fear intensify. ¡ºJust what are you!¡»[Monster] The monster yelled, but that did little to help the residents fighting in front of him. He had no more cards left to play. So there was nothing he could do. The moment those words crossed its mind, the monster finally realized it ¨C what the source of his fear was. £¨He¡¯s not human. This thing isn¡¯t a human.) [Monster] It was something the monster knew very well but had never experienced. It was something the residents had experienced, but really, it was something that all creatures experienced and feared. It would visit in various forms, sometimes in the form of a monster, sometimes as a phenomenon, and sometimes as illness. It was an irrational thing. £¨Yes, this is death.£©[Monster] Death had taken the shape of a man and now approached him. As the monster¡¯s fabricated skin bristled with an even stronger fear, in his mind, a scream urged him to run, while another urged him to despair. When the residents protecting him were cut down, the monster at last met Ryouma¡¯s gaze. ¡ºEek!?¡»[Monster] The monster fled, but he did not do so after pondering the situation. He was merely moving on instinct, and in fact, he had no where to flee to. He just wanted to escape that place at all costs, so he fled to the door behind it. But fleeing to another room could not even buy him more time, and Ryouma appeared again a moment later. (No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! ¨CNo, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no!) [Monster] The desperate monster summoned residents one after another. The monster couldn¡¯t move from fear and couldn¡¯t think of any other way with which to resist, so he did the only thing he knew and used his vast reserves of mana to summon undead one after another, making sure to give them faces that Ryouma would hesitate to hurt. ¡°Ryouma!¡¡Wait!¡± ¡°Onii-chan!¡± ¡°Ryouma-kun!¡± ¡°Boss!¡±¡® ¡°Ryouma! Stop it, nyaa!¡± ¡°Ryouma-san! Please calm down.¡± The people of Gimuru. The employees from the store. The children from his travels, and above all, the people from the duke¡¯s family. The people he met in his second life, the people with whom he formed countless memories with, appeared before him and asked him to stop. ¡°Cutter Tornado.¡± [Ryouma] But with a swing of his blade, a storm of wind blades swept them all away. The monster too suffered under the ferocity of those blades of wind. When he beheld Ryouma rushing for him through the opened path and the approaching edge of his blade, the monster thought to himself. ¡°I can¡¯t run anymore, but I don¡¯t want to die.¡± [Monster] £¨¨D¨D¨D¨D£© That was the last act of resistance on the part of the monster. In the face of death, in his desperation, and due to having been made conscious of death, the monster conjured that illusion without intending to, and the memories of the countless residents who have lost their lives were reproduced. ¨D¨DAs a dense darkness emanated from the monster, the concept of ¡®death¡¯ engulfed the entire room. Chapter 318 - Chapter 318: The True Identity of the Monster Chapter 318: The True Identity of the Monster ¡ºHaa, haa, haa¡­¡» [Monster] Despite not needing to breathe, he was hard of breathing, and his non-existent heart pounded as though it would burst. Soon, his form as an old man crumbled, and in its place appeared a black mist, yet just when the blade was about to sever his neck, it stopped. Ryouma¡¯s hand that was gripping the hilt burnt and blistered, and bite marks from a beast surfaced on the rest of the arm, exposing the raw bone underneath. A three-fingered claw tore at him from the shoulder to his side, while his head was crushed with a blunt force. Various wounds of all sizes and countless bleeding appeared on him, and soon Ryouma was turned into a corpse. ¡ºWhy? ¡» [Monster] The monster asked, unable to understand why he didn¡¯t finish the job. ¡°That hurt a lot. I thought for sure I was going to die.¡± [Ryouma] As the corpse-transformed Ryouma complained like that and put away his sword, the monster realizing that his life had been spared. He slumped in relief, and Ryouma¡¯s fatal wounds vanished. ¡°Oh, the pain is gone. So it really was an illusion. As expected, those must be the memories of the people that died here.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºWhy? ¡»[Monster] ¡°Is that the only word you know? You can¡¯t talk?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºTalk?¡¡But the gods ordered you to kill me. ¡» The monster asked again, and look of doubt surfaced on Ryouma. The monster realized that Ryouma was being sincere, but that only served to confuse the monster even more. Seconds passed as they stared at each other without saying anything until Ryouma finally broke it. ¡°I have a few things I want to say, but first of all, since you know about the job I received from the gods, then you must¡¯ve read my memories. However, I wasn¡¯t specifically asked to kill you. Rather, I was asked to do something about your ability.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºThe gods said they wanted you to get rid of me.¡» ¡°No, that¡¯s just if they were to do it themselves. Their power is too great, and they don¡¯t know how to hold back. If they fought, the whole Great Forest would get caught in their attack. That¡¯s why they spoke to me. They¡¯re trying to minimize the damage as much as possible. I¡¯d also considered just getting rid of you if there were no other options, but I never thought of killing you senselessly. If you¡¯re willing to release the souls of the dead and promise never to use that power again, I can let you off.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºB-But why? You came here to kill me! You were definitely serious!¡» The monster could read Ryouma¡¯s mind, so the monster knew that Ryouma was being serious now, but Ryouma had also been serious earlier. That¡¯s why the monster was so confused, but Ryouma¡¯s response was remarkably straightforward. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be possible to negotiate without securing a position where I could take you out at anytime. The illusions you showed me earlier also pissed me off.¡± [Ryouma] Moreover, Ryouma didn¡¯t even know if it was possible to speak with the monster. Even if communication was possible, it was possible that negotiating wouldn¡¯t lead anywhere. This was also a monster than an entire army couldn¡¯t subjugate, so he decided to come at the monster with full power first, then if he could afford to be leisurely enough against the monster, he would negotiate. However, it was unlikely that the gods would simply accept it if he were to tell them that the monster promised not to use the soul-binding power anymore, so Ryouma needed to be thorough about this negotiation; otherwise, neither the cautious Fernoberia nor the Meltrize, whom he barely knew, would be satisfied. ¡ºSo that¡¯s why you came at me seriously earlier? Then what about subjugating the undead?¡» ¡°I do intend to wipe them all out. If you¡¯re willing to help, then I¡¯d like for you to release them. It was by accumulating mana from the residents all these years that you were able to be born, right, artifact spirit? I believe you would be classified as a fairy.¡± [Ryouma] As he said that, Ryouma used Monster Identify to confirm his theory. House Fairy (Artifact Spirit) Skill Level Mimic Lv10 Regenerate Lv7 Illusion Lv10 Necromancy Lv6 Enshrine Remains Lv9 Parallel Thought Lv5 Absorb Mana Lv6 Soul Bind Lv¡ù¡ù ¡°Fairies are born either from the mana of nature or from the mana infused into objects by humans. You seem to belong more to the latter category, but due to the influence of the Great Forest while you were accumulating mana, you ended up somewhere in between. Anyway, you¡¯re not an undead, but a fairy. And from what I¡¯ve heard, your main body is supposed to be this mansion.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºYou entered me knowing that? ¡» [Monster] Upon hearing the words of the monster, which seemed part resignation and part exasperation, Ryouma furrowed his brows. ¡°Since your true identity has been revealed, how about you stop using that old man¡¯s voice as well? You¡¯re a kid, right?¡± [Ryouma] ¡º¡­How did you find out?¡» [Monster] Despite having only a silhouette for a face, it was evident from the tone of the monster¡¯s voice that he was shocked. ¡°I more or less figured it out after fighting you. As your situation grew more dire and your composure began to wane, I noticed traces of a child¡¯s voice slipping through. Looking back now, the way you kept repeating ¡®why¡¯ was just like that of a child.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºI see¡­ ¡»[Monster] Upon muttering that, the monster¡¯s form changed, transforming the adult silhouette into a 3 to 4 year old sized silhouette. Its form also became clearer, becoming like that of a black mannequin. ¡°Is that your real form?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºThis size sits best with me. I don¡¯t have an actual human form.¡» ¡°Well, you are a mansion. Anyway, I¡¯ve told you what I plan to do. I won¡¯t take your life as long as you release the souls of the dead and promise never use Soul Bind again. If you can promise that, I can promise to leave right away.¡± [Ryouma] The monster curiously responded with a question of their own. ¡ºYou really won¡¯t kill me. ¡» ¡°Provided you release the souls of the dead. The illusions you showed me were annoying, sure, but that¡¯s no reason to kill a child. I am trespassing, after all. It¡¯s only normal to defend yourself. I¡¯m also more pissed at the guys in my previous life than you personally, though it was definitely annoying being shown all that.¡± [Ryouma] As Ryouma said that, he looked around the room. Marks of the blades of wind could be seen everywhere. ¡°This part of the mansion is crucial to you, right? It¡¯s like a slime¡¯s core, and it should also where you abilities are strongest. The last trick you pulled was quite painful, but I endured it, so it¡¯s not something that can stop me. If a problem occurs again in the future, I can come back here much more efficiently too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡º¡­What if I¡¯m stronger then? ¡»[Monster] ¡°I¡¯ll take responsibility and kill you even if it means killing myself.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºAre you not afraid of dying?¡»[Monster] The monster asked in surprise, and Ryouma looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ve already died once.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºAh. ¡» ¡°Even just being alive like this is a miracle to me, so if I die, it¡¯ll just feel like me returning to my rightful form.¡¡Well, I guess a part of it might be that in my past life, I was dead before I knew it. I didn¡¯t have that sense of impending death like the memories I saw earlier. I just don¡¯t really think about it much. Besides, even if I were conscious of it, if I were attacked by a monster and froze up in fear, wouldn¡¯t I die all the same? My dad always taught me to move and kill when it seemed like I was about to die. Honestly, I can¡¯t believe a modern person would think like that. In the first place, even if it¡¯s for martial arts, is that really something you should be teaching a child?¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma started questioning his father¡¯s teachings midway through, but regardless, the monster could understand that picking a fight with him again would only result in a bloody fight. Moreover, even if he won, the gods would likely just take action on their own to take him out. In other words, winning against Ryouma would only prolong his life at best. If he really wanted to survive, the only thing he could do was to release the souls of the residents and seal off his own powers. Despite understanding that, the monster found it hard to respond. ¡°Do you not know how to release their souls? Or is there a reason why you can¡¯t?¡¡I¡¯ve given you my demands, so it¡¯s about time you tell me yours. I¡¯m sure you must have your own reasons, so I¡¯ll hear you out. Of course, there¡¯s a chance neither of us might be able to take a step back, but first, let¡¯s talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡º¡­It¡¯s lonely. ¡»[Monster] Before the monster knew it, he had formed an ego, but by then, the residents of the manor have already died, and all that was left was the memories from before the village was devoured by the Great Forest. ¡ºEveryone used to laugh. They didn¡¯t have money, but they were still happy. However, that gradually changed. The villagers, the people, everything¡­¡» Just as Ryouma heard from the first base, there was a period of prosperity after the colonization of the Great Forest began; however, as the situation worsened, so did people¡¯s relationships. As the situation became worse, the smiles vanished from people¡¯s faces, trivial matters escalated into conflicts, and incidents of violence became increasingly common. As Ryouma listened to the events leading up to the village¡¯s demise, he pondered deeply. £¨A fairy born from the mana of humans is influenced by the personality and environment of the owner of the object they originated from. If the object is cherished in a happy environment, they can become guardians that watch over people and bring happiness. Conversely, if treated poorly, they could become entities that harbor resentment and cause harm¡­ From what I¡¯ve heard, it seems like this one spent more time in a good environment, becoming the kind of fairy that watches over people. But the people this fairy was supposed to watch over passed away before he could even be born. Maybe that¡¯s why he feels lonely. That¡¯s probably why he learned the skill of Soul Binding.) The monster continued. The monster would spend his time by remembering memories, occasionally peeking out of the manor¡¯s windows in hopes of there being survivors. Alas, there were no survivors, only the undead and the souls. Even before the monster absorbed them, there were already souls wandering the village and unable to go to the gods. However, they gradually faded away and disappeared. Don¡¯t leave. Stay with me. When the monster knew it, before he knew it, he¡¯d learned the ability to bind the remaining residents to himself. ¡°Ah, so the combination of that wish and your mana resulted in a curse that bound souls. As Remilie-nee-san likes to say, you can do anything with magic as long as you have a concept and mana. The ability to absorb mana that the gods talked about is probably ¡®Absorb Mana.¡¯ By being in such a mana dense environment as the Great Forest, it¡¯s no wonder that you were able to do that.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºI don¡¯t know any of that. I just didn¡¯t want to be alone. ¡» The monster spoke tearfully, so Ryouma became thoughtful. ¡°In that case, how about becoming my familiar?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºFamiliar?¡» ¡°I plan to occasionally drop by the forest from here on out, partly to gather materials and partly for my experiments. This place also makes for a great vacation spot. It¡¯d be great if I could have a base for those cases. Also, I can combine my Dimension Magic with my Monster Taming to teleport to where my familiars are, so I should be able to drop by more frequently than other humans. I was also hoping to get my goblins to be active here. It¡¯s still fine for now, but as their numbers increase, my neighbors might start to grow anxious. So having a place to keep them away from other people would be a huge help. If I ask the duke¡¯s family, we might even be able to find some oddballs who¡¯d willingly move here. Well, how about it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡º¡­I¡¯ve never thought about it. No one¡¯s ever come, so I thought it would stay that way forever.¡» ¡°It¡¯s certainly a tough environment for ordinary people, but that doesn¡¯t have anything to do with me. Anyway, I know it¡¯s abrupt for me to push all of this onto you, but I think the conditions I¡¯m giving are quite favorable.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºI¡¯ll release everyone.¡»[Monster] ¡°Wonderful.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºI¡¯ll release them, but can you first return the ones stored in your slimes? I can¡¯t release them or respawn them unless their souls are in the manor. Also, there are souls that want some time before being released.¡» ¡°I can give them back to you right away, but as for the time, it¡¯ll be problematic if you ask for a hundred years or something, but I can wait if it¡¯s just for a short while. Let¡¯s agree on the release for now, and perhaps we can enter into a familiar contract. That way, our intentions can be conveyed to some extent.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºOkay. In that case, come here. ¡» The monster reached out a hand, inviting Ryouma to the desk behind. ¡°You¡¯ve always been standing in front of it, so I figured it must¡¯ve been the most important part of this area.¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºYes. People have laughed, cried, and grown angry here, a desk that all the masters of this manor used. This room was once a meeting room, you see.¡» ¡°No wonder the history of Cormi Village and the mana of the people dwelling here influenced you so much. Anyway, let¡¯s start. ¡ºFamiliar Contract¡»!¡± [Ryouma] Ryouma activated the contract spell, and right away, he felt that his mana was accepted. £¨Was it because he consented before hand?¡¡It went smoothly.£© After the mana connection was established, the contract was complete. ¡°Does your body feel weird anywhere?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºHmm¡­ No.¡» ¡°Well, that settles it for now. Up next, I guess you need a name?¡± [Ryouma] ¡ºA name!?¡¡You¡¯re giving me one!?¡»[Monster] ¡°I can¡¯t keep calling you a monster forever if we¡¯re to get along. I¡¯m not good at giving names, so don¡¯t expect so much.¡± [Ryouma] The sparkling eyes on the mannequin¡¯s head turned out to be a huge pressure for Ryouma, but he nonetheless did his best to come up with a name, and upon staring at the desk, a fitting name suddenly came to mind. ¡°What about Cormi?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The same name as the village?¡± [Monster] ¡°You¡¯re a fairy born from watching over the history of Cormi Village and the people. In a sense, you¡¯re the last survivor of this village. Well, we can change the name if you don¡¯t like it¨D¨D¡± ¡°Oh, no, I love it! Alright, from now on, I¡¯m Cormi!¡± [Cormi] ¡°¨D¨DWoah!?¡± [Ryouma] Cormi suddenly cheered and then started running around. Ryouma could sense his joy through the contract. The whole room even creaked everywhere. Really, it was a scene straight out of a haunted house. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad that you like it. Above all, I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t have to do anything that would leave a bad taste afterwards.¡± [Ryouma] Upon seeing Cormi¡¯s new attitude and knowing that he¡¯s finally completed the job given by the gods, Ryouma was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. Chapter 319 - Chapter 319: Send-off Chapter 319: Send-off After concluding the contract with Cormi, we left the mansion to find Glen waiting for us outside. Cormi hid behind my back with only his head peeking out. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t wait that long. Is that the monster?¡± [Glen] ¡°Yep. That¡¯s him. Cormi the fairy. We were able to talk after I suppressed him once. I promised to let him off as long he released the undead. He also became my familiar.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh? Well, if you¡¯re fine with that, then so am I. I guess the gate and the fence not opening since earlier was his power too?¡± [Glen] ¡°Gate? I think so. Cormi?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That man¡¯s been slamming on it since earlier. It took a lot of effort to fix it.¡± [Cormi] ¡°And I struggled so much because you kept fixing it right away. Who would¡¯ve thought it would be such a tiny brat behind that? Anyway, since you were able to talk, I take it your business here is done?¡± [Glen] ¡°Oh, there¡¯s still something left to do.¡± [Ryouma] In regards to the souls that Cormi asked me to wait for a bit, well, as it turns out there¡¯s a juvenile Cannonball Rhino that¡¯s been frequenting the village. The soul in question is its mother. As the story goes, they were attacked by enemies outside, and though they were able to flee up till the manor, but the mother died from her wounds. Cormi saw that and turned the mother into an undead, allowing it to live with the kid. They were wild monsters, so they of course usually lived outside the mansion, but he could summon the mother through his necromancy. The soul of the mother could also be released anytime, but Cormi hoped to give her more time to spend with her child. ¡°According to Cormi, the mother has lived in the wilds for a long time, so she can easily come to terms with her own death, but she¡¯s worried about her kid, so she hopes for him to enter a new herd. Only, she wants to first confirm for herself that the herd could protect her child until her kid grows up.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­What the heck is that?¡¡Can undead monsters really be that smart?¡± [Glen] ¡°Cannonball Rhinos are one of the smartest monsters in the Great Forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Apparently, they communicated through illusions and dark magic. Cormi just verbalized it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Oh, so they didn¡¯t talk in monster language? Still, I¡¯m surprised to find that monsters want to protect their kids too. Didn¡¯t know they had emotions. Your familiar is pretty amazing too being able to talk that much.¡± [Glen] ¡°Linguistic barriers don¡¯t really exist for Cormi if he uses his abilities.¡± [Ryouma] His abilities would be even better than any translation device in my past life. After all, he can see straight through one¡¯s thoughts, so there¡¯s sure to be no misunderstandings. The downside is that he can also pull out memories, so trust issues could be a problem. ¡°Apparently, the herd, that the cannonball rhino¡¯s parents were at, had its leader go berserk, leading to the collapse of the herd. The leader regularly patrols this area, so if we can take him down, that should be enough to show our strength.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°In other words, you need to stay here for a bit more.¡± [Glen] ¡°Yes, it seems the rhino will come to the reservoir in this village within the next few days. He¡¯s still berserk, so he¡¯ll make a lot of noise when he arrives. Anyway, will you be staying too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Sure, why not? My Item Bag still has some space left, and I don¡¯t have anything that I have to deal with right away anyway. Also, since it¡¯s like this, I might as well go back with you. That way seems most comfortable.¡± [Glen] ¡°Well, yes, compared to how you usually camp.¡± [Ryouma] Sounds like he¡¯s been tamed. Well, it doesn¡¯t take much to prepare the food. He more than makes up for it too with his labor. ¡°Oh, speaking of cooking, do you dress your spoils? It seemed like you just toss everything into your magic tool, though.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, I usually just toss it in as is. I know it¡¯s better to dress them first, but they make my knives go dull, and I just end up making a mess, such that the people I sell them to tell me, ¡®Might as well just leave the spoils as is than have you mess them up like this!¡¯¡± [Glen] So that¡¯s why his storage magic tool is imbued with ice magic to prevent the deterioration of material. It wasn¡¯t just an item box but a cooler box. ¡°Well then, how about my goblins dress them for you? There¡¯s this one goblin who sees dressing spoils as his life¡¯s calling, so if you give him your prey, he¡¯ll be more than happy to oblige. Moreover, by removing the unnecessary parts, you¡¯ll get to have more storage space. We can also give the unwanted parts from dismantling to the slimes as food, and by recycling them, we¡¯ll be able to reward the goblins too.¡± ¡°Seriously? Then I¡¯ll leave all the raptors to you. Just give me the scales, claws, and fangs. For the others, let me sort them out first. Where should I put them?¡± [Glen] ¡°For now, we can store them in my Dimensional Home¡ª¡± [Ryouma] As I was about to say that, someone tugged on my left sleeve. ¡°Cormi?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°We have a warehouse. Facilities for dismantling too.¡± [Cormi] ¡°Oh, right. This place used to be a base for pioneering the forest.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It also served as a military base and shelter, so it probably has all the equipment you need too.¡± [Cormi] As such, we decided to use the facilities in the mansion. I got Cormi to promise not to use his abilities before Glen-san entered, but I also made it clear to Glen-san that he could use illusion magic and dark magic. ¡°Oh? Well, it¡¯s probably fine. It doesn¡¯t feel dangerous anymore.¡± [Glen] But Glen-san just had that to say and entered without a care. It was a bit weird, but the mansion was well-maintained despite its age, so we decided to stay over. ¡°Cormi, are you ready?¡± [Ryouma] We left Glen-san in the warehouse and went to a corner of the courtyard with the grave slimes. Once, this place was used for transporting goods with monsters, but now it was just a garden. It wasn¡¯t spacious, but it¡¯s big enough for us to hold the releasing of souls. ¡°How do we start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°If you bring out the undead, I¡¯ll be able to perform the release, or rather, I won¡¯t keep them from leaving anymore.¡± [Cormi] ¡°In that case, I should prepare to send them off too. Do you know how my magic works? You can read my memory.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Done. Should I inform the souls too?¡± [Cormi] ¡°No need. I¡¯ll just pray for them as usual.¡± [Ryouma] When we were ready, I gradually released the undead that the Grave Slimes absorbed. The first to appear were the undead that didn¡¯t resemble humans anymore like the zombies and the skeletons. They seemed confused but nonetheless disappeared without resistance as they absorbed the smoke. ¡°How is it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It worked. They¡¯re gone now.¡± [Cormi] Cormi seemed a bit lonely, but he accepted it more easily than I thought. I was worried he would get sad and refuse to proceed, but it looks like that was needless worry on my part. ¡°Did you have a lot of good memories with them?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Memories¡­¡± [Cormi] ¡°Yeah, if you don¡¯t want to talk about it, you don¡¯t have to.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I don¡¯t mind. It¡¯s just that there isn¡¯t much to talk about.¡± [Cormi] Cormi had kept their souls because he was lonely, but that didn¡¯t mean he had a lot of interactions with them. Despite binding their souls and turning them into undead, their memories from when they were alive, particularly those from their moment of death, remained, leaving them confused. Moreover, many of them were already troubled individuals due to the hardships of life in this village that had been swallowed by the Great Forest, so even if they could communicate, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who would be favorable to Cormi. That¡¯s why Cormi showed them illusions of happiness and fulfillment just like he tried with me, allowing him to stabilize them. Unfortunately that also meant that they were more interested in the illusions than in Cormi. However, with this method, although their mental states stabilized, the residents became more interested in the illusions than in Cormi. Cormi didn¡¯t mind that though. While he would love to interact with them, he was also satisfied just watching over them. He mentioned being lonely, so I thought he¡¯d want to interact with them, but he seems he just wanted for someone to live here. ¡°Now that I think about it, you are a ¡®home,¡¯ so I guess it makes sense.¡± [Ryouma] No wonder he agreed when I mentioned that the goblins and I would live here. ¡°Look forward to it then, because the goblins will be sure to multiply.¡± [Ryouma [Ryouma [Ryouma [Ryouma] ¡°I will.¡± [Cormi] ¡°They¡¯ll be dressing spoils and brewing, though. You okay with that?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. There are plenty of rooms available, I can tell right away if a pest or monster gets in, and I can drive them away with my illusion.¡± [Cormi] The grave slimes continued to spit out new undead as they ascended, and soon undead that looked no different from humans began to appear. ¡°W-Where is this? The outside of the base? No, it¡¯s the courtyard.¡± [Reanimated 1] ¡°We should have been outside.¡± [Reanimated 2] ¡°Damn it! Where are my subordinates!?¡± [Reanimated 3] ¡°Oh! Gods!¡± [Reanimated 4] It didn¡¯t take long for them to notice us. ¡°Hey, what did you do to my subordinates!?¡± [Reanimated 5] ¡°Cormi?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I¡¯ll explain to them.¡± [Cormi] They must have thought the battle at the gate was continuing. But before I could retaliate, Cormi pacified them with his illusion. ¡°Lies, all lies! I don¡¯t believe in your illusions! I¡¯m the great thief, you know! I can make even kings bow down to me!¡± [Great Thief] Seeing as how the undead were making noise, it seems Cormi has finished explaining. There was undead that was particularly noisy, though. From the sounds of it, he seems to be a thief of some sort that had been exiled and thrown into this forest. Guess he couldn¡¯t accept the reality that his supposed success was nothing but an illusion. But then again, it¡¯s dicey whether you can call being a thief successful in the first place. Looks like I¡¯ll have to forcibly purify this one. ¡°Pathetic.¡± [Baron Destria] ¡°What was that!?¡± [Great Thief] A man in armor grabbed the shoulders of the thief. That man was none other than the one who claimed to be Baron Destria back at the gate. ¡°Let go! Who do you think you¡¯re grabbing!?¡± [Great Thief] ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but surely, you understand that you¡¯re dead, right?¡± [Baron Destria] ¡°Ugh, th-that¡¯s just an illusion! That beast must be trying to deceive me!¡± [Great Thief] ¡°No one¡¯s trying to deceive anyone. I can tell you that I know now that I died back then. Moreover, this feeling that¡¯s guiding me, you must be behind it.¡± [Baron Destria] The baron turned to me. ¡°May I ask for your name?¡± [Baron Destria] ¡°I¡¯m Ryouma Takebayashi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Never heard of you before, but I won¡¯t pry. I am Alus Destria. Thank you for freeing me. Although being imprisoned wasn¡¯t too bad, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve kept my subordinates waiting. I¡¯ll leave quietly now. If possible, I¡¯d like you to convey to my family that I died fighting until the end.¡± [Alus Destria] ¡°I do have connections to a ducal family, so while I don¡¯t have a personal relationship with our house, I¡¯ll inform the duke to ensure that your message reaches them.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s not much of a show of gratitude, but I¡¯ll be sure to drag this man along.¡± [Alua Destria] ¡°What!? Don¡¯t go making decisions on your own! Let go! Damn it!¡± [Great Thief] ¡°You can¡¯t even shake off this little strength? How could you call yourself a great thief?¡± [Alus Destria] ¡°Hey, help! I¡¯m not dead yet! Stop it!!¡± [Great Thief] Baron Destria disappeared into the smoke with the thief in tow, and the surroundings grew quiet. A sister approached me. ¡°Excuse me, Saint. I wish to express my gratitude to you too.¡± [Sister] ¡°Saint?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The presence of the great gods is strong with you.¡± [Sister] The presence of the gods? Oh, right, Glen and the others did mention that rarely there were people who could sense that. ¡°You¡¯re not wrong. Just recently I received Meltrize-sama blessed me with her divine protection.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah! To think that I would be able meet a saint in my last moments, especially one blessed by Meltrize-sama. There can be no greater honor as a servant of the gods. And, in the end, this means that the gods didn¡¯t abandon us!¡± [Sister] ¡°Huh? Wait! Oh, she¡¯s gone.¡± [Ryouma] She reached a conclusion all by herself and ascended to the heavens blissfully. I was hoping to ask about the effects of blessings on magic, but oh well. I¡¯ll just ask the gods myself next time. ¡°Hey.¡± [Old Man] A familiar voice called out, and when I turned to it, I saw a familiar old man talking to Cormi. That was the appearance Cormi had taken during the battle. I didn¡¯t know who he was, but he looked sternly at Cormi. ¡°¡­Sorry for leaving you all alone.¡± [Old Man] ¡°!¡± [Cormi] ¡°Everyone, let¡¯s go. Village chief orders.¡± [Old Man] The old man turned around with those words and disappeared, then the others too followed suit. When the last person had vanished, the fire I lit petered out. Cormi didn¡¯t say anything and just quietly looked up at the sky until there was nothing left to see. Chapter 320 - Chapter 320: Preparing for the Journey Back Chapter 320: Preparing for the Journey Back The next day. With my inheritance retrieved and the souls liberated, most of my objectives here in the Great Forest have already been completed. We still need to wait for the rhino leader, but until then, I¡¯m free. Glen-san was pleased with the goblins¡¯ dressing of his spoils, so he¡¯s out happily hunting. I considered accompanying him, but I couldn¡¯t leave the village for too long in case the rhinos leader appeared. I¡¯ve been thinking about it hard since this morning, and in the end, I clean up the ruins in the village and do some landscaping. ¡°You sure about this?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep.¡± [Cormi] The village around the mansion had served as a stage to comfort the souls of the residents taken in by Cormi, but now that the undead have been liberated, it¡¯s no longer needed. There¡¯s a chance for undead to spawn again on their own even without Cormi doing anything, so I¡¯ve been instructed to clean things up nicely to prevent any problems. Cormi is the one most attached to the village here, so if he¡¯s okay with it, then I¡¯ll go ahead and dismantle the ruins. I¡¯ve done this before already, but the environment is different, so I¡¯ll start with the small stuff. ¡°Then I¡¯ll start by removing the weed and debris.¡± [Ryouma] I brought out my Sand Slimes from my Dimension Home and had them turn a portion of the ground into sand, then through slime magic, we summoned a swirling mass of sand to carve away at a corner of the village. It was just like when I dismantled children¡¯s homes in the city of Gimuru. Like this, I should be able to quickly clear all the debris, as well as the weeds and timber. ¡°Next, let¡¯s do away with the sand and the remaining structures.¡± [Ryouma] I worked together with the soil slime to cover up the remaining sand and pulverized debris. In the process, I made sure to remove any embedded objects such as iron fences. I also removed the roots of weeds and entrusted them to the Huge Bush Slime for disposal. Just like that we¡¯ve already mostly cleared the place, but to keep the Heat-Emitting Trees from falling onto the mansion, we also made sure to refill the soil without damaging their roots. For the finishing touches, I got the Huge Bush Slime to cover the ground, and just like that, all traces of the old buildings were gone. ¡°That was fast!¡± [Cormi] ¡°Oh, we¡¯re just getting started. That¡¯s just one part, after all.¡± [Ryouma] Cormi had been watching from inside the mansion¡¯s fence, and when he saw how fast we cleared that one area, he exclaimed in admiration very much like a kindergartener gleefully watching construction vehicles at work. Anyway, the buildings were mostly made of natural stone and wood, so given the environment, this method should allow them to return nature completely Let¡¯s do the same for the other buildings too. Like that I continued to work on the buildings, progressing clockwise around the mansion, until noon came, and Glen-san returned. ¡°Good job out there. Something the matter?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I didn¡¯t see the Cannonball Rhino you¡¯re looking for, but the hunting grounds here are great. Tons of monsters you won¡¯t find in shallower parts pop up here. I caught quite a bit, so I¡¯ll have to count on you to dress them again. You can have the meat, organs, and the Hotel Rafflesia.¡± [Glen] ¡°The flower too?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not really something I look for normally, so I don¡¯t even know who to sell it to. I¡¯m sure someone will show up if I look for a buyer, but I can¡¯t be bothered with the negotiations. There¡¯s a good hunting place here, so right now, I¡¯d rather just get more of the usual stuff.¡± [Glen] I see, that makes sense. It¡¯s not a bad deal for me, and he¡¯s happy, so let¡¯s go with that. ¡°We¡¯re in agreement then?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yep. I¡¯ll count on you for lunch too.¡± [Glen] ¡°Alright.¡± [Ryouma] And so, I started preparations for lunch, but there was something that got my attention. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡You¡¯re making a strange face.¡± [Glen] ¡°Try this.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Isn¡¯t this the usual snake meat? Hmm?¡¡Did I get it wrong?¡± [Glen] ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely immortal snake meat, but despite handling it properly, and despite Identify saying that it isn¡¯t rotten, it¡¯s clearly worse than before.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it bad, though. Rather, the meat from yesterday was just too good. It¡¯s decent in its own right, but it doesn¡¯t compare to yesterday¡¯s.¡± [Glen] The meat was slightly tougher and drier. If the meat itself hasn¡¯t gone bad, it¡¯s probably due to the regenerative abilities of the Immortal Snake. There are two types of meat from the Immortal Snake: one taken from its body in almost pristine condition and another from its regenerated body after being severed. Until yesterday, I was using the one with its head already removed, as that was easier to process. But after eating so much, we ate it all up already, so I turned to the regenerated body. Perhaps it¡¯s because the regenerated meat has already depleted its stored energy and nutrients in the process of regeneration affecting the taste. ¡°So, in other words, if we want to eat that delicious meat, we need to kill the snake in one blow without inflicting unnecessary wounds?¡± [Glen] ¡°I think it¡¯s fine so long as you¡¯re able to cut its head off. That¡¯s how we got the meat yesterday, after all. Of course, I can¡¯t say for sure since it¡¯s my first time hunting the immortal snake too. Given the difficulty of acquiring it, I think it¡¯s a taste most people won¡¯t be able to taste.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Most people won¡¯t even be able to kill that snake, and they won¡¯t come this deep into the Great Forest too.¡± [Glen] That¡¯s true. I laughed and asked what we¡¯ll do about the meat, but it was edible, so we decided to just eat it. He also asked me to hunt more of those delicious meat in case I came across one. Well, I also want to bring them back as a souvenir so that the people at the shop and the duke¡¯s household can have a taste, so yeah, I¡¯ll make sure to hunt the snake down properly if I do come across it. Day 2 of preparations. As I continued the dismantling of the village in the morning, I stumbled upon a corner of the village that resembled a field. It seemed neglected like the rest of the village, swallowed by the plants of the Great Forest, leaving behind only ruins of its once former glory. Amidst the weeds, I noticed grape-like fruits growing on branches extending from the vines entwined around the support pillars. Hopeful, I decided to return to the mansion. ¡°Cormi.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± [Cormi] ¡°I found a place that resembled a farm. Oh, maybe it would be faster if you just read my memories.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­That¡¯s a pepper field.¡± [Cormi] So it really was pepper. Then perhaps it might be better to harvest from there instead of demolishing it all at once. Despite the lack of maintenance, there seemed to be some natural growth already. As I pondered the idea, Cormi came up with an unexpected suggestion. ¡°We can raise some pepper if you want.¡± [Cormi] ¡°You know how?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah. Those fields have been abandoned for awhile now, but someone did cultivate it before. That¡¯s why there¡¯s a garden in the courtyard too. We can do other spices too on top of peppers.¡± [Cormi] Apparently, among the former villagers was someone who couldn¡¯t forget their heyday from cultivating spices, so even after being bound by Cormi, they continued to farm in a corner of the mansion. Cormi, who could read memories and thoughts, gave them the illusion they desired as he watched their work. Naturally, he came to understand how to farm pepper and other spices that grew here in the Great Forest. Moreover, Cormi could take advantage of his illusions to demonstrate the process of obtaining suitable branches for cuttings from pepper trees. ¡°I could teach your goblins too since they seem to be free.¡± [Cormi] Eager for the opportunity to interact with the new residents, Cormi left right away. Meanwhile, I couldn¡¯t help but think about how convenient his powers were. He was just like a house that managed itself. He knows how to farm pepper, he can read minds and create illusions, and he can even communicate with monsters. And the fact that he could use his illusions to teach feels very modern Earth. In fact, it¡¯s a step above it, venturing into the realms of AR. Cormi may have gone off track due to loneliness, but I think he¡¯s a really diligent child. I¡¯m also starting to realize again that he¡¯s someone with power that the gods are wary of. He didn¡¯t know how to use his powers before, but if he puts his mind to it, there are plenty of ways to use it. ¡°Ryouma!¡± [Cormi] ¡°Hmm!?¡¡You scared me. Did something happen?¡± [Ryouma]p Cormi suddenly came back. Well, the mansion is really his actual body, so technically, he¡¯s always been next to me, but let¡¯s not sweat the small details. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡¡I thought you went over to the goblins¡¯?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Do you want to grow Hotel Rafflesias too?¡± [Cormi] ¡°¡­Huh? You can grow those things?¡¡Is that alright?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°As long as the flower part remains intact, it¡¯s not difficult to grow them. Just place them next to something suitable for support. It¡¯s just that people won¡¯t be able to live nearby, and attempting to harvest them would require risking one¡¯s life.¡± [Cormi] ¡°That sounds plenty problematic to me.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°The last villagers went that far.¡¡¡¯Let¡¯s make a living from this and live a decent life!¡¯¡¡Or so they said.¡± [Cormi] ¡°Sounds like the beginning of a terrible pattern.¡± [Ryouma] Could it be that the ¡°Hotel Rafflesia¡± habitat that Glen mentioned is that farm I found?¡¡It might have ended up like that due to being pushed too hard, but the way Cormi put it makes it sound like something only those desperate for a miraculous turnaround would attempt. Of course, those sort of ventures rarely ever succeed. ¡°Hotel Rafflesia certainly sells for a high price, but it would be a waste not to be able to live here anymore.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I can pacify the gluttony flies with my illusion magic.¡± [Cormi] ¡°I still don¡¯t want those things nearby. I¡¯m not struggling for money, so let¡¯s not do that for the time being. If necessary, I can just get it elsewhere. Oh, did you get the materials for the Hotel Rafflesia from Glen-san?¡¡Along with the other materials he didn¡¯t need?¡± [Ryouma] He mentioned that yesterday when I agreed to dress his spoils. ¡°They¡¯re all in the storage room.¡± [Cormi] ¡°Okay.¡± [Ryouma] There¡¯s no need to rush the dismantling of the village, so let¡¯s collect the dismantled materials for now. I also want to check if there are any slimes that prefer materials from the Great Forest since there¡¯s plenty of them available. With that in mind, I went to the warehouse and checked¡­ ¡°Ohh¡­!!¡¡I guess I should¡¯ve expected it given these are materials from the Great Forest, but it looks like I might be able to get a plant type slime.¡± [Ryouma] Even with just the stuff I had on hand, there were weed slimes that already reacted. They reacted to the branch of the Heat Emitting Tree that I picked up before, the seeds I found from inside monsters, and even the petals of the Hotel Raflesia. Robelia-san, the researcher, once spoke of Tree Slimes that could become trees when they consumed plant-based materials. Could this be related? Are the seeds the common point, or is it something else? The only way to know is to evolve them. Similarly, are they only able to eat the Hotel Raflesia¡¯s petals?¡¡This too will have to wait until they evolve to be understood. However, Hotel Raflesia is precious, so maybe I should consider growing them, after all. Well, for now, let¡¯s just prioritize the Heat-Emitting trees that are easy to procure. We¡¯ll find out if they can evolve into tree slimes just yet. Speaking of readily available materials, there¡¯s an excess of Raptor meat. Similar to the Tree Slime, I heard from Caulkin-san before that there was a slime that evolved by feeding it lots of monster meat. He apparently went bankrupt from it, but I can provide it myself, so let¡¯s try this evolutionary path too. ¡°I¡¯m already looking forward to the results. Since that¡¯s been decided, I better start gathering ingredients now.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ryouma!¡¡Hurry up and deal with these two!¡± [Glen] ¡°Glen-san?¡¡What is it all of the sudden!?¡± [Ryouma] As I was planning in the warehouse, Glen-san arrived in a hurry. Wondering what was so urgent, I looked over to find him holding the head of a green snake on each armpit. Moreover, the snakes¡¯ bodies were coiled around his torso multiple times, constricting him! ¡°You found an Immortal Snake!?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I found them some ways farther than usual from the village! There was a bigger one too!¡¡I¡¯ll keep them coming, so hurry up and kill these two!¡± [Glen] ¡°Alright. Cormi!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes?¡± [Cormi] He must have already understood the situation, and as if on cue, Cormi appeared out of nowhere, and the two snakes slid away from Glen-san¡¯s body, falling asleep peacefully on the floor of the warehouse. ¡°This should make it easier to kill it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll leave it to you then!¡± [Glen] Since there are more snakes, then that must mean there¡¯s a nest of Immortal Snakes not far from here. That makes this place that much more dangerous, but also that much more superior for gathering materials. How wonderful. As I prepared to deal with the large snakes, I naturally began to think about the material gathering plan for the afternoon. Chapter 321 - Chapter 321: Subjugating the Leader Rhino Chapter 321: Subjugating the Leader Rhino The following day after expending great efforts to gather materials. We started the morning with a leisurely breakfast, but then a thunderous-like sound suddenly started clapping from outside. ¡°Looks like the leader of the rhinos are here. Let¡¯s go.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Perfect. Just the workout I was looking for to help me digest.¡± [Glen] Glen-san and I left the manor and headed for the former site of the village reservoir. Glen-san still recalled the place from when he went around the village, so we didn¡¯t get lost. But the closer we got, the louder and rougher the sounds became. Whine I used Hide to conceal myself and check what was up ahead, I saw a giant monster that was about 3m tall and 4m long. It was repeatedly ramming itself against the Heat Emitting Trees around the reservoir. It had horns like a rhino and long fur. It was definitely a cannonball rhino, but it was far bigger than the average specimen. ¡°So he¡¯s the leader we¡¯re looking for. He really is acting weird, huh.¡± [Glen] ¡°Cannonball Rhinos are herbivores, so they usually slam against trees to feed off the leaves and branches that fall. But I think it¡¯s a bit too agitated for someone trying to have a meal.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, it definitely doesn¡¯t strike me as someone trying to eat. Doesn¡¯t seem like it¡¯s trying to fight with anyone either, though. What¡¯s it doing?¡± [Glen] ¡°Who knows¡ª!?¡± [Ryouma] In the thickets about 10 meters away from the giant rhinos, I noticed a juvenile cannonball rhino that wasn¡¯t even 1m tall or long hiding. So, immediately, i used my wind magic, and Glen-san rushed out. ¡°Kyuon!!!¡± [Juvenile Rhino] That¡¯s probably the juvenile rhino that Cormi mentioned. With a shrill cry, it recklessly appeared before the giant rhino, but before either of them could move, the spell I cast reached them. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t seem to have done anything. The cannonball rhinos have resilient fur and are also naturally resistant to magic. That¡¯s probably why. But even then, I was hoping to at least be able to get their attention. ¡°Doraa!!¡± [Glen] Glen-san slammed his hammer into the side of the leader rhino, sending waves throughout its body, but it didn¡¯t even so much as cry. If anything, that just made it glare at Glen-san with bloodshot eyes. One silver lining was that due to the leader rhino rampaging, the grass around the reservoir were beaten down, making it easier to see. I teleported to Glen-san. ¡°Glen-san.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, that was a clean hit right there, but it didn¡¯t work at all. There was Cormi too. I guess this village is just full of guys like this. Wonderful!¡± [Glen] ¡°There¡¯s nothing wonderful about this!¡± [Ryouma] He¡¯s really reliable, but at times like these, I just can¡¯t understand how he can afford to have fun. ¡°In that case, can I leave that to you for awhile?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah, take care of the pipsqueak.¡± [Glen] As he said that, he attacked the leader rhino again. The leader rhino swung with its horn and chased after him, so I took that opportunity to turn my attention to the juvenile rhino. ¡°Kyu!!!¡± [Juvenile Rhino] The rhino tried to scare me off. I didn¡¯t notice it earlier, but apparently, behind him was the cannon ball rhino that Cormi had mentioned. She looked alive just like the villagers, but her body was covered in holes. Her hind feet were broken and crushed. Based off the situation, the leader rhino must have gotten to her. She¡¯s an undead, so her body is gradually recovering, but it doesn¡¯t look like she¡¯ll be able to move anytime soon. Either way, it seems that¡¯s the reason why the juvenile rhino is like this. He¡¯s protecting his mom. And now, he¡¯s protecting her from me. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not a bad guy, or so I¡¯d say, but Cormi isn¡¯t here, so there¡¯s no way we can talk.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyu!¡± [Juvenile Rhino] ¡°Careful!¡± [Ryouma] While I was wondering if I should form a contract with it to be able to understand each other, the juvenile rhino charged at me. It might be a juvenile, but it¡¯s still a rhino. I managed to dodge, but if I¡¯m not careful, I won¡¯t get off with just a few wounds. Let¡¯s not forget that there¡¯s the leader rhino too, though Glen-san is currently taking care of him. In order to protect my promise with Cormi, there¡¯s no other choice. ¡°Sorry, but it looks I¡¯m going to have to get a little rough with you!¡± [Ryouma] There was no way for the little rhino to understand, but I said it anyway, then with my back against the reservoir, I circulated ki throughout my whole body. The juvenile rhino charged recklessly at me and tried to stab to me with its horn, but I dared to receive that full bodied charge and fell to my back to grab at its neck and horn. ¡°You need to stay away!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyuon!?¡± [Juvenile Rhino] With my strengthened body, I threw it over with an irregular judo throw technique and sent the little rhino flying into the air, landing next to its mother by the reservoir behind me. In battles between cannonball rhinos, throwing them around like one would in sumo is the way to make them acknowledge their defeat. Hopefully, the little one won¡¯t attack me anymore after this, but just to be safe. ¡°¡®Stay¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyuu!?¡± I cast a dark spell on it ordering it to stay with its mother. Just like with the spell, Fear, it¡¯s enough as long as it can get an inkling of the emotion. Even if the emotion doesn¡¯t get through, it¡¯s fine as long as it stops attacking. I did this completely on the fly, but the rhino became wary of me and slowly went back to its mother. ¡°Let¡¯s consider this side solved¡­ Hmm?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey!¡¡What¡¯s the matter!?¡¡Come at me!¡± [Glen] ¡°Kuooooo!!!!¡± [Glen] What are they doing? Glen-san is clearly trying to provoke it, but the leader rhino is thoroughly ignoring him. It zigzagged across the reservoir and shore, stirring up mud, only to start slamming its body against the heat-emitting trees again. Not only was it not fighting with Glen-san, it didn¡¯t even seem to acknowledge his existence. (Well, we better do something about it quick before it goes to the mother and son rhinos.) ¡°GUOoOOoO!!!¡± [Leader Rhino] Just as I was thinking it, the leader rhino suddenly bellowed out a war cry, then it charged straight for me. ¡°!¡± [Ryouma] I cast Fear on it right away, then jumped in the opposite direction of the mother-son-rhino-pair to avoid its charge, but it changed direction and chased after me. When I teleported to the side of the reservoir, the rhino passed by where I was, and unable to stop itself, crashed into the tree ahead, pushing that massive tree into a bend and causing cracks to crawl from where its horn penetrated the wall-like trunk. ¡°I guess a direct hit really is instant death.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hey, Ryouma. That rhino is weird.¡± [Glen] ¡°Wasn¡¯t that the case from the start?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. Of course, it¡¯s acting weird too, but more than that is its strength. Defensively, it¡¯s as tough as the S Rank Dragon I fought in the past, but in practice, it¡¯s a lot weaker than it. It feels like a small fry that got stronger because of strengthening magic.¡± [Glen] When it comes to strengthening magic, Glen-san¡¯s credibility in really high. Earlier, it was really agitated, but now, half its mouth is open, saliva spilling, and it¡¯s walking while wobbling. And it¡¯s not emitting the slightest hostility too just like earlier. Upon seeing that, I put two and two together, and finally realized it. Strengthening magic, agitation, sleepiness¡­!! ¡°Glen-san, when you fought that monster, did you notice any purple spots on it?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Purple?¡¡I think there was inside its mouth. Look.¡± [Glen] Glen pointed with his hammer at the mouth of the leader rhino, and there were indeed vivid purple all over it. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s there.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Is that supposed to mean something?¡± [Glen] ¡°That cannonball rhino must¡¯ve been stabbed by a doping bee. It¡¯s a bee-type monster that has a venom with a strong stimulant and sedative effect. It also has a strengthening effect when used on other monsters. They strengthen monsters near their nest and make them go berserk to wipe out their enemies. The place that has been stabbed shows purple stabs.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, there¡¯s a monster like that, huh.¡± [Glen] ¡°The way that cannonball rhino is acting proves it. It wasn¡¯t mentioned in the document I asked the guild to prepare, but it¡¯s such a rare species that it¡¯s not hard to imagine that they missed it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°There¡¯s no way for them to know if a monster goes berserk this deep in the Great Forest. I¡¯ve seen my fair share of monsters that¡¯s not in the documents they give you too.¡± [Glen] ¡°I was able to notice since their needles and honey are medicinal ingredients.¡± [Ryouma] It doesn¡¯t change the situation, though. It might be calm right now, but in time, the leader rhino will start rampaging again. I¡¯d like to defeat it before then, but it¡¯s completely fine no matter how many times Glen-san attacks it, so a normal attack might not work. ¡°The poison must be numbing it to the pain. Your attacks should still be working against it. If we keep attacking it, it should eventually fall.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°What a pain. It¡¯s not interesting when the opponent is like that.¡± [Glen] ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± [Ryouma] I¡¯ve started to be able to predict how he reacts to things. In that case, there¡¯s no other choice but to hit it somewhere fatal. To that end¡ª ¡°Guoooo!!!¡± [Leader Rhino] ¡°It¡¯s agitated again.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡®Bind Ivy¡¯!!¡± [Ryouma]¡± ¡°Guo!?¡± [Leader Rhino] With a wood spell, I manipulated the nearby vegetation and bound the leader rhino. The vines themselves were plenty tough on they¡¯re own, but they¡¯re even tougher once they¡¯ve entangled a target. Unfortunately, not even those vines could last. The leader rhino would sway its body, and each time, the vines would be torn off a little. ¡°¡®Mud Pool¡¯!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Guoa!?¡± [Leader Rhino] So to be doubly sure, I summoned mud by the feet of the leader rhino by mixing the water of the reservoir with the ground. The vines creaked, but with the leader rhino unable to get footing, it couldn¡¯t exhibit enough strength to tear them off. I generally fight up close, so it¡¯s not a spell I normally use, but it¡¯s a good thing that I learned it. ¡°Glen-san!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Hmm?¡¡Ah, I get it. In that case, I¡¯ll go at full power!¡± [Glen] I drew a sheathe from my waist and transformed it, while Glen-san kicked off from the heat emitting trees around us to leap high into the sky. It seems he was able to understand my intentions. Meanwhile, I teleported for the neck of the unmoving leader rhino. ¡°Careful now.¡± [Ryouma] Although it couldn¡¯t break free from its restraints, I had the vines hold it steady so it won¡¯t be able to shake me off. I focused on my mana perception and shared my vision with my metal slimes sheathe. ¡°Gururururuoo!¡± [Leader Rhino] The rhino laid bare its hostility as it cried from below me and struggled. The vast amounts of information flowing into my brain was annoying, but I nonetheless forced myself to focus. ¡°Is it here!?¡± [Ryouma] With the concepts of healing magic, I ascertained the exact position of the leader rhino¡¯s brain, then I changed the shape of the sheathe and planted it right there. I transformed it from a curved sheathe into a hollow rod, but the top was a flat surfaced stretched out, while the bottom was protruded, so it looked just like a giant nail. ¡°Let¡¯s do this!!¡± [Glen] Glen-san¡¯s voice resounded from way high up as he jumped off a branch near the top of the heat emitting trees. Without even turning to look at him, I strengthened my body and the metal slime with ki, and in the next moment. ¡°¡ª¡ª!!¡± Glen¡¯s voice descended along with a great impact, passing through my hand then the rest of my body. Chapter 322 - Chapter 322: Parting With Cormi Chapter 322: Parting With Cormi ¡°Gu!?¡± [Ryouma] Glen-san¡¯s attack went straight through the metal slime nail, burying it into the head of the leader rhino, making it sway, and tearing apart the vines holding it in place. Death throes screamed out of the rhino, but they were drowned out by the the sound of the commotion it made in its last moments. It twitched one last time, then all the strength that was supporting it vanished, and it sank into the marsh. I managed to teleport immediately after Glen-san fell, but my arms still ended up numb. I didn¡¯t receive a direct hit, but apparently, even with ki reinforcement, my bones cracked. Glen-san¡¯s strength really is fearful. ¡°Did I break something?¡¡I thought you managed to let go in the last moment, though.¡± [Glen] ¡°I supported the nail until you hit it, but this much can be healed with healing magic, and there¡¯s no actual wound, so it¡¯s fine.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°So, you can heal too, huh. Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been seeing nothing undead lately, but you¡¯re starting to look like a zombie to me too.¡± [Glen] ¡°I get what you¡¯re trying to say, but¡­¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s a compliment.¡± [Glen] I¡¯m not that happy with the result, but anyway, we managed to achieve our objectives. The metal slimes that served as the nail of the makeshift pile bunker turned out fine with their physical resist, hardening, and ki reinforcement. I can¡¯t sense the presence of other monsters, so this should be a success. But I wonder how I would¡¯ve gone about it had I fought this leader rhino on my own.¡¡I would definitely win if I went for the eyes or inside its mouth with my Bloody Spear, but other than that, I can¡¯t think of any way to win. Glen-san did mention that it was about as tough as an S Rank monster, and it was basically on doping, but still, I should train a bit more in case the unlikely were to occur. It would probably be a good idea to increase my attack power. ¡°Oh?¡± [Glen] ¡°Hey, you guys.¡± [Ryouma] Before I knew it, the mother rhino was done recovering from her wounds and was currently approaching us with her kid. They weren¡¯t showing any hostilities, but just when I thought they would check if the leader had properly been subjugated, she raised her forelimbs, stood on her hind legs, and did a banzai post. The child rhino too assumed a similar posture. ¡°What are they doing?¡± [Glen] ¡°This should be the gesture a canon ball rhinos makes when they acknowledge another¡¯s superiority.¡± [Ryouma] But didn¡¯t they only do this pose towards other cannonball rhino? ¡°Is it because we defeated the big one?¡¡Did Cormi tell you something?¡± [Ryouma] Or so I asked, but of course, there was no way for them to understand, and the child rhino¡¯s limbs just started to shake. Right. It might be a child, but that¡¯s a lot of weight to support, so it was understandably tough on its limbs. ¡°How about you put the questions off for later and just form a contract with them.¡± [Glen] ¡°Right. We can¡¯t understand each other otherwise, after all.¡± [Ryouma] The mother is an undead, so I used the contract on the child. I succeeded in the blink of an eye. ¡°You¡¯ll be my familiar from now on, is that fine?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyu!¡± [Juvenile Rhino] ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go back for now. I need to inform Cormi of the results too.¡± [Ryouma] The juvenile rhino nodded, and the mother rhino too followed. Although we couldn¡¯t verbalize complicated things, simple emotions could easily be understood. Perhaps, they already knew what would be happening. ¡°Hey, Ryouma. If we don¡¯t dispose of this guy properly, monsters will come in droves later to eat it. Also, how do you want to split the spoils?¡± [Glen] ¡°Right. You can have this cannonball rhino. Just let me recover the slime that you buried inside it.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s true I was the one to finish it off, but you¡¯re the one who created the opportunity for me to do so.¡± [Glen] ¡°We probably won¡¯t be able to split spoils with this one. In the first place, a normal blade can¡¯t get through.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you meant. Well, it¡¯s true that it¡¯s a pain in that regard.¡± [Glen] ¡°Even a ki user like myself can¡¯t cut it easily, so it¡¯s definitely impossible for the goblins. It¡¯s probably be better if you just bring the whole thing home yourself instead of us trying to poorly dress it ourselves.¡± [Ryouma] I would¡¯ve struggled a lot more were I alone, and I¡¯ve already accomplished my goals. I got a new familiar too. That¡¯s more than enough of a reward. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll take it for now. But can you do something about the marsh? The vines seem to have broken too.¡± [Glen] I extracted the water from the marsh and dug out the leader rhino along with my big metal slime. While Glen-san was recovering the corpse, the juvenile rhino quietly watched the whole process. That¡¯s the leader of their group, their comrade, and the enemy of his parents. Can¡¯t say I can understand how he feels. But even as a child, he¡¯s still someone from the wilds, so it seems, he too understands the law of the jungle. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m done!¡± [Glen] ¡°Alright. In that case, let¡¯s go back for now.¡± [Ryouma] After he finished storing the leader rhino in his magic bag, we went back to the manor. The manor itself is Cormi, so it would probably be strange to refer to it as the manor where Cormi is. Or so I thought to myself as we went back. Cormi was already waiting for us by the gate by the time we got back. ¡°Welcome home.¡± [Cormi] ¡°I¡¯m back, Cormi. We successfully subjugated the leader rhino. We got the kid too.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°I see.¡± [Cormi] He doesn¡¯t have a face, but I can tell from the air about him that he¡¯s sad. ¡°Cormi. Although we can¡¯t avoid saying goodbye, we can take a bit more time until then.¡± [Ryouma] I don¡¯t know if this will be a good thing for them or for Cormi, but I don¡¯t want there to be any regrets. Cormi nodded many times in thanks. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s have the two stay in the manor for now.¡± [Ryouma] I entrusted the two to Cormi, then I went out again. ¡°Where are you going?¡± [Glen] ¡°There seemed to be a nest of doping bees somewhere in the area earlier, so I was thinking of destroying that. It¡¯s too high of a risk to leave it be if we¡¯re to make this place our base. And I might just get in the way of their goodbyes if I stay.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°True. In that case, I¡¯ll go look for something to hunt too.¡± [Glen] As Glen-san left in the opposite direction of the marsh, I walked away. One hour later, I found the nest of the doping bees. ¡°I found it fairly easily.¡± [Ryouma] Who would¡¯ve thought I¡¯d find such a relatively small thing in such a big forest so quickly? I thought for sure it would take more time, but it was fairly easy to find after retracing the trail of the leader rhino. On the trunk of one of the heat emitting trees was a big nest about the size of a drum can. I can¡¯t climb all the way up. I might get stung, after all. I could erect an electric barrier, and just like with the gluttony flies, they¡¯ll die before they could reach me, but for this occasion, let¡¯s rely on the slimes. I took out my spider slimes and big sticky slimes from my dimension home. The spiders used the trees and branches around us to form a web around the target. I had them make the wall extra thick to ensure that not a single doping bee will be able to escape. When we were ready, we attacked. The big sticky slime climbed the tree and directly devoured the nest. Understandably, the doping bees fought back, They flew out of their nest and attack the big sticky slime, but unfortunately for them, none of their needles could reach the nucleus of the slime. Despite the relentless attacks of the doping bees inside and outside the slime, so long as they failed to touch its nucleus, the sticky slime was perfectly fine. In fact, stabbing the slime only resulted in them being covered by the sticky liquid, and soon, those bees too died from asphyxiation. With the ventilations of the nest covered, within 30 minutes, all of the doping bees were dead. Some tried to run away, but the web of the spiders was there waiting for them. A few still manged to escape by sheer luck, but they were originally residents of this forest. A complete annihilation was understandably not going to be easy. ¡°Anyway, I know now that I can easily destroy their nests, so this much should be fine for now.¡± [Ryouma] After collecting the nest and the corpses of the doping bees, I went back to the manor, and this time, the mother and child rhino was there by the gate. The mother had her limbs folded as she slept on the ground, while the child rubbed his body against hers in a similar position, asleep, their eyes turned toward me. Oh, apparently, there were three of them waiting for me. ¡°¡­Are you ready?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Kyu!¡± [Juvenile Rhino] ¡°Guon.¡± [Mother rhino] ¡°That was a ¡®yes.¡¯ Also, ¡®thank you, please take care of this child.¡¯¡± [Cormi] The two rhinos rubbed against each other again, then the mother disappeared. It was as though, she had never been there in the first palce. ¡°Did she pass on?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yes. She¡¯s not here anymore. She¡¯s not human, after all.¡± [Cormi] It felt rather abrupt to me, but her child rhinos stood up and approached me. ¡°Kyuon.¡± [Juvenile Rhino] ¡°He says he¡¯ll be in your care from now on.¡± [Cormi] ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± [Ryouma] The child rhino let out a cry, and I crouched down, and just like it did with its mother earlier, it rubbed its head against my neck. Although it was still young, it acknowledged that its parents were gone, and it started walking on its own. As its master, and as the leader of its group, it¡¯s up to me to watch over this child. The next day. ¡°Are you going already?¡± [Cormi] ¡°We¡¯ve concluded our business, and while I¡¯m not particularly in a hurry, I can¡¯t stay here forever.¡± [Ryouma] Although we could live here just fine, it¡¯s still a dangerous region. If I take too long, the others will think that I died. No, that¡¯s still on the better side. In the worst case, they might actually send a search party and cause more casualties. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face, erm, I mean air. I¡¯ll be back. With Dimension Magic, I¡¯ll be able to come back a lot quicker this time.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Yeah.¡± [Cormi] I placed stone slimes at fixed intervals along the way to serve as markers. I placed them inside a vase made from earth magic that I filled with stones for feed to ensure that they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about food. I can¡¯t teleport straight to Cormi, but I can teleport rapidly through these landmarks to quickly make my way back. It might not even be impossible to make a round trip from outside and this village. I made sure to tell him that and even got him to read my memories so he knows that it¡¯s not a lie. But despite that, Cormi was stil lsad. The goblins too will be in my Dimension Home. Although they have bedding here, without me, they¡¯ll run out of food. Although the undead and Cormi could live alongside each other, it¡¯s still too early for the goblins. I plan to go back as quickly as possible, but it would still be best if I could get him something to distract himself with until I got back. While I was thinking that, Cormi suddenly came to view. When we first met, he had taken the shape of Tabuchi-kun, then the village leader, but now, he was just in the form of a mannequin. ¡°I know. Why don¡¯t you change your form?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Form?¡± [Cormi] ¡°It¡¯s something from my home town. Parts that have been pre-made, you can assemble them to create an avatar of your own. In a game, you could make someone that looks like yourself to immerself even more. People who get into it can become quite obsessed with it.¡± [Ryouma] Spending hours customizing one¡¯s avatar in a game is a fairly common thing. ¡°Your default body might be that, but there¡¯s no reason for you to stay like that forever, right?¡¡So why don¡¯t you spend time customizing your avatar until I get back?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give it a try.¡± [Cormi] Cormi read the information he needed from my memories and changed himself from a mannequin to a child. It seemed that coming up with an original right away was difficult, and though he understood the concept, his avatar was based off of me. Black hair, black eyes, and even his clothes were a child sized jersey. It¡¯s as though he took the current me and turned me into a child. ¡°You kind of look like my little brother if I had one.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°Little brother?¡¡¡­Little brother!¡± ¡°Oops!¡± [Ryouma] Cormi suddenly jumped and started looking at himself from various angles. Was it such a happy thing to be my little brother? But either way, he seems happy. ¡°Cormi, I¡¯ll promise you again. I¡¯ll try to get back as quickly as possible. So watch the place while I¡¯m gone, okay?¡± [Ryouma] ¡°¡­Yeah! I¡¯ll show you the avatar I come up with next time!¡± [Cormi] ¡°Alright!¡¡It¡¯s a promise then.¡± [Ryouma] I showed him the little finger of my right hand, and he immediately understood. Our little fingers wrapped around each other, and we made that promise with a smile. Outside the gate, some ways away, I rendezvoused with Glen-san. ¡°You done?¡± [Glen] ¡°Yeah, sorry to keep you waiting.¡± [Ryouma] ¡°It¡¯s normal for kids to cry. If anything, that much is on the better side, you know.¡± [Glen] ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll have to make sure to come back right away.¡± [Ryouma] When I looked back, Cormi was there by the gate waving his hand and saying goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m going!¡± [Ryouma] ¡°When he looks like that, he really does seem like a kid. ¡­When I run out of money, I¡¯ll be sure to drop by when I hunt!¡¡At that time, be sure to lend me a room!¡± [Glen] Cormi waved with all of the strength of his little body. A smile surfaced on me, and I went back home with a light heart. Cormi who waited for me inside of the forest. And all the people I¡¯ve formed a connection with waiting for me outside. In order to protect my promise with both sides, I hurried along my journey to leave the forest.