《Ore wa Mada, Honki o Dashite Inai》 Prologue The fourth son of the Baron Kano House, Hermes Kano. He was trash and stain of nobility. That¡¯s how I live with that nickname even today. I was in the midst of relaxing and sunbathing in the sunlight in a certain garden. As the fourth son who does not have the right as successor to the family, I was given a remote house located in the border of the town. Despite the inconvenience due to its size, this is the only place I can stay. In the sunlight I flipped through the pages of the porn magazine I just ordered. ¡°Hoho¡­ That is¡­¡± In pornographic magazine made using the latest projection magic, the sisters (Nee-chan) compete to show their s*xy poses. ¡°¡­Umu¡± ¡°Umu your ass!¡± The back of my head was suddenly hit. I held my head then turned back, only to discover a woman who was wearing dress, was standing there. She looked like a lady, but her actual age is a little older than me. Because she¡¯s not 20 years old yet, there is still a girl¡¯s features on her face. Sora Kano. As you can see from her name, she is ¡­ ¡°What are you doing, sis?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask! So you see this stuff again?¡± ¡°Okay okay, I won¡¯t do it again. Besides the ero magic projection book is useless. This doesn¡¯t seem to have been updated. Look, touch around this face ¡­ ¡° ¡°Hei!¡± Just when I opened the porn magazine and showed it to my sister, she hit my wrist and the book fell to the ground. ¡°That¡¯s not the problem. What I mean is you, Hermes, be more serious. ¡° ¡°Be more serious?¡± ¡°Yes, that is. A boy like you can do it if you try, right? Instead of wasting your life in a place like this. ¡° ¡°Sorry. But I¡¯m always serious, you know.¡± ¡°Hermes!¡± ¡°By the way, sis, look at this.¡± I took something out of my pocket and handed it to my sister. She accepted it and looked at it seriously. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an aphrodisiac, used for couples, because it has the effect of half a day per item, so I¡¯ll give you a dozen as a gift for your wedding ¡­ ¡° ¡°I don¡¯t need that!¡± With a devily expression on her face, my sister threw away the aphrodisiac that I gave to her. It really did¡¯nt match the dress she wore. ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s threw out.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just make stuffs like this, act like a nobility¡­.¡± ¡°Aaa ~, that¡¯s the newest product I ordered from the town.¡± ¡°So you even didn¡¯t make it!?¡± My sister puffed her cheeks. ¡°So sis, this is called slapstick right?.¡± ¡°Who does that!!¡± My sister¡¯s patience has reached its limit Her anger instantly shrank like a paper bag with many holes. ¡°Mou, I¡¯m begging you Hermes. I know, you¡¯re a smart kid. So I hope you for the sake of this Kano family ¡­ ¡° My sister tried to say something but ¡­ ¡°So you came to a place like this?¡± I heard a man¡¯s voice and immediately saw him. He was a tall, slim middle-aged man with a thin mustache. Mimis Collas. He is the leader of the Vassal Group who support the Kano House. He was looking at my sister, not me. ¡°Mimis what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°The Master is calling you.¡± ¡°Brother huh? I see, take me there.¡± ¡°Certainly.¡± Go away of here, Shoo-shoo, so no one ever bothered me anymore ¡­.. or so that was I thought. ¡°I hope you reconsider what I say, Hermes. ¡° ¡°Okay okay.¡± Hearing a half-hearted answer from me, my sister frowned before walking away. It has become a habit. How many times my sister kept coming back to my place and making jokes. But as usual, I can deal with it normally. While my sister was gone, Mimis, who was supposed to be his escort, remained stationary. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go after my sister? ¡° ¡°Sir Hermes.¡± Mimis¡¯ voice was sharp, nothing more than a pricking thorn. Although he still inserted Sir when calling me, the expression he displayed was inversely proportional as if he was looking down on me. ¡°I want you to refrain a little more from begging for money as you want from the Master.¡± ¡°This is a conversation that doesn¡¯t make sense. What¡¯s wrong with a litlle brother asking for an allowance from his older brother? You don¡¯t have the right to judge if what I¡¯m doing is wrong. ¡° ¡°That is not true. Master is an indispensable person for the Kanon House, and most importantly, our House is currently undergoing an important phase. So I want you not to.¡± ¡°Okay then, but you have to give me something. ¡° ¡°Just say what you want.¡± ¡°Oh really? Okay, give me 100 silver coins then. If you¡¯re a man, you should have heard this, right? Rumors about a beautiful prostitute from the town, I want to have fun with her once. ¡° ¡°..I¡¯ll give it to you later.¡± ¡°Oo, huurayy!¡± I boldly put on a victory pose. Mimis¡¯ views are getting lower. Eventually. Mimis display is getting lower. ¡°You spoiled brat.¡± He threw away coarse language with a voice I could hear before chasing my sister and leaving. I was left alone here. I was the only one left in the house built in the suburbs to accommodate the fourth son. ¡°¡­Fuu.¡± I laughed mockingly after the two left. Being part as the 4th son, I know that. That¡¯s why.. ¡°Become more serious? f*ck it all! Who would want to do that? ¡° I will be the one supposed to be. With that in mind, I reflect back on the funds that Mimis will send today and that prostitute, who are famous for her beauty. The fourth son of a noblehouse decided to continue to live selfish days without responsibility. And the end of such days had come to an end before he realized it. ¡î ¡°¡­Please say that one more time, sis. ¡° ¡°You will be the successor to the Kano Family. That¡¯s how I say it.¡± The next day, my sister, who came as usual, suddenly said something like that. We both face each other in the same garden as we did yesterday. I was sitting in a lounge chair while basking in the sun like I usually do, while my sister stood in the same fashion as usual. The shape of the dress is the same, but her appearance is also perfect. I saw my sisters appearance while sitting. ¡°Is this some kind of joke?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± ¡°Obviously this is a joke, I¡¯m the fourth son. There¡¯s no way I can take over as the successor to the Kano family. ¡± ¡¸The elder brother Miros, the elder brother Melos, the elder brother Koros!¡± First son, second son, and third son. My sister mentioned the names of three men born before me. ¡°Their deaths were confirmed last night. ¡° ¡°Haa!?¡± *Gata* I fell from my chair and stood up. ¡°Died? Three of them at once? ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°How did it happen?¡± ¡°There was a party hosted by His Majesty last night. The three of them are there. ¡° ¡°I didn¡¯t know there is such a party. ¡° ¡°Then, a meteorite falls.¡± ¡°¡­What kind of joke is this again? ¡° If there was a mirror here, I might be able to see how stupid this facial expression I had been putting on. Such a thing is a very absurd story. ¡°Yeah. This might trigger a war. ¡° ¡°¡­The culprit is someone from another country?¡± For some reason, my sister smiled back at me. Damn. ¡°See, as I said. I always thought that you could do it.¡± ¡°Sorry for disappointing you, sis¡± ¡°You are actually smart. Incidentally, it is still too early to give up. ¡° I took a deep breath. Luckily, there¡¯s only my sister here. Even if I react like a fool, it¡¯s been a long time since my sister came to me for something unnecessary, and other people will not believe in the development of this story. That¡¯s why there were no problems ¨C so I talked seriously with my sister. ¡°So that means, because the three older sons are gone, you came here to tell me that I should take over the leadership of the family, right? ¡± ¡°Yes, that is so. ¡°Unfortunately, there is still blood from the Kano family that is more appropriate. The daughter of the legitimate wife, it is you, sister.¡± ¡°If that is the case, the problem was resolved.¡± ¡°¡­.If you become a monk, you can get your hair shaved you know. ¡° I knew it, my sister really likes her long, and shiny hair. In a situation where she becomes a monk that makes losing her rights to become the successor, there¡¯s no way my sister would do that. The right to inherit the family will also be revoked if she becomes a monk, so there¡¯s no way my sister would do that. ¡°This.¡± My sister took out an envelope while smiling. What I received was something sealed from the royal family. Looking at my sister, I was asked to take off the seal and look inside. As requested, I opened the seal, took the document in it, and read it. I was surprised. ¡°H-hei¡± ¡°I have reported this to the royal family. I will be your adopted daughter, Hermes.¡± ¡°You will be adopted by me, you say? ¡° ¡°Now it automatically you are more entitled to be the heir, Hermes.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t do it, sis. ¡° Or rather, if it¡¯s done I feel a bit ¡­ Get permission directly, as expected of my sister. I usually never think of things like that. However, I think because the contents of his request were, in short ¡°I want a boy to take over the house,¡± so that the royal family¡¯s permission would be granted easily. I sighed again. My sister has an unusual, serious expression. ¡°I¡¯m serious, Hermes. ¡° ¡°Haa~¡± Again, I sighed. It seems the escape route has been completely closed, if I refuse carelessly, it will be troublesome here. ¡°Alright, I will take over the House ¡° I¡¯m not serious about that. I want to say that, but I decided not to say it now. CH 1 Pindos. The most populous and prosperous city managed by the noble family of Baron Kano. A mansion that can be said to be the headquarters of Kano, a symbol of pride for the family, was built quite grandly. Likewise with the room where I am now, though not as grand as the royal palace¡¯s living room. On the opposite side of me, sat dozens of men on the chairs. They are all members of the Vassal Group who work for the Kano family. Among them was the figure of Mimis. Everyone, including Mimis, with complicated expression in their face stared at me. ¡°Ah, as you all know, from today, I will be the head of this family. Hello everyone.¡± When I tried to make an opening greeting in a lazy tone, the vassals were in an uproar in a truly unhappy voice and facial expression. ¡°Stop doing such greetings, father. ¡± Appearing and coming forward to participate in the conversation amidst the commotion was Sora. Some time ago, she was my big sister, and now she was a woman who has a unique relationship with me called the adopted daughter with her father as me. ¡°Please stop that strange call, Sis.¡± ¡°You were indeed my brother but now you are my father, isn¡¯t that the exact call?¡± ¡°Even so, don¡¯t be too attached. Just call me as usual.¡± ¡°Fine, from now on I will call you Hermes.¡± She said while nodding and pulled herself close to the wall. ¡°Sis, don¡¯t you want to say anything? ¡± ¡°I am Hermes¡¯s daughter, I am not in a position to speak here. ¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± Isn¡¯t this called cheating? It¡¯s cheating, right? ¡°Let me humbly replace her.¡± Said Mimis. So you who have always been silent can not help but raise voice after listening to sis¡¯s answer ¡­ no, with this anxiety it is not possible he will be silent. Mimis stepped forward and said with a challenging look. ¡°The Head of the Family has tasks that must be carried out immediately. ¡± ¡°Huh ¡­ What task is that? ¡± ¡°Right now our House has debt. ¡± ¡°Debt? How many?¡± ¡°About 50,000 gold coins. ¡± ¡°¡­.How come it¡¯s got that much? ¡± I frowned to think. If I¡¯m not mistaken, the 50,000 gold coins is an amount that exceeds the annual income flowing in from the Kano¡¯s territory, right? ¡°Do you know the Trikala mine? ¡±2 ¡°Yes, I know. Isn¡¯t that the Trikala steel mining area which is said to be a metal that has very high rust resistance? Our House has one of the finished goods, well if I¡¯m not mistaken it¡¯s called Magic Mallet. ¡± ¡°The Trikala Vein Mine has been around for several years. The head of the previous generation¡¯s family, Miros-sama, said that the deposits we have are still inadequate and he will continue to carry out further development plans in mining this ore by borrowing funds from merchants.¡± ¡°What is the purpose of debt only for that? ¡± ¡°The merchants came to me and told me to pay it off immediately. They say that Miros-sama often avoids debt bills. ¡± ¡°What?¡± So my brother, Miros did that kind of thing? ¡°So?¡± I said. ¡°¡­¡­¡± So you even don¡¯t know that? It was clear in his eyes that his gaze was getting down on me. Finally, his tone of voice that had been polite now turned into annoyance. ¡°With this we will not manage the Trikala mine again before the head of the family negotiates with the merchants, sorry for being rude. ¡± Sorry, you say? What you said was more like intimidating. At a time like this situation it¡¯s good to think calmly, okay? I then turned my gaze to my sister. Right now, she is my adopted daughter ¨C the girl who should be my own sister. Although our relationship is adopted father and his daughter, each of us has a direct blood relationship from the Kano Family. Then I turned my gaze to the Vassals. If I gave them instructions well, would they still rebel against me by trying to depose me and leave the family leadership to my sister? Abdicated the parent and appointing his child is a classic event in the struggle for the throne, I suppose. Well ¡­ Why don¡¯t I just become a tyrant then? ¡°Why me?! It should be you!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s order!¡± ¡°Let me tell you, the pressure of the merchants is enormous. This is a problem that only the head of the family can solve. ¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t want to do it? ¡± ¡°I think this role is too much for me besides being the head of the family.¡± ¡°Then you are fired. ¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Mimis looked at me confused and the other vassals were in an uproar again. ¡°You are incompetent and fired because you can¡¯t do anything but leave everything to the head of the family. ¡± ¡°W-wait, please whatever except that.¡± ¡°Hmm? So, are you saying that head of family can¡¯t dismiss one of his vassals? ¡± ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t say that.¡± As a result of the Mimis¡¯s panic look, I looked around, and ended at my sister. My sister took a short breath before stepping forward. ¡°Hermes.¡± ¡°Yes, Sis?¡± ¡°Mimis has been serving the Kano family for years. Isn¡¯t firing him suddenly too much?¡± ¡°Hmmm.¡± I pretended to be worried. It¡¯s good that my sister will join in this conversation. It is unreasonable to fire him, which is also a favorable situation for me where Mimis feels indebted to my sister. ¡°All right, you will be put under house arrest. Stay here for about a week while reflecting on your sins. ¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Mimis looked still unsatisfied, but my sister nodded slightly. ¡°I thank you for your wisdom.¡± Mimis said to me who wanted to get out of the room. Good, he directed his frustration at me, even the vassals did not leave feeling happy to me. I will do the same thing again. I will play as a dictator, get hatred from the vassals, in other hand they will flatter to my sister. I looked around to think of what else I could use to get their hatred more. Then, I saw something piled up across the room near the entrance. ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ore obtained from the Trikala mine.¡± My sister answered. I see, you brought it to me as material to encourage me. Alright, I think I can use it. I got up from the chair and headed for the pile of ore. I had just done something like a tyrant before, so the vassals looked alert and stepped out of the way. I finally arrived in front of a pile of ore and picked up one of them. ¡°¡­ Is he stupid?¡± I accidentally heard a voice. Voice of astonishment and hatred. Then, I took another ore. ¡°He really is stupid after all. ¡± The same curse sound came again. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Hermes?¡± My sister approached me and asked. I turned and looked at the vassals who were behind my sister. The Vassals are in alert mode, moving away and forming a circle around, watching what I will do next. ¡°Are you all stupid?¡± I returned those words to them back. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your attitude, Hermes? What are you talking about? You are becoming more emotional than before.¡± ¡°Here, look at this.¡± I put ore between my palms and crushed it. Of course, I¡¯m not using my physical strength, but magic. The broken pieces of rock were destroyed, and metal that didn¡¯t even turn into iron fell from my palm. After a few moments, I opened my palm. At that moment¡­ ¡°Is that¡­ Silver? ¡± ¡°Yes, this is silver.¡± ¡°Silver inside this ore? ¡± ¡°The amount is quite a lot.¡± The vassals are shocked. ¡°All this time you¡¯ve been producing it just to try to make Trilaka steel, right? And you don¡¯t even realize that there is a lot of silver in it. All of you are really incompetent. ¡± ¡°¡­Hhm.¡± My sister took one ore and studied it briefly before returning it to the pile. ¡°Even after seeing it I don¡¯t know at all..¡± She said. Then, without further ado, I ordered all members of the vassal group. ¡°Check if there is silver in the ore more out there.¡± ¡°¡°¡°W-we understand.¡±¡±¡± All members who were ordered, came out in a hurry. Instantly, the room became quiet only leaving me and my sister here. ¡°As expected, right? ¡°About what?¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing, seeing there is a lot of silver in a flash.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Haah, I did it. I was upset because they were too incompetent, before I realized it I found myself had did it. ¡°After all, my eyes did not misjudge. I always thought that Hermes would be amazing if he was serious. ¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t do anything serious at all.¡± I panicked a bit and said something like that. I¡¯m not serious at all, this is my style. ¡°Yes, I understand.¡± She said with a smile. My sister¡¯s smile made me fall deep so badly even more. CH 2 (TN: I won¡¯t be posting much now) A few days later, in the audience hall. In front of me who is going back to my chair, Mimis bowed his head. I dared, to speak in an overpowering-like manner. ¡°Say that once again.¡± ¡°Hah, silver refining is impossible for a while.¡± ¡°Why? The silver content should be considerable.¡± ¡°That is¡­¡­ if our family becomes the house with the highest mining technology at the present time, then.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means, you boasting? If so, make some silver.¡± I became even more intimidating. Mimis looked ill-humored for a moment, but he immediately withdrew and explained. ¡°Until about 100 years ago, ore was melted in a furnace, and the mainstream method was to take metal out from it. This approach, however, is inefficient and makes sorting the unintended metals very confusing, and it¡¯s no longer in use.¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s magic now, right?¡± You didn¡¯t say it, so I did. If that is so, it¡¯ll be troublesome if you are told to do it or take this seriously. ¡°Yes. This house ¡­¡­ No, this family tried to contact all of the territories, but there was only a magic user that refined Trikara steel.¡± ¡°Is there not among the population?¡± ¡°Until before, it was unnecessary, so those who can do such thing have moved to another place promptly ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fumu¡± Right, they have no choice but to move in the land where they can¡¯t eat even if they have a job in hand. ¡°What shall you do¡± ¡°Hah? Are you stupid?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Silver is there, but there¡¯s no one who can use refining magic. Then we¡¯ll just gather people. Or what?¡± Glaring, I scowl at Mimis. ¡°Please do your best alone, as I¡¯m the head, are you going to say that?¡± ¡°Do,don¡¯t be absurd!¡± Mimis bowed in a hurry, and then walked away as if to escape. As he left, I could see a color of dissatisfaction in his eyes. ¡°Alright with this¡± Today¡¯s tyranny, is over. I did better than yesterday, I guess. The sound argument that they want to hear, if I accumulate this, then I will be able to bring it to the being overthrown route without being killed. ¡°Might as well¡± Let¡¯s also become a prodigal head. ¡î I left the mansion, and wandered around the city of Pindos. It¡¯s the most developed territory governed by the Canoe family, and it¡¯s a city where people, money, and goods gather. Because it is such a city, of course there are things like this ¨D¨D ¡°Hermes~uu¡± The voice of the woman who was calling my name, is refreshing but just the right voice that contains flirtation. As I looked around restlessly and looked straight up next, I found a woman looking down at me with a smile from the window on the second floor of the store. She¡¯s Orthia, a prostitute I¡¯m acquainted with. By the way, there is quite a lot of name for Orthia on prostitutes. It was many at the level where one is to three. To put it simply, the women who work as prostitutes who ¡°sell beauty¡±, have admired the name of the beautiful woman named Orthia, the most beautiful sage in history, so before they knew it, the prostitutes were full of Orthia. ¨D¨DThat matter, I have heard that from the Orthia in front of me. ¡°Hey, come and play with me.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t feel like that today¨D¨D¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t play, Hermes-chan will still be a virgin¨D¨D¡± I leaped into the brothel, passed through the reception brothel old woman, ran up the stairs at once, and dove into Orthia¡¯s room. ¡°Welco~me¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­ haa¡­¡­ you have, no complaints, with this ¡­¡­¡± (TN: Yes, nice) Since I rushed inside at a speed that seems to be able to set a world record with full throttle, I took a breath in one gulp. I let the brothel madam who caught up clasped the money I gave properly, and I became alone with Orthia in the room. ¡°I called you, so let¡¯s not do that loudly.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± (TN: Ah, you know what is ¡°that¡±) Orthia made a mischievous smile. ¡°This bastard, seriously, I will never come again.¡± ¡°Kyah, Hermes-chan is intimidating.¡± Saying that, Orthia droops towards me. ¡°No other way, I will do what the customer says.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­ Geez.¡± ¡°Not good, my prostitute pride was slightly hurt, so I should be allowed at this much.¡± I became weak when she told that. I feel oblige to her for behaving like that at this matter, so I was frail as she carries it out. Even frailer. ¡°Hermes-chan, congratulations on your inauguration as the Head¡± Chu, she kissed my cheek. Saying that, Orthia sticks to me but doesn¡¯t do anything. If she attacks me more, I¡¯ll snap back, but she¡¯s keeping it in the skinship level. It¡¯s splendid, the skill of a prostitute. ¡°Ah, thank you¡± ¡°What, you don¡¯t seem to be happy.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s tiresome. I don¡¯t want the be the head.¡± ¡°I see, but, it¡¯s appropriate for Hermes-chan.¡± ¡°Appropriate?¡± ¡°Every woman in Brothel thinks so. A person who is burning with desire for a woman, is a man who goes greedily with work.¡± ¡°Since sexual desire and greed for power are almost synonymous.¡± Orthia, who knows well that I¡¯m light on both of them, has massaged my bland areas such as thighs and shoulder. The soft hands of a beautiful woman, even if it¡¯s a normal massage, was a thing that feels good. Until this time as it is ¨D¨D as I think that. Mugyu. ¡°Yo,your chest is hitting my back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s hitting~.¡± ¡°Do you like that line oi! It feels like I¡¯ve heard that from you every time.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s no longer a basic technique. The first person who came up with it is surely a genius.¡± ¡°What is that basic!¡± I was so pounding that my heart was piercing my chest. I put up with that, and behaved normally. ¡°By the way, Hermes-chan is doing a lot of things right away. Reformation? Do you mean to say that?¡± ¡°Reformation? What.¡± ¡°A¡¯re? Isn¡¯t it related to Hermes-chan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand, talk from the top.¡± ¡°Yup. Recently, the number of silver smelting magicians has increased. The people who come to us also have a pretty good influence, and all of them said that they¡¯ll come back again together.¡± ¡°Come again¡± I mutter Orthia¡¯s words in return. The brothels are by no means cheap. If they have the influence and say ¡°come back again¡±, their income can be seen after that. ¡°There was, just a rumor that you¡¯re going to change direction from Trikara steel to silver as the new lord.¡± ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s what it is.¡± ¡°Is that so, then, you have to gather them earnestly from Tadias-sama.¡± ¡°Tadias? Who¡¯s that¡± ¡°It¡¯s the merchant who collects people who can use magic. The boss.¡± ¡°¡­.. Boss, is it¡± ¡°A¡¯re? What¡¯s wrong, Hermes-chan, your face is scary.¡± Orthia twisted her neck while massaging me as it is. My face is scary, because I remembered as I got caught up in the story now. ¡î A few days later, in the garden of the mansion. People with faces that I see for the first time are gathered and lined up, and a mountain of ore is being carried in. They used magic under Mimis¡¯ direction, and the silver was extracted one after another from the ore. Around the end of the demonstration of extracting pure silver out of the ore, Mimis came to me. With a staggering self-satisfied look ¡°As you can see, I have gathered silver refiners.¡± ¡°Right.¡± I approach those who were in line. Everyone is looking at me. Because they¡¯re in front of the head, everyone doesn¡¯t say anything, and is waiting for me to speak. After briefly, circulating my gaze at them, I stood in front of the man on the far left, and said. ¡°Alara¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± The man didn¡¯t know what it was at first, but he was surprised as he noticed the meaning of the name I muttered, suddenly. Then I move in front of the man beside him. ¡°Hagne¡± ¡°Nah!¡± ¡°Vanna, Zena, Themis¡± It was troublesome to move, so I pointed my finger from the middle while deciding to recite it out. Most were surprised, embarrassed or turned red. But, they don¡¯t seem to understand the meaning yet. ¡°I like the Head-sama too¡± (TN: This one is dangerous.) A single funny-ish guy, said with a grin while holding his mouth. I guess this company is bad, it can¡¯t be helped but take another step. ¡°You guys, your source of money is?¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡­¡­¡±¡±¡± When I said that, everyone fell silent all at once. Some turned pale. Those guys have a deep understanding of the story. ¡°Wha,what are you talking about Head-sama?¡± ¡°All of these guys, were the ones gathered by Tadias.¡± ¡°Hou, Tadias¡± Mimis made a face that felt ¡°impressive, impressive¡±. This guy, is an idiot that can¡¯t be saved. ¡°Really? These guys are all breathing for Tadias. They¡¯re keeping a secret, too. Using these guys, whether they refine silver or not, I think they¡¯ll be on the other side as it is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± After giving a cordial explanation, Mimis finally realized the importance of the matter. ¡°I,I¡¯ll look for them again!¡± ¡î Inside the mansion, I came back to the reception room. Orthia was in the reception room. ¡°Thank you¡± As soon as I entered the room, I thanked her, and removed the little finger-sized device from my ear. ¡°It¡¯s already fine.¡± Orthia also put the device in her hand on the table. It¡¯s a simple magic tool, a device that delivers a voice to the receiver which was installed in the ear, if you speak to the transmitter. It¡¯s a tool that even ordinary people who can¡¯t use magic can use. Using it, Orthia told me the names of the prostitutes who patronized the men, and thrust it at them. ¡°Thanks to you, it was a complete victory.¡± ¡°I see. But I¡¯m glad with that.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± It¡¯s not possible to put insects inside a lion¡¯s body. No matter how stupid Mimis is, he wouldn¡¯t repeat his last mistake again. ¡°Thank you, this is my expression of gratitude.¡± Saying that, I present a bag full of silver coins in front of Orthia. ¡°No, I don¡¯t need that.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a prostitute, and other than that, I won¡¯t receive any money.¡± ¡°Hah¡± ¡°Come back and let¡¯s play again, that¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Got it. I will rent out the entire store this time.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting.¡± Orthia kissed me on the cheek, then stood up and left the drawing room. When I watched her off at her back. ¡°I saw it.¡± I heard a woman¡¯s voice from the corner of the room, and when I turned around, it was my elder sister. ¡±Uwah, Ne,nee-san. How long have you been here?¡± ¡°As expected, you were in a place like that. After all, as I anticipated, you were suitable to become the Lord, Hermes.¡± ¡°Stop flattering me¡± ¡°But it¡¯s vexing, if you have taken this seriously, couldn¡¯t it have been settled immediately even if it wasn¡¯t such an attack on the rear?¡± ¡°As I said¡± Mou, I resign myself on being praised by nee-san. But I bear in mind at my nee-san¡¯s place, and decided not to spread that any further. ¡°I¡¯ll never put out anything seriously¡± As I declared, I muttered in front of my sister. CH 3 ¡°There¡¯s something I would like to say¡± At the audience hall, Mimis came over today, and hanged his head with that preface. The face that he raised was proud, no, it feels nasty. It¡¯s kinda like that. ¡°What¡± ¡°I would like Hermes-sama, to carry out the conventional practice of this house.¡± ¡°Conventional practice?¡± ¡°Yes, as you know, the first head of the Canoe family, was the strongest female swordsman in the world.¡± ¡°Hee¡± Of course I knew it, but I was playing dumb. It¡¯s also mentioned in the history books, even though she was a woman, she has led a uniform 200 warriors and has never lost while participating in countless battlefields around the world. Well, history books are the winner¡¯s gilt, so 50% ¨D¨D No, I think necessary to listen to it about 30 percent. ¡°Following the great first generation, I would like you to perform the ritual of the first battle, which has been passed down from generation to generation from the third generation.¡± ¡°Ritual of the first battle?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°It¡¯s a hassle. What if I don¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Ha? No one declined because it was an uncomplicated ceremony. However, in one theory, the spirit of the first generation-sama will appear, re-beating one¡¯s nature.¡± ¡°Muu ¡­¡­¡± It smells trouble. The spirit of the first generation, you said, that doesn¡¯t sound like a joke. It is common for talented people or individuals who have achievements to leave their souls in the world with some magic or curse. A woman who had run around the world with 200 people, even if it was 30% credible, it is in the range where she could¡¯ve done it. And that would become a terribly annoying thing. ¡°¡­¡­ The ritual thing, is it.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I got it¡± I sighed deeply. ¡î The next day, I left the mansion with 100 of the Canoe family¡¯s soldiers and got out the city, heading to the suburbs. In addition to the hundred soldiers, Mimis and the other vassals were following. That¡¯s fine, but ¡­¡­ ¡°Why are you even coming nee-san¡± She was wearing her trademark dress, and with a laced parasol. No matter where I look, nee-san who is dressed in princess-like disguise, was marching mixed in with the soldiers. Moreover, with a considerably refreshing face. ¡°What are you saying, am I not your daughter.¡± ¡°Why are you coming with us Sora-san?¡± I enquired again with honorifics and a sigh. ¡°Of course, to see Hermes¡¯ cool side, you know.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t show you ¨D¨D none, because, there is no such thing.¡± ¡°Moreover perhaps, some people may start to say that they¡¯re having a hard time and don¡¯t accept that you are the head of the family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I see.¡± This is her real intention hah. For nee-san who wanted to make me the head, the vassals who don¡¯t want to accept it is recognized as enemies, I guess. In order to prevent the pointless argument of whether I have done it or not, she bought herself of high opinion to be a witness. ¡°Good luck, Hermes.¡± ¡°Yes yes¡± While handling my nee-san appropriately, I proceed in a form protected by soldiers. After walking for about an hour, we came to the front of a cave. At the Mimis¡¯ command, the soldiers scattered, and became a form which surrounded the entrance of the cave. ¡°An imitation of encirclement, it¡¯s really a ritual.¡± ¡°When you enter inside, please pick up the gold coin named after the first head of the family.¡± ¡°Is it fine to get the gold coin?¡± ¡°That should be.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± I went into the cave. This cave feels like it has been remodeled from a natural thing with the hands of fairly well humans. There¡¯s no sign of monsters, no sign of evil things. Is this really just a ritual? After walking for a while, there was a rock shaped like a pedestal, and a medal is stuck inside the hollow of such a rock. I approach, remove it from the rock, and try to lift it. I observed it on the front and back. The front is carved with the profile of a woman with long hair, I see, perhaps this is the first-generation head. And there is a star mark on the back. Should I bring this back, well, but there is still some inner part, right? I looked at the back. Hyuuuuuu ¡­¡­ The wind blew from the back. It seems that it is still deep, and it appears to continue further to the back. ¡°Why don¡¯t we go a little more.¡± With the gold coin in my pocket, I go further. Walking for about three minutes, I found the same rock pedestal as before, and the gold coin. I approach, and take the gold coin in the same manner. The front has the same face, and the back is ¨D¨D ¡°Mu¡± My eyebrows stirred with a start. I take out the gold coin from before, and compare them side by side. It was needless to compare, but this makes it clearer. The first one has one star mark, and this time it has two. And, the cave is still continuing on the inside. ¡°¡­¡­by some chance¡± I put the two gold coins in my pocket, and go further. This time it¡¯s a longer road than before, so it was troublesome to move forward meanderingly. However, there was another rock pedestal ahead, and there was a gold coin. Picking it up, this time there were three star marks. ¡°Haha~n¡± I¡¯ve read the outline of the story. At the same time, I was wondering how far it will be, so I went on and on. Proceeding, the gold coin I got has four stars. Proceeding, the gold coin I got has five stars. Proceeding, the gold coin I got has six stars ¨D¨D. ¡°Coming to the end, that is to say, this place is the last huh¡± I pick up the gold coin with the seven-star marks from the pedestal as I predicted. I line up the seven gold coins in the palm of my hand. Somehow, I found it out, the deeper, in other words, it¡¯s better to have a gold coin with a lot of star marks. In other words, the correct answer in this case would be ¨D¨D I returned the seven-star gold coin back on the pedestal. I turned back to the road I came and returned the gold coins to their original pedestal, six, five, four in order. And then, I left the cave with only the first one, the one-star gold coin. The outside is still the same as when I entered the cave. There is the vassal group in front, and nee-san is next to them. The Soldiers surrounded the entire cave. I came back in front of the vassals, in front of the representative Mimis. ¡°How was it¡± ¡°Is this it?¡± I took the gold coin out of my pocket, and put it on his palm. Mimis says, ¡°Excuse me¡± and turns over the gold coin. Fuh, he sees the number of stars after all huh. I came back with one star and it was right. ¡°Wha!?¡± Mimis was astonished, the other vassals gasped, and started to get noisy. What the? What happened? ¡°Th,the first-class trial that no one has ever cleared before.¡± ¡°Is it not a mistake?¡± ¡°Someone take a look!¡± When one of the vassals ordered, a decently dressed soldier ran into the cave, and returned immediately. ¡°I,it was the first class trial!¡± The soldiers¡¯ reports, made the vassals increasingly noisy. ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most difficult, you know, that¡± The only one in the line, that wasn¡¯t surprised at all, was my nee-san with a cool face who answered my question. ¡°The most difficult?¡± ¡°Yeah, the first is the most difficult, and the deeper you go, the easier it is to take it.¡± ¡°Wha! What is such thing?¡± ¡°It was said that the first head of the family has seen many people making efforts. The closer you are to the entrance, the more talent you required, but even if you don¡¯t have the talent, if you make an effort and go all the way, you can do something. It¡¯s a trial created to mimic such lesson.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Kuh!¡± That was the exact opposite of what I thought. The one closest to the entrance, Mimis said, ¡°No one has ever cleared it¡±, and brought back this gold coin¨D¨D ¡°That¡¯s why I have told you, Hermes is amazing if he got serious.¡± Nee-san just in this place, showed her proudness towards Mimis and the others. ¡°I was not serious about it¡± ¡°Really?¡± Nee-san tilted her head slightly, and then smiled. ¡°You want to say that you were able to clear the first trial without even getting serious, right, you¡¯re even more amazingly talented.¡± The noise has even become louder. Ugh! CH 4 Early afternoon in the mansion, large living room. As I open a book while relaxing in an easy chair, a familiar sign break in. ¡°What are you looking at with such a serious face?¡± ¡°Nee-san huh. This is ¡ºOrthia¡¯s Great Complete Collection¡», a photobook collection of young women who are now calling themselves Orthia¨D¨D¡± ¡°N¡ªno!¡± Nee-san snatched the complete collection from my hand, and threw it out of the window in a spectacular form. ¡°Aahh! What are you doing, nee-san, I¡¯ve only seen half of it yet. ¡° ¡°Look at something more serious stuff than that.¡± ¡°Serious stuff? There is, you know?¡± ¡°What? There is?¡± It surprised nee-san, it seems to have been completely unexpected. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s this.¡± I took it from the round table on the other side of nee-san, and handed it to nee-san. Nee-san received that which has a few volumes, opened it, and looked inside. ¡°A picture of a man¡­¡­ is this a profile? What is this?¡± ¡°Applications for marriage that have arrived for Nee-san¡± ¡°S¡ªoi!¡± The second whole energy pitch. The photos of the matchmaking also disappeared outside of the window. ¡°I don¡¯t care about this kind of thing!¡± ¡°Ah, I think so, too.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°At this timing, I can see the souls of those who are trying to take over when they saw that the Canoe family is weakening. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to get on with it.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Ah. And that¡¯s, the guy at the bottom. He¡¯s hiding it well, but he¡¯s getting married and divorced repeatedly to rise in the world. Not now, but he¡¯s applying with anticipation to nee-san coming after me. My sister became my adopted daughter to make me the head, but if that was cancelled, nee-san will be my nee-san.¡± ¡°¡­¡­See, right.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°As I thought, Hermes is a child who can see the essence of things properly. If you take it seriously like that, you¡¯ll be a wonderful head who is second to none in the past.¡± Dangerous, it was unnecessary trouble. ¡°We,well that¡¯s it. Even though my father hasn¡¯t gotten married yet, her daughter will come first huh, it¡¯s about my father¡¯s dignity that¡¯ll be affected.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡± Nee-san indeed said ¡°I know¡± at my face. Kuh¡­¡­ well, it¡¯s fine. Nee-san has a lot of stuff to say, but there¡¯s no problem if it¡¯s only nee-san. However, even a proper marriage is likely not good right now. Eventually, I¡¯m going to instigate my vassals, to let me go down under nee-san. That¡¯s why, ¡°I won¡¯t let nee-san be anyone¡¯s wife. Absolutely.¡± I realized after declaring it. That remark was quite real and serious. (TN: Sister/Daughter route is the first one, God!!) I hurriedly looked at her, since I think that it would be bad if nee-san could see me being serious and be hit by her again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Nee-san was looking at me without saying anything. Her face is red, and her eyes are sloppy. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, nee-san?¡± ¡°Right no,now¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Right now ¡­¡­ say it again¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I see, she wants to draw out my serious remark once again huh. I won¡¯t get on at that hand, nee-san. I, won¡¯t say it out seriously. ¡°I won¡¯t let nee-san be a bride anywhere¡± This time, I declare it somewhat lightly. ¡°Yes¡­¡­ I understand¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Nee-san turned increasingly red and hanged down. Those clich¨¦ words, the Hermes who took it out with great seriousness, didn¡¯t come out. Her red face is increasingly turning red because she¡¯s getting huffy, fufu. The deception is successful. ¡°Hey ¡­¡­ Hermes¡± ¡°What nee-san¡± ¡°My face now, I can¡¯t show it to anyone.¡± This is the second time, isn¡¯t it? I know. Not having such a frivolous face, it¡¯s my usual nee-san. ¡î The next day, in the audience room. Mimis wished for me to meet with a terribly difficult face. The other party is not the vassals, but only Mimis, Moreover, he has specified the presence of nee-san. Only three of us are here, me, Mimis, and nee-san. Not a lot of combinations. Did something happen? ¡°What is your business today?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll ask frankly. I heard that the Head intends to reject all of Sora-sama¡¯s marriage proposals.¡± Mimis took out an engagement photograph, and dazzled it to me. What appear was the thing nee-san threw over the horizon (so-i), but I wonder if the same thing has arrived at the hand of my first vassal, Mimis. That¡¯s, he dazzled it so that I could see it. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right, but?¡± ¡°The reason is?¡± ¡°Reason?¡± Because that is what it was. I don¡¯t have a reason to give to my vassals, but ¨D¨D ¡°One theory, is that you don¡¯t want to let her go because you¡¯re having wicked thoughts towards Sora-sama, there are rumors like that¡± ¡°Wha¡ª¡± What is that misconception that has no basis or roots. Because I¡¯m in love with nee-san, is that what you¡¯re saying? What is that. Seriously, what the hell is that! ¡°It¡¯s been rumored among the maids.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ha~, so that¡¯s what it was. Yesterday! It was that yesterday! In the exchange between me and nee-san, she had her face red. They cut it out only at that part and made a good guess. Bad, this is bad. I want people to think of me as incompetent or domineering, but this is bad. I mean, it¡¯s nay. ¡°That¡¯s not the case.¡± ¡°Then, why is it?¡± ¡°Mimis, isn¡¯t this also your responsibility?¡± My sister, who was silent beside me, opened her mouth. It¡¯s also nee-san¡¯s own honor, so it seems that she¡¯s trying to explain it. Yeah, rather than me who is a little panicky, nee-san may be more suitable here. I thought so and left it to my sister. ¡°My responsibility ¡­¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hermes investigated it properly. Most of them just applied in order to take over the Canoe family or use the family name.¡± ¡°Wha!¡± ¡°Wha!¡± The words of me and Mimis overlap. It¡¯s strange for me to raise my voice in a flow-like. Mimis looked at me. ¡°Uh, ah¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong Hermes, this is, what Hermes told me yesterday isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°I,indeed, but.¡± Kuh, it¡¯s nee-san¡¯s plot! ¡°And then, this guy named Taratos¡± ¡°Oh, that young man has the most potential ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Hermes has found out that he is an upstart who has been married and divorced repeatedly.¡± ¡°¡ª¡ªWha!?¡± ¡°Oohfuuh!¡± Mimis and I raise our voices at the same timing again. But this time, Mimis, couldn¡¯t afford to look at me. The reason I was able to completely persuade nee-san, also worked for Mimis as well. ¡°I¡¯m going to seriously examine it out once again.¡± ¡°A, acknowledged¡± Mimis was being guilty of nee-san ¨D¨D and after that he bowed to me with momentum to dogeza. He changed his complexion, and rushed out of the audience hall. What remained was me and nee-san. ¡°Nee-san¡­¡­ you plot this?¡± ¡°Aara, what¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Mou¡­¡­ it¡¯s a secret but I don¡¯t get serious¡­¡­¡± I was hanging my head. I was thoroughly cheated by my sister. Haa¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Dammit¡± CH 5 I left the mansion, and walked around the city in a rough clothes. When I say rough, it¡¯s not just rough look. It¡¯s a young thug-like fashion, that makes the old people frown when they see it. If this is it, old people who are fairly senior won¡¯t think well of this, and they¡¯ll think that I am a prodigal head. However, it¡¯s not necessary to be disliked even by the people in my territory, and if there is a rebellion or an uprising, it will be unnoticeable. While being conscious of the balance, rather than the idea around that, I perform the role of a familiar prodigal head decently. As I walked properly, a sweet scent suddenly tickled into my nose. When I stopped and searched for the source of the scent, I found a fairly prosperous candy store. I went to that store. ¡°Welcome, ah, if it isn¡¯t Hermes-sama¡± A physically fine obaa-san who knows my face turned a friendly smile to me. ¡°Please purchase something¡± ¡°Sun sun ¡­¡­ this is, the sweet scent.¡± ¡°Oh, as expected of Hermes-sama, your eyes are above average. This is the popular sweet in these days called dorayaki*.¡± (TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorayaki) ¡°Dorayaki?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a strange phantom thing made by people of ancient times, but this thing that has always been a mystery other than using powder and azuki beans, a recipe was recently discovered in the ruins. From there, it exploded into a trend.¡± ¡°Hee, it looks interesting. Let me try one for the time being.¡± ¡°Yes, here you go.¡± The obaa-san put the dorayaki thing in a piece of paper, and presented it to me. I received it, and when I took a bite¨D¨D. ¡°Sweet! Delicious!¡± ¡°Right, this is the most popular sweet nowadays.¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural for this taste to become popular. Wrap me up a few.¡± ¡°Okay!¡± The obaa-san took out a paper bag, and put the dorayaki in it. Its deliciousness was real. With trouble, I¡¯ll buy it for nee-san. I received the dorayaki from obaa-san, paid for it, and resumed wandering. The city of Pindos as expected is quite prosperous. Just by me not going out for a while, a lot of new things came out. It was amusing, and I went around here and there. ¡°Oh, do you bastard know whose woman you put your hands on?¡± Suddenly, I for some reason encountered a scene where a dispute has occured. There are two voices of men yelling wildly, and there are many curious onlookers surrounding them. Looking over the curious onlookers, it appears that two men are fighting over one woman. At first, one of them ¨D¨D probably the woman¡¯s secret lover, was pushed. ¡°I don¡¯t know! She said she wasn¡¯t going out with anyone.¡± As a result of losing his temper, he attacked. ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°Want to know, ask the woman¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± The man snapped, and pulled out a dagger. It was then, a jeer rose from the spectators who had just screamed ¡°Ohoh yareyare¡±. They want to see a fight, but they forbear bloodshed. You can understand the psychology of the onlookers. Perhaps the other man also snaps, since even if he looks at the knife, he does not withdraw, and as a result of surveying around restlessly, he picked up a squared timber that had fallen around. With a knife and squared timber, I felt sorry for the both of them if they talk with each other like that. Yareyare, it can¡¯t be helped. While sighing, I bent lightly and picked up two pebbles from the ground. After confirming that the curious onlookers are paying attention to them, I placed a pebble on my fingers, and point and whisk it like a finger flick to the forehead. The two pebbles that rushed out wove between the onlookers, and it pinpoint hit the two men on the chin. I have done it properly. Its power is about a punch of an adult man. Then the two who had their chin hit collapsed from their knees almost at the same time, dropping and fainting. The surroundings become noisy. After the pebble hit, I hurled it in a trajectory that would fly from a completely unrelated place at behind, so from the people around me, it should look like they suddenly fell down. It¡¯s natural that they¡¯re noisy. Both of them snapped, but by the time they¡¯ll get up, they would be settled. I thought so and tried to leave, but. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The moment I turn back my heel, I noticed a girl staring at me. The girl who¡¯s five or six years old, was staring at me with her face up. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That¡­¡­ was amazing¡± The girl imitated the finger flick. And she also picked up a pebble, hooked it, and played with it, but the pebble rolled to the ground in a parabolic pattern. ¡°It¡¯s difficult¡­¡­¡± Wait, did she see it just now. I believe I checked the people in the surroundings properly, but I only checked at the same height of my line of sight. I had no idea that such a little child was watching. This is bad, I have to stop her. I did it with a pebble because I don¡¯t want to be seen, but on the contrary, if she saw it, then that was the ¡± amazing¡±. I don¡¯t want it to spread and become ¡°as I thought you were amazing if you took it seriously¡±. I thought a little, crouched down and adjusted to the height of her eyes, and I take out the paper bag. ¡°I¡¯ll give you this, so be silent to the thing you just saw.¡± ¡°Wah¡­¡­ it¡¯s dorayaki¡± ¡°Do you like it?¡± ¡°Yup! It¡¯s very delicious! But you shouldn¡¯t eat too much because mom said you will have cavities.¡± ¡°Is that so, then I¡¯ll give all of this to you. Just don¡¯t tell anyone what you¡¯ve seen.¡± ¡°Ok!¡± I handed the dorayaki to a girl with a full smile across my face, and quickly walked away from the place. ¡î A few days later, I was relaxing in the garden of the mansion. While feeding the dog that was kept in the mansion, I was relaxing in an easy chair, and was being a ¡°Lazy head¡±. Nee-san came from there. ¡°Yes, Hermes, I have come.¡± My sister stood in front of me, and presented me an envelope. ¡°What¡¯s that¡± ¡°It was rumored.¡± Nee-san who talked so was smiling for some reason. ¡°Rumor?¡± ¡°You had stopped the entanglement of jealousy, right.¡± ¡°Why is that!¡± Gah! I got up from the chair. ¡°The child of this letter said, that you just pipi your fingers and stopped it.¡± ¡°She spread it after all!¡± ¡°Rather, it¡¯s inevitable, right.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This letter says: ¡ºThe dorayaki was delicious, thank you, Feudal lord-ojiichan¡»¡­¡­ like that¡± ¡°A thank you letter?¡± ¡°Yes. If she wanted to send such letter, learn the characters or ask the feudal lord¡¯s contact information, she will be asked for what reason by the adults around her. That¡¯s why she answered honestly, I guess.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Even without it, isn¡¯t it impossible to stop a child who is proud to see something cool in the first place.¡± ¡°Oh no ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Give up already, take it seriously and show it to the world.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wanna¡­¡­¡± While saying that, I was crestfallen. Will that spread, it will spread ¡­¡­. I have no choice but to pray that at least the grandiose delusions of a child can be seized. No. ¡°¡­¡­Or rather¡± ¡°Or rather?¡± ¡°In the first place, it¡¯s even ojii-chan ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that fine, if you get serious, you¡¯re a cool ojii-chan.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ If I¡¯m an ojii-chan, then nee-san is an obaa-chan, you know?¡± (TN: Uncle and Aunt) ¡°So-i¡± Nee-san tossed away the letter in a spectacular form. The letter spins round and round like a disk ¨D¨D but. ¡°Bau!¡± The dog we have in the mansion instinctively chased after it, catching it in the air, and return the ¡°Thank you ojii-san¡±. CH 6 In the audience room, I sat in a posture where my limbs were thrown out. There are two reasons for this. Playing the unmotivated prodigal head, and the second is being seriously a little lazy. The reason I¡¯m being languid is the vassals in front of me. They have brought various petitions and reports coming up from the territory to me, and were asking for approval. Well, it¡¯s normally my job. At first, I listened to it properly, but I found out such a thing in midway. As far as everyday life is concerned, the head does not do much. The public officials and the people in the actual spot decided and came up with it, and it is only the head who will approve it with a feeling of ¡°as you see fit¡±. That was the majority. For instance. ¡°This year¡¯s War Princess Festival, donations from merchants have reached the prescribed amount, so I would like to receive approval to hold the event and permission for the awards.¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Upon accepting the report, I grant permission at it, and one of my vassals moved to process it. Most of them are like this. So, at first, I listened to the story in my own way, and understood the content, but I gradually become languid and ignore it. ¡°Next, slime damage has occurred.¡± ¡°Slime?¡± I heard a phrase that seemed a little interesting, so I ask in return to Mimis who reported so with a bit of biting it. ¡°Is the slime you said, that slime?¡± ¡°It¡¯s that slime¡± He nodded. Speaking of slime, it is a monster famous for being weak, annoying, and sometimes erotic. (TN: Why erotic?) It is one of the weakest monsters, and it will not cause any human damage unless there is a great deal of trouble. However, its regeneration ability is considerably strong, and it cannot be completely annihilated unless it is defeated in one go with a prepared equipment. Although it is an omnivorous creature, probably, it may also be a vegetarian organism, as it sometimes catches a human woman and melts only her clothes to eat. (TN: Nice) ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that slime¡± ¡°There was a petition for its subjugation since it was a group, and damages occurred.¡± ¡°Fumu Fumu¡± Slime subjugation huh. Slime¡­¡­ The weakest monster. Cool! Then, I opened my eyes. This is it! I thought. Christ, I¡¯ll be a small fry specialist, who bites only at weak slimes. Yeah, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s exactly a good opponent to direct a no-good head. ¡°The reason why the slimes are swarming is ¨D¨D¡± ¡°I¡¯ll go¡± ¡°¨D¨DEh?¡± It surprised Mimis. I made an exaggerated smug face like from a play. ¡°I will annihilate the slime¡± Thus, I declared. ¡î About half a day to the south of Pindos by horse, in the land called Aege Meadow. I who came by myself, was looking at it from the top of the horse. There was a flock of slime at the end of my gaze. As I heard, there are about 20 in a group. That was moving in the grassland. Potatoes and animal fats are piled up at the center of the slimes, and slimes are flocking there. In fact, slime¡¯s digestion is not so different from that of humans. Therefore, in rural villages and small towns that don¡¯t have enough force to subdue it, in this manner, food with poor digestion is often thrown out outdoors in order to confine such things. Being able to deal with them like this, is one of the causes for the low human damage caused by slimes. Nevertheless, monsters are monsters. They have no hesitation when an attacking human being is in front of them. Being attacked by that, you may be damaged and forced to instill trauma that will last for a lifetime. If you can subdue it, you¡¯d better do it. I looked at the surroundings from the top of the horse. I told Mimis and the other officials near me not to follow me, but I confirmed if they were exactly following me. It¡¯s not within my visible range, and I can¡¯t feel any sign. Alright, if this is the case. I turned to the slimes. There are twenty slimes, it¡¯ll be a hassle if I kill each one. Their weak point is fire ¨D¨D if so, let¡¯s bake them all together. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s good isn¡¯t? Finally, once again, I carefully make sure that no one is seeing just in case, and then I closed my eyes and focused my mind. ¡ºExisting in ancient times, nurturing time, an immortal and ever-lasting existence. Assemble at my will and burn down the uncleanliness! Genesis flame! ¡» Kah! I open my eyes, then magic power is released out of my body all at once. The magic power that has increased with the chant which turned it into a burning flame, swallowed the 20 slimes together. The slimes, were grilled and melted. Some individuals resisted with regeneration, but in the end, they couldn¡¯t resist, they turned black and disappeared. After the flames went out, I make sure that the slimes were wiped out. ¡°Alright¡± And muttered. Carefully and cautiously, I repeat, and check the surroundings again. I was convinced that no one were able to see it. ¡°Good!¡± Thus, I made a small guts pose. ¡î In the evening, at Pindos House. When I came back, I came across Mimis who was about to return. ¡°Head-sama!? You have returned already?¡± ¡°Ah¡± Mimis is surprised to see me returning after defeating the slimes. It¡¯s just good, let¡¯s do what we were trying to do tomorrow right now. Now I¡¯m the guy who beat the slimes. The man who has defeated small fries, and grew impudent. After solidifying the setting properly, I put together my line. ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t a big deal incident.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh? wasn¡¯t a big deal you said¡­¡­ what do you¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I determined so since I have defeated it¡± ¡°Eeeh!?¡± Mimis opens his eyes, and is astonished. ¡°Ha,have you really subdued them already?¡± ¡°Of course, confirm that out. Well, the reports on the actual spot will come up tomorrow.¡± ¡°Such ¡­¡­ no, no way ¡­¡­¡± Mimis knitted his eyebrows, with a I can¡¯t believe it face. He¡¯s not believing it huh, then let¡¯s do another push. It¡¯s the painful young lord getting cocky after defeating a slime-standard opponent, and is alive; thoroughly as a performance. ¡°There were twenty, but as such come into view, it was piece of cake for me with just one of my little finger.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Open-mouthed, Mimis was mute in amazement. Alright, it feels super good. That¡¯s feels good, but isn¡¯t her too surprised? Was he looking down on me so much? Oh? This is also good. He was belittling me, yup, it appears that it will be useful for the production of an oppressive monarch. He wants to say that ¨D¨D ¡°I couldn¡¯t weave my hands on them because there was a Slime Lord among them, but you seriously¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± I heard a strange word. ¡°Slime Lord?¡± ¡°Yes. The King of slime that will appear in decades. Slime wanders in search of food with instinct, and because of the Slime Lord that they¡¯re swarming.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You have said such a thing.¡± I remembered Mimis saying that before I left. ¡°What kind of guy is that slime lord?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t look much different from slime. However, its vitality, regenerative power, fertility, etc. are orders of magnitude higher than other slimes, and if left untreated, it will produce enough slime to cover one city in a month. ¡° ¡°¡­¡­ Come to think of it, there was one stubborn guy.¡± I remember when I burned them in flames. Yeah, there, was a tough one. ¡°¡­¡­Are you sure of that? That means it was really a slime lord? If one of those things appears in the decade, and the response is delayed, it could be a natural disaster, I believe?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha¡± This is bad, is what I thought. ¡°Moreover ¡­¡­ with a margin ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°No no, it was no such thing, it was pretty strong, Slime Lord. I had a hard fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I desperately made an excuse to the stunned Mimis, but it didn¡¯t make much sense. It feels like my existence became ¡°awesome¡± straight, and it slipped into Mimis¡¯ head. Furthermore, as if catching up to that. The next day, a report from the person who investigated the traces of the site, ¡°It was a single blow¡± Have arrived. In fact, the suspicions of the head of the family, was terribly deepened more and more. CH 7 ¡°Inspector General?¡± Inside the mansion, at the large dining room in the morning. I¡¯m eating breakfast after being served by a maid. My sister came to visit me, and said a job title I wasn¡¯t used to hearing. ¡°They were sent from the country. They¡¯ll be arriving this afternoon.¡± ¡°Arrive you said, does it mean coming to this place?¡± ¡°They¡¯re coming to see Hermes.¡± Nee-san has a triumphant look. Ah, bad. This is a bad pattern. When nee-san looks like this, she brags about me and my appeal, or something like that. ¡°I¡¯ll ask just in case¡­¡­ why?¡± ¡°His Majesty the King heard that the new Head of the Canoe family had defeated the Slime Lord. That¡¯s why they will come to see if it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°Kuh¡­¡­¡± I reflexively frowned. The thing I did carelessly has not yet drawn to an end huh. ¡°For that reason, do your best Hermes¡± Nee-san who speaks with liveliness, don¡¯t even understand what people cares. I give up here. ¡î In the afternoon, there are two carriages, and a little over 100 soldiers escorting that. It arrived at the residence. First, a middle-aged man descended from one side. Somehow, he has the image of a great and crafty man, assuming from his air. The man went to the other carriage, and after saying something, a girl came down from there. She¡¯s about 16 years old, and her face is tight though it is beautiful. When I was thinking about such a thing, the other party came. The girl follows in a form that the middle-aged man leads in front. The two came in front of me, and stopped their feet. ¡°Are you Baron Canoe?¡± The middle-aged man looked at my countenance, and asked in an arrogant manner. ¡°Ah¡± ¡°I am the Second-class Inspector General of the Kingdom, Mouro Korokos. This here is Her Royal Highness Lina Mi Aegina, First-class Inspector General.¡± ¡°Her Highness?¡± And Aegina, he said. I look the young lady seriously. That name, is from a royalty huh. ¡°Her highness has numerous concerns, so we have come to visit on carriage personally. Her Highness prefers the truth to any treasure. I recommend you to speak without hiding what you are asked.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha¡± It¡¯s troublesome. Troublesome to balance. I don¡¯t want to get serious, it¡¯s such a hassle thing to tag along. However, if the other party is a royalty, then it¡¯ll be unpleasant if the house is crushed. I¡¯ll hand it over to nee-san eventually, and I don¡¯t want to let go of the aristocratic standpoint of ¡°residing in a room¡±. I had to carefully assess, how far I could present. In that sense, I right now, am serious for the first time in a while. ¡°Did you subdue that Slime Lord?¡± The second Inspector General Mouro ¨D¨D probably that guy is the assistant, asked. Most of the time, the royal family do not speak directly to maintain their prestige, so there¡¯s nothing to mind about that. How to answer his question ¡­¡­ this is not scene to lie just yet. ¡°Ha¡± ¡°How did you beat it¡± ¡°Scorched with fire magic.¡± Mouro nodded with satisfaction. As I thought, they came after doing some preliminary investigation to some extent. ¡°Her Highness practically wants to see it.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± When I asked again, Mouro turned to the back, and raised his hand. Then the soldiers carry something wrapped in cloth. They place it on the ground, and take the cloth. Wooden doll ¨D¨D it was like a mannequin. ¡°Do you know this?¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± This is the place where it¡¯s okay to play dumb. I look a little bothered, and I asked Mouro with my gaze. Mouro looked down on me instantaneously, and said ¡°Don¡¯t you know this?¡± with his face. ¡°This is Mimiyu. A magic tool invented by the person who is considered to be the best puppeteer in history. It looks like a tree, but it¡¯s a thing that can fully set and reproduce the durability aspect of a monster.¡± Mouro explains with an astounded face. It¡¯s certainly been used by adventurer guilds, and they use it when they have a doubt, ¡°Can this guy really defeat the monster that was commissioned?¡±. It doesn¡¯t attack at all, but it can completely reproduce physical strength, defense power, characteristics, etc. If they set it to just a slime, it will look like a wooden structure, but if you attack it, the doll will bounce as it splashes around. I see, I will attempt it with this huh. ¡°From past documents, I have set it to the Slime lord¡¯s durability. Destroy this praiseworthily.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it¡± This is a no-good setting to do it. Then, let¡¯s suppress the power at least. Once you fight a monster, you can roughly understand its ability. The fact that I (accidentally) defeated the Slime Lord won¡¯t go away anymore, but if this is so, let¡¯s leave it to ¡°I¡¯ve just barely done it¡±. Lina and Mouro left, while protected by the soldiers. I and the doll remained in the garden of the mansion, and the others felt like spectators surrounding me from a distance. Closing my eyes, I remember the response when I defeated the Slime Lord. Let¡¯s adjust the power, spend about five minutes continuing to scorch it, and make it a scenario that it became like such somehow. ¡ºFire fire, gather in my hands and make the enemies pay! ¡» I fire a magic with a decent chant. The flames burned the doll. Oh, its regenerating like the slime huh. I knew it by knowledge, but it¡¯s a little interesting to actually see a wooden doll being burned and it countering that by regeneration. The flame keeps burning the doll¨D¨D exactly five minutes. The doll was turned to ashes at the time as calculated. ¡°It¡¯s like this.¡± I report the completion with a faint smug face, that does not make me feel rude. Then Mouro asked in return. ¡°It took a long time, but the Slime Lord should have fought back in real combat, though?¡± ¡°I was running from place to place. Because I knew that the firepower will surpass that thing at the last moment.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it was.¡± Mouro laughs faintly with his nose. I understood such reaction in my hand, and that¡¯s what I wanted. ¡°As you can see, Your Highness, there seems to be no doubt that he had defeated it, but I think he was just lucky. ¡° Right right, nice one Morou-kun, I like your subserviency to the strong. Lina, on the other hand, didn¡¯t respond, and she didn¡¯t break her face, which she had maintained for quite a while. Instead, Mouro was. ¡°I grasped the details.¡± Said that with a face that looked down on me more and more. Alright, mission cleared. ¡î On that day, the house raised a reception. I didn¡¯t hesitate to do this event. I entertain the inspector general with all his might. It¡¯s natural to do this from our house, and it¡¯s just right for me to create an image of ¡°a man who does everything in his power to join the royalty¡±. (TN: Right, ¡®everything in his power¡¯ huh.) The mountain and sea feasts are lined up grandly, and something like a ball is also open. Anyway, I did my best to entertain the two inspectors. ¡°A¡¯re?¡± Suddenly, I notice that the leading actress Lina wasn¡¯t there. Looking around the hall, the door leading to the veranda is open, and there was Lina in a dress over there. Let¡¯s do an ass-kisser appeal a bit more. I pursued after her to the veranda, and called out from behind. ¡°You were here, Your Highness?¡± ¡°Baron Canoe?¡± Lina glanced at me. It¡¯s the first voice I¡¯ve heard, but it was a firm and crisp voice that was perfect from the image I received from her. ¡°You were in such a place huh.¡± ¡°Do you like falconry?¡± ¡­¡­ Aristocrat, falconry. It¡¯s also synonymous with playing. ¡°Yes, I love it, you know. Does Her Highness also like it?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done it, but I like hawks.¡± ¡°Then, then, how about we show you what we own ¨D¨D¡± ¡°A talented hawk conceals its claws, there is a proverb like that.¡± ¡°¨D¨DEh?¡± Lina turned towards me with her body, and observed me. She has a sagacious and smartly appearance, that looks good on a dress. ¡°At the time when you were a child, have you ever experienced arm wrestling with an adult?¡± ¡°Haa, that is, several times ¡­¡­¡± What? That was, from a while ago. We¡¯re continuing a conversation which I can¡¯t read her intentions? ¡°Even though you were serious about it, you can tell just by looking at the other party that they still have some room.¡± ¡°I agree. Wahaha, they say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same for the royal martial arts instruction. After teaching, they intentionally do it for us to gain confidence, but I understand that it was deliberately done on purpose.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Somehow, the turn of affairs is suspicious. Seriously, what the hell, is this. ¡°So are you. It¡¯s obvious that you were not serious.¡± ¡°¨D¨D!¡± Gatsun, I felt the shock of being hit with a mallet in the head. ¡°Rest assured. I¡¯m not telling anyone. I was not told assess such thing. All I¡¯ve been told was to see if it was true that you were able to defeat the Slime Lord. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are hiding your true abilities.¡± Lina turns her heels, and tries to return to the hall. Just a few words at the end, she says over her shoulder. ¡°One day, show me the size of that bottomless vessel, and your seriousness.¡± Like that. ¡­¡­ I want to hold my head. Because I suppressed my power, it feels like I plunged into a deep place. CH 8 ¡°Hermes-cha~n¡± Pindos in the daytime. I stroll around the city, and when I walked in front of the brothel, my name was called. Orthia, a prostitute, was looking down from the second floor as usual. She was always, waving a charming smile. ¡°Hey hey, just a little bit.¡± ¡°From broad daylight?¡± ¡°Please, I have something to ask Hermes-chan.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared when someone tells me that they want to ask me.¡± Memories with Orthia ran through my brain. There are a lot of things that I don¡¯t want to be involved in, so I don¡¯t want to get included in such a time. ¡°Really please, Hermes-chan is the richest of my customers.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Fumu.¡± Money hah. In that case¡­¡­ it¡¯s fine to listen to her. After all, I have to act like a prodigal head to some extent. There might be a merit if it¡¯s like spreading money to a brothel. ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Yay¡± Her charming smile became even further happier. I thought that such a smile was her business tool, and also weapon. When I entered the establishment, I told the brothel old madam that I choose Orthia, and I was guided to her room. As I entered the room, Orthia, who ambushed me, hugs me. ¡°Hermes-chan! I have a once-in-a-lifetime request¡± ¡°What is it, tell me.¡± ¡°Uhmm well, an incredible Sak¨¦ has entered this city.¡± ¡°Incredible sake?¡± ¡°Yup! You see, there are a lot of people who drink alcohol at the Brothel. But the Brothel doesn¡¯t have anything other than cheap sake, and after receiving an order, we have them brought from the liquor store.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard something about that.¡± And? I urge Orthia to go ahead with my face. ¡°Yesterday, an incredible sake came into the liquor store. It¡¯s a 100-year-old wine, and one bottle is about half a year¡¯s income for the common people.¡± While she was talking, Orthia, who was still hugging me, begged me with her wet eyes, while looking up. ¡°Please, I want to drink it at least once.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying, that you want to drink an expensive sake with my money.¡± ¡°Yup¡± I see. ¡°Is that all?¡± ¡°If you let me drink it, I will give you a great service! It¡¯s fine wherever you use me, so¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine.¡± I was prepared to fall in a trap, but if that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no problem. Being extravagant on going to the Brothel, that¡¯s what I want to do now. ¡°Alright, bring that. With two glasses.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± ¡î Since it was 100 years old, the wine was quite delicious. It was splendid than I expected, I made an additional order after opening it. While drinking, Orthia made a happy face like I¡¯ve never seen before. Either she was overcome with emotions, or fell in ecstasy. As I was thinking about it, she returned to herself and hugged me and said ¡°Thank you Hermes-chan!¡±. The sake was delicious, then I was hugged and the soft and nice smell made me feel doubly happy. In the end, five of them were opened with the two of us by sunset, and I left the brothel with a fluffy and good feeling. ¡î At night, Mimis was waiting for me when I came back to the mansion. ¡°Where did you go, Head¨D¨D muh, you were drinking huh.¡± On the doorstep, Mimis who ran up to me who entered into the mansion, knitted his eyebrows, frowning. ¡°Ah, just a little. Did you look for me?¡± ¡°Actually, a royal command has arrived from the kingdom.¡± ¡°Royal command?¡± ¡°Yes. Her Queen Royal Highness is in the mood for a Snow dragon fruit, and His Majesty the King ordered this house to give it to him immediately. ¡° ¡°Snow Dragon Fruit?¡­¡­ Hic¡± It¡¯s a name I¡¯ve heard. What was that again. ¡°There is a perennial snow that never melts near the summit of Kerins Mountain, which is within our territory. It¡¯s a fruit that can only be harvested there.¡± ¡°Ah, it was it was¡± Pon? I clap my hands. Indeed, there was such a thing. It¡¯s a rare object, so even though it was said that it is our specialty, it¡¯s scarce to come out on the market. ¡°They want that huh.¡± ¡°Yes. However, unreasonableness is also good to address it. Kerins Mountain is, in a sense, a natural fortress, a dangerous place where you have to organize an expedition. To get it right away is¨D¨D ¡° ¡°Hic! In short, it¡¯s good if I take that.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, but.¡± ¡°Understood, leave it to me. ¡° ¡°Eh?¡± Leaving a surprised Mimis for some reason, I got out of the mansion with my feet. ¡°Hic¡± Kerins Mountain ¨D¨D I¡¯m sure it was in this direction. I know that mountain. I can climb that place, even if I got considerably drunk, I guess. I mean~~fly to that. ¡î The morning sun pierces the back of my eyelid. I who was awakened by that, got up and stretched. ¡°Nn?¡± I was sleeping in bed but I wasn¡¯t in my pajamas, I still what I looked like when I went out yesterday. Why did I sleep without changing clothes? ¡­¡­ Ah I remembered. Yesterday, I got on Orthia¡¯s demand, and drunk a good amount of sake. Well, it was a delicious sake that only jumps for 100 years. When it arrives again, let¡¯s go to Orthia and drink it. It¡¯s a waste of money, and that¡¯s what I need now. I got out of bed thinking so, and left the room, trying to head to the bathroom to flush the remaining liquor. ¡°Good morning, as one would expect of Hermes¡± As soon as I left the room, I came across nee-san. Unlike this way, she is dressed in her usual dress. That¡¯s fine, but, ¡°What suddenly happened, nee-san. It¡¯s scary if you send me a praise first thing.¡± Yesterday, Orthia was good because it was a materialistic request, but in the case of nee-san, I have a really bad feeling when she praises me. Moreover, it¡¯s payment in advance. (TN: Means that he already did what she was saying) Let¡¯s not ride no matter what she said, that¡¯s what I decided, but. ¡°I heard it you know, that you climbed Mount Kerins overnight and picked up a Snow dragon fruit.¡± ¡°Heh?¡± What¡¯s that. ¡°Ara, perhaps you don¡¯t remember?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Did I, do something?¡± I have a bad hunch. Actually, I don¡¯t remember much after drinking with Orthia, so because of that, I had a bad feeling. ¡°His Majesty the King ordered that he wants a Snow dragon fruit, so Hermes quickly picked it up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What!?¡± Did I do that. Did I do such a thing. Have I done such a thing!!! ¡°Mimis was surprised, you know, even if you were drunk, you climbed the Kerins mountain and came back that evening.¡± ¡°Ooh!¡± ¡°As expected of Hermes¡± ¡°I did it ¡­¡­ that¡¯s right! The Snow dragon fruit!?¡± That¡¯s the problem. Mimis is good, it can¡¯t be helped now, and since he¡¯s my vassal, I can deceive him afterwards. The problem is the royal command. ¡°It was taken to the royal capital right away. The matter that you got it overnight, I wonder if it¡¯s already in His Majesty¡¯s ears.¡± ¡°¡­¡­what the hell¡± It¡¯s the getting drunk momentum ¡­¡­ it¡¯s really ¡°what the hell¡±¡­¡­ CH 9 One day, while relaxing inside the mansion, nee-san came. ¡°Hermes, I¡¯d like you to do a little work, but.¡± ¡°Work?¡± I set myself up on the easy chair. The work that nee-san brought up, it smells like it¡¯s not decent. Perhaps she saw through me, nee-san gave a smile as I was vigilant. ¡°This work of the Canoe Family head, was a regular-like thing. If you¡¯re anxious, you can ask Mimis.¡± ¡°Is that so¡± My vigilance has dropped a little. The head¡¯s regular work huh. If it¡¯s a story of that level, it may be good to do that. Or rather, it¡¯s something that I¡¯ll refuse forever. ¡î ¡°This is the place, of the head¡¯s work.¡± Under the blue sky, steam envelops me. I was submerged in an open-air hot spring in the mountains. The hot spring is surrounded by a fence, but sparrows, squirrels, and small forest animals can be seen in the trees beyond it. ¡°Nice hot spring, right¡± I can hear nee-san¡¯s voice from my back. I turn around. The open-air hot spring is a huge bathtub, with a big rock in the middle. When seen directly from above, it looks like a fried egg. Nee-san is there on the other side of the rock. ¡°Nice hot spring, wait, where is this work?¡± ¡°There are two reasons why the Canoe family became a baron. One is because the first generation was His Majesty the King¡¯s sword master.¡± ¡°Hee. From the role of swordsmanship to aristocracy huh. It¡¯s a golden pattern.¡± While saying that, I stood up. It¡¯s at fair temperature, and I thought to cool down a little because I would feel dizzy if I stayed in it for a long time. Of course, my awareness is solidly hanging on the opposite side of the rock. After confirming that nee-san did not come out at this way, I stood in the hot spring. It is cold, but it¡¯s not too cold. I soaked only my feet in the hot spring like in a footbath state. ¡°The other one. This, is a hot spring that was excavated by an important person of first generation-sama.¡± ¡°Hee¡± ¡°According to the story, it was dug with a sword.¡± ¡°I wonder what kind of sword was that¡± I laughed it off half amazed. Many of the anecdotes of old people are outrageous, so I decided to listen to half the story. ¡°For that reason, the Canoe family should get here, and come here regularly for generations ¨D¨D¡± ¡°To wash your back ¨D¨D¡± A young woman came in. She was doing something like a caretaker here, a servant hired by the Canoe family. She came in, and had a right-on-the-mark eye with me who got out of the bathtub. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Such line of sight of her was flowingly directed towards my lower body ¡°Kyaaaaaahh!¡± Her face turned bright red like a boiled octopus, and she screamed and ran away. ¡î After rising from the hot spring, I am inside a building made like a traditional inn. In the living room of such, there were three people: me, my sister, and the servant who called herself Effie. Effie was on the verge of crying. ¡°Uhm, please forgive me!¡± ¡°No, forgive you said¡± ¡°Since I was hired to be a servant by a noble-sama, I was prepared to do it, and I¡¯m rather honored, but no! I¡¯m going to die so terribly!¡± Happened in the open-air bath, Effie who saw me naked firmly standing in the bath, was on the verge of crying, and was shaking and trembling. A¡¯re, that circumstance was normal at such time, but¡­¡­ well, I don¡¯t particularly want to have her as a mistress, so let¡¯s ignore this appropriately. ¡°You were scared right, it¡¯s okay.¡± ¡°I beg your pardon, Ojou-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. More than that.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± Nee-san who comforted Effie, for some reason, looked at me with her eyes. ¡°Otootou-sama(bro-father)¡± (TN: Combination of younger brother and father (Otouto and tou-sama) ¡°Such way of calling is complicated, so please stop nee-san.¡± ¡°While you were talking to me at the hot spring, you said you were in such state? I believe that it¡¯s understandable that your delusions will advance because the hot baths are connected, but, so that¡¯s what it was.¡± (TN: Wait, what, I¡¯m having a bad feeling) ¡°¡­¡­heh?¡± While I was talking to nee-san, I was in such state(heinous)¡­¡­ (TN: So, it was rising, I guess?) ¡°I,it¡¯s different! That was normal! It¡¯s the normal version.¡± ¡°That was normal¡­¡­ that¡¯s amazing¡­¡­ Normal ¡­¡­ Kyuuu¡± (TN: So, it wasn¡¯t the rising version) Effie rotated her eyes, and fainted. Nee-san who saw that giggled. ¡°You plotted this, nee-san!¡± ¡°Kusukusu, I wonder if it¡¯s like the legendary magic sword.¡± ¡°Ugah!¡± I was completely caught by nee-san¡¯s trick, and it felt like I was being messed around, so I rushed out of the building. It¡¯s a hot spring resort in the mountains away from human settlements, and when I left the building even a little, we were completely just in the depths of a mountain. ¡°Geez mou¡± No well, I don¡¯t feel so bad because it¡¯s a story related to a man¡¯s dignity. The other party is nee-san¨D¨D I don¡¯t feel bad unless I have an older sister as my daughter. For the time being, let¡¯s hang around for a while, and go back when the remaining heat has cooled down. I stroll around adequately. Without a path, as I push my way through the bushes. ¡°Uwah, this is the perfect peep spot.¡± It was a little high, and it was a place where you can see the large hot spring bath. Moreover, due to the angular relationship, if you lower yourself on the rock over there, they probably cannot see you from the other side. Looking around, I feel that this was artificially made. Certainly, in this place, there was the hot spring made by an important person of the founder. ¡°It¡¯s a man I believe, and quite erotic¡± Somehow, I felt a sense of familiarity. When I stayed there for a while, a monkey came to the hot spring where no one was in, and entered the bath. Aside from girls (other than nee-san), it¡¯s just useless to see a monkey¡¯s bathing scene, so I tried to leave¨D¨D but, ¡°¡­¡­ What is, that?¡± Something is weird with the monkey in the hot spring. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand, and looked closely again. It wasn¡¯t an illusion, the body of the monkey soaked in the bath was getting bigger. Not only that, its wet hair became black. Perhaps it was oozing out, since even the hot spring water is being dyed black. ¡°Chi¡± I click my tongue. This is the hot spring that the founder got from the king, right? Receiving it from the king¨D¨D In other words, you should not treat what had given to you in a rough manner. Just by breaking the platter of his precious gift, depending on the king, it may result in the destruction of the house. I jumped from the rock to the hot spring. The transformation of the monkey continues further. It¡¯s no longer in the realm of animals, it has become a monster. Pashaan! I leaped into the bath, and grabbed the monkey by the neck. The monkey has a bright red, fiery eyes. It claws me with its now pitch-black nails. While grabbing its neck, I threw it into the air. ¡°Chi!¡± My palm was tingling. Looking at it, a black hair ¨D¨Da hair that is hard and sharp like steel is pierced in my palm. If it stays this way, it will completely become a monster, and it will have to be killed. I stick out my hand, and reach out to the monkey that was thrown. I hesitated a little, and I glanced at the building behind me. If I get caught by nee-san, she¡¯ll flatter me again, so let¡¯s destroy the evidence. ¡ºOpen gate! Heaven and earth, the one who lives between them. Respond at my request, banish my enemies! ¡» To the soaring monkey, at the space beyond it, a black rift was created from empty space. I open a rift in space, and throw the monkey into it. I close it immediately. The thrown monkey was pulverized, I clearly felt its response. Alright, there is no evidence left in this scene. That¡¯s right, the hot spring is ¨D¨D Yup, because I processed it immediately, the discolored part is washed away with fresh water, and I can hardly tell it. It¡¯ll be okay with this. ¡î The next day, without any incident, I returned home in the same carriage of the Canoe family as when I came. Since then, no monkeys have appeared, and except for the fact that Effie became frightened of me, it was a relaxing hot spring trip. ¡­¡­ Hot spring trip? ¡°As expected of Hermes¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Nee-san who is in the same carriage suddenly said such a thing. ¡°Nothing happened. This is the first time in the last 100 years, you know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°Ara? Well, there was a happening in the middle of my explanation yesterday.¡± ¡°In the middle of your explanation¡­¡­ Ah.¡± Come to think of it, there were two reasons, and I was in the middle of the second one. I completely forgot about that happening when Effie was frightened by my viciousness. ¡°It was the magic sword that the important person of the founder-sama used to dig the hot spring. Due to the influence of that magic sword, it was periodically hit by miasma, and it has the side effect of turning an animal into a vicious monster. ¡° ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is an important job for the head of the Canoe family, to get rid of it regularly and maintain that place. It¡¯s a very atrocious monster, but Hermes killed it with the fact that there was no damage, right.¡± ¡°Yo,you plotted this nee-san!¡± That monkey! It¡¯s that monkey, right! ¡°I was in the middle of explaining it, isn¡¯t it.¡± ¡°Uh!¡± She certainly is. When it came down to that, I was told that it was work. I forgot about it, and it felt like a hot spring trip. ¡°What was that thing¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s usually some sort of monster that can take down an army.¡¯ ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Hermes managed to do it by his own, so it¡¯s time for everyone to notice the greatness of Hermes.¡± ¡°As I thought, nee-san planned this!¡± At me who was screaming, nee-san laughed in a giggle. CH 10 ¡°Meteorite??¡± The audience hall. When I listened to the reports of the vassals properly, I was caught with a word that rarely appear in everyday life, and I was curious so I asked back. It¡¯s rare for me to slip in a word, and Mimis, who reported it, had a surprised face, while answering my question. ¡°Hah. A meteorite has fallen on a road outside Pindos. The road was damaged, and the meteorite is blocking it, so there is a request for its removal and restoration ¡° ¡°Is it just a meteorite?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a meteorite. There was nothing artificial about it, such as magic power.¡± ¡°Fuuhn, meteorite, hah¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m pondering about it. Mimis knitted his eyebrows at me who just listened and didn¡¯t give any instructions, but nevertheless, he resumes his report for the political affairs. ¡î In the afternoon, I left Pindos. A meteorite which was blocking the road, I was curious about that. Needless to say, the road that connects the city and the towns, is a well-maintained highway. A meteorite fell there. If it¡¯s humans, they can take a detour, but drawn carriages and horses which can¡¯t do that get stuck. Distribution of goods stops, and the people in the city were troubled. I decided to go see what it actually was. ¡°I¡¯m not going to do it by myself.¡± As I walk on the main road, at least I ¨D¨D made a firm decision. It¡¯s always been the case these days, I do something and it often backfires. That¡¯s why I¡¯ll go see it, give instructions mainly if necessary, but I won¡¯t do it on my own. Let¡¯s give only instructions which is a natural thing for the head. This is also the trend recently, but trying to hide it backfires. ¡°Don¡¯t move the meteorite on your own, do the most obvious thing for a head.¡± While muttering so, I proceed along the main road. On the way, I saw a teahouse where a large number of travelers have stopped and were eating. They were roughly old men, girls and children. Men who seem to have physical strength were crowding, and resting a little away from the teahouse. To be stuck and eating like this, it must have been a huge meteorite. While wondering how big it is, as I go further¨D¨D ¡°A¡¯re?¡± When I arrived at the scene, I was surprised at the sight in front of me. The meteorite is there, which is also quite huge¨D¨D it was. Past tense. The meteorite which makes you wonder if it¡¯s a single-story house that completely blocks the main road, has been broken into small fragments. A laborer ¨D¨D workers who seem to have been hired by the Canoe family are doing the removal work. It¡¯ll still be a long time before it is completely removed, but enough space has already been created for one wagon to pass through. When I started to mind that, I look though my shoulder. However, why was it in small pieces? I¡¯m also curious about that, so let¡¯s take a closer look. And then, ¡°It¡¯s a terrific swordsmanship¡­¡­¡± Unintentionally, words of admiration came out of my mouth. Looking closer, I can see it well. Meteorite ¨D¨D In other words, the huge boulder was not crushed by a blow, but it was torn apart by countless slashes. ¡°You understand very well.¡± One of the workers who picked up my murmur said that with an impressed face. Geh, I stirred up the hornet¡¯s nest. ¡°This, was done by Sword Saint Perseus-sama. We were lucky, Sword Saint-sama happened to be near Pindos. If he wasn¡¯t, I wonder how many days would it have taken to get rid of this.¡± The workers have said that in a tone which boasts about what they have seen. Apparently, they don¡¯t know about me(head), but if I get involved any more with this, I will come out in this place. I turned around in silence, and retraced back the way I came. ¡°What was that, geez, people here are being considerate to inform him¡± The worker said dissatisfiedly, and returned to the rock removal work. As I turn back, I look back over the shoulder, and glance at it. If it looks like that, it will open sequentially and will return to normal tomorrow. If so, it¡¯s good. As the head, I don¡¯t have to do the obvious thing. If I do something, there¡¯s a high possibility that it¡¯ll backfire. If they don¡¯t need me, then there¡¯s nothing I want more. ¡°¨D¨D?¡± I felt better, and started humming. On the way, a traveler resting on the roadside saw me like that. ¡°Oh? Perhaps the road has been opened.¡± Then, he asked, and I answered, ¡°Ah, you can already pass.¡±. While being in good mood, I saw the teahouse that I just passed by. There are still travelers overflowing in there. ¡°Ple,please stop for a moment.¡± ¡°Hehehe, just a little bit, just a little bit is good right.¡± A young female employee at the teahouse, was being sexually harassed by an old man with a cane. Stroking her buttocks with his trembling hands, the woman hates it. Everyone in the surroundings were looking at them with a very troubled face, but there¡¯s no one who tries to stop it. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The good mood they had has just been blown away. I approached the scene of the sexual harassment. ¡°Oi, cease that¡± ¡°Hmm? What, a man huh. I have no use for a man.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s sexual harassment you want old man, do it to your wife at home.¡± ¡°Hehehe, this ass is an easy delivery type, I wonder if you will give birth with my son* boy or a girl?¡± (TN: This means p*nis by the way.) ¡°Oi, cease that¡± I reached out to stop the old-man who was blatantly reciting what seems to be a pick-up line with my hand. My spine froze. An explosive bloodlust pierced my skin. ¡°¨D¨DTu!¡± The next moment, the surroundings, became a scene. The jii-san made three vertical rotations in the air, and was blowing bubbles with his face to the ground. ¡°Oops! I couldn¡¯t go easy since it was too strong! Oy, are you okay, jii-san¡± I crouch down, and shake the shoulder of jii-san. Jii-san with my counter, in response to his bloodlust, ate the counter that I instinctively took out, and was completely flattened. There seems to be no problem with his life, but¡­¡­ ¡°Oi ¡­¡­ what was that just now?¡± ¡°When I realized it, the old dude had thrusted his face into the ground.¡± The surroundings started to buzz. ¡­¡­ Hah, this is bad!? The next moment that I thought it was bad, it became even worse. ¡°Who is that man? Sword Saint Perseus-sama in a single blow¡± ¡°Sword Saint!?¡± The surprised me, was staring at the stretched jii-san. And then, at this late hour I notice it. I didn¡¯t notice it because of the strong thirst for blood in his way, but the jii-san¡¯s cane was drawn out a little and I can see a blade. It was a swordstick. ¡°Sword Saint?¡± ¡°Sword Saint, you said, he¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Yes, that.¡± The buzz spreads. At the same time, various stares are directed towards me. Surprise and ¡­¡­ respect. Moreover, respect and such things spread like ripples on the surface of the water. Again ¡­¡­ have I done it? CH 11 The surrounding curious onlookers are noisy. It wasn¡¯t good to have knocked down the Sword Saint jii-san. However. ¡°Who the hell is he?¡± ¡°If he was that strong, he must be a very famous fighter.¡± When I picked up the noise from the spectators, it seems that my identity wasn¡¯t revealed. That¡¯s true, it hasn¡¯t been that long since I took over the Canoe family. Before that, I was the fourth son who lived in a room, so it was natural that I was not known. If so¡­¡­ my deception will still work! Let¡¯s pretend to be a completely different person in here ¨D¨D at that time I thought so. ¡°Kyaaaaahh!!¡± ¡°Ple,please help me!!!¡± The screams of a group and the noise of running away was heard. Everyone, including me and the onlookers, suddenly turned towards the scream. At the end of the main road, from the direction where the meteorite fell, a group of travelers fled in a desperate manner. At the lead, the first, fastest-legged man arrives in front of the tea house. ¡°Escape quickly, you guys!¡± He shouted. I knitted my eyebrows, and asked the man back. ¡°What happened¡± ¡°It¡¯s the meteorite! A monster came out of the meteorite!¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± I frown. The noise in the surroundings increases. The fast-legged man answers further. ¡°The monster said, ¡ºI¡¯m saved by you releasing me¡». We shouldn¡¯t have broken that meteorite!¡± Everyone on the spot ¨D¨D everyone except the fast-legged man who came later, gathered their gaze at the spreading jii-san. The Jii-san called Sword Saint smashed the meteorite. ¡°It was a trap huh.¡± ¡°Kuh! The monster is dirty!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get away other than that!¡± It was a different quality from time ago, but a bigger panic. The travelers have fled from the end of the road one after another. At the same time, I saw the monster fella. About twice the size of a human. Its form is rather smooth, and like a shadow that has risen from the ground, it has such a feeling from its look. It¡¯s slowly chasing the travelers away. I occasionally get out and meddle, so I can understand that it¡¯s enjoying itself while raising a yell. ¡°If it gets serious, it could kill everyone here.¡± I can understand its ability at a glance, it¡¯s a monster of considerable strength. As expected, I can¡¯t leave it alone. I pulled out the old man¡¯s sword cane, and waited for the monster. While it¡¯s getting closer, let¡¯s measure its strength seriously further. Strong, but can be defeated. However, it¡¯ll be bad if I beat it down quickly. When it was at the time of the old man, I couldn¡¯t adjust it, but this time I¡¯ll do it perfectly. Make an allowance, prevent it, and produce a decent hard fight. In the meantime, the travelers had run away one after another, so let¡¯s defeat it when number of witnesses decreases. All right, let¡¯s go with this. A group of travelers who had been urging forward overtook me. Other travelers who were originally in the tea house are also fleeing one after another. All that remains are those who are late to escape, and the lying jii-san. In terms of the number of people, it¡¯s about 10% of the total, alright, if this is the case. I hit its body that looks like a shadow, and a metallic sound resounds as expected. ¡°What the, you are¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m passing through¡± ¡°Haha! A human is trying to look cool!¡± I cross swords with the monster. When I pushed it back and distanced myself, I was shot with magic. A wave of darkness ¨D¨D a hazy black thing that felt like it came flying. As I glance at the surroundings, there are still a lot of people. I raise the sword cane, and receive it on purpose. I have a guard so it won¡¯t hurt ¨D¨D acting so, I got on one knee. ¡°Haha, die human¡± The monster has pursued me. Directing at the last minute, I avoid the sharp shadow slash attack with a single piece of skin, and I roll on the ground and take a distance. ¡°Did you avoid it, or you¡¯re just lucky¡± The monster laughed half admiringly, and half enjoyingly. Alright, my acting got through. I conduct myself in such manner, but the number of curious onlookers around me did not decrease. Those who remained have decreased to 10%, but it did not reduce any more. Since I¡¯m fighting, I wonder if they¡¯re spectating. There was no sign of any further decrease. It can¡¯t be helped, there are somewhat a few witnesses, but ¡­¡­ let¡¯s defeat it. Image¡­¡­ Image. After this, I won¡¯t let my true ability be exposed, be flattered and it becoming a troublesome thing. I had the image of beating it down at the last moment. ¡°Die this time!¡± ¡°¨D¨D¡± The monster shadow has stretched. I dodge it with a single piece of skin, and I deliberately let it scratch me on the cheek for the acting production. While evading like that, I slipped into its bosom ¨D¨D a flash. I adjusted it appropriately. A blow to its whole body at the last minute ¨D¨D the slash that I directed that way splits the monster into two. The shadow is divided into two, and falls to the ground fluttering. ¡°Oooohhh!!¡± ¡°He defeated the monster¡± Cheers rose up, as they peek on the situation. The number of people is small, and here I am producing a difficult fight appropriately. With this, I will not be flattered more than necessary. In addition ¨D¨D I look beyond the main road. Since the monster was only enjoying itself, it was also good that there was little damage. A monster that hasn¡¯t cause much damage, was just barely beaten by me. If this ¨D¨D ¡°The,the monster!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I was caught off guard by my negligence the moment I thought that it was over. The monster that was cut in half jumped up from the ground with both shadows, and flew with tremendous momentum. Perhaps I was going easy too much, or that it had to be a little more powerful ¨D¨D When I thought so, the monster changed its trajectory of its flight on the way. I bent at a right angle in front of me, and fell down. What is it planning ¨D¨D the moment I thought so, the old man who was still fainted at my feet for a long time jumped up like a rubber ball. The shadow has possessed him, and altered. The Jii-san took a distance from me, and I kept a little distance in the direction in which the monster came. Looking closely¨D¨D ¡°You possessed him huh¡± ¡°You caught me off guard, human. But now, you have no chance with this!¡± The black shadow who possessed the jii-san, uttered words using his mouth. The next moment, the skinny jii-san¡¯s body swelled up. In an instant, it transformed into a muscular man, who was twice as much as a normal person. Its power is rising, and possessing a human have made it stronger. ¡°U,uh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Its power¡­¡­ have come loose.¡± Weak voices were leaking from here and there. When I looked at it, the remaining curious onlookers fell to their knees on the ground one after another, collapsing. There is a black haze around them. I guess they were hit by the monster. ¡°It¡¯s no good anymore ¡­¡­ it was strong to that extent ¡­¡­ And to possess Sword Saint-sama¡­¡­¡± One of the spectators said so, and his consciousness let go. The other spectators also collapsed one after another. They fell down one after another, and eventually the last one. ¡°Escape ¨D¨D help ¨D¨D¡± He called out to me. I wonder what he wanted to say, he passed out when he was exposed with the monster without saying it to the end. It would be bad if they were exposed to it for a long time, but it doesn¡¯t look like something will happen soon. Then, it¡¯ll be fine. Besides, it was also helpful that everyone fainted. It means that there¡¯ll be no witnesses. I turned to the monster. ¡°Kukuku, it¡¯s good, this body. I thought it was just an old geezer? and decided that it¡¯s disposable, but I can use this for a while.¡± The monster was saying such a thing. Jii-san ¨D¨D it was true that he was the Sword saint hah. ¡°Now then, in the concept of human beings. I¡¯m much stronger now, than I was earlier.¡± ¡°Ah, I know.¡± I can see its power jumping up. Everyone in this place ¨D¨D on the contrary, it has become so powerful that it¡¯s not impossible for it to kill all the residents of Pindos if it rushes in. However. ¡°No problem¡± ¡°What was that?¡± It¡¯s strong, but it¡¯s still at ¡°this degree¡± of level. I prepared the sword cane, and turned to the tip towards it. ¡°A bluff hah. You had such a hard time with me earlier.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s alright.¡± ¡°Haa?¡± I swing out the sword cane. The slash slipped through the Jii-san¡¯s body, cutting only the monster¡¯s real body. ¡°You¡¯re likely pretending to be tough ¨D¨D eh¡± The monster was shocked. The moment it realized it, it was already slashed. ¡°Because I still, haven¡¯t taken it seriously.¡± From this earth, it disappeared completely. ??????????????????????????? Author¡¯s Note: This story is the end of first arc. How was it? ¡°It¡¯s interesting!¡± ¡°I¡¯m worried about the continuation!¡± ¡°Do your best in updating!¡± Or rather, thinking about it From ¡î¡î¡î¡î¡î below, please support the work. Five stars if it¡¯s interesting, one star if it¡¯s boring, and it doesn¡¯t matter at all with the feeling that you felt honestly! Thank you for your cooperation. CH 12 After carefully, and precisely annihilating the shadow completely, I looked around at the surroundings. A large number of travelers who did not escape have fallen, fainted and unconscious. I approach one of them, and crouch down to see his state. ¡°They just fainted huh¡± His breathing is regular, and I found no external wound. They lost consciousness because they were under the shadow¡¯s influence, but there is nothing left of it. Then it¡¯s okay to leave them alone. After that, I wonder how to deceive them this time ¨D¨D ¡°It feels like I¡¯m getting on the years.¡± ¡°Mu!¡± I turned my face to the voice as if I was flicked. It¡¯s the old man Sword Saint, who was possessed by the shadow and I beat down. The Jii-san, who should have been doing various things compared to the travelers, was the first to wake up. He raised his body, and sit cross-legged on the ground. That figure, it somehow feels like he¡¯s more aged than the first time. ¡°Kid, did you do it?¡± The Jii-san said that, and saw the sword cane that I carry. I picked it up and used it as a weapon as it was. He suspected me because of this huh. I put the blade of the sword cane in its sheath, and hand it to the jii-san. ¡°You¡¯ve misunderstood, I just picked this up.¡± ¡°Is that so¡± The Jii-san stood up slowly, and reached for the sword cane I had extended. Taking it as it is ¨D¨D he didn¡¯t. The handle part of the sword cane, as shortly as he put his hands on it, he pulled out the blade. ¡°Kieeeeeeeii!¡± He raised a strange voice and slashed. It seems that his name as Sword Saint wasn¡¯t just a show off, and his slash is sharp and powerful enough to cut off even a steel. I¡¯ve got to intercept ¨D¨D (No! £© The thing I had just said was in my mind. It would be the beginning of a problem if I reacted to his attack and killing intent, and made him eat my counter. I won¡¯t intercept, I¡¯ll just take it. I¡¯m still holding the sheath part of the sword cane that the jii-san left behind in just the right manner. I use it, to catch the jii-san¡¯s slash. I won¡¯t fight back. I received it, and stopped it in the form of locking sword to sword. The old man who I prevented the slash sighed, and withdrew. He lowered the sword cane, hanging his head and crestfallen ¡°Wha,what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°A first-class swordsman can understand one¡¯s ability in a single exchange. Youngster, you¡¯re much stronger than me.¡± ¡°Mu¡± ¡°I¡¯m past my years¡­¡­ No, I wouldn¡¯t have reached you even in my heyday.¡± Jii-san had a quiet look. The first impression I have of him was a sexual harasser Jiji*, so such reaction is a little out of tune. However, I can¡¯t leave it as it is. I understand the story, that an ability can be understood if you exchange blows. I also understood the power of the shadow at first glance. The old man called Sword Saint should already understand my power. I have to forbid him from speaking. ¡°My bad for getting you dispirited, but I hope you don¡¯t tell anyone about today¡¯s incident.¡± ¡°Today¡¯s incident, what about it?¡± ¡°Ah, everything today¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Jii-san stared at me for a while motionlessly. ¡°¡­¡­Understood, the loser has no right to deny. I¡¯ll take today¡¯s matter all the way to the grave.¡± Then, he consented. I return the swords cane sheath back to such jii-san. Jii-san accepts it, holds the blade and puts it back to the cane. Following him, I saw him leave totteringly. In fact, it¡¯s even okay if the old man said a thing that he defeated the shadow, but a lie is something that can be exposed from somewhere. I mean, my nee-san, is someone who exposes those who want to lie about me. To say nothing, is the best thing to do. ¡î A few days later. The cleanup of the meteorite and the monster that came out of it went smoothly. I just said ¡°As you see fit¡± to the main road, and as a matter of course, it was restored with the highest priority. As for the monster, I performed a close fight just before, and all the travelers that remained were fainted. There were no rumors that I had defeated it. It seems that that Jii-san was serious about ¡°bringing it to the grave¡±. If he keeps silent, then the bush won¡¯t be poke and the snake won¡¯t come out. And, so that I should be less noticeable than usual, I said ¡°As you see fit¡± on all the official work. The by-product of such is I ended the official work early. Even if all the vassals such as Mimis leave the audience, the day was still high. At long last, let¡¯s go play somewhere ¨D¨D ¡°Haaaaa!!¡± Suddenly, the glass broke in front of the audience, and a lone girl jumped in. A girl who is only 15-16 years old, I can imagine that she¡¯s probably the usual cheerful type of child with her face making and hairstyle somehow. The girl broke through the window from the outside, and invaded the audience room. ¡°You are! Hermes Canoe¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, yeah. That¡¯s ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Be prepared!¡± ¨D¨D Without any time to say what was wrong, the girl attacked me. She pulls out an orthodox long sword, and slashes at me. I avoided it in an instant, and swapped with the position of the young girl who rushed. The rushing girl slashed the chair I was sitting in with her sword. She¡¯s quite good. She¡¯s a decent sword user, but if I want to beat her, I can. But. ¡°What are you. What kind of grudge do you have with me¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb! You, what did you do to Grandpa!¡± ¡°Grandpa?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you say that you don¡¯t know!¡± She points the tip of the longsword at me, and the young girl¡¯s beautiful eyebrows stand on end. The image of that, and the way she wields her sword. ¡°Grandpa¨D¨D Is it the Sword Saint Perseus?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°Hee, you¡¯re that old man¡¯s granddaughter hah¡± When I found out who she was, it became a little interesting. That Jii-san had such a cute granddaughter huh. ¡°Because of you! There are false rumors rising about Grandpa!¡± ¡°False rumors?¡± ¡°Indeed! Ojii-chan is the strongest on this solid ground! Grandpa should have defeated that monster, but Ojii-chan won¡¯t say anything after coming home!¡± ¡°Ah¡± He did take it to the grave and protect it huh. ¡°A ah you said, as I thought!¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what it means.¡± ¡°¨D¨DWha¡± ¡°Nn?¡± While holding the longsword, the girl was trembling with her shoulders shaking. She was so angry, that there¡¯s something like trembling from her voice, and I couldn¡¯t hear what she said. ¡°What kind of dirty hands did you use!¡± ¡°No, dirty hands, you said¨D¨D¡± ¡°After all, Ojii-chan felt lustful, and started to commence a badger game*!¡± (TN: Man picking up woman in blackmail-like manner) ¡°Is he so ero that even his own granddaughter tells so!¡± I retorted with all my might. With his expression on our parting, I reminiscence again at the Jii-san who carried out ¡°I¡¯ll carry it to the grave¡±, but as I thought, he was an erojiji. (TN: Ero = erotic, jiji-old man) ¡°Because of you! Grandpa has already sealed his sword.¡± ¡°He has gone that far huh¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you take away the sword from grandpa, then he¡¯ll just become a pervert Jiji! What are you gonna do!¡± His lewdness remains. Or rather, even if it¡¯s a young girl with terrific swordplay rushes in, I don¡¯t think the story will get serious. No, well, that made me feel a little relieved. ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that fine, his lewd self is ¡ºhis appearance¡», if it remains, then¡± ¡°His lewdness with his sword sealed has been powered-up!¡± The young girl stamped her feet in frustration, ¡°¡­¡­ Why are your eyes teary?¡± ¡°He almost touched my ass too!¡± ¡°Ooh ¡­¡­ that¡¯s ¡­¡­ my condolences?.¡± I mean, that jii-san has no discrimination in terms eroticism. Power-ups, don¡¯t have to go in that direction. ¡°Everything¡­¡­ everything is your fault!¡± The girl was slashing with teary eyes. I can¡¯t fight back ¨D¨D oh. The outside of the room started to get noisy. It seems that people are gathering after hearing the commotion. It¡¯s obvious, there¡¯s a turmoil inside the audience hall, and the head is still inside. It¡¯s natural for them to gather with a ¡°suspicious fellow¡±. Listening carefully. From the sound of the footsteps, it seems that the soldiers are also gathering. If it¡¯s the Jii-san, they¡¯ll be kicked out even if I collect all the soldiers in this mansion, but this girl¡¯s ability is not that high. I can assess that this girl could be driven out if all of them take her on. If so, then I don¡¯t have to do it. I¡¯ll buy time, and leave this suspicious fellow to my subordinates. Let¡¯s do the natural thing as a noble. ¡°Don¡¯t look away!¡± The lady was slashing with anger. My thoughts jumped, let¡¯s roll it over with my hand, and seize it up in an instant. ¨D¨D No, let¡¯s not counterattack. I in an instant stop what I¡¯m going to do, and just received the girl¡¯s slash. I won¡¯t fight back. ¡°Eh.¡± It was the leg of the chair that she slashed. The leg of the chair that the girl slashed and broke apart were rolling at my feet, so I grabbed it and prevented her slash. ¨D¨Dthis is, good but. For some reason, the girl was terribly, frightened as if she¡¯s going to die. ¡°What does¡­¡­ this mean?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°This feeling¡­¡­ stronger than grandpa?¡± The lady muttered a question. Suddenly, I remembered the Ojii-san¡¯s words. ¡ºA first-class swordsman can understand one¡¯s ability in a single exchange. Youngster, you¡¯re much stronger than me. ¡» ¡­¡­ No way, is this girl one too? ¡°¡­¡­ This is not the case! I¡¯m going to ask grandpa!¡± ¡°Eh? Hey wait!¡± I tried to stop her, but the lady ran off. All the soldiers inside the mansion who come running here were kicked off by her, then she left. What an interesting, and unhateable character. ¡°¡­¡­ I feel a storm brewing.¡± CH 13 Inside the living room of the mansion, I was reading a report that came up. As I sank deeply into the sofa while reading, from behind. ¡°What are you reading so hard?¡± ¡°Nee-san ha¡± I lay down my neck and look behind. In a beautiful dress, I saw my nee-san upside down. ¡°It¡¯s a minor written report.¡± ¡°Let me see¡­¡­¡± Nee-san looks over my shoulder into the report. ¡°Midea Myukenae. 15 years old, birthplace ¨D¨D a girl¡¯s background check?¡± ¡°Ah¡± I nod. Midea Myukenae. The granddaughter of that sword saint jii-san. It¡¯s the name of that girl who rushed into the mansion like a wild boar. From the situation back then, she will definitely come again. And it¡¯ll be troublesome again. I was so convinced of it that I had her investigated. I need to know well my opponent. ¡°Hermes also decided to harden his body, hee.¡± ¡°Heh? No, it¡¯s not like that.¡± Nee-san had misunderstood, so I decided to correct it. ¡°It¡¯s not such a sexual attraction? story. Look, it¡¯s the intruder who broke into the audience room the other day.¡± ¡°I see. You had your heart stolen at that time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not such a fine story like the phantom thief!¡± I deny it, but nee-san says, ¡°I won¡¯t tell everyone you know.¡±, and looked at me with warm eyes. If I deny it any more, it¡¯ll look like I took it seriously and she¡¯ll rather like it, so I gave up and read the report. ¡°Ara, she¡¯s the granddaughter of Sword Saint Perseus, isn¡¯t she.¡± ¡°It seems to be so. Let¡¯s see¡­¡­ among the 128 granddaughters that Sword Saint has, the most natural talent is ¨D¨D How many children have you made, that erojiji!¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible that the Sword Saint son give birth to 128 lives.¡± Nee-san calmly pointed out ¨D¨D but. I¡¯ve actually meet that Jijii, and I¡¯ve also listened to the story from Midea. ¡°No, there¡¯s no doubt that that Jii-san had made a pile of kids.¡± I am convinced. I continue reading. ¡°She has mastered all the teachings of the Sword Saint, and was the strongest in the direct descent. Behind the scene, she is a follower of Sword Saint, and she undoubtedly believes in all of his teachings of the sword, hah¡± Indeed, I think. In that state of her, I thought that she was denying everything other than her grandfather¡¯s sword. The written investigation continues further. She has a good relationship with her cousins, has given a name to her beloved sword, and loves sweet food. I¡¯m impressed that they¡¯ve researched her carefully, but I¡¯ve skimmed through all the unnecessary information in it. ¡°You¡¯re going to skip over it.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not really interested.¡± ¡°Is that so? ¨D¨D Ara¡± When I turned to the last page, nee-san who looked into it hides her mouth, and she laughed with grinning eyes. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, nee-san¡± ¡°So, it was such a thing Hermes, that¡¯s why, you skipped the middle.¡± ¡°Middle?¡± Is there something on the last page I turned over? At the last one in the end of the skip, I didn¡¯t read the letters anymore, so I concentrated my consciousness again and read the contents of the report. What was written there, was the preface to the special notes. ¡°Three sizes? And still a virgin ¨D¨D ¡° ¡°It¡¯s important, isn¡¯t it. Oh my, she¡¯s weak to tickling, but there was a rumor that her appearance is cute in enduring it desperately. You have to tickle her.¡± ¡°So~i!¡± I threw the report out the window. Nee-san was grinning. The person in charge who investigated it, I will arrest him later. ¡°That¡¯s alright, isn¡¯t it. You diligently investigated the woman in your mind. Rather than suddenly welcoming her home without checking anything.¡± ¡°No no no no, that¡¯s not really the case, nee-san.¡± ¡°But you did a lot of research on her. The subordinates raised by Tou-sama¡¯s* request still remained at the house.¡± (TN: The father here means their real father, and not the mc) ¡°It¡¯s the old man¡¯s fault!¡± Information that doesn¡¯t have great importance like that tickling endurance put up isn¡¯t good, it can¡¯t be like that without such a precedent. The cause was our father, the head of the family before me. I sighed, and tried to deny it properly. Dododododo. A tremendous sound echoed in the hallway, and immediately after that, pan! Then the door was opened with enough force to hit the wall. Who is it? I thought and knitted my eyebrows. ¡°Geh¡± It was that girl who rushed in ¨D¨D Midea. She has teary eyes, and holds that report in her hand. ¡°What is this!¡± ¡°I have gathered it. I mean, you were nearby.¡± ¡°Because that was such a lie!¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, that¡¯s right, the tickle ¨D¨D¡± ¡°My boobs, aren¡¯t so small!¡± ¡°It¡¯s in that direction!¡± I return a tsukkomi. I look at the report in Midea¡¯s hand across. I didn¡¯t care about it a while ago, and just skimmed it, but there is a number of 72 at the top of the three sizes. Ah¡­¡­ that was, yup, a numeric figure that can be a complex for some people. ¡°Don¡¯t give me such pitiful eyessssss ¨D¨D¡± Midea became even more teary-eyed, almost crying and ran away. We~ll, I guess I did something poor. ¡°Fufu, she¡¯s a good girl, isn¡¯t she. I can call that person my haha-sama(mother).¡± ¡°Mother?¡± I wondered what it was for a moment, but. ¡°Ah, I see, nee-san is my daughter now hah¡± That setting ¨D¨D I recalled that exact setting for the kingdom and for the foreign purpose. That¡¯s fine. ¡°No no, it¡¯s really different, nee-san. That¡¯s right, there¡¯s a thing¡± ¡°Yup?¡± ¡°This mansion, isn¡¯t its security too loose for her to pass through?¡± About a minute after Midea left. At last, I heard a voice from the inside of the mansion saying, ¡°There¡¯s an intruder¡±. ¡î ¡°Hey, Hermes-chan.¡± Inside the brothel, Orthia, a familiar prostitute, looked out of the window and called out. ¡°What¡¯s up¡± ¡°There is a child who looks at you with great eyes, though.¡± ¡°Great eyes?¡± ¡°Yup, like ¡®You saw my breast and you¡¯re my parent¡¯s enemy.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Midea huh. I mean, she was still wearing something. ¡°Hermes-chan ¡­¡­ you know¡± ¡°Wha?¡± Orthia scolded me all of a sudden. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There are a lot of people who like Hermes-chan. There were lovers and wives which is jealous, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re gonna be eaten right on the mark.¡± ¡°No no, we don¡¯t have that kind of sexual relationship.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± I nodded. As a matter of fact, when I went out of the mansion, I noticed that they were glued on me all the way to here. They were sticking to me from a distance, and were watching. There was no particular harm, so I left it alone ¨D¨D or rather, pretended not to notice it. It was a pretty clever follow, and I thought I if I noticed it, the misunderstanding would advance. That¡¯s why I left it alone¡­¡­ Hmmm. ¡°I¡¯m returning already for today.¡± ¡°You just came here, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be a bother if I hang more than this, I¡¯ll come again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Is that so. Yeah, come again, Hermes-chan ¡° Orthia leaned over, and kissed me on the cheek. It¡¯s a kind of kiss that tickles your heart, not something that directly shakes your sensuality. It doesn¡¯t feel unpleasant, I thought I¡¯d come again. When I left the brothel, and I went in the opposite direction to the place where Midea was, as inferred from Orthia¡¯s line of sight inside the room. I didn¡¯t look for her signs, I won¡¯t do such kind of mistake. It was written in the report, that she had mastered all the teachings of Sword Saint. If I want to find the sign for such a partner, she can tell that I have done it. Do nothing. It¡¯s best not to do anything like that. I tried to do nothing bearing that in mind, and paraded around the streets. I didn¡¯t even stick my neck in the fight between thugs. I didn¡¯t catch a dine and dash criminal. When household goods are thrown out from a house one after another by a couple¡¯s quarrel, I was saved since it was a rag that flew by jumping. I resigned myself with it. If a kitchen knife that was a few meters away came over here, then I had to do something. And then, I continued to do nothing, went around the city, and returned to the mansion. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Midea was in front of the mansion. I wonder if she waited ahead of time. She was staring at me with a complicated face. I didn¡¯t look for any of her signs, so I don¡¯t know if she was following me along the way. Well, whether she was following me or not, I didn¡¯t do anything today, so let¡¯s be calm. I who tried to go back to the mansion, was determinedly approached by her. She has a complex expression ¨D¨D then a sudden change. She pulled out her sword, and started to slash. An incredible slash, after seeing her representation that she has mastered all of the Sword Saint, I came to think, that it was true. At the same time, I thought I didn¡¯t have to do anything. She has no killing intent. I don¡¯t know what she¡¯s trying to do with a sword that doesn¡¯t have the intent to kill ¨D¨D No, that¡¯s it! She probably lost her patient. I did not do anything, so I took out my hand against my will. Fufu, I¡¯m not going to take this hand if mine. I can see that there is no bloodlust. I didn¡¯t do anything, I just stood still. As I had read, Midea¡¯s sword stopped in front of me. ¡°What is your intention?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Such, no, the thing is¡­¡­¡± The next time she looked up, her expression had changed completely. Somehow, determined ¨D¨D No, she was convinced of something. She has such expression. ¡°Make me your disciple!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Yes?¡± Suddenly, my head went blank. ¡°What are you talking about¡± ¡°Jii-chan said a long time ago.¡± ¡°He?¡± ¡°The innermost secrets of the sword is not drawing it out.¡± ¡°Not drawing it out?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand that, but I now know that thing he was talking about, master!¡± ¡°You¡¯re already calling me master!?¡± I mean, nono, eh ¡­¡­ ¡°That¡¯s what true strength is, you don¡¯t need to deal with me, let alone move!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Maybe not. I¡¯ve heard of that from Sword Saint, and the exact interpretation is different from Midea¡¯s. However, I can¡¯t say that. It¡¯ll be more and more of a quagmire here. ¡°Please! Make me your disciple! If it¡¯s no good, a subordinate! If that¡¯s not good, then you can use me as the person in charge of issuing the toilet paper!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t hire any of them!¡± ¡°I,if you need boobs, I¡¯ll do something about it!¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t have any relation!¡± Nono it¡¯s not, eh¡­¡­ ¡°Let¡± ¡°Let?¡± ¡°Let me think about it!¡± That¡¯s what I said, and I ran into the mansion. She¡¯s a follower of the Sword Saint teachings. That phrase came to my mind. I dive into the mansion, lean back against the door, and sigh. ¡ºThe innermost secret of the sword is not drawing it¡» I didn¡¯t react because there was no killing intent ¡­¡­ and it backfired¡­¡­ CH 14 Got Drunk and Serious Guidance Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the garden of the mansion. I¡¯m in a situation where I can¡¯t relax even though I am relaxing. The cause is clear, at a distance from me, standing like a guard, I turn to the cause, Midea, who looks like a loyal dog. ¡°Looks like she got emotionally attached hee.¡± ¡°Nee-san¡­¡­¡± Nee-san who came around said so happily. ¡°You¡¯re thinking of it like its someone else¡¯s¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that all right, favors that have ill will behind it, I don¡¯t feel anything bad about her, you know?¡± ¡°That is¡­¡­¡± It doesn¡¯t feel bad in itself, you know? As nee-san said, Midea¡¯s favor is a thing that¡¯s not two-faced. Rushing recklessly, impulsive and straightforward, simple-minded and rash. I can think of various adjectives, but that¡¯s the type of girl she is. She likes it when she says she likes it, and she hates it when she says she hates it. She doesn¡¯t hide it and it¡¯s refreshing to watch ¨D¨D if it¡¯s only when I myself don¡¯t get entangled with her. ¡°A¡¯re, the same with nee-san.¡± ¡°With me?¡± Nee-san tilted her head, and turned her gaze down. To nee-san¡¯s own, plump breasts. Bishi! I heard the sound of the air freezing, and the expression of Midea, who was within a distance where our conversation could be heard, became that of a demon. ¡°Wrong, wrong, it¡¯s not at that place. What I mean is that you two think too highly of me.¡± ¡°What the, that¡¯s what you meant hah.¡± I glanced at Midea. The demon retracts, and after putting her hand on her chest instantaneously, she shakes her trembling head and punch her cheeks! She slaps it in between her both hands and let out a yell. I guess that reaction is also, well, has a favorable impression. ¡°Fuh, your nee-san said something strange, so I was sweating strangely and my throat is parched.¡± ¡°Ara, I¡¯m sorry for that¨D¨D¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get a drink!¡± Midea, without any time for me stop her, papyuun, rushed into the mansion like the wind. And she came back immediately. ¡°Please have a drink, Master!¡± Then, she offered out a clear water in the glass. ¡°Thank you¨D¨Da¡¯re?¡± After receiving it, I drink and gulp it repetitively. ¡°This, isn¡¯t water¡± ¡°Yes! It¡¯s the drink grandpa liked the most, which I brought from my house.¡± ¡°Sake?¡± Nee-san tilted her head. ¡°Yes!! Ojii-chan said, ¡ºThe odor of sake, woman and a little blood. That¡¯s how life¡¯s balance of accounts all come together. ¡»that was it!¡± ¡°He carries a peculiar philosophy, hee, I wonder if that¡¯s what it would be like to be a Sword Saint.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure about that, but if you were thirsty, then it¡¯s sake! That what he said, so. It¡¯s the strongest? I mean, I brought a delicious one.¡± ¡°Was it so¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°A¡¯re? What¡¯s wrong, Hermes.¡± ¡°Master? Your face is red and your eyes are intoxicated, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡î In front of my eyes there were two people, nee-san and Midea. ¡°¡­¡­Hick, Midea, stand there for a moment.¡± ¡°Yes ¡­¡­ right here?¡± ¡°Draw out your sword and prepare it.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Wave¡± ¡°Eh? ¡­¡­Yes¡± Midea swung her sword as she was told. ¡°Seriously, make it feel like there¡¯s someone out there who you really want to slash.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Roger!¡± She was puzzled for a moment, but she immediately returned and enthusiastically repositioned her sword. Focusing her mind¨D¨D she swung! It¡¯s a sharp slash, that¡¯s far stronger than before. ¡°¡­¡­Hick¡± I look at it, and think for a little. I slowly go around to the back of Midea. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Take a stance¡± ¡°Yes.¡± From behind the stance of Midea, I grabbed her breasts. ¡°Hyan! Ma-master, please not that place, and even if master touches it, it¡¯s dull¨D¨D¡± ¡°Take out your breasts further¡± ¡°There¡¯s no more to take out!¡± Midea¡¯s voice was almost crying for some reason. Is it so hard to get your chest out? ¡°Since it¡¯s good, take it out, also ¨D¨D¡± Peron. ¡°Hiyain! Master, this time my ass¡± ¡°Retract your ass¡± ¡°U,uh¡­¡­¡± ¡°This is not good, I have to lay out a futon ¡­¡­¡± (TN: ¡­¡­for what?) Nee-san goes into the mansion while saying something strange, but it doesn¡¯t matter right now, so I ignore it. This time, with my right hand to Midea¡¯s breasts, I held her butt with my left hand. ¡°Take out your chest, retract your butt.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± Midea leaked a voice, she finally noticed, I guess. I leave Midea. ¡°Hick, Swing it¡± ¡°Aye!¡± Midea swung her sword obediently. The slash with a proper stance, left behind a sound. If it is an amateur like nee-san, they won¡¯t even notice that she swung her sword, and they would feel ¡°For some reason, there was a strange sound.¡±. ¡°A,amazing! That was amazing just now!¡± ¡°A waste of stance was there. Don¡¯t forget that stance, remember it with your body every day from now on.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I grasped it by touching you ¨D¨D Hick¡± Look at your hands, and remember its feel. ¡°You, have the talent to surpass that old man. I guarantee it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Yes! Thank you very much Master!¡± Midea nodded happily. (TN: Make him drunk and he¡¯ll get serious) ¡î The next morning, I woke up on the bed. For some reason, I am still in my yesterday¡¯s clothes. ¡­¡­Why? That things I recall yesterday. Talking to nee-san in the garden, Midea said that she¡¯ll get some water, and I drank that water¡­¡­ I have no memory from there. A¡¯re? Come to think of it, was it ¡­¡­water? I can¡¯t remember well, I can¡¯t remember, but. ¡°*sniff sniff ¡­¡­ a smell of sake?¡± The smell of alcohol remained on my body. I don¡¯t remember drinking, but¡­¡­ what does this mean? My memory is cut off, and it¡¯s very vague. Well whatever, it¡¯s impossible to continuously think about the things I can¡¯t remember. Let¡¯s get up for the time being, and take a bath. I¡¯ll think about the latter later. I left the room thinking so, but I could see the garden from the window of the hallway. There are two women in the garden. Midea wielding a sword, and nee-san watching her. I opened the window, and put my face out. ¡°You have become stronger, Midea.¡± Then, I called out. In response to my voice, Midea stopped her hand, and dashed fiercely. After immediately jumping into the mansion, dotatata! She ran up the stairs and came over here. ¡°Good morning Master!¡± ¡°Oh, go,good morning¡± While being pushed by her momentum, I continued with the story earlier for the time being. ¡°I saw it a while ago, but it looks like it was different from yesterday.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you very much Master! I have practiced as master taught me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± What does that mean? What does she mean to practice what I¡¯ve taught? I can¡¯t understand the reason at all. Midea reveres me like that. She has been staring at me with more and more respect. On the other hand, slowly entering the mansion, nee-san who came upstairs late, looked at me and Midea with warm eyes as if watching over us. ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± Did I, do something again? CH 15 The Disciple Did it (Weep) Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°I would like to say to Head-sama.¡± The audience room. After a series of reports and permissions, while the vassals went out one after another, Mimis, who is the remaining one, cut that out with a straight face. ¡°Nn? What¡¯s that¡± ¡°I caught with my ear that there was a prostitute who the head often goes to.¡± ¡°Is it about Orthia?¡± ¡°Indeed. Please restrain yourself from doing that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a good reputation to hear that the Head is unmarried while complying with a prostitute. If you really want to do it, first of all, after welcoming a legal wife ¨D¨D¡± Ah, the sermon-like thing began. What Mimis was saying is a matter of course for aristocrats. That¡¯s right, but, now then, what to do. Then, at the time I was thinking about how to treat it, and how to respond to lower my stock moderately. ¡°You¡¯re being impolite to master!¡± Beside me, from the corner of the room, Midea yelled at Mimis. Throughout the time of my official duties, Midea who had been waiting like an escort in the corner of the room, approached Mimis steadily in a furious manner. ¡°Wha,what do you¨D¨D¡± ¡°You are master¡¯s subordinate! You think it¡¯s okay to say that thing to master huh¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying this considering Head-sama¡¯s welfare¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying it again!¡± Furthermore, Midea, who snapped, feels that I have been insulted and is almost in a state of frenzy. As expected, this is bad. ¡°Midea¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Stop at that place¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Mimis, too. Retire already, and I know what you mean.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hah¡± Mimis bows and makes his way out of the audience. Midea, who has already hoisted her longsword, tremblingly shake with her hands on it as it is. Her anger with nowhere to go, came over this way. ¡°Master! Please give me permission to do so now! I¡¯m going to tear him apart.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disturbing, it was fine, you know¡± ¡°But!¡± ¡°Hey Midea ¡­¡­¡± I called her name, and looked straight into her eyes. So, while opening a ¡°gap¡± and aiming to calm down her anger, I think about how to appease her. No, it¡¯s good to calm her down, but there is another problem. She calls me master. This before, I heard a story the other day, that I taught Midea when I was drunk. It was a serious matter that I didn¡¯t save because it was a guidance when I was drunk, and Midea got impressed saying ¡°I have stepped into a new realm of ??swordsmanship!¡±, and furthermore, she came to call me shishou(master). That means there is one bad thing. Midea is talented, definitely has the talent to surpass Sword Saint jii-san. If she became strong and famous while calling me a master. Simultaneously, I¡¯ll become famous, and the idea that ¡°Because he¡¯s that Midea¡¯s master, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s even more amazing¡± will spread to the world. It¡¯ll be unstoppable, or rather, Midea will be recognized someday. The reason why she got mad with Mimis just now, is that the behavioral principle will be the same when she realized that her master¡¯s name will rise as she herself will become well-known in the future. That¡¯s, I have to stop her from hereon. I thought for a moment, and came up with a scenario. During this time, it only took 0.1 seconds. ¡°¡­¡­The words that a talented hawk hides its claws, don¡¯t you know it¡± ¡°Eh? I,I know of course.¡± ¡°In other words, it means that the more you conceal your claws, the more you hide your talent. ¡­¡­ It¡¯s also the same case as that Sword Saint who is usually devoted to just being an erojiji.¡± ¡°Indeed!¡± No, it¡¯s not indeed. Midea believed at my words, though I strained it fairly well in the second half. I wonder if it¡¯s too simple, but ¡­¡­ let¡¯s utilize it now. ¡°I¡¯m also thinking of hiding my claws¡± ¡°What do you mean, Shishou¡± ¡°You, are my externally, ¡ºHermes¡¯ Disciples¡» weren¡¯t you.¡± ¡°Eeehh!? Such!¡± ¡°You may hide the name of the school or use an alias externally.¡± ¡°Ah, I can relate to that. Grandpa also said that when he was young, he wielded a sword under a different name.¡± I¡¯m grateful that that Jii-san, had also done it. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the same. Let¡¯s think about the alias. I guess ¡­¡­¡± I think a little. Is there any good name for it. If it¡¯s beyond unrelated, Midea won¡¯t be convinced, and if it¡¯s too close, it will find its way to me. It can be moderately related to me, but ordinary-like. Suddenly, I remembered the cave of trials. I took out the seven-star gold coin. I brought the seven-star one. It¡¯s not the one star, it¡¯s the easiest seven star, and it was to that extent nonetheless, it has a form like that. I show it to Midea. ¡°This, is like a proof that I¡¯m the head. I¡¯m the only one who has it on this ground.¡± ¡°Haa¡± ¡°Look this way, there are seven stars on the back. That thing is nana(7) ¨D¨D It¡¯ll be Nanas.¡± ¡°Nanas¡­¡­ I understand master! When I call myself from now on, I will name myself a disciple of Nanas.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it¡± ¡°Nanas ¡­¡­ the name of master¡¯s sword¡± She rolled that name on her tongue, and made her eyes sparkle. With that feeling, Midea was persuaded quite a bit. That is okay. However, what¡¯s this. It seemed that I have given a pen name rather than an alias, so it¡¯s a little embarrassing. ¡î A few days later. After the days when not a thing happened in particular, I was sluggishly spending my time, and was still relaxing inside the mansion today. ¡°¡­¡­Speaking of which¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong Hermes¡± Besides me who was relaxing, nee-san who is caring for her proud hair, responded to my murmur. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Midea lately.¡± ¡°Ara, you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Eh? What¡± ¡°That girl, seems to be challenging dojos and defeating them here and there lately.¡± ¡°Dojo ¡­¡­defeat?¡± What¡¯s that. No, wait, I have a very bad feeling. ¡°At first I didn¡¯t understand it well either. She said, ¡ºI¡¯m going to make the name Nanas roar¡». What is Nanas? By the way¡± ¡°Fueh!¡± Make Nanas¡¯ name ¡­¡­ roar. ¡°I¡¯ve learned it recently. Every time she smashes a dojo, it seems that she¡¯s indicating that her master is a person named Nanas. Thanks to that, not to mention Pindos, it appears that the name of Nanas has spread to the neighboring cities.¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeehh!?¡± ¡°Nanas, the granddaughter of Sword Saint, became an apprentice of his, what if he¡¯s a master who passes beyond Sword Saint? There were rumors like that¡± ¡°You¡¯ve overdone it, Mideaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± It was such a case. ¡°It seems that it has developed from there, and recently, Nanas vs Sword Saint¡¯s storytelling and drama have been made. It was good, right, you became a celebrity¡± ¡°Ofuuh¡­¡­¡± Nee-san, who knows Midea very well, seems to have guessed that Nanas = me. The pen name I give with a light feeling would be like this. When Midea comes back, I need to have her stop calling me master. As long as I stop her there, no matter how famous Nanas becomes, they won¡¯t be able to connect it with me, so there should be no problem. ¡°Ah right¡± ¡°I,is there still something, nee-san¡± ¡°It¡¯s not yet, but there¡¯s a common opinion.¡± ¡°?¡± Common opinion? ¡°A smart person, or a person who can make her like that, is the one that can be associated with that alias to some extent. The public knows that, so they want to guess the person from the alias.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If your identity is revealed in such a manner, you will receive more praise than usual, and your fame will skyrocket.¡± ¡°Noooooooo!¡± What the hell. At the very least, it should have been a name that had nothing to do with me! CH 16 Pearls with Excellent Freshness Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the city of Pindus, at the familiar brothel. After nominating Orthia and spending my time leisurely as usual, she suddenly straightened her posture in front of me, put her hands together, and bowed her head. (TN: This guy always go to a brothel¡­¡­ what a life!!) ¡°Hermes-chan, I have a request for a lifetime!¡± ¡°How many times has it been in your lifetime¡± I was lying down with my chin on one hand, but I got up and looked at Orthia. She hanged her head and glanced, at my complexion as if peeking with upturned eyes. Orthia, who is a prostitute but has more charm than sex appeal, even if she frequently asks me for a lifetime ¡°It can¡¯t be helped, tell me¡± I¡¯ve come to feel like that. ¡°To be honest, I want a Terme pearl.¡± ¡°Terme pearl? You want an accessory?¡± ¡°Yup, there are a few various colors. I won¡¯t look good without it.¡± ¡°Fumu¡± Accessories for women, well, there¡¯s probably such a thing, too. ¡°I won¡¯t ask you in detail about that, but how much does it cost¡± It¡¯ll be easy if I can solve it with money, or rather, it¡¯s very welcome. That¡¯s what I thought, but ¨D¨D ¡°It¡¯s already sold out, on wherever I go. That¡¯s why, I want you to get it.¡± Orthia bowed again with her hands joined together. I immediately became vigilant. ¡°Get it, you said?¡± ¡°The Terme pearl is said to be inside a shellfish named Terme. I want you to get that shellfish. ¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is it difficult to get the shellfish?¡± ¡°Etto, I guess it¡¯s easy for a man?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I hesitated; I wonder if it¡¯s really easy. I somehow feel like there¡¯s going to be a trap¡­¡­ but. ¡°In short, you want that pearl.¡± ¡°Yup, this is, my lifetime request!¡± ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll do something about it.¡± I decided to undertake Orthia¡¯s wish. ¡î I leave the brothel, and return to the mansion. I thought about various things on the way. I was thinking that there was a trap, but if it¡¯s really that difficult, it¡¯s fine to say that I¡¯ll get it with money in some way or the other. Even if it¡¯s sold out for the commoner and not available, it won¡¯t matter for a Baron¡¯s social position. Rather, it¡¯s exactly right for me who act as a selfish head. Therefore, I undertook it. First of all, if there is a risk that my true strength will be revealed, I¡¯ll solve it with money. When I was settled on that point, I came back to the mansion. ¡°Welcome back, Master!¡± Midea was waiting for me in front of the mansion. Like a puppy that found its owner, she rushes over with sparkling eyes. ¡°I¡¯m back¡± ¡°Where did you go, Master¡± Even as I heard that, her eyes were sparkling. To a girl with such eyes, I can¡¯t really say ¡°I went to a Brothel¡±. ¡°More than that, Midea, do you know the Terme pearl?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s the pearl inside a Terme shellfish, right. It¡¯s so beautiful, that it shines at night or even in the dark.¡± ¡°Muh¡­¡­ is it difficult to take?¡± ¡°Terme shellfish is very easy, you know.¡± ¡°Hee?¡± It¡¯s an expensive item that glows at night, so I thought that it would lead to my true ability being revealed, but is it easy after all? ¡°For what reason did you ask such a thing, master?¡± ¡°No, I need it for a little bit, so I¡¯m thinking of getting it.¡± ¡°Eeeeehh!? That¡¯s not good!¡± Midea suddenly started to get angry. ¡°It¡¯s fine to leave it to those of master¡¯s servant to take what anything you want, you know. For master to say that, it¡¯s like cutting a radish with a holy sword.¡± ¡°I understand that it was not that much, though you were exaggerating.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an exaggeration!¡± Midea further insists. Fumu, it¡¯s really easy for her to get so angry at that place. Then, let¡¯s take it lightly and give it to Orthia. ¡î The next day, I put together the stories which I heard, and came to Mount Lykaion in the territory. According to the story, it seems that Terme shellfishes live in places where there are hot springs, and not in the sea. Also, while being wary that it will not be in the hot spring that turns animals into monsters, I climbed a mountain where the smell of sulfur is strong. ¡°Etto¡­¡­ it¡¯s nice to search where the hot springs are oozing out, I guess?¡± I search around in the mountains based on my intel. Then, like a geyser, I found a place where hot springs were blowing out like water pillars. As I approach the center where it was blowing out ¨D¨D there it was. A hot spring spouted out the same as before, in which its surroundings was flooded out and a soaking shellfish was there. ¡°Interesting, the shellfish is really stitched¡± This was also according to the prior information. Terme shellfish are bivalves like clams, but although the two shells of such are tightly closed, they are stitched. Therefore, even while standing, I can see that something is shining inside the shellfish that has fallen on the ground. I bend down, and take a shellfish. ¡°It really is easy¡± Climb the mountain, look for a hot spring, and pick it up. It was really easy. If you ask how strong it is, it is at a level of degree that is difficult for a prostitute who is perfectly indoor to take. Alright, let¡¯s bring this back ¨D¨D at that time I thought so. The shellfish open a little, and its body inside pyu! And it spit something out. I avoided it quickly, and the spit splattered on the ground. No way, venom? I thought so, so I crouched down and confirmed it. ¡°I wonder if this is just a hot spring¡± I became wary again for a moment, but I eat a letdown again. Any time now, soon. ¡°It¡¯s becoming more and more stupid to be vigilant.¡± Then, I muttered with a bitter smile. In the first place, it¡¯s fine to dispel my precaution with Midea¡¯s reaction. Midea already believes in me as much as she was like a devotee of me, and it would be really easy for such Midea to get more shellfish as long as she was mad. I smiled bitterly, but, there was nothing wrong with it on its being easy part. Let¡¯s do simple things normally. Nothing can be a plus or a minus. The shellfish spitted out the liquid again, so I held my hand under it and caught it. It¡¯s just a hot water, and it¡¯s like having it inside its mouth, but ¡­¡­ it¡¯s gross. I wanted the pearl, so let¡¯s bring only the pearls back home. I opened the shellfish. It opened much easier than a clam. The shell had a two-level structure. There is a smaller size bivalve inside the bivalve, which looks like a jagged tooth. The moment I opened it, the shell in the interior tried to bite the pearl. I reached it out quickly, and snatched the pearl. ¡°Dangerous, what was that, it will destroy itself the moment it¡¯s about to be taken hah.¡± I throw the Terme shell in which the pearl has been picked out near the geyser. I, went down the mountain with only the pearl. ¡î Inside the brothel, at Orthia¡¯s room. ¡°Hoi, Terme pearl. This is good right.¡± ¡°Thank you! ¨D¨Dwait eeeeeeehh!?¡± Tentatively, I put the pearl in a jewelry box. Orthia, who received and opened the jewelry box, raised a scream. ¡°Thi,this is! Terme pearl!?¡± ¡°Indeed, but?¡± Isn¡¯t she surprised, of what she asked for. ¡°How did you get it?¡± ¡°How, you said ¡­¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­¡­No way. I felt unpleasant sweat streaming on my back. ¡°Hey Orthia, how do you get the pearl out from its shell? Normally¡± ¡°By letting it dry up, you know. If you try to open it normally, the shell will break the pearl, so you need to dry it slowly over the course of a month, wait for the shellfish to die, and then take out the pearl.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Is it no good to open it normally?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not no good, but you¡¯ve got to be really fast. If it¡¯s a punch, the shellfish must be hit as 100 times as fast for a second* ¨D¨D lie! Is this like that!?¡± (TN: 0.01 seconds) Oh god, I just noticed it. ¡°No, no, no, that was not the case.¡± ¡°You kidding¡­¡­ wait a minute¡± Orthia put down the treasure chest, and closed the windows of the room one after another. What is she doing¨D¨D I immediately knew it. When the room was completely closed and it got dark, the pearls glowed. It was staggeringly, shining. As if there was a small sun inside the room, it was shining. ¡°Amazing! It¡¯s not really dry.¡± ¡°What will happen when it¡¯s dry?¡± ¡°Its radiance will drop, you know. Since you¡¯ll have to take it out after it dies.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ Geh¡± Does that mean, that a guy who knows about the Terme pearls, knows how it was fetched when he sees it in the dark. This is bad, super bad. ¡°Hey Orthia, that is something I didn¡¯t raise ¨D¨D ¡± ¡°Chu¡± Orthia approached, and kissed me on the cheek. In the light of the Terme pearl, Orthia¡¯s face looked more beautiful than ever. ¡°Thank you, Hermes-chan. I am so happy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Uhh¡± Orthia has a lustrous smile; it was hard for me to say that she shouldn¡¯t have such a face ¡­¡­ CH 17 Pinpoint Assessment Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Oh my, did you feel like stabilizing by your own, Hermes?¡± When I was looking at the ring I ordered in the living room of the mansion, nee-san who came into the room had a happy face. ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans to do that, you know.¡± ¡°Ara? If so, what about that ring?¡± ¡°This huh. This is a ring that limits a person¡¯s ability to less than 1/100 when fitted¨D¨D¡± ¡°So~i¡± Nee-san picked up the ring from me with a flowing movement, and threw the ring out of the window in a daring form of swinging her legs up. By drawing a beautiful arch, the ring has disappeared and became a star. ¡°Ah, what a waste¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a waste. Mou, don¡¯t just use your mind for things like that.¡± Nee-san went out of the living room fumingly. ¡°Fuh¡­¡­¡± Nee-san, is naive. I predicted that nee-san will so~i(throw away) it. I gently touch my pocket. There is the exact same ring that nee-san threw away. Well, let¡¯s actually put it on and try it out ¨D¨D ¡°Mou, I forgot to say it because of Hermes.¡± ¡°Uwah!¡± Nee-san came back without a warning, so I was surprised since I tried to put on the ring. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Hermes¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. More than that, what did you forgot to say, nee-san¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Hermes, you¡¯re being monitored.¡± Ah I know ¨D¨D or rather, I¡¯m aware. Even now, there is a guy who is watching this place from outside the window, from the top of a private house in a remote location. By the way, it¡¯s a two-fold tailing. Even if I notice the first person, the second person who was concealing himself more than the first will ascertain it, that¡¯s their pattern. I¡¯m aware of that, but how should I reply to nee-san? ¡°It¡¯s because of that.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Because Hermes is feigning ignorance variously, there are rumors that the Canoe family¡¯s head is incompetent and unsuitable.¡± ¡°My goodness¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look happy.¡± I was scolded. However yeah, this is good. ¡°On the other hand, there are those who acknowledged Hermes. Like Lina-sama. That¡¯s reasonable.¡± ¡°Muu¡± ¡°Two conflicting assessments. If it was split that much, it¡¯s natural to wonder which one is true.¡± ¡°I see, that means that they have to observe and verify if I really am a bad person. ¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way it is, is it okay, Hermes.¡± Nee-san¡¯s face approaches. She indeed draws her face near to me. ¡°I implore you, don¡¯t do anything strange¡± After reminding me, she left this time. After nee-san is gone, I put my hand in my pocket as I sit. In light with the blunder of the aforementioned Terme pearl, I secretly made this ring. Regardless of whether I am careful or mindful, it is a fact that when I¡¯m pressed into a situation in the last moment, it backfires. In order to prevent that, I should fundamentally reduce my ability. The same is true for that pearl. At that moment, if my abilities were low, the pearl would¡¯ve shattered and the story would¡¯ve ended there. That¡¯s why, it¡¯s this ring. I secretly put the ring on my hand as I thrust it in my pocket. I feel my body getting heavier. I no longer feel the line of sight and existence of the observer that I could feel until a while ago. ¡î I went out into the city with the ring on. As long as I had suppressed my ability, there is no point in being sluggish inside the mansion. Because I am being observed, it¡¯ll be two-fold. It¡¯s necessary to show that my current ability which has been suppressed is my true (lie) ability. Or something, like that. Thinking so, as I¡¯m wandering around the city. ¡°Pickpocket! Someone catch him!¡± Suddenly, I heard a woman screaming a yell. Looking towards the voice, I saw a boy dressed in drags who runs away with a dash with all his might, and a dreadfully weary middle-aged woman chasing after him. The boy runs away while knocking down things while dashing hard, keeping away from others in the surroundings. Pickpocket huh, it just came to the right place. Alright let¡¯s catch him ¡­¡­ no no. Let¡¯s be careful here. That bitter memory which looked sweet when it was just the shellfish is resurrected in me. I am suppressing my ability with a ring, but if I get into a pinch, I might instinctively pull it out. To prevent such a situation from happening, first of all, I¡¯ll carefully observe. Even if I suppress my ability, my observation power (experience) and judgment remain unchanged. The boy who was running away, his body is quick, and he has no hesitation in knocking down and destroying things around him in order to escape. It¡¯s troublesome in that sense, but that¡¯s it. It¡¯s just a boy, just a pickpocket. There¡¯s nothing wrong at all. I reaffirm it to the last minute just in case, observing it as much if there are holes. Alright, this incident is fine. While elapsing so, the boy came right in front of me. I tackled the boy. ¡°Uoh¡± It¡¯s been a while since I felt this, even if I tackled the boy, I couldn¡¯t stop him completely. I entangle myself with the boy, and we tumble together. ¡°What are you doing, old man! Let go! Let me go!¡± The boy was kicking and struggling, and he shouted at me from within his heart. As I thought, he¡¯s just a boy with no power as he looks. I cling to such boy. When the boy was stopped, the spectators gathered, and the woman who was pickpocketed also caught up, so I stood up while seizing the boy. ¡°Look, reveal the thing you took.¡± ¡°Chi!¡± The boy resigned, and slammed the wallet on the ground. The woman picks it up, confirms the contents, and is relieved. So I judged that it was solved, and as I had a momentary gap loosening my mind, the boy shook off my restraints and ran away. After breaking the crowd and running away. ¡°Remember this.¡± He ran away while leaving behind a sharp parting remark. He escaped¨D¨D I was secretly pleased with that. The boy wouldn¡¯t be able to escape no matter how unprepared I was if I didn¡¯t seal my power with the ring. And the people around me who saw that are screaming, ¡°Why did you let him go?¡±, with blaming eyes. Well enough, this is fine. The sweetness of this stuffing is good. I pray that they would be monitoring this properly. One case of pickpocket was resolved, and I started walking around the city again. Actually, at the time I got tangled with the boy, my arm was grazed. This also makes an incompetent appeal of me. Therefore, I walked around hoping for something else happening. ¡°Ooh? You bastard, what are you hitting against!¡± ¡°At there, I¡¯ve bumped into it¡± This time, I came across a place where men were fighting with each other. Let¡¯s observe closely again. As a result of staring at the interaction and their body¡¯s gesture for about a minute, I am convinced. Even if it¡¯s in broad daylight, they¡¯re just getting drunk and fighting. Just like the boy I was with a little while ago, they don¡¯t have power. Moreover, this time there are two parties, if I get in to stop them, one shot or two strikes will have to be hit. ¡°Alright¡± In order to stop that, I stir the men¡¯s brawl arbitration and came forth. ¡î The next day, at the drawing room of the mansion. There was a man in front of me who I see for the first time. ¡°My name is Hari Fristos, First-class Inspector General.¡± The middle-aged man who named himself, was a middle-aged man who had aristocratic clothes and a fine beard. By that name, I intuitively understood that he was the one who was watching me yesterday, but he didn¡¯t say it. I did not react. If I react, he¡¯ll clearly see that it was a set-up. That¡¯s why, I will only enquire what I could ¡°see¡±. ¡°A first inspector general you said, you have a relationship with the Princess who came before.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not directly. However, recently, bad rumors and good rumors of the head of the Canoe family have mixed, so I came to check it. ¡± ¡°Hee¡± It was exactly what nee-san said. But well, there¡¯s no problem. What I did yesterday was ¡°normal¡±. With me reducing my ability to less than 1/100, any adult man can do that. I have only done such a thing. The bad rumors that are intentionally disseminated, and good rumors that are really not willingly spread. Since such head is eye-catching, as a matter of fact, it was normal. I looked back on my actions many times last night. I thought about it over and over again before and after I¡¯ve done it. No problem, my actions yesterday is normal. ¡°Just as I expected*.¡± (TN: Sasugadana) ¡°¨D¨DHeh?¡± What did this person say just now. What does Sasugadana mean? ¡°Sometimes a timid nobleman, is just right to become a politician. That¡¯s my theory.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Forgive me, but yesterday I was asked to keep an eye on baron-sama. Well, the prudence that is impossible for a young lad to have, it¡¯s no longer at a level that can be called far sight and deep design?(foresight).¡± ¡­¡­ I wonder what is this person saying. I mean, this flow. ¡°You observe everything deeply before moving.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± ¡°Perhaps it was not timidness. When you observe and can move, you move, and when it exceeded your own, you rely on others.¡± I certainly relied. Because I had reduced my power to 1/100, there are things I can¡¯t do on my own. At that time, I relied on the people around me. I was at peace that I would¡¯ve shown my power if I hadn¡¯t sealed it¨D¨D but. Really, this flow. ¡°As a politician, I have to say that you have the best qualities.¡± ¡°Err¡± ¡°I can¡¯t rely on the rumors in the surroundings at all. In the first place a noble, it doesn¡¯t matter what the individual armed forces of a politician has. The most important thing is their power of observation, judgment, and a steady gut.¡± ¡°Wait a minu¨D¨D ¡± ¡°To the top, I will report it as it is. Then, I¡¯ll excuse myself.¡± Without stopping, Hari left the mansion. Power of observation and judgment ¡­¡­? He¡¯s gone and assessed what was left of me at pinpointttttttttttttt!!!!! CH 18 Never Say Anything About Today. Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr The city of Pindus, at a drama play establishment. There is a stage in front. Then, opposite of it, there is a space which almost seems like a bar. At such a bar, the customers enjoy the play while eating and drinking, it¡¯s a style shop that has become popular in the last decade. Thereupon, while properly eating with their fingers there, I look at the adventurer of the talks, the legendary great mage named Io. ¡°Unexpected meeting, right¡± A woman came sitting next to me at the same table. In a shop like this, it¡¯s very unusual to have a shared table, and I was surprised because there are still vacant seats around me. Why is it? I became even more surprised when I turned to the side. ¡°You ¡­¡­ no, you* ¡­¡­¡± (TN: The first ¡®you¡¯ was anta(which was more casual), and the second one was anata(which was more formal)) To say it in other words, the other party has such a social standing. Lina Mi Aegina. She came as an inspector just a while ago, and is one of the royals of the Aegina kingdom to which the Canoe family belongs to. That Lina, has appeared in the city of Pindos for some reason. ¡°Such etiquette is needless, you know.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it.¡± You want to hide your identity huh. If it¡¯s exposed that she¡¯s a royalty, she will be specially treated. Some types don¡¯t like such that kind of thing, too. Particularly in a store like this, it¡¯s even more so when it comes to entertainment. I called the clerk, and lightly ordered additional dishes. Until it is delivered, I spoke to her with a feeling of enquiring her situation. ¡°Why are you here? Another inspection?¡± ¡°What are you playing dumb for? I¡¯m here for your inauguration ceremony next week.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± I smiled bitterly. The Canoe family, who is a Baron, must perform a ceremony within its capacity for the inauguration of the new head. My elder brothers died all at once, so it had been extended, but now it¡¯s time to do it. In formality, I have sent out invitations to the royal family and nobles, but usually, at a baron-level ceremony, letting their messengers bring words and congratulatory items are the norms. Lina herself came to me. ¡°Thank you¡± I gave my thanks for the time being. She didn¡¯t react, and watches the play without speaking anything. She doesn¡¯t touch the food, and simply drinks to moisten her lips. She might be a silent, standard, quiet type of person, isn¡¯t she. If so, this the scene where I would leaver her alone, but this is a tough place to proceed. ¡ºSomeday, show me the size of that bottomless vessel, and your seriousness. ¡» The other day, I remembered the words that was said by Lina to me. She¡¯s aware, that I¡¯m hiding my true abilities. I wonder how to deal with such a girl ¨D¨D when I was thinking of that, the other party cut me. ¡°You, when do you get serious?¡± (TN: LOL, when he¡¯s drunk) I was quickly hit by a straight ball. It¡¯s a strong fastball without any decoration, but I¡¯m saved since she came straight. ¡°I won¡¯t show it¡± ¡°Throughout?¡± ¡°Throughout¡± ¡°Are you interested in a position higher than Baron?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± ¡°What do you want? Money, or woman? If you want the best beautiful woman of the royal family, you can have it, you know.¡± Lina is completely persuading me. Money, woman, authority. Favorable terms that make even ordinary human beings contented with just one of them, were lined up by her with this. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but¡± ¡°Is the time still too early¡± ¡°It¡¯s not the matter of time¡± ¡°I¡¯m persistent¡± I give up, she looks really persistent. That being said, it was the same case last time. Lina doesn¡¯t have the atmosphere of moving in this place. Waiting patiently, she has that atmosphere. If she said so, well, there¡¯s no problem¨D¨D Goto. Making a small noise, something fell on the table. Looking at it, the cup that Lina lifted and used to moisten her lips was rolling on the table, and the contents are being spilled. As for Lina who dropped the cup, with her one elbow, she was trembling in addition to looking downwards. ¡°Oy, what¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be flus,tered¡­¡­ it¡¯s the usual thing¡± Lina spoke so, but her face is pale. She doesn¡¯t look in good health very much. ¡°See, you¡­¡­¡± Lina staggers and tries to stand up. I wonder if I should leave her as it is, but she couldn¡¯t stand up, and her floating butt came back to her chair. It seems to be so painful that it¡¯s difficult to even stand up. ¡°Are you sick? I¡¯ll bring you a doctor.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine ¡­¡­ it¡¯s the usual thing¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see that!¡± ¡°Be, quiet¡± With her index finger put out, Lina pinned my mouth down. The people around me are so absorbed in the play that they don¡¯t look at me ¨D¨D but if I make more noise, it¡¯ll be suspicious. Lina meant that I should not act in a way that attracts attention. When she lifted her hand off my lips, she turned over her clothes a little. At the boundary between her clothes and skirt, right beside to her navel, there was something like a black human face. ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± ¡°A parasitic monster, I don¡¯t know its name because it¡¯s an ancient monster.¡± ¡°Parasitic¡± ¡°It¡¯s parasitic to both my soul and my body, and it continues to suck magic power and physical strength endlessly. That¡¯s what it is. I¡¯m okay, I won¡¯t die. If the host dies, this fellow will also die.¡± Lina has a paper-like complexion, but by simply enduring it, it feels like she¡¯s certainly used to it. ¡°¡­¡­ Why would such a thing happen to you.¡± ¡°It was my fault when I was very young. As I was playing in the castle¡¯s treasury, I¡¯ve unsealed a treasure possessing a curse.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°¡­¡­Kuh¡± Lina moans more painfully than before. There seems to be waves in pain, and just now, it was a big wave. ¡°What¡¯s wrong!¡± ¡°What I¡¯m going through is, quite agonizing, so¡­¡­ don¡¯t tell, anyone.¡± She raises her face, and stares at me. Despite being affected in quite a pain, she stares at me with her eyes more than that. That¡¯s quite embarrassing. ¡­¡­ I wonder if I should say this. I¡¯ve seen the one who¡¯s tormenting Lina in a book. How to deal with it, I know. I picked up the cup that Lina dropped. 10% ¡­¡­ is okay huh. Holding the edge, I fill the cup with something hanging from the palm of my hand, and I presented it to Lina. ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone. Rather than that, drink more water. It¡¯ll be a little easier.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nn¡± Perhaps it was so painful, since Lina drank the water from the cup as she was told. She couldn¡¯t hold it on her own, so I made her drink it as if she was sick. After drinking up half a cup of ¡°water¡±, steam shrouds Lina¡¯s body. At the same time, something popped out from her navel. I who was expecting it, hit it with my hand, dropped it to the ground, and trampled it. Like a cigarette on fire, I stub out that thing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Lina looked at her own both hands seriously. Her complexion is so good that it is incomparable than what it was earlier. Or rather, it¡¯s the normal state of an ordinary person. Though she was aware of it herself, she was surprised at the sudden complete cure, so she looked at her hand. ¡°What does, this mean?¡± ¡°That thing was a monster called Parasitos. Using the biological energy that a human body possessed and eating them without killing them ¨D¨D wait, I don¡¯t even need to explain it again to you, who had experienced it for many years hah.¡± ¡°What did you do to it. I was thoroughly told that it couldn¡¯t be removed.¡± ¡°Ah, it can¡¯t be removed from the outside. If you do something like that, your soul will be cut off.¡± ¡°If so¡± ¡°However, you can make the other side get out of you.¡± I took the cup, and showed her the remaining half of the ¡°water¡±. Made by condensing about 10% of my power, it¡¯s a water that embodies magic power. ¡°If it eats a higher concentration of magic power than the usual in one go, it will be surprised and leave. If it eats a large quantity of stimulants, it will get hungry, I think.¡± ¡°High concentration of magic power ¡­¡­ you embodied your magic power?¡± Seeing the water I hold, Lina is astonished. Now then, she is saved, so let¡¯s remind her. ¡°Since I¡¯ll be silent on this for you, please keep silent about me today.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After Lina fixedly stared at me. ¡°¡­¡­Understood, in the name of Lina Mi Aegina. I won¡¯t tell anyone about today.¡± ¡°Oh¡± It may be a top from a gourd*. (TN: Japanese proverb meaning ¡®something very unexpected¡¯) I expected she wouldn¡¯t say that, but Lina took an oath further in her name. If a royalty says that much, then it¡¯ll be fine. ¡î A few days later, in the audience room. An envoy came from the kingdom, and he read the King¡¯s edict in front me. ¡°In honor of the Slime Lord subjugation achievement, Baron Hermes Canoe shall be awarded with the medal of the Xiphos Cross.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I became, absent-minded. The messenger receives the medal placed on the luxurious tray from his accompanying servant, along with the tray, and presents it to me. ¡°Baron Canoe, please accept this.¡± ¡°What? Why? Why a medal?¡± ¡°The Xiphos Cross Medal is a prestigious highest-grade medal given to a brave warrior who fought for the kingdom. It is the one given to those who have made great military achievements. Originally, you do not have enough achievement for it at the level of Slime Lord subjugation.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡± ¡°There¡¯s a rumor only at the place, but¡± The tone of the messenger¡¯s voice has dropped, I believe he¡¯s going to tell a secret story. ¡°It was said, that Her highness Lina, who was an inspector, by all means asked His Majesty to do so.¡± ¡°¡­¡­She got me¡± Lina didn¡¯t tell anyone about it. Instead, she really pushed on me the achievements of the Slime Lord which I did and gave me a medal. Haa¡­¡­ well, it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s true that I defeated the Slime Lord, so let¡¯s receive it here hah. And hey, if I receive the medal, and put it in the back of the cabinet, no one will see it. It¡¯s an important medal, so it¡¯s important to keep it. No, rather, it may be okay to touch around saying ¡°I got a medal for subduing the Slime Lord.¡± and bring it to the wind like, ¡°I didn¡¯t get that much.¡±. Considering so, this medal may be good. ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s one thing I have to say ¨D¨D no, if I put in the message of His Royal Highness, there are two.¡± ¡°Yeah? What is it?¡± ¡°His Highness seems to be coming to your ceremony. Excuse my discourtesy, but he¡¯ll be bringing all of his brothers and sisters along.¡± ¡°Hah¡± Come to think of it, he had said that. No, I didn¡¯t hear that he¡¯s coming with his brothers and sisters. Did he decide so after that? ¡°One more thing¡± ¡°Yeah? Ah what?¡± ¡°Because the cross medal is the highest grade medal, it¡¯s obligatory to wear it when attending official events.¡± ¡°¨D¨DHeh¡± ¡°You can wear it properly on the appointed day, and His Highness wants that, too.¡± No, wait a minute. On the appointed day, the cross medal, a large number of royalty¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m doneeee!¡± CH 19 Overwriting Rumors Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr At night, in my favorite brothel. While having Orthia clean my ears with a knee pillow, the moon on the night before a full moon seen from the window ¨D¨D I was looking at the moon that will be a full moon by tomorrow. As I enjoy the tenderness, the nice scent, and the elegance. Orthia suddenly asks me, as she remembers. ¡°Hey, hey, Hermes-chan, is that rumor true?¡± ¡°Rumor?¡± ¡°Again again, if you play dumb that far, it¡¯ll be reversed as a fishy lie, you know.¡± Orthia was grinning. What fishy lie? ¡°The city is full of that rumor right now, so I expected you know, right.¡± ¡°No, what is it really about?¡± ¡°Look, it¡¯s about Hermes-chan getting rid of that Orikuto jr. (junior).¡± ¡°Haa!?¡± I was so surprised, that I jumped up from Orthia¡¯s lap. ¡°What the hell is that, what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°A¡¯re? Maybe you really don¡¯t know anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, tell me more about it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright, but¡­¡­ you see, the Trikala mine that has recently been touched by Hermes-chan, became a silver excavation mine, hasn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Ah¡± I nod. Or rather, Orthia was also involved in that case, I got her cooperation. ¡°In that mine, a little while ago, monsters called Orikuto jr started to appear here and there. So, everyone was bothered by it, but one day, it got eradicated.¡± ¡°Did it come to be like that? You have a way of speaking that it hasn¡¯t been settled, but are there more than one?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that it¡¯s immortal, you know, it seems that it will regenerate even if you defeat it.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°So, the one who defeated that was Hermes-chan, there were rumors like that. The new Lord with the Cross Medal defeats an immortal monster with a single sword, which was a terribly cool story.¡± ¡°Oh god¡­¡­¡± That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard such a rumor. Or rather, it has a certain amount of inconvenience for me. Being immortal huh, no matter how I think about it, it¡¯s a strong monster. Rumors that I¡¯ve defeated that ¡­¡­ it¡¯s too troublesome. I have to solve, such a rumor. ¡î The next day. About 20 kilometers away from the city of Pindos, the Trikala mine. I came by myself, and met the person in charge of the mine. At the foot of the mine, there¡¯s a government office-like building. Thereupon, I¡¯m sitting on the sofa while facing a man. The man¡¯s name is Goras, he has a lively and rough feeling like an indeed mine site manager; this man has such an impression. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t really think, that it would be Lord-sama.¡± Goras laughed in a good mood. ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t particularly mean to make a display either, but more than that, it¡¯s about the rumor so far. It would be a better thing, to clarify it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Everyone can¡¯t completely obtain a peace of mind just by the rumors.¡± Goras responds with a lively and frank tone. I came here, and said to him that ¡°I will dispatch that Orikuto jr now¡±. Then Goras became ¡°Oh, as I thought!¡±, and said I¡¯ll have to ¡°show the proof¡± in this place, and now it¡¯s like this. ¡°So, will it come out today?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, I don¡¯t want it to come out at the place today, though.¡± Goras said with an embarrassed face. It troubled the people at the actual site such an extent huh, that monster he was saying. ¡°Well it¡¯s fine, tell me where it¡¯s going to come out, I¡¯ll search around.¡± ¡°Oh. Let¡¯s look at this.¡± Goras spread a map on the table between us. This is a map of the Trikala mine. On that map, there are a number of crosses. ¡°It¡¯s inclined to the east side of the mountain¡± ¡°I guess there¡¯s a nest in that area, or something close to that place.¡± ¡°I see, understood, let¡¯s try that area first.¡± ¡°Ah, Lord-sama. Is one good?¡± As I stood up and tried to leave the room, Goras stopped me. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Among the people who work in the mines, there are some who are particularly excited about the Lord-sama¡¯s rumors. May I let those guys be spectators?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah, that¡¯s fine.¡± With a little thinking, I agreed. Rather, it¡¯s a ship to cross*. (TN: meaning ¡®godsend or life saver¡¯) There is a reason why I came to the Trikala mine, and offered to exterminate the Orikuto jr. The reason is that, in front of the witnesses clearly, I want to fail at exterminating it. Rumor has it that I¡¯ve done it. The only way to resolve that, is to act as a ¡°Foolish lord who got on the rumors but doesn¡¯t have the ability¡±. Overwrite the rumors with failure. Therefore, I¡¯ll actually come, and fail to exterminate it. In other words, the spectators ¨D¨D furthermore, the more people who are excited about the rumors and have expectations of ¡°me¡±, the better. I, taking the curious onlookers, decided to go on a losing battle. ¡î At night, in the middle of the Trikala mine. Under the full moon, with all the miners working in this mine, I went around looking for the point with sighting information of Orikuto jr. They were not users of refining magic, but humans who dig ore and carry it out. Therefore, everyone was quite rough, and the tension was high. ¡°No way, the Lord-sama is really here to dispatch it.¡± ¡°And here I think that we can¡¯t see where he actually beat it.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want it to come out today no matter what, but if this is the case, it should definitely appear.¡± While going around the x points marked on the map, I listen to the stories of the excited guys. I see? It doesn¡¯t mean that it comes out every day huh. That¡¯s troublesome. It¡¯s tiresome to come here every day, so on today¡¯s patrol, I prayed in my heart that it would come out in one shot. Perhaps my prayer got through, the monster appeared. ¡°Uwaaaahh!¡± ¡°I,it appeared this way¡± ¡°Scatter everyone!¡± Who came forth, was the guys behind me. Under the full moon, a large rock-like monster is about to attack the miners. I pulled out my sword. Rumor has it that I knock it down with a sword, so I need to imitate that, and carry on. Pulling out my sword, I jump in and try to slash at Orikuto, but ¨D¨D ¡°Uwaaahh!¡± ¡°Klaus!¡± One of the miners was taken off his feet by the unevenness of the ground, and fell down. What¡¯s more, his foot is stuck, and he can¡¯t seem to get out. Only a single person was completely late to escape. And the Orikuto jr¡¯s attack approaches him. The distance is ¨D¨D too delicate. If I fight to lose, it may drag into an extended time. ¡°Tsk!¡± I plunged into it at a high speed. With the longsword that I pulled out ¨D¨D a flash! The monster is cut off with a feeling of response that it¡¯s hard as expected. That guy crumbled down with a rattle, and shook. ¡°¡­¡­Kuh¡± I¡¯ve done it. The miner was in danger, so I just defeated it when I tried to help him. My plan went completely out of order. It wasn¡¯t supposed to be like this. ¡­¡­ No, let¡¯s think positively. As rumored. It was originally rumored that I have defeated it, and that¡¯s what really happened. That¡¯s the story all about. However. ¡°Incredible, as I thought, incredible¡± ¡°Defeating that guy in the full moon, I¡¯m glad I actually saw it.¡± ¡°My thanks, my thanks¡± There was a miner who worshiped me, too, and the story somehow got strange. I feel that the eyes of the miners, and their look of respect are stronger than before we departed. Crap¡­¡­ I have a bad feeling. I, ask the first guy closest to me. ¡°What does it mean in the full moon?¡± ¡°That monster, its strength seems to change depending on the phases of the moon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a full moon, it¡¯ll be a serious end, and it will smash the entire construction camp block, so everyone here thought that they didn¡¯t want this guy to come out in the full moon.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± By the way, they were always been saying that. I don¡¯t want it to appear, I don¡¯t want it to come out only today. I used to think of it in the sense of ¡°don¡¯t carelessly come out.¡±, but It seems that it meant ¡°don¡¯t come out only today¡±. That¡¯s, I¡¯ve defeated it¡­¡­ Looking at the miners, their gaze of respect grows stronger and stronger. I may have overwritten the rumors with a stronger result¡­¡­ CH 20 Not Worth Taking Seriously Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr With the miners returning first, I wandered in the Trikala mountain. I defeated Orikuto jr, but one big problem remains. A problem that only I notice, that I realized. That is, who has defeated the Orikuto jr thus far, or something like that. The person who was knocking Orikuto jr down, and spreading rumors that it was my achievement. It¡¯s not Midea. She is fascinated by me, and is trying to spread the name of me = Nanas. Hermes doing it, I can¡¯t say such a thing. Someone other than Midea. ¡°The new head of Canoe looks stupidly worthy.¡± I turn to the voice. In the slope of the mountain, there¡¯s a man looking down at me from a place higher than me. He was sneering with his nose, and has a scornful laughing face. ¡°You are¡­¡­ Taratos¡± ¡°You know about me after all huh.¡± Taratos glared at me, oozing hatred within his sneer. Taratos. He¡¯s one of the people who has proposed to my sister before, and the man who I found out that he was ¡°repeatedly married and divorced¡±. ¡°Were you the one who spread the rumors?¡± ¡°Indeed, I think you¡¯ll come out on your own if I do this.¡± ¡°Did you defeat the Orikuto?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct¡± ¡°Why were you doing such a thing¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ha, it felt like Taratos laughed with his nose. ¡°It¡¯s delicious, the current Canoe family. For me, that is. With this face and this skill, there is no woman who will not fall in love with me. If you didn¡¯t get in the way, I would¡¯ve suit her to my fancy, and got married and had the Canoe family at my hand.¡± ¡°You hate me for being a hindrance to that, then?¡± ¡°Yes, if I erase you here, there will be no one in the way. Afterwards, slowly alter it as if your investigation was a codswallop.¡± I guess so. As I was sighing, Taratos pulled out his sword. The sound of sheath slipping out can be heard beautifully. The person himself was just saying ¡°this skill¡±. No wonder he defeated the Orikuto. ¡°Resign and die here. You don¡¯t have any more hope.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t have hope?¡± ¡°Fuh, pull out your sword.¡± There¡¯s the triumphant face of Taratos. I pulled out my sword as I was told. ¡°On the immortal Orikuto jr, I cursed it every time I defeated it.¡± ¡°A curse that will destroy the weapon of the next opponent it will fight huh¡± ¡°Exactly. Now you¡¯re unarmed with this. If you don¡¯t resist, I can let you die without feeling any pain.¡± As his standing position is also from above, the words that he threw at me are also quite a standpoint from the top. I understood it to some extent from the investigation, but when I actually meet him, I am surprised that he is more than the investigation. He¡¯s a refreshing scum that I¡¯ve seen for the first time in a while. ¡°In any case, I grasped your power in your battle against the Orikuto, it was your blunder that you came out with that much power. Die!¡± Taratos leaped a little, and slashed at me. He brandished his sword overhead like splitting me into two, and took a slash that tears the air and strikes me. ¡°¡­¡­He?¡± I, pinched it with my two fingers and stopped it. Stopping a sword stroke between one¡¯s bare hands, it¡¯s the finger version of it. When I twisted my wrist as it was, bakin, it made a beautiful sound and the tip broke. ¡°Kuh!¡± Taratos reacted, jumping back with the broken sword in his arms. I throw the broken point. The blade cuts through the air and flies. It strikes against the broken sword of Taratos, kikikikikiin! And multiple impact sounds reverberated. By the time Taratos landed, more than three-quarters of his remaining sword had broken with cracks, leaving only the handle which he was holding. ¡°Tha,that¡¯s stupid! You were this strong. Are you saying that you weren¡¯t serious at the time of Orikuto?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s your mistake.¡± ¡°What was that!?¡± ¡°Just now I still, haven¡¯t showed my seriousness.¡± ¡°Mo,mons ¨D¨D¡± Taratos turned around and tried to run away, but he couldn¡¯t escape. I picked up a pebble of appropriate size from the ground, flicked and fire it with my finger, and hit it against him. With his momentum of breaking into a run and the momentum which the pebbles hit him from the back, Taratos flew forward, fainting and plunging into the ground from his face. I slowly approach him, turn his body over and his face up. I wonder how should I deceive him, On this kind of waste, it was ridiculous to get serious, and also get my hands dirty. Let¡¯s do something to him appropriately ¡­¡­. I thought for a little while, and came up with a good idea. I hold my hand over Taratos¡¯ forehead. One of the punishments is that, to stuck a tattoo of the crime committed on the sinner¡¯s face. In the same manner, I put a tattoo on Taratos¡¯ forehead. ¨D¨D I¡¯m a marriage swindler. Alright. He seems to be proud of his face, but he won¡¯t fool women anymore with this. ¡î ¡°Hey hey, Hermes-chan, is that rumor true?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the Orikuto jr, it¡¯s me, though?¡± While watching the first quarter moon and drinking a delicious sake with Orthia, she asked me the same thing as before, so I answered normally. ¡°It¡¯s not on that way¡± ¡°Yeah? Then what is it?¡± ¡°That Taratos person, has been punished, and it was rumored that Hermes-chan did it while he went to get rid of Orikuto.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± It was such a rumor huh. Well, I was on Trikala Mountain that night, and immediately following that, if the tattooed Taratos came into contact to the public¡¯s gaze, there would be such an association huh. Well, there is something else. Anyone who knows how he was with my sister can understand, that the fact that I engraved that tattoo, could be taken that he has a bad reputation. Yup, then. ¡°Well, I did it¡± ¡°I see, I see. Everyone was rumoring about it, you know. That it was refreshing to see someone who finally did what they couldn¡¯t put their hands before.¡± ¡°They couldn¡¯t put their hands on him?¡± ¡°Yep, there are two reasons for it. One reason is that the women who have been used by him and had been abandoned for good will not say bad things to him.¡± ¡°A high-level swindler huh.¡± I was half impressed, and half astounded. ¡°The other one, is because he was so strong that no one could get their hands on him.¡± ¡°He was so strong?¡± ¡°Yup! It¡¯s enough for him to be one of the top five of this generation.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Are you kidding me?¡± That guy was that strong. I, didn¡¯t know it and admitted to Orthia that I did it. ¡°Furthermore¡± ¡°There¡¯s still more!?¡± ¡°The excellent sword Xyphos which that man took from deceiving a daughter of an aristocrat is powerful. That object is a metal rod to an ogre*.¡± (TN: It means ¡®making something strong even stronger¡¯) ¡°Haa? Was that such a good sword? I broke it without knowing it.¡± ¡°Eeeeeehh!?¡± Orthia screamed out loud. Darn it, I thought. ¡°Is it true that you broke the famous sword Xiphos!?¡± ¡°N,no, that¡¯s ¡­¡­¡± ¡°So it was true¡± ¡°No, you¡¯re wrong, I haven¡¯t done such a thing.¡± ¡°Hermes-chan, your nose is twitching when you lie.¡± ¡°¨D¨Dtsu!¡± I suddenly grasped my nose pah¨D¨D it was my blunder. Whether it¡¯s true or false for Orthia, it¡¯s like I admit it with this behavior. I contemplate, and as I dejectedly hang my head, I request Orthia. ¡°It¡¯s my request for a lifetime, please don¡¯t tell this story to others.¡± ¡°I understand, this story will only be here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ That¡¯s absolutely a lie.¡± I can understand it. There is no way that a woman¡¯s ¡°story is only here¡± will became a story that¡¯s only in this place. I will be relieved since we had a long relationship if she just said ¡°I understand¡± normally, but on the contrary, I¡¯m in despair when she told me ¡°the story will only be here¡±. I stopped talking at once, but it was useless. The rumor that I was the one who defeated Taratos spread that it was the truth, and in addition, there is also the option that I broke the famous sword Xyphos. Voices praising me rose up from here and there. CH 21 Conventional-like Father Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°This is good¡± I was satisfied with the result of the production of the new study I made in the mansion. Its interior is the latest trend, and anyway, I had it finished with a feeling of ¡°fashionable¡±. Apart from that, because it was a study, the thing is, I put in a lot of books. At any rate, putting them inside, it was such a situation without it being able to fit in the bookshelves all over the wall completely, and it was piled up on the desk. It¡¯s just as the study of ¡°I just want to pretend to be a cultural person.¡± that I imagined. ¡°Hermes, you were in a place like this huh¡± ¡°Nee-san¡± Turning my face around, I saw nee-san across the entrance. Nee-san, dressed in her usual dress, quietly comes in and looks around. ¡°I never thought that Hermes would build a study, you know.¡± ¡°You thought?¡± ¡°Philosophy, Architecture, Magic Engineering¡­¡­ do you want to be a wide-learning scholar(naturalist)?¡± Nee-san looked at the spines on the bookshelf one by one, and enquired strangely. A wide-learning scholar is also known as a universal scholar (universalist). It¡¯s no longer a specialization study now, but it¡¯s a popular name that existed in the days when geniuses of the past were able to do anything. It¡¯s a type of man that doesn¡¯t exist anymore, but¡­¡­ it feels like it were indirectly saying that ¡°Hermes can do it.¡±. Nee-san particularly have a high opinion of me. ¡°No, that¡¯s not the thing.¡± ¡°If so, why do you have such books¡­¡­?¡± Nee-san while wondering, picked up a book. It says ¡ºLegend of Olivia¡» on the cover, it is a well-established first-class historical document that describes the former Dragon King. However, it¡¯s only the cover page. Nee-san who flipped it over. ¡°What is this!¡± Then, she suddenly got angry. ¡°Which is it? Ah, this is a photo book of Orthia by year. It¡¯s the one posted the best of Orthia every year in the last thirty years. All of them are beautiful women, but as I thought, there are differences between beautiful women in each era¨D¨D¡± ¡°So-i!¡± Nee-san opened the window, and threw the book out in a magnificent form. Successive generations of Orthia have become stars. ¡°What is that!¡± ¡°I heard from an acquaintance, you know, that when hiding such a photo book, it¡¯s a good idea to replace the cover.¡± ¡°Are you an adolescent child!¡± ¡°But it¡¯s interesting¡± ¡°It¡¯s not interesting¡ª¡ª is there anything else?¡± Nee-san distinctly, frowned her face. I took an appropriate book which was piled up on the desk, and flipped through and check its contents. ¡°You understand that dorayaki pastry has become popular in the city, right, nee-san. Excavated at the same ruins as that, the Yuuki person, seems to have invented, a dress called bloomer. This is for vivaciously young women, and part of one¡¯s underwear exposed from their shorts¨D¨D¡± ¡°So-i!¡± Nee-san snatched it from my hand, and threw the book to the stars again in a splendid form. ¡°Good grief, why is Hermes always like this?¡± ¡°Leaving that aside, didn¡¯t nee-san have something to do with me?¡± She said earlier, ¡°you were in a place like this huh¡±. If nee-san plunges deeply into this room, all the books could become meteor showers, so I decided to change the story. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s right¡± Nee-san sighed, and then slowly approached me. When she came in front of me, she gently took my hand. ¡°Thank you, Hermes¡± ¡°Eh?¡± She changed from a moment ago, making me a little confused by her heartfelt ¡°Thank you¡±. ¡°It¡¯s about Taratos.¡± ¡°A,ah. So it was that matter.¡± ¡°Really thank you so much, you¡¯ve protected me twice¡­¡­¡± While nee-san grabbed my hand, she showed a quiet joy. With her a moment ago(so-i), I was confused by the gap. ¡°Do,don¡¯t mention it. In,indeed, I just did the obvious thing as a father.¡± Involuntarily, I said an excuse-like line from my mouth. It was not a very good response, it sounded awkward. However, I couldn¡¯t retreat. ¡°Yes, father. You can¡¯t give your daughter to a scum like him! I mean, to that guy!¡± After saying it all at once, I noticed the naturalness of ¡°This and that are normal, isn¡¯t it?¡± from her explanation, that she seems to be pleased with it. I don¡¯t need to make a good interpretation for nee-san as a partner at this late hour, in which I didn¡¯t realize that. ¡°Father?¡± ¡°Father¡± ¡°Right, father.¡± Nee-san gives out a little chuckle. ¡°Then, my younger brother dad-sama(Ototou-sama*), please continue to protect me from bad suitors.¡± (TN: Again, combination of Oto otou = younger brother, and Otou-sama = father) ¡°Ah, got it¡± Even if you did not tell me so, I intend to do it one thing or another. For nee-san, in case of a rebellion from the vassals, I have to ask her to stay with the Canoe family. ¡î A few days later, in the audience room. After all of my official duties was finished in a stream work arrangement, Mimis cut out ¡°Come to think of it¡± with such a feeling. ¡°In the aforementioned case, a proclamation has spread throughout the territory.¡± ¡°Aforementioned case? What¡¯s that¡± I don¡¯t have much of a clue about it. I listened to quite a few reports every day, and I ignored them all. I¡¯m confident that I can say with all my heart that I don¡¯t remember anything about any of them. ¡°That¡¯s ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Shishouuu! I couldn¡¯t do it!¡± Pan! Then the door open with the momentum of hitting against the wall, and Midea jumped in. She suddenly rushed over in front of me and cried. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, what¡¯s couldn¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s challenger, was stronger than me!¡± ¡°Challenger? What¡¯s that¡± I can¡¯t truly see what she was talking about. ¡°A challenger who came to propose.¡± Mimis answered instead. ¡°Ha? What¡¯s that¡± ¡°Perhaps you don¡¯t know? No, but Sora-sama said that she was told by head-sama¡­¡­ ¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, so explain it from scratch.¡± ¡°From the previous aforementioned case, it was also it. It was ¡ºIf you want to marry my daughter, defeat me first. ¡», to the whole territory ¨D¨D no, it was notified to the whole kingdom.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha?¡± What¡¯s that, why did that happen? Whether he understood that I was confused or not, Mimis explains further. ¡°Sora-sama said that ¡ºYou will protect her from bad suitors¡» , but¡­¡­¡± ¡°So it was thaaaaat! Nee-san is the conspirator!¡± Is that it!? Wait, that¡¯s, in the territory ¨D¨D Or rather, it spread throughout the kingdom! Nee-san!!! ¡°That¡¯s why I came here, so I could screen the small fries ahead of shishou ¨D¨D Aah! The challenger is about to come in!¡± Sticking to the window of the audience room, Midea looks out and raises her voice. Or rather, it was a breakwater before I knew it hah. I also went to the window, and looked out. ¡°Tsk¡± At a glance, it was certainly stronger than Midea. Moreover, his aura, and his equipment is also distinct. That¡¯s a ¨D¨Dcelebrity. If I defeat him, rumors will spread even further, but ¨D¨D I have to do that in this situation. At the very least, I¡¯m going to make it just barely a narrow win. I will suppress myself to the same level as the other party¡¯s power, turn the tables on him simply, and make him go home. CH 22 The First Generation¡¯s Track Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the garden of the mansion, Midea was waving her sword. Training in swordsmanship, it¡¯s a fixed type of practice-swinging. What I¡¯ve taught her before, she repeats it single-mindedly. ¡°You¡¯re energetic aren¡¯t you¡± ¡°Master! How is it, my sword?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t it considerably improved?¡± ¡°Really!?¡± Midea enquired back with great joy, and I nodded clearly. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely improved compared to when we first met.¡± ¡°I did it ¡­¡­¡± Midea makes a guts pose with a relieved look. With her straightforward and laudable personality, I just, wanted to get a little more involved. ¡°I have another sword swing for you¡± I took the sword that was leaning under a nearby tree, and set upped the sheath around my waist with my left hand. Being able to always get it out, my posture is just to that extent. ¡°Shishou?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be your partner, attack towards me.¡± ¡°Eh? But¡± ¡°I¡¯ll see how much you¡¯ve improved. Seriously come at me¡± ¡°¨D¨DYes!!!¡± More than some time ago, no, Midea put on her happiest face in quite a while. She prepared the long sword that she unsheathed, and came at me. And, slash. As for the form, it is that blow which I taught. ¡°¨D¨Dtu!¡± I was surprised, its tip seemed to shake with the heat of the air due to it being too sharp. I grabbed it with my two fingers instead of the sword and stopped it, a serious stopping a sword stroke between one¡¯s bare hands. At first, I tried to meet her with my sword, but doing that will scatter a ridiculous level of shock waves around. Thinking so, I pinched and stopped it in order to erase the impact. ¡°Geh¡± I couldn¡¯t stop the shock waves completely, and behind me, dozens of garden trees were cut off in the aftermath of her slash. ¡°Aaah ¡­¡­ as expected of shishou! You stopped it easily¡± No, that blow of yours was amazing, I tried to say that, but I stopped. Midea didn¡¯t lose heart even though I stopped her blow with all her might by pinching its sword edge with my finger. Rather, she lightly swings her sword, and ruminates the form. I should have done this a little nicer¡­¡­ let¡¯s get into reflecting it by myself. After all, she is a praiseworthy, and over hard-working child. Unconsciously, I want to teach her again. ¡°Midea¡± ¡°Yes, what is it ¡ª¡ªwawa, my,my body is being bind!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m stopping you.¡± ¡°Ah, is that so.¡± Immediately after I went to bind her body, she was about to panic, but when I said I did that, Midea quickly regained her composure. I line up next to such Midea, and face in the same direction as her. First of all, I raised my right hand. Then Midea does the same, she also raised her right hand. ¡°Wawa!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a little magic, that makes the other party¡¯s body do the same movement, it¡¯s a magic to that extent¡± ¡°Amazing! Shishou who can do not only swords but also magic is amazing¡± Midea was laughing innocently, she¡¯s not resisting at all. In short, what I¡¯m going to do with this magic is a two-person haori*, the higher version of such. (TN: haori ¨C ¡°Helping Hands¡± comedy performance; performance in which one person wears a haori on their shoulders, while another person behind them puts their arms through the sleeves of the haori and feeds the person in front ¨C Wikipedia) With the bodies being in close contact, it¡¯s the same in the sense that it¡¯s in a nice form, so there are a lot of people who dislike it. But Midea isn¡¯t like that at all. Without feeling any particle of resistance from her, she¡¯s left at my mercy. Her innocent trust seemed commendable again. ¡°Why are you not asking why I was doing this thing?¡± ¡°Come to think of it, why?¡± I smiled wryly. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you a new technique.¡± ¡°¨D¨Dtsu! Really!¡± ¡°Ah. However, as before, don¡¯t tell anyone that I¡¯ve taught you.¡± ¡°Understood! My shishou is Nanas! I¡¯m a student of Nanas style desu!¡± Midea faithfully follows the settings I made. I taught such a Midea with one step ahead. (TN: Hitotsu-saki) In moving together at mirror copy state, I slowly, and steadily pull out my sword, and set an example. I decomposed the form of the posture into several stages, and one by one, I slowly do it. Midea did the same things, as she was forced to do the same movement with my magic. Her innocent smile from a while ago disappeared without a trace. Midea has a serious face, and memorizes the pattern with her body. Yes, with her body. When you teach something, this is the quickest way. Rather than explaining it in words that this is the case. Rather than drawing a picture and leaving it in the form of a book of secrets. Or rather than telling her to do it after actually doing it in front of her. Jumping over all such methods, it¡¯s best for a person who can actually do it to interlock their body movements to the other, and make them feel the same movements. Of course, it¡¯ll be tough to memorize if she simply does it as it is. ¡°Next is, Midea will try it.¡± ¡°Is it okay desu?¡± ¡°I will do it simultaneously, if there is one moving, it will go smooth, and if you can¡¯t keep up, you¡¯ll be caught. So memorize it.¡± ¡°I see, as expected of shishou!¡± Midea was quick to understand, and she was immediately convinced of what I said, and started to move herself. At first, she was caught just as expected. But because I¡¯m teaching her how to move as an example, Midea made a steady correction to her fault. In addition, she immersed herself in it, and repeats it single-mindedly. Midea memorized it well, so it ended earlier than expected. ¡°Your movement is already perfect, after that, all you have to do is practice steadily.¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you Shishou ¨D¨D wait uwah!¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? ¨D¨DOh!¡± I was surprised along with Midea. I wondered at what point she was coming from, and then, nearly ten meters away from our spot, the servants of the mansion that have gathered, were looking at us. Like some kind of curious onlookers, they were looking over here while secretly talking. ¡°Wh,why are they gathered like this?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­. Shishou¡± Midea, who called me, was looking right at the side with an awkward face. Beyond that was¨D¨D the tree which has been cut and has fallen down. Or rather, they gathered ¨D¨D because of that! ¡­¡­ I¡¯ve done it, Midea is too praiseworthy, that I got absorbed in teaching her unintentionally. They were seeing it firmly. ¡°I,is it okay, shishou?¡± ¡°¡­¡­it¡¯s okay, this current form is quite advanced, so I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be able to observe it.¡± ¡°I see!¡± ¡°If they don¡¯t know anything about this, it will only look like you and I are practicing banquet arts together.¡± ¡°Certainly!¡± I and Midea were in sync. There is a banquet art such as this, and it should look like that now from the side. Besides. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure.¡± ¡°Practice of synchronized art?¡± Because the conversation of the servant onlookers who were talking secretly is also what I expected, I felt relieved. I was, but. ¡°That¡¯s the first generation-sama, isn¡¯t it?¡± What¡¯d you say? I heard a line that I somehow can¡¯t allow to pass. I look at the guy, he wasn¡¯t unusual, just an ordinary servant. However, his remark was different from that of the previous servants, so the other servants also turned their eyes on him all at once. ¡°First generation-sama, is it?¡± ¡°The first generation-sama, was the sword master of His Majesty the King, right? In that anecdote, they used to tie their hands to each other with sticks, in order to make their body memorize the form of the sword so that their movements would be synchronized.¡± Yeeeeeeeeees! The first generation did such a thing. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same as it is right now?¡± ¡°Certainly! But they didn¡¯t bind together with a stick.¡± ¡°I wonder if it was magic¡± ¡°Head-sama can do such a thing!¡± Their conversation progresses at an accelerated rate, and they arrive at the truth. As it is, they will go one step closer to saying ¡°The head-sama is honestly amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡±. ¡°Shishou¡­¡­¡± Midea with a troubled face, turns a what should we do look at me. What the hell, does this mean! Don¡¯t leave such a nuisance-to-others anecdote, First generation!! Even though I¡¯ve done some advanced things, isn¡¯t that obvious at the servant level! CH 23 Inevitability? Due to Amnesia Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Can I have a moment, Hermes ¨D¨D wait, what¡¯s that?¡± Nee-san who came into the study, frowned at the small vial I was looking at. ¡°Pills inside a bottle ¡­¡­ is it a kind of aphrodisiac again?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not. This is a memory-erasing drug.¡± ¡°A drug that erases memories?¡± Nee-san slowly came in front of me, and peered into the vial with an increasingly curious face. ¡°Ah. Yesterday, I accidentally done it, and I was exposed at various things to the servants, so it¡¯s a medicine to erase their¨D¨D¡± ¡°So~i!¡± Nee-san took the vial from my hand, and threw it out the window with a quick form. ¡°Mou! You¡¯re doing that again, good grief, are you even a man!¡± While nee-san was in a huff, she walked away from my study. ¡­¡­ As calculated. (TN: LOL, I¡¯ll wait for it to backfire) I took another vial out of my desk drawer. Just like before, there are pills inside the bottle. I took a bead of it, and roll it on the palm of my hand. I knew that nee-san will do that(so~i). That¡¯s why, I had prepared a dummy placebo. Therefore, it was fine for it to be thrown away by nee-san. However, although it was good to order it, I wonder how effective is this. I would like to try one just in case? ¡°¡­¡­just kidding¡± ¡°Mou, Hermes has something strange, so I forgot the important thing, didn¡¯t I?¡± Nee-san came back ¨D¨D gulp. ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± The pill that I was carrying to my mouth to try, as I became a little flustered with the re-appearance of nee-san, I swallowed it as it was. First of all, this surely has an immediate effect ¨D¨D. ¡î ¡°Hermes? What¡¯s wrong, Hermes?¡± There was a very beautiful woman in front of me. She has an elegant dress with a sagacious beautiful face. A person who looks like a princess in a tale. That¡¯s fine, but more than that. ¡°Where is this place? Who am I?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Onee-san, who¡¯re you?¡± ¡°Ju,just a little Hermes? What are you screwing around with?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not screwing around, you know. I really don¡¯t know anything.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­ Ah, this bottle¡± The princess picked up the small vial on the desk in front of me. It¡¯s a bottle containing some sort of medicine. ¡°This is¡­¡­ Did you drink this?¡± ¡°Eh? Uhmm, sorry, I don¡¯t know that either. I really don¡¯t know anything. Ah, but¡± ¡°But?¡± ¡°I feel that some medicine is working in my body.¡± ¡°You understood that?¡± ¡°Yeah. Even so, it¡¯s almost time for everything to metabolize.¡± ¡°Metabolize ¡­¡­? Does that mean that it¡¯ll have no effect?¡± ¡°Yeah. About an hour left? Or, I think it¡¯s shorter.¡± ¡°¡­¡­This is my chance.¡± Perhaps because of my mind, the princess¡¯ eyes are shining, and seemed to be gleaming. After that, she took my hand and stared straight at me. ¡°Listen to my story Hermes¡± ¡°I¡¯m Hermes?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for later. Listen to me first now.¡± ¡°Ye,yes.¡± What a great threatening attitude, I¡¯m about to be overpowered. ¡°I¡¯m your daughter ¨D¨D Yeah, well, it¡¯s complicated! Who made this situation!¡± (TN: LOL, it¡¯s you) An indignant princess. I did something like going along with a quip by myself. ¡°No it¡¯s not, I¡¯m your sister. You may not believe it right away ¨D¨D¡± ¡°No, I believe you¡± ¡°¨D¨DBut, eh?¡± That confused the princess¨D¨D No my nee-san. I gently clasped her hand. ¡°I understand, the warmth of this hand, it feels like I knew it. To me¨D¨D it feels like you¡¯re someone important.¡± ¡°Is, that so¡± Dokin*. (TN: Sfx for heart beating loudly) Suddenly, I heard a sound like that, and with it, nee-san¡¯s face turned bright red. ¡°Nee-san, you okay? I heard the sound of your chest saying dokin just now, but¡± ¡°Dokin¨D¨Dtu, yo,you just misheard that! I didn¡¯t make such a voice.¡± ¡°You put it out, you know. I believe I have a really good ear, look, it seems like the dog is still yawning on the other side of this building.¡± ¡°You?ve?mis?heard. Desu¡± Nee-san¡¯s face approached me, and she said so with a staggering angry look. ¡°Ye,yeah. I¡¯ve misheard, I know right¡± ¡°Rather than that, Hermes, I want you to do, no, I need your help with something.¡± ¡°To me? But, I wonder if I can be of help to nee-san.¡± ¡°Hermes is a boy, I¡¯m a girl. There¡¯s plenty you can do, don¡¯t you agree¡± ¡°That is correct¡± Since I felt the motherhood in the warmth of nee-san¡¯s hand, I thought that I couldn¡¯t do it, but as nee-san said, I¡¯m a man and she is a woman. There are many things that I can do which she can¡¯t. ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Follow me¡± ¡°Yes¡± I was taken out of the room with my hands held by nee-san. Apparently, this looks like a pretty amazing mansion, the corridor has a high ceiling and the carpet is fluffy. I ran through such corridor in one go, went out of the building that was a mansion after all, and proceeded straight to the outside of the plot. At that time. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hermes¡± ¡°M,my head hurts¡± ¡°Head?¡± ¡°It hurts, like it¡¯s about to crack, nee-san ¡­¡­ Somehow, I think I¡¯ll remember.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fast, are you saying that I don¡¯t have time anymore? ¡­¡­ With the power of Hermes, that seems to be the case.¡± Nee-san was muttering something, but it didn¡¯t come into my ears. It hurts like my head is cracking, and my field of vision is blurred making me not see anything properly. ¡°I¡¯m in a rush¡± ¡°Ye,yeah¡± Nee-san held my hands, and ran somehow or another. There are a lot of sounds in my surroundings, it¡¯s noisy, and my head hurts and it¡¯s about to crack. ¡°We have arrived. As I thought, the guild can¡¯t even get their hands on it.¡± ¡°Hey, nee-san¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hermes, take this. And defeat that ¡± I was handed with something by nee-san, then she pushes my back and put me forward. The next moment, something came flying. A lot of them, were flying. There¡¯s a terrifying number of sounds, the sounds of wings. For that reason, my headache got worse and worse. ¡°Buzz buzz buzz buzz shut up!¡± I have a terrible headache and I can hardly get any strength, but for the time being, I swung my sword. ¡î It feels like I was sleeping for a while. Like when I took a half-baked nap, it feels like my head isn¡¯t refreshed. Why did I take a nap? When I try to trace my memory with my unclear head. ¡°¡°¡°Ooohh!!!¡±¡±¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± Suddenly, I heard a deafening cheer. Looking around, I was in the street. There was a huge crowd surrounding me, and for some reason, they were cheering at me. On the other hand, speaking of me, I¨D¨D ¡°¡­¡­Sword? And ¡­¡­ Bee?¡± For some reason, I have a sword, and there are a lot of dead metallic bees at my feet, about the size of a fist. And, there is a beehive-like thing that is half buried in the ground nearby. ¡°Amazing, he defeated all the metal bees in an instant.¡± ¡°It was like a storm.¡± ¡°I thought it was just a stupidity, but it was so awesome hah¡± I mean, perhaps. ¡°Did I, do something again?¡± CH 24 The Price of Seeing Her Naked Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr Tempted by the sound of rain that continues to descend from the morning, I was getting dozy inside my room. ¡°Head-sama, excuse me¡± Along with her knock, I heard the voice of a maid in the mansion. ¡°Fuwah ¡­¡­ what is it?¡± While yawning so much that tears ooze out, I enquired back. The young maid who came into the room, reports. ¡°Her Highness Lina Mi Aegina is here.¡± ¡°Lina? What is she here for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t ¡­¡­¡± The maid knitted her eyebrows, and looked troubled. Well, I wonder if one maid can¡¯t ask a royalty ¡°what did you come here for?¡±. Anyway Lina, what did you really come here for. I¡¯ve been drowsy for a while now, so my head is spinning. Well it¡¯s fine, let¡¯s just ask the person in question. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°Yes, for now, she¡¯s in the guest room at the end of the corridor ¨D¨D ¡± ¡°Guest room, is it¡± I who asked where she was, left the room through the side of the maid in front of the door. Going out into the hallway, I head straight towards the guest room at the end, which she taught me. Anyway¡­¡­ why in the guest room? When a guest comes, they would be lead through the drawing room, right. Can something like this happen? ¡°Fuwah¡­¡­ well, it¡¯s fine¡± As I stretched my body while walking, as I thought, my head isn¡¯t quite working. Even though the sound of rain is there, it feels like the world got quiet at the degree that it stopped moving. Due to the special trait of rainy days, my head doesn¡¯t function more and more. I arrived at the guest room. Putting my hand on the doorknob ¡ª¡ª eh, it¡¯s locked, isn¡¯t it? Why is it locked? Although it was just a guest? I don¡¯t know, did she make a mistake? Oh well, this degree of lock is sloppy ¨D¨D. I twist the knob, force open the lock, and go inside. ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± My head which doesn¡¯t turn, didn¡¯t function well anymore, no, it freezes. My head, and also my body have stiffened. However, the other party was more solidified than I was. Lina Mi Aegina. She was for some reason, naked inside the room. She had taken off her clothes, and was taking new ones. A drop of water from her wet hair, drip, has fallen onto the ground. The stopped time, starts to move. A scream of ripping silk echoed throughout the mansion. ¡î In the guest room, I and Lina are alone. Lina who changed from her wet clothes to dry clothes, was sitting in a chair with an icy look. I on the other hand, was guilty of seeing her naked while she was changing clothes, so I was sitting in seiza* on the floor a few meters away from her chair. (TN: In case you don¡¯t know what seiza means, Seiza ¨C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza ¡°Did you see?¡± ¡°Eh? No, that was¡­¡­¡± ¡°You saw it right, clearly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡± I dropped my shoulders, and got smaller. I had firmly seen her private parts, and I also had my eyes, so I can¡¯t make any excuses for not looking at it. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± Lina terribly sighed. ¡°This is troubling.¡± ¡°Trou,bling?¡± ¡°Unmarried royalty, especially female royalty, values their ??chastity.¡± I,indeed. ¡°We must not show our skin to anyone other than the man who will become our husband. Even if it was our husband, we mustn¡¯t unnecessarily show it except on our sleeping quarters.¡± ¡°Wha,what happens if you were seen?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no choice but to kill the other party¡± ¡°Wha!¡± Lina fixedly stared at me. After making a face like she¡¯s thinking about something, she continues. ¡°The problem starts here¡± ¡°Eh, there¡¯s more?¡± ¡°If the other party is a commoner, we can just rudely beat him, but you are a nobleman, the baron of my kingdom of Aegina. To kill you, I must first report the details to His Majesty.¡± ¡°Nah!¡± I became speechless once again. But, it makes sense. ¡°If that happens, the Canoe family will definitely be demolished.¡± ¡°S,stop that!¡± As expected, it was bad, very bad. I by no means didn¡¯t want to become its head, but I don¡¯t want to crush my house. After all, my ideal is to pass the house to my nee-san as it is. Hence, with that, I¡¯m going to return to my leisure and self-reliant life. I have to avoid anything and everything, but the crush of the Canoe family. ¡°I beg you! I¡¯ll do anything¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Lina tilted her head, and looked at me with a slightly calmed down eyebrows. Is this my hope? ¡°Just now, you said anything, right?¡± ¡°A,ah. I¡¯ll do anything. So don¡¯t report me¡± ¡°Then will you listen to my request?¡± ¡°Request?¡± ¡°In the first place, I came here to request you.¡± ¡°Tell me anything, I¡¯ll do it if I can.¡± Lina smiled, fufu. Her facial expression has softened; this is looking good. ¡°The stray demon(akuma), Sandros, has begun to act violently again these days. I was ordered by His Majesty to subdue it. However, it¡¯s impossible for my prot¨¦g¨¦ to defeat it. That¡¯s why ¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°I should defeat that Sandros, right! Where is it¡± ¡°It¡¯s in here¡± Lina took out a paper folded into four, I received then opened it, and it was a map with a cross mark. It¡¯s not too far, I can go there on a day trip. ¡°First of all, it¡¯ll take about three days to move, but we have our legs ready ¨D¨D¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back¡± Being in a hurry is good, nay, I have to make it there the fastest because it might be too late. I jumped out of the mansion, and while blowing off the rain that was falling in the air, I rushed to the location at the map with all my might. ¡î ¡°Baron Hermes Canoe. Appointing you on subduing Sandros, was a great idea¡± In the audience room of the mansion, a messenger from the kingdom endlessly lined up the praises from His Majesty the Emperor. Even without the formal embellishment phrases, it¡¯s still very long. I can see that he was greatly and terribly pleased with it, and was admiring it. It¡¯s really a staggering compliment. It was said that I, who cooperated unconditionally with Lina, was the most loyal vassal of the kingdom, and that my work should be an example to all aristocrats. He lined up such praises endlessly. In the end was, ¡°It¡¯s safe to say that you are a treasure of the kingdom.¡± I was even told that. While the messenger was speaking for the King, Lina who had accompanied him, remained silent beside the messenger all this time. After giving compliments for 30 minutes, the messenger who fulfilled his mission went out of the audience hall. I let the other vassals and soldiers withdraw, and I become alone with Lina. ¡°What does this mean, why did you tell His Majesty the King?¡± ¡°What are you talking about. Speaking of subjugation, we can even see who did it from the traces. That was the case at the time of Slime Lord, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± ¡°At that time, traces of your power are transmitted to the kingdom. We can easily verify that you have subdued Sandros right away.¡± ¡°Tha,that is true ¡­¡­ that¡¯s right! Then you didn¡¯t have to particularly add that, right?¡± ¡°That?¡± ¡°I somehow cooperated with you unconditionally¡± I was greatly motivated with that too, but nevertheless, that was entirely contrary to the fact! ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± Lina was astonished, and sighed loudly. ¡°You had no choice in saying that. You helped me because you saw my naked body, you can¡¯t say that, can you?¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­¡± As Lina says, as long as I can¡¯t say that I saw Lina¡¯s nakedness, and helped with the conditions to stop her from spreading that, I had no choice but to shut up. ¡°Gunununu ¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s the result of me panicking and stopping Lina. I had another, fame rising in the kingdom. CH 25 Even So, I Didn''t Do It Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Hey, why are you in this city again?¡± ¡°Why are you, trying to hide your true abilities?¡± At the city of Pindos, in a theater bar. In the same seat as before, I was sitting with Lina. ¡°Don¡¯t answer my question with a question.¡± ¡°I remember that my question was far ahead of yours.¡± ¡°Muh¡± It was at that time of the first inspection huh. Certainly, since that time she has been asking me the same question. ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. The reason I¡¯m here is simple. To know why you hide your real abilities so much.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t particularly want to hide it.¡± ¡°Umu, I understand.¡± Kuh, I was handled well. Lina replied composedly like a royalty would, but its actual nuance is close to ¡°yes yes I know.¡± Perhaps it was this Lina next to nee-san in this world, who has predicted my real ability. I can also see that she¡¯ll say ¡°yes yes I know it¡±. I understood it, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can start talking like ¡°Actually¨D¨D¡±. Especially now. I can¡¯t say it in front of the public. Therefore, I shut up, ignoring her. ¡°¡­¡­Fuh¡± Lina glanced at me sideways, with her face facing the stage. She sighed with a feeling of good grief*. (TN: it¡¯s Yareyare) After ¡°Yes, yes, I know¡±, I felt like I was told, ¡°Dear me, when will you be honest?¡±. ¡î ¡°Runaway slimes¡± The next day, at the audience hall. As usual, I was doing my duties and listening to the reports half-mindedly from the vassals under Mimis, but I heard a keyword that somehow caught my attention. Slime ¨D¨D Slime Lord. Because it was at the same family of monster that I¡¯ve defeated before, I was bothered about the story. That was a correct interpretation in a sense. Mimis continued to report further. ¡°Hah, since the Head had previously subdued the Slime Lord, the slime in the Canoe family territory became quiet at one point, but¡± ¡°That runaway you said was?¡± ¡°It was the result of losing the king that commands them, in which its unifying force was lost.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°What will you do?¡± Mimis asked that. I who was usually ignoring him, asked for details, so he queried my judgment, which was not the way I planned. ¡°Even if they run amok, they were just slimes, right?¡± ¡°Yes, their number seems to be a little high, but there was no doubt they¡¯re at the level of slimes¡± ¡°If so, I¡¯ll leave it to you¡± ¡°Your will¡± ¡î ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the afternoon, after finishing my official work, I was relaxing in the garden ¨D¨D but. In my head, the runaway slimes which was reported by Mimis is stuck. How should I put it, it¡¯s something like a news of insects. It may be called my intuition. In this matter, it feels like something out of the ordinary is going to happen. My intuition is whispering so. I didn¡¯t care if it had nothing to do with me, but I defeated the Slime Lord a little while ago. Isn¡¯t that the cause of what was happening around? That¡¯s what I feel. ¡°¡­¡­It can¡¯t be helped.¡± If something really happens because of me, I can¡¯t overlook it. ¡î Aegean grassland. I came to the place where I defeated Slime Lord before. Secretly, by myself. Without informing anyone, on my own. Since I don¡¯t want to be seen when I do something. However, even if I won¡¯t be seen, I¡¯ll be exposed with the traces, but still, I came alone just in case. I walk through the meadow for a while, and head towards the place where the runaway slime was reported. ¡°Oh, squirming.¡± After walking for a while, I found a flock of slime swarming for food. In terms of numbers alone, it¡¯s twice as many as the time I defeated the Slime Lord before. But, everything was just slimes. ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s true.¡± Just in case. I observed it carefully. Yeah, it is after all. Everything here, is just slimes. Instinctively flocking to the food that the people offered to keep them away, was just, the weakest monster, slimes. On top of that. ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡­ cannibalism?¡± If you look closely, perhaps because there are too many slimes and there is not enough food, some slimes fight with each other, and the winning slime takes in the losing slime¨D¨D eating it. Partly because of that, the slimes gradually decreased in number. They¡¯re already the weakest slime, and moreover, they destroying themselves. I don¡¯t need to come out here more and more. I was relieved, and without doing anything, I left the Aegean grassland. ¡î The next day, in the theater. For some reason, Lina was present again. ¡°I heard, the story¡± ¡°What story?¡± ¡°It seems that you have defeated the slimes¡± ¡°Eh? No, no, I didn¡¯t do it¡± I answered with confidence. Yes, I haven¡¯t done anything. I just went to see something¨D¨D. ¡°There is information that you have been witnessed in the field.¡± ¡°Muh¡± I was seen hah. No, there¡¯s no problem. I can say it with confidence this time. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haa¡± Lina sighed. It¡¯s a sigh I¡¯ve heard. ¡°I understand, you want it to be like that.¡± ¡°Eh? No no no¡± Lina seems to have grandly misunderstood it. ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything, believe me.¡± ¡°You are always like that. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to even hide it from me.¡± ¡°No, no, as I said, I didn¡¯t really do it.¡± I was in a hurry. Lina is believing it, convinced of it. That I was the one who run wild and did the slimes. Her reaction is just like, ¡°Yes yes I know¡± the same as before. ¡°But you were being very careful.¡± ¡°Very careful?¡± ¡°There was no trace at all.¡± That¡¯s because I haven¡¯t really done anything. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you were intending to erase your traces. I¡¯m even impressed if you go through that much against slimes as your opponent.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really different.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Fuh¡± Once again, a sigh. Beyond the ¡°Yes yes, I know¡±, it¡¯s a ¡°Yare yare, when will you be honest.¡± astounded sigh. ¡°Well, the fact is fact, I¡¯ll praise you for the time being. As a nobleman, you are an exemplary figure as a lord who goes out on his own, even if it is a trivial matter.¡± I was praised. Although Lina¡¯s eyes are astounded, it was showing a favorable color to ¡°What I did¡±. ¡°I really didn¡¯t do anything.¡± I defended, but Lina in the end ¡°Yes yes, I know¡± Handled me well with those words. CH 26 Human Resources Discovery Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Tax?¡± In the audience room, one of the reports I received from Mimis caught me. Recently, perhaps Mimis has learned how to deal with me, since the way of his reporting has changed from before. He does a basic overview, and he will only explain in detail the matter I bite at. Even now, since I bit at the word ¡°tax¡±, he received another document from another vassal again, and he started to explain in detail while reading it. ¡°It¡¯s from a village called Shiromero, but it¡¯s only recently that they¡¯ve dodged paying tax.¡± ¡°Is there any reason?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing especially, if I say it strongly, I guess it¡¯s about the replacement of village chief.¡± ¡°I see¡± Seeing that I didn¡¯t dig deep as I said that, Mimis said nothing and went to the next report. Tax, hah. ¡î After the day¡¯s work, I went out to the city of Pindus. While walking through the bustling city of Pindus, I was thinking about Shiromero in my head. The moment I heard Mimis¡¯ story, I thought I could use it for something. Speaking of prodigal lords, I know that in the past, their collection of tax has often failed. My purpose is to buy hate decently from there, and to be naturally driven away from being the Head. I was walking while thinking that how could I make good use of Shiromero, which doesn¡¯t pay taxes properly. ¡°¡­¡­ Is it the safest to leave them alone?¡± A Lord who can¡¯t even collect taxes, will be branded as incompetent. It may be okay to just leave them alone, without me doing anything in particular. ¡°Are you stupid!¡± I heard an extremely angry bellow, and the sound of hitting something. The passers-by around me were scared all at once, but just by taking a quick look at the direction of the voice, everyone walked away with a feeling that it doesn¡¯t concern them. Wondering what was going on, I then went to the direction of the voice. And then, in the back alley, a thug¨D¨D No, I found people doing hoodlum business. Their number is 5, one of them is obviously the boss or Big brother*, or a man with that sort of position. (TN: The Kingpin of a gangster) He had an angry face, and he slap the side of the face of the weakest of the five. ¡°With that collection a little while ago, are you an amateur!¡± ¡°I,I¡¯m sorry! Bu,but I think that way was better¨D¨D¡± ¡°Ahhn? But? What do you think, that I¡¯m wrong?¡± ¡°¨D¨D! That¡¯s not the case¨D¨D¡± When he was about to make an excuse, the weak-looking man was slapped by the cheek by his boss again. He staggered with its momentum, and banged his head against the wall. They crouched down on the spot where he collided. ¡°We can¡¯t use you at all. Let¡¯s go, you guys¡± ¡°¡°¡°Yes!¡±¡±¡± The boss threw him away, and went away with his other minions. The man who looks timid was left behind. The way they left him was, in reality, they turned their backs, and abandoned him. That I can feel. ¡°Ahaha¡­¡­ look¡­¡­ I¡¯m no good as I thought¡­¡­¡± The man, who looked timid, was depressed, as he sunk into the ground. The person himself seems to be aware of it. There was something I thought about, and I, approached the man and called out to him. ¡î We enter a nearby simple restaurant, and sit face to face. ¡°Uh,uhmm¡­¡­ what do you want from me?¡± ¡°I have something to ask of you. Ah, before that, I¡¯m Hermes Canoe. Your name is ¡± ¡°I¡¯m Nassos ¡­¡­ eh? Ca,canoe¡­¡­?¡± After hearing my name, the man who called himself Nassos momentarily looked blankly. ¡°Eeeeeeehh!?¡± Then, he was so surprised that he turned the chair over, and it has fallen on the ground on its back. ¡°Ca,Ca,Caca¡­¡­¡± ¡°Caca?¡± ¡°CaCaCanoe-sama, perhaps you are the Head-sama!?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeehh!?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. Rather than that, sit down. I have something to ask of you.¡± ¡°Ha,hah¡­¡­¡± Nassos raised his chair, and sat back with a terrifying surprise. Perhaps he was scared to hear that I¡¯m the Lord, his butt is only half on the chair, and as I see it, he was sitting uncomfortably. Well, leaving that aside, let¡¯s hear his story. ¡°First, I¡¯ll confirm, are you collecting debt?¡± ¡°Ye,yes¡­¡­ But I¡¯m something like a dropout. So, I was scolded by Big brother a while ago ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Fumu¡± It was that scene which I witnessed huh. They are a debt collector gang, that¡¯s why, they went to collect debt, but this weak-looking man named Nassos was punished for making some mistakes. And in addition to that. ¡°I was no good at it¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Yes, everyone has always said that kind of thing to me ¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see¡± Apparently, it seems like that. Let¡¯s go with him. With him, it will surely fail. (TN: LOL) ¡°Hey Nassos, I have expectations from you, so can I ask you for something.¡± ¡°To me?¡± ¡°Ah yes. At the village called Shiromero, the tax payments at that place are delayed, so can you collect it?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°If you turn up, 5 percent ¨D¨D No, I¡¯ll take 10% for you.¡± ¡°Eeeeeeehh!?¡± Nassos is terribly surprised. It¡¯s not particularly a strange story. Even now, some noblemen outsource their tax collection to non-subordinate merchants, or collection specialists. When I heard it, I asked some people for their bid, and there seems to be a way to leave ¡°their pay (take) from a couple of it¡±. I¡¯m trying to get Nassos to do that. If I¡¯m not wrong, this guy will fail. And if he fails, it will be my responsibility. The plan is just right. Even if I fail once to collect the taxes in the Shiromero village, the damage will not be enough to shake the Canoe family itself. I can make a reasonable mistake there, and lower my rating. ¡°Bu,but I¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can do it.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I decided to push him. It¡¯s rare for me to see a failure as clear as someone like Nassos. I have to instigate, and motivate him here. ¡°I¡­¡­ I can do it?¡± ¡°Ah, you can. I believe so¡± ¡°You believe me¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Rather, I have expectations, in your power.¡± in a negative sense ¨D¨D I didn¡¯t say that. Nassos had his eyes wide open. When I thought that he was surprised, at the next moment, he began to tremble all over. He started crying at the end! ¡°I,I¡­¡­ it was the first time in my life that I was told this much.¡± ¡°Is that right?¡± ¡°Big brother, and also my dad and mom, I¡¯ve been told that I¡¯m no good. To such me¡­¡­ to such me¡­¡­¡± Nassos wipes his tears with the back of his hand, severely, and he stared at me with his face while saying. ¡°I¡¯ll do it! I, will risk my life for Hermes-sama!¡± ¡°That¡¯s the spirit!¡± I thought in my heart that I was able to put it well. By the way, I didn¡¯t give him any instructions on how to do it. I¡¯ll tell him how to do something and he¡¯ll succeed ¨D¨D that was the pattern so far. I¡¯ll leave everything to Nassos. I expected failure from him, and I¡¯m convinced that he would. ¡î Half a month later, at the audience hall. ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± I, was speechless with Mimis¡¯ report. ¡°Mu, I have to say that this is as expected of the Head. We possibly, couldn¡¯t think of this at all.¡± ¡°No, wait, praise me later ¨D¨D no, don¡¯t praise me¡± I was confused. What did Mimis, who came in during the audience at the morning during work hours, just say? ¡°The tax of Shiromero, has been collected, is it?¡± ¡°At the exact full amount¡± ¡°By who?¡± ¡°By a young man named Nassos. He said that he was ordered by the Head, though?¡± Was it different? To Mimis who makes that face. ¡°That¡¯s, correct, but¡± Eh? What does this mean? You mean to say that he took the tax properly? Wasn¡¯t Nassos supposed to fail. Did I do anything wrong? To such confused me, Mimis continues as if to explain. ¡°Well, he may look like a weak young man at first glance, but he¡¯s the type that grows if you compliment him.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± If you compliment him¡­¡­ he¡¯ll grow. ¡°And according to what I hear, he has never been praised before. And yet, he felt indebted to Head-sama who found him. That¡¯s why, he desperately done it, I guess¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°As expected of the Head. No, I wish you could teach me at that area. Not being praised for all life ¨D¨D That is, the secret of how you found the talent of a man that no one has noticed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re lying¡± I became more and more vacant. Thanks to the success of Nassos, my reputation of collecting tax has risen among my vassals. Moreover. ¡°It¡¯s the most important ability for a Ruler.¡± It seems that the place which I shouldn¡¯t have risen the most has gone up. CH 27 Power Running Wildly Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Shadow of the Dragon King?¡± In the audience hall, I was caught in Mimis¡¯ report. Unlike usual, Mimis was preparing to report the details from the beginning, whether it was something much more important. ¡°That¡¯s right. There is a directive from the kingdom, and by no means, it got stimulated¡± ¡°What is the shadow of the dragon king¡± ¡°The previous story is about a dragon-type monster. Its power is tremendously strong ¨D¨D but it will never rampage unless it¡¯s stimulated.¡± ¡°Hee¡± ¡°However, it was said that once it gets angry, it can easily destroy a human country. Because of that, we were given a decree that we should never meddle with it.¡± ¡°Understood, don¡¯t stimulate it¡± I nodded. It¡¯s a troubling story, but if they want to leave it alone, I¡¯ll do it. I¡¯ll just leave it as ordered. I haven¡¯t had such an easy command. But. ¡°¡­¡­Hey, is there any chance that the kingdom has ordered me to subjugate it?¡± I who became suspicious of what I¡¯ve done this far, confirmed it with Mimis. Even this act of confirming it could be a flag, but still, I couldn¡¯t help but confirm it. Mimis said this flatly without any hesitation. ¡°That¡¯s not possible. We¡¯ll let sleeping dogs lie. For the last 200 years, not only in the kingdom, the world took the same stance in the shadow of the Dragon King. If you put your hands on it, you could become the enemy of the world.¡± ¡°Is that so¡± I was relieved to hear that. I with a sigh of relief, continue working. I was just listening to him, though. After that, nothing in particular happened, and rather, my official duties ended earlier than usual. Watching the vassals walk away from the audience hall, I think. Since it ended earlier than usual, I¡¯m going to play somewhere today. I¡¯ll go to Orthia for the first time in a long time huh. It¡¯s about time for her to say, ¡°It¡¯s a once in a lifetime request, Hermes-chan¡±. Alright, let¡¯s do that. The moment I tried to stand up, and put my hand on the armrest of the chair. Baki. The well decorated armrest, broke with a noise. ¡°Hmm?¡± While grasping the broken handrail, I gaze at it. Some are shattered. This chair, have this much backlash? ¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s different! Then, the shattered wood chips jumped into my nose when I remembered something. The result. ¡°¨D¨DHekshou!¡± Dogoon!!! With a single sneeze, half of the audience hall was blown away. ¡°Kuh! Have I start rampaging again!¡± As my vassals and soldiers assemble together in a gathering noise for some reason, I, was only thinking about leaving this place first. ¡î At the summit of an empty rocky mountain, tens of kilometers away from Pindos. I was sitting there by myself. There¡¯s nothing around; no one. There are no animals, let alone humans and plants, there¡¯s nothing. I evacuated to a place where I wouldn¡¯t involve anyone and reveal my secret. Still, this time has come. Once every few years, there is a time when I lose complete control of my strength. Not being able to control it isn¡¯t a metaphor, it¡¯s literally out of control. The output of the force, is fixed with a completely constant amount. As a result of several experience, I¡¯ve found that this lasts for about five days. On the first day, everything will be done with 100% power. For example¨D¨D Doooooooohhn!!! It¡¯s been a while, so it can¡¯t be helped, and the moment I put out my tongue to moisten my lips. The shock wave generated by the friction between my tongue and lips, caused an explosion that shook the mountain. I can¡¯t control it. On the first day, no matter what I do, the output would be 100%, then it will decrease down by 20% every day, and if I endure for five days, it will return and I can control my force again as it was. During that time, I have no choice but to keep my breath still, especially for the first three days. It¡¯s strictly forbidden to move, and even to sleep. When I was a kid, I couldn¡¯t do anything on the first day, and just by me turning over in my sleep, a mountain was blown off. It¡¯s literally out of control, I can¡¯t do anything. Even now, a gust of wind is occurring just by me breathing through my nose. Anyway, I¡¯ll stay still for the first three days; that¡¯s just it. I stood still on the mountain. I¡¯m careful not to drink, eat, and sleep. Anyway, I was simply standing still. It was pretty hard to just stay still, but with my experience so far, I chose an empty rocky mountain, so nothing happened. I¡¯ve hidden in the forest before. Then, small animals gathered at me who didn¡¯t move, and the feathers which were dropped by a flapping bird tickled my nose, then I¡¯ve blown off the front half of the forest with a sneeze. Cave is no good, and there¡¯s no dust-ish enclosed space. That¡¯s why, I came to a rocky mountain like this that is open and empty. On the first day, nothing happened. On the second day, the sky was cloudy enough that it rained, but I managed to avoid it. On the third day, my stomach was reasonably empty. Every time it rang, there was a thunderous roar around me, but since I am 60% empty stomach, it¡¯s about the sound of a firecracker. Nothing happened on the fourth day. When it dropped to 40%, I could afford to rearrange my legs. As I was able to feel at ease in my heart, a slime appeared on the way and attacked me, but the moment I touched it, it disappeared. The monster seems to have reacted to my power which was grandly leaking out of control. While doing so, I reached the last day without any problems occurring. Even though I still couldn¡¯t control it, it has fallen to 20% of my full power, so I was able to stand up and stretch. When I stood up, I stepped through the ground and I was able to make a little pitfall, but it¡¯s cute considering what I¡¯ve done so far. One more day, if I can survive today, my daily life will start again from tomorrow ¨D¨D. ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± My eyes went down because I got up and stretched. Under the rocky mountain, there¡¯s a huge body that looks like a small mountain in itself. The Dragon has a black body, but a red light is blinking repeatedly from under its skin. That guy has its eyes on me. And, I saw humans behind it. It was a group of soldiers; their number is less than 300 ¨D¨D a squad level huh. Looking at their behavior, it feels like they¡¯re following the dragon and surrounding it at a distance. Are they subduing it? No, I can¡¯t feel the fighting spirit from the soldiers for that. It feels like they¡¯re completely in a wait-and-see mode. It¡¯s a strange sight¨D¨D ¡°¨D¨DAh¡± I remember. The story I heard from Mimis just before the running wild of my power began. Dragon King¡¯s Shadow. It¡¯s a bad opponent who can¡¯t be stimulated, even a little bit. Those soldiers are defending it. From the human beings, to the Dragon King¡¯s Shadow. It it¡¯s stimulated, it will start rampaging, so it seems that they¡¯ll eliminate those who give it even a little bit of stimulation before that happens. That¡¯s why they are there. ¡°Guuuoooooohh!!¡± The Dragon king¡¯s shadow roared while looking up to the heavens. This is bad, I can see that it is strong just by its roar. It¡¯s strong as expected, and that¡¯s simply an entity which was said that I can¡¯t take out. It jumped at me. It jumps up the mountain in an instant, turns around in the air, and rushes towards me. ¡°Kuh! Did it see me as a threat!¡± Like the yesterday¡¯s slime, in response to my power ¡ª¡ª it got stimulated and attacked me. Dammit, there should be nothing amiss if I was normal! I can do something like ¡°turn off my sign¡±, but I can¡¯t do that right now. I can¡¯t control it. In the mean of that, the dragon approached me. It has bloody eyes, and furious facial expression. It opens its huge mouth and bites me. I didn¡¯t have the time to think about it, my body reacted without permission. Strong, this is not a measure-by-feel opponent, I have to fight back. I grab the fangs of its mouth that was biting me, stopping it ¨D¨D and I tear it off. I tore the dragon¡¯s jaws up and down. Soon after, the soldiers caught up. I didn¡¯t have the time to destroy the evidence. As I tore the dragon apart, I was covered in its blood. The 300 soldiers saw it and made a blank look. ¡°The Dragon King¡¯s Shadow ¡­¡­ it¡¯s a lie, isn¡¯t it?¡± A man who seems to be the head commanding officer murmured so. Kuh, it¡¯s the Dragon King¡¯s Shadow after all huh. I wonder if I can somehow deceive them from here on. ¡­¡­Impossible huh. Even if I deceive these guys, if they can trace my power, I will be exposed in the end. If the Dragon King¡¯s shadow is defeated, it will definitely be investigated, and Aegina will reach that it¡¯s me in an instant. Dammit! It was over in a day without a hitch. CH 28 Double Push Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr No, it¡¯s still too early to give up. There must be some way, think me. I have a simple purpose as well. I don¡¯t want to earn achievements; I don¡¯t want my abilities to be exposed. I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a long time. I¡¯m prepared with this. I was thinking day and night, so an idea flash in me shortly. I had blown off the mansion before I came here, I went out without telling anyone as it was, and there wasn¡¯t any news from me for four days. It should be in the form of a bad disappearance. Let¡¯s just say that I was possessed, or something. If I said, that I was being possessed and manipulated, I could explain that it was my power that defeated it. In that case, I can say that my power have also been boosted, so I¡¯m going to make do with that. In addition, I can even say that I have no memory of it. ¡°¡­¡­I can go, I can go with this setting¡± I¡¯ve come to feel that the more I think about it, the more I can go with this. The fact that it disappeared immediately after my rampage, may have a good effect for the ones who came here. In order to further increase the credibility of me being possessed ¨D¨D let¡¯s knock down the soldiers. Pretending to be running wild, let¡¯s beat the hell out of everyone. The other party are general soldiers, so if I return to my senses later, and was ask to pay a compensation, or expressions of sympathy, it¡¯ll be concluded. Rather, I could pay them a lot of money in order to hide my blunder as an aristocrat. It¡¯s like having the Canoe family cover up my mistakes. Yup, it¡¯s getting better and better. Alright, let¡¯s go with this setting¨D¨D. ¡°Your Highness! It wasn¡¯t an optical illusion; the Dragon King¡¯s shadow has been defeated.¡± ¡°That guy, that bloodstained guy seems to have done it!¡± The moment I tried to swoop down to a soldier, at their exact words, I stopped moving. (TN: LOL) ¡­¡­ Your Highness? I stood still, and stared at the group of just under 300 soldiers. A man who looks like the commander, talks to me while feeling timid. ¡°My name is Shou Za Aegina. The third prince of the Kingdom of Aegina.¡± ¡­¡­Prince? By prince, do you mean that prince? The third son of the king, are you saying it¡¯s that prince? I couldn¡¯t raise a hand against them, in that moment. No matter how much I am being possessed with something, if I harm the prince, there is a possibility that the house would be crushed. I can¡¯t knock them down; my choices have disappeared without a trace. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are, Hermes Canoe, aren¡¯t you¡± Furthermore, the prince knew me! ¡°Eh, well¡­¡­¡± ¡°How did you defeat the Dragon king¡¯s shadow with a single blow?¡± Even worse, he was clearly aware of it. Kuh, will my stock go up with the prince as the other party? ¡î ¡°¡­¡­In other words, I didn¡¯t see it, is it?¡± Near the corpse of the shadow of the Dragon king. Keeping the soldiers at a distance, I talk with the third prince, Shou Za Aegina, with just the two of us. Rather than saying it, I requested him earnestly. I who thought that I couldn¡¯t deceive him anymore, straightly, said that I was the one who defeated the shadow of the Dragon King, but I sincerely asked him not to tell it to the others. ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Why is that. I know about the Dragon king¡¯s Shadow. If you have defeated it, you¡¯ll be praised as a hero.¡± ¡°My apologies, Your Highness. Please forgive me.¡± I didn¡¯t say my reason, but by breaking through to him a single point that it¡¯s no good somehow, I requested Shou earnestly. At first, Shou asked me why, but I said ¡°At any rate, it¡¯s no good¡±, so as he gradually gave up, twice the emotions of shock appeared on his face. ¡°Fuh ¡­¡­ it¡¯s just like the story I heard from Lina.¡± ¡°From Her Highness Lina?¡± ¡°Ah, you have the power, but you try to hide it for some reason. That¡¯s what I heard from her.¡± ¡°Kuh¡± That girl was saying such things to him huh. ¡°Rest assured¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°For now, I¡¯m the only one who have heard that story, and it should be the case.¡± ¡°I,is that so¡± I don¡¯t know if it really is, but I have no choice but to believe him. And if he has listened to Lina¡¯s story, we might be able to match our talk a little. That¡¯s why I, with all my might, requested him with the momentum as if I¡¯m begging. (TN: LOL) ¡°Please, Your Highness! Please!!¡± ¡°¡­¡­I understand¡± ¡°The,then!?¡± ¡°Ah, I won¡¯t tell anyone. Of course, so as to not stimulate the Dragon King¡¯s shadow, we have guided it well and have kept it away from human habitations. Even if it died, it doesn¡¯t change much in the sense that it won¡¯t appear in human residency. Rather, that threat was as good as being permanent to aristocrats.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being repetitious. I won¡¯t overturn what I once agreed on. The words of a Royal family are heavier than the mountains.¡± ¡°Thank you very much!¡± I bowed my head in a flash. Well, I understand this prince¡¯s story. Shou said that he will keep this matter in his own heart. There¡¯s one more person who knows my strength, but if he won¡¯t spread it, it would be the same as not increasing. As is the case with Lina, a royalty can be trusted when the word ¡°Royal family¡± comes up in them. I was relieved ¨D¨D at that moment. The corpse of the Dragon King¡¯s shadow began to wriggle. I heard a bubbling sound of a boiling liquid, and I and Shou looked at that direction simultaneously. The mouth I tore open further splits, and a black shadow pops out from it. The shadow attacks Shou. I have to save him¨D¨D no, it¡¯s bad. Like that, I hesitated for a moment, but thinking about it, Shou already knows that I¡¯m ¡°somewhat strong¡±, so I don¡¯t need to hesitate in front of him. As I check the surroundings for a while only, the soldiers were far away, have turned their backs, and weren¡¯t looking over here. This is all good. ¡°Excuse me¡± I pulled out the longsword from Shou¡¯s waist, and slashed the flying shadow. The blow couldn¡¯t cut it, the blade slipped through it. It seems that it isn¡¯t a physical entity. If that is so, I¡¯ll fire a second attack like a Swallow Counter*. (TN: Tsubame gaeshi, I somehow remember an anime with this) This time, it¡¯s a slash that is effective against spiritual bodies. Then, the black shadow was cut in half, and it disappeared without a trace like smoke. This sort of guy is¡ª¡ª ¡°It looks like it¡¯s trying to take over His Highness.¡± It¡¯s just a guess, but it shouldn¡¯t be too far on the mark. That may be the true identity of the Dragon king¡¯s shadow, which was possessing the dragon. Well, I¡¯ve defeated it, so it doesn¡¯t matter anymore. Just like when I was returning scissors, kitchen knives, and so on, I pointed the blade of the longsword towards myself, and presented it to Shou. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for doing something impertinent ¡­¡­ Your Highness?¡± I noticed that Shou was staring straight at me. His expression is serious. ¡­¡­This is bad! He was here! ¡°You saved my life.¡± ¡°No, that is ¨D¨D¡± ¡°I¡¯m the third prince of the Kingdom of Aegina, Shou Za Aegina.¡± ¡°So, Your Highness. Promise me that you¡¯ll keep this a secret.¡± ¡°Umu, a royalty never goes back on his words. I¡¯ll bring the matter of the subjugation of the Dragon King¡¯s shadow to the grave. However¡± Kah, then Shou opened his eyes wide. ¡°If I don¡¯t give my gratitude to the one who save my life, I¡¯ll be a disgrace to the royal family.¡± is what he said. Ah, I can¡¯t stop this anymore ¡­¡­ I had to resign myself. Fortunately, Shou told me that he would keep the matter about the Dragon King¡¯s shadow a secret. That¡¯s the blessing in disguise. ¡î ¨D¨Dthere was never such a thing, but rather, it has the opposite effect. The same with Lina, Shou sent me a second Order of the Xiphos Cross for subjugating the Slime Lord. Two cross medals for subduing the Slime Lord. It clearly resulted in adverse effect. Is there something about the man named Hermes? Like that, a rumor grew in the kingdom on the contrary. CH 29 Making Things Worse like Taking a Breath Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± In the study of the mansion, I sighed deeply when I saw the two cross medals lined up on my desk. The two cross medals, were both titled to me after subduing the Slime Lord. ¡°I didn¡¯t predict this ¡­¡­ or rather, these two are hands in gloves* ¡­¡­¡± (TN: means working together) Because of the unexpected development, my head hurts due to my stupidity. ¡°Master! If you¡¯re free, then please look at my practice ¡ª¡ª Oh!¡± Midea came into the study. She looked at the two cross medals on my desk, and shined her eyes. ¡°You got it this time desune. As expected of master! You got two Xiphos Cross Medal in this short period of time! As I thought, master is an amazing person!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t even feel like retorting to her. To the flatters of the innocent Midea, I wanted to sigh on the contrary. Tap tap, when I heard a knocking sound and turned to it, Nee-san was there in front of the door, which was not close, where Midea had come in, and she expressly knocked on the open door. ¡°Nee-san¡± ¡°You were in a place like this heh. Ah, this is your second cross medal ¡± Nee-san who entered the study with the door closed behind her, was the same as Midea; she first noticed the cross medals. ¡°Master is amazing, right!¡± ¡°That¡¯s natural. By the way, Hermes¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Nee-san¡± ¡°Why did you get this?¡± ¡°Ugh¡± As expected of nee-san, she doesn¡¯t seem to believe the reason that I got it was for subduing the Slime Lord from the very beginning. Of course, that¡¯s correct. Even the first one is doubtful in various ways, much less on the push of the second time. There is no way that the wise nee-san can swallow it. But, as expected, I can¡¯t really say the reason. I have to deceive her. ¡°Well¡­¡­ that is¡­¡­¡± However, I couldn¡¯t think of anything. I feel like it should be better not to say anything. If say something, I¡¯ll dig my own grave. No, but, if I don¡¯t say anything, then it¡¯s like I¡¯m confirming it, so it feels like I¡¯m absolutely digging my own grave. A¡¯re? Am I somehow checkmated? What, am I worrying about. ¡°It¡¯s the Dragon King¡¯s shadow, I understand.¡± ¡°So you did know that, nee-san!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± For some reason, nee-san was surprised. I was surprised as well at the reaction of such nee-san. With Midea in between, I and nee-san stared at each other with dumbfounded faces. ¡°Since it¡¯s been making frequent appearances these days, I thought I¡¯d just say it as a suitable joke, but¡­¡­ no way, you confronted it¡± ¡°Ugah!¡± You were joking with me! And then I was caught! What the hell ¡­¡­ no, wait. I should think positively. I¡¯m glad that it was nee-san who I was exposed to. Nee-san knows a lot about me, she has known me for a long time. The problem ¨D¨D would be Midea listening to our talk! ¡°Uhmm, Master¡± ¡°What is it¡± ¡°Dragon King¡¯s shadow, what¡¯s that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­You don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Yes, is it something amazing?¡± Midea answers while looking blankly. It¡¯s a reaction which I could see that she really doesn¡¯t know it. ¡­¡­ Bad, this is very bad. It¡¯s very bad that she doesn¡¯t know it. If she doesn¡¯t know the significance of the existence of the Dragon king¡¯s shadow, she may innocently say that ¡°My master has eradicated a strong monster, you know¡± with enthusiasm. I have to forbid her from speaking with all my might. ¡°Midea, this thing is a secret¡± ¡°This thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the name of the monster I defeated. Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Eh, but I have to tell everyone what¡¯s cool about my master¨D¨D¡± ¡°If you say it, I¡¯ll excommunicate you.¡± When I told her as if intimidating her with a straight face, Midea was poof, she held her mouth down. ¡°Fuafuahifahifuahihifuahen¡± ¡°I understand that you won¡¯t say it, I guess? You don¡¯t have to hold your mouth, you can talk.¡± ¡°Yes! I¡¯ll seriously take it to my grave!¡± As expected of her grandchild, she said it in the same manner as that Jii-san. Midea is an honest child, so there should be no problem, but let¡¯s push her one more time just in case. ¡°Really? If you say it, I¡¯ll excommunicate you immediately, you know.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t! Please believe me!¡± ¡°Got it¡± Midea¡¯s eyes were terribly serious, with also some fear. If she¡¯s this afraid of being excommunicated, she won¡¯t say it. It hurts my conscience a little to threaten her strongly, but it can¡¯t be helped. ¡°I, am going to practice! I won¡¯t listen to any more important discussions from master and the others!¡± Midea said so, and went out of the study. If she won¡¯t listen, she won¡¯t leak. I was a little relieved to find out that Midea was going to keep her promise. Midea went out into the corridor, and closed the door behind her. ¡°Ah, Midea-chan. Hey, hey, can I ask you a little?¡± Immediately after, I heard a young woman¡¯s voice through the wall. It¡¯s a young voice other than nee-san and Midea in this mansion, a maid. The maid is with Midea, ¡°Master¡¯s medal, haven¡¯t you asked what was that for? You¡¯re his disciple, so you asked him, right¡± Geh, she came without warning. Well, Midea said that she wouldn¡¯t say ¨D¨D ¡°I,I don¡¯t know! I don¡¯t know at all that master has defeated something amazing!¡± ¡°Oh, as expected, he did something amazing. Hey, well well, what was that?¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaaaaaahh!¡± ¡°She¡¯s poor at lying!¡± With enough momentum to knock down the chair as I stand up, I rushed into her. ¡°She is, you know.¡± Nee-san floats a bitter smile. I chased after her on the outside, but Midea had already left somewhere to escape. On this day, one after another, people who were trying to ask Midea about what occurred inside appeared, and the outcome was Midea continued to deny it in that tone. Rumors of the two medals, have become increasingly stuck in quagmire. CH 30 Prostitute¡¯s Innocence Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Hermes-chan, I have a lifetime request!¡± (TN: Again?) Inside the familiar brothel, Orthia wished with both hands, and clung to me with gaze of upturned eyes. Taking the opportunity, she¡¯s quite requesting earnestly that she¡¯s also sitting in seiza*. (TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiza) ¡°How many times has it been in your lifetime?¡± For the time being, I did the usual tsukkomi. This is already a one-set. For form¡¯s sake, I¡¯ll just quip, and talk to her. ¡°What is it this time, did some delicious sake come into Pindos again?¡± ¡°Nuh uh, I¡¯ll coax that generally afterwards¡± ¡°You¡¯re doing it separately huh¡± Well, that sake is not that expensive, so it¡¯s fine. Rather than that, it¡¯s her ¡°lifetime request¡±. ¡°Say uhmm, my Ane-sama* is coming to Pindos.¡± (TN: Formal word for ¡®older sister¡¯ in japanese) ¡°You have an older sister?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that, it¡¯s someone like a prostitute senpai.¡± ¡°I see¡± She told me so, and I was convinced. Orthia isn¡¯t the type of character who would call her real sister ¡°Ane-sama¡±. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with that Senpai?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a very popular prostitute. Don¡¯t you know the name Hestia Mercury?¡± ¡°Well¡± I¡¯ve never heard of that name. I only know all the faces of ¡°Orthia¡± in the world, though. ¡°Err, she¡¯s a very popular prostitute. Reservations, inquiries, etc. She¡¯s the kind of person who¡¯s been buried with those for three years, you know, my Ane-sama.¡± ¡°She¡¯s amazing¡± ¡°I know right, she wants to take a break for a while, so she¡¯s going to escape at my place, but it has been leaked out, and this time, there was flood of stories. That¡¯s why, Hermes-chan! For ten days here, can Ane-sama be your guest. Merely for form¡¯s sake!¡± Putting her hands together, Orthia bows her head again. Her glance with upturned eyes, has a strong color of appeal. ¡°I see, it means don¡¯t hog the designation and do nothing huh. Some guys may try to screw in if she¡¯s vacant*, but if there are other customers, it¡¯s not going to be simple huh.¡± (TN: LOL, you know what it means heheh ( ?? ¦Ø ?? )) ¡°Yeah! Instead, I¡¯ll let you do anything after that. So! It¡¯s a lifetime request!¡± The lifetime request came out again. I really want to lend my power to that ¡°Ane-sama¡± of hers. ¡°I don¡¯t mind¡± ¡°Really!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re just designating me, I don¡¯t have to do anything, right?¡± ¡°Yeah! Ah, I¡¯d be happy if you¡¯ll stay with her in the same room in order to deceive the eyes of other people.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. Okay¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Orthia jumped at me, wrapped her arm around my neck and hugged me. This carefree emotional expression, intimateness that is not just amorous and erotic. I somehow thought that it was one of the reasons why Orthia was a popular prostitute. ¡î A few days later, in the same brothel. When I was waiting in the tatami room prepared in the form of a reservation, the sliding door was opened and a woman appeared. It isn¡¯t flashy, but she wore a dress that combines elegance and seductiveness. Her gestures and demeanor are elegant but lovely, and it felt like she¡¯s a very popular prostitute. ¡°This is my first time meeting you. I¡¯m Hestia.¡± Hestia, who came into the room, respectfully bow to me quietly. At that moment, her long hair droppingly spilled from her shoulder. What I saw there was her long, pointed, distinctive ear. Hee, a long-ear tribe(elf) huh. It¡¯s rare for an elf, who rarely comes to a village and is withdrawn in the forests around the world, to be a whore. She may have some circumstances, but I won¡¯t meddle in it. ¡°I¡¯m Hermes, I think you¡¯ve heard of me from Orthia.¡± ¡°I am filled with feelings of gratitude to Lord-sama.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m just going to relax here, so I would love it if you were too. Is that fine?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What, is that wide-eyed in shock face for¡± ¡°¡­¡­Lord-sama, isn¡¯t there anything wrong with your body?¡± ¡°Body? There¡¯s nothing, though¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hestia looked more and more surprised. What the. Is it no good if there¡¯s no change? ¡°I seem to give off a kind of scent from my body.¡± Hestia suddenly began to speak. ¡°Scent? Ah, don¡¯t you smell good¡± ¡°¡­¡­This scent, is what makes a man go insane.¡± ¡°Insane?¡± ¡°My scent itself seems to have a strong stimulant, and aphrodisiac effect.¡± ¡°Heh¡± That¡¯s amazing. ¡°It¡¯s convenient for work ¨D¨D ah, so it was the story of not resting¡± Hestia nodded quietly. I see. Her body odor has an effect, and if the person herself can¡¯t put it in and take it out (something called like that), it¡¯s fine as a whore, but on the other hand, she has no time to rest. If it is at a level of ¡°drive a man crazy¡±, she will surely be troubled. Well, that kind of thing doesn¡¯t work on me. ¡°You can rest without worry. If you want to order something, please decide in your own convenience. I will charge Orthia later. She said she¡¯d do anything.¡± ¡°Thank you very much¡± The story came to a close, then I looked out the window, looking away from Hestia. I can see the prosperous Pindos cityscape outside the open windows. Without doing anything in particular, I looked at it. Orthia asked me, to fill Hestia¡¯s schedule as her customer, and become a protective barrier from the other customers. In other words, I ca n achieve it just by saying that I¡¯m a slacker here. I¡¯m good at slacking. I¡¯m really used to it. (TN: LOL) So as not to make any mistakes in various ways, I decided not to drink alcohol this time. Fuh¡­¡­ this is perfect. After being like that for a while, I felt the sign of Hestia became quieter. I turned around, and Hestia who was sitting down in the tatami room, is dozing off. I don¡¯t particularly mind about her dozing off, but as soon as I turned around, the wind blew in through the window, and Hestia, who was asleep, shuddered. ¡°If she catches a cold, I may be resented by Orthia.¡± While muttering so, I close the window, approach Hestia, and gently hung my jacket on her. ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± I intended to do it carefully, but I woke Hestia up. When she sees me at close distance, she knits her eyebrows. ¡°If you¡¯re tired, you can lie down.¡± After saying so, I went back to the window. Hestia is surprised, and soon notices the jacket which I put on her. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you¡± With her head hung, she gently touched one shoulder of the jacket. Her face was slightly red. I wonder if I got a little favorable impression, well it¡¯s just this much. I hung my coat on a shivering woman. Even if this act is likely to be revealed to someone, it¡¯s completely okay. It has nothing to do with one¡¯s ability, it¡¯s something that anyone will do if they have normal nerves in terms of character. It was often leaked out why I do what I do, but it¡¯s okay if this is revealed. I, just like a gentleman to the bitter end, spent time with Hestia. ¡î For a while after that, I went to the Brothel every day. According to Orthia¡¯s ¡°Lifetime request¡±, I went to the Brothel every day, and became a bulwark for Hestia. I didn¡¯t do anything in particular. Hestia¡¯s indication didn¡¯t wish for ¡°something¡± to happen, and I thought it would be dangerous to put my hands on her. There is an aphrodisiac pheromone being released from Hestia¡¯s body. It doesn¡¯t work on me, so I¡¯m not doing anything. In such a case, if I do something good to her which it doesn¡¯t work, I¡¯ll get stuck in a trap. It was happening so until now. Hence, I¡¯ll do nothing. We had conversations once in a while. ¡°Does Lord-sama often come to the Brothel?¡± ¡°Now and then¡± ¡°Your wife doesn¡¯t say anything?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have one yet¡± It was a conversation that doesn¡¯t make sense. I felt that the distance between our hearts was shortening, though. I was a little cautious on the first day, but it disappeared completely from the middle. I may have liked her a little. And then, ten days have passed since I continued to go to the brothel. Nothing happened with Hestia, but she opened her heart a little. The promised ten days have passed. ¡î ¡°Lo,lololord-sama. Good morning dasu¡± When I finished my work and tried to go out to the city, I was caught by Nassos in the garden. Nassos, is a former debt collector who I scouted before. Apparently, he has a talent in collecting taxes, and he has been using it at the Canoe family since then. ¡°Oh¡± ¡°By the way, Lord-sama, have you heard of that rumor dasu?¡± ¡°Rumor?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a terrific prostitute, who came from the capital¡± ¡°Nn? Ah, roughly¡± I tried to blur my reply, and make it vague. ¡°Rumor has it that it¡¯s an amazing beautiful woman dasu¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes dasu. But she had hardly appeared since she came to Pindos dasu. Rumor has it that she has been with the same man all the time.¡± ¡°Heh¡± I exerted myself, and threw an interjection normally. I expected this much. The allegedly super-famous prostitute, who has been taking the same customer all the time, was a rumor I normally expected. That¡¯s why, I also stopped talking to Orthia and the Brothel. ¡°Where the hell is that lucky fellow dasu ¡­¡­¡± Nassos twists his head curiously, yet enviously. The rumors don¡¯t seem to reveal my identity. Apparently, it was kept a secret. ¡°Everyone¡¯s rumoring about it dasu, that he¡¯s surely a very rich, and a terrifyingly good man dasu, like that¡± Geh, there¡¯s such a rumor hah. ¡­¡­Oh well, that¡¯s about it, this is not enough for me to panic yet. I¡¯ve been continuously asking for a super-high-class prostitute, so no matter how much I forbid them from talking about being rich, they can speculate on their own. However, there¡¯s no problem. Hestia will be back after her tenth day off already ¨D¨D. ¡°A good prostitute for a good man. Hestia will seem to be in Pindos for a long time to come, so I want to see both of their faces for at least once.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Just now, what was that? ¡°For a long time, who?¡± ¡°Hestia dasu¡± ¡°To this Pindos?¡± ¡°Yes dasu¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why?¡± ¡°It was just a rumor dasu, but she fell in love with the man, so she¡¯s going to stay here forever dasu¡° Eh? Fell in love, no way. I was able to open her heart, but she didn¡¯t fall in love with me. No, no, it¡¯s different, the problem isn¡¯t there. The problem is ¨D¨D ¡°Her reservations for three years, she has cancelled it including that of the Royal family etc. dasu. A man who makes her do that much ¡­¡­ what a great man that was dasu ¡­¡­¡± Hestia¡¯s reputation and popularity, skidded as it was, and became my evaluation. CH 31 Absolute Protection Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr As I was strolling around the city, the conversation I was interested in jumped into my ears, and I involuntarily stopped and listened. ¡°Hey, did you hear, about the aforementioned prostitute¡¯s partner?¡± ¡°Oh? It was finally known what¡¯s his true identity is¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know it for sure, but¡­¡­ they said that it¡¯s the lord of this place, Canoe-sama.¡± ¡­¡­Gegeh. ¡°Lord-sama? Is that true?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but isn¡¯t the Canoe family getting rich in the silver mine these days?¡± ¡°Ah. What was it, that merchant ¡­¡­ Tadias? It¡¯s rumored that the money he borrowed from him has been paid off.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you agree? That famous prostitute, the reason why she came here and didn¡¯t want to leave, it was rumored that it¡¯s for the Lord-sama¡¯s money.¡± ¡°I see¡± Hearing the story, I was a little relieved. It doesn¡¯t seem like I was exposed with this. The influence of the Canoe family is good, that¡¯s why Hestia bit at it. In common terms. it¡¯s just an association game that can¡¯t be called erratic. If it¡¯s such a rumor, I have no problem with it, and it¡¯s very welcome. I listened a little more just in case. ¡°By the way, recently, the disappearance of travelers has been increasing.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that, then I know it. It¡¯s on the road to the city.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the story about being kidnapped by something. Like a bandit.¡± Their story went to a completely unrelated area. I left the place because it had nothing to do with me. Rumors with Hestia huh. If it¡¯s a rumor of a pattern like the two people said earlier, I can leave it alone, but there are rumors which isn¡¯t good to leave alone. I want to do something about it. As I was walking while thinking about it. ¡°Is it Lord-sama who is there?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± A unique wording peculiar to prostitutes. As I turned to the voice, Hestia was there. When Hestia clearly recognized that it¡¯s me, she walked gracefully towards me. ¡°I¡¯m glad I deliberately meet Lord-sama.¡± ¡°You were looking for me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to go back soon, so I wanted to thank you before I left.¡± ¡°Go back? Depart?¡± I was surprised. ¡°That rumor?¡± Muh. It looks like it was on my face. Yes, I was surprised. Rumor has it that Hestia would stay in this city, but I was surprised that the person herself was already leaving. Hestia who saw through me, held down her mouth and laughed amusedly. ¡°There was an accident, so I just stayed a little longer.¡± ¡°Accident?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Hestia nodded. Her expression becomes a little serious. ¡°The one who is supposed to escort me is missing. I¡¯ve been waiting for that.¡± ¡°I see, it was so huh. Has that guy came back?¡± ¡°No, he hasn¡¯t¡± Hestia slowly shakes her head. ¡°He¡¯s still missing, but it¡¯s time for me to go back over there.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°After this, I¡¯m going to take a new escort and go over there. That¡¯s why, I thought I would greet Lord-sama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll escort you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Hestia was surprised. ¡°Lord-sama?¡± ¡°Ah¡± ¡°For Lord-sama to do this far is¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡± Rather, I want to do it, I have to do it. If something happened with her, strange rumors will rise again. Besides, the new escort may be a no-good guy, and they may turn back en route. They will turn back on the way ¨D¨D as far as I can think of, that¡¯s a pattern where rumors go towards the worst. I¡¯ll be her escort, and deliver her firmly. That should be the very best. ¡°Let me do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Understood¡± Hestia stared at me for a while, and bowed down quietly. ¡°Then I¡¯ll take advantage of it, Lord-sama¡± ¡î The next day, I left the city of Pindos with Hestia. It¡¯s only Hestia and I, the two of us are traveling alone. Not knowing if there¡¯ll be anything along the way, we¡¯re on a two-person trip to reduce witnesses and the odds of getting rumors. ¡°Isn¡¯t Lord-sama good at swords?¡± As we were walking side by side on the road, Hestia asked. Her gaze was on my waist, to the longsword I brought to be my weapon. It¡¯s a decent sword. I brought it in the sense that I would make her feel safe with a proper weapon because I¡¯m going to escort her. ¡°With it as it is¨D¨D it¡¯s okay, no matter what, I¡¯ll escort you safely.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Is she convinced or not? I haven¡¯t heard anything from Hestia since then. While walking together, we have a chat with each other which isn¡¯t particularly interesting. Same as a few days ago, it¡¯s similar to the appropriate conversation we had every day when I was her defensive wall. While chatting like that, we proceeded along the road. Suddenly, right next to the main road, I saw clouds of smoke coming from someone who wasn¡¯t on the rough road, and approaching this way. Oy oy, no way ¨D¨D like that, I thought it was right on the mark. There are five people, all of them are on horses. They came straight towards us, and surrounded me and Hestia in the blink of an eye. ¡°Heh, isn¡¯t this a pretty woman¡± ¡°If we abduct her, it looks like she will sell at a good price.¡± ¡°Aniki, the thing in that guy¡¯s waist seems to be expensive, too.¡± Apparently, it seems that they¡¯re bandits. They are saying whatever they want, and they are pricing me and Hestia. I roughly checked everyone, and they are just small fries who don¡¯t matter. Suddenly, I remembered something. ¡°Are you guys, doing this all the time?¡± ¡°Hmm? So what?¡± One of the men had a grinning face. It¡¯s the rumor I heard in the city; about the travelers disappearing. The ones responsible for that are these fellows huh. Apparently, it can be seen that these guys are habitual criminals, I don¡¯t even need to ask these fellows. My guess is right. ¡°Kill the man, take the woman.¡± The men soon decided on their plan, and I had to do something about it. I pulled out my sword, and the men also pulled out theirs with a grin. All of them are small fries, and if I want to, I can kill them in less than a second. ¨D¨DBut, Hestia is watching. I want to avoid killing them instantly, and it becoming ¡°awesome¡±. In the last-minute game, of course, I won¡¯t let Hestia be hurt. I decided on a plan, so I jumped in first. Crossing swords with the men, I suppress my strength and do a good match. On the way, I purposely let my arm be scratched, and then I repel these five people. ¡°Fuh¡­¡­¡± Finally, I produced a close fight, and took a big breath. I glance at Hestia, and she was frowning. Alright, it looks like I successfully deceived her. ¡î That night, I set up a bonfire near the highway, and erected a camp. With a large stone in the back, I built a bonfire and let the night came up. It¡¯s an ordinary outdoor sleeping. I faced Hestia across the bonfire, made a soup with the dried meat I packed, and I served it along with Hestia¡¯s. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s up¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hestia didn¡¯t receive the soup I offered. With her eyebrows frowning, is it due to the aforementioned bandits from the daytime? ¨D¨DNo, it¡¯s different. Looking at her closely, it¡¯s different, Hestia is trembling just a little bit. It¡¯s not from the cold air, it¡¯s a human¡¯s frightened way of shaking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hestia, what happened?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hestia shook her head, but her complexion became increasingly pale. There¡¯s nothing ¨D¨D Hestia can¡¯t even say that. There was something, and that something is definitely about those bandits. I made it seem like a hard fight, but I didn¡¯t let them harm Hestia. Rather, I guided the battle to be away from Hestia. Then why? Suddenly, I remembered something. Rumors in the city, the guys during the daytime. And ¨D¨D a prostitute. ¡°Are you, one of those who was kidnapped and made into a prostitute?¡± Hestia, while being pale, nodded slightly. That¡¯s really ¨D¨D a common story. Until then, she was a normal young girl, but one day, she was suddenly kidnapped, and her daily life and fate completely changed. Hestia was thereupon, kidnapped in the past, and seems to have been traumatized by it. I approached her, and hugged her gently. ¡°Rest assured. I won¡¯t let you go, and I¡¯ll definitely protect you.¡± ¡°Nu, Lord-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°I was injured¡­¡­ I was struggling.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± Hence, she was scared huh. She has struggled with that standard of people, and if anything, her own destiny ¨D¨D Yes, Hestia was frightened. That was bad of me. I¡¯m totally bad. That¡¯s why ¨D¨D. I slowly pulled out my sword. I swung my sword at the big stone, which was on my back. It was an unstoppable slash; the boulder was instantly shattered into small pieces. That¡¯s not all. That object, which turned into extremely small pieces, burns as it was further made into a finer powder than the so-called dust. Even if it¡¯s a stone, it burns ¨D¨D it burned. The big stone shattered, and its debris ignited. The boulder that can be used as a backrest by an adult human, has disappeared without a trace. The fear disappeared from Hestia¡¯s face when she saw that, and instead, a surprise emerged. ¡°I fought like that because of some circumstances, but it¡¯s different.¡± ¡°Different?¡± ¡°Ah¡± I nod, stare straight back at her, and say: ¡°I¡¯m still, not serious yet.¡± Hestia became more and more surprised, but just only a little bit. As her tide of surprise subsided, a relieve face instead came up on her. It was a sense of security. Hestia released her strength, and left her body into my arms. ¡°Lord-sama¡­¡­¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°Thank you, very, much¡­¡­¡± Saying that, she closed her eyes and kissed me. Perhaps the thread of her tension broke there, she fell asleep in my arms. Though hesitantly, as an apology for scaring her, I hugged her. With the meaning of protecting her no matter what, I caught her in my arms. And I also fall asleep. Of course, with a part of my head awake on alert, I fell asleep with Hestia in my arms. However, in the middle of the night, I suddenly wake up. With peace of mind, Hestia was sleeping soundly. Hestia is clinging tightly to me. I gently touched my lips which was kissed by her. The lie which turned into truth. Hestia having a loved one ¨D¨D that rumor, I¡¯m holding my head that I really did that with my own hands. CH 32 Smart Man Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the city of Pindos, at the familiar brothel. I nominated Orthia as usual at the usual shop. When I entered the room, Orthia hugged me. ¡°Thank you Hermes-chan. For listening to my strange request.¡± ¡°It was really a strange request.¡± It was Hestia¡¯s case. Perhaps it was an unprecedented strange story, for me to surround myself with other prostitutes for a while. ¡°Thank you so much¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°Speaking of which, that Ane-sama has somehow decided to pay herself out of being a prostitute.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Did Hestia pay over for herself? ¡°I think Hermes-chan could understand it, but it¡¯s a very unusual story for a prostitute to pay herself out of being one. It¡¯s the same with money, but a standard prostitute is in a weak position to do that unless they become old people in the shop, so there are many things that can¡¯t be done with just money.¡± ¡°Fumu¡± ¡°Especially if she was a popular figure. But Ane-sama is doing that, and she¡¯s being held back, but her intention seems to be very firm.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I wonder what drove ane-sama to that extent ¨D¨D ouch, ouch, ouch!¡± I squeeze Orthia, who speaks as though she was a stranger, by her temples with both fists ¨D¨D I made her eat a salted plum. (TN: Salted plum has an extremely sour taste, so it means she has a sour face) Orthia has a face, that literally looked like she has eaten a salted plum. ¡°What is it, Hermes-chan!¡± ¡°I¡¯m taking out my anger on you¡± Dohn! I said that with a momentum which I can hear such a sound effect. ¡°Taking out your anger! That¡¯s terrible!¡± ¡°I had a terrible experience because of you ¡ª¡ª I haven¡¯t encountered her yet, but I might meet her.¡± ¡°What¡¯s that! Fuhn, fine! My Ane-sama said that she¡¯s going to live in this city after she paid herself out of being a prostitute, so I¡¯ll let her comfort you ¡ª¡ª It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!¡± I further grind her. This city ¨D¨D she will live in Pindos. It¡¯s already confirmed, isn¡¯t it? Haa, it can¡¯t be helped. I gave up and while embracing Orthia closely, I sat down. Orthia is the cause of everything, but at such times, the softness and warmth of a girl has a healing effect. I hugged her as if she was fitted completely inside my body. ¡°Hey, hey, let me change the story.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°Will Hermes get married?¡± ¡°Married? Isn¡¯t that out of the blue¡± ¡°My boy, everyone¡¯s rumoring about you. Why doesn¡¯t Hermes get married, they said. They wonder if he¡¯s such a sad man who isn¡¯t very popular because he goes to the brothel and doesn¡¯t get married.¡± ¡°Fool, if I¡¯m serious, I¡¯ll be really popular.¡± ¡°There you go again¨D¨D ouch, ouch, ouch! There was an element of anger there just now!?¡± For the third time I grind her, Orthia protested with teary eyes. ¡°No, I became angry because I remembered that I got popular because of you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it!¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay, as long as you understand me. Or rather, I don¡¯t want to go deeper anymore.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know. If you¡¯re saying that much, Hermes, show me your seriousness.¡± ¡°Seriousness?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Orthia looked up at me, and winked. ¡°Your cool self, show it to me.¡± Her wink with plenty of charm was cute, but. ¡°No, it¡¯s a hassle¡± ¡°Eh¡± ¡°I¡¯m in front of you, so there¡¯s no point in trying to be cool now.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I look at Orthia, wondering what¡¯s going on. She was speechless, and staring at me with a red face. ¡°What happened. Did the grinding hurt?¡± I might have overdone it. I took it easy on her, but still, girls are fragile. ¡°I.it¡¯s nothing?¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Really¡± ¡°I see. If so, then service me.¡± I didn¡¯t want her to dig in too much, so I diverted the story. ¡°Orthia, I¡¯ve heard your lifetime request, so I¡¯m looking forward to your service.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Nothing I can do a bout it¡± Orthia returned to her usual tone, and smiled sweetly. Yes, she looks good on this. I got her service. I didn¡¯t do anything, but linger in the brothel. ¡î After seeing off Hermes, Orthia returns to the brothel. In front of Orthia, a prostitute appeared. Her name ¨D¨D is also Orthia. As a prostitute, she looks good as anyone. She was given with the most common name for prostitutes, Orthia, and she¡¯s trying to get the customers¡¯ attention as much as possible. ¡°A¡¯re? Did Hermes-sama go home?¡± ¡°Yup¡± ¡°Mou, senpai! I have asked you to introduce me to Hermes, but he went back again today.¡± ¡°I see, I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡± Orthia seemed unconcern, and she put her hand on the prostitute and lowered her head. ¡°Mou, are you really going to introduce me? It¡¯s not just me, everyone is waiting for it.¡± ¡°Yeah, of course. But why Hermes-chan?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Hermes-sama cool¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Orthia complicatedly smiled. ¡°He¡¯s the Lord-sama, his appearance is good, but he¡¯s not greedy.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t greedy?¡± ¡°Look, the guys who come to this kind of place were burning with desires, aren¡¯t they. Hermes isn¡¯t someone like that, and always behaves normally ¨D¨D no, he behaves like a gentleman. Smart and really cool.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s what it was.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, introduce me really! Please, senpai!¡± ¡°Yeah, sooner or later¡± Orthia was smiling. She turned around, and looked in the direction which Hermes had left. A smart, ungreedy and cool lord-sama. Hermes was popular, although he hasn¡¯t taken it seriously, in ways he didn¡¯t even know he was. CH 33 Hermes¡¯ Cold Reception Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Next, I have to get approval from the Head with this, but¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± My sluggish consciousness was jolted back to life. At the audience hall, the daily work with all the vassals were lined up. Rarely, Mimis prefaced the question with the need for an answer. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Tadias has requested an audience with the Head.¡± ¡°Tadias ¡­¡­ is he the aforementioned merchant?¡± ¡°Indeed¡± Mimis nodded. Tadias is the name of the merchant who the previous head borrowed money from to reclaim the Trikala Mine before I became the head. By the way, the money that was borrowed at that time was 50,000 gold coins, but it has already been paid off on revenue from the conversion of the Trikala mine into a silver mine. In other words, I shouldn¡¯t be involved with him anymore. ¡°Is it the aforementioned debt?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that it¡¯s all taken care of, including the interest.¡± Mimis replied with a grimace. Our perception is the same, and Mimis can¡¯t read the purpose of the other party. Fumu. ¡°What would you like to do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯ll meet him.¡± I was worried about the purpose of the other party, so I decided to meet him for the time being. ¡î I entered the reception room of the mansion. A middle-aged man was waiting inside. With a fatty figure, he has a very merchant-like look, wearing a lot of rings, jewelry and so on, but the occasional glint in his eyes were sharp, indicating that he was a tricky opponent. The man stood up as soon as I entered the room, and bowed with reverent. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, Hermes-sama. My name is Tadias Salamas, please to make your acquaintance.¡± ¡°Ah, nice to meet you.¡± Tadias remained standing for a long time before I moved across from him and sat down in a chair. He waited for me to sit down, and then he finally got to his seat. ¡°So, what business do you have today?¡± I asked straight to the point. ¡°Haha, I would like to present these things to Hermes today¨D¨D¡± Tadias clapped his hands, while saying that reverently. Then the door of the drawing room was opened, and a number of servant-like men came in carrying boxes. Decorated boxes ¡ª¡ªtreasure chests. After laying it out in a row, Tadias gives a signal by jerking his chin. When the servants opened the box¡ª¡ª a golden radiant assaulted me. I squinted my eyes, and put my hand up to see what was inside. It was a gold coin. Every box, was packed with gold coins. ¡°What is that¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small token of my appreciation to you¡± ¡°Just a small token¡­¡­¡± I¡¯ll roughly count it by visual measurement. I assume the size of the gold coin, the number of boxes, and the state of it being packed normally without bulking up. Roughly, there are about 50,000 pieces. Wait, 50,000? I have some knowledge about that number. It¡¯s the same amount that the Canoe family borrowed from this guy for the Trikala mine. ¡°Are you forcing favors with the debt?¡± ¡°No, no, it¡¯s merely just my feelings for you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean. You¡¯re giving it to me?¡± ¡°I would appreciate it if you could receive it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I really don¡¯t understand what he means. Tadias is being humble. When I look at him, it looks like he really wants me to accept it. I could see it, but that¡¯s impossible. Even a three-year-old knows that nothing is more expensive than free. When I was hesitating while thinking about that. ¡°I happened to overhear it with my ear, but I have heard that Hermes has received two Xiphos Cross medals.¡± ¡°Nn? Ah, I received it¡± ¡°If so, it¡¯s only a matter of time before you become a Viscount.¡± ¡°A Viscount? You mean I¡¯m going to be promoted one rank higher than my current Baron?¡± ¡°Once again, no, I can understand the position of Hermes-sama who can¡¯t speak it until the official order is given.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Somehow ¡­¡­ I could see it. Let¡¯s try to answer him a little. I speak to Tadias, looking at the box filled with gold coins. ¡°A merchant, is a creature with a keen sense of information and the way things are going.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful with your words¡± Though he was being underhanded, Tadias made a satisfied look. I see, that¡¯s what it was. This is, that is to say, a bribe. The two unprecedented cross medals. Moreover, the two were both awarded for defeating the Slime Lord. If I do have a certain amount of connections, it would be easy to see that Lina, Shou, and the royal family recommended it. Even though my achievements weren¡¯t that great, I was nominated by two members of the royal family to receive two medals. Seeing that I was favored by the royal family, he came to try and get on the good side of me. Understanding most of things, I was relieved. And considering that, what to do with this. Let¡¯s play a no-good lord here to some extent, and take the bribe. No, let¡¯s request a little more from him. A man blinded by money stands out the most. All right, a little more¡ª¡ª ¡°¨D¨D!¡± ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing¡­¡­. I¡¯ll receive this, I appreciate your efforts¡± ¡°Is there something incompetent with this one?¡± ¡°Rest assured, there¡¯s no such thing.¡± Saying that, I left the audience room before the affair is over. My intuition kicked in in an instant. If I had demanded it there, the wind would blow and my reputation would rise up again like a bucketmaker*. (TN: A guy who consistently closes a deal) I¡¯m sure it will be, it has been so since I became a Lord. That¡¯s what happens whenever I try to do something bad. That¡¯s why, I didn¡¯t demand it. I didn¡¯t even turn back. I¡¯m not that stupid. I know that if I turn around, I¡¯ll get a legitimate evaluation, on the positive side. I won¡¯t do that kind of blunder. If he will give it to me, I¡¯ll take it. But on the other hand, I end the conversation with a flat expression, neither pleased nor displeased. This is the safest way to do it. ¡°Just as I expected of Hermes¡± On my way back to my room, I was grabbed by my sister in a dress. Nee-san has a face which looked impressed. ¡°You saw it huh.¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I see. No, but it¡¯s not as good as it sounds. Since the other side have brought it without my knowledge.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Then, what do you mean? I tilted my head as I look at nee-san. ¡°Just now, you¡¯ve done a wonderful cold reception.¡± ¡°Cold reception¡­¡­? Ah, that¡¯s what occurred.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a common practice to demand for an increase of money when it comes to bribes, but there are more subtle and higher techniques for it.¡± ¡°Higher ¡­¡­?¡± This is dangerous, it feels like something bad has happened. ¡°You weren¡¯t satisfied, that was it. When it comes from the other side, that alone will make them guess that. Moreover, even if someone pokes at you, you can escape by saying that you didn¡¯t say anything.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°As expected of Hermes, your response on the bribe is also perfect.¡± ¡°No no, eh¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t think so, I thought that there would be no such stupid story. After all, I didn¡¯t say anything. I just didn¡¯t say something, right? So, they¡¯re going to increase the amount even more? No, that¡¯s stupid ¨D¨D Or so was I thinking, but. On the evening of that day, 50,000 more gold coins were sent anonymously to me. I was stunned in front of the gold coins that has become 100,000 pieces in total. And, at the satisfied nee-san. ¡°He moves fast, as expected of a merchant.¡± ¡°No, no, no, after all, this is ¡­¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better to send it back?¡± ¡°Send back? Where?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Where do you supposed to send something back that was sent to you anonymously?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­¡± ¡°In addition,¡± ¡°I,in addition?¡± ¡°If you send it back, it will increase further.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± I understand what she means. I understand it, but¡­¡­ ¡°As expected of Hermes, you can earn fifty thousand gold coins with a single look.¡± Due to the unexpected outcome, it was me who became speechless. CH 34 Threaten the Scoundrel Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°His Royal Highness the Third Prince, and Lina-sama are here to see you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± In the audience hall, I was listening to Mimis¡¯ report, but the names that I can¡¯t overlook came out in quick succession. Shou Za Aegina, and Lina Mi Aegina. They¡¯re both royalty and influential people, and both are annoying people who are giving me unwelcome favor and keeping an eye for me. I felt sweat break out on my back at the mention of those two names at the same time. ¡°Why ¡­¡­ are the two of them here?¡± ¡°Did you not hear the story?¡± Mimis made an amazed face. No, you know that I¡¯m not listening to most of what you are saying while I¡¯m in my official duties¡­¡­ no way. Mimis¡¯ amazement was also a reflection of the magnitude of the matter. ¡°It¡¯s about the story that you have been officially named as the Head and the Baron House of Canoe has climbed up to a Viscount.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Kuh¡± It¡¯s finally here huh. There has been a lot of talk about that lately, so I thought I was prepared for it to some extent, but it finally came huh. ¡°His highness the Prince and Lina-sama are coming for the ceremony.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see¡± ¡°The two will be arriving the day after tomorrow, and prior to that, Sacos Venice, will be arriving tomorrow to get everything set up.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Who¡¯s that¡± ¡°¡­¡­He is the confidant of His Excellency¡¯s prime minister.¡± Mimis had shocked eyes. ¡°I heard he was a man who is capable in practical aspects.¡± ¡°I see¡± After that, I didn¡¯t listen to the rest of his report, or rather, it didn¡¯t enter my ears. There¡¯s gonna be Shou, Lina, and a man who seems to be competent in his job as the Prime Minister¡¯s confidant. I¡¯ll be promoted from Baron to Viscount ¡­¡­ it¡¯s finally here huh¡­¡­ ¡î The next day, in the drawing room. I was facing a middle-aged man. ¡°You¡¯re Baron Canoe huh¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± The first person to ask this was the man named Sacos, who was said to be the Prime Minister¡¯s confidant. I¡¯m honestly surprised at his wordings and attitude. ¡°I, for one, think I¡¯m aware of the situation.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°Two Cross Medals just by defeating the Slime Lord alone. I wonder how much did you pile up on his royal highness the prince and the others.¡± Full of meaning, Sacos laughs nastily. He cut straight to the chase, leaving out all the roundabout things. I see, so that¡¯s what he thought. Well, I was convinced that some people might think so. ¡°Oh, well, let¡¯s not ask about that. That¡¯s not what¡¯s important.¡± ¡°Mm?¡± Then, what is it? I thought that and waited for Sacos¡¯ next words, but he just grinned and said nothing. What is it? What does he mean? ¨D¨D I wondered for about ten seconds. Then, it hit me. I have to give him a bribe, too. He didn¡¯t tell me that, but it felt like I could hear it loud and clear. He realized that I bribed the two members of the royal family, which I could understand. Sacos was saying that. I haven¡¯t done that, and of course I don¡¯t feel like stacking this guy up. ¡°What should I do tomorrow?¡± And, when I asked about the ceremony, Sacos¡¯ complexion changed. ¡°¡­¡­Can I take that as being disrespectful? Or, should I take that as being ignorant?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± When I feigned ignorance, Sacos became even more ill-humored. He glared at me, and turned his face red as if he was a boiled octopus. He looked as if he was about to explode at any moment, but it felt like he was able to endure it. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll wait until tonight¡± Saying it just like a parting threat, he left the drawing room. Needless to say, waiting all night tonight, means that ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you if you bring a bribe tonight¡±. Of course, I¡¯m not going to give anything to him. I ignored the matter with Sacos, and went on with my day as it is. ¡î The city of Pindos. In the large open square used for the annual harvest festival, a ring was made with a rush construction work. It took about two days of rush work in order to complete it, including the pre-testing, but its workmanship isn¡¯t inferior to that of the royal capital arena. ¡°Why an arena?¡± ¡°I can understand that it¡¯s a sideshow for the ceremony.¡± It was Mimis who answered. As the inhabitants of the city enter the audience seats of the arena one after another, we are watching it. ¡°Sideshow?¡± ¡°Indeed, I¡¯ve heard that the purpose of it is for the Head to actually kill the Slime Lord that led to your promotion to Viscount.¡± ¡°I see¡± In other words, he wants me to beat the Slime lord one more time in public. Well, that¡¯s fine. It¡¯s gotten to the point where everyone who knows me knew that I took down the Slime lord, and I did the same with the Mu¡¯s doll when I was being observed by Lina. It¡¯s okay for me to do it in front of a lot of people. ¡°Then, Head, I¡¯ll go to prepare for the ceremony ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡± I nodded, and sent Mimis on his way. After looking at the ring for a while, Sakos arrived, which I expected. He comes up behind me and lines up right next to me. ¡°The Baron-sama is stubborn.¡± Unlike yesterday, probably because he didn¡¯t know where he might be overheard, Sacos used courteous wordings. ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you one last time. Are you alright?¡± I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a roundabout way or straightforward. Sacos demands for such a well incomprehensible bribe. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I naturally feign ignorance. ¡°I see. That¡¯s regretful.¡± Until the end, he kept his courteous wordings, but his face and voice were clearly angry, and Sacos walked away steadily. Is he going to do something to me? That thought made me a little cautious. However, there was nothing. Shou and Lina came and greeted me, and they said words of expectations on me. I was afraid he was going to try something in front of the two royalties, but there was no such thing. Eventually, the area around the ring was filled with the citizens, and the two royalties took their places in front, in the seats of honor. A Slime Lord was released on the ring. The Slime Lord bounces around, but it is blocked by an invisible wall and can¡¯t get out of the ring. The sequence of events is to defeat this Slime lord in front of the public, and then receive the words of promotion of Viscount from the Prince. First up is the Slime Lord. The correct answer here would be the same as before, taking my time to defeat the Slime lord while holding back. While remembering that experience, I head to the ring. Sacos was on the way. Tired of being asked again at the end, I disregarded him and went up to the ring ¨D¨D at that moment. I lose strength, and something weighs heavily on my body. It was the moment when I went up to the ring. What¡¯s this. ¡°It¡¯s a barrier¡± Outside the ring, Sacos, who I just passed by, said so. His expression was respectful because he was in public, but his voice was full of malice. ¡°Within this barrier, Canoe-sama¡¯s power is one tenth of what it is, while the monsters are twice as strong. That¡¯s the way this barrier is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ You set me up huh.¡± ¡°Yes. Still, it¡¯s not too late, you know.¡± Grinning ¡­¡­ it felt like I saw a sickening smile on his face. It was really unpleasant; I didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore. I went straight ahead. Blocked by the barrier, I head towards the Slime Lord bouncing around here and there. ¡°Do you intend to die?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t answer, I didn¡¯t have to. I was just one tenth, and the Slime Lord was twice as strong. ¡ºAn everlasting and unchanging being that lives in ancient times and nurtures time. Gather at my will and burn up the impureness! Primal Flame! ¡» After my chanting, a fire is released. The flames, limited to the tenth of its original size, quickly engulfed the Slime lord. One tenth of me, the Slime Lord was twice as strong. The difference in my power that was reduced with that ratio made it easier for me to adjust by feel than usual. The Slime Lord is engulfed in flames, slowly burning away. It burns a little faster than it regenerates. Turning a glance at him, Sacos was at a loss for words. ¡°Tha,that¡¯s stupid¡­¡­ he¡¯s inside the barrier¡± The astonished look on his face was also an angry one. I decided to threaten him a little. While burning the Slime Lord, I use another magic. The Slime Lord changed shape. The amorphous monster gradually changed its form and took on the appearance of a human. It has the same look as Sacos. The Slime Lord, which became Sacos, was burned, while groaning. Same as I did before, I adjusted it by feel and baked it slowly. The difference was that before it was a doll, but this time, it had the appearance of Sacos. I glanced at the Sacos, and he let out a little scream ¡°hii¡±. While looking at him, I move my fingers intentionally. Then the flames swelled explosively, and the Slime lord was completely vaporized. And then, I grin. I lifted one of the corners of my mouth dexterously. ¡°Hiii¡± Sacos fell on his butt. My threat seemed to have gotten through. If you do any more suspicious stuff to me, I¡¯ll burn you just like that ¨D¨D Of course, a man of Sacos¡¯ degree won¡¯t be eager to it, but it seems that it was transmitted plenty enough as a threat. Sacos begins to tremble while on his ass, and probably due to his incontinence, a puddle spreads around his buttocks. (TN: LOL, nice!!) CH 35 Defying Gravity Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr At night, we opened a party in the mansion. Shou, Lina, and the royal family had officially appointed me as a Viscount, and according to the aristocratic tradition, we then held a party. The participants included Shou and Lina, as well as my sister and Mimis, and the vassals from my side. And Tadias, Pindus¡¯ merchants and other influential people. They were invited to a party where blessings and flattery have flown away, without any special mentions. In the midst of all this, Lina started talking to me. In the form of a dress, she has a quiet but elegant appearance, and it was truly a figure that makes the royal family admirable. As expected, since she was one of the guests this time, when Lina spoke to me, the other attendees were attentive and moved away into the distance. ¡°You¡¯ve done it¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Slime Lord. You beat that well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You comprehend that huh¡± ¡°He¡¯s there after all¡± ¡°Eh?¡± What does she mean by he¡¯s there after all? ¡°Will you hang-out with me¡± ¡°You too hah, brutus*!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a good reason.¡± Lina quietly raised her hand, and pointed behind me. When I turned around and followed her pointing finger with my eyes, I saw Sacos staring at me in the corner of the hall. He¡¯s the man in charge of the practice of this ceremony, so it¡¯s natural that he¡¯s involved, and he invited me to act as if nothing had happened. That guy, was staring at me as if I am an enemy of his parents. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± ¡°That one is famous for his greed. He should¡¯ve asked you for a bribe.¡± ¡°Ah¡± ¡°Thereupon, with that face of yours, I could imagine that I¡¯ve hit the spot. And because of his character, he tried to humiliate you at some point in the ceremony. If that¡¯s the case, then the only thing he could do was to prepare a Slime Lord.¡± ¡°I see¡± It wasn¡¯t a complete hit-ish huh. ¡°Is he really that bad of a guy?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a minor character. It¡¯s just¡± ¡°Just?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a snake¡± ¡°In conclusion, he¡¯s vindictive huh¡± ¡°Yes, to the extent that everyone here knows it.¡± I look at Sacos again. That guy is still glaring this way. As Lina has said, he has a terrible covetous look, which is a reminiscent of a reptile. He wouldn¡¯t be able to do much, but it would be tiresome, I thought. It became a situation that seemed to be even more troublesome. Perhaps because I look at him twice, while smiling broadly, he approaches me. ¡°Take care¡± Lina said in a half-teasing tone, and moved away from me. So, you¡¯ve decided to watch on from afar huh¡­¡­. Well, I know that she knows his personality, so I understand that she doesn¡¯t want to get involved with him willingly. I also wanted to avoid him, but today I¡¯m the host here, so I can¡¯t run away. In the mean of that, Sacos came right in front of me. ¡°Once again, I would like to congratulate you on your inauguration as Viscount. Viscount-sama.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± I was vigilant. Sacos put a particular emphasis on his pronunciation of ¡°Viscount¡±. What is he trying to do from there? I thought, and responded with caution. It¡¯ll be unlikely that there¡¯s nothing. Because his eyes are still dark, obstinate, and disgusting right now. I was on alert, ready to deal with anything that comes on my way ¨D¨D it came. His words had nothing to do with it at all, no, that one was probably a decoy. While I was distracted by that ¨D¨D it feels like I have gotten heavier. It¡¯s the feeling of being crushed by something. This is¡­¡­ gravity! My whole body felt like it was being crushed against the ground. It seems that he applied gravity magic on me. Broadly grinning, Sakos distorts the corners of his mouth. I see, so he¡¯s gonna use gravity magic to make me kneel down in front of everyone¡¯s eyes huh. ¡­¡­No, it¡¯s different. Sacos has a proud face and at his feet ¨D¨D he looks at his shoes. His face became even more vicious than before. I won¡¯t just make you kneel, you¡¯ll crawl over and lick my shoes. I felt Sacos¡¯ nasty malice to the extent that I could hear such an empty voice. The gravity continues to increase. With my body sense, I can feel that it¡¯s 10 times more than usual ¡­¡­ 15 times ¡­¡­ 20 times ¡­¡­ it¡¯s still increasing. It stopped at a certain point, but the gravity was such that if it was a normal person, he would have been crushed or even fainted under it. Of course, I¡¯m not going to kneel, licking his shoes is out of the question too. I thought while standing. I observed my surroundings. There¡¯s no change in space. I can¡¯t see any distortion or creaking at all. In other words, it¡¯s a magic which isn¡¯t applied to the space at all, but on my body with pinpoint accuracy. Then, it¡¯s best not to do anything. Do nothing, I won¡¯t do anything. It¡¯s best to act that way. Fortunately, there is no change in the appearance of my body either. It¡¯s best to let this go over uneventfully. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have put you through a lot of trouble.¡± To aristocrats and officials, I greeted him with the usual language appropriate for public occasions. Then, Sacos became astonished. ¡°This is stupid! You¡¯re acting as if it¡¯s normal? The gravity should have been 30 times more than normal.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± I said so, and held out my hand. ¡°Once again, I express my gratitude¡± I asked Sacos to shake hands. The host of the place, moreover the Viscount, have asked him for a handshake. Although Sacos was in a state of being angry and surprised, half-heartedly, he reached out and grabbed my hand. ¡°¨D¨Dtu!¡± I could see that his complexion had changed. Even if it doesn¡¯t look like anything, I can tell it by touching him. I, could feel that he was resisting the force of gravity being applied on me. ¡°Thi,this is stupid, fifty times¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about for a while now.¡± Then, I pretended I didn¡¯t know about it. And then Sacos, looking pale, shook off my hand and ran away. If I do it this much, he won¡¯t do anything to me anymore. And this time, I¡¯m confident with myself. In any case, it¡¯s in public, in front of the public. It looked like as if nothing had happened on the outside, so I¡¯m sure it was the same no matter where anyone looked. But ¨D¨D for some reason, the people¡¯s eyes around me were strange. Astonishment, and respect. ¡­¡­Why? ¡°Nothing occurred hah.¡± ¡°Shou¡ª¡ª Prince your highness ¡± Another royalty spoke to me. It¡¯s the third prince, Shou Za Aegina. ¡°What do you mean by nothing occurred?¡± ¡°A¡¯re, he tried to lay something on you, right¡± Shou asked, while glancing in the direction where Sacos ran off to. ¡°Eh? Uhmm¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hide it, or rather, even if you hide it, no one will believe you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like him to walk away humiliated and without saying anything, everyone here knows that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Speaking of which¡± I remember Lina saying something like that earlier. She said that he was famous for being as obstinate as a snake. ¡­¡­Wait, that means. No way ¡­¡­ ¡°Am I, exposed?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve brushed off some pretty amazing stuff without a hitch. That¡¯s how I took it.¡± Shou lightly declared. I looked around timidly. ¡°What did he do ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°An instant death curse?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s too sweet, if he¡¯s going to use a curse, he might as well try to attack Lina-sama.¡± ¡°There was once a person who he cursed to extinction.¡± The whispering around me, was a testament to Sacos¡¯ obstinateness. Simultaneously, indirectly. They were admiring the greatness of what I get through without incident. ¡°What am I supposed to do¡­¡­¡± Thus, I hang my head. CH 36 Inadvertently Becoming a Hero Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°I¡¯d like to give you one piece of advice.¡± The next day, Lina came to visit me at the mansion and cut that out with a straight face. She looks quite serious as she faces me in the drawing room. Shou was satisfied, and Sakos looked terribly mortified. After they left the territory of the Canoe family, respectively, Lina stayed behind to visit me by herself. Lina had such a serious look on her face, so I had a slight hunch about this. ¡°Advice?¡± While being wary that I might get caught up in something again, I ask Lina back. ¡°This time, it¡¯s really just an advice.¡± With that preface, Lina continued. ¡°You rejected Sacos¡¯s demand, but you did it unharmed. Some people have taken an interest in you.¡± ¡°Interest?¡± ¡°Nero Kaslevtis. You know him?¡± ¡°No¡± It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard that name. I honestly answered that I don¡¯t know him. ¡°I suppose I should say he¡¯s the wise man in the field, he¡¯s got the best eye in the world for people.¡± ¡°Eye for people¡­¡­¡± ¡°Sacos is famous for that, in a bad way, of course. He became interested in the new head of the Canoe family, who lightly treated Sakos. I got such information this morning.¡± ¡°Eh¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s definitely coming to see you. To get a glimpse of what kind of person you are. You still don¡¯t want people to know what you¡¯re capable of, I presume.¡± After saying that, Lina sighs. That was I don¡¯t like it, but it can¡¯t be helped kind of face. ¡°You should just expose yourself quickly, is what I think, but if that¡¯s what you want to do, so be it. At best, think about your countermeasures.¡± After leaving those words, Lina left the mansion. The wise man of the field with an eye for people, Nero. It¡¯s going to be another troublesome thing again, hah¡­¡­ ¡î The trouble didn¡¯t give me time to prepare. In that afternoon, when I was looking at the Great Orthia Complete Collection in my study, a maid came. ¡°You have a visitor, master.¡± ¡°Visitor?¡± ¡°He calls himself Nero Kaslevtis. He¡¯s about sixty years old.¡± ¡°¡­¡­He¡¯s early¡± I wanted to hold my head. It was only this morning that Lina have warned me. No, I think it was only yesterday that I forced Sacos to yield in the first place, wasn¡¯t it. Why did he come here so early, just how goddamn fast can he be? ¡°What would you like to do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m troubled. First of all, will I meet him or not. Pretending I don¡¯t know anything about Nero, I also have the option of not meeting him since he came to a Viscount¡¯s mansion without an appointment. ¡°Since he¡¯s the Wise man-sama, the other maids were entertaining him properly for starters.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Lina-sama have taught me. She said that this kind of person would be coming soon, so I have to make no careless mistakes.¡± ¡°That girl!!¡± She got me, I thought. No, nothing has been done yet. Lina¡¯s actions are only natural. She advised me, and guided the maids not to do any careless mistakes. I have nothing to complain to her about as far as her action goes. However, because of that, I had no choice but to meet him. Knowing but not seeing him (and the maids understand the situation) is likely to backfire me in a big way. Or rather, since I became the Head in here, I feel that there are a lot of such patterns that backfire. It can¡¯t be helped¡­¡­ ¡°¡­¡­Got it, I¡¯ll see him. Guide me.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± I left the study with the maid, and followed her out into the hallway. Feeling heavy hearted, I didn¡¯t have time to prepare anything. Is there any way for me deceive him? I thought. Nero came, because I rejected giving a bribe to Sacos. There are two possibilities for the person who¡¯s going to do it. Be damn serious, or a naive idiot. It¡¯s one or the other. I wonder which one to choose. Playing a fool more than necessary, will surely backfire. If I¡¯m damn serious, there¡¯ll likely be pros and cons. Alright, let¡¯s go with damn serious. While I was thinking that, I came in front of the drawing room. Oh, yeah, let¡¯s put this on, too. I took a ring out of my pocket and put it on. It¡¯s the ring that suppresses my power which I used before. If I¡¯m going to play the damn serious guy, I¡¯ll suppress my power down and just let him see my personality. With that thought in mind, I suppressed my strength before entering the room. Then, there was an old man inside. He has white hair, white beard, loose robes, and a cane that he holds on both hands even when he sits. With such an appearance, he was an old man who feels like a wise man. ¡°Hermes Canoe. You must be the wise man Nero.¡± ¡°You know who I am?¡± Nero asked in return. I approached him like that and sat across from him. I¡¯m not going to deceive him here, and I¡¯m not going to fall to what Lina ¡°taught¡± me which is some kind of a trap. I¡¯ve decided not to hide what I know. ¡°I heard of you from Lina-sama¡± ¡°I see. That person¡¯s sharp ears are still the same.¡± ¡°Sharp ears?¡± So that¡¯s Nero¡¯s character assessment of Lina huh. I wonder what it¡¯ll be like for me. ¡°So, what do you want from me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m already done with that.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen someone who¡¯s far above than the rumors. In this day and age, I was fed up with so many things that are nothing more than just titles.¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s far above than the rumors about me ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Supposing, if you suppress your power.¡± ¡°¨D¨Deh?¡± I was at a loss for words. Eh, how did he know that? ¡°You should have done so from the beginning, or on a regular basis. If the presence of a strong human suddenly disappears behind the door, even I, who is dull, will notice it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± Tha,that¡¯s certainly true. It¡¯s natural to think that something is wrong when a strong one suddenly becomes weak or loses its presence in such close proximity. Oh no, I¡¯ve done it again. I had to follow up ¡ª¡ª that¡¯s what I thought. Nero already had such a look on his face as if saying that he¡¯s already made a complete and firm assessment. ¡°Even though he was an aristocrat, he was against with Sakos¡¯ bribe offense, and he didn¡¯t show off his power. These types, have a 99% chance of becoming a specific person. ¡± ¡°Wha,what type?¡± ¡°King¡¯s vessel¡± Geh, I¡¯m somehow getting a staggering evaluation. Not good, not good, I have to do something, or else it might have an opposite effect on me. That¡¯s it! More than that ¨D¨D ¡°What about the other one percent?¡± I have no other choice but to put my faith into that possibility ¨D¨D but. ¡°Hero¡± ¡°Both are terrible!¡± As a result of inadvertently making a careless mistake, Nero has given me a tremendous evaluation. CH 37 The Secret of Only Two People Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr On the outskirts of Pindos, off the main road, where the bamboo thickets grow thickly. As I arrived there, I stopped at a faint sound coming from the woods. It¡¯s the sound of a zither*. (TN: Zither ¨C https://www.britannica.com/art/zither) The sound can be heard from the wind. I stopped my feet, and listened carefully at the outside of the woods. Then, I found that a woman was singing a song in accordance to the sound of the zither. ¡°A prostitute hah¡± With my long relationship with Orthia, I quickly realized that this was the type of music that prostitutes were good at. Although the melody is mellow, the lyrics are sensational and the way she sings is bewitching. Well, in a nutshell, it¡¯s a song to ¡°lure¡± a man. If this is playing out, does that mean that a prostitute is taking customers in the bamboo forest which is my destination? No, that¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it? Because, it must be Hestia who is in this. Hestia, a long-ear tribe (elf) prostitute. After paying out of being a prostitute herself, she had moved to the outskirts of Pindos, and I came here to visit her after hearing about it from Orthia. It was strange how that Hestia is taking customers ¨D¨D I thought, but I soon found out why. ¡ºThen the man won¡¯t move¡» I could hear Hestia¡¯s voice. It was a voice no louder than the sound of bamboo grass being blown in the wind, a voice that would normally be inaudible, but I can hear it properly as I listen. That voice is different from the sensual pleasures. It was serious, and even dignified. ¡ºTake off the pants of your mind. Expose your heart. So that the gentlemen will irresistibly push you down while you¡¯re playing. ¡» ¡ºYe,yes! ¡» I heard the voice of another young woman. I guessed it somehow. Hestia seems to be instructing the performance. She seems to be teaching her younger colleagues the essential skills of a prostitute. If so, let¡¯s not interfere. Let¡¯s just wait here. I¡¯m good with waiting. I just have to take it easy, and even if I wait like this, it won¡¯t raise me a weird evaluation. It¡¯s good and long-winded, or something at that degree. I¡¯m in. The wind was blowing, and the bamboo leaves were falling. I somehow catch it, spin it around, and play with it. Let¡¯s drain the water from the bamboo leaves and let it die ¨D¨D for a moment, it felt like a desire to cause mischief raised in my head, but if I did do that, I might get a wrong evaluation, so I stopped it. As I was just killing time by spinning around the bamboo leaves, after the performance, a carriage came out of the bamboo forest. The carriage was operated by an old coachman, with the breaths of young women inside. It seems that the class is over and they¡¯re leaving. Well, I guess it¡¯s my turn now. I walked into the bamboo forest. When I traced their path, I found an elegant hermitage in the middle of the bamboo thickets. The hermitage, looks just like an elegant refuge of a poet. It was a small hermitage, so I immediately made eye contact with Hestia on the porch. ¡°Yoh¡± I shuffled my hands up, and smiled at her. Hestia was surprised to see me. ¡°Wha,what are you doing here?¡± Eventually, her face turned red and asked me in a flustered voice. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s a little greeting. I heard you came here from Orthia.¡± ¡°I,is that so¡± For some reason, Hestia absolutely became flustered. What¡¯s that? Her reaction is a little different from before, right? How should I put it ¡­¡­ she¡¯s kind of distant, no, does she hate me? Then that¡¯s fine, but why? ¡°Ah, greeting me, that¡¯s all you had to do, is it.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Other than that?¡± ¡°Other than that? There¡¯s nothing, though¡± ¡°Fu,fuhn. Is it okay for the Lord to do such a thing? What can you do to further develop your territory if nothing else? Isn¡¯t it your job to think about the future?¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but ¡­¡­¡± What the? As I thought, something is strange with Hestia. I won¡¯t figure it out by thinking about it, so I decided to ask the person herself. ¡°You don¡¯t like me coming?¡± ¡°Tha¨D¨D¡± Surprise, then confusion, and hesitation. After a variety of emotions flashed across Hestia¡¯s face. She, turns her face away while still red. ¡°I¡¯m no longer a prostitute, I don¡¯t want you coming to visit me!¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡± If you ask me, that¡¯s true. She¡¯s not a prostitute anymore, which means, I¡¯m not her customer either. That¡¯s why, she doesn¡¯t have to look good. That makes sense. I understand it ¡­¡­ but what is it. ¡°Is there still something you want to say?¡± ¡°¡­¡­No¡± I¡¯m still wondering about Hestia¡¯s ¡°this¡±. ¡î Finally, I said goodbye to Hestia, who was being cold in the end, and returned to my mansion in the city. I walked down the corridor of the mansion, tilting my head at Hestia¡¯s condition. ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s wrong, Hermes?¡± I encountered nee-san. ¡°You look like a boy whose mother has put a pornographic book on his desk.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of face it was, but it¡¯s definitely different.¡± While retorting at nee-san, I look at her. I wonder if nee-san would know the reason. I was still curious, so I decided to ask my sister. I told nee-san that I went to visit Hestia, and all about her strange behavior. I also told her that when I lent my power to her before, her favorability in me rose. Nee-san silently listened to my story up to the end. ¡°I see, so that¡¯s what it was.¡± ¡°Eh? You understand it?¡± ¡°Yes. I guess so¡­¡­ did Hermes ever deliberately stick caterpillars on a girl when he was a kid?¡± ¡°What kind of play is that?¡± ¡°Or, scare a girl by putting a tu*d* on a tree branch¡± (TN: Turd ¨C a lump of excrement.) ¡°Nee-san, don¡¯t say tu*d.¡± ¡°I prioritized ease of understanding.¡± It¡¯s easy to understand, but ¡­¡­ I had a bitter smile. ¡°No, I¡¯ve never done such things.¡± ¡°If so, it¡¯s unavoidable that you don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°¡­¡­in other words, it was about sticking caterpillars and being shown po*p.¡± ¡°The reason is the same.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The reason is the same huh. My sister is wise. There are two kinds of cleverness. Intelligence, and wisdom. If you master the former, you¡¯ll become a scholar, and the latter, follows the path of a wiseman. My sister¡¯s cleverness is the latter. I think she¡¯s extremely smart, and she can quickly see the essence of things. If such nee-san said that ¡°the reason is the same¡±, then that¡¯s probably the case. But then, what is the ¡°reason¡±? (TN: It¡¯s love, lol) I¡¯m not sure I understand¨D¨D when I think about that. ¡°Head-sama¡± A maid called out to me from behind. ¡°Hmm, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a guest for Head-sama. She calls herself Hestia-san.¡± ¡°Hestia? Why is she here?¡± I was wondering so, but I decided to go meet her for the time being. I thanked nee-san lightly, and asked the maid to guide me back to the front door. Hestia was there. I can see her from a distance. With a pin on her spine, she was a woman with an elegant appearance and a straight back. Royalty ¨D¨D No, I¡¯ll believe it even if you say she¡¯s a princess or a queen. However, as soon as such Hestia saw me appearing, ¡°Wha,what did you come here to do?¡± She started hurrying around, saying something incomprehensible. ¡°What do you mean, this is my house, and I came here because of Hestia.¡± ¡°Tha,that¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it. Suh¡­¡­.hah¡­¡­¡± Hestia started taking a deep breath for some reason. Perhaps she calmed down after doing that, this time, she stared at me with a challenging ¡°snap¡± in her eyes. ¡°Thi,this¡± ¡°Yeah? Is that a bamboo leaf?¡± ¡°Something you dropped¡± ¡°Something I dropped? ¡­¡­ Ah, that one I had huh¡± I certainly had it. It¡¯s the bamboo leaf that I was playing with in circles while waiting for Hestia to finish her class. I wonder if I dropped that off at Hestia¡¯s place. ¡°No, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s something I dropped, it¡¯s just ¨D¨D¡± ¡°So~i!¡± ¡°Guwah!¡± Suddenly, I felt a tremendous impact on my back. As I rubbed the painful spot on my back, I turned around to see nee-san there after throwing at me with a lively form. Looking at the floor, my sister¡¯s high heel was lying. ¡°Hey, nee-san, why ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Come this way, Hermes¡± Nee-san quickly came over, grabbed me, pulled me away from Hestia, and asked me in a whispering stance. ¡°That person was the one you were talking about earlier, right¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But more importantly, nee-san ¨D¨D¡± ¡°I see, it certainly is¡± ¡°Nee-san?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°O~y, come back, nee-san¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hermes, tell her a secret.¡± ¡°Secret?¡± ¡°Yes, it can be anything. Do one of those ¡ºI¡¯ll only tell you about it¡» things.¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll do it because it would be good.¡± Nee-san said that, and don! Then, she pushed my back and thrusted me in front of Hestia. ¡°Wha,what is it¡± ¡°Erm, no, that¡¯s¡­¡­.¡± Even if I told her a secret. I wonder what should I teach her. Suddenly, I stared at the bamboo leaf I had just received. At the time I was waiting for her, I had a mischievous thought that I should kill the bamboo leaf. And, there¡¯s Hestia. I remembered her former profession, and her colleague Orthia. I thought about it for a little, and decided to do it. Partly because it was a secret, I toned down my voice. ¡°Look at this, Hestia¡± ¡°Wha,what?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take this bamboo leaf, and ¡­¡­¡± I pressed the bamboo leaf with both hands. I put the bamboo leaf inside my hands which was pressed together like I was praying, and put some strength into it. It¡¯s little further ahead ¨D¨D than withering. I steadily apply pressure and heat. It¡¯s my first time doing it, so it¡¯s bit difficult to adjust, but I should be able to do it with roughly 10% of my full strength. I did it for a while, then I opened my hands. And, in there ¨D¨D ¡°Is that¡­¡­ a diamond?¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a diamond.¡± In the palm of my hand, was a diamond in the shape of a bamboo leaf. ¡°Thi,this is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret, alright? I can make diamonds out of wood, cloth, and certain kind of other materials. I just have to add heat and pressure with all my might.¡± Hestia took the diamond leaf, and seriously observed it. ¡°Beautiful¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you like it, you can have it.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Instead, this ¨D¨D would be our little secret.¡± I changed a few words that nee-san had said to me. I told her that it¡¯s a secret that only the two of us have. I address Hestia with words that would be the same in essence. ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡± Then, Hestia turned her head down with a blush, and held the diamond leaf carefully. Oh, as expected of nee-san, the really weird Hestia is gone. ¡­¡­A¡¯re? Although the weird Hestia is gone. This red-faced Hestia, perhaps ¨D¨D ¡°Nee-san, did you plot this?¡± ¡°I wonder what you¡¯re talking about. You have solved it, haven¡¯t you¡± That¡¯s true, but¡­¡­ From the way nee-san was feigning ignorance, I was convinced that I was set up. CH 38 Being Straightforward When You¡¯re a Child Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr It was a sunny afternoon. As I was relaxing in the garden of the mansion, I saw Midea trying to leave. She feels different than usual. She was wearing a headband and her face was very enthusiastic. What¡¯s going on? ¡°Midea¡± I called Midea over to listen to her story. She who was called by me, ran clatteringly towards me. ¡°Shishou!¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that appearance. Are you going to challenge a dojo somewhere?¡± ¡°It¡¯s close, Master!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± What does she mean? With my eyes, I stare at Midea. ¡°I heard from Sora-sama, that a guy named Lotto Rhodos has recently appeared in the city of Pindos. He was all over the place screaming ¡ºLet me take on a strong guy¡», so I¡¯m going to beat him a little.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s why you¡¯re so enthusiastic about it.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°I understand the story now, be careful on the way. Ah, by the way¨D¨D¡± ¡°I know! I¡¯m a student of Nanas-style.¡± Midea answered without hesitation. I think she already knows very well that I wouldn¡¯t give my name no matter what. I saw off Midea, who was going out as a student of the Nanas-style. I don¡¯t want to get involved with the kind of skilled people who show up in the city of Pindos. ¡°Hermes.¡± This time, nee-san came. She made a beeline towards my spot from the back of the mansion, and stopped in front of me. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, nee-san¡± ¡°I want you to look at this.¡± Nee-san said that and presented me with an exaggerated box that looked like a jewelry box. When I received and opened it, I saw that it wasn¡¯t jewelry inside, but there were two pills in it, about the size of the tip of my pinky finger. ¡°Medicine?¡± ¡°Yes, I want you to see if this is the real deal.¡± ¡°What kind of medicine is this?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t give you any preconceived notions. I want a more accurate inference.¡± I was aghast at nee-san¡¯s expression. That thing is really important huh. I pulled myself together, took the box and observed the pills closely. From the color and smell, it doesn¡¯t seem to be poisonous. Or rather. ¡°It doesn¡¯t have malicious intent¡± ¡°Malicious?¡± Nee-san tilted her small head and asked me back. I glance at my surroundings, and nee-san was the only one there. Then there¡¯s no need to hide anything or say anything in a roundabout way. ¡°When something is made by a human being, it reflects that person¡¯s feelings. His will, or should I say his thought. The more powerful it is, the more strongly it is embedded. A typical example of this is a sword. A sword that is strongly imbued with the grudge of the swordsmith or, in some cases, the person who was sacrificed for it.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°So, this isn¡¯t malicious. Rather ¨D¨D what is it? A blessing? It feels something like that.¡± ¡°Is that so!?¡± When she heard of the blessing, nee-san exposed her joyful look. If it¡¯s filled with blessings, does that mean it¡¯s real? I picked up one of the pills, smelled it more, and tried to lick it. After all, it has no poison or such negative things at all. What the hell is this ¨D¨D thinking about such a thing. My field of vision, was rapidly becoming distant from what I could see. My consciousness, was cut off in an instant. ¡î ¡°Hermes!? A,are you okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In front of Sora, the child looked around his surroundings restlessly. After looking around for a moment, he fixed his line of sight on Sora. ¡°Onee-san, are you a guest of my father?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Are you my cousin, by any chance? Since you look very similar to my mother, and you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met.¡± ¡°Hermes, you ¡­¡­¡± Sora¡¯s face became puzzled. But, she is a very intelligent woman. After how Hermes licked the pill, his body shrank rapidly, and just now, he said those few lines. From there, she drew one conclusion. ¡°¡­¡­How old are you now?¡± ¡°7 years old¡± ¡°I see. ¡­¡­ It¡¯s good that it¡¯s the real rejuvenating medicine, but it also rewinds your mind.¡± Sora let out a big sigh. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, onee-san?¡± ¡°No, the world doesn¡¯t go that well, is what I was thinking¡± ¡°I¡¯m not really sure, but I don¡¯t think you need to be dispirited. Onee-san, is very young, and beautiful.¡± ¡°Did you hear that just now?¡± ¡°Yup, I, have good ears.¡± The child innocently answered ¨D¨D Hermes, who became young due to the power of medicine, made a statement that readily acknowledged his abilities, unlike with his usual self. ¡°Is that right¡­¡­¡± Kyupin, Sora¡¯s eyes glowed on the inside suspiciously. She is a smart woman, and a scheming one, that even Hermes would agree. Such a girl, towards Hermes, who rewound back his mind and became honest ¨D¨D cannot overlook this situation. ¡°Hey Hermes, do you feel anything strange in your body?¡± ¡°Feel strange? Ah, is it some kind of medicine? It¡¯s weird, I¡¯m not sick or anything.¡± ¡°You can tell¡± ¡°Yes. But don¡¯t worry, since the medicine will wear off in an hour.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It looks like I don¡¯t have time to dawdle.¡± ¡°Eh? What do you mean?¡± Hermes wonders, while Sora has a determined look on her face. ¡°Hey Hermes, can you guide me around the city?¡± ¡°Guide? Yeah, sure, onee-san.¡± Hermes was still smiling innocently, and readily accepted Sora¡¯s request. ¡°Ah, before that ¨D¨D so~i!¡± Sora, despite her dress, threw away the other remaining pill with a magnificent form. She got the women¡¯s dream, the rejuvenating medicine, but if her whole mind would rewind and there¡¯s a time limit, then it has no point at all. After Sora threw it away with all her might, she then went into the city with the confused child Hermes in tow. ¡î The child Hermes and Sora, the two of them, went out into the city side by side. Sora, who organized a story about her being a relative older sister to him, has Hermes guide her around the city. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a place that sells flowers.¡± ¡°Flowers? Then there is a flower market over there.¡± In order to get the child state Hermes to show her the way, Sora led Hermes in a subtle way. After a while. ¡°A¡¯re? Somehow, there¡¯s a crowd of people here.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that usually the case?¡± Sora, who knew the city of Pindos and what¡¯s going on here well, asked Hermes back with a feigning ignorance feeling. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s a flower market, so there are usually more women here, but ¡­¡­ it feels like something is wrong.¡± The child Hermes furrowed his brows. He had a very unpleasant face. ¡°Fuhahahaha, weak, weak! Is this the extent of all the experts in this city!¡± When he approached them with an unpleasant expression on his face, he heard an audacious voice from the other side of the onlookers. One man and one girl are there, surrounded by a group of spectators. The man casually put his unpulled longsword on his shoulder with a tap, showing that he had plenty of room. The girl was ¨D¨D Midea. She looked at her longsword, her shattered longsword, and looked frustrated. The result of the fight between the man and Midea, seemed to be a complete victory for the man. ¡°O,one more!¡± Midea refused to back down. It was a natural reaction for those who were unhappy with a match. However, the man¡¯s reply was the worst. ¡°Alright? But, if you lose again, you¡¯ll become my partner tonight.¡± ¡°Wha ¨D¨D¡± Midea was at a loss for words, and her surroundings became noisy. ¡°The way to swing such sword*, the flesh on the hips. You don¡¯t know men, do you? I¡¯m going to teach your body what a man really is.¡± (TN: The sword here is, you know ¨t(£þ¦Ø£þ£ï)) Saying that, the man carried his sword and moved his hips back and forth in a disgusting manner. Midea shuddered all over, and there were voices of criticism rising from the onlookers. ¡°Stop!¡± That perplexed Midea. A young voice interrupted there. The child Hermes stepped forward, breaking through the crowd of onlookers. ¡°What are you? Children should just go home and suck their mommy¡¯s breasts.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a bad person.¡± The child Hermes refuses to do so, and heads towards the man. The man was flippant at first, but then, his facial expression changed dramatically. He changed his complexion, and took a quick step back. The surroundings buzz. They don¡¯t know the reason, but the phenomenon is transmitted to them. The man was pressured by the angry boy. Though the cause is unknown. ¡°U,uuuooohhh!¡± The man who was pressured, eventually swung the longsword he was carrying towards Hermes with a ¡°at his wit¡¯s end¡± look. It was a sharp blow, the slash of a master, which was no wonder that it overpowered Midea. However, Hermes who was undaunted by that ¨D¨D grasped it between both his hands. It was stopping a sword stroke between one¡¯s bare hands. The child Hermes effortlessly blocked a slash from a master, which would have left a sound behind. And ¨D¨D pakin! When the child Hermes twisted his hands, his longsword broke with a beautiful sound. Immediately after, the man¡¯s clothes were torn ¨D¨D No, it was chopped up. All of his clothes were instantly chopped up like rags. ¡°Wha!¡± The man was astonished. He instantly realized that the child in front of him was much stronger than he was. But, more than that. Chuckle. A laughter was heard from the onlookers. ¡°It¡¯s tiny¡± ¡°That¡¯s the size he was going for?¡± ¡°It¡¯s no better than a toothpick.¡± Mocking exchanges could be heard from here and there. The man turned his face bright red and trembled. ¡°Uuuuooooohhh!¡± Then, flying into rage, he slashed at the child Hermes with the remaining half of his sword. At that moment, something happened again. The body of the child Hermes made a popping noise ¡°pon¡±, and swelled rapidly at the cellular level. Immediately after ¨D¨D he returned. The child Hermes has returned to his original form. Gakiin! Hermes easily caught the man¡¯s sharp, frenzied and murderous slash with a broken blade. It might have been his instinct; his body reacted in an inexplicable way right after he turned back. However, the phenomenon was still handed down to them. ¡°¡°¡°Oooooooohhh!?¡±¡±¡± Hermes grasped the master¡¯s slash that has a broken tip, which he would normally hesitate to grab. Cheers rose up to such Hermes. Hermes looked around. ¡°My memory is hazy, is it due to the medicine?¡± Hermes understood the situation instantly. ¡°¡­¡­ Did I, do something again?¡± Lightly, he let out a sigh. CH 39 Similar to Big brother Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr On the outskirts of Pindos. I was watching the autumn leaves dancing in the wind with Orthia. ¡°Beautiful¡­¡­¡± Orthia showed a rare expression of emotion as she looked at the autumn leaves. ¡°Thank you, Hermes-chan, I¡¯m glad I saw this.¡± ¡°Your lifetime request, did it come true?¡± ¡°Yeah! Thank you very much!¡± Orthia¡¯s smile was her usual carefree and cheerful one. When I went to the Brothel, she told me a ¡°request for a lifetime¡± again, and I got defensive, but all she wanted was to see the autumn leaves, so I brought her here. It wasn¡¯t a lot of effort, but I was glad to see Orthia¡¯s nice smile. And so, as I gazed at the autumn leaves with Orthia ¨D¨D a tactless sound interrupted the world of us. It was the sound of horses¡¯ hooves, and it¡¯s not just at the degree of one or two. When I turned toward the sound, I saw a dozen or more of them coming towards us from beyond the horizon, sending up a cloud of dust. ¡°Wha,what is that¡± ¡°Hide behind me¡± ¡°Yes¡± I stepped forward quickly, hiding Orthia behind my back. I braced myself, thinking that there¡¯ll be something like a fight, but the people on the horses passed in front of us. ¡°It looks like they¡¯re not looking for us.¡± ¡°Ah. But their expressions had changed. What happened?¡± ¡°I wonder what it is.¡± As Orthia and I were twisting our heads with this, one of the horses at the end of the pack suddenly stopped. With that, some of the leading horses also pulled back their reins, and stopped with a horses¡¯ whinny. The big guy with a beard at the end of the line stared at us. ¡°Are you guys¡¯ lovers? Or a prostitute and a customer?¡± ¡°Something like that.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡­ Oy, give your horse to these guys.¡± The bearded man said so to another man. The man who was told to do this, had a troubled face. ¡°Ho,however, if I give them a horse¨D¨D¡± ¡°You goddamn idiot!¡± The bearded man yelled loudly. It was quite powerful, and Orthia, who was behind me, jolted out. ¡°Did you forget your Aniki¡¯s teachings!¡± (TN: Aniki stands for ¡®older brother¡¯) ¡°N,no!¡± The man who yelled hah, jumped off his horse, then he pulled the reins of his horse and came towards us. ¡°You can use this, and ride it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­ What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Ride it and run away, okay.¡± The bearded man said to me, and pulled on the reins in order for the horse to run. The other guy who gave us the horse jumped on his buddy¡¯s horse and rode off in the same way, as a two-seater. We who got a horse, saw them off. ¡°What happened¡± ¡°¡­¡­Evil is coming¡± Behind them¨D¨D they said so to me as I looked in the direction the men were running from. Over the horizon, something that gives off a quite evil feeling is coming towards us. ¡°Is that evil, a monster?¡± ¡°Ah, it looks like they¡¯re running away from it.¡± ¡°But why did they give us a horse?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go after them and see what they have to say¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Even though she was a prostitute with no combat skills, Orthia¡¯s curiosity outweighed the fear she would normally have. Me and Orthia ride together on the horse, and chase after the men. The horse he gave me was a pretty good one, and it ran like the wind even with two people on it. Immediately, I caught up with the men. ¡°Oi¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come over here, you¡¯re going to get involved¡± Get involved? What does he mean? No, more than that. ¡°Why did you give us the horse?¡± ¡°You guys, base on how you look, are bandits, right?¡± Orthia, who put her arm around my waist, asked. She impliedly asked, ¡°Why would bandits help people?¡±. ¡°It¡¯s a teaching from our Aniki, the man who is the boss of this group. We steal and rob, but we don¡¯t kill people. If someone is about to be killed, save them. That¡¯s our policy.¡± ¡°Ha¡± I was strangely impressed. No, I don¡¯t know if I could really say that I¡¯m impressed with this. They¡¯re not your average bandits, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°That Aniki was also killed. You guys better get the hell out of here, too.¡± ¡°Why run away. Don¡¯t you ever think of getting revenge?¡± ¡°I want to do that, but¡± The bearded man bit his lower lip in frustration. His teeth were digging into his lips with such a force that it felt like he was going to bleed. ¡°It¡¯s aniki¡¯s command, run away from this place alive.¡± Despite his regret, the bearded man didn¡¯t stop running away. As I look closely, I could see that the other men on horses all look frustrated. They are frustrated, but they¡¯re running away because it¡¯s their Aniki¡¯s last command. I see. ¡°You should escape obediently¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°I saved you, in part because of what Aniki taught me, but¡­¡­ because I thought you looked like Aniki. That¡¯s why, make sure you run.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it¡± I pulled the reins back and slowed down the horse. I understood the story. I saw off the men as it was. When they were almost out of sight, I turned my horse in the opposite direction ¨D¨D towards the way we came. ¡°Hermes-chan, you¡¯re gonna do it, right¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hide it, don¡¯t hide it¡± Orthia laughed and slapped me on the back. ¡°That kind of feeling is coming out of you, letting those people escape. They¡¯re outlaws, but they¡¯re good people.¡± I smiled bitterly. I wonder if it was obvious. ¡°Anyone will understand, if they knew Hermes-chan.¡± ¡°Is that so. Well, that¡¯s what it was. Even though they were in danger themselves, they tried to keep the word of their dead Aniki, and let us, who they met for the first time, escape. They¡¯re the ones I didn¡¯t want to die.¡± ¡°I know right¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, just pretend you didn¡¯t see what I¡¯m about to do.¡± ¡°I wish you could just stop hiding it already, Hermes-chan?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a request for a lifetime¡± ¡°Mou, Hermes-chan!¡± Orthia protested with pursed lips. It was a light exchange of words, but I was confident that if I did this, Orthia would not speak about this. That¡¯s the kind of woman she is. I finished forbidding her from talking, and as I waited for a while ¨D¨D it came. From beyond the horizon, a brown giant steadily approached me with a thumping sound of the earth. ¡°Ogre, hah¡± ¡°Wha,what will you do, Hermes-chan. You don¡¯t have any weapon.¡± Wondering where our light-hearted talk from earlier went to, Orthia asked me with a frightened look. As it should be, the size of the ogre was so large that the perspective felt a little strange. It was about a size larger than a two-story house. ¡°No weapon, huh? On the contrary, that may be convenient.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Because¨D¨D¡± The ogre was right in front of us, and we were completely covered by the shadow made from its giant body. The ogre raised the club it was holding ¨D¨D immediately after. Its body was ripped in half from the waist down. ¡°Eh?¡± Orthia was surprised, with my right arm swung out. And then, there were claw-like attack marks on the surfaces of the ogre¡¯s body which was cut. ¡°E,e,eeeeeeeehhh!?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done this before, but it worked. With this, it would look like a fight between monsters.¡± The body of the fallen ogre, the one who died, was torn apart by ¡°claws¡± for all to see. If it¡¯s a weapon, like a sword, which one usually uses, they¡¯ll say that it¡¯s the work of a human and start looking for the culprit(hero), but if it¡¯s a trace of a battle between monsters, I can get through. Yeah, let¡¯s go with this from now on. If anything, tearing them apart with claws will make it look like monsters which fought each other. I¡¯m confident of this approach and was a little pleased. ¡°Thi,this is stupid¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I turned towards the voice that I suddenly heard. There was the man from earlier ¨D¨D or rather, the group of bandits. They returned before I knew it, and were differentiating me and the corpse of the Ogre with astonished faces. I was seen¡­¡­ I was exposed!? No, more than that. ¡°Wh,why did you come back¡± ¡°Because you looked like Aniki¡­¡­ since you had a face like you were going to do something. I knew I couldn¡¯t overlook something like that, so¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± I looked at Orthia. It¡¯s the same argument that Orthia made earlier. Because she knows me well, she can tell when I do something on my own accord. ¡°And yet, when we come back ¡­¡­ amazing¡± It appears that I was being watched firmly. ¡°Ohh¡­¡­¡± Apparently, their Aniki and I were very much alike. CH 40 The Most Famous on the Continent Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr While the men were surprised, the ogre¡¯s corpse gradually disappeared. Normally it wouldn¡¯t disappear, but the corpse in front of me crumbles like something made of sand. I immediately understood the reason. Even as the ogre¡¯s corpse disappears, there is still something that remains. Like a huge ruby, there¡¯s a terrific red drop. Its shape looks like blood in the process of dripping. And then, I feel its magic power. The magic power is being oriented, and it¡¯s directed at the men nearby. Compulsive force¡­¡­? Ah, I see, older brother and younger brother, a cup of oath or something like that, was being done magically huh. The Ogre killed the men¡¯s ¡°big brother¡±, which was probably the one who has it at that time. Judging from the strength and directivity of the magic power, if they have this, they can make the men do whatever they want. I guess this is the reason the Aniki of these guys were letting us escape. It only took me a second to understand that, and while I¡¯m helping them, let¡¯s destroy this thing¨D¨D that¡¯s what I thought, then I stopped. It felt like fresh blood or a ruby, but it had another characteristic. Unbreakable¨D¨D In magic terms, there is a word for this, which is ¡°indestructible by a third party¡±. However¨D¨D normally, it is. If I want to do it, I can break it, but if I did break it, I can see that it would become ¡°It¡¯s amazing that you could break it!¡±. I could predict what would happen with what I¡¯ve seen so far. I¡¯m not that careless, breaking it is out of the question. I picked it up like a jewel, and gave it to the man who looked like the deputy leader who had given me the horse. ¡°Look, take it with you. It¡¯s not something you¡¯ll want in someone else¡¯s hands.¡± ¡°¡°¡°¨D¨D!?¡±¡±¡± When I said that and handed it to him, all the men were surprised to the point that they changed their complexions all at once. What¡¯s this? This reaction. ¡°¡­¡­Why, do you know that¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°This stuff is top secret. Our Blood Oath, the Orcos Oath. It¡¯s a spell that Aniki found in an ancient ruin, so no one else in the world should know about it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Geh¡± So that¡¯s what it was. ¡°Tha,that¡¯s¡­¡­ since I overheard you talking about it earlier after I got the horse¡­¡­¡± ¡°Impossible¡± The deputy leader said firmly, and the other men had the same look on their faces as him. ¡°This is our secret. What you gave us can command us in every way, and we can¡¯t disobey it. That¡¯s why, we ran from the Ogre ¨D¨D There¡¯s no way anyone would let it slip by mistake.¡± ¡°Kuh, that was stupid of me!¡± I had no idea it was such a big deal. It was good until I realized that I shouldn¡¯t destroy it by seeing its nature, but I didn¡¯t know how it happened. It can¡¯t be helped that I didn¡¯t know it. I let out a sigh. ¡°I simply felt those traits. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You simply felt those traits¡­¡­ is it? That kind of thing¡­¡­¡± The men were astonished, and they all looked at each other in disbelief. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, right. Quicker than that, destroy that thing, you¡¯re going to be in a lot of trouble if it gets in someone else¡¯s hands, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°A,ah. Oy, is there a cave or something near here?¡± The deputy leader calls, and one of his subordinates points to the other side. ¡°It¡¯s not a cave, but there¡¯s a valley ahead. It¡¯s a place that even locals rarely go to.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go there¡± ¡°Wait a minute, why are you going to such a place?¡± The deputy leader, who had stopped, turned to me again and answered with a straight face. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a month to break this thing. Because it¡¯s the strength of our bond.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± I nodded. Anyway, it is already ¡°Amazing¡±. I reached out and gently touched the red thing I had handed over. ¡°What are you doing¡± ¡°Just in case, what¡¯s the harm with breaking it here?¡± ¡°Here, you said ¡­¡­ that¡¯s impossible¨D¨D¡± ¡°That reaction, means there¡¯s no inconvenience¡± I, as it is, guh! Then, I tightened my grip with all my strength. ¨D¨DParin! With a dry, clear sound, it shattered into pieces. ¡°Wha¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you kidding me¡­¡­¡± ¡°In an instant? Aniki said that it¡¯s unbreakable¡­¡­.¡± The men were noisy, surprised, and confused. Anyway, it¡¯s already like this, and I¡¯m aboard the ship. Then, I thought it would be better to break this for them first, so I did that. ¡°You¡­¡­ who the hell¡­¡­?¡± ¡°But more importantly, forget about today. If you can¡¯t, at least don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The men looked at each other in surprise. Eventually, they nodded at each other, and then. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but we will not hear that.¡± ¡°Muh, how can I make you hear that¡± ¡°We don¡¯t take orders from anyone. We will not intentionally spread it, but we also don¡¯t need to be told not to talk about it.¡± ¡°Mu¡­¡­¡± That reply is like practically saying, ¡°I won¡¯t tell anyone¡±, but that makes me a little worried. For my part, I¡¯d like them to make it clear that they¡¯ll never say it. ¡°How can I get you to keep your mouth shut¡± ¡°I told you, we don¡¯t take orders from anyone else ¨D¨D there¡¯s only one in the world.¡± ¡°Only one?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Aniki¡± The deputy leader said, and the remaining men all nodded clearly. ¡°Even if he¡¯s gone huh¡± ¡°Ah¡± ¡°I see¡± They must¡¯ve really adored their Aniki, I guess. That Aniki, however, is now dead. In effect, it means that this story is meaningless. ¡°But, what if¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°If you can become our Aniki¡± Everyone stared at me with all their eyes as if saying that they would listen to anything I say. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re a lot like Aniki, and you say a lot of the same things he does.¡± ¡°No, wait, I¡¯m nothing ¨D¨D¡± ¡°It was aniki¡¯s last moments¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Everyone run away, and I would somehow break the Orcos, is what he said. And you did it for him.¡± ¡°It felt like I was looking at Aniki.¡± ¡°It looks like he has possessed him¡± ¡°He¡¯s just like the only Aniki I¡¯d ever give my life for.¡± The other men were speaking so. ¡°Mu,muh¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m stuck. Even if they suddenly call me their Aniki ¡­¡­ Accepting it means becoming the boss of thieves. That ¡­¡­ may not be bad. If it comes with the proviso that I can control them, it may be possible to create a delightful prodigal head to lead the decent outlaws. I thought for a while. Yeah, it could be, if they¡¯ll do what I say. ¡°I have one condition.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t attack people unnecessarily, or do bad things.¡± As you can imagine, if they do too many bad things, the Canoe family could take them down. To the last, it must be kept within the realm of puns. ¡°It¡¯s alright then¡± ¡°Alright?¡± ¡°We are originally doing things like that of a chivalrous thief. It¡¯s my Aniki¡¯s policy.¡± ¡°I see.¡± That might be a good idea. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll become your leader¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± The man was overjoyed, and fell to his knees. The other henchmen also dropped to their knees, and looked up at me. ¡°We, the Dream troupe, belongs to you now, our Aniki. Please order us anything.¡± ¡°Ah, I under ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Dream Troupe!?¡± It was Orthia who heard the words of the Deputy leader. Orthia, who had been silently watching what was going on behind me, shouted in surprise. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Orthia? ¡­¡­ Don¡¯t tell me they¡¯re actually a bunch of bad guys?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case. Dream Troupe, even I know them¡± ¡°Hee?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the most famous bandit group on the continent.¡± ¡°Most famous!?¡± ¡°In terms of famousness, they are more famous than any noble.¡± ¡°Hauh!¡± As I look at the men, they are kneeling, and are looking up at me with glittering eyes. Even though they were chivalrous thieves, it seems that they were not petty thieves but at a level of grand thieves. ¡­¡­Or rather, I just became the boss of such a troupe¡­¡­ CH 41 Carelessness Again Today Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr All of us shared our names with each other. They gave me their full names, but since Orthia had said ¡°just Orthia¡±, which is a common remark for prostitutes named Orthia, I said ¡°just Hermes¡± to hide my true identity. After doing so, I asked them the question I had earlier. ¡°Why did you become a bandit? Such a troublesome occupation¡± To be honest, my feeling for that is that it¡¯s a ¡°pain in the ass¡±. Stealing gold, silver, and treasures and distributing them to the people. To be honest, it would be more understandable if they said they were stealing for their own amusement. In response to my question, all the Dream troupes became serious. The man who called himself Kyuros, the deputy leader, opens his mouth with such straight face. ¡°In order to answer that, I need to ask Aniki one thing first.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°What do Aniki want to do with his people if he became a king, for example?¡± ¡°What if I became a king?¡± I thought for a moment. I¡¯m not a king, but I¡¯m a viscount and territory lord, so it was a reduced version of one, so to speak. I first thought about what I wanted to do, and what I was doing. Yup, if it¡¯s this, maybe they will no longer be fond of me. I decided to answer honestly. ¡°I¡¯ll throw everything to my subordinates and ministers.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Oohh¡±¡±¡± For some reason, the Dreamers were impressed, why? ¡°Even if you reign, you will not rule. It¡¯s the king¡¯s secret that our former Aniki have told us about, amazing.¡± ¡°Eh? No, no¡± I was suddenly misunderstood, and my evaluation went up. I tried to explain that it wasn¡¯t like that. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. I just want to know what exactly you want to do with the people.¡± ¡°Erm¡­¡­¡± I thought further. It seems like I can¡¯t answer honestly here. Then, let¡¯s emphasize what I¡¯m going to do in a bad way to make them not fond of me anymore. People¡¯s insurrection is troublesome, so in order to prevent that. ¡°Scatter money and jobs around.¡± How about this. Since public operations are a hotbed of corruption. ¡°My former Aniki said something similar.¡± ¡°Fueh!?¡± ¡°A nation is its people, and a king who neglects his people has no future. That¡¯s what our former Aniki said so.¡± ¡°Eh? No, no, it isn¡¯t such a praiseworthy thing¨D¨D¡± ¡°As expected of Aniki¡± ¡°It¡¯s great to have a job, not just money.¡± ¡°There are many people who don¡¯t even have a job in the first place.¡± The clamorous Dream troupe, as I noticed it, their glittering eyes that were directed at me became even stronger. ¡­¡­I wonder what should I do. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t really such a grand thing.¡± ¡°Aniki said so too. But ¡­¡­ that¡¯s right. Aniki, since we¡¯re here, why don¡¯t we have a drink?¡± ¡°Nothing but drinking?¡± Kyorus nodded. (TN: The name of the leader, apparently) I furrowed my brows. Sake is no good, I¡¯ve made too many mistakes due to alcohol. Sake is really bad. ¡°No sake, please.¡± I said, and Kyorus and the other members of the Dream troupe started grinning. ¡°It¡¯s similar to our former Aniki, after drinking sake, he would speak his true thoughts. The country is the people, too, he said that after drinking¡± ¡°Eeh!? No, that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be shy, Aniki.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± I don¡¯t want to talk to these people anymore. No matter what I talk about, it¡¯s hard for it to be nothing but a quagmire. ¡°Yes, I can assure you of that. Hermes-chan, is so straightforward and cute when he becomes drunk with alcohol.¡± ¡°Orthia!¡± Ki, I glared at her, but it had no effect. She laughs even more with a ¡°I¡¯m scared¡± funny look. ¡°That trait is also the same¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just Aniki, I¡¯ve heard that even famous Heroes turn into children in front of a woman they know well.¡± ¡°You¡¯re a prostitute, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s strange for a woman in a night entertainment business to leak her true feelings.¡± ¡°That person revolves cutely before me. It was amazing in various ways¡± ¡°Ugaaaaahh!¡± The conviction based on a misunderstanding accelerated. Somehow, it¡¯s no good anymore. If we hang out any longer, I¡¯ll be worn out. ¡°I understand the story, so that¡¯s enough for today.¡± I stood up and tried to walk away. ¡°Aniki! Where are you going¡± ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡± ¡°Wait, Aniki, about us ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Hold on for now, I¡¯ve got things to do too.¡± I decided not to reveal myself as Hermes Canoe, as there was a strong possibility that it would backfire even more. I decided to walk away to think it over, and come up with a plan to deal with them. ¡°For communication¨D¨D Orthia, can we use your place as an intermediary¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯d be happy if my sisters could have regular customers.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, if you want to get in touch with me, go to her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Got it¡± ¡°And also¨D¨D¡± I tried to be cautious again, but as if they had read something from my serious face, all the Dream Troupes turned serious as well. ¡°As my Aniki have told, we would not attack people, and do bad things¡± Kyorus represented them, and declared ahead. ¡°All right then. And if you steal something, just make sure you tell me first.¡± ¡°Understood¡± In this manner, we came to an agreement. I broke up with the well-understood dream troupe, and returned to the city. ¡î ¡°Head!¡± When I came back to the mansion exhausted due to mental fatigue, Mimis rushed up to me with a change in his complexion. The already sweltering guy is even more sweltering than usual, and on top of that, I¡¯m tired. To be honest, I don¡¯t want to deal with him right now, so I¡¯ll just treat him appropriately. ¡°What¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rather serious matter, and I thought I¡¯d better get it to Head first.¡± ¡°What is it¡± ¡°We have received words that the famous Dream troupe have appeared in the Canoe family¡¯s territory. They¡¯re a troublesome bunch, so we have to take countermeasures¡± ¡°Ah, if so, then it¡¯s already alright¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­ Ah. It took me a while to understand that because I was exhausted. Then it¡¯s already okay. The way I have put it, it¡¯s like I¡¯ve declared that I knew about it beforehand and then took measures to prevent them. Coincidentally, the fact is that it was so. Even so, it¡¯s not a good idea to declare it. ¡°Head, the hell was that ¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m tired, I¡¯ll sleep¡± With my current dull head, I¡¯m afraid that I would dig my own grave more and more, so I forced myself to cut it short and went into the mansion. However, that reaction was fatal, and it was too late. The Dream troupe did nothing as thieves at my command, and on top of that, they became regulars at Orthia¡¯s brothel, and my existence got known by the townspeople. I have said to Mimis that ¡°it¡¯s already alright¡±. My stock had risen yet again. CH 42 Peerless and Reason Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the late afternoon, I was in my study, reading a research paper. I ordered Mimis to compile a detailed research report on the Dream troupe. They have twelve members in all, and they are known working as bandits all over the continent. The common people perceive them as chivalrous thieves, because they give the common people with what they stole. There¡¯s a side of them that¡¯s hard to describe as total bandits, because the person who they steal from was only the ¡°rich¡±. The general idea of a ¡°chivalrous thief¡± is to ¡°steal from the wicked rich and give to the common people.¡±, but the dream troupe ignores ¡°wicked¡± and is attacking the rich anyway. This includes merchants who are doing legitimate business. This is why they are well received by the common people, but from the perspective of the rulers, they are more of a headache than ordinary bandits. ¡°However, there¡¯s a personal description for everyone ¡­¡­ ah, so this is their Aniki.¡± After looking at all of their personal description, there was one guy I had never seen. It was a man with his upper body completely exposed, flaunting his muscles. ¡°¡­¡­Is this the guy they said that was similar to me?¡± I didn¡¯t look like him one bit. Like the photo book of the prostitutes, the magically transcribed personal descriptions are the same as the person themselves, but the guy was super macho, and the way he was posing, his pectoralis major muscle looked like they were about to start twitching. I really disagree when Kyorus and the others talk about ¡°how much I look like their Aniki¡±. ¡°Fuu¡­¡­¡± I took a breath, and regained my composure. ¡°There you are, Hermes.¡± At that moment, nee-san came into the study. She was in her usual dress, her back straight, and has an elegant appearance. She came to my side, behaving like a noble lady herself. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Hermes, letting out such a sigh¡± ¡°Ah, it¡¯s this¡± I present to her the personal description. Nee-san probably knew about the dream troupe because Mimis talked about it when she was in the office, and even if she doesn¡¯t know about it now, it¡¯s not something that needs to be hidden. That¡¯s why, I showed it to her normally¨D¨D ¡°Thi,this is¡­¡­¡± Nee-san was astonished, and for some reason, her face paled. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, do you know this guy?¡± ¡°Naked Man¡­¡­ Sigh¡­¡­ sage time!?¡± ¡°Heh?¡± ¡°So~i!¡± Nee-san quickly took the personal description from my hand, opened the window and threw it out of the sky in a spectacular form. ¡°Wha,what¡¯s wrong, nee-san¡± ¡°Hermes, that¡¯s no good!¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t go down that path. Still I, am glad that I was concerned with you ¨D¨Dbut, that¡¯s not normal!¡± ¡°What the hell are you talking about, nee-san¡± ¡°If this happens¡­¡­ I have to rush the HHM48.¡± Nee-san bites her thumbnail, and mumbles with a brooding look on her face. ¡°HHM48? What is that?¡± ¡°It stands for Hermes Harem 48. A project to gather girls of certain age from various parts of the territory, and add them to Hermes¡¯ harem through various screening and training processes.¡± (TN: Dafuq?) ¡°That¡¯s overkill!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the head of the Viscount family, you know? I¡¯m doing a strict screening process, including making sure that they would have easy childbirth. Of course, all of them are virgins, although that goes without saying.¡± (TN: Hah?) ¡°Ah, it¡¯s a rather serious story huh.¡± I don¡¯t understand why it¡¯s abbreviated or why it has the number 48, but whether she will have an easy delivery, or is a virgin, it¡¯s a very important part as an aristocrat. ¡°Yes, look at this¡± Nee-san pulled out a palm-sized crystal ball from under her sleeve. ¡°What is that¡± ¡°It¡¯s my plot towards Hermes¡¯ sex drive. That will determine the number of HHM48* members. I can gather up to 150 people in no time.¡± (TN: It sounded like a girls¡¯ group to me) ¡°Where did 48 come from!?¡± (TN: Yeah, I wonder where too) I thought while retorting. It¡¯s a little bit like my sister¡¯s way of saying you know what I mean, but this is a matter of course as a nobleman. Rather, it might be a good idea to play the role of the prodigal head who indulges in wine and women. In addition¡­¡­ no, just in case. ¡°This only measures sexual drive, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no combat power, magic power, or anything else, is there?¡± ¡°Why would I need to do that?¡± Rather puzzled, nee-san asked me back with such a feeling. I see, so it¡¯s really just sexual desire huh. Then, it¡¯s okay. I took the crystal ball from nee-san and asked her how to use this kind of item¨D¨DI gently squeeze it anxiously. The next moment¨D¨D Parin! The crystal ball shone with light, and shattered with such sound. ¡°Nah! I,it¡¯s unmeasurable¡± ¡°Ah¡± I¡¯m that strong. Well, but as a man, this just means that I have a high sex drive ¨D¨D ¡°This, is something that can measure even a legendary sexual prodigy who can deal with up to 777 people a day, you know? You have more libido than that¡­¡­ Normally, you would have gone berserk and attacked indiscriminately ¡­¡­¡± Nee-san murmured, then she shuddered, ¡°Hah!¡±, and she looked at me as if she was looking at something terribly scary. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, nee-san¡± ¡°Orthia said that her prostitute¡¯s pride was hurt¡­¡­¡± ¡°She was leaking such a thing huh¡± Good grief. ¡°He,Hermes¡­¡­¡± ¡°As I said, what?¡± ¡°A woman¡¯s body is ¡­¡­ a good stuff, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s differeeeeeeeeeeeeent!¡± I grandly retorted, denying it with the momentum that turn over the heavy desk in the study. ¡°You¡¯ve been misinterpreting me like that for a while now, but I¡¯m not! I normally like girls!¡± I stand up, and shift a part of the bookshelf to reveal a hidden bookshelf. I pull out one of the books and hand it to nee-san. The title of the book is ¡ºJust Orthia¡», a collection of photographs of the immensely beautiful women who was Orthia¡¯s ancestors, the prostitutes who came to call themselves Orthia. Nee-san took it and flipped through it. ¡°So~I¡± Then, she threw it out the window in a spectacular form. ¡°You threw it after all!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that interested in girls, why don¡¯t you show it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s reason, you know, reason¡± I pointed it out. It¡¯s very obvious, there¡¯s no need to hide it. ¡°I won¡¯t say that I don¡¯t have any sex drive, or that I¡¯ve never wanted such a thing. But usually, that¡¯s something I can control with reason.¡± ¡°Reason?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the monotone and the deathly surprised faces?¡± ¡°Reason at the degree that it can suppress such a super sexual desire ¡­¡­ amazing! You¡¯re like a saint¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± How could this happen. If this is so, I would have no choice but to exercise my sexual desire, to all of the HHM48 ¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s not good. (TN: Nice) If I do that ¡ª¡ª ¡ºSuperhuman sexual desire, hero class! ¡» I can see nee-san making her eyes sparkling. ¡­¡­Eh? What¡¯s this; is this situation possibly a dead end? ¡°As I thought, Hermes, it¡¯s not a girl ¨D¨D¡± ¡°Master! Please give me another training today!¡± Midea jumped in there. When nee-san saw Midea, a quite young limbed girl who called herself my apprentice and hated big breast, she changed her look and became calm, and then, she gently put her hands on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes. ¡°Hermes, I¡¯m not complaining about this girl, but at least give her three more years.¡± ¡°Ugah!¡± Do you want to make me a monkey that much, nee-san! CH 43 Ward Penetration Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr TN: In celebration for being Christmas, I will be releasing double chapters of my works this week!! ¡°Ceremony?¡± When I heard the report of Mimis in the audience hall, the word that caught my attention came to my ears. A servant was already standing by Mimis¡¯ side, reverently holding a decorated tray. On the tray are two miniature-sized swords, the size of paper knives. I glanced at it and wondered if it had anything to do with the ¡°ceremony¡±. ¡°Please explain in detail¡± ¡°Hah. Did you know that the shortest day of the year will soon come?¡± ¡°Ah¡± The length of the daytime is long in summer, and short in winter. There is a day that is the shortest in the winter. By the way, it¡¯s different every year, and the court astronomers of the kingdom calculate its occurrence meticulously every year. Their pay is good and their status is similar to that of a nobleman, but I¡¯ve heard that if they make a mistake in their calculations and go off a day, they will be severely punished. ¡­¡­ Ah, so that¡¯s why. ¡°We¡¯re going to have a ceremony on that day huh¡± ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s an indispensable ceremony for the kingdom, a tradition that aristocrats carry around every year.¡± ¡°Fumu¡± Then, it means that it is necessary to do it properly, huh. ¡°So, this is for that, right? Then, what should I do with this. The form somehow looks familiar, though¡± ¡°It¡¯s a form familiar to Head.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I tilted my head at Mimis¡¯ words, and once again, the miniature sword ¡ª¡ª it looked like it was a model. I knew I¡¯d seen the shape of these before, where was it ¡­¡­ ah. No wonder I¡¯ve seen it before. It¡¯s the Xiphos Cross Medal, and the Xiphos depicted on it. ¡°It¡¯s the Xiphos¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°Why are there two identical ones?¡± ¡°One is the Holy Sword of Country protection, Xiphos, and the other is the Magic Sword of disaster, Xiphos. It imitates each of them¡± ¡°They have the same name, though.¡± ¡°Legend, has it that the original was one, but it was said that Queen Selene, the ancestor who rejuvenated the family, separated only its evil parts and purified the good parts, and wielded them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a common story.¡± I smiled ironically. It¡¯s a really common story. The original was one, then the good and evil were divided and good won. There are many fairy tales and fables like that. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a lie?¡± ¡°What, you¡¯re saying it¡¯s true?¡± ¡°Since it was the first generation-sama of our Canoe family who was involved in it. The series of achievements made the Canoe family an Aegina aristocrat.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Heh¡± Was that so. Then ¡­¡­ the credibility should jump up, I guess. I felt as if the coin from the Cave of Trials that I have carried with me (to avoid any trouble) had started to casually assert its presence in my pocket. The queen¡¯s sword master, the first person to build the cave that have such gimmick trials. Fairy tales and fables¡­¡­ No, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if they say they¡¯re actually doing something mythical-class. ¡°That¡¯s fine, but what should I do with this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simple. According to tradition, the holy sword Xiphos will be used to smash the magic sword Xiphos. That is all.¡± ¡°I see¡± I got up and stood in front of the tray. I observe them up close. They are similar in form, but clearly one is good and the other is evil. It¡¯s made and colored in a way that even a child can understand it. No, no, I¡¯ve had painful experience in arbitrarily making decisions. Let¡¯s verify it. ¡°This one¡¯s the holy sword, this one¡¯s the magic sword, I believe¡± ¡°That is right¡± ¡°Fumu¡± I lifted the holy sword as if pinching it with three fingers. This one felt like it was just a model. With my other hand, I picked up the magic sword in the same way and lifted it. The magic sword is filled with something magic-like in it. ¡°¡­¡­Do I have to do it?¡± ¡°There has never been anyone who refuses to do so.¡± Mimis replied with a furrowed brow, and a slightly annoyed look. Well, that¡¯s true. It¡¯s a ceremony that takes place once a year, and the nobles take it in turns to perform it. I don¡¯t think there is anyone who would refuse it. ¡°Is that ceremony, or rites, something you do in public?¡± ¡°No, after carrying it out on the appointed day, all we have to do is send the holy sword and the broken magic sword back to the royal capital.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s it¡± If that¡¯s the case, why not do it now? I put the magic sword back on the tray, while still holding the holy sword. ¡°Hold it firmly¡± Then, the servant says. ¡°Eh?¡± Leaving the astonished person behind, I swung the miniature holy sword down. Shiin. I swung it down with a good amount of force, but there was no response at all. I see, so this is the magic-like power I felt. A technique that absorbs so much shock that there is no response huh. Then, I only have to exceed it. I raise the holy sword again ¨D¨D and slash it down. Zupah! I tried to adjust it properly so that the tray wouldn¡¯t be damaged. Penetrating through the magic sword¡¯s technique, I split it in half. ¡°Alright, this is fine. Send it back, pleas¡­¡­e?¡± Mimis turns his face, with a momentum that his chin might come off on the floor. ¡°¡­¡­ Did I, do something again?¡± I have a bad feeling about this. A very unpleasant feeling. It was ¡­¡­ right on the mark. ¡°I,impossible. It has a mechanism that won¡¯t break no matter what until the day of the event¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It was such a technique huh¡± Maybe something would happen on the day with the shortest day, and it was an absolute technique to match it, but ¡­¡­ I destroyed it. Putting it impudently¡­¡­ it seems like I¡¯ve done it again. CH 44 I Didn''t Do Anything Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr TN: In celebration for being Christmas, I will be releasing double chapters of my works this week!! ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Hermes-sama, isn¡¯t it. You¡¯ve come just at the right time.¡± ¡°Nn?¡± In the evening, when I was wandering around the town of Pindos, I heard a voice which was sounding familiar or friendly, or something like that. When I turned toward the voice, I saw an old man I knew. There was an old store, the books almost overflowing to the outside of the store. This is Casios-jiisan, an acquaintance who runs a bookstore here in Pindos. ¡°Casios-jiisan. What¡¯s the matter, with just the right time?¡± ¡°Mmfuh, I¡¯ve got a good one. Wait a minute.¡± The corner of jii-san¡¯s mouth quirked up in a grin, and he walked back into the store. ¡°Hou¡­¡­?¡± I also found that the corner of my mouth was rising too. I¡¯ve known the old man Casios for a long time now. Most of the photo books I have, the ones that are so-called ¡°rare¡±, were purchased from the old man Casios. The old man said, ¡°I¡¯ve got a good one¡±. The expected value will inevitably go up. After waiting at the storefront for a while, the jii-san came back. ¡°Here. It¡¯s a photo book that¡¯s long out of print.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. White Wall War Princess¡­¡­ no good, I can¡¯t read a part in the name.¡± Perhaps because it was a fairly old photo book, the latter half of the title was so faint that I couldn¡¯t read what was seemed to be its name. So, I tilted my head, but the old man was. ¡°Pull it out some more and take a closer look.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t pull it out, you won¡¯t be able to see it, is it¡­¡­ Hmmm, is the last name in the second half? Is there just a little left? That is¡­¡­ Canoe huh¡­¡­ Canoe?¡± ¡°Yes¡± Looking up at Jii-san with a startled face, the old man had a proud face, and made a proud laughing expression showing me his only three teeth left, upper and lower together. ¡°This girl, Hermes-sama, is the first head of the family.¡± ¡°The first generation!?¡± Surprised, I looked at the cover of the photo book again. Of course, I know the name of the first generation, her full name. As I try to look at it again with that knowledge ¨D¨D certainly, the blurred portions do read that way. ¡°That means, this one is hundreds of years old.¡± ¡°I had a hard time getting it, you know?¡± ¡°Heh¡± With a different feeling than when I look at various Orthia¡¯s photo books, I flipped through the first-generation photo album. ¡°¡­¡­strong¡± ¡°Hah?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± How careless of me. By mistake, I uttered a serious impression. Because I couldn¡¯t help it, the first-generation female swordfighter reflected in the photo book was extremely dignified and was a considerable sword user as I could see through the photos. No¡­¡­ she¡¯s seriously strong. She is by far the strongest swordfighter I know. It oozes from every corner of her. How could I understand that, you say ¡­¡­ Because I thought that this woman has an absolutely stubborn and obstinate type of personality. Because even though she¡¯s in a photo book, she¡¯s in a serious ¡°swordsmanship¡± pose, not caring at all about looking good in the picture. Stubborn, inflexible, and just plain strong. The first generation¡¯s photographs have appealed for it strongly. ¡°The first-generation Canoe-sama, you said?¡± ¡°Amazing, she¡¯s beautiful, I¡¯m falling in love¡± ¡°I wish a girl like her would come to my house to be my wife.¡± ¡°Whoa!¡± I was so surprised that I was thrown off my feet. Before I knew it, the town¡¯s residents had gathered around me, and were peering at the photo album in my hand. They¡¯re all looking at the photo album I¡¯m holding with great interest. ¡°It¡¯s just like the image of the first-generation Canoe-sama that I got from my grandfather¡¯s grandfather¡¯s grandfather.¡± ¡°On closer look now, she does resemble the current lord, doesn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°It¡¯s true, their atmosphere is similar.¡± When someone said that, everyone¡¯s eyes focused on me this time. They were seriously staring at me, and it is a little uncomfortable. Well, I¡¯m her descendant, so if they say that I look like her, then I would have to say that that¡¯s the case. I smiled wryly, now then, what to do ¨D¨D at that time I thought so. I heard a commotion from a distance. When I wondered what happened, I looked over there this time. ¡°Geh¡± It was bad in another sense, I thought. Those people, were just walking down the street, then the residents will naturally clear the way for them, those rough-looking people, that¡¯s, it was the dream troupe. Not that they were doing anything wrong, but they looked like common bandits, so the residents became frightened on their own, clearing the way and whispering in the distance. Incidentally, the dream troupe seemed completely unconcerned by this, and walked along the middle of the road normally. Over here ¨D¨D they¡¯re coming. ¡°Oh¡± After one of the group members spotted me, they all came towards me at once. This is not good. As it is, this is bad. While I was wondering how I was going to deceive them, they all came in front of me. The residents who had gathered to see the photo book also began to be frightened by the dream troupe. ¡°Lo,lord-sama. Please help¡± Then, someone told me. Almost at the same time, one of the group members opened his mouth and tried to speak to me, but hearing the words of the inhabitants, Kyorus raised his hand to interrupt him. Kyorus looked at me with a straight face and then. ¡°Are you, the lord of this town?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yeah¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see¡± I and Kyorus look at each other with difficult faces. The other members of the Dream Troupe are puzzled, and the residents are frightened. This is bad, I wonder how should I get through this. I¡¯d like to keep the fact that I¡¯ve become the leader of the Dream Troupe hidden, if possible. A Viscount that has become the boss of a group of extremely famous bandits. Hmm, I can¡¯t predict if it¡¯s good or bad, but it¡¯s obvious that I¡¯m going to be famous and will have full of trouble. I have to deceive them somehow ¨D¨D as I was wondering so. ¡°Excuse me, we¡¯re a bunch of bums called the Dream Troupe.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yeah?¡± I was a little confused by Kyorus¡¯ dialogue. This is ¡­¡­ perhaps? ¡°On one point, I wanted to see the Viscount of Canoe Family.¡± First time meeting, is it¡­¡­ is he performing a play? I thought so, and it was correct. Kyorus casually gave me a wink which only I could see. Talking together, yes, it sounded like he was telling me so. ¡°What do you want with me?¡± ¡°As you know, we¡¯re bandits¨D¨D in other words, we¡¯re doing business that doesn¡¯t need a source of money, just robbing the rich.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a fancy way of putting it.¡± ¡°Therefore, I wanted to meet the Viscount once.¡± ¡°We¡¯re meeting now, though. So?¡± ¡°As expected of a descendant of the world¡¯s strongest, no, perhaps the strongest swordsman in history, Canoe-sama.¡± Yes? Descendants of Canoe-sama¨D¨D Is it about the first generation? ¡°What a surprise, Canoe-sama¡¯s military fame is still talked about throughout the continent.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°You may look calm, but such demeanor, isn¡¯t from an ordinary person. As expected of the descendant of the so-called Canoe-sama.¡± Kyorus lifts me up while using the first generation as a pretext. ¡°Yes, I can tell even if you hide it. We¡¯re no match for you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°We were wrong in our conceitedness. Please, can you overlook us¡± Kyorus said so, and bowed to me. Behind such Kyorus, the other members of the Dream Troupe look at each other, and poke each other with their elbows. ¡°¡°¡°Please overlook us!!¡±¡±¡± Then, they acted in unison with his voice. The fact that the members of that famous dream troupe all bowed together shocked the people around me. ¡°O,oy. Is the Lord-sama that strong?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, but the Dream troupes are bowing to him.¡± ¡°It¡¯s natural, though, he¡¯s a good man who has a strong vestige of the first generation-sama.¡± The background chattering voices I heard, was somehow convinced at it. No, they were being guided by Kyorus. ¡°Etto¡± ¡°Please overlook us. We won¡¯t do anything bad in Canoe-sama¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°¡°¡°Please overlook us¡±¡±¡± They all spoke in unison, raised their heads once, and then bowed again. The surroundings, were all staring at me. There is an expectant color in their eyes. It¡¯s the type of public will that can¡¯t be defied, the kind that is filled with expectations. ¡°I,I understand. If you act normal, I won¡¯t do anything.¡± ¡°Thank you very much¡± ¡°¡°¡°Thank you very much¡±¡±¡± Thrice, the dream troupe shouted together. The faces they raised seemed to be smirking somewhere. That¡¯s still good, what¡¯s even worse than that, was. ¡°Amazing, he suppressed the dream troupe without doing anything.¡± ¡°Is our Lord-sama such a great man?¡± Saying that, I heard a word that I couldn¡¯t ignore. No, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t done anything. Although I¡¯m pretty sure I didn¡¯t do anything here! To tell you the truth, I didn¡¯t do anything, though! ¡°Mumumu¡­¡­¡± I can¡¯t even go to the point where I can reiterate my relationship with the Dream troupe. I, am in front of the public. Without doing anything, I ended up forcing the continent¡¯s worst group of bandits to yield. And this matter ¨D¨D this type of matter. Became a big rumor with its tail and spine. (TN: A proverb) CH 45 Aristocratic Power 9999 Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the audience hall, a messenger came from the kingdom today. ¡°It¡¯s His Majesty¡¯s secret order¡± Though he looks like a man, his voice is high-pitched and uses feminine words. Even though his skeleton is definitely that of a man, he doesn¡¯t have a beard or an Adam¡¯s apple¡­¡­. a eunuch* huh. (TN: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eunuch) Eunuchs are those who are most closely connected to the king¡¯s private life in the so-called inner palace(harem). I had an unpleasant feeling about the ¡°secret order¡± he brought. However, it¡¯s hard to disobey it. ¡°Don¡¯t make a difficult face, just take this first.¡± The eunuch smiled suspiciously, and opened the letter which was sealed. When I received it, I felt some power. ¡°Mu¡­¡­¡± ¡°You understand¡± ¡°What does this mean?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a light seal, and since it¡¯s a secret order, it can¡¯t be opened by anyone other than the person himself. I am the deliverer, and you are the recipient. It has a mechanism that automatically vanishes itself when touched by other humans.¡± ¡°I see¡± I nodded, but I was getting more and more worn out. I can¡¯t imagine what kind of trouble it would be; a secret order that would bring out such a seal. However, the hard part is that I can¡¯t go against it¨D¨D I think I said the same thing a while ago. ¡°Haa¡­¡­¡± I let out a small sigh and open the envelope. The seal was of the Aegina Kingdom style. Only the king and each nobleman had been given the method of opening its seal. (TN: it was this) In short, only the king and the heads of the nobility have a pass key; it has a seal like that. I¡¯ll open it using the method I was taught when I assumed the headship. Of course, I could open this kind of seal with all my might, but that would have been the beginning of trouble, so I didn¡¯t do that. I took out the contents, which had a lingering scent of magic power. It was a letter, so I read it. The first half of the letter is a rhetorical flourish without content, which is a preference of royalty and nobility. I skip it and read only the text. ¡°Aristocratic power?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°They measure and rate that aristocratic power ¡­¡­ Why would they do that again?¡± ¡°Have you ever heard of the Seven Great Thieves?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the Seven Orthia, though.¡± ¡°Ara, is that so¡± The eunuch official chuckled like a woman. I got goose bumps a little, but I put up with it. ¡°That¡¯s particularly fine, since it¡¯s basically the same thing. The seven Orthias, the most popular prostitutes on the continent in ratings. Certainly, they attach points on that as well¡± ¡°Ah¡± I don¡¯t know why they attach something like that, but it¡¯s in the form of a ranking, and their rating is in the form of points. I heard that all seven of them were quite beautiful, and that they were booked up for the next three years. By the way, that Orthia which I favored so much is 97th in the recent ranking. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s high or low, but I¡¯m told there are at least 10,000 prostitutes who called themselves Orthia, so it must be high. Well, whatever. ¡°It¡¯s the same as that. It¡¯s not about the points, but about the bounty rankings of the Seven Great Thieves; His Majesty is very fond of it. It¡¯s exciting to watch, is what he said.¡± ¡°I see¡± I don¡¯t understand that feeling. ¡°That¡¯s why, we would measure the aristocratic power of all the noblemen in the kingdom and rate them.¡± I understand the story. But, I can¡¯t get on board with that. Even if it was a secret order, the person who would take the ranking can¡¯t just end up enjoying himself. I¡¯m sure someone will show it off, and it will eventually leak out. Hence, let¡¯s suppress it. I don¡¯t know how I¡¯m going to be evaluated, but I¡¯ll deceive them using less power. I¡¯ll be serious about this. I may be contradicting myself, but I¡¯m going to seriously suppress my abilities. Here we go, I¡¯ll do it seriously from here. To do that, I need to start in gathering information. I, asked the eunuch a question. ¡°What am I supposed to do. You know, that measuring the aristocratic power¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s already over¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± Wha,what do you mean? ¡°Kusukusu, you¡¯ve just had a change of color in your eyes after listening to that. It was eager, those eyes¡± ¡°Mu¡± Was I seen through. It was certainly so. I made up my mind that I would ¡°seriously suppress my abilities¡±. It has a different meaning than usual, but there¡¯s no change in me being enthusiastic. ¡°His Majesty also said this, when they hear the story, everyone will be eager to get a high score. That¡¯s why it¡¯s best to measure it before they can understand the story.¡± ¡°Before I understand the story ¨D¨D hah!¡± Pah, I stared at the letter I had in my hand. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s the envelope containing the sealed letter. Sealed. ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me¡± ¡°Yes, the act of solving the seal is the measurement.¡± ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°By the way, the result will be sent to His Majesty immediately.¡± ¡°Ofooh!¡± They got me¡­¡­. I was disappointed to see that my eagerness had been a letdown, and my shoulders slumped crestfallenly. I never thought, they were ahead of me. ¡°Don¡¯t be so downhearted. After His Majesty confirms the result, it will be sent to the messengers who are like me¨D¨D Ara, it¡¯s already here.¡± ¡°Ooh¡­¡­¡± That means, it¡¯s after the King saw it¡­¡­ it¡¯s too late. The eunuch took out a sheet of paper from his sleeve, and I could see from a distance that the letters emerged from the paper, which was tinged with magic power. It was a real-time transmission system huh. The eunuch official saw it. ¡°Ara ara, I didn¡¯t see that coming.¡± ¡°Wha,what¡¯s the result?¡± ¡°Tania Chichiakis-sama, the Secluded Duke, who was the number one until now, has fallen to number two.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That means¡± Gokuri, I gulped. ¡°Congratulations¡± I was congratulated by the eunuch. I,I¡¯m not happy. I wouldn¡¯t be happy that I won first place, because I couldn¡¯t cheat and deceived them. ¡°In terms of points, Chichiakis-sama was 371 ¨D¨D eh?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± The eunuch rounded his eyes. Until now, he was like ¡°Ara ara¡± and had a completely calm and composed speech, but this ¡°eh¡± was obviously of a different quality; it was a surprise. ¡°Wha,what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Canoe-sama, what kind of cheating did you do? No, it should be impossible to cheat on what His Majesty had the Wise Man prepared.¡± ¡°Wha,what do you mean?¡± I had been talking at a distance (partly because I was dealing with a eunuch), but I approached him (?) and looked at the paper. The characters that emerged from the paper are ¨D¨D ¡°Hermes Canoe ¡­¡­9999¡­¡­¡± After seeing that, I also vacantly, stiffened. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you set the limit to 3 digits!¡± Then, I did a tsukomi that was so off-point that I sighed afterwards. CH 46 I didn¡¯t Appear This Time Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr One day in the afternoon. As usual, shortly after Midea left Hermes¡¯ mansion alone, she stopped moving. Midea Myukenae, the granddaughter of the Sword Saint Perseus. At fifteen years old, she has already developed herself into one of the best swordswomen on the continent, thanks to her bloodline and two outstanding mentors. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Therefore, it¡¯s not difficult for her to sense their presence. As soon as she stepped out of the grounds of the mansion, she noticed a line of sight and presence. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there, why don¡¯t you come out instead of hiding?¡± She turned to a direction where there was no one, and said with a straight face. At the same time, she also releases her fighting spirit(touki) as if to probe. It¡¯s like a bat¡¯s ultrasound. It¡¯s the ability to emit sound waves that are inaudible to the human ear, and to detect the surrounding terrain by the degree to which it bounces off. If one is skilled as Midea, they can use their fighting spirit(touki) to find out the other party¡¯s intentions to some extent. The result of that, showed that the other party had no ill intentions, but still, Midea did not let her guard down. That was her prestigious proof, and the final decisive factor in moving for her opponent. ¡°I give up, as expected, that¡¯s what I get for staying at aniki¡¯s place.¡± A man came out of the shadows. Kyorus Mafros. He is the deputy leader of the bandit group, Dream Troupe, and was also in the realm of the powerful, to the extent that he can understand more than just talking about fighting spirit and behavior. ¡°Aniki?¡± ¡°I mean the lord of this place.¡± ¡°You mean master?¡± ¡°We call him Aniki, because of various reasons, the biggest one being his strong will. Isn¡¯t that the same thing with your ¡ºmaster¡»?¡± Midea was shocked for a moment, and then nodded. ¡°Yup, various things happened. It was also partly due to master¡¯s whim¡± ¡°Ahaha, I feel like I can understand that ¡ºwhim¡», too. So, for us, he is aniki, and for you, a master. Can you understand that we¡¯re not enemies?¡± ¡°I guess so¡± Midea quickly turn off her hostility. What made her do so, was that she was able to read 10% of his ¡°ki¡± as an expert, and read that the other person had no intention of harming her. 90% of his trust is in the man named Hermes. ¡°Why don¡¯t we talk somewhere?¡± ¡°Alright¡± Kyorus and Midea started walking shoulder by shoulder. They came to the downtown area of the town of Pindos, a short distance away from the mansion, and entered a tavern that was open even in the daytime. ¡°Welcome ¨D¨D Geh, the demon Midea and the Dream troupe¡± The combination of the two was so destructive to the people who knew them, to the extent that the owner of the bar who greeted them, which has a business smile trained for years, was blown away. ¡°Pops, give us your best seat¡± Kyorus tossed a small bag of silver coins to the shopkeeper, and also gave him a smile to show that he is not hostile. The owner of the restaurant accepted his request and, with a slight sigh, guided them to a private room on the third floor where they could overlook the cityscape. A short time later, their food was brought in, and Kyorus and Midea toasted with a light liquor. ¡°You¡¯re a good drinker.¡± ¡°Thank you. So, can you tell me your story?¡± ¡°Sure thing. It¡¯s not that big of a story, but ¨D¨D¡± Kyorus spoke to Midea. It was about, immediately after their original leader died in an accident, which was due to an attack by an Ogre, that he met Hermes, and that Hermes recovered something important to them from the ogre. He was so impressed with Hermes that he worshipped him, and asked him to become their Aniki. He told her without concealing it, but looking at it objectively, there are some discrepancies. Kyorus called it ¡°worshipped¡±, but objectively, it¡¯s more correct to say that he looks like a woman who forced her husband into marriage. (TN: LOL!! It¡¯s like forcing someone to agree) But it aroused Midea¡¯s sympathy. ¡°I also, asked master to let me be his disciple.¡± Now it was Midea¡¯s turn to talk about what she had been through. It was another subjective difference in perception, and Midea said that she had asked him to become his apprentice, but like the Dream troupe, it¡¯s as if she forced him to do so. Similar shapes, and similar differences in perception. The two people instantly hit it off in an instant. ¡°I see. But as expected, Aniki is strong, isn¡¯t he¡± ¡°But of course. He even drove my grandfather into retirement.¡± ¡°The Sword Saint Perseus huh. I¡¯ve heard so many heroic tales about his strength that I¡¯ve got calluses in my ears, but he was stronger than him huh. As expected of Aniki¡± ¡°But you know, I, have one complaint.¡± ¡°Complaint?¡± ¡°Master says not to mention his name. Hence I, am supposed to be Nanas¡¯ disciple now.¡± ¡°Ah, we too. For some reason, Aniki is trying to hide his identity and what he¡¯s capable of. It¡¯s strange.¡± ¡°It¡¯s mysterious, isn¡¯t it¡± The two people are drinking together, and getting more and more comfortable with each other. ¡°Come to think of it, what¡¯s the deal with Nanas? Is there such a real person?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s none. It¡¯s completely made up. It would be fine for me to break into dojos and make a name for myself as a swordsman, but he told me to pretend I was a disciple of Nanas, not a disciple of Hermes. That¡¯s the story.¡± ¡°I see¡± Kyorus pinched his chin and thought. After a while, the corner of his mouth quirked up into a grin. ¡°I have a good idea.¡± ¡°Well, what is it?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you not to mention Nanas name, did he?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we join forces. We¡¯re going to do a big job and pretend that the new leader is Nanas. In any case, it¡¯s only a matter of time before Aniki says, ¡ºIt¡¯s a secret that your leader is Hermes¡».¡± ¡°Ahaha, he¡¯ll say, he¡¯ll absolutely say so¡± ¡°At that time, we¡¯ll have no choice but to make up a fictional character, but perhaps there¡¯s a coincidence that it would be named Nanas as well.¡± ¡°¡­..There is¡± The corner of Midea¡¯s mouth distorted in a grin, too. Since she understood Kyorus¡¯ proposal. ¡°If that is so, you¡¯ll attack the uncontested bad guys, and give charity to the undisputed poor villages, right. After all, master is a good person, so if you solidify these two things exactly, even if he wants to complain, he would be like ¡ºGunununu¡».¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been together for a long time, heh. Yes, I¡¯ll go with that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can to help as well.¡± ¡°Ah, please¡± The two laughed and toasted with each other again. A few days later, Midea and the Dream troupe formed a joint front to carry out the ¡°rob the uncontested bad guys and give them to the undisputed poor villages¡±, which was not different from the concept they initially decided. The group that carried it out was the Dream troupe, and its leader was a man called Nanas. The Nanas was Midea in disguise, and she wielded the ¡°Nanas style¡± that she had shown here and there recently, which supported the credibility of their leader = Nanas. By the overwhelming actions of both Midea and the Dream troupe, the bandits were able to make a difference. The fame of Nanas = Hermes, was growing without the person himself getting truly involve. CH 47 You Are Me, and I Am You Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr When I woke up in the morning, I left my bedroom and walked down the hallway. In this mansion, the number of maids and servants is kept as small as possible. Especially in the mornings, the maids that we hired also commute from the maid dormitories on the premises according to their working hours. The reason for that is simple: I don¡¯t know what will trigger my ability and get discovered by them. It¡¯s more likely to happen in the morning, or at night, or when I was sleepwalking, so I keep the number of people in the mansion as small as possible. That¡¯s why, it happened. A blessing¨D¨D ahem, an unfortunate accident occurred. Gacha. ¡°Fuah¡­¡­ Good morning nee-san ¡­¡­¡± I opened the door and walked into the changing room, where I greeted the person I knew so well. I did so because I was walking half-asleep. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Both of us solidified because nee-san was almost completely naked. Nee-san, who seemed to have just finished taking a bath, was several times more captivating than usual ¨D¨Dor rather. ¡°So,sososososo¨D¨D¡± ¡°Kyaaaaahh!¡± Her shriek that could rip through the silk was deafening. My sleepiness was blown away at once. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, nee-san! I didn¡¯t do it on purpose.¡± I hurriedly apologized, but nee-san panicked halfway and won¡¯t listen to me. She threw things at me at random. Baskets, towels, and¨D¨D ¡°Kyaaaaahh! Don¡¯t touch that!¡± ¨D¨DNee-san¡¯s underwear. The pure white underwear thrown at me by my sister¡¯s powerful arms was a perfect fit for my face. Seen from the side, it¡¯s a mask of pants, the ultimate pervert. ¡°Don¡¯t wear it! Give it back!¡± She threw it herself, but the panicked nee-san came at me naked, trying to get it back. I blushed and looked away at the sexy nudeness of the entanglement of nee-san and me, even though she was my sister and daughter. I don¡¯t know what to do. Then, which makes things even worse. Nee-san leans in close to retrieve her underwear from my face as I turn away. Zuru¨D¨DKyuh! I heard an ominous sound. Nee-san slipped on the wet floor in the middle of our entanglement. We fell backwards with tremendous force. ¡°Nee-san!!¡± I quickly grabbed my sister¡¯s arm and pulled her close. Zuru! I put too much effort into it. The moment I pulled nee-san back and hugged her, we fell down to my side this time. When the sudden succession of events slowed my reaction, the two of us collapsed while being entangled. My head hit the ground with a thud. ¡°Ouch, ouch, ouch¡­¡­¡± I held my forehead where it had collided with the ground and raised myself up. I immediately huffed. ¡°Are you okay, neesan? ¡­¡­ Eh?¡± Kyoton, it sounded so. I couldn¡¯t understand the scene in front of me. The other party who is looking down while we are in a horseback state is ¨D¨D me. I was holding down my forehead where I was being bumped under. ¡°Ouch, ouch¡­¡­ mou, how can this happen¡± ¡°Nee,san?¡± ¡°Hermes, it¡¯s bad, you know? Coming in so su,dden,ly?¡± Nee-san seems to have recognized the situation. She looks at me, who¡¯s holding his bumped head, as I was riding her like a horse. ¡°Me?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I look at my body in response to nee-san¡¯s words. It was a nude body without a stitch of clothing, rich bulging, and two cherries that color the white porcelain skin. Is this¡­¡­ nee-san? The one below is my body, and its content is nee-san. The one on top is my sister¡¯s body, and its content is me. ¡°Di,did we switch?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Probably because we just bumped our heads.¡± ¡°Is that supposed to switch the two of us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read about it in an old book. It was said that if you get into a tangle and bump your head, you can temporarily switch bodies.¡± ¡°Such¡­¡­ wait, did you just say temporary?¡± ¡°Ah¡± Nee-san=me, who was looking down at me, and almost panicked a moment ago, became calm with tremendous momentum and was thinking about something. ¡°Nee-san, are you thinking of doing something bad?¡± ¡°So~i!¡± Nee-san got up suddenly, grabbed me = her body, and with a splendid form, threw me towards the bathroom. I made a soft landing in the bathtub with control like threading a needle. ¡°Puha! Wha,what are you doing, nee-san!¡± ¡°This is good, it¡¯s Hermes¡¯ body, and it seems to be full of power. I¡¯ll use this body to show off his strength.¡± ¡°¨D¨DStop it, nee-san!¡± ¡°Ahahahahaha!¡± Nee-san jumped out of the dressing room with a loud laugh. Just like the wind, her figure disappeared in an instant. ¡°Kuh!¡± I jumped out of the bathtub, changed into my sister¡¯s clothes, and followed her. ¡°Kuh! A woman¡¯s body is hard to run with!¡± It may be my nee-san¡¯s specialty, but it was hard to run with her boobs swaying so much. I still chased after her. Her body was too slow to run in the first place, though, and she couldn¡¯t read the signs. ¡°Dear me, Sora-sama, what the hell are you wearing¨D¨D¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Nee-san!?¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Mimis, whom I met in the hallway, frowned. ¡°No! I¡ª¡ª where did Hermes, not me, gone off to¡± ¡°If it¡¯s the head, he just passed by at the main gate, and left towards the west.¡± ¡°So, it¡¯s west!¡± I ran out of the mansion, out the main gate, and headed west. Found her. From a distance, I spotted nee-san in my figure. Nee-san got involved in the early morning drunks who were tangling with a girl. ¡°Wait¨D¨D¡± Before I had the time to stop her, nee-san waved her arm lightly, and the drunkard did five vertical turns and plunged into the trash. ¡°It¡¯s alright now¡± ¡°Ye,yes¡­¡­ Thank you very much.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t get hurt. Well then¡± What kind of a pompous asshole are you! Nee-san told the girl in a very pompous manner that I wanted to tsukkomi, and then she went away like the wind again. She noticed me on her way out, though, and our eyes met. ¡°Grin*¡± Then, she laughed enough to be heard in the end. ¡°Cool¡­¡­ the lord-sama, was so cool ¡­¡­.¡± Kuh. The girl¡¯s reaction and nee-san¡¯s smile, made me completely understand what she was planning. She heard that we were switched by happenstance, though it would only be temporary and we would turn back soon. Then, in the mean of this, she would use my body to show the people what I¡¯m capable of. Nee-san was trying to do what she always wants me to do, here and in this place. ¡°Haa¡­¡­haa¡­¡­¡± The other side is being lively with my body, but this is nee-san¡¯s body. Halfway through it, I got out of breath and completely lost her sign. In the end, after about half a day, we turn back as if nothing had happened. In that half day, about six fights, three robberies, seven thefts, and one rampaging monster were solved by me. Nee-san was resolved to do whatever she wanted with my body, and my fame rose again. CH 48 Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Hey, hey, how strong is Hermes-chan after all?¡± In my favorite brothel, I was with Orthia, a prostitute I¡¯m familiar with. As she had put me in her lap pillow and let me eat grapes one by one, which was carefully peeled ¨D¨D she suddenly asked me this kind of question when I was receiving such a service. ¡°Why ask me that without any connection?¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually strong, aren¡¯t you, Hermes-chan?¡± ¡°¡­¡­ I guess so¡± I was thinking that there was no point in hiding the fact if I am dealing with Orthia, but I decided to deceive her somehow. ¡°Mou~, despite being strong. I won¡¯t tell anyone, so tell me how strong you are.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pain in the ass.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a request for a lifetime, please! I will also provide you a service.¡± Orthia said so, and hit her boobs at me. Her thighs from the bottom, boobs from above. Sadly, I¡¯m a healthy boy. I have no way to resist this ultimate sandwich. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. Really, don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°Yup! I won¡¯t tell anyone!¡± Orthia has a full but carefree smile. I decided to make her believe that it was inadvertent, but not with intention. And so, I think. It¡¯s surprisingly difficult to evaluate myself again; it¡¯s quite an awkward thing. ¡°I¡¯m good with swords. Perhaps ¡­¡­ I¡¯ll be on the five fingers in the world.¡± ¡°Amazing! Is that true!?¡± ¡°I heard that my ancestor-sama was the best in the world without question. Well, it¡¯s genetic.¡± The first head of the Canoe family, the strongest swordfighter in history who wields the Sword of Light. I often think that it¡¯s definitely her blood that made me strong. ¡°I¡¯ve read every book that¡¯s been passed down from generation to generation, so I have a fair amount of knowledge with swords.¡± ¡°What about magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯m normal with that. I have almost no knowledge about it, but I do have magic power, so I tend to just release it strongly with all my might.¡± ¡°Is that right? That¡¯s surprisi~ing¡± If she knew me well enough, she would know that that¡¯s not true. It was the same with the silver immediately after I became the head, and I didn¡¯t know that the traces of defeating monsters by magic could be checked against the original proprietor. Whenever I ¡° inadvertently ¡± screw something up, it¡¯s usually with magic. ¡°But I see¡­¡­ Hermes-chan is good at swordsmanship.¡± ¡°Somewhat¡± ¡°Hey, hey, show it to me next time, I¡¯ve heard about it, but¡­¡­ Sword dance? Is that what it¡¯s called?¡± ¡°Sword Dance huh¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. Let me see that, it¡¯s my lifetime request, please¡± ¡°As I said, how many times are you going to make a lifetime request?¡± Well, I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s that many. ¡°If only you could provide me with more service¡± ¡°It¡¯s no problem!¡± Orthia said that, nibbling the grapes she peeled and feeding them to me by mouth. Her red face after that, seems to be slightly ecstatic. She has a carefree comfort and a sex appeal like dripping nectar that she radiates at the right moment. If she does this, then it can¡¯t be helped ¡ª¡ª well, that¡¯s the sad nature of a man. ¡°Ah, somehow, you¡¯re being so cool. What¡¯s cool is that you¡¯re doing it facing this way.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Good grief, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± ¡î In the evening, I left the brothel and returned to the mansion. As I passed through the main gate, I saw a number of wagons with large tubs on them parked in the yard. There¡¯s a man beside the wagon. ¡°Nassos, what¡¯s wrong with this?¡± The man was my subordinate, Nassos, whom I entrusted with collecting taxes. The face that turned to me when I called out looked unreliable as usual, as if he was about to start crying out in distress. ¡°He,Hermes-sama! Ni,nininininininice to see you!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to force yourself to use unfamiliar words. More importantly, what¡¯s that?¡± While asking Nassos, I approached one of the wagons and touched the tub. The moment I touched it, the center of gravity of the tub shook. ¡°Is it liquid?¡± ¡°Co,correct dasu. It was sent from the town of Hals dasu.¡± ¡°Hals is in Canoe Territory huh¡± ¡°Yes dasu. It¡¯s one of the towns where I collected taxes at the behest of Hermes-sama dasu.¡± ¡°Fumu, is this thing, sake? You are, getting paid by bribe now, aren¡¯t you?¡± I lift the corner of my mouth in a grin, and look at Nassos teasingly. ¡°Thathathathathathathathathathat ¨D¨D¡± ¡°You¡¯re in too much of a hurry¡± ¡°¨D¨Dkikikikikikikikikind of thingggggggggggg¡± ¡°As I said, you¡¯re in too much of hurry, that you¡¯re bugging. It was that kind of thing isn¡¯t true, I guess¡± ¡°Dasu dasu dasu dasu dasu dasu¡± He shook his head vertically like a grasshopper with rice, so vigorously, that I feared he would tear his head off if he shook it like that. ¡°Since I was just messing with you. And, more than that, what¡¯s this?¡± Nassos, an honest man at heart, also feels indebted to me. I stopped messing around because it made me feel sorry for him, so I went back to the story. ¡°Actually, they say it contains salt, dasu.¡± ¡°Salt? There¡¯s no see in Canoe¡¯s territory, though¡± ¡°Yes dasu. It¡¯s from Lake water dasu.¡± ¡°Are you saying there¡¯s salt in it¡± ¡°Correct dasu. If we can get salt from that place, then ¡­¡­ well, well ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah, you mean that we¡¯ll have to wait until they can pay the tax if we take it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right dasu!¡± Nassos has first-rate collection skills, but his personality is difficult to deal with. He gets particularly nervous in front of me, so it¡¯s necessary for me to look ahead and guide him lightly when we have conversations. ¡°However, I see, salt huh¡± Salt ¨D¨D Salt extraction is not only economically important, but also politically significant. If we can really get it ¨D¨D ¡°You will not.¡± When I was thinking about it, Mimis interrupted me this time. As the carriage was parked outside the mansion, Mimis jumped from there and approached me. With the mansion in the evening, no doubt he had heard about this and came over. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°I know about the lake of Hals. It contains some salt, but it has a lot of impurities, and it is extremely difficult to extract only the salt. This is the previous generation¨D¨D No, it has been decided that it¡¯s not worth it since the one before the last generation.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s correct dasu¡± Nassos slumped, and looked downwards. ¡°Hmm, a lot of impurities huh¡± I touched the tub I had touched a little while ago again. Let¡¯s take a look and see how much it has. I pour magic power into the tub itself and pull out only the salt. ¡°Heh, there¡¯s quite a bit of salt itself¡± There was more salt than I could hold in one tub with both hands. I think this is enough to make a decent amount of money. ¡°Uhhm, Mimis, this is¨D¨D wait, what¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± ¡°He,head-sama, what did you do just now¡­¡­?¡± ¡°What did I do, you said, I simply refined the salt. Didn¡¯t I do that with the silver?¡± I just did the exact same thing, though. So why are you surprised? ¡°Can it be used for anything other than just ore?¡± ¡°Yup? It can. It¡¯s a refinement that extracts only one type of thing from a mixture.¡± I replied as if it were a matter of course, but Mimis and Nassos, were becoming more and more astonished. ¡°What the heck¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t know that that kind of application is possible ¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Hermes-sama¡¯s way of thinking is amazing dasu ¡­¡­.¡± The two people were at a loss for words. I didn¡¯t have much knowledge about magic, but I did it so naturally, though. ¡­¡­Did I, do it again? CH 49 Hermes Method Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr The Lake of Hals. I was looking at the lake from an open-structured carriage. There is a small, village-level gathering of buildings around the lake. A number of buildings are being constructed as if they are growing surrounding it. ¡°At last, it started¡± Next to me, nee-san mumbled. ¡°Ah, there aren¡¯t many people who can refine salt yet, so we¡¯ll do it gradually, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still difficult huh, extracting salt by magic¡± ¡°¡­¡­ It¡¯s strange that no one has ever thought about this before.¡± I said in a grumbling tone, in reply to nee-san¡¯s inquiry. Even though it wasn¡¯t such a difficult idea. ¡°It is said that the point of view of an expert in something is different from that of a non-expert in the first place.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t hear you~¡± I sighed. With this one, my fame rose again. A magician who can still do it¨D¨D although there are a few craftsmen, the magic refining of salt will extract only the salt, so it shall become a high-quality salt with extremely high purity. It is said that its purity is such that it cannot be produced by the usual method of boiling or drying. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I sent salt from here to Their highnesses.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Wait, nee-san, I have a really bad feeling about this somehow¡± I held my temples, feeling like I was going to get a headache. ¡°First of all, what do you mean by Their Highnesses?¡± ¡°Shou-sama, and Lina-sama¡± ¡°Just as I thought!¡± Shou Za Aegina, and Lina Mi Aegina. Both are royalty of the Kingdom of Aegina, and the two took a liking to me. ¡°Wha,what did you say when you send it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all okay¡± Nee-san smiled broadly at me. ¡°With the purity of that salt, it would be disrespectful not to present it to His Majesty the King anyway.¡± ¡°Muh¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hermes knows what he¡¯s done, right? The purity in that method, is unrivaled and incredible.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.I wish I hadn¡¯t done it¡± I did it by accident, but now it became a troublesome thing. ¡°Thereupon, it happened¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I turned to nee-san, who said it happened. Nee-san had an envelope with her. ¡°It¡¯s a reply from His Royal Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m scared of reading it.¡± ¡°To put it bluntly, His Majesty the King liked it a lot, so he allowed me to give a name to it as the reward.¡± ¡°Name?¡± Sweat poured down my back. I have a terrible premonition about this. ¡°Canoe salt, or Hermes salt. It means that I can choose either one. ¡° ¡°At least choose the Canoe salt!¡± ¡°I answered with Hermes.¡± ¡°Offuh!¡± I hang my head to the fullest. ¡°This was a decision I made with Hermes in mind, though.¡± ¡°From where!?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure Hermes wasn¡¯t too happy with any more Cross Medal piled on top of the slime lord, right?¡± ¡°Muh¡± I was hanging my head, but then, I looked up at nee-san. I subdued the Slime Lord. That¡¯s an achievement in its own right, but only in its own right. On the other hand, I also received two medals of the Xiphos Cross, which is the highest grade in the Kingdom of Aegina, for that reason. Shou and Lina, to show their appreciation, both gave me a good reason. One is already too many, but there are two. If something happens in the future, it may be able to build on that even more. If they keep piling on more and more for something as simple as defeating a Slime lord, it¡¯s going to look even more suspicious and conspicuous. ¡°Both their Royal Highnesses are also remarkable; they will be on top of this in the future. At any rate, His Majesty liked it so much, the quality ¨D¨D No, the way you¡¯ve done it in the first place is revolutionary.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Really¡± I jumped out of the carriage, and walked towards the lake. When she said that, perhaps nee-san¡¯s choice is the right one. ¡­¡­ I¡¯ll be careful, but I might continue to do something in the future. This salt, maybe a good breakwater against such situations. Being food, the king liked it. Historically, there have been quite a few cases of excessive awards in this pattern. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you, nee-san¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± My smiling nee-san and I walked along the shore of the lake. Nee-san stopped, bent down and scooped up some water with the palm of her hand. ¡°I¡¯m just giving a little boost to Hermes, for finding a way to make that fine salt from here.¡± ¡°If you could, I¡¯d appreciate it if you¡¯d say something before you do these things in the future.¡± I crouched down and scooped up a handful of water, too. In front of my nee-san, since there was no one else around, I tried to pull out the salt as if it were a comfort. ¨D¨DMu? This is, this feeling. It wasn¡¯t in the tub of water that Nassos sent me, but when I¡¯m in direct contact with the lake itself like this, I can feel it. I understand, that it has it. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Hermes?¡± ¡°No, there¡¯s nothing¡± I answered immediately, pretending to be normal so as not to be exposed. But. ¡°I heard it from a girl named Orthia. Hermes¡¯ nose twitches when he lies, right¡± ¡°I¡¯m not falling for that trick, nee-san.¡± It¡¯s a trick that caught me before. I will never fall for such a trick again. ¡°Yes, that was just me fumbling my words. In fact, after discussing with Orthia, I found a way to tell when Hermes was lying.¡± ¡°As I said, I¡¯m not falling for th¨D¨D¡± ¡°You¡¯ll have a more serious face than usual, right¡± ¡°¨D¨Dtu¡± Zugan, then it came. She knew in an instant that it wasn¡¯t a fumble in words or a lie. When I tell a lie, or when I play dumb. She knew that I¡¯m going to think seriously about it and try to hide it. ¡°¡­¡­Is it on my face?¡± ¡°Yes, a tense and handsome man¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make me happy¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡¯s not happy about this, Hermes.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Already¡­¡­ what does it mean when the most serious one hides his seriousness¡± Nee-san pointed her index finger at my nose. I have no words to return. ¡°So, what happened this time?¡± ¡°Ah¡± I nodded and, in contemplation, told it to nee-san. ¡°There¡¯s mithril in here.¡± ¡°Mithril¡­¡­ you mean the metal that could be made as magic items, and store magic power itself?¡± ¡°Ah¡± ¡°Although it is metal, it¡¯s in water?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in there. The quantity is much smaller than the salt, so it wouldn¡¯t be profitable in the same manner.¡± That¡¯s what I thought, so I decided to tell nee-san. Because if there¡¯s no one who can actually take it out, it¡¯s okay to say it. I thought so. ¡°That¡¯s a great discovery, Hermes. That mithril, which can only be found in certain mines, also exists in these waters.¡± ¡°No matter how great it is ¨D¨D¡± ¡°I¡¯ll have it searched right away, there must be a lake somewhere with a high content of it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± I¡¯ve done it. I just thought I should be careful, but now I¡¯ve done it again. ¡°Nee-san, this thing is¡± ¡°I¡¯ll name this method as the Hermes Method, and announce it to Their Majesties.¡± ¡°Stop that!!¡± I stopped her, but she wouldn¡¯t stop. The new discovery about the rare magic metal mithril was quickly passed on to Shou and Lina via nee-san. CH 50 I Don''t Take Myself Seriously for a Woman Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr Inside my study, I was looking at the glass cup of water in front of me. It¡¯s just some water that we use in our house for domestic use. It turns out that this one also contains mithril. Speaking of the amount, it¡¯s about the same as filling up a 25-meter pool and taking out a grain of sand from it. The bottom line is that ¡°there are some, but there are very few¡±. It¡¯s no surprise that I hadn¡¯t noticed it until now, and, after realizing that the mithril can exist in the water at the Lake of Hals, I finally figured it out after carefully looking at it on such a level. ¡°Which, means¡± If mithril is present, albeit in minute quantities, in the water we use for everyday living, then it is safe to say that mithril is present in all the water in the world. All that¡¯s left is how to take it out and the cost. I can¡¯t think of a specific way to get it out yet, but maybe every time it rains, or when I go to the sea. I should be able to get a decent amount of it. That¡¯s what it means, for it to be in the water. But, I don¡¯t need to think about it. I won¡¯t think about it anymore. It¡¯s too much hassle. Thinking about this and that anymore, I really want to avoid the ¡°Hermes method¡± becoming a powerful thing seriously. Then, I just have to do nothing. It was unavoidable that I accidentally discovered it and nee-san reported it to the king, but if someone were to study this in the future, they would eventually forget about me. By saying this, it¡¯s the end of the story¡ª¡ª Knock knock. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me, Otoutotou-sama*¡± (TN: Basically, it means, younger brother father. Weird) It was nee-san. When I said come in, she came in quietly. ¡°I only have a bad feeling when nee-san calls me that way.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no such thing. You have a guest, Otoutotou-sama¡± ¡°Guest?¡± ¡°A merchant named Goun Almond.¡± ¡°Merchant? Is it for sales promotion?¡± ¡°Speaking of Almond, he¡¯s a big merchant who controls all of the mithril mines in our country.¡± ¡°Muh¡­¡­¡± My eyebrows, twitched. Mithril, that¡¯s the last thing I want to hear right now, a troublesome word. And what I just heard is also troublesome. Monopoly of Mithril Mines. And I (although the true criminal was nee-san) presented the possibility of a new Mithril. The worst combination of my life as far as I know. It¡¯s about as bad a combination as a virgin and a virgin having their first time together. (TN: The f?) ¡°Don¡¯t make a serious face, the story won¡¯t end if you don¡¯t meet him anyway.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± I guess it can¡¯t be helped. ¡î When I came to the drawing room, I found a man standing inside, waiting for me. I¡¯m guessing he¡¯s about 50 to 60 years old. My first impression of him was that he was a greasy, nasty old man. He wears expensive-looking clothes and a huge jewelry ring, but the image of this person¡¯s obstinateness is stronger than that. It¡¯s not someone I want to get involved too deeply with. The man looked at me, smiled, and bowed his head. ¡°It is a pleasure to meet you, Viscount-sama. My name is Goun Almond.¡± Nicha¡­¡­ I can almost see such onomatopoeia in his smile. He even smiled so obstinately that I wanted to knock him out right now. I shrugged it off and sat down on the couch across from him. He sat down a little later than I did. ¡°You want something from me?¡± ¡°This time, in regards for Viscount-sama¨D¨D¡± ¡°Please stop with the preface¡± I interrupted his long, tedious, and potentially roundabout words. As well as being a troublesome guy, he¡¯s someone I don¡¯t want to be around with for too long. Ah mou, I¡¯m going to go visit Orthia later to remove a bad taste. ¡°You¡¯re being impatient, Viscount-sama. All right, since time is money.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± This was still a bit too much, but I had to put up with it because he was about to get down to his business next. ¡°Hermes method¡± ¡°Muh¡± ¡°I would like you to withdraw this¡± Why? His question was excessive, so I gulped down in my throat. A new discovery about mithril and a merchant who has a monopoly on the old mithril mines. Well, I guess this is just natural. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t mean for free. We will pay you 500,000 gold coins if you promise not to report it to the King again.¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite generous¡± ¡°You can think of it as an expression of my gratitude for the Viscount-sama.¡± I see. He meant that he¡¯ll give me 500,000 gold coins if I don¡¯t interfere with his business, huh. What should I do, jump on it? Perhaps it would be better for the prodigal leader I¡¯m aiming for, to jump on the 500,000 gold coins in front of me. The fact that he can take it out so easily means that he will likely be able to make more profit than that if it¡¯s done normally. The seriousness of merchants who fear monopoly is the best guarantee of all. ¡°¡­¡­¡± No, I shouldn¡¯t ride here. When I look back at the mistakes I¡¯ve made so far, every decision I¡¯ve made for the sake of the ¡°prodigal head of the family¡± has backfired. No matter how correct my decision is on the spot, it will backfire. I¡¯m sure it will happen this time too, so I won¡¯t ride on it. ¡°My bad, but¡± ¡°Oh my! I¡¯m sorry about this. There¡¯s not much to say about the discovery of the century, how about 60?¡± His smile faded and his eyes became more serious. From here, it becomes a bargain with the merchant. And then ¨D¨D ¡ºI can¡¯t believe that we¡¯re getting this much out of that Goun Almond! Amazing!! ¡» I heard an empty voice. What can I say, this is definitely what I¡¯ve experienced so far. I couldn¡¯t comply more and more. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not going to back down, no matter how much you pinch me.¡± ¡°Well, how¨D¨D¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need your money.¡± I interrupted him flatly. I feel like I¡¯ve heard a number that sounded bad, but let¡¯s forget about it. The expression disappeared from his face when I interrupted him, and he snaps¨D¨D when I thought so. ¡°Fuh. Stubborn, aren¡¯t you?¡± On the contrary, he laughed. That laugh was even more disturbing than before. What is this guy¡¯s planning¨D¨D when I thought so. ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to use this hand, though.¡± His tone of voice changes completely, and he pulls out an object and throws it on the table. It was a woman¡¯s handkerchief, decorated with lace and embroidery. What was that? ¨D¨Dwhen I thought about it, I then smelled it on the handkerchief. It was a scent I knew well ¨D¨D the scent of Orthia¡¯s favorite perfume. ¡°¡­¡­what are you gonna do¡± ¡°Seems like we have taken custody of a woman¡± ¡°What did you do with her?¡± ¡°It seems like she was a popular prostitute. I suppose you¡¯ve never been in the business of just dealing with a large number.¡± Nicha¡­¡­And his sickening smile I felt at the beginning was back. I know I¡¯m sounding a bit cryptic, but he sounds like they¡¯ve got Orthia, and depending on my response, he has several¨D¨D No, he means that a bunch of men were going to be violent on Orthia. That¡¯s what I guess. ¡°If I break this glass ball, they will receive an order.¡± The guy pulled out a small glass ball. I can feel magic power from it. It¡¯s something that¡¯s used in the military and warfare for its ability to send simple signals. That guy, shows a pretense of crushing the glass ball. ¡°What do you think? The sooner you answer, the better, and it¡¯s not at all unlikely that my hand would slip up¨D¨D¡± My hand moved. As soon as I shook out my aligned index and middle fingers, two of the man¡¯s fingers flew off and the glass ball floated into the air. I couldn¡¯t let it be broken, so I quickly collected the glass ball. ¡°¨D¨DHa?¡± The guy is puzzled by the fact that I¡¯m now holding the glass ball, and looked at the ball and his hand in turn. When the sharpness of the slash exceeds a certain level, the bleeding from a wound that has been cut too cleanly often delays. It¡¯s the same this time too. After a full three seconds, the wound spew blood as if it had remembered. ¡°Gyaaaaaaahh!¡± ¡°Get the fuck out of here¡± ¡°Yo,you think I¡¯m going to let you get away with this ¨D¨D¡± I swore, and the guy kicked off while trying to blackmail me. He jumped up from the couch, broke through the door and went out into the hallway. Screams and noises of two people were combined, and the maids and servants gathered in the hallway. I also went outside. It was an unusual situation, but since it wasn¡¯t the head of the mansion (me) who was being attacked, no one intervened or did anything about it. I saw Midea among the onlookers. ¡°Midea¡± ¡°Yes! What is it, Master?¡± ¡°Knock that guy out of the mansion.¡± ¡°Understood!¡± After leaving it to Midea, I jumped out of the mansion. ¡î At a rundown house on the outskirts of Pindos, far from the highway. I beat up all of the ruffians, which numbered roughly twenty, and went inside. ¡°Wha, you bastard, what are you ¨D¨D¡± There was one last person in the rundown house, perhaps a lookout, but I knocked him down faster than he could get out. Orthia was in the back. Her hands and feet were tied and she was gagged. I approached and tore off the rope and the gag. ¡°Thank you for saving me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This is all my fault.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡± Orthia was laughing quite indifferently. ¡°Okay?¡± ¡°Since these guys were chattering fluently. I knew that Hermes-chan was involved, and I knew that he would come to save me.¡± ¡°Is that so¡± ¡°Hence, I wasn¡¯t worried at all.¡± As usual, Orthia speaks with a carefree smile. But, her hands were shaking. No, not just her hands. Her face was smiling, but her whole body was trembling slightly. How could she not be afraid. She¡¯s just desperately trying to be strong and act like she always do. I hugged her closely. I hold her a little tighter than usual to let her know that I¡¯m here and to stop her from shaking. ¡°¡­¡­Thank you¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already been thanked.¡± ¡°That¡¯s also true.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll escort you for the time being¡± ¡°Okay¡± Her trembling stops, and Orthia, who feels more moist than usual, leaned closer to me. I put my arms around the back of her knees and gently pick her up. We run down the highway as it is. I turned back the way I came and returned to the town of Pindos. On the way, neither she nor I said anything. Orthia leans towards me like a borrowed cat. This is a different Orthia. If nothing happened, Orthia would be cute like this, but right now, her cuteness only makes me angrier at Goun Almond. While suppressing that anger, I returned to the town and came to the brothel. When I tried to enter the store with Orthia in my arms. ¡°Isn¡¯t that Aniki¡± I bumped into Kyorus, who was just coming out. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a pleasure Aniki. Well, Aniki introduced us to this place, and it¡¯s been great. The girls are cute and the service is good. The whole time it felt like as if we were lovers, and we all became regulars here ¨D¨D¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nice place. Lend me your strength, Kyorus¡± When I talked with a straight face, the deputy leader of the dream troupe, who had been deredere* until then, changed completely and had a stern look. (TN: it¡¯s lovestruck, I guess) ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want to punish an unscrupulous merchant who tried to get what they want by threatening to violate a woman.¡± ¡°I see, he¡¯s done that huh¡± Kyorus lifted the corner of his mouth in a grin. Watch out, Goun Almond. I¡¯ll take everything you have. I¡¯ve, made up my mind ¨D¨D ¡°Hold on, Hermes-chan¡± In my arms, Orthia spoke to me in a mellow, whispering voice. ¡°What¡¯s wrong¡± ¡°Such Hermes-chan, may be a little scary.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that so¡± I see, I scared her huh. This isn¡¯t like me at all. ¡°I know it¡¯s not my place to say this, but it¡¯s mine to say, though¡± Orthia said so with a carefree smile. At some point, the trembling was completely erased from her body. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Hermes-chan would be so serious about such small fries.¡± ¡°Yes, I guess so¡± I nodded. It was as Orthia says. I should twist such small fries a little without getting serious. CH 51 Do Nothing but The Biggest Attack Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°So, I have a good idea, but¡± When I was trying to figure out how to give Gohn Almond a ¡°little¡± twist, Orthia said with a mischievous smile on her face. ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, nee-san?¡± ¡°No, wait, what¡¯s with the nee-san thing?¡± Orthia¡¯s mischievous smile was reliable and I wanted to ask her about the contents, but I was more interested in this. I don¡¯t want to abandon it; I feel that if I pass through it, it will develop in various ways and it will not be good. ¡°Eh? Ah¡­¡­ That¡¯s because, all the girls that looked after us are juniors of nee-san.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely different. You just came up with an excuse.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, you know¡± Kyorus confessed, at the end of his phrase was¨D¨D ¡°?¡± ¡°Stop whistling! Try to fake it more!¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that okay Aniki, Nee-san is somehow already our nee-san¡± ¡°The breakdown of that ¡ºsomehow already¡» is unclear!¡± I quipped, but my quip also became crude. It became troublesome somehow. I¡¯m sure they won¡¯t stop no matter what I say anyway. I sighed, then resettled myself and turned to Orthia. ¡°So, what¡¯s this good idea?¡± When I asked her again, I then could feel the reliableness in the appearance of Orthia who¡¯s broadly grinning. ¡°Yup. First of all, they are famous chivalrous bandits, right?¡± ¡°Ah. That¡¯s why, I am trying to steal from Gohn Almond along with these guys. I can do damage with both their fortune and reputation.¡± The Dream troupe is famous for only stealing from unscrupulous merchants. If the dream troupe targeted the other party, it¡¯s like blowing the whistle that they are a corrupt merchant. I¡¯ve been involved with these guys and did a lot of research, but interestingly enough, they have that much credibility. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you need to join them, Hermes-chan.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Hermes-chan will be the third role, that would cause mental damage to the other person¡± With that said, Orthia whispered into my ear. Her proposal was interesting. ¡°I see, you¡¯re going to use the fact that they know various things about me to play hooky.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what it is.¡± ¡°Hey, nee-san, what are we going to do? Is it fine to do it without aniki?¡± ¡°Yes. But in return, you have to keep your promise to Hermes.¡± ¡°Promise?¡± ¡°Yes, promise not to steal in Hermes-chan¡¯s territory.¡± Orthia chuckles again. Oh man, I knew I could count on her. (TN: Sounds like he¡¯s lovestruck here©d(?¦Ø?`)o) ¡î The Dream troupe ran about on all the corners of the country They raid the mansions and open stores of the mithril merchant Gohn Almond, steal his wealth, and distribute it to the local people. The Dream troupe is famous for being righteous bandits. There was a rumor going around the country that he must be a very bad guy, since they started targeting him quite intensively. Among that, there was a windless area that could be called the eye of the typhoon. It¡¯s the Canoe family, my territory. The Dream troupe did not steal or take anything from the territory of the Canoe family. Some people suspected me of being involved in this, but what the Dream troupe was doing is rob the merchants and distribute the money to the people. Moreover, it¡¯s to the local people. I haven¡¯t gained anything at all, nor have the people of my territory. Rather, in terms of the people, it is a relative loss. There are few people who believe in the theory that the mastermind is someone who hasn¡¯t gained anything. Moreover, it¡¯s too unnatural. They¡¯ve even come up with a conspiracy theory that the fact that they¡¯re doing this all over the country and not doing it in my territory means they¡¯re trying to pin the blame on me. While such a thing was going on, Gohn Almond asked me to visit again. ¡î Inside the drawing room, I faced Gohn Almond alone. Unlike the last time, he looked as if he was chewing on a very bitter bug. After saying something several times and swallowing his words repeatedly. ¡°Please stop this, I beg you.¡± ¡°You can believe all you want about that rumor, but I haven¡¯t done anything.¡± ¡°Viscount-sama!¡± ¡°Well, I might have leaked to those guys that some merchant took a prostitute as a hostage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s i¨D¨Dugh¡± Gohn rotated his head fast. For a moment, he almost said ¡°That¡¯s it¡±, but I guess he quickly realized that there was nothing he could do about me with that. Even if it¡¯s true that I told Kyorus¨D¨Dthat is, the Dream Troupe, and even if I did spread the story. No damage was done to me. What the Dream troupe is doing is the same act of thief as before, and what I said is that there is a corrupt merchant who has taken a prostitute as a hostage. I hate to say it, but prostitutes are looked at in many ways, and one of them is that they are ¡°socially vulnerable¡±. In this case, the context would automatically become a flow of ¡°until you take the prostitute as a partner~¡±. (TN: That means that anyone who kidnaps a prostitute should marry them. Different with the case of Hestia in which she bought herself out of being a prostitute) It¡¯s a story that it¡¯s natural to be targeted by the dream troupe. As expected of a lucrative merchant, his mind is quick and he seems to have figured it out in an instant. If he was that smart¨D¨D ¡°Rather, I would like you to do something for me¡± ¡°¨D¨DTuh! Please tell me anything!¡± This would be the first push. The phrase ¡°I would like you to do something ¡± is usually used in this context to mean that he should give me something before I drop it. Gohn, as a matter of course, expected it, and the light of salvation emerged on his face. ¡°If you have any property in Canoe territory, pull it up. Then, I won¡¯t bring anything more into this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Dream troupe is targeting you. I don¡¯t want you bringing trouble into my territory.¡± ¡°Wha¡­¡­tha,that¡¯s ¨D¨D¡± ¡°If you just stay here, I¡¯ll have to go and catch them, which is a problem. Just trying to catch a bandit as big as the Dream troupe is enough to make the people look at you coldly. It¡¯s double the trouble.¡± Dumbfounded, Gohn opened his mouth wide. ¡°I don¡¯t want to deal with any of the hassle, so don¡¯t bring it to my house.¡± ¡°Viscount-sama!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all, go back.¡± ¡°¨D¨Dtu! Hermes Canoeeeeee!¡± Gohn got angry and tried to grab me. I didn¡¯t counterattack, I just dodged lightly. He stumbles, then falls. He laid flatly on the floor, then looked up at me and glared. I didn¡¯t pay attention to him, and left the drawing room. ¡°Hermes Canoeeeeeeeeeeeee!¡± Even through the door, I could clearly hear his rage. Nevertheless, I won¡¯t do anything. This time, I will do nothing. This may be the first time I¡¯ve ever felt this exhilarated without something backfiring on me. I¡¯ll have to thank Orthia for that. ¡î About half a year later. As a result of this, various bandits have been targeting them since the Dream troupe obtained information about their other wrongdoings and spread it around. Gohn Almond was devoured by hyenas and left penniless. (TN: LOL) CH 52 Serious False Accusations Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Master, Lina-sama is here to see you.¡± In the study, a maid in the mansion reported to me. The look on my face suddenly become difficult. ¡°Lina? Is she alone? Or is she bringing someone with her?¡± ¡°Yes, the only other person there is an escort.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡­ got it, take them to the drawing room¡± ¡°I understand¡± The maid bows then leaves. Well then, Lina huh ¡­¡­ She¡¯s not my enemy, but she¡¯s a lot more troublesome opponent. There is no doubt about the timing; this is probably the case of Mithril that nee-san sent to them without my permission. Thinking of ways to deceive them, I left the study and headed for the drawing room. When I entered the drawing room, I saw Lina, who was neat but quiet as always. She was sipping her teacup in an elegant manner, and smiled when she saw me enter the room. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, right¡± ¡°It feels like I¡¯m seeing you from here and there a bit, though.¡± ¡°I feel like seeing you a little more.¡± The preemptive punch flew. Lina favors me a lot. That ¡°favor¡± is just too much trouble for me, so I¡¯m thinking I should do something about it. I sit down across from Lina, then break the ice. ¡°Is this about the mithril?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going there suddenly?¡± ¡°I can only think of that at this timing.¡± I smiled bitterly. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I think you¡¯re doing a lot of other things than that, though.¡± Is about Gohn. I thought about it for a moment, but Lina wouldn¡¯t come for that. So far, they haven¡¯t found out that I¡¯m the leader of the Dream troupe. She might¡¯ve been able to guess that it was me based on the circumstances, though. And for some reason, I feel a sense of certainty from her. That¡¯s the kind of thing, Lina would never come here to denounce me for. She smells just like nee-san. A type that wants to raise me up whenever they can. Lina seems to be that type of person. I quickly went through Lina¡¯s frivolous talk. ¡°If we could meet in person, that would be just fine. Just don¡¯t make it public that I found it.¡± (TN: He¡¯s talking about the mithril) ¡°Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Since it¡¯s tiresome¡± I consented once, but this matter ended up attracting someone like Gohn. It was too much trouble ¨D¨D Orthia was also put in danger. In the end, I began to think again that it would be best to live quietly and modestly, while hiding my abilities. ¡°You aren¡¯t greedy.¡± ¡°I just really don¡¯t want the hassle, though.¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s a great discovery, and with this one, Count ¡ª¡ª No, you can advance two ranks to Marquis, though.¡± ¡°Seriously, give me a break.¡± Duke. Marquis. Count. Viscount. Baron. The title of Aegina has these five levels. I¡¯m in the second, which is Viscount, from the bottom now, and Lina says that the discovery of mithril is an achievement that can eclipse the Count in between. I really want to stay out of this. ¡°If you hate it that much, then it can¡¯t be helped. I understand, I will not disclose that this is your discovery. And I won¡¯t commend you.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°What is, that eh? That you spoke¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that you backed down so easily.¡± ¡°I just thought that it would be a good idea to let your obstinacy push through¡± Lina stood up. ¡°Are you going home now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I can convince you yet, so I¡¯m done for today.¡± ¡°Ah, I see¡­¡­¡± Lina headed for the door at a brisk pace. ¡°¡­¡­Lina¡± ¡°What¡± Lina had put her hand on the doorknob and turned only her head. I stopped her, though I was somewhat feeling awkward. ¡°Err¡­¡­¡± On the other hand, I didn¡¯t know what to say, nor could I come up with anything. ¡°My bad¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯ll save the imposition of your title until you inadvertently make it public from the beginning. Be prepared then.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡­ go easy on me¡± I smiled bitterly. Lina chuckled and left. This kind of joke ¨D¨D no, it¡¯s not a joke. I would feel a little bit better if I could return that. ¡î A few days later, at the audience hall. In the midst of my usual official duties, Mimis reported. ¡°It has been decided that the head will receive the Order of the Xiphos Cross.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha?¡± In his normal tone, it was a content that I have heard so far. That¡¯s why, it almost went through me for a moment. ¡°Wait, wait, what¡¯s that, what does it mean¡± ¡°It¡¯s a medal for defeating the Slime Lord¡± ¡°Slime Lord? Again?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, again. This is the third one.¡± ¡°Why again¡­¡­¡± ¡°Her Highness Lina has applied for it. Regarding that, Her Highness strongly said, ¡ºIt¡¯s about the Slime Lord, nothing more, nothing less. ¡»¡± ¡°On the contrary, it¡¯s suspicious!!¡± What kind of pretense is that! Even an elementary school student can tell that it is different. ¡°That¡¯s right, I guess. I heard that Her Highness is, at the same time, strongly insisting that the discovery of mithril mining from the salt lake was ¡ºit was discovered by me, it was definitely discovered by me¡».¡± ¡°That timing!!¡± If she¡¯s done it at that timing, even an idiot could associate my involvement with it! ¡°Haa¡­¡­. well, I expected it to some extent.¡± Lina said she wouldn¡¯t give me the credit. That being said, it¡¯s hard to imagine her not doing something. I knew that she would do something. Sure enough, she has attached it on the Slime lord instead of the mithril. I was expecting this, so, well, this should be fine. ¡°No, but¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Mimis was grinning; what¡¯s up with that all of a sudden. ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of rumors here and there about this case.¡± ¡°What rumor?¡± ¡°Mainly, the Third Cross medal is for the discovery of Mithril ¨D¨D hence, it can be seen like that¡± It¡¯s okay to say it in such a roundabout way, I think. The next moment, I heard even more shocking words. ¡°The two previous Cross medals were originally suspicious. There are rumors circulating that the two unidentified medals may have been for Mithril-class credits.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s a serious false accusation!!!¡± I got up from my chair and shouted grandly. ¡°You can¡¯t put a foot in a person¡¯s mouth.¡± Mimis said with a smirk. Ugaaaah! CH 53 The First Man Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the mansion, at the drawing room in the afternoon. I was drinking tea alone with Hestia, who had come to visit me, and we were making a small chat. Her manner was so elegant that you could almost mistake her for a queen, and her sex appeal was so strong that you couldn¡¯t help but fall in love with her just by being in the same space. She used to be one of the most famous prostitutes of her time, but suddenly, something caught my attention. ¡°Previous customers, you mean?¡± ¡°Ah. I¡¯m no Or-specialist (Orthia expert) so I don¡¯t know much about it, but ¨D¨D it¡¯s rumored that the number one Orthia of this year, for example, has some Duke-sama who¡¯s really into her. At your level, she had some great number of customers, ain¡¯t she?¡± ¡°¡­¡­You¡¯re teasing me, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a genuine question. That Orthia fella, said I am second.¡± ¡°Fufu¡± Hestia laughed, covering her mouth with her sleeve. ¡°What¡¯s so funny¡± ¡°That is, it¡¯s just a hearsay, you know?¡± ¡°Is that so, but why?¡± ¡°Whenever a customer asks such a question, we only tell them such things that they are second. Tell them they¡¯re the second, then the first would be? Like that, at the point where they drew near, we would stare back at them silently. The trick would be to make our eyes a little moist.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haa¡± I was a little impressed with Hestia¡¯s explanation, understanding where it was going. ¡°You¡¯re the best ¨D¨D kind of thing huh. That sounds good¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who were those that asked such child, but those who heard it would have made them feel better. They must have felt that they were better than the Viscount-sama.¡± ¡°I see. So, what about Hestia? Tell me I¡¯m the second.¡± I asked jokingly, then Hestia chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m already retired, so I won¡¯t use that. Since the real second one¨D¨D¡± Knock knock Just as Hestia was about to speak, there was a knock on the drawing room door. I don¡¯t know who it was, but I could tell from the knocking that they were in a great hurry. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¨D¨D what happened?¡± ¡°E,excuse me¡± The door opened, and a maid came in in a hurry. ¡°Master! Yo,you have a visitor¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking over here now, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¨D¨D¡± The maid glanced at Hestia. Hestia deliberately looked away and picked up the teacup on the table. She put it in her mouth, but she doesn¡¯t drink it. It¡¯s a declaration of intent that she won¡¯t listen. I beckoned the maid over. The maid came over to my side and gave me an earful. ¡°It¡¯s, His Majesty.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°His Majesty the King himself is here¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± The maid¡¯s face moved away from my ear, and she nodded her head with such force that she could have wrenched her neck. The king is it, you mean Shou¡¯s father? Why at such a time¡­¡­ As expected, it isn¡¯t good to not meet the king. ¡°Sorry, Hestia, I¡¯ll temporarily excuse myself.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± I got up from my seat and left the drawing room with the maid. ¡°Where is he¡± ¡°I have led him to another parlor.¡± ¡°Hmm¡± The maid guided me down the hallway. A carriage was parked in the garden of the mansion, which is visible from the window of the hallway. Just one? Being mystified, when I arrived at the parlor and entered, I found a middle-aged man dressed in fine, but not flashy clothes sitting alone, with Mimis standing erect beside him. The question of whether it was really His Majesty the King lingered in me until I opened the door, but it was suddenly wiped away the moment I saw Mimis¡¯ gesture. I got down on one knee and bowed to His Majesty the King in accordance with the Aegina style of etiquette. ¡°Is this your face time seeing my face, Lord Canoe?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°I see¡± His Majesty the King nodded. There was no permission given to me. Usually, when one gave a bow, His Majesty would say, ¡°no problem¡± or ¡°raise your face¡±, so that¡¯s where one stands up, but he didn¡¯t say that to me. So when I was worried about what happened. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot from Lina¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡± This timing, is this about the matter with Mithril. ¡°How did you get into her?¡± (TN: Oh, so the father knows about it) ¡°Eh?¡± What does he mean? ¡°That daughter of mine, I have faith in her. However, the appearance of Lina recently is strange. Lina, who was strict and fair, applied for two cross medals for your achievements in subduing the Slime Lord.¡± ¡°That is¨D¨D¡± I was wondering how to respond. He¡¯s saying something completely different from the recent rumors. Rumor has it that the third cause of the Cross Medal was mithril, which already feels like an open secret. Influenced by that, the previous two cross medals are rather misunderstood as being a major Mithril-class degree achievement. However, from the way His Majesty the King talks, he doesn¡¯t seem to know anything about the Mithril at all, as though he hasn¡¯t heard any rumors. He said that he only knew about me defeating the Slime Lord. I thought about it for a moment, and decided to shrug it off once more and see what happened. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for Her Highness Lina¡¯s attention to me.¡± When I said that, the king looked at me in a terribly unpleasant way as if he were looking at some kind of insect. ¡°Oh well, I¡¯m not that stupid, I understand that there are all sorts of ties between aristocrats and royalty, and that gold and silver treasures come and go.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± This is, no way¡­¡­ is he saying I bribed Lina to get it. Is that what he was misunderstanding? His Majesty the King continued even more confidently. ¡°I also know that such things are impossible to eradicate, so I¡¯m not going to nag you about it. However, not Lina, don¡¯t drag that girl¡¯s fairness down with you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡± I bowed my head and replied in an implied way that I understand. The king¡¯s face became more and more loathsome. This¡­¡­ may be a rare and good flow. Because the other party is the king. I was bribing her, but not too far. It¡¯s best if he can think of it that way. I¡¯ve gotten the gist of it from our brief exchange so far. His Majesty the King is the type of person who makes strong assumptions. Once he¡¯s made up his mind that it¡¯s the case, he¡¯ll never bend. To admit here ¨D¨D no, it¡¯s dangerous for me to willingly admit. Let¡¯s keep it to the extent of going with the flow, and send it back as he had imagined. That¡¯s the best I can do this time. So, in order to maintain this frosty, bug-looking eyes he has at me ¨D¨D hence, with such an idea. Knock Knock. Quietly, there was a knock on the door of the audience room. Immediately after, the door slowly opened and Hestia came into the room. ¡°Dear me, it was His Majesty after all.¡± Hestia walked into the room and used a nostalgic language, the language she used when she was a prostitute. No, I mean¨D¨D ¡°Yo,you¡¯re, Hestia-san¡± ¨D¨DEh? I was surprised. His Majesty the King offered Hestia a very surprised look and gave her a ¡°san¡±. Middle-aged¨D¨Da king who will soon enter the realm of elders and a mysterious former prostitute. In terms of age difference, he looked like a father who couldn¡¯t get his head around his daughter. ¡°I haven¡¯t met His Majesty since the time you become His Majesty.¡± ¡°U,umu. Rather than that, Hestia-san, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m under the care of Hermes-sama.¡± Hestia said so, and leaned closer to me. Just like a chaste wife. ¡°What!?¡± His Majesty the King looked at me with a very surprised look on his face, even more so than before. For some reason, there was a hint of respect mixed in his face. Without knowing the reason for the look on his face, His Majesty the King hurriedly left. ¡î I asked Hestia, who was standing next to me, as I watched the carriage leave from the window in the corridor. ¡°Do you know his Majesty?¡± ¡°Something just happened by chance¡± Hestia chuckled. Her wording was back. ¡°The second best customer in my life, was His Majesty¡¯s father, the former king.¡± ¡°Is that so!?¡± That¡¯s surprising. ¡°The former king kept coming to my place. He once brought His Majesty, when he was still a prince, and said, ¡ºLet me introduce a good woman to this guy¡». It maybe, but ¡­¡­ he might have a motherly dislike for me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± I see, that makes sense. She was her father¡¯s woman, so in a sense, mother. As I think of it as an awareness of dislike of one¡¯s mother, that attitude makes sense. ¡°¡­¡­Ah, perhaps I¡¯ve done something unnecessary?¡± ¡°Eh? What is it?¡± ¡°When I was a prostitute, I was kind of selfish, I chose the customers of my own free will, sometimes refusing them all.¡± ¡°I know that.¡± That¡¯s was at the time Orthia asked me to give Hestia a ¡°break¡±. I know that, but why are you telling me about it now? ¡°It¡¯s the same with His Majesty the former King. A woman even the king can¡¯t see when he wants to see her ¡­¡­ Ironically, that made my value even higher.¡± ¡°I guess¡± ¡°That me¡­¡­ what I mean is, I¡¯m in here¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Ah¡± I could feel my face turning pale. His Majesty the King¡¯s expression was mixed with respect. The man who made the woman, whom even his father, the former king, could not control, behave like his wife. I may unintentionally have the king placed a glance at me¡­¡­ CH 54 A Pervert¡¯s Gratitude Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Hermes-chan, a lifetime request ¨D¨D Ow! Ow, ow, ow, ow!¡± I fed an umeboshi* to Orthia, who was praying at me with both hands together. (TN: It means ¡®to rub knuckles against someone¡¯s head to punish them¡¯) In a way, it¡¯s a sad scene, as there¡¯s no sense of sex appeal about the situation of me being alone with a popular prostitute in the brothel. ¡°How many, lifetimes, do you have?¡± I separate each word and increase the power of my umeboshi each time. ¡°It hurts, it hurts! Fi,fine! I usually give you service as much as I can, so please listen to me.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying it¡¯s a matter of frequency. It should be at least once a month.¡± ¡°Eh, once a week. A request for a lifetime for once a week!¡± ¡°Three requests on me to make anything happen! Stop being like that!¡± ¡°It hurts, it hurts, it hurts¡± More and more, I grinded her forehead quite hard. Orthia struggles inside my arms. I can smell the good scent from her head right in front of my face, and I can feel the warmth and softness of her body touching mine. Every nerve that is directly connected to the lower half of my body are getting all itchy. Geez, this girl¡­¡­. She was saying it¡¯s her lifelong request, but it¡¯s also a natural way to get us into a flirting flow. It¡¯s not like she¡¯s a beautiful woman or anything, but I can see why she¡¯s so popular. ¡°Well, whatever. So, what are you asking me?¡± ¡°Err, that¡¯s right, introduce a fat customer ¨D¨D It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Wha,what are you doing¡± Orthia looks up at me with tears in her eyes, real tears. ¡°Ah, no, I was just a little annoyed.¡± ¡°Stop doing this! Just hear me out up to the end! Or rather, it¡¯s my nee-san¡± ¡°Nee-san? You mean a prostitute?¡± ¡°Yeah! Her name is Daphne. Daphne-neesan, is the kind of person who¡¯ll do anything for money.¡± ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Anything¡± Orthia nodded clearly. ¡°For example, u¡ðko¡ª¡ª¡± ¡°Stop! I don¡¯t want to hear any more specifics than that.¡± ¡°Ah, no, I¡¯ll show you what she can do, though¡± ¡°That anything isn¡¯t subtle!¡± I quipped as hard as I could. I was surprised to see that she was much milder than I expected, even though she was willing to do anything for money. ¡°So, I want you to introduce me to some fat customers who¡¯ll go along with her. You see, Hermes-chan, aren¡¯t you a nobleman even if you¡¯re rotten?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rotten, you know¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s a request for a lifetime¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡­ Well, I don¡¯t particularly mind that.¡± Without thinking about it, I nodded. It¡¯s not uncommon for nobles to introduce such things to each other. Because aristocrats, often have political marriages. Political marriages rarely produce affection, and they don¡¯t allow the wife to do as she pleases. Because it will lead to problems between the houses. And above all, many nobles have strange sexual habits. I don¡¯t know why, but it¡¯s very common. ¡°Hermes-chan is also an ¡ºOrthia Mania¡».¡± ¡°Shut up, don¡¯t go into the voice of my head.¡± ¡°You¡¯re wrong, you¡¯re wrong, I quipped based on your face. Since you had that look on your face.¡± ¡°What do you mean by my face!¡± ¡°Hermes-chan, it shows on your face far more than you think, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Regardless. It¡¯s rather normal for nobles to introduce each other to women they can love as they please because many of them have strange sexual habits. Normally. This is my recent my boom. It¡¯s been mistakes so far. Most of the time, though, if I dare to act badly, I will get the opposite result. If I behave normally, it¡¯s less likely that that will happen if I only do normal things. I changed my plan. ¡°I understand, if I know any nobles, I¡¯ll bring them over. By the way, do you have any pictures or anything? It would be easier to introduce her if there¡¯s one¡± ¡°Yeah, here¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¨D¨Ds~oi!¡± I opened the window and threw the photo into the sky in a dynamic form. ¡°Yeah, yeah, as expected of your nee-san¡¯s form, it¡¯s quite nice¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you dare escape reality for a moment. Yes, this, is a spare, so take it properly.¡± Orthia has another one ¨D¨D she pressed the same picture into my hand as before. The prostitute named Daphne who would do anything for money ¨D¨D was a child. To be frank, she was a kid who looked like she was just ten years old. Moreover, she is quite cute. She¡¯s as cute as a doll. ¡°This is no good! This is a crime, isn¡¯t this?¡± ¡°I told you, she¡¯s my nee-san. She¡¯s still an adult, you know¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Look, she¡¯s a half elf, and half dwarf.¡± There are various races all over the world, and in a few rare cases, halflings are born. One of them, if you are born half from a dwarf father and half from an elf mother, you will only grow to about 130 centimeters in your lifetime with the dwarf blood, and you will be extremely young and long-lived with the elf blood. Her appearance will forever be like that of a human girl, and she will live a surprisingly long life. ¡°Daphne-neesan, is still over 100 years old.¡± ¡°Heh, is that so?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s only about ten years old in human age.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, it¡¯s out!!¡± ¡°Anyway, please!¡± Orthia turned to me, clasped her hands together, closed one eye and winked. ¡°Or rather, you¡¯re not asking me.¡± ¡°Because, Hermes-chan, you like boobs so much that it¡¯s unbelievable.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not unbelievable! It¡¯s unbelievable, because men like boobs! It¡¯s the most normal!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s different¡± Orthia raised her index finger and, tsk tsk, shook it. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°If you like boobs, it¡¯s okay. But instead, you ¡ºunbelievably¡» like boobs.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh? Isn¡¯t that normal?¡± ¡°No~n no~n¡± She shook her index finger again. ¡°You¡¯re pulling you know, even though I¡¯m a prostitute, you¡¯re pulling. After all, aristocrats tend to be a bit perverted, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°I¡¯m normal!¡± I, I¡¯m normal! ¡°It¡¯s okay, since I, like Hermes-chan like that.¡± ¡°Ugh ¡­¡­¡± ¡°Rather than that, right. Please. I want you to introduce a person to Daphne-neesan who doesn¡¯t want boobs.¡± Orthia looks up at me with her hands clasped together. I¡¯m not fully satisfied, but it can¡¯t be helped. ¡î I left Orthia¡¯s room and was about to leave the brothel. I¡¯ve been asked to do some things, and a lot of them are shocking. Let¡¯s just go home for today, is what I thought. ¡°You¡¯re finished huh¡± When I came down to the first floor of the store and went out to the lobby, I was talked to. ¡°Ah, you are¨D¨D¡± I¡¯m surprised. The king was there. The king, whom I had just met the other day, was dressed in incognito. ¡°I understand that this one is an acquaintance of lord-sama.¡± The man who worked in the store came over to me and said softly in my ear. ¡°Ah¡­¡­we know each other.¡± From the way the handmaid was talking, I could understand that the king had not given his true identity. As an acquaintance of mine who is a nobleman, they should treat him in a certain way. If they find out that this is the king, it won¡¯t be like this. ¡°Err¡­¡­¡± I tried to listen to his story, but first, I was not sure what to call him. ¡°It¡¯s King¡± ¡°King ¡­¡­ san ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± It¡¯s the kind of alias that makes one wonders if he was trying to hide it or not. It¡¯s no good if I quip at him, so I endure it. ¡°Uhmm, King-san, you wanted to see me?¡± ¡°I just wanted to say something to you. Is that fine? In front of Hestia-san, due to my father¡¯s case, I have treated you with some respect, but don¡¯t get me wrong.¡± ¡°I understand¡± Is that what you came here to tell me? Then it¡¯s okay, and I was a little relieved. There was no way I could get carried away, and ¡°misunderstand¡± my relationship with the king. I want to live a ¡°normal¡± life. Viscount and King, I think I know what¡¯s normal with that. ¡°Hey, hey, Hermes-chan, is this guy rich?¡± ¡°Eh? Ah, well¡­¡­¡± ¡°He¡¯s rich, right? Since he knows Hermes-chan.¡± ¡°I guess¡± I looked at King to see what he would do. The King glared at me with a ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± stern look on his face. ¡°Hey, introduce me to this guy.¡± ¡°Fuhn, that¡¯s the story, huh, I don¡¯t want it¡± King brusquely declined her. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in just any girl.¡± (TN: Looks like he¡¯s the one) Well, he¡¯s the king after all. Because of his position, he had a lot of women to choose from. In the first place, he met Hestia the other day, and he was feeling obliged that she was his ¡°father¡¯s woman = mother¡±, but he wasn¡¯t in a sexual excited-like state. It was not even that Hestia, so Daphne would be impossible. ¡°Don¡¯t say such a thing. Alright. Hey you, call Daphne-neesan here¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At Orthia¡¯s order, the handmaid ran to the back of the brothel in a panic. ¡°Fuhn, I don¡¯t have time for this.¡± ¡°Pardon me¡± ¡°Well, whatever, I¡¯m not interested in women, but I do have a question for you. What kind of relationship do you have with Hestia-san, tell me more.¡± Well, I knew it would be like this. From the King¡¯s point of view, it would be weird if he didn¡¯t have a good grasp of the relationship between me and Hestia. Now then, what do we do here. ¡°Ah, I¡¯ll go with you, then. I¡¯ll be the one who¡¯ll introduce you to ane-sama.¡± ¡°Alright, then prepare me a seat.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Perhaps sensing the atmosphere of a high-class customer from his words, Orthia and the people in the brothel hurried into action. I, on the other hand, was a little troubled. Let¡¯s swindle him in various ways. Let¡¯s take it out unskillfully and convince him. When I thought so. ¡°Where is the customer who will become Daphne¡¯s customer?¡± I heard the voice of a young girl. Looking at the voice, I saw a girl about 10 years old appearing in a pretty dress. Daphne, a prostitute, half dwarf and half elf. As I thought, she¡¯s a child when seeing her this way. Even though she¡¯s over 100 years old in real life, this is impossible. After all, he hadn¡¯t even responded to Hestia¡¯s charm. ¡°¡­¡­Good¡± (TN: A lolicon) ¡°Ha?¡± I thought I heard something dangerous, so I quickly turned to the side. Then King, who had been making a sullen face earlier, was looking at Daphne with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Good, very good. Her cheeks are puny, limbs are slender, and yet she has a certain sex appeal about her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Eh¡± King was instantly enamored with Daphne. ¡°Is that why he didn¡¯t react to Hestia¡¯s body odor (pheromones)¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°Hermes!¡± ¡°A,ah. Wha,what?¡± ¡°Is this the girl you said you¡¯d introduce me to?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s right, but¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thank you! I appreciate it! I¡¯ll be sure to thank you for this!¡± King said so, and took Daphne¡¯s hand and went upstairs. He chose to be alone with Daphne, completely ignoring the drinks and other things on the table I had prepared, for us to talk about her. ¡°Ahaha, as I thought, the aristocracy was full of perverts.¡± Orthia said happily. No, more than that. ¡°Bad¡­¡­ this is bad¡­¡­¡± ¡°Eh? What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°That guy¡¯s thank you ¡­¡­ is definitely bad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± He¡¯s the king¡­¡­ I couldn¡¯t really say that. The king¡¯s gratitude, is definitely conspicuous. Haa¡­¡­ Sighing, my prediction came true. Moreover, in a pretty bad way. A prostitute¡¯s mediation ¨D¨D even though it¡¯s normal for aristocrats to talk about it, the king¡¯s face is saying that he cannot profess it. His scapegoat for this was the subjugation of the Slime Lord. I got another cross medal for defeating the Slime Lord, the fourth one. This time, the source was directly from the king himself, and it was under a super strict gag order not to ask any unnecessary questions. Conjectures and speculations made the rumors explode. Viscount Canoe brought something more than mithril to His Majesty. Like that, a tremendous rumor had spread. CH 55 Game in the Presence of the Lord Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr In the carriage heading to the royal capital, Retim. The weather was nice, so I had an open carriage and enjoyed the scenery along the way. ¡°What a nice breeze.¡± Nee-san, who was riding with me, murmured as she held her hair, which was blowing in the wind, with her hands. Her profile as she gazed out at the scenery was so beautiful that I couldn¡¯t help but be startled. ¡°¡­¡­Leaving that aside, what are you going to the capital for?¡± ¡°Ara, come to think of it, was this your first time, Hermes?¡± ¡°The way you¡¯re talking, I have a feeling that we¡¯re going to get into trouble again.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all right, you know. It¡¯s just an event to make sure my Otoutotou-sama does his duty as a nobleman.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just more trouble than it¡¯s worth, but¡­¡­ what¡¯s that event you¡¯re talking?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to participate in the Kicking Princess Festival.¡± ¡°The Kicking Princess Festival?¡± The naming of the event made me feel more suspicious, but the word ¡°princess¡± festival held in the ¡°royal capital¡± stuck with me, so I held back from saying anything irrelevant. ¡°It¡¯s not completely unrelated to the Canoe family, you know. It¡¯s a festival associated with Queen Selene, the founder of the city. When she was young, the queen was very selfish and kicked all her subjects to the ground if she didn¡¯t like them regardless of who they were.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where it came from huh.¡± ¡°Yes. The specifics are that the nobles get together and kick pumpkins and compete to see how far they could fly it.¡± ¡°Why pumpkin?¡± ¡°Who knows, that part is a bit vague, but I heard that the Queen¡¯s trusted advisor advised her to do so. After using the pumpkin, they could make it into a dessert and serve it to the children. It has many theories like that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s weird that the Queen¡¯s privates-like parts are still clearly visible, and the origin of the festival is so vague.¡± ¡°Sometimes that¡¯s the case, you know.¡± ¡°So, I¡¯m supposed to kick a pumpkin in there?¡± ¡°Yes. Become the overall victor Otoutotou-sama¡± ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it appropriately¡± I see, the Kicking Princess Festival huh¡­¡­. ¡î At the summer palace in the royal capital Retim. It¡¯s a palace with a beautiful garden full of water and greenery. It is said to have been built by a king hundreds of years ago for his favored queen. When I arrived in the capital, I immediately turned myself in here. ¡°There you are, Hermes.¡± As I was admiring the beauty of the garden, Shou called me from behind and came alongside me. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Your Highness.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad you came, since I was honestly afraid you were going to skip out.¡± ¡°I would never do that.¡± I smiled bitterly. That might have been the case a while ago, but not anymore. I changed my plan and decided not to suppress my ability more than necessary, but to make it as good or average as my surroundings. The most inconspicuous way is to keep it about average, about the same as the others. That¡¯s why¨D¨D ¡°Your Highness, I only have one request.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡± ¡°I want, my turn to be the last.¡± ¡°Last? ¡­¡­Fumu, that¡¯s right, the star performer is the one that appears last. All right, let¡¯s do that.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I had no intention of giving a performance worthy of a true star performer, but it helped that Shou have listened to me. Now I¡¯ll be able to look around before I kick. ¡°I forgot, what¡¯s your dominant foot?¡± ¡°Dominant foot?¡± ¡°We need a pumpkin that matches your dominant leg. So to speak, it¡¯s a magic pumpkin. If you kick it with the right foot, it flies very fast, but if you kick it with the wrong foot, it would fly a tenth of the distance.¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s a festival to commemorate our great queen, wouldn¡¯t it be more appropriate to have a big aerial battle?¡± I see. There¡¯s no need to lie here. I honestly said it was my right foot, and Shou said he understood and walked away. This was the end of what I had to do the day before it. I went back to the inn I had taken in the capital and tried to relax for the rest of the day. And just when I was about to leave. ¡°Oya, well, well, if it isn¡¯t Viscount-sama¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I turn around at the sound of a voice calling my name. There was a young nobleman, about my age, standing there. I didn¡¯t recognize his face, but that side seemed to know me. ¡­¡­ I¡¯m concerned about him being not friendly. ¡°Err¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hah, you don¡¯t know, well of course you don¡¯t, how could the Viscount-sama at the peak of his popularity know someone like me¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± His words were thorny. What does this guy wanted to say. ¡°How¡¯s that? How¡¯s that position you got by having a woman cling in tears for you?¡± ¡°Cling in tears?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb, you¡¯re the head of the family, and you got that seat by making your sister your daughter.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah¡± Pon, I clap my hands. If he hadn¡¯t told me, I would have forgotten all about it. No, on the way to the capital, nee-san have called me ¡°Otoutotou-sama¡±, but I¡¯m so familiar with it these days that I¡¯ve completely forgotten where it came from. Originally, I had three older brothers before me. I¡¯m the fourth son, and the succession to the head of the family will not be passed on to me, but one day, a meteorite fell and all three brothers of mine died in the accident. Even there, the right of succession would still lie with my sister, but my scheming nee-san immediately appealed to the king and made herself my daughter, thereby lowering the right of succession and allowing me to take over the house. That¡¯s what he was talking about huh. ¡°Well, that¡¯s approximately right¡± I understood the story, and I also understood that this was a very messy entanglement. I brushed it off and tried to finish the conversation. ¡°How is it? How does it feel to be the head which has been blessed by a woman?¡± ¡°So so¡± I just shrugged him off and tried to leave. ¡°Is that how you got the Cross Medal?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha?¡± I was about to walk away, but the man¡¯s words stopped me in my tracks and I turned around. ¡°Four Cross Medals on a Slime Lord. That¡¯s impossible. How did you do that. Did you present your daughter?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Suh, then my eyes narrowed. I glared at the man. The man snickered and pretended to be amused. ¡°Oh, scary, scary. The man who has risen through the ranks by using women to his advantage?¡± ¡°Take that back.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t put your foot in a person¡¯s mouth, can you? ¡­¡­ Oh well, you¡¯ll be at the festival tomorrow, right? It is the festival of the great Queen Selene, where no politics or deception can be done. If you don¡¯t skin the mole there, phew, I¡¯ll take back what I just said.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I scowled off at his back. For the first time in a long time, I felt a fit of simmering anger in the pit of my stomach. ¡î The next day, the festival was in full swing. There is a triumphal street through Retim, which Queen Selene used for her parade when she returned from the war. On that triumphant street, a pumpkin kicking festival was held. While the residents of the capital cheered and shouted, the nobles appeared one after another and kicked the pumpkins. Some girls, babies, and other people kicked in a ceremonial manner, creating a peaceful scene, but most of the nobles kicked with all their might. That should be the case, beyond the triumphal street ¨D¨D on the terrace of the palace, the king¡¯s King* is watching all the time. (TN: Apparently, he¡¯s referring to the King as King, again) So to speak ¡­¡­ it¡¯s the game in the presence of the king. It is natural for nobles to try their best to make a good showing. And so, one after another, the nobles kicked. ¡°¡°¡°Oooooohhh!!¡±¡±¡± Suddenly, the loudest cheer of the day erupted. In the event where I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s going on, the young nobleman who insulted my nee-san yesterday has his hands up in the air to the cheers of the people of the royal capital. As I looked further, I found that the pumpkins were flying far beyond the triumphal street, right before the terrace where the king was seated. The longest flight of the day was met with the loudest cheer of the day. The man replied that profusely, then turned his heel and came over to my direction. ¡°It¡¯s a disappointment, but that¡¯s the difference in our skills.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± He looked elated with his success, while looking at me from above. ¡°Sir Hermes Canoe, it¡¯s your turn.¡± I ignored him and headed for the kicking spot. The person in charge prepared the pumpkins in place. It would be red out of two colors, red and blue. The most obvious relative shades are red and blue, and from what I¡¯ve seen so far, they seem to be for the left and right feet, respectively. I¡¯ve been provided with a red one for my right foot. While the lingering sound of the previous man still remained in me, I briskly walked towards the pumpkin. The person closest to me is buzzing. ¡°Hah, without a run-up ¨D¨D are you just gonna kick it adequately and make tea*.¡± (TN: It¡¯s a Japanese proverb having the meaning of ¡®saying something appropriate and cheating on the spot¡¯, it¡¯s usually for mocking.) I heard the man¡¯s condescending words from behind. I ignore that too. I stop in front of the pumpkin and swing my left foot up without a run-up ¨D¨D ¡°¡°¡°¨D¨D!?¡±¡±¡± To the surprise of everyone around me, I had kicked the pumpkin for my right foot with my left. The pumpkin, at the opposite foot, which is said to be attenuated to one-tenth, goes up and increases its distance rapidly. Eventually, it flew to the exact same place as the man from earlier. It fell to the point of the flag that was set as the best record without any deviation. Silence~. The capital fell silent. I kicked with a different foot and got the exact same distance. It is a silent message, a message that anyone can understand with a little thought. I turned around and stared back at the young nobleman who was shaking and trembling all over as he realized he was being mocked. ¡ºI¡¯m, not serious yet. ¡» The man gasped and flinched at the silent message. ¡°¡°¡°Waaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!¡±¡±¡± A beat later, the entire city erupted in cheers. CH 56 That''s Not enough To Make Me Take it Seriously Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr On the terrace of the royal palace, a young nobleman was receiving an award from the king. This is a venerable festival, a game held in the presence of the King. It¡¯s a great honor to win and be commended there, but the guy¡¯s face has turned red and he was trembling all over. Because, I turned it down. After achieving the same result using my opposite leg, showing everyone that ¡°I was not yet serious¡±, I declined the award as a finishing touch. As a result, there were no cheers as he received his award, and the people around him were laughing secretly at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he can accept an award like that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, he¡¯s still the second place.¡± ¡°But that person was really amazing, where is that noble-sama? It¡¯s the first time I see him this year.¡± In return, my reputation has been incidentally boosted all over the place in retaliation for that guy, but well, I didn¡¯t get serious, and I hadn¡¯t shown my bottom, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem. I fully enjoyed his face turning red from a distance, and then quietly tried to leave the place. ¡°Hermes.¡± ¡°Hmm? Your Highness Shou huh.¡± It was the third prince, Shou Za Aegina, who stopped me. After the incident with the Dragon King¡¯s shadow, he, like Lina, began to take an interest in me. ¡°Turning down the award, it¡¯s just like you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯ve achieved my goal.¡± It seemed that I need to openly talk with Shou and Lina to some extent, so I decided to be honest with them and not play dumb. ¡°What did Nex do? Well, if it¡¯s him, then you didn¡¯t have to say it, he probably said something extra.¡± Shou said, while smiling. I see, so, Shou knows that I have that kind of personality huh. As I thought, it was a good thing I didn¡¯t do a bad job of deception. ¡°More than that, I have to consult you with something.¡± ¡°Muh¡± Shou¡¯s expression changed dramatically. The gentle smile that had been on his face changed to a hard, serious look. He gave me a look as if telling me to follow him and walked ahead of me. I¡¯d rather not talk about serious matters, but that¡¯s not possible when I¡¯m dealing with Shou. For the time being, I followed Shou just to ask what his story was. From the inside of the palace, where the terrace could be seen, he made a wide circle and came to the other side of the palace. As a result of sandwiching the palace in between, the festivities involving the people seemed to become more distant suddenly, as if it was an event happening in another world. After entering the empty garden, Shou stopped and turned to me. ¡°Muh¡± His expression, becoming more and more serious. ¡°Uhmm¡­¡­ what did you want to consult¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s, about the meteorites that have been popping up all over the country lately.¡± ¡°¨D¨D!¡± Piku! Then, my eyebrows shot up. ¡°I knew you were smart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Fuh¡± I exhaled a sigh. Resigning myself, I answered Shou. ¡°Even a fool could understand that. It fell twice in the territory of the Canoe family alone. It¡¯s harder to think of it as just a natural phenomenon by chance.¡± ¡°It involves the demons(mazoku) ¡­¡­ is it¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes¡± I thought it was that too. Shou looked up at the sky and began to speak. ¡°The meteorites that have been popping up all over the country these days, most of them have the added bonus of demons(mazoku) appearing inside them. We sense the will of something, but there are too few clues to trace it back.¡± ¡°You want me to find out what it is?¡± It¡¯s a paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain in the ass, that¡¯s for sure. ¡°No, it¡¯s not that far.¡± I was relieved. I know it¡¯s too early to be relieved, but I was relieved nonetheless. ¡°In fact, yesterday, another one fell on the outskirts of Retim. I want you to eliminate it.¡± ¡°Eliminate? You¡¯re not going to investigate it? If it just fell yesterday, then you don¡¯t know anything about it, right?¡± ¡°First of all, it needs to be eliminated. We don¡¯t want it to cause a fuss during the Selene Festival. The prestige of the country will fall to the ground. I want to get rid of it before something happens. Besides¡­¡­¡± Shou stopped speaking there and looked at me. It was as if he was waiting for my response. I sighed and said. ¡°¡­¡­It will fall again anyway¡± ¡°Exactly¡± If Shou¡¯s story is true, it means that they are falling all over the country at random times. Even if I eliminate the one that fell in the middle of the festival, it is easy to predict that it will fall again somewhere sooner or later. ¡°Please, will you do it. The compensation would be¨D¨D how about I cancel all your previous cross medals?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Shou came up with a very attractive proposal. It¡¯s the price that Shou could pay me for knowing me so well. That¡¯s incredibly attractive. Not long ago, I would have jumped on it without a second thought. But, now I¡¯m different. I¡¯m changing my policy to be normal. On the contrary, it would be too conspicuous to cancel all four of the cross medals. That¡¯s no good, it will have an opposite effect. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t want a reward or anything. When it¡¯s all over, you can pretend that His Highness did it all, and that¡¯s all that matters.¡± ¡°Thank you! I¡¯m saved.¡± Shaw was incredibly pleased. Well then, it became a bit troublesome, but¡­¡­ I don¡¯t have much choice. ¡î That night, with the help of the map Shou had given me, I left Retim and headed for the meteorite that was said to be in the suburbs. My reason for moving at night was, of course, to carry out the mission without being seen. That¡¯s why I left nee-san at the inn in the Royal Capital. When she asked me where I was going. ¡ºLook at this, I got a reservation for the best Orthia in the Royal Capital ¨D¨D¡» ¡ºSo~i!¡» I deceived her with such an exchange of words. The Orthia Retim edition that I just got was sacrificed and turned into a star, but I will charge Shou for this later. No, I think I might want to retract my previous remarks and made him bring me to Orthia, the best in the Royal Capital. With this thought in mind, I walked along the road in the suburbs, which was not popular, and arrived at the location of the meteorite depicted on the map. It¡¯s similar to the meteorite that hit the outskirts of Pindos before. So, just like the Sword Saint-jiisan, I must first crack it open and then exterminate what comes out of it. I guess that¡¯s okay. Whatever it is, let¡¯s crack it first. Then, at the time I thought so. ¡°Oh, there you are.¡± ¡°You made us come all the way out here to the middle of nowhere.¡± ¡°Well, well, well, it¡¯s easy to do it when you¡¯re out of sight.¡± Suddenly, with a frivolous tone, three men appeared. All three of them was carrying torches and cheap but practical longswords. Not to mention their tone, they¡¯re really bad-looking people who look like they were not doing a decent business. ¡°What are you guys¡± ¡°My bad, mister, but I¡¯m gonna have to get you to go through a painful experience.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve gone too far, you know that?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll let you off with a finger or a couple of bones.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I scrutinized the men¡¯s words. At the same time, I searched for signs around me. Beyond the men, a dozen meters away, I felt the presence of a person hiding behind a tree. Maybe that young nobleman¨D¨D he said he was Nex. These thugs, are the ones he hired. ¡°Haa, there we go.¡± One after another, the three men pulled out their longswords and came at me with thinly veiled killing intent. ¡°You¡¯re not going to pull your out, mister. If you¡¯ve given up, it¡¯s easier for us to do our job.¡± One of the men said mockingly. You¡¯re not going to pull your out are words directed the longsword that was hung on my waist. I brought this in case of the meteorites and the demons that will come out of them. ¡°Well! There¡¯s no point in pulling it out, though!¡± One of them shouted, and the three of them slashed at me at the same time. Gashi! ¡°Eh!¡± ¡°Wha!¡± ¡°That¡¯s stupid!!¡± At the same time, the three screamed in astonishment. In the dark night, I grabbed the three slashes that emitted a cold light with my bare hand and stopped them. I stopped all three of them between my fingers, my hand sticking out in a so-called ¡°Pah¡±, pinching them. Then, I twist my wrist. Pakikiki~n! There are three consecutive metallic sounds, and all three longswords broke. I couldn¡¯t take on any more small fries, so I threw away the broken tips of their sword as it was, and hit all of their vital points, knocking them out. ¡°Wha!¡± This time, the voice came from far away. It¡¯s Nex¡¯s voice. ¡°Hah¡­¡­¡± What a dumbass. If you¡¯re going to hide and watch, then hide until the end. ¡°Come on out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What, have you done¡± Nex asked, glaring at me as he came out of his observation. I don¡¯t have to answer. I stepped in silently and hit Nex at his vital point as well. Let¡¯s make this guy faint, quickly clean up the meteorite, and go home. With that thought, I sank Nex without any question. ¡°Guha!¡± Nex fell to his knees, but did not pass out. It seems that I misread his capability a little bit. Well, he¡¯s the guy who came in second in the pumpkin kicking competition, beating out the other aristocrats. I¡¯m thinking he has the basic skills. ¡°Damn¡­¡­damn¡­¡­dammit¡­¡­¡± Nex cowered, repeating his words of resentment. Let¡¯s get another shot in and make sure he sinks. ¡°Muh!¡± At that time, something happened. Something black gathered around Nex. When I looked at the source of what had gathered at him, it was from the meteorite. Something black, which had formed as if leaking from the meteorite, gathered around Nex and was absorbed into his body. ¡°Guo, guooooo!¡± Every time something black entered his body, Nex would scream in what couldn¡¯t be described as anguish or anger. While I was taken aback, Nex¡¯s body swelled up and transformed into a bipedal monster, which was twice the size of a human. ¡°¡­¡­Really, well¡± Is this the kind of thing where it has taken over him through the darkness of his mind or something? I glanced at the meteorite. Compared to the overwhelming presence of the monster in front of me, the meteorite had none of that. I can¡¯t feel anything from it, just a simple stone. It seemed to have completely moved to Nex. ¡°Fuh¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± When I turned around to see what was going on, Nex that had turned into a monster waved his arm casually to the side. The shock wave ran straight across, creating a meter-deep ditch on the road. ¡°Wonderful, I never thought there could be anything so great and joyful in this world.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the tone of a monster¡± ¡°Monster? No, this is a power comparable to that of a god. It¡¯s the power of destiny, that¡¯s 120% compatible with me.¡± ¡°Hah¡­¡­ is that so¡± ¡°Do you not understand the situation?¡± Nex waved his arm once more, this time on the opposite side. A ditch of the same depth ran to the other side. ¡°I don¡¯t know what will happen if this power is wielded on a human body. I¡¯m feeling good right now. That¡¯s right, draw that sword, and I¡¯ll let you slash me up to three times.¡± ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, this is my mercy¨D¨D¡± I stepped into the Monster Nex¡¯s bosom, and gave him a right hook diagonally from below. ¡°Guha!¡± Nex¡¯s legs lifted for a moment, and his body bent into a ¡°¤¯¡± shape. ¡°With that extent of power, I don¡¯t need to take you seriously.¡± ¡°Wha, that¡¯s stu¨D¨D¡± I landed another body blow, and something black flew out of Nex¡¯s mouth after being hit twice. I grab it and yank it out. ¡°Aaa,aaaaaaaaaaaahh!¡± When I pulled the sly black thing out of his mouth, Nex started to get scared. As I pulled out the object and extinguished it with fire magic, Nex, who is now a human again, was overwhelmed with despair and continued to stare at it with hollow eyes as it disappeared into the void. CH 57 It''s NG to do nothing Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr (TN: NG means no good) I used my sword to chop up what I pulled out of Nex, and also crushed the remaining meteorite into pieces, sending it back to dust. I looked around. Both the meteorite itself and the dangerous one that came out of it. I was able to erase everything. The rest¡­¡­ would be Nex huh¡­¡­ Zah, zah, zah. The sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet but unpopulated open area. When I turned around, Shou and other two people¨D¨D men who looked like his aides came over. ¡°As expected, you already took care of it¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s about it. Can I leave the rest to you? ¡­¡­ This one included.¡± As I said so, I pointed to Nex lying down at my feet. He has no external injuries, and he¡¯s probably fine. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± ¡°Incidentally¡± I walked briskly up to Shou and came close enough to put my face to his. Shou was suddenly overawed, and his upper body slightly bent backward. ¡°Wha,what is it¡± ¡°As promised, this should become the achievement of His Highness.¡± ¡°Ah, of course.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything to me. No cross medals either.¡± Partly because of what had happened before, I made sure to emphasize that. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything to me about this. Really.¡± ¡°All right, I understand. You¡¯re a really mysterious person, you know that? I honestly struggle to understand why you hide it so much.¡± ¡°Everyone¡¯s different.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s true. I¡¯ll respect that, I was the one who asked you to do it.¡± Shou nodded and looked at me with a straight face. ¡°In the name of Show Za Aegina, I swear it. I¡¯m not going to do anything that includes your involvement in this case.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± I said and bowed my head. If he said that much ¡­¡­ then it¡¯ll be fine. The oath taken by royalty with their full name is a heavy one. It was good to get his assurance that nothing would be done to me. ¡î Shou kept his word. Far from me, there was no talk of Shou himself doing something. In the first place, there were no rumors of a meteorite having fallen, making this incident buried in the dark. While I¡¯m still a little wary about everything, the Kicking Princess Festival is over, and I¡¯m riding in the carriage with nee-san back to my estate, Pindos. ¡°¨D¨D?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong, nee-san, you¡¯re in a good mood.¡± ¡°Fufu, Hermes was being very active at the festival. I¡¯ll have to tell Mimis about it when I get back to Pindos and make sure the word was spread properly.¡± I smiled bitterly. I just had to do that. I was so pissed off at Nex, that I was determined to embarrass that guy, so I just did it. Thinking about it now, I think there was something else I could¡¯ve done. However, it can¡¯t be helped what I¡¯ve done. I thought about it for a minute. ¡°It¡¯s the traditional Kicking Princess Festival, so I gave it my all.¡± I said so. The result was a tie for first place. If I tell people that I did my best, I can fool them to a certain extent. Besides, this is ¡°normal¡±. At that Kicking Princess Festival, all the nobles who participated gave their all for the sake of honor. It¡¯s rather normal to claim that I¡¯ve done my best too. That¡¯s why I said that and tried to guide the content that nee-san was trying to spread. ¡°Hermes¡­¡­¡± My sister was surprised, and immediately after, her eyes began to moisten with emotion. ¡°Finally, you understand it, Hermes, right?¡± ¡°Well, occasionally.¡± ¡°Yes, occasionally is fine. Please continue to show your seriousness to the world.¡± ¡°If I feel like it¡± At the end, I closed it that way, but nee-san still seemed satisfied and continued to hum in a good mood. Are you really that pleased about it? It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve taken it seriously and was recognized by the world. Well, that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯d dare to do it. Because it¡¯s a pain in the ass. But I¡¯m glad, it was good. Shou will be doing nothing for me about the meteorite, and nee-san will keep the festival in spreading the usual way as a noble. Things have been going well, which is rare these days. If it¡¯s this ¨D¨D ¡°By the way¡­¡­ what about that matter?¡± ¡°That matter?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it, you know, it¡¯s about the meteorite.¡± ¡°Fah!?¡± A strange voice came out of me. Why did nee-san talk about a meteorite? ¡°It was rumored, you know? That there was a meteorite that fell around the Royal Capital, and His Highness Shou eliminated it, but it was actually Hermes who did it with his underhanded methods¡­¡­ Or so the rumor goes.¡± ¡°Whe,where¡¯s that rumor came from¡± ¡°It¡¯s what Baron Nex is talking about here and there, though?¡± ¡°That guy!?¡± ¡°The Baron says that Hermes had played dirty tricks, but he can¡¯t say what exactly is that dirty.¡± That¡¯s no surprise. Since I didn¡¯t use any of my dirty tricks. ¡°It¡¯s just that word got out, and then various people checked it out. There was indeed a meteorite, and it was treated in secret. And it seems that it was His Highness Shou who did it¡­¡­ but, the traces are yours, Hermes.¡± Geh. They¡¯ve checked the traces huh. Oh, God, it¡¯s the Nex guy. If he hadn¡¯t started talking about it, no one would have gone to check for the traces. ¡°But His Highness Shou has been completely silent on this matter, refusing to say anything to anyone who asks him.¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡­¡± I was a little impressed. Shou, you kept your promise with me. ¡°Since His Highness hasn¡¯t said anything, rumors have been flying around. The most recent one is¡± ¡°What¡¯s the most recent one?¡± ¡°His Highness is in the middle of a festival, so he tried to deal with it in secret, but he wasn¡¯t up to the task and got in trouble. In there, Hermes gallantly saved him.¡± ¡°Eeh!?¡± ¡°The latest theory is that His Highness, who was rescued after a failed attempt to settle the matter in secret, is too embarrassed to talk about it. Perhaps Hermes, who helped His Royal Highness who had his hands full, is actually amazing?¡± ¡°Eeeeeeeeeeeeeehh!?¡± ¡°Ah, Baron Nex still calls it ¡ºdirty tricks¡» up to now, but there¡¯s only a theory that he was embarrassed at the festival and wanted to make up for it.¡± ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t care about that.¡± Seriously, I didn¡¯t care about it. I mean¡­¡­there¡¯s such a rumor huh. ¡°The longer His Highness remains silent, the more credible the rumors become.¡± ¡°Ugah!!!!¡± What the hell! CH 58 A Generous Head Translated by Mlzkzr Edited by Mlzkzr ¡°Are you listening?¡± ¡°Dowah!¡± I was so surprised to see Mimis suddenly close up in front of me that I flipped over. We¡¯re at the audience hall, in the middle of work. Mimis, who had reported something vague just before, was suddenly right in front of me. ¡°Wha,what is it, Mimis¡± ¡°I hope you heard my report.¡± ¡°I heard, I heard it.¡± ¡°Then tell me what I have just told you.¡± ¡°Eh? Let me see¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t answer. To be frank, I wasn¡¯t listening to him. When I couldn¡¯t answer, Mimis sighed. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s important, so I¡¯ll say it again. This is the estimated tax revenue for the salt lake, so please listen carefully.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t understand the numbers you¡¯re giving me, give me an analogy that I can understand.¡± ¡°Fumu. Let me give you an example, it¡¯s roughly double.¡± ¡°Ha?¡± ¡°The Canoe family¡¯s tax revenue, it¡¯ll double.¡± ¡°That much!?¡± I was indeed surprised. ¡°It¡¯s that much¡± ¡°Heh, I¡¯ve heard that salt tax is delicious, but I guess it¡¯s true.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡± Mimis looked at me with frosty eyes, as if he was amazed. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°This high amount of money, was made possible by the efficiency of the refining method developed by the Head. Recently, we have found a number of users of salt refining magic, and it is expected that efficiency and purity will still increase.¡± ¡°O,oh¡± After Mimis said so, he got an impressed look in his eyes. The other vassals behind him also looked at me with the same respect. It¡¯s a godsend which doubled our tax revenue. If I left it alone, it would become a troublesome topic again, so I decided to divert the conversation. ¡°The money reminds me of the Kicking Princess Festival, which was a lot of money.¡± ¡°Umu? I guess so. But it¡¯s something we have to do every year for the prestige of the country.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that put a strain on the finances?¡± ¡°Even if it is, it¡¯s something they have to make do with somehow, and that¡¯s what royalty is¡­¡­ well, it¡¯s like their job.¡± ¡°Heh¡± It¡¯s not easy being a royalty. ¡°Do aristocrats not have anything like that?¡± ¡°They have something similar.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°We have had something similar in the past in the Canoe family. Every month, we would invite the children and serve them a feast.¡± ¡°Children?¡± ¡°It was recorded that the first generation head-sama was a great children lover.¡± ¡°Heh¡± That¡¯s unexpected. Based on the story I¡¯ve heard so far, the first generation was a sword-fighting idiot who was all about swords, but my image of her is about to change. ¡°Even so, children huh¡­¡­ would you like to try that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that what the past head did?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°If so, I¡¯ll do it too. We¡¯re treating the kids to a feast, right?¡± My boom is ¡°normal¡±. The Canoe family was a baron until I took over. In other words, they are comparatively ordinary among the aristocrats. Doing the same thing as those mediocre ancestors is the first step towards being ¡°ordinary¡±. In this case, normal is normal, but it is important to say that this is normal as a nobleman. ¡°Understood, leave it to me.¡± Mimis greatly thumped his chest and replied with confidence. ¡î A few days later, also in the audience hall, at the working hours. ¡°It¡¯s about your order the other day, but¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± I was half-listening to him as usual, but then I turned my attention back to Mimis. ¡°Order?¡± ¡°It¡¯s about inviting the children.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡± ¡°About a thousand children were to be invited from the territory. Here¡¯s a list of what¡¯s come up from all over the territory.¡± ¡°Is that so ¨D¨D a thousand people!?¡± I was about to take the list when my hand stopped in surprise. ¡°Hah¡± ¡°Why so¡± ¡°These were the names given on the actual activities of the past heads, but I made the villages in the territory recommend children who excel in studying, or purely good children.¡± ¡°Fumu¡± Well, that¡¯s a natural condition. ¡°Then, so many of them came up. The conditions are the conditions; if they are invited, it will be an honor for them to be recognized by the Head.¡± ¡°I see¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, with great pains, I invited them all. I thought it would be a good opportunity to show that the head is very generous.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like extra things, though.¡± ¡°By the way, as in the past, we¡¯ve decided to use the head¡¯s pocket money.¡± ¡°Pocket money?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a form of inviting children with your pocket money. Since it started at the second generation, before you took over the house.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s spending money huh¡± I opened the list. In addition to their names, the list included where they were from and a rough reason for them to be invited. Most of them are common compliments for children, so I skimmed them appropriately. ¡°By doing this, we are all extolling the Head.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha? Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s very generous of you to invite 1,000 children to treat them to a feast with your pocket money. Moreover, it¡¯s every month.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, no, it¡¯s tradition, right? There¡¯s a precedent, right?¡± ¡°But it¡¯s been a long time since it was gone. It is no longer an event of history, but for most of the people, it is an idea that was conceived by the head, honoring him.¡± ¡°Ohh¡­¡­¡± I wonder if that would happen¡­¡­ haa. TN: Follow me on Patreon for support in this link>>Here<>Here<